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Bermuda Chapter 147
🕑 Added 2024-06-13 11:05:43 +0000 UTCChapter 147
It was after the sun had completely set when the 1st Battalion members, including Hugo and Leonardo, arrived at the base camp.
Leonardo, who had thought that the gazes directed at him would be a little less since darkness had fallen, realized as soon as he emerged from the forest that it was a big miscalculation.
"Commander, loyalty!"
"Loyalty!"
The light balls floating around, the huge bonfires lit here and there, and the eyes that wouldn't leave him as if looking at something strange while shouting loyalty to the Commander stimulated his nerves, glittering all around.
When the Central Branch of the Council first reached the gate of the border zone, most of the commanders and members of the Southern Branch, except for those belonging to the temporary headquarters, had already entered the peninsula, so this was the first time they actually faced Leonardo Blaine.
Perhaps because of that, Leonardo felt his face, the back of his head, and his whole body tingling under the gazes of doubled vigilance.
In addition, the strong mana of some commanders surged around as if targeting him, making him feel naturally uncomfortable. It was a moment when he missed the freedom he had enjoyed for a brief time.
"You don't have to be nervous."
Hugo, who had been lightly responding to the salutes of the members, suddenly noticed Leonardo's unwell expression and said while stroking his back. However, unlike before when he had accepted it without much resistance, Leonardo reacted a bit sensitively, pushing away his touch.
"What do you mean nervous?"
Afterwards, he directly faced the gazes directed at him and openly showed his discomfort as if warning them.
Such behavior certainly didn't seem to look like nervousness to others, but perhaps because he had seen him relax a little when they were alone, Hugo realized that he was quite stiff right now.
...Well, even just a quick glance around was enough to feel the countless gazes all focused here. More precisely, they were concentrated on Leonardo beside him.
Feeling the pouring gazes together, Hugo suddenly realized how much stress he must have endured, bearing all of this from the Imperial Road. Come to think of it, it was almost thankful that he hadn't escaped at the large square or on the peninsula, even though there were clearly opportunities.
Thinking that protecting Leonardo from these gazes and allowing him to rest was a top priority, Hugo immediately waved his hand at the members who were staring excessively, as if telling them to look away appropriately.
Then, he led Leonardo to where the large tents were set up. He intended to arrange a place for him to rest alone, even if only for a moment.
Meterion, who had been talking with the battalion commanders and unit leaders about the Commander who hadn't returned, felt the strangely noisy atmosphere and turned his head. When he discovered the Commander, who had revealed himself at the edge of the forest only after the sun had completely set, and Leonardo standing next to him, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Delua, who had turned her head following Meterion, also discovered the two people in the distance and let out a short "Oh!" exclamation.
The commanders gathered in front of the conference table looked at her with puzzled faces, but Delua left the conference site first, asking for their understanding. Then, she immediately ran towards the two at full speed and shouted loudly,
"Commander! Mr. Blaine!"
Her high-pitched voice crossed the stiff atmosphere of the base camp and echoed more clearly. Leonardo, who had been following Hugo with a frown, turned his eyes in that direction, discovered Delua running, and for a moment, couldn't figure out what expression to make.
However, before he could even ponder, she had already approached and started to say this and that in a hurry, grabbing Leonardo's arm.
"Mr. Blaine, it's been so long! Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?"
"Uh..."
"I'm so glad you're safe... Oh my gosh, look at your face all bruised up! Where have you been all this time?"
Delua's expression, which changed every moment, was filled with worry about him being swept away by the landslide and the intense joy of reunion. However, Leonardo was a bit dazed by the endless questions and couldn't continue his answer. The attention focused on him because of her was also burdensome.
Hugo, who had been blankly staring at that sight, lightly placed his hand on the back of Delua's hand. Then, when her surprised gaze reached him, he opened his mouth.
"Delua, I know you're glad to see him, but Leonardo must be quite tired right now, so it would be better to ask later."
Delua paused and immediately looked at Leonardo's face. Then, she let go of his arm that she had been holding and apologized as if feeling sorry.
"Ah, you're right. Sorry, Mr. Blaine."
"...No, ...it's fine."
Still, since it was an action that came from a friendly feeling, Leonardo added that it was okay as if being enchanted, not needing to hear an apology. Even so, he glanced up at Hugo, who seemed to be helping him avoid awkward questions since they were together.
But the problem was from now on.
"Commander!"
Amidst the footsteps of several people brushing the dirt ground, a voice calling the Commander was particularly loud. As Hugo's gaze turned there, Leonardo and Delua's eyes also followed its end.
Among the commanders who had stopped the meeting and were hurriedly approaching, the one who had called Hugo was Liner Molten, the 9th Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch, who was at the very front.
Having left the conference site following Delua's voice, he used teleportation in one breath to move right in front of Hugo as soon as their eyes met. Then, he quickly scanned those standing behind him and asked with an urgent tone,
"Commander, have you found the missing persons?"
Seeing the blonde beauty who stood out among the dark navy blue combat uniforms, Liner instinctively recalled that he was one of the missing persons, Leonardo Blaine. Afterwards, he began to examine the faces and combat uniforms of the members behind Hugo and Leonardo one by one, passing by them.
In the meantime, Bruno and the operations department commanders, who had been following, also arrived in front of Hugo and saluted him.
