By Zephyria “You’ve made a grave mistake.”
A moment of silence flowed. Cordelia felt that time was passing very slowly.
She stared blankly at the broad shoulder that had come right in front of her, her eyes unfocused. The neckline wrapped in clothing rippled slowly at the momentary chill that swept over her.
“…Yes?”
Her lips, which she barely managed to part, could only repeat the question. Even then, the tip of her chin trembled, so she quickly closed her mouth to avoid showing it.
The cool advice that had lingered on her profile pressed down on her shoulder and stepped back. It was a concise gesture, but its weight and hidden meaning made Cordelia’s breath catch in her throat.
“You must know who I and my family serve.”
The cold voice that followed made her body instinctively shrink back. As a result, she stiffly stared only at the other person’s chest before slowly raising her head with a wavering gaze. Then, icy blue eyes coldly looked down and continued in an even lower voice.
“I don’t know what you’re trusting in to act like this to me. Have I turned soft in your eyes because I’ve overlooked too much?”
“……”
Cordelia sighed. She had hesitated several times before speaking, but it seemed the situation she had feared was finally approaching.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t anticipated this kind of reaction, but when it actually happened, her head spun for a moment.
Telling him the stories so far was practically a gamble. Because Hugo Agrizendro is the head of the Imperial Faction family that everyone knows outwardly.
However, his well-known sense of justice and his assurance to release Leonardo made her think that he wouldn’t just stand by and watch this situation. His power was needed to resolve it, and she saw enough potential for him to help from the way he cared for Leonardo.
Moreover, it was something she had judged after careful consideration based on the information she had accumulated as the heir to the Marquess family… The man before her said with a fierce look, as if driving a wedge that it was completely wrong.
“When I first entered Fidele due to the peninsula issue. The reason I overlooked your disrespectful words was out of respect for you, who had been fighting alone for a long time, and out of compassion as a fellow human being. I tried to understand how you must have felt, even if foreign troops were in the territory, it was an unavoidable cooperation for survival.”
“……”
“But, is that why? The stories you are telling me now sound like you are abandoning your faith and even turning a blind eye to acts that contradict it, as if you are asking me to help your rebellion.”
“…Your Excellency, I… that’s…”
The word ‘rebellion’ sent a chill down her spine. Cordelia opened and closed her mouth to say something. However, when she saw a sharp piece of ice glinting in Hugo’s hand, she flinched for a moment and couldn’t help but step back.
Hugo glanced at Cordelia, then used the ice shard as a knife to open the envelope of the petition. Then, flipping through the several documents inside, he began to carefully read the contents written there and the list of signatures.
To Cordelia, it felt as if that piece of ice was in her neck right now. But Hugo, not caring about the tense appearance of the other person, engraved the list in the dense letters in his mind. Then, after flipping through three or four more sheets of paper, he added a few words to her, who must have been frozen stiff.
“The Imperial royal guard are like the Emperor’s limbs. No matter what happened before, that doesn’t change the fact. To cut off the Portal to stop them from coming to the territory, huh. Whatever the suspicion, it’s not only obstruction of official duties but also a very clear act of disrespect… I don’t even know what else I should say about this situation.”
At Hugo’s scoffing voice, Cordelia squeezed her eyes shut and opened them. From a realistic point of view, there was nothing wrong with what he was listing.
His actions were tantamount to reporting his own sins to the Emperor’s loyal subject, so Duke Agrizendro’s response was justified.
But there was a reason Cordelia took the risk to deliver the message. In this world of nobles, countless intentions and thoughts are hidden in every word spoken to another. So Cordelia believed that His Excellency’s words so far did not simply mean what they said.
From the beginning, the relationship between him and the Emperor, as she vaguely knew it, was not one built solely on faith and loyalty. Cordelia brought up the past for a moment to highlight that point, speaking in a somewhat agitated tone.
“However, Your Excellency, you will remember when I visited Logia on His Majesty’s orders a few years ago. At that time…!”
She immediately regretted her words. She felt a pressure from His Excellency’s gaze that she would not be safe if she said a few more words.
It was said that the most frightening being in the world was none other than a person. A fear she had never felt even before a demon beast enveloped her entire body. Unable to say anything, she stood still, and Hugo coldly warned her with a low sigh.
“Lower your voice, madam.”
His blue gaze stared at Cordelia, then turned again to look over her shoulder.
