al_squad
patreon
Bermuda Chapter 60
🕑 Added 2024-04-18 12:17:45 +0000 UTCChapter 60
"I will help you."
At Leonardo's voice, Cordelia raised her head and looked at him. Hugo did the same.
Leonardo took a step closer to her, strongly placing his clenched right fist on his left chest as if making a vow. Then, with eyes shining like lightning, he clearly pledged,
"I will exterminate the monsters of Elder Millie."
The last time Leonardo and Cordelia had met was about five years ago. At that time, Leonardo was not yet an adult, but he was already a member of Armsilver, carrying out various confidential missions and going to rough battlefields, making a name for himself as a war hero.
He didn't want to meet his superior, whom he had last encountered during his glorious days, in such a miserable state now. It was uncomfortable, embarrassing, and painful.
However, Cordelia had also retired from the military before Leonardo was expelled, feeling disgusted with the military system and abandoning her position as an officer that could not only bring her honor but also allow her to enter the political world.
Knowing that fact, Leonardo could feel as soon as he faced her that even if she didn't know the details of his dishonorable discharge, she knew he was not at fault for his judgment and recognized what kind of person he was.
He wanted to respond to that belief that confidently voiced that he was not a dangerous person, and seeing her fighting just as hard as him in unseen places, he felt the desire to help her.
At Leonardo's offer to help, Cordelia seemed touched, but she soon tried to hide her own feelings and spoke as if she didn't want to burden him.
"Thank you, Blaine. But you don't need to push yourself. You have already done too much-"
"You know it well, don't you, Lieutenant?"
Leonardo interrupted her words as she tried to dissuade him. Instead, he slightly raised his chin and answered with his characteristic confident smile.
"Slaying monsters, I'll do it best in this empire. Isn't it my specialty?"
Leonardo had that usual brightly smiling face, with no trace of the earlier embarrassment. Cordelia couldn't continue speaking as Leonardo's appearance seemed like she was seeing him again from that glorious time, the last time she had seen him.
Biting her slightly parted lips that were mixed with many emotions, she soon let out a deflating laugh.
"Yes, that's right."
Seeing her much more relaxed face, Leonardo showed a satisfied smile. Eventually, he turned his head towards Hugo.
Hugo, who had been quietly observing the two people who seemed quite affectionate, raised one eyebrow when the lively golden eyes turned towards him. Leonardo opened his mouth.
"Parren gained independence from Turandos with the help of Raina Logia. And they participated in battles against Turandos every time as Raina Logia's support troops."
Hugo listened to his story without a word.
"Even if they have entered our territory, they are definitely not people who will harm the empire. I know that best as someone who fought alongside them on the same battlefield. So this time, consider it as receiving their help and overlook the fact that they have entered the interior of the territory. In the first place, it's the empire's fault for not dealing with the monsters in time, allowing them to cross over there."
'The empire's fault.' His words were true. It had reached this point because the Council and the Imperial Army kept delaying.
However, Cordelia seemed quite surprised by Leonardo's speech and behavior of speaking informally to Hugo, and she observed the atmosphere between the two with a slightly troubled face. Then, she gently grabbed Leonardo's arm and reprimanded him in a worried tone.
"Blaine, that's disrespectful. You should show respect to His Grace."
"His Grace is magnanimous, so he forgives me even if I act a bit rudely."
Having said that, Leonardo grinned at Hugo.
"Isn't that right, Your Grace?"
At that, Hugo's brows furrowed deeply. The guy who didn't usually do that was now using honorifics that couldn't be found with any respect towards him, making him seem even more arrogant. And strangely, although it was a common honorific he always heard from others, when he used it, it felt like there was a strange sense of distance, not sounding very pleasant.
With a very displeased face, Hugo said to Leonardo,
"Stop with the unsuitable honorifics and do as you usually do."
"You see that?"
Leonardo was still smiling, but Cordelia seemed slightly tense at Hugo's face that appeared to be in a bad mood.
Hugo briefly glanced at the distant sky, then took out the key to the handcuffs from his pocket. And he grabbed Leonardo's right wrist that was connected to him.
When Leonardo looked up at him in confusion, Hugo looked into his eyes once and then unlocked the handcuffs that had been attached to his wrist with the key.
