By Zephyria The staff members sat around a semi-circular table with Hugo and Andreas in the middle, each expressing their opinions and engaging in heated debates.
In fact, the main topic of their conversation was their fear of offending the Imperial Family with this incident, and they were only worried about the Council’s budget and external reputation being depleted by the damage recovery costs being billed to the Council.
Unlike Andreas, who was expressing his frustration with a crooked posture at the unproductive discussion, Hugo was calmly listening with patience. However, as time went on, he too gradually felt his ears getting tired and his temperature rising from their voices.
As he quietly tried to cool his heated head, the surrounding air became cold enough for everyone to feel. The executives and staff members who had been spitting and scolding diligently felt the sudden drop in the internal temperature and cleared their throats for no reason.
“Ahem, how are we going to resolve this matter?”
As one of them rolled his eyes and continued in a much softer voice, Hugo’s gaze, which had been directed downwards, slowly moved upwards.
It seemed that they had a desired answer as they kept repeating the same words and returning to the starting point. Hugo, having grasped their intentions, opened his mouth with the intention of not wanting to listen any further.
“I brought him, so I will take responsibility. Bill 50% of the amount needed for damage recovery to me. I will cover it with my own money.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the venue became silent.
The amount for the damage recovery of the Imperial City plaza facilities was a considerable sum that would be difficult for an individual to bear, even if it was only half.
However, they were well aware of Hugo’s background and seemed to have wanted a similar answer from the beginning, nodding cautiously at his words. Then, they each looked at each other and added a word.
“Well… if you go that far.”
“Since the Commander is taking some responsibility, let’s skip the disciplinary matter. What do you think?”
“I agree.”
“I agree.”
“However, you will have to submit a written explanation and consider a salary cut.”
Hugo felt disgusted by their words, which were accepting so quickly while still asserting their authority until the very end.
In the end, it was money. The fastest way to shut those mouths.
As the disciplinary matter seemed to be passing like this, Hugo stared intently at the three people who had been particularly loud towards him.
They were all nobles from factions opposed to him. Now that the situation had been settled with his statement, it was obvious what they were thinking even though they were clearing their throats and pretending not to avoid his gaze.
‘So, they’ve caught something.’
Political connections and influences were intricately intertwined within the Council. Perhaps that was why, depending on the situation, they were particularly eager to mention Hugo’s mistakes and find fault with him.
Seeing them pushing him with their political emotions, regardless of the situation in the Imperial City, Hugo thought that they were no different from those who had cursed Leonardo Blaine in the northern grand plaza.
It was obvious that they would seize on anything he said here, so the answer was to throw out the appropriate words they wanted and maintain a cold gaze.
After being criticized for a long time, the two, who were told that they could leave, immediately turned around and headed outside. As soon as the heavy door of the conference room closed, Andreas, who had a lot to say, opened his mouth first as if he had been waiting for it.
“Hugo, it’s not your responsibility. Why did you say you would cover the bill? I can understand about me, but you wouldn’t have been able to issue a disciplinary action against you anyway.”
As he revealed his feelings in a frustrated tone, Hugo smiled slightly as if he knew his heart and replied as if it was nothing.
“Not really. I guess I didn’t want to be caught. For my family, honor is more important than money.”
“But, if you keep covering for them like this, they’ll take it for granted.”
“Well, I’m also somewhat responsible. It was my mission to safely escort Leonardo Blaine. But thanks to that, you were also spared from disciplinary action.”
Andreas looked at Hugo with a troubled expression at his easygoing words. However, as he had said, he had also naturally escaped from being subject to disciplinary discussion as a result, and since his family was mentioned, it became difficult to add any more words.
Andreas, who had loosened a button on his neck in frustration, shook his head and said.
“Really… I don’t know whether to thank you for this or curse you for being foolish.”
“Go and get treatment. Don’t go around bragging about your injured arm.”
Hugo put his hand on Andreas’s uninjured shoulder and patted it a few times. Then, he immediately moved his steps towards the opposite hallway. At that, Andreas asked, calling out to his back as he quickly moved away with his long legs.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to observe Leonardo Blaine’s interrogation.”
Hugo waved his hand lightly and answered immediately as if it were obvious.
Seeing him going to work right away even after being scolded so much inside, Andreas made a disgusted expression.
* * *
Leonardo Blaine’s arms and legs were once again chained with magic stone shackles. He had been escorted to the Council, and the medical team had immediately come to treat the wounds on his cheeks and ankles with recovery magic, so he thought they were being polite.
But as expected, they put on shackles that were thicker than anything he had seen before, and put him in a restraint suit to completely block the movement of his arms.
He was moved to a closed interrogation room as he was, and he sat on a hard chair and slowly looked around.
Seeing the opaque glass in front of him, it was clear that humans would be sticking to that place and watching him. However, he couldn’t feel the presence of those outside at all from the inside, probably because the inside was a specially designed space to block magic.
As he changed his posture and sat with his legs crossed, the chain connected to his ankle was dragged along the floor with a clattering sound. Because the shackles were so heavy, even lifting his legs felt difficult, and Leonardo Blaine was once again dumbfounded.
The unpleasant sensation of magic leaking out even when he was still brought on extreme fatigue, so he closed his eyes for a moment and tilted his head back. The fatigue accumulated from fighting Agrizendro for several days and being captured contributed to his lowered condition.
As he relaxed his whole body and indulged in the long-awaited tranquility without moving, at that moment. Less than 5 minutes after he closed his eyes, he heard the sound of a heavy door opening on his right.
When he straightened his head and looked in that direction, five members wearing Council uniforms were entering.
They seemed to be investigators, holding various files in their hands, and the one with black hair and greenish eyes who came in last was someone Leonardo Blaine also knew well.
Three of them sat down in order on the chair opposite Leonardo Blaine, facing him across a wide metal table, and the other two, who seemed to be scribes, moved to the table on the side. Leonardo Blaine leaned back leisurely and slowly scanned each of their faces with his eyes deeply sunken.
When his eyes met, the one on the far left lowered his head as if he was a little scared, the one in the middle glared at him sharply, and Flynn looked at him with slightly complicated eyes.
The one in the middle of the three broke the uncomfortable silence first and said to Leonardo Blaine.
“Nice to meet you, Leonardo Blaine. I’m Luke Eckison from the Special Investigation Team of the Council’s Central Branch.”
At his words, Leonardo Blaine only stared at him without answering. And he didn’t seem to be expecting an answer either, as he continued.
“The investigator on my left is an investigator from the Northern Branch in charge of the frost territory case. You probably already know the one on the right. It’s Deputy Flynn Levernill. The reason we’re here is to interrogate you about your actions and involvement in the demon beast distribution and smuggling case of the Delberg Merchant Guild in frost territory.”
“…….”
“If you respond to the answers honestly and faithfully, it may be taken into consideration, but if you try to hide the truth or make excuses―.”
“Enough with the introduction, start quickly. I’ve been running around on my own two feet because of the incompetent Council.”
When Leonardo Blaine cut him off, the investigator in front of him stopped talking for a moment and twitched his eyebrows as he looked at him. Then, he opened a file and read a few lines before glaring at Leonardo Blaine even more fiercely, as if to say, ‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’
“Alright, let’s start.”