Bruno, one of those who had been anxiously waiting for the Commander more than anyone else, let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Hugo, who had appeared at last, but also subtly expressed his difficult position due to his sudden disappearance, saying,
"You're later than expected."
Although he was polite as always, there was a strange feeling of sharpness. Hugo placed his hand on his shoulder as he approached and replied,
"I'm sorry for suddenly leaving."
"...It's alright. I'm glad everyone seems to have no major injuries."
Only after confirming the faces of Leonardo Blaine beside Hugo and Kenis Weber, another missing person among the group behind him, whom he had seen on paper, did Bruno feel relieved. He was also inwardly amazed at the sight of the two looking quite fine despite being swept away by a major disaster.
"Still, just in case, I'll call the medical team."
Hugo, who had nodded once at Bruno's words, felt the surroundings becoming suddenly noisy and looked around. As the Commander and Deputy Commander gathered in one place, even the commanders who were not supposed to attend the meeting were gathering one by one, gauging the situation.
Leonardo, who was once again trapped in their gazes, frowned and unconsciously stuck close to Hugo's side. Then, he slightly grabbed the sleeve of his combat uniform.
'...I feel sick.'
A sigh naturally escaped due to the extreme fatigue.
It was still bearable when he first entered the peninsula. Perhaps because his nerves had become sensitive due to the many events that had occurred until he arrived here, it was quite difficult to have so many eyes on him like this. Moreover, they didn't seem very friendly, so it felt like he was being torn apart by their eyes while standing still.
Bruno glanced at him and vaguely guessed that the reason the Commander had left in a hurry seemed to be because of that Leonardo Blaine.
When he stuck close to his side, the Commander looked down at him with slightly surprised eyes, and his gaze hadn't left him since then. Come to think of it, the atmosphere seemed a little different from when he first saw the two of them together.
While having such thoughts, Bruno suddenly turned his head and met eyes with Battalion Commander Rivera, who had been looking at the two. Judging by her expression, it seemed that he wasn't the only one who had this thought.
Meanwhile, Kenis, who had been hiding among his seniors, looked up at Liner, who had approached right in front of him and seemed to be looking for someone, with very tense eyes.
He didn't know exactly who he was and only guessed that he was one of the high-ranking commanders, but he soon discovered the epaulettes on his shoulders and the badge on his combat uniform, and before long, he could realize that he was the 9th Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch.
Afterwards, Kenis, who recalled his appearance approaching the Commander and asking if he had found the missing persons, thought that perhaps what he was looking for might be the owner of the personal belongings in his hand. Because the affiliation engraved on the bloodstained armband was also the 9th Battalion of the Southern Branch.
As his thoughts reached that point, strength entered Kenis's hand holding the bundle. And this time, he wondered if he, a mere newcomer, could directly deliver what he had in his hand to the Battalion Commander.
However, seeing Liner's appearance gradually sinking into despair as he couldn't find the face he was looking for, Kenis quickly ended his contemplation and decided to muster up his courage. After making a firm resolution and taking a small deep breath, he opened his mouth.
"Excuse me...!"
As it was the first time he spoke after a short but tremendous internal conflict, he failed to control the decibel level and let out a shrill voice. Kenis, who was startled for a moment, froze stiffly at the gazes focused on him. Thanks to that, Liner's gaze also touched him for a moment but couldn't linger for long.
At that moment, the 8th Platoon Leader, who had been watching the situation, roughly guessed what Kenis was trying to say and stepped forward.
She, who had been the first to find Kenis in the forest, had roughly heard from him about the identity of the black bundle at that time, but she had remained silent without being able to tell the Commander due to the unfavorable situation. However, now that it had come to this, she thought it would be better to tell him, so she stood in front of Liner and spoke on his behalf.
"Battalion Commander Molten, there is something to report to you."
At the 8th Platoon Leader's words, Liner's gaze shifted to her.
"You have something to report to me?"
"Yes."
The 8th Platoon Leader, who had answered Liner's question, immediately turned her head to Kenis and gestured with her eyes to hand over what he had in his hand. Kenis, who realized that the Platoon Leader had brought up the topic on his behalf, immediately held out the black bundle to Liner with trembling hands.
Liner, who had been quietly glaring at what was thrust at him, asked Kenis with narrowed brows,
"What is this?"
"Uh... I found it in the forest. It belongs to the Platoon Leader of the 9th Battalion of the Southern Branch..."
As soon as Kenis said "Platoon Leader of the 9th Battalion," Liner's eyes widened rapidly. Instinctively convinced that it was related to the person he was looking for, Liner immediately snatched the bundle and started to untie the knot while holding it with one arm. In fact, rather than untying, he was almost tearing it apart.
Startled by his sudden action, Kenis couldn't finish his words and just blinked with empty hands.
One of the personal belongings inside the roughly rummaged bundle flowed out and fell to the ground with a thud. Kenis, who saw it, was startled and hurriedly picked up the fallen object and brushed off the dirt on it. Then, Liner's eyes, which had been confused by what was inside, stopped on his hand.
"..."
Seeing where his gaze had landed, Kenis immediately handed what he had in his hand back to Liner.
It was the Platoon Leader's armband.
Comments
Jesse Gibson
Mmm.. guess their attraction is really obvious
