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Bermuda Chapter 280
🕑 Added 2024-09-05 10:52:32 +0000 UTCChapter 280
As if all the necrotic areas had been amputated, only Liner's left shoulder remained.
Leonardo barely managed to avert his gaze from that spot. Sensing his consideration, Liner deliberately shrugged his shoulder and said:
"Isn't losing an arm like a medal? If I attach a steel prosthetic here, wouldn't it look even cooler?"
"Liner."
As the bandaged stump twitched, Isabella, who had been supporting his upper body from that side, called his name softly.
Isabella closed her eyes tightly and then opened them, letting out a deep sigh. Liner shook his head lightly as if to say it was no big deal. Although the person in question didn't seem to take it seriously, Leonardo knew that Liner was trying hard to lighten the mood.
He himself had almost lost an arm in this battle. Hadn't he felt pain as if all his nerves were convulsing just from that? Then, the sensation of having an entire arm torn off without a trace must be a pain he couldn't even dare to imagine. Leonardo tightly closed his mouth.
At that, Liner, who had been bickering with Isabella for a few words, suddenly extended his right hand to Leonardo.
"But it's fortunate that this side remains, isn't it? Because I can still shake hands with Leonardo Blaine."
Liner, laughing heartily, was truly the epitome of a cheerful man. Leonardo never dreamed he would end up greatly admiring this fellow he had only recently become acquainted with.
Leonardo chuckled and grasped Liner's hand. The other's fierce yet clear energy was transmitted through his palm.
Although that energy had weakened compared to before, it certainly hadn't become murky. Liner showed his teeth in a grin and shook their connected hands up and down. As they naturally withdrew their hands, Leonardo rummaged through the inner pocket of his combat uniform and said:
"Just a moment."
He took out the artifact he had organized in the morning and opened it just enough for one arm to fit. From inside, he found a small case about the size of a handful and held it out to Liner. When Liner looked at it with eyes asking what it was, Leonardo answered plainly:
"It's a mana stone, put it in your prosthetic later. It'll help."
Leonardo shook the case in his hand while putting the artifact back in his inner pocket.
"There was a guy who lost one leg after stepping on a landmine before. He said it worked pretty well when he put it in his prosthetic leg. So I thought it might be good for a prosthetic arm too. Oh, by the way, this is expensive, okay?"
He emphasized the last part in particular and then pulled the hand he had shaken to make sure Liner was holding the case well. As Liner just stared down at it blankly, Isabella, who was beside him, conveyed words of gratitude instead.
"Thank you, Leonardo Blaine. We'll make sure to repay you properly."
"I didn't give it to receive anything in return. I gave it because I don't need it."
It lacked credibility to say it was expensive and then say he didn't need it, but Isabella didn't add anything more. Instead, she offered her hand for a handshake. Leonardo looked down at her hand and grasped it firmly.
Isabella smiled and said:
"We survived thanks to you, and learned a lot. Thanks to you, we were able to look at our situation objectively."
Leonardo tilted his head and asked:
"What situation?"
"I mean our ridiculously lacking ability to deal with crises. From now on, we battalion commanders also plan to change our training methods to focus more on practical experience. So I hope we can meet again. So that we can show you the results of our training."
Although he wasn't sure exactly what practical experience-focused training meant, if it helped cultivate composure, these two people would likely see a lot of improvement.
Leonardo was about to offer some advice, recalling the moments of struggling together with them, when he suddenly remembered that they were battalion commanders of the Council. He immediately swallowed the words he was about to say and just nodded lightly. At that, Gray, who had been supporting Liner's right arm, interjected:
"But if a day comes when we can show the results of our training, wouldn't that be a problem in itself?"
If such a day came, it would mean either the country was facing another catastrophic battle, or Leonardo was being pursued by the Council. Isabella, understanding the implication, let out a hollow laugh. Leonardo, who also understood, frowned as if displeased.
They soon conveyed farewells to Leonardo, including Charlotte Hastings' share, who was Liner's direct subordinate. They said Charlotte had already been transferred to the Southern Branch headquarters a few days ago due to severe internal injuries. However, Liner didn't seem particularly worried.
"Probably because I'm alive, that fellow's personality won't let her rest until she comes back alive. She's always insisting that she can do whatever I can do."
It was strange logic, but seeing the two people on either side nodding, it seemed to be a somewhat believable story. Leonardo, vaguely recalling Charlotte who had come to deliver the cloak to him, responded rather maturely, saying he hoped for her quick recovery.
As their conversation was slowly wrapping up, there was a group crossing the dirt ground, moving a stretcher. Leonardo's gaze naturally fell on that spot. The reason was that several members were clinging around it, and one of them was Delua Rivera, the 6th Battalion Commander of the Central Branch.
"Extended exposure to sunlight is not good. Hurry up!"
As the particularly attention-grabbing high-pitched voice was heard, the commanders with Leonardo also turned to look in that direction.
