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Bermuda Chapter 69
🕑 Added 2024-04-24 12:09:31 +0000 UTCChapter 69
'Is he taking revenge for brushing off his hand?'
Leonardo thought as he entered the tent and looked around the interior.
The inside was spacious. It was sturdy enough to keep out most of the outside wind, and perhaps because it was used by the Commander, there were field beds, a side table, and chairs.
The beds were placed one each on the left and right walls, and judging by Agrizendro's luggage placed on the right field bed, the left one seemed to be his.
Leonardo approached the bed on the left and lightly pressed the thin mattress. It was surprisingly soft, hard to believe it was a field bed. It was quite a luxurious sleeping arrangement, unimaginable in such a remote area.
'This is why having a high rank is good.'
The reason he told Leonardo to share the same tent was probably to keep an eye on him since he didn't know where Leonardo might run off to, but thanks to that, Leonardo could enjoy the same privileges as the Commander, so at least that part wasn't bad.
However, Leonardo soon returned to reality and predicted that tonight's sleeping arrangement would be more uncomfortable than any other time. With a small sigh, he untied the cloak that had been fixed on his shoulders and took off the magic rings and gloves he had been wearing, placing them on the side table next to the bed.
At that moment, he heard the sound of someone entering the tent, lifting the entrance. Leonardo quickly turned his head.
Hugo, who had entered while slightly bending his waist, glanced at Leonardo once and immediately went to his own bed on the right. Then, he began taking off the black protective vest he was wearing, various protectors, and finally the top of his combat uniform.
Leonardo, who had been organizing his own space, glanced at Hugo's back.
Underneath the top of the combat uniform, a thinly compressed high-elasticity compression armor was revealed, and when he took that off, the common black military t-shirt that many wore under the combat uniform caught the eye.
It was so common that anyone who received military supplies from the Imperial Knights, the Imperial Army, or the Council would wear it, but seeing him wear it somehow didn't make it look so ordinary.
The stretchy black t-shirt clung tightly to Agrizendro's body, revealing the contours of his muscular physique even through the fabric. His broad back and the firm-looking forearms exposed under the short sleeves were almost the first time Leonardo had seen Hugo's bare skin aside from his face and hands, so Leonardo's gaze was drawn to them without realizing it.
As Hugo organized his clothes, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, he spoke to Leonardo.
"Is the sleeping arrangement to your liking?"
At his question, Leonardo came to his senses and answered,
"Uh... well, it's not bad."
"Is that so? I'm glad."
Hugo neatly folded his clothes, placed them on the side table, and finished organizing his space. Eventually, he turned around again, heading towards the entrance of the tent, and said to Leonardo,
"If you're done organizing, let's go out for a meal."
As Leonardo nodded and got up from his seat, Hugo went out first, lifting the cloth at the entrance of the tent and waiting for him. As soon as Leonardo followed and fully came out, he lowered the cloth he had been holding.
Looking around the scenery, bonfires were crackling in front of the tents, and some members were distributing meals while spreading out a large deck in the center. Although it seemed to be just heated combat rations, everyone was sitting in a circle and enjoying their dinner quite satisfactorily, perhaps finding it delicious due to the exhausting day.
In front of the tent used by Hugo and Leonardo, bonfires and makeshift chairs had already been spread out in a circle. And there, Flynn, the adjutant, and a few members wearing armbands were already sitting and having their meal first. Among them, there was a familiar face.
A woman with long black hair tied up high glanced at Leonardo while eating her rice. Eventually, she coldly turned her eyes away and focused on the food in her bowl.
For a moment, Leonardo was pondering where he had seen that somewhat familiar face, and in the meantime, Hugo pulled out a chair for him and said,
"Sit down."
Hugo sat right next to the chair he had pulled out for Leonardo. Leonardo wanted to sit one seat apart, but feeling like it wouldn't be refusing a kind gesture, he plopped down on the seat Hugo had prepared for him.
"Commander, here it is."
"Thank you, Flynn."
Flynn handed Hugo the combat rations and utensils he had pre-transferred into a container. Then, he approached Leonardo and held out the same thing, saying,
"Here, this is yours."
Leonardo received it with a slightly puzzled look and gazed into Flynn's eyes. He didn't expect Flynn to have prepared his share as well.
