BMD 237

“Your Excellency.”

Cordelia called out to Hugo as he was about to leave after the conversation. When Hugo stopped at the door and turned around, she opened her mouth after a moment of hesitation.

“Why… don’t you punish me?”

He had threatened her quite frighteningly, even mentioning the safety of her family and colleagues, but it was somehow strange and very unsettling that he was ending it like this without taking any action. Because of that, Cordelia asked the question and kept her distance, watching him with wary eyes.

Hugo, who had been quietly watching her, grabbed the doorknob on the iron door and answered plainly.

“All the words of gratitude you gave me while coming here were sincere. Consider it a repayment of the debt.”

It sounded like he was going to let it go quietly because she had provided accommodation and helped treat the injured. Cordelia’s eyes widened and she stood there blankly at the more generous answer than she had expected.

Hugo, averting his gaze, turned to the door to leave. Then, he paused for a moment as he remembered something else he had to say.

The cold air emanating from his hand created ice crystals that covered the surface of the iron door and filled the grooves on the edges. Hugo, who had blocked any chance of sound leaking out just in case, turned around again and added.

“Oh, and. Restore the disconnected Portal as soon as possible. Tell the outside world that it was arbitrarily disconnected for Gate maintenance and Portal inspection. Since it will take more than a week to restore it anyway, it will eventually be as you wish.”

Cordelia gave him an unreadable look at his offer to give her an excuse to get out. But after carefully nodding in agreement, she decided to take this opportunity to ask one more question that she had been curious about.

“Your Excellency, then… what will happen to Blaine now?”

“…….”

It was a question she had already asked once inside, but the meaning was slightly different now than it had been then. In a situation where they had revealed some secret parts to each other, if not all of them. She was asking what he, as the Emperor’s loyal subject, would do with Leonardo Blaine.

That was tantamount to asking what he would do if the royal guard were to come here with Leonardo as their real purpose.

Hugo, who knew what she meant, turned his gaze to the lamplight without meaning. His voice, recalling his memories, echoed faintly.

“Nothing will change.”

Cordelia’s lips parted slightly and then closed again. Hugo looked at the other person’s eyes again and continued.

“When we return, he will be free.”

His unwavering assurance sounded as if it would really happen. But even though she had heard the answer she wanted, Cordelia could not erase her puzzled expression.

If that were to happen, he would be at odds with his lord’s right-hand man. It would be tantamount to betraying the faith he spoke of. But she was not sure why he would release Leonardo even so, or whether she could believe his words.

As if noticing her question, Hugo muttered quietly.

“…I swore on my name.”

The low voice echoing in the secret chamber was somewhat muffled. Because of that, Cordelia doubted for a moment whether she had understood correctly.

But before she could ask again, Hugo turned his head as if he had nothing more to say. It was then that he lightly grabbed the frozen doorknob to go outside.

‘Leonardo.’

“…….”

Even though there was no wind blowing in the secret chamber, Hugo’s hair swayed eerily. At the same time, his blue eyes, as if he had seen something, widened more and more.

The canary he had released in the cabin had returned to him, chirping noisily in his head and urging him to hurry.

Hugo paused for a moment as if he was overloaded with too much information at once. Then, soon, he unconsciously let out a clear word, scattering a chilling aura around him.

“…Leo.”

Clang―!

He grabbed the doorknob of the iron door and put force on it to the outside. But it only rattled with a creaking sound. The door did not open as if it had been blocked from the outside, and Hugo, momentarily flustered, shook the doorknob violently, emitting a cold Magic Power.

Cordelia, who saw this, realized the situation and hurriedly approached him.

“Your Excellency, I will open it for you. This door has a slightly unusual structure, so you have to release a few more locks.”

This watchtower was designed so that when the iron door was closed, the latches in the wall gaps would be engaged so that it could withstand being surrounded by the enemy. It was not her intention to imprison him, but in case His Excellency misunderstood, Cordelia threw open the box next to the door where various facilities were gathered.

But it soon became useless. That was because Hugo kicked the thick iron door.

Kwaaaang―!

The middle of the solid lump of iron was dented and flew out in an instant. Moreover, the wall gap where the latch was engaged was torn off as it was, and the lower part of the watchtower made of bricks was destroyed as if it had been bombed.

The sound of the iron door rolling on the ground rang loudly, and everyone nearby flinched. As the outside air and external sounds came in directly, Cordelia looked at His Excellency, who had smashed the door, with a dumbfounded expression.