“Even if we are speaking in a secret place, we must not assume that we are the only ones with eyes and ears.”
He occasionally looked elsewhere during the conversation, but Cordelia, absorbed in the seriousness of the situation, had not noticed his nonverbal cues. But the moment she heard his meaningful words, she wondered if she had missed something and hurriedly turned around.
But all she saw there, with wide eyes, was the flickering lamplight on the wall.
Cordelia looked around the interior of the secret chamber with a confused expression. Perhaps because she had been in the closed space for too long, her breathing quickly became rapid and her head became dizzy. On the other hand, Hugo, who had caused it, calmly packed the documents into an envelope as if it were nothing. Then, he handed it to Cordelia and continued with a vague look in his eyes.
“If there had been another person from the same faction as me in this place, or if I had been any less forgiving. You and your family might have suffered irreparable harm here tonight.”
The possibility of the family’s ruin that flowed softly from his mouth, combined with his calm tone, gave her goosebumps on her arms.
Cordelia’s face turned pale and the corners of her lips trembled slightly. Hugo looked down at her with indifferent eyes and raised the temperature of the secret chamber with Magic Power.
“Bringing the truth to the surface requires utmost caution. You know that well, having experienced it once before. What you have done now is a reckless act that could endanger not only you, but also the military colleagues named in this signed document.”
“…….”
“Knowing the truth is a good card to have, but sometimes just knowing it can be a disaster. It shines when it is accompanied by material evidence, not just suspicion. But is there anything like that in the argument you are making now?”
Hugo pulled the newspaper on the end of the table over again. Then, he lightly scanned it with his eyes and continued.
“Even if someone approaches you and demands that card, or persuades you with sweet words to cooperate. Never show it unless you are sure of yourself. There are many here who, like me, will cloud your judgment. I think this is the only advice I can give you.”
His blue eyes gazed again at the petition in Cordelia’s hand. Finally, his gaze rose and met her eyes one last time, conveying clearly.
“Keep it safe, hide it well. And always think again.”
Remember my words.
With those words, Hugo dusted off his dusty hands as if he had nothing more to say. Watching the stream of water enveloping his palms, Cordelia could not easily escape from the ambiguity contained in his words.
His cold gaze revealed his intention to remain silent. The bundle of papers in her hand felt particularly heavy.
But surely that was not all it meant. His Excellency’s meaningful warning weighed heavily on her shoulders. His words felt like riddles, and Cordelia could not judge any of them rashly.
In the meantime, she realized that there was no direct mention of Leonardo in the advice he had given so far.
Beep beep beep―!
“You crazy bird bastard―!”
The inside of the cabin Nero had secretly infiltrated was currently in chaos. It was fortunate that he had quickly reattached the black paper to prevent the noise from leaking out, or else the members outside would have heard the bird’s cry and rushed in.
Nero, who had been hanging from the ceiling like a spider, used Teleport to try to catch the canary. But the tiny thing was surprisingly fast, quickly dodging him and running away. The High frequency cry that stimulated the semicircular canals and disrupted his agility also played a part.
“What kind of bird is that?”
When he tried to grab it with his hand, it transformed into intangible Magic Power and quickly slipped through his fingers, then returned to its original form and flew around frantically.
But he couldn’t use Attack Magic here just to catch that one bird. Because of that, Nero had been playing tag with it for almost 10 minutes.
‘Oh, what if that thing goes back to the Legion Commander? Then I’m really screwed….’
Nero’s palms were red from clapping his hands so much to swat the fly. But he was too anxious to even notice it.
He wondered if he should just run away now, but then he would have to open the door and go outside…. If the bird kept crying like that, anyone would find it strange.
“Hey, be quiet!”
Beep―!
The canary, startled by Nero’s shout, fluttered around the inside of the cabin. Nero chased after it, rummaging through the Artifacts to find something he could use.
As the two were having a battle of nerves, Leonardo’s eyelashes, who had been quietly closing his eyes, twitched, perhaps because the canary’s continuous cries were irritating.
Beep?
At that moment, the canary that had flown into the air looked back at Leonardo, who was wrapped in bedding. As soon as it stopped moving for a moment, Nero, who had rushed over at full speed, squeezed the canary’s body with both hands.
“Got it.”
He gave a savage smile and tightened his grip. But the sensation of plump feathers was not felt on his heated palms.
The canary disappeared with a poof―, leaving only bluish smoke behind.
Nero’s smiling face turned pale in an instant.