Leonardo, who had always had something attached to his wrist since being caught by Hugo, rubbed his wrist repeatedly as if feeling a new sense of appreciation now that both of his hands were free for the first time in a long while. The thick metal fell off, making his arms feel very light.
As Hugo was removing the handcuffs that had been attached to his left wrist, Leonardo asked as if curious about his intentions.
"Why did you remove them? Did you suddenly gain faith in me?"
Holding the handcuffs that had fallen from his wrist, Hugo let out a small sigh and said,
"You're quite smart, and above all, you're cunning. I think you know well what actions are advantageous or disadvantageous."
At his words, Leonardo let out a chuckle and answered with a slight sarcasm,
"Ah, is that so?"
Hugo quietly looked at him, a former soldier who used honorifics that felt unfamiliar to the point of being arrogant, rude, and self-centered, and thought,
'Even though he said saving the imperial citizens is not his duty, when it comes to them, he acts as if he feels a sense of duty. If I bring that up, he'll get angry again.'
Hugo slightly closed his eyes and shook his head.
'A contradictory fellow.'
However, he soon looked down at the handcuffs in his hand and mocked himself,
'I, who freed such a guy, am just as contradictory....'
Cordelia had been quietly refraining from speaking while observing Hugo's reaction. Then, Hugo turned his gaze to her and said,
"Since you said the empire received help, I'll let it slide for now. However, after completing this subjugation, a report will inevitably be made. So you should be prepared for some level of reprimand."
Hearing those words, Cordelia looked at him with blank eyes for a moment, then soon answered with a bright expression,
"Your Grace, thank you."
And Hugo turned his gaze back to Leonardo.
"You asked if I gained faith in you? Yes. The fact that I freed you means I'm willing to trust you a little."
At Hugo's words about having faith in him, Leonardo instead looked at him as if he couldn't believe it. Meeting his confused eyes, Hugo continued,
"So while I'm trusting you, I have one request."
Leonardo asked in confusion,
"What is it?"
"When we enter the peninsula, as the Commander, I have to stand at the very front. So I'm entrusting the rear to you. One of our battalion commanders will accompany you, but along with him, in case of any unforeseen situations, take charge of the rear and protect the members."
Hearing the unexpected words in succession, Leonardo was at a loss for words.
If he had a change of heart here and ran away alone, he could immediately pass through the gate and disappear again.
Yet, this Commander of the Council, who had fought against him with tremendous force and kept him imprisoned until recently, was entrusting the rear to him, and he couldn't understand what he was trusting.
The man in front of his eyes was definitely not a soft person, but sometimes he felt soft in these strange aspects.
However, Leonardo could clearly judge what was advantageous or disadvantageous, as he had said, and he had no intention of running away from here in a situation where he had told Cordelia Hareth that he would help. If he successfully completed this task, he could help her and the suffering imperial citizens, and he could permanently escape the Council's surveillance network.
Leonardo decided to choose what was beneficial to him and intently looked at the Commander of the Council who had said he would trust him a little.
Eventually, he raised the corners of his mouth and lightly nodded his head to indicate that he would follow Hugo's words, and answered,
"Roger."
At his concise answer without any unnecessary words, a satisfied smile also appeared on Hugo's face.
Comments
Monmon
I actually like Hugo personally, I at least like that he's the very perceptive type. I don't expect him to an overwhelmingly positive force so early in the story considering his experiences (and therefore values) are quite different from Leo's in regards to the empire. It's clear he's not brainwashed to the point where he thinks the empire's military can do no wrong, and I'm excited to see how his views change when the inevitable corruption within the system becomes too blatant to ignore. (I have no hopes that the rest of the Council will be willing to let Leo go, especially after the successful Subjugation, in fact I'd see it much more likely that even factions outside of the Council would want a piece of that pie despite his "villain" status. I'm even more curious to see how Hugo will react if/when the Council goes back on their word)
Katsura Kureha
Right, help your old boss, just make sure to run as soon as the mission is complete, before the higher ups in the council go back on their words.
Jesse Gibson
Mmm… I’m still not all that happy with Hugo and honestly want to have his ass get saved by Leo sigh.. I’ll give him props for letting Leo’s cuffs go. One small step Hugo, you got a lot to make up for
