By Zephyria 
Hugo, lightly shaking out his wet hair, strolled through the secret corridor inside the room wearing a shower gown. In his hand, he held a dim candle lamp instead of a Light Ball. Today, light created by Luminous Stones or magic had felt particularly exhausting to him.
Every single window was covered by curtains. Magic was already cast to prevent anyone from seeing inside from the outside, but today, he wanted to block out even the subtle moonlight and the whispers of mountain birds.
Walking slowly, he arrived at the inner study connected to the bathroom. It also served as an anteroom attached to the bedroom, the furthest point that the attendants serving the Duke were permitted to enter.
The interior was spacious yet silent, and a plush carpet and a glass table sat before a cold fireplace.
Only the flickering light of a silver candlestick greeted its weary master warmly.
Hugo stepped unhesitatingly into the silence. He placed the guide lamp on the table and leaned back into the soft sofa behind him, as if collapsing.
“Whew…”
As he tilted his head back, his broad upper body sank halfway into the deep groove of the sofa. As he rubbed his furrowed brow and the corners of his eyes as if washing his face, a crystal decanter tilted on its own, filling a glass with Solace Wine. The golden-reddish brown Cognac gurgled, splashing along the rounded rim of the snifter.
Lowering his gaze loosely, Hugo picked up a small glass vial placed beside it.
He opened the stopper and poured the liquid inside into the glass, as he always did. The black liquid spread like ink, blooming like a flower before slowly settling at the bottom.
After shaking his wrist a few times to mix it, he downed the prepared Poison Wine in one gulp. Just as he was about to exhale his first breath.
Knock, knock—
Right on cue, a knock sounded, disturbing the peace. For a moment, his eyebrow twitched, but Hugo, having quickly emptied the glass, tidied the corners of his mouth and answered calmly.
“What is it?”
Flynn, who had been about to open the door and enter, hesitated. Usually, the Duke would say “Come in” without asking, so a counter-question like this was a signal that he was not particularly pleased.
“The coachman has returned. I heard you told him to report upon his return.”
“Enter.”
Once permission was granted, Flynn checked that no one was around and opened the door to the anteroom.
The room, lit by only four small candles, was momentarily disconcertingly dark. However, since he already knew that his master’s condition had not been good, Flynn stepped inside cautiously without showing any particular reaction.
The heavy door, which looked to be about 20cm thick, closed, brushing past his feet. Sliding toward the side of the sofa, Flynn observed his master’s disheveled attire and asked tentatively.
“Is your headache feeling any better?”
Hugo only nodded without answering. Since his complexion didn’t look particularly great, Flynn glanced at the empty glass and the vial and added.
“On a day like today… it would have been better if you hadn’t drunk alcohol.”
“Let’s just call it a painkiller.”
At the immediate response, Flynn’s expression became visibly upset. Immediately after today’s meeting ended, Hugo had quietly called Flynn and instructed him to bring a painkiller for headaches. Since he had shown signs of discomfort throughout the meeting, Flynn had judged the symptom to be a tension headache caused by stress.
However, as soon as he returned to the Legion Commander’s office with the medicine, he had seen the Division Commander clutching his forehead with one hand in agony, which was unlike him.
Given his thorough health management and preparation, combined with his innate physique, he was someone who had rarely been seriously ill unless it was an injury sustained during battle. Yet, the sight of him sitting at his office desk with his head bowed low changed the very air around him.
Fortunately, his condition improved significantly as he left work immediately after the meeting, but even the Duke’s physician, who had visited in haste, could not identify a specific cause for the headache. Thus, it was only natural for Flynn’s gaze to be filled with worry.
However, noticing the gaze, Hugo waved his hand dismissively, as if to move on to the main point.
“So, what did the coachman report?”
“Ah, yes. The gathering ended around 23:38, and—”
Flynn recalled the details delivered by the Duke’s second-in-command coachman, who had returned late at night.
It seemed he had been entrusted by his master to ensure the safe return of ‘Leonardo Blaine.’ Even if he was the second-in-command coachman of the ducal house, whose driving skills were close to an art, the master’s command was like the law of heaven.
“He says he waited nearby for quite a while, spotted Blaine coming out, and succeeded in getting him into the carriage.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, alone. However, he says he wasn’t told the location or direction of the residence where he stays.”
“…What does that mean? Did he get off midway?”
“Rather than that…”
The coachman, who had done his best to take responsibility for Leonardo’s return, had reportedly tried to subtly fish for the location of his residence while he was at it. However, the direction Leonardo asked to go was a place he hadn’t expected.
“The destination Blaine asked to be taken to was Gate 3-2 in the southwest of the Agrigento Territory.”
“Southwest 3-2… Celestia?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Wasn’t the gate where an entry record was left immediately after his release also the gate to Celestia? Could his residence be there?”
It was unlikely that he would have gone to the Sky City for sightseeing alone late at night after parting with his teammates. Since he was someone who enjoyed looking down from high places, the guess that his residence was there was reasonably fitting.
However, rubbing his chin, Hugo shook his head instinctively.
“He’s probably trying to hide his tracks. Just like last time.”
“Ah.”
They had wanted to know where he was staying by disguising it as a favor… but it seemed it was useless against someone as keen as him. While pretending to play along with the shallow ploy of ensuring his way home, he had vanished once again.
“He doesn’t leave a single opening.”
‘But it seems he didn’t drink, as promised.’
It was a relief that he wasn’t in a state of intoxication where he would blindly follow a stranger. Then again, the skills he developed while hiding and evading all sorts of factions and agencies for three years wouldn’t just disappear.
However, just when it felt like he might be caught in his hand, he only fueled hope and quickly drifted away; Hugo realized he was in a position where he could only wait endlessly if the man suddenly vanished one day. That painful fact made Hugo self-deprecating.
“He’s quite cruel at times like this.”
It was a single sentence mixed with many meanings. Noticing this, Flynn hurriedly added.
“Ah, but he asked me to make sure to tell you that he is deeply grateful for the consideration!”
At the enthusiastic representation, blue eyes flickered to the side. Watching Flynn with a calm gaze, Hugo’s eyes curved slightly.
“Did he really say that?”
“…He might not have used those exact words, but wouldn’t he have said something similar?”
Flynn gave an awkward smile and fidgeted with his politely clasped hands. Knowing that Hugo had been observing his expression throughout the conversation, Hugo soon softened his lips into a gentle expression.
“Right, then that’s a relief.”
“Um… if it’s because of the things mentioned in today’s meeting, please don’t worry too much.”
At the cryptic answer, Hugo’s eyebrow rose slightly.
“Hmm?”
“Blaine is very strong, and you and I know best what kind of person he is.”
When Hugo remained silent, Flynn hesitated before continuing.
“Is that why you ordered the coachman to escort him… fearing he might become a target again? To protect him?”
“……”
Only then did Hugo vaguely guess the meaning behind Flynn’s previous words.
Flynn seemed to believe that Hugo had given the order to protect Leonardo Blaine from potential pressure from external forces, in relation to him being mentioned as a suspect in the murder case during the meeting.
…Come to think of it, Flynn could not possibly imagine what had happened in the shower.
Given the situation, it was difficult to openly mention this secret relationship. First, Leonardo, who had built a bond with Flynn, likely wouldn’t want it, and it might make the relationship between the two of them strangely uncomfortable.
‘I did give the order fearing some random fool might try something…’
In a way, that too was an intention of ‘protection.’
“…Mmm.”
Judging that it wasn’t significantly different, Hugo agreed with an uncharacteristic, vague hum. It was because he had begun to subconsciously worry about how to explain the relationship between himself and Leonardo to his closest attendant.