"Thanks."
At his response, Flynn lightly replied, "Yeah," and returned to his seat as if it was no big deal. However, a pleasant smile lingered on his lips.
Leonardo blankly looked down at the steaming hot food. In fact, he had eaten combat rations more than anyone else here, so he didn't have high expectations.
Food made for the convenience of wartime focused only on high calories and long-term preservation, so no matter how well it was made, there were limitations. There was even a theory that they deliberately made it taste bad because if it was too delicious, there would be a problem of not being able to control one's appetite when isolated.
So he thought the taste would be similar whether in the military or here... but upon seeing it, the composition was quite diverse, and the contents were substantial, which was a bit unexpected.
The stew in the sealed pack, dry bread, omelet, sausage, and other small snacks were neatly plated in the container. Flynn's meticulous personality seemed to shine through.
Leonardo scooped up a spoonful of the stew and sniffed it.
'It smells good.'
The first impression wasn't bad. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his thought that it would be the same as what he ate in the military was completely overturned. It was quite tasty for combat rations.
While he was inwardly amazed without a sound, he suddenly felt a gaze and looked to the side to see Hugo looking at him. Leonardo also looked at him, and then, realizing that Hugo was eating the same food as the regular members, he asked,
"You eat the same thing too?"
Hugo lightly nodded and asked back,
"Is it unfamiliar?"
"A little."
"In the Council, when performing missions in remote areas where it's difficult to obtain food, everyone eats the same food regardless of rank. It's one of the many aspects that differ from the military you know."
It certainly was.
In the military, it was unimaginable for someone of the Commander's rank to eat the same combat rations as regular soldiers. No, before that, the Commander would only issue orders from the headquarters and wouldn't be directly deployed to the front lines. Leonardo himself rarely had the opportunity to see one of the few Commanders of the Imperial Army directly on the battlefield.
Thinking like that, Leonardo newly realized that the person next to him was someone of an incredibly high position in military terms.
However, what Leonardo had felt while being with the Council for only a short time was that the system and atmosphere of the military and the Council were quite different.
Unlike the military, where a clear hierarchy divided by rank and strict obedience to orders were emphasized, the Council seemed to have ranks and discipline, but the culture wasn't as conservative as he thought.
They seemed to exchange opinions more freely, and superiors also seemed to accept the opinions of subordinates to some extent. Moreover, during the operation meeting, instead of one-sided orders given from above, everyone put their heads together and discussed to devise better strategies.
And above all, "the most capable commander takes the lead" was the most impressive difference between the Council and the military that Leonardo had seen. Although he didn't know the detailed circumstances, the Council he had seen seemed to have a younger and more horizontal culture compared to the Imperial Army and was closer to a merit-based system.
As the things he had found unfamiliar in a short period of time gathered into a big difference, Leonardo's expression darkened a little.
In the past, he had made what others criticized as 'wrong judgment' on that day. Although he thought that judgment wasn't wrong, that thought gradually shook as he heard all sorts of harsh words, to the point where he himself couldn't be sure.
So when the procession of the Central Branch established the operation based on his words before entering the peninsula, he was worried that it might be a wrong judgment. However, the man in front of him said that his role was to review and approve it and take the final responsibility, so there was no need to worry.
Leonardo had seen countless superiors in the military who shirked responsibility, but he had never seen a Commander who said such things to someone who no longer held any position.
Looking at Hugo's face, Leonardo blankly thought,
'If I had been in the Council, would things have been a bit different?'
Seeing Leonardo's dark expression, Hugo remained silent for a moment and then casually asked him,
"Is it to your taste?"
At that, Leonardo looked down at the stew in his hand and nodded.
"It's delicious."
He immediately scooped up another spoonful of stew and put it in his mouth. As Leonardo ate well as if to prove his words, Hugo looked at him and showed a faint smile.
"There's plenty, so if it's not enough, eat more."
Comments
Monmon
Damn the imperial army really must've been some shit smh
Jesse Gibson
Don’t fall for it Leo! It’s another institution that wants to use you- we have already confirmed that fact! Don’t let your good opinion of Hugo cloud your judgement- he’s likely the only “righteous” one in the high ranks.
