One of the members who had followed the Commander to the door asked with a puzzled expression:
"Outside the door, sir? Should we leave them here?"
Meanwhile, Hugo's legs moved as if entranced, striding towards Leonardo.
"Yes, leave them and go. No need to come in. Good work."
"Ah, yes!"
At the Commander's firm order leaking through the door crack, the members tilted their heads but neatly stacked the books they had brought against the wall. One whispered that they should organize them since he had said earlier to put them on the bookshelf, but rumors of a fearsome beast living in the Commander's personal room were already widespread, so everyone quietly shook their heads.
As their hushed movements rustled outside the door, Leonardo looked up blankly at the other who had suddenly stopped in front of him.
Hugo, too, just looked down at him without saying anything. Judging by the moisture in the bathroom, it seemed he had just finished bathing, but it was puzzling why someone who could instantly dry his wet body was like this.
"Did you shower?"
"Yeah. I felt stuffy."
Leonardo answered naturally while trying to calm his quickened pulse. Somehow feeling that the blue eyes were examining him, he tensed his neck and shoulders.
At the words "felt stuffy," Hugo's eyes took on a strange look, and he suddenly bent forward. Then, without warning, he wrapped his arms around the back of Leonardo's thighs and lifted him slightly.
"W-What are you doing?"
Startled by his feet suddenly leaving the ground, Leonardo placed his hands on the broad shoulders and swayed for a moment. Hugo firmly supported his waist, moved him a little away from the window, and set him down again.
Leonardo, who had wrapped his arms around Hugo's neck to keep his balance, lowered his arms with a surprised face and took a step back.
Hugo spoke with a deliberately stern expression:
"I told you not to go near there because there might still be fragments left."
Belatedly recalling Hugo's earlier warning, Leonardo nodded with an "Ah."
Clicking his tongue, Hugo naturally turned his back to the door. After glancing back at the lingering presence outside, he began to manually close Leonardo's precarious robe.
"Why did you open the window? On days like this, the temperature drops quickly and your body temperature falls."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a gust of wind firmly shut the open window. With the incoming rain stopped, the space suddenly became quiet. Leonardo glanced out the window and then looked down at his chest, feeling the delicate touch. The fingers brushing against his skin felt strangely stimulating.
"Just... wanted some fresh air."
Hugo sighed softly while adjusting the robe. Who would get fresh air on such a stormy day until they were soaked?
For a fire mage, lowering body temperature could be fatal. He had already been worried because the examination results weren't good, and now Leonardo kept doing things that made him anxious when left alone.
Hugo tucked the white naked body into the robe, almost as if wrapping a bundle. Leonardo, swaying slightly under Hugo's force, raised his eyelids slightly to gauge the situation. It didn't seem like he had noticed anything, but there was some emotion in his hands. Perhaps because the atmosphere hadn't been very good this morning, it felt like he had a lot to say but was refraining from nagging.
Leonardo, who had been silent, rolled his eyes and suddenly realized that the Commander's clothes were different from when he had left.
"Did you come from somewhere else?"
It wasn't the black uniform he had seen in the morning, but formal black pants and a gray shirt. Hugo met the golden eyes once and then focused back on the robe. It was an affirmation.
Leonardo had wondered why he hadn't come for so long, and now he thought perhaps Hugo had deliberately wandered outside before coming. He looked at him and asked again:
"Why did you change clothes?"
"They smelled of cigarettes and got very wet in the rain. I changed while showering."
"...You've had a hard time."
At the single remark that seemed to understand his efforts without further questioning, Hugo's stiff expression softened a little.
"Why did you bring them?"
"To move some books. I thought you might get bored being alone all the time."
It sounded like he had brought them for Leonardo's sake. Although he wasn't usually one to enjoy reading, Leonardo's eyes also softened a bit at the thought that it was for him.
He wasn't sure where the cigarette smell had come from, but Hugo didn't seem to like it, so Leonardo thought he should refrain from smoking in front of this person in the future. At that moment, Hugo's hands firmly tied the robe's belt. It was similar to how he had tied the handkerchief before.
"Dry yourself well, dry your hair too. Don't go near the window. Where did you put your slippers?"
After adjusting the robe's fit, Hugo turned and levitated the puddle of water that had formed in front of the window. Then he sent all the raindrops that had intruded without permission back through the window gap, and prowled around nearby, visually checking for any remaining glass shards.
Afterwards, he turned towards the still-open entrance to see if the members had withdrawn. Seeing Hugo moving busily, Leonardo hurriedly asked, fearing he might go out again:
"Do you have to go somewhere again?"
"I do have work to handle, why?"
"Do you have to go right now?"
The members seemed to have already stacked the books and withdrawn, as there was no one in the corridor. Hearing voices from inside, they appeared to have skipped greetings to avoid disturbing.
Hugo glanced at his wristwatch and continued:
"I have about an hour to spare."
