By Zephyria As soon as morning came, Flynn packed up the luggage he had packed in advance and went outside.
While Hugo was temporarily away to receive the necessary reports from the investigation officer and proceed with the handover, Flynn looked out at the square of the Frost Territory, which he would soon be leaving.
From the morning, people were bustling about, and the investigation tents were already filled with Council members busily coming and going. It seemed they had been investigating all night, taking shifts.
Flynn felt a little disappointed that he had to leave without uncovering everything until the end. It would be enough to receive reports later as the investigation progressed, but sometimes there were pieces of evidence that disappeared over time. And Flynn thought that one of those things was Terzio.
But there was nothing more he could do or should do here. It was right to trust his colleagues in the Northern Branch and return to his original position.
And whatever the situation, Terzio was someone who had given him a lot of help. So Flynn wanted to put aside all the suspicious circumstances and say one last thank you to him before leaving.
Flynn, who was watching the clock in the square, decided to stop by Terzio’s lodging for a while, as his superior seemed to be taking a little longer than expected. As he quickly flew up and headed somewhere, the villagers looked at him with wonder.
When he quickly crossed the building and arrived in front of Terzio’s lodging, Flynn heard unexpected words.
“Yes? He already left?”
“Yes, he packed his bags and left early in the morning, saying he was going to leave.”
“I see… How long has he been gone? The gate’s traffic restrictions haven’t been lifted yet…”
“That guy said that minor merchants like him can get a pass and leave right away after a simple investigation if there are no problems? It hasn’t been long since he left… By now, he’s probably at the Council’s investigation headquarters in the square to get a pass, right?”
“Ah, I guess so. Thank you.”
The owner of the lodging told him that he had already packed his bags and checked out. Flynn had just confirmed that the traffic gate had not yet opened, so he thought he could meet Terzio if he hurried.
Without delay, Flynn went outside and headed straight to the square where the investigation headquarters was, where he had been waiting for his Commander. He wondered why there were so many people gathered, but it seemed that some residents and minor merchants were waiting nearby to get passes for the controlled gate.
Flynn looked around the people lined up in long queues, searching for Terzio, but he was nowhere to be seen. His heart was getting more and more anxious.
‘Am I going to part ways like this without saying goodbye?’
He had apologized for suspecting him until the end, but he hadn’t conveyed his gratitude. Flynn was bothered by that. Although it was a short relationship, he still wanted to say goodbye and tell him that he would do well wherever he went.
“Flynn, you were here. Let’s go.”
Turning his head at the sound of someone calling him from behind, he saw his Commander waiting, having finished the handover.
“Ah, Commander.”
“Are you looking for something?”
“That’s… Theo. I haven’t said goodbye yet, but when I stopped by Theo’s lodging, he said he had already packed up and left. He’s someone who helped me a lot in many ways, so I’d like to say thank you, but can I look for him for a moment?”
When Flynn blinked and spoke earnestly, Hugo looked at him and readily nodded. Flynn quickly smiled brightly and expressed his gratitude.
Looking at that, Hugo realized that Flynn had become quite fond of the man named Terzio without realizing it. As he thought that, he suddenly saw someone coming out of the tent and gestured to Flynn.
“He’s coming out over there.”
At Hugo’s words, Flynn turned his head and saw Terzio coming out of the investigation headquarters tent with a pass. He packed his simple luggage and slung it over one shoulder, then quickly walked busily somewhere. Flynn hurriedly called out to him.
“Theo—!”
At the sound of someone calling him, Terzio stopped and turned around. When Flynn ran up to him urgently, he looked at Flynn with a slightly surprised face and said.
“Investigator?”
“Ah, Theo— are you leaving already?”
While Flynn, who had rushed over, was catching his breath, Terzio simultaneously raised his head and looked at Hugo, who was standing far behind Flynn. Hugo, who met his eyes, raised one eyebrow.
Terzio immediately turned his gaze away and patted Flynn on the shoulder, answering.
“Yes. I don’t know much about the major information of the merchant guild… and I was investigated, but the Council judged that I was not closely related, so they gave me permission to leave. So I just got a pass and was about to leave.”
“Ah… I see.”
‘I’m glad’ was supposed to come out, but Flynn couldn’t open his mouth. Was it okay to send him away so quickly?
“Are you leaving now too, Investigator?”
“Ah, yes. My Commander and I belong to the Central Branch, but we came here on a mission, so we have to return to our original workplace.”
“I see. You worked hard to come all the way here. Will you get a reward when you go back? You solved a huge case.”
“Haha, it’s all thanks to Theo. I’ve been wanting to say thank you all along.”
“To me?”
Theo asked back, sounding a little surprised. Flynn nodded and continued.
“If Theo hadn’t told me about the demon beast in the first place, I probably wouldn’t have known that such enormous things were hidden in the mountains, and the fire mage would have secretly escaped through the closed gate and wouldn’t have been caught.”
“I’m a little… embarrassed. I just did what I had to do.”
Theo scratched his cheek as if he was embarrassed. Flynn looked at him with a pleased expression and asked.
“Where are you going now, Theo?”
“Um… I lost my job, so I have to go find another place. To where I’m needed.”
“Ah…”
Seeing Theo speaking with a slightly bitter tone, Flynn was momentarily flustered and tried hard to comfort him.
“Don’t worry. You’ll find it soon. Theo is calm, has a good eye for things… and above all, I was able to solve the case entirely thanks to Theo. There will definitely be many places that need Theo.”
Flynn rambled on about what he felt about Terzio. Theo listened to his rambling words of comfort and smiled slightly as he looked at him, as if he was bursting into laughter.
As a smile spread subtly across his eyes and lips, Flynn was speechless and stared at him without realizing it.
“Thank you, Flynn.”
He really had an ordinary face. Nevertheless, the way his eyes curved and the way his lips drew a parabola felt quite pretty, and Flynn’s ears turned red without him realizing it.
“Uh…”
Flynn lost his words and was stammering when he suddenly realized that he had called him by his name, not Investigator, for the first time. He felt that he and Terzio had finally opened up and become a little closer just before they parted ways.
Hugo, who had been watching their appearance from afar, habitually tried to check his wrist, but turned his eyes to the clock in the square.
The time when the gate’s traffic restrictions would be lifted was approaching. If people gathered, the return time could be delayed, so Hugo approached the two people who were talking.
As he approached and cast a shadow nearby, Theo stopped smiling and raised his head. Flynn felt a little sad about the smile that had flashed and disappeared in an instant.
“Flynn, we have to go back now.”
“Ah, yes, I understand. Theo, then… goodbye. Thank you.”
Flynn said goodbye, trying hard to hide his regret. Theo smiled again, but it was quite different from the smile he had shown until just now.
“Be careful. Both of you.”
Hugo nodded lightly as he looked at Terzio saying that. Then, as Hugo turned around and walked away, Flynn also waved his hand at Theo and followed him.
Theo quietly watched the backs of the two people moving away. Then, he sighed softly, so small that no one could hear, and swept his hair back.
At that moment, Hugo, who had been walking with long strides, stopped abruptly.