By Zephyria The two passed through the lobby crowded with members and walked up the stairs bathed in the setting sun. Then, they strolled down a hallway with few passersby, turned a corner, and faced the ceiling depicting the long history of the Council.
Leonardo, looking up at the familiar mural, realized that this was the place he had passed through right before the departure. The place where he had emotionally clashed with Agrizendro. If he went in this direction, he would find the prison-like accommodation where he had stayed back then.
However, Hugo, changing direction midway, led him to a staircase he had never seen before. Leonardo, who had been silently following, broke the silence out of frustration.
“Where are we going?”
Hugo only glanced at Leonardo and then looked straight ahead again, walking about half a step ahead. Leonardo pursed his lips and followed his cold profile, trying to guess his state of mind, which seemed even worse than his own.
‘Is he like that because his territory was invaded, or is it related to me?’
Before he could figure out which one it was, a transparent bridge connecting the buildings appeared before him. It was a dizzying sight that would make anyone pause, even without a fear of heights. Leonardo looked down and realized that he had climbed to a considerable height.
They crossed the bridge and headed west, stopping in front of a door at the end of a corridor where no one was around.
“…Where is this?”
It was a splendid and thick door that exuded authority, as if a high-ranking person was inside. Hugo stood still for a moment, then grabbed the doorknob, infused it with Magic Power, and opened the door.
“My personal room.”
“Personal room?”
Leonardo wondered if he had been brought to the Legion Commander’s office, but he tilted his head slightly. As far as he knew, his office was not in this location. Just as the question crossed his mind, the tightly closed door slowly began to move.
Subsequently, as if to add credibility to the term ‘personal room,’ Hugo’s strong scent wafted through the gap in the door.
A spacious and cozy room came into view. A dark brown leather sofa and a high-quality wooden table first caught his eye, and large windows with good lighting decorated one wall at regular intervals.
A low bookshelf and side table, an antique wall clock. At the right end, there was a standing coat rack with branches and a wide bed that seemed impossible to fall off. It certainly wasn’t for office use.
“Come in.”
Hugo, supporting the heavy door with one hand, leaned against the entrance and gestured with his eyes.
Leonardo stared at him for a moment before obediently stepping into the room that was completely imbued with its owner’s colors.
The heavy door, covered in leather and velvet, moved so slowly that it didn’t even make a sound as it closed.
As the space was completely isolated from the outside, Hugo finally released Leonardo’s wrist, which he had been holding. Despite being freed from the pulling force, Leonardo stood blankly near the entrance, scanning the interior. If it weren’t for the crimson light coming in through the large windows, it would have felt like a secret room, like an interrogation room or an opera house.
“Sit wherever you’re comfortable.”
Hugo roughly placed the Magic Stone handcuffs, which he had brought in a fit of anger, on the side table. At the same time, he pointed to the sofa with his chin and brightly lit the lamp-style Light Balls throughout the room.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so it might be a bit dusty, but it’s not a bad place to rest quietly.”
With a gesture, he opened all the windows, creating a breeze that ventilated the stagnant air inside. Leonardo followed Hugo’s movements with his eyes, gradually walking towards the low wooden table.
He carefully sat on the plush leather sofa, and his upper body leaned back as if half-buried. He was momentarily taken aback, but it was comfortable once he got used to it. He was told there would be dust, but he couldn’t see any, at least not with his eyes.
“Do you live here?”
It was a pure question out of curiosity. Hugo, who had been gazing out the window, turned his head at the casually thrown question.
“Sometimes, if I have to stay up all night, I stay for a day or two.”
“Hmm.”
Leonardo nodded in agreement. Soon after, Hugo, who had approached the sofa, sat next to Leonardo, keeping a reasonable distance.
Following his weight, the height of the seat tilted to one side, and the presence of the scent that filled the room became even stronger.
“Leonardo.”
Hugo picked up a teacup that had been left on the table and used a stream of water from his fingertips to carefully wash the surface and inside of the teacup. After wiping it clean without a speck of dust, he filled it with lukewarm drinking water and placed it in front of Leonardo.
“There will be a lot of work for a while.”
Leonardo, who had been quietly making eye contact, shifted his gaze to the teacup on the table.
“But if you’re here, no one will treat you carelessly. It might be frustrating, but I want you to stay here for a while. At least within the Council, this will be the safest place.”
He happened to be thirsty, so he grabbed the handle and took a sip. Leonardo, who had moistened his mouth, put the teacup back down.
He licked his lips, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and replied nonchalantly.
“This room is probably the best place I’ve ever stayed in, right?”