“L, Lord!”

Two knights who had been waiting in front of the watchtower thought something had happened and immediately drew their swords and looked inside. But Hugo ignored them and strode between the two knights with a terrifying Greatsword in his hand.

The knights who faced him instinctively parted to the sides because of his fierce eyes and savage atmosphere. After Hugo passed by, they went inside and hurriedly checked on their lord’s condition first.

“Lord, are you alright?”

Cordelia did not answer her subordinates’ questions for a while. She stared blankly at the fallen door and walls.

‘What should I say to explain this….’

Her father’s pleased smile came to mind as he proudly said that it was a bulwark that had been in place for 200 years. Confused about how to explain the scene before her, Cordelia followed the man’s receding figure with her eyes.

Meanwhile, Hugo, holding the Greatsword, cut down the tall bushes and headed to the residence with a fierce expression. In the meantime, he was able to face the members of the 1st Battalion, who were startled and stepped back among the leaves that were neatly cut and falling.

“C, Commander!”

Squad Leader 8, who was at the very front, raised both hands at the chill of the Greatsword that brushed past her nose. Hugo, who had paused, looked back at her and about half a dozen members, and Squad Leader 8 opened her mouth in a hurried manner as if to explain.

“We were worried that you were moving alone when you were not feeling well… so we followed you without permission. I’m sorry.”

The members, including the Squad Leader, were very nervous, thinking that the Commander’s fierce momentum was because of them being caught spying.

As she bowed her head first, the members of the 1st Battalion behind her also bowed their heads in unison. Among them, Kenneth, who was the only one looking around without understanding the situation, hurriedly lowered his gaze and head to the ground when he made eye contact with Hugo.

Hugo’s eyes narrowed as he looked at him, but the urgent matter was his priority right now.

“Russell.”

“Yes?”

“Immediately lead the squad members and find Flynn. Bring him to the residence where Leonardo is. And summon the medical officers and have them examine Leonardo’s condition again. Tell them to bring medical equipment with them in case he has woken up.”

“Ah, yes. I understand!”

The sudden order may have been embarrassing, but Squad Leader 8 quickly answered and gestured to the members behind her. Then, she looked back at her superior again, but in the meantime, the Commander could not be found anywhere.

Swish―

Nero cut down the branches with the flames wrapped around his right hand and traversed the dense forest as quickly as possible.

The dense trees that grew at least 7-10m or more were the perfect place for the fleeing Dark Silver to hide. But Nero could not let go of his tension while moving quickly and secretly.

A chilling cold that made his back tingle was tightening his breath more and more. He didn’t know exactly where he was, but he could tell with his eyes closed that the other person had come to this area in pursuit of him.

‘What do I do now?’

Nero bit his lip and leaped, using the branches as footholds. Unlike his body, which moved nimbly as if he was used to it, his head was a mess and he couldn’t get it sorted out.

He should have left here as soon as he heard that the Captain’s treatment was going well, but he was greedy and tried to check it with his own eyes, and he didn’t know that things would get this big.

The Legion Commander of the Council, the Sword of the Empire, Hugo Agrizendro. If the fact that Dark Silvers had contacted each other was discovered by him, he was overwhelmed by what kind of snowball this would become. He seemed quite friendly to the Captain, but that was only a fragmentary image he had seen for a moment.

He briefly considered kidnapping the Captain at the point where the blue bird disappeared, but that would only draw more attention and he might not be able to fix this situation. Because of that, Nero, who had no choice but to choose to flee, was also running out of Magic Power, so he barely hid in the gaps between the trees and moved while shaking off the pursuit.

Then, he saw an old fortress wall in front of him and lightly jumped over it. Just as he stepped on the end of the structure and was about to hide in the bushes beyond the fortress wall. An Ice Pillar like a skewer soared up at a terrifying speed and blocked his path.

Kwaaaang―!

“……!”

Nero, who had succeeded in dodging reflexively, threw himself towards the back of a large tree. As soon as he put his back against the pillar, he heard footsteps walking steadily.

Nero swallowed hard, calmed the energy in his entire body, and tried to put on Felix’s face again. But his unstable mind was projected, and his face kept distorting. Meanwhile, the slow footsteps that were approaching stopped not far away.

As if replacing the stopped footsteps, a chilling voice pierced his ear.

“Come out. Before I cut you down as you are.”