By Zephyria 
As if giving concrete form to Hugo’s suspicions, Loren continued.
“We first sorted this waste by abandoned sector, then analyzed the original form and components of each. After that, we narrowed down the points of sale where these items had been distributed as products and traced back the distribution lines and the buyers. Then, a larger pattern began to emerge. Most of the fabric found in the waste consisted of pieces of old shirts, gloves, and aprons—clothing worn by servants working in mansions.”
Loren pulled forward a map she had spread out to one side. It was a map centered on the Central region of Laina Rogia, enlarged. On it, the movement paths of the waste fragments were marked with threads of various colors. Though her words were simple, it was a point that made one feel how hard they had struggled to find these clues.
“Generally, the waste discarded by servants is a mixture of household trash and residues generated while managing the mansion. The same goes for polishes, waxes, and paper. While the price point is high for a commoner to use, it is not out of place for those working in noble mansions who must maintain a certain level of dignity. Following that flow, we deduced the timing, region, and environment in which this waste was discharged—when, where, and how. Additionally, we gathered information on those who entered the Gates near where the fake cylinders were discarded, the actual owners of that land, and their close associates, weaving together the names that formed a common denominator.”
Speaking calmly, Loren opened the front of the other ledger, the one she hadn’t touched among the two.
“As a result, we were able to discover a shocking fact.”
Soon, her palm pointed to the two ledgers spread side by side and slid them toward Hugo. His blue eyes slowly scanned both lists.
“The list of consumers of smuggled mana that we have been narrowing down. And the list of casualties from the Pentagov party house explosion accident that occurred last year. More than 50% of the names listed on these two lists match.”
Hugo, who had been listening quietly, reacted.
“What?”
Narrowing his brow, he leaned his head down as if to dive into the opened list. He then pressed his hand firmly against a page.
“…Which means.”
“If you include overlapping clans and factions, the range of matching names becomes much wider. If you group them into a single cluster, a clear conclusion emerges.”
Hugo recalled the words Loren had told him along with the approval documents when she had come to him saying she would form an investigation team.
“…The Imperial Faction.”
“Yes. My opinion is that the primary consumers of smuggled mana are members of the Imperial Faction. And these are the pieces of evidence that give a bit more concrete form to a hypothesis that, until now, existed only as a suspicion.”
At Loren’s concluding remarks, Hugo’s lips tightened noticeably. The members of the investigation team, who were gauging the atmosphere, felt the same. Aside from the 2nd Battalion Commander, who here would dare utter words suspecting the Imperial Faction in front of Legion Commander Agrizendro?
For a moment, Hugo felt a stiffness in the back of his neck and remained silent. His rigid gaze shifted toward the top line of the two ledgers lying side by side. There sat the names of a father and son who were already deceased, and the family members who had become bereaved.
‘Duncan.’
Most of the people invited to the party house at the time were those who had firmly aligned themselves with the pro-Emperor line. If the father and son of the Duncan clan, who were pillars of the Imperial Faction, were involved in this incident, there is a high probability that those who followed them were also entangled in the smuggling. If so, the scale of the smuggling carried out in secret might be far larger than what the investigation team currently estimates.
Every one of them possessed immense power and wealth; they were arrogant beings who viewed illegal transactions as trivial and had no inhibitions in the world. They had more than enough means to silence people, connections, and henchmen at their beck and call.
Therefore, for personal or business gain, they might very well have dipped their hands into dark deals. Even if that mana was created by sucking the blood and marrow of the Empire’s citizens.
‘No, this is merely a conclusion based on speculation.’
However, Hugo, who was gradually becoming immersed, barely managed to maintain neutrality.
If they were truly ministers and soldiers who devoted themselves to the Emperor of Laina Rogia and his glory, they would at least know that such an act eats away at the roots of the Empire and challenges the imperial authority. Furthermore, about twenty of the names on the list had already… due to the explosion.
Recalling the image of Richard Duncan falling from the railing, Hugo pressed his temple firmly once more.
