By Zephyria Hugo stared at the scenery he had ridden through on horseback just a day before, leaning back in the carriage and deep in thought. Clouds tinged with twilight passed over his face, faintly reflected in the window. Whenever he saw the colors of the retreating sun, that moment invariably came to mind.
He unconsciously longed for the wind-like guy he had sent away with his own hands, then slowly closed and opened his eyelids as the carriage entered the Portal. A brief glare stimulated his vision, and before long the curtain of bright light cleared. As the majestic cityscape unfolded, he reminded himself that this was not the time for such thoughts.
‘Would it be okay to proceed with the investigation?’
The report he had heard from Loren before leaving work kept floating around in his head. Usually, when she offered to form an investigation team, it was when evidence was found during the initial investigation that clearly indicated a crime had been committed. Or when she didn’t trust the people who would be on the investigation team.
In any case, since a cylinder containing Magic Power had been found and there was even evidence of intent to distribute it, there was sufficient justification to conduct an intensive investigation into Magic Power trafficking. It was also a case that Loren had been chasing for a long time.
But why did she come to get approval in person and then ask, ‘Would it be okay?’ to proceed with the investigation?
He was the one who had told her not to easily trust anyone, even within the Council. But when he became the target, he couldn’t help but feel bitter.
It seemed that in the eyes of his old friend, he was seen as a foolish man who could not order a fair investigation, even for those in the same faction. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Loren’s face to show a fleeting moment of anguish when requesting permission.
“……”
However, he understood her concerns to some extent.
In the aristocratic world, the same faction was like a tacitly connected community of fate. If the Imperial Faction was involved in some kind of ring that would be uncovered in the future, it meant that this matter could also affect his position.
He didn’t know whether Loren had asked that question out of concern for his difficult position, or because she was worried that a fair investigation would not be conducted. However, if he had to choose one, Hugo wanted to believe it was the former.
He would rather fall into the mire with the trust of his colleagues than reign from a precariously built tower of status.
Of course, he was not happy with the situation where another obstacle awaited him beyond the difficult waves he had passed. It was only natural that a heavy sigh escaped him.
“Hoo….”
Flynn, who was sitting across from him and flipping through documents, suddenly raised his head at the sound. He saw the face of his superior, who looked exhausted.
Long fingers tapped the end of the armrest, causing a constant noise. Flynn, who had been silent, examined his shaded eyes and cautiously spoke a word of encouragement.
“Most of the things the 2nd Legion Commander takes on are resolved well, so don’t worry too much.”
Hugo, who had been staring out the window, glanced over. There was no change in his expression, but he was inwardly surprised by the sharpness of his adjutant, who always guessed his concerns roughly.
He nodded once without saying a word and shifted his gaze to the documents in Flynn’s hand. When he flicked his fingers, Flynn neatly arranged the papers and handed them to his superior. Hugo put them down on the seat next to him without even reading them.
“I told you to rest as much as possible in the carriage.”
“…Ah.”
It was because Flynn, who had been in charge of escorting him for less than a month a few years ago, had gotten severely carsick while reviewing documents in the carriage. He knew it was a happening created by the desire to do well in a seat facing backwards, but Hugo had since stopped Flynn’s excessive passion to work even in the carriage.
He thought it was okay since he hadn’t said anything for a while… Flynn swallowed his embarrassed feelings and added simply, “I’m sorry.” In the meantime, the carriage passed through a temporary Portal installed in the middle of the city. Soon, a large gate leading to the Agrigento Territory mansion appeared outside the window.
The guards, who had exchanged signals with the coachman, moved diligently from the watchtower to open the heavy gate.
From here on, Flynn was careful to change the subject, hoping that he would shake off his thoughts for a while, while peeking at the complexion of the man he should call master.
“Is Leo still in the territory?”
Hugo’s eyes rolled again. There was a hint of doubt in his eyes, but he quickly gathered himself.
“I received a report from the guard captain this morning. He passed through the Gate around midnight.”
“…That’s faster than I thought.”
Flynn was disappointed by his actions, which seemed to have left without any lingering feelings, even though he had expected it. It was because he had hoped that he would stay here for a while, even if it wasn’t to settle down.
Hugo stared at Flynn’s face, which showed a deep bitterness, and opened his mouth.
“It seems the two of you have become very close.”
“Yes?”