Delua, with a flushed face, kept muttering something to the injured person while looking down at them, holding their hand and speaking. The stretcher soon approached near the convoy of escort vehicles. Immediately, the door of a vehicle two ahead opened, and members carefully pushed the injured person into it, stretcher and all.
At that moment, Leonardo could hear Delua's tearful voice more clearly:
"Marlen, everything will be alright. We're going home now."
After whispering like that, Delua lowered her head and kissed the injured person's lips. Then, as if it was natural, she boarded the vehicle together. It happened so quickly that Leonardo couldn't take his eyes off the spot until the door closed.
"Those two..."
Isabella, who had the same thought, murmured, trailing off. Suddenly, the image of Delua and Marlen, who had seemed unusually close for a superior-subordinate relationship, flashed through Leonardo's mind.
It was a bit surprising as he hadn't noticed it at all. But more than that, what was fortunate was the fact that Marlen had also survived.
"Commander, it seems we can start departing now."
Bruno, who had been continuously communicating with the person in charge of Fidele's external gate, reported to Hugo who was right beside him.
Hugo checked his watch at Bruno's words and looked around. The managers of the escort vehicles carrying all the injured were busily moving around, sending final signals that everything was fine. Behind them, the wagons loaded with heavy luggage also seemed to have finished preparations, closing their doors firmly one after another.
Hugo gave a simple nod to Bruno and moved his steps to the right. He strode towards Leonardo and the commanders gathered about 20 meters away.
Hugo tapped the side of the escort vehicle with the back of his hand, focused everyone's attention on himself, and said:
"Everyone, step back. It's time to depart."
Although they knew it was coming, regretful sighs burst out when the moment actually arrived. However, the thunderous engine sounds heard simultaneously from all around drowned out those sighs. The hot air emitted from the escort vehicles raised small dust particles in the surroundings. Hugo, leaving the commanders behind, personally opened the vehicle's door and extended his hand to Leonardo.
"Let's go."
Leonardo stared blankly at his hand for a moment, then answered "Okay" and grasped Hugo's outstretched hand. Then he boarded the vehicle first and plopped down on the inside seat. Hugo sat down right next to Leonardo after he was seated. After the two had finished boarding, Bruno closed the vehicle's door.
Hugo pushed open the window on the left side and gestured to Bruno. Bruno, who had come close, poked his face in and reported to Hugo and the driver in the front seat:
"I've already finished talking with the managers, so just keep going straight east from here and enter the dam entrance. We'll escort you on the shortest route to the imperial capital. Thank you for your hard work, Commander."
"You too have worked hard under me all this time. I'm counting on you to wrap up the final stages of the subjugation."
"Of course, don't worry. Please take care on your journey."
The two exchanged a final handshake through the window. Afterwards, Bruno, looking inside, also conveyed his final greetings to Leonardo.
"Leonardo Blaine, you've worked hard too. Next time–"
"Your Excellency–!"
At that moment, Cordelia, who had been standing back, suddenly rushed in and stood close to the open window. Bruno stepped aside with a surprised face. Cordelia pleaded to Hugo in an earnest voice:
"Your Excellency, please take good care of Blaine. You must set him free."
Leonardo looked back and forth between Cordelia and Hugo with a surprised face. Hugo, his expression slightly hardening, answered in a calm tone:
"Don't worry. Your efforts won't be in vain."
Leaving these cryptic words, he waved his hand as if to say it was dangerous and to step away from the vehicle now. Bruno bowed his head deeply to him and stepped back two or three paces, taking Cordelia with him.
After confirming they had moved a suitable distance away, Hugo instructed the driver sitting in front:
"Let's depart."
"Yes, my lord."
For a moment, the word 'my lord' caught Leonardo's ear, but it soon disappeared from his consciousness as the convoy of escort vehicles started moving immediately. Instead, Leonardo's gaze swept over the numerous faces passing by like the wind outside the car window.
Bruno stood at attention, straightening his back towards the long procession that was slowly moving.
"Everyone, attention!"
Following his solemn voice, the gathered commanders and the Council's large army spread out widely all stood at attention at once. Even Liner, who had been slouching, straightened his shoulders wide and participated with a serious expression for this moment.
Bruno, following the passing vehicles with his gaze, ordered his subordinates in a low voice:
"Wishing for a safe return, salute the Commander!"
"Glory to Raina Logia–!"
The thunderous shout that shook the ground in front of the border area spread to the foothills of Fidele and the peninsula. Leonardo took in the sight of countless saluting hands directed at him and Hugo for a long time, as if afraid to miss any.
Then, as if some regret remained, he gripped the headrest of his seat and, with his body half-turned back, watched those receding figures until the end.
"Blaine–!"
Cordelia, who called Leonardo's name last, waved her hand widely, seeing him off as he departed. Leonardo, knowing she couldn't see him, still waved his hand slightly against the window at the back of the vehicle.
The escort vehicles lined up in a row sped towards the external gate. As the dust rose fiercely from the impact, Hugo closed the window he had opened and said in a subdued voice:
"Leonardo, it's better to sit properly. It's dangerous. The road will get rough when we enter the forest path."