Leonardo's face visibly brightened, as if playing twenty questions. He approached Hugo, dripping water from his wet hair. Then he gently pinched the end of the gray sleeve.
"Then dry my hair for me."
As his arm was pulled, the blue eyes that turned back were filled with puzzlement.
Hugo blinked and asked back:
"You want me to... dry your hair?"
* * *
Sitting in front of the dresser with a half-length mirror, Leonardo skimmed through the thick book in front of him and muttered in disbelief:
"How could they bring something like this? Is this really what they brought thinking I'd be bored?"
Standing behind him and gently rubbing his wet golden hair with a soft towel, Hugo cleared his throat softly and answered, hiding his embarrassment:
"It's better than having nothing, isn't it?"
"No, but still..."
The heavy books piled up beside the chair boasted an overwhelming thickness that could be used as blunt weapons if swung. The problem was that titles that looked boring at a glance, such as "The Impact of Trade Route Expansion and Trade Tariffs," "Philosophical Discourse on Order and Chaos," and "The Relationship between Magic and the Industrial Revolution," adorned the covers.
The crowning glory among them was "The History of the Council, Volume 1" held in Leonardo's hands. As he skimmed through the chronology listed first, he kept flipping the pages, turning 30 pages at once.
In the 7th year of Balanor Lucius Raina, 181 of the Raina Logia calendar, following the system of the ancient senate that discussed and advised on important national matters, a new consultative body called the 'Policy Council' was established. The Policy Council can be seen as the predecessor of the Council, which was established about 300 years later, and the Lex Concordia Grand Charter drawn up at this time well reflected the zeitgeist of the era, but is evaluated as a decree that failed to apply to later generations. The reason for this is...
After reading with blurry eyes, he closed the book, feeling it was hopeless. This time, he reached out and picked up "The History of the Council, Volume 9."
"This would be perfect for when you can't sleep. I already feel drowsy."
While he was dumbfounded, he also wanted to tease the Commander a bit, so Leonardo deliberately used exaggerated expressions and let out a chuckle. Then, after flipping about a hundred pages of the new book, a familiar name caught his eye in the 'People' chapter that opened.
987. Hugo Agrizendro, Water/Ice attribute, Rank S4, All-Rounder. Transferred from the Imperial Army to the Council's army and simultaneously appointed as the 1st Company Commander under the 2nd Battalion.
"Oh."
Although he didn't really want to know about the 'History of the Council,' this name alone made the book worth looking into. 987 was 12 years ago. It was around the time when Agrizendro's age was roughly similar to his current age. Being appointed as a company commander upon joining at that age was nearly impossible, even for someone of noble birth or with connections.
But the fact that even this person, who fit the position of Commander so well, had a time as a company commander made Leonardo feel newly impressed, as if seeing his rookie days. And to think he had been promoted to Commander in just about 12 years.
He could somewhat understand the record of some old man who had held the position of Commander of the Council for 50 years before Hugo Agrizendro dancing and handing over his position at Hugo's inauguration ceremony. It was easy to imagine how sensational his transfer must have been within the Council. The reason for not letting him go was probably similar.
As Leonardo was grumbling and momentarily focusing on the book's content, Hugo, who had been staring at him disapprovingly in the mirror, suddenly reached out to take the book away.
"If you don't like it, don't read it."
"Aah–, who said I'm not reading it?"
Leonardo hugged the thick book tightly, resisting to prevent it from being taken away. Only after Hugo withdrew his hand with a chuckle did Leonardo tilt his head back and look up at him directly with an arrogant posture.
"But you know, will hair dry like that? Try rubbing it more vigorously. You need to do it strongly like this for the moisture to be properly wiped off."
He was saying this because His Excellency's touch, which was almost as careful as wiping a glass with a towel, was gentle but frustrating. Leonardo demonstrated in the air, giving detailed instructions to the clumsy Hugo. Hugo, who had been concentrating intently, raised one eyebrow at the impudent order.
Listening to him, Hugo couldn't help but laugh. It was his first time drying someone else's hair in his life, yet Leonardo was not only using him without hesitation but also acting naturally as if treating a servant.
He couldn't even imagine what the butler and servants guarding his unoccupied mansion for months would say if they saw him like this. One thing was certain: the head butler would surely faint, clutching the back of his neck.
Hugo, who had been quietly staring at the chattering lips, suddenly covered Leonardo's brazen face with the wet towel. Then, following Leonardo's instructions, he started to ruffle his hair wrapped in the towel.
"Yes, yes, master. I was inadequate. Now, please lower your head."
"Wait a minute, why the face–! I said to rub the hair!"
Leonardo flailed, trying to escape from the slightly rougher touch, but Hugo didn't let him go, his face impassive yet tinged with mischief. He had thought this before, but the hair entangled in his fingers was unbelievably soft for a fire mage. Perhaps because of the pleasant sensation it gave, his heart, which had been tense all morning, became much more at ease.
That must be why they were both immersed in this amusing role-play that had somehow become established, without any objection.