It was a much more pleasant space than prisons, detention facilities, or large tents. After all, wasn’t it the room where the Legion Commander of the Council occasionally stayed? The furniture was all high-end, the atmosphere was calm, and even the smallest noises from the surroundings couldn’t be heard.
It was a statement meant to convey that he wasn’t feeling suffocated and that he was okay. But for some reason, Hugo’s expression stiffened for a moment.
He paused for a moment, touching his lips, then lowered his eyes and stared at the dark wooden table. He slowly captured Leonardo’s reflection in the glass, retraced his past memories, and muttered.
“I see.”
Leonardo felt that the meaning had been slightly distorted for a moment, but instead of correcting it, he changed the subject.
“But… so what are we doing now?”
He was asking about the schedule ahead. Hugo understood roughly and raised his head.
“We’re planning to conduct a thorough examination this afternoon. The examination we did at Fidele was a temporary measure, so it’s not very reliable. We need to check if there are any real problems with your body, or if there will be any aftereffects. Medical officers will be regularly checking on you and will fully assist in your recovery.”
Hugo didn’t bother to mention that the examination included drawing blood. Leonardo just listened quietly and didn’t reply. A moment of silence followed, and Hugo, judging that it was an adequate answer, suddenly stood up. He walked towards the door.
Leonardo, who thought he was getting up to tidy something up again, twisted his waist, grabbed the head of the sofa, and asked.
“Where are you going?”
“I just got back, so I have a lot of things to sort out. I’ll explain the other details when I get back. I’ll be back soon, so wait here.”
No, how long has it been since he arrived? Leonardo also jumped up at the nuance that he was suddenly trying to leave. He lightly jumped over the sofa and grabbed the doorknob, seizing Hugo’s forearm with both hands. Hugo turned around with a slightly surprised look, and Leonardo frowned and asked as if he was interrogating him.
“Are you going to leave me alone again?”
“…I’ll call Flynn to come and talk to you if you need anything. I’ll be back soon, so rest.”
Hugo forced himself to look away as the pitiful gaze stung him. Hugo’s seemingly hurried demeanor made Leonardo’s heart anxious.
There were many things he wanted to ask since earlier. Whether he had really been asleep without waking up even once while he was leaving the peninsula and arriving at the Zodiac, and whether you really knew nothing about the incomprehensible, chilling scenery outside the train window.
But in fact, more than that, he wanted someone to be by his side right now. It felt like a chilly hand was crawling up his leg and groping his whole body, even though it wasn’t night. He knew that Agrizendro’s most frequent lie was that he would be back soon, which was definitely the number one lie. Not knowing how long he would have to wait for him again, Leonardo’s plea not to go welled up in his throat.
But the hand he was holding, contrary to his will, slowly released Hugo’s forearm. It was because he understood his position with his head, even if not with his heart.
Somehow, the responsibilities he had to bear seemed to have a stronger presence now that he had returned to the central branch than they had in the peninsula. He already missed the cabin where they had been alone in Fidele. Because in that place, he could covet this person even just a little.
Leonardo dropped his head along with his fallen hand, then looked up again with his blue eyes.
His increasingly deep eyes caught his attention. He was sorry to him, but he felt like he had to hear this answer in order to feel at ease before letting him go.
“You’re not going to send me somewhere else, are you?”
Hugo’s eyelids moved slightly for a moment. Before he could even briefly retort, Leonardo asked again.
“You’re definitely going to set me free, right?”
“……”
Hugo, who was speechless for a moment, grasped the intention of Leonardo’s question. It was ironic that the question of whether he would send him away and the question of whether he would set him free were simultaneously valid.
But he could vaguely guess what kind of anxiety he was suffering from. There was no way Leonardo hadn’t noticed the unseen gazes and the air of pressure lurking outside.
The situation was somehow turning out to be unusual, but he only hoped that the child in front of him wouldn’t know the reality of it. Hugo organized his thoughts and organized them again to find an appropriate answer. In the meantime, the ticking of the clock in the quiet room urged him as if it was terrifying.
Was it because he knew that opening the door and going out would be another battlefield? Usually, he would have devised the most reassuring answer without needing to drag it out for long, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to speak easily now.
Hugo, who blinked slowly, slowly raised his hand and cupped Leonardo’s cheek. His fingers, which had traced his eyelashes, the corners of his eyes, and his lips in turn, lingered at the tip of his chin before being withdrawn.
Then, he affirmed in a serious voice.
“I’ll bet everything I have, I’ll set you free.”
After leaving those words, Hugo opened the door and went outside.