He closed his eyes to organize his complicated thoughts, then snapped them open again at a sudden realization.
“Wait.”
At the Legion Commander’s single word, the interior of the small conference room became silent as if time had stopped. Slowly shifting his gaze, Hugo scanned the rest of the ledger’s list.
If they were followers of the Duncans, most of them would not have easily reported the existence of smuggled mana even if they knew of it. Rather, there is a high probability they would have mingled together and expressed their desire to purchase. That would be the bond of the Imperial Faction they had worked so hard to solidify.
And they were all without fail invited to the social party held in Pentagov.
A significant number of them died or were injured in the explosion at the time.
Could this truly be seen as a coincidence?
“Did you bring the reference materials regarding the Pentagov explosion incident?”
“Yes, here they are.”
A member of the investigation team who had been waiting immediately brought over and presented a heavy file in response to Hugo’s question. Hugo instantly found and opened a page of the materials he had looked at so often he had practically memorized them. Then, he picked up a photograph tucked inside.
The photo captured the scene of the fire that had been projected largely at the front of the grand assembly hall when Shorendo was in charge of the final briefing on the explosion. The voice of the Vice Commander delivering the situation automatically played back in his mind.
‘The power equipment room located on the second floor of the party house has been identified as the initial point of ignition. Some damage occurred at the cylinder joints supplying magic power, causing the leakage of liquid and gas, and it has been confirmed that the explosion occurred when the liquid that flowed to the floor came into contact with other cylinders.’
“Magic power, cylinders.”
Hugo let out a sigh.
At the time of the investigation, the cylinders containing magic power had already burst along with the explosion, making them unrecognizable except for minute fragments. Thus, the investigators had focused solely on identifying the cause of the fire by concentrating on the traces of leaked liquid on the floor. It was a time when the material engineering authenticity of the debris could not be uncovered, nor could the possibility that they were fakes even be considered.
And he was the person who had held on the longest, unable to let go, when this incident was concluded as an ‘accident’ within the Council.
Hugo stared blankly at the scene of the total burnout for a while. Then, handing the photo to Loren, he asked seriously.
“Loren, if we assume that this explosion was not an accident, but a act of terror.”
Loren, who was standing with her hands on the tabletop, had eyes that shone calmly yet sharply.
“In your opinion, who is the most plausible entity to plan such terror? And what would that entity’s objective be?”
It was the moment when two separate threads of yarn were about to be joined into one. Without deep hesitation, Loren mentioned the possibilities she had narrowed down while investigating this case.
“There are three possibilities.”
“Three?”
Since Hugo had naturally thought of the group of victims of the mana smuggling first, it was only natural that he questioned the unexpected answer. Loren, who had held up three fingers, began to list the entities while folding them down one by one.
“First, a force that knows of the existence of smuggled mana and opposes it. That is, the victims whose magic power was exploited, or some group seeking to protect the victims. To them, the perpetrators would be the source of evil, so they would have desperately wanted the perpetrators to meet their end at the very moment they were filled with joy from the exploited mana. Or, they wanted to subtly make the existence of fake cylinders known to the public. However, from an investigator’s perspective, terror is terror.”
Hugo tilted his head at her, who spoke of such chilling things so nonchalantly. It was a sign to continue.
“Second is the Noble Faction. I don’t wish to mention political factionalism in a matter involving human lives, but the whole world knows that the Imperial Faction and the Noble Faction are anxious to pull each other down. They were already mentioned several times as the power behind the scenes during the investigation.”
Again, Hugo tilted his head.
“Then, what is the third?”
“The third is the cooperation between the two.”
Hugo almost fell for Loren’s calm explanation, but the hypothesis she put forward was truly staggering. The fingertips of Hugo, which had been tapping regularly, faltered.
Observing his reaction, Loren continued. In a voice that had grown even lower.
“To be more precise, the word ‘utilization’ would be more appropriate. One side utilizing the other. Or, both sides utilizing each other.”