Leonardo obediently followed Hugo's words and sat straight in his seat only when Cordelia and the others had become as small as dots. Just then, Hugo, rummaging through his pocket, took out a small packaged capsule and held it out to Leonardo.
"The medical officer told me to give this to you. He said it's a painkiller."
"A painkiller?"
"We won't be able to check your condition on the way back. It seems they prepared it in case of long-distance travel... Why don't you take it in advance now?"
Leonardo blinked and took the pill Hugo handed him. Without any particular response, he unwrapped the packaging and unconsciously smelled it.
The colorless and odorless pill seemed like an ordinary painkiller, but perhaps because he remembered his esophagus stinging recently when swallowing food, he didn't feel like taking it for some reason.
As he just stared at the pill he was holding, Hugo, who had been glancing at him from the corner of his eye, casually asked:
"What, do you want me to feed it to you?"
"What? No?"
Not 'Don't you want to take it?' but asking if he wanted to be fed. Leonardo, answering with a bewildered face, quickly put the painkiller in his mouth. However, perhaps because the surface of the pill was rough, it was a struggle to swallow without water. Watching his Adam's apple move up and down several times, Hugo clicked his tongue and put his hand on Leonardo's chin, saying:
"Lift your head."
And then, without giving him time to lift his chin himself, he forcefully tilted Leonardo's head back.
"Open your mouth."
Leonardo, rolling his eyes in that state, slightly furrowed his brow and opened his mouth. Then Hugo tilted his other hand and poured cool water into Leonardo's mouth. Although a few drops spilled from the corners of his mouth due to the shaking car, it was a fairly clean handling.
Leonardo swallowed the pill without resistance. Only then did Hugo withdraw his hand and carefully wiped Leonardo's mouth with the handkerchief around his neck. Then, as if he had finished his task, he turned his head towards the car window without saying anything more.
He briefly caressed his hand and then rested his elbow on the armrest, propping his chin, but that profile seemed somehow different from usual to Leonardo. Somehow... he looked uncharacteristically anxious and tense.
"..."
Leonardo, sitting quietly and observing Hugo, suddenly turned his eyes forward and stared at the windshield of the vehicle entering the forest path. As dense greenery surrounded them on all sides, he wanted to capture the last view of the peninsula in his memory.
As Leonardo shifted his gaze to the left and looked at the tall peak in the distance, the reddish lava flowing in the hazy crater shimmered along with the heat haze. What was surprising was that on another peak not far away, perpetual snow that never melted glittered, reflecting the sunlight.
Lava and perpetual snow.
They were objects that one could never think would coexist.
However, coincidentally, it was this Elder Millie Peninsula that made their coexistence possible.
Leonardo looked at the man of perpetual snow sitting next to him. He thought the reason he looked tense was because he was worrying in advance about the difficulties that would unfold after they returned.
However, Leonardo wanted to fully enjoy this 'end' moment. And yet, to alleviate his anxiety a little, he gently rested his head on Hugo's shoulder. Of course, sitting on a seat like a soft sofa and swaying with the vehicle body, he also felt drowsiness washing over him as his own tension eased.
As a suitable weight touched his shoulder, Hugo's eyelids twitched at that moment.
He lowered the hand that had been propping his chin and slowly turned his head. He shifted his gaze and looked down blankly at the warmth that had come close to him.
"..."
The golden hair, which had grown quite long, was messily scattered on his shoulder. Leonardo, who had gently lowered his long eyelashes, murmured quietly with his eyes closed:
"Thank you."
There were no following words to explain what he meant. But Hugo felt he could understand all the meanings contained in it.
He swept Leonardo's face with a relaxed gaze. Eventually, blinking silently, he too rested his head on Leonardo's head.
Following the freshness of the rapidly passing greenery, many events from the past flowed like a panorama in Hugo's mind. He buried those memories in a corner of his heart and reached his arm behind Leonardo's shoulder to rub his forearm with his hand.
Then, slowly closing his eyes, Hugo whispered softly into the air:
"I'm grateful too."
The corners of Leonardo's mouth subtly lifted.
The escort vehicle carrying the two glided away, turning its back on the peninsula.
Comments
Jesse Gibson
And now… we head back into hell where backstabbing and schemes are running rampant and those who are conspiring against Leo will appear. I just know “freedom” is not a word the council is going to allow when they finally have Leo in their grasp and can tack on any amount of crimes they wish to to keep him. Yeaaaaaaaaaa how much you want to bet that they have somehow learned that Leo “left” or didn’t return during the mission? He fled which means the deal is forfeit.. BET
Bodacious
Come to think of it, they've been quiet since forever, huh?
Mkslushi
I hope not forsure but I can’t help feeling anxious that the military is gonna stay quiet and not pop up 😥
Bodacious
And thus ends the subjugation arc! After all that has been said and not said, I have to wonder if a previous commenter's theory of Leo having plans that would pit him against the council again is true.