Flynn, who had asked back, then answered awkwardly.
“Ah, before we parted, I asked him if I could call him by his name. Then he told me to call him Leo…. Should I just call him Blaine if you’re uncomfortable?”
Flynn seemed to guess that the title ‘Leo’ he had mentioned had attracted attention. Hugo sent him an inscrutable gaze and turned his head back to the window, which was approaching a familiar road.
“Is there any reason to be uncomfortable? It’s a conversation that went on between the two of you.”
“……”
“Call him whatever you’re comfortable with. If he allowed you to use a friendly title, it means you’ve opened up to each other. That’s a good thing.”
As if it were nothing, Hugo answered calmly. Flynn nodded slowly, but glanced at his lord’s expression, which seemed particularly indifferent. He was confused as to whether he was tired from the many things that had happened recently, or whether he was uncomfortable. At the same time, the frame that was in the first drawer on the right side of his office came to mind, which was a feeling as an attendant.
He wanted to ask about it all along, but for some reason it seemed presumptuous, so Flynn kept his mouth shut. There was also a part of him that instinctively hesitated because he was afraid of hearing a story he couldn’t handle. Instead, he rolled his eyes meaninglessly and decided to ask about something he had wondered about before.
“Um, Master. Have you ever told Blaine that I’m your attendant?”
“Hmm?”
“Ah, it’s nothing else… I was talking to Blaine about this and that while moving to the west Gate yesterday. At that time, it happened that we were talking about how I commute to and from work with the Legion Commander every day, and he accepted it very naturally. I didn’t specifically reveal that I was an attendant, though.”
Flynn then recalled Leo’s words when he arrived in front of the west Gate, ‘It must be nice for you to see this every day.’ It was natural for an adjutant to always be with the commander he served, but the elements that he had mentioned in front of Leonardo were in an area that would only be known to an attendant, not just an adjutant.
But Leonardo was listening to all of that as if it were natural. There was no moment of wondering or questioning.
Hugo, who had heard Flynn’s question, also traced his memories, but the conclusion was the same.
“Well, I don’t remember mentioning it either. But we may have revealed it without realizing it while talking.”
In short, Flynn didn’t even know about the existence of the secretly obtained villa.
“He’s quick-witted, so he may have guessed it. Or… he may have known it before.”
Flynn tilted his head.
“Known it?”
Blue eyes wandered through the air before shifting towards Flynn.
“He may have heard it from someone or read it in an article. Leonardo said before that he knew my face from the beginning. Before we met in frost territory.”
“He knew Master? Then, does that mean you’ve met before?”
“Met… I don’t know if you can call it meeting, but we passed each other briefly in the Imperial Palace. He always wore a helmet so I couldn’t see his face, but we probably recognized each other’s existence. At least I did.”
“Hmm….”
“But apart from that, I’m already known to the world, so if you look at the newspaper a little, you can guess who the attendant is, can’t you?”
As he said that, Hugo handed Flynn the newspaper that had been published as a special report in the afternoon. The front page read, ‘Council Emergency Meeting, Return of the Hero.’ Below that was a photo of the Legion Commanders, including Hugo, attending a meeting to discuss the results of the Eldermilli Peninsula subjugation and related trial issues. The face of the Legion Commander was, of course, in the center of them.
However, the title of hero did not refer to the Legion Commander, but was a word comparing Leonardo Blaine, who had participated in the subjugation with the Council.
A hero to someone who had been treated like a criminal until recently. The effect of the title was certain, and the article spread rapidly throughout the Empire. The first publisher was a newspaper company rooted in Agrigento Territory, which was relatively less subject to political control. The article told the world every detail of Leonardo’s achievements without missing a single word.
As Flynn was about to pick up the newspaper and read it in detail, Hugo quickly took the paper away, worried that he would suffer from nausea again.
Flynn shrugged his lost hands, but nodded as if he understood.
“That’s right. If it’s Blaine, he probably already guessed it.”
Hugo also agreed with a nod. At the same time, he looked back at his mansion, which was getting closer. The faces of the Duke’s servants, who were lined up in an orderly manner, gradually began to become clear.
As the scenery of the long-awaited mansion was cast outside the window, Flynn stopped talking and prepared to get out of the carriage.
The white carriage carrying the two men turned around a large fountain and stopped in front of the central gate of the mansion. It was around that time that the head butler rushed out from inside.