BMD 392

“Commander!”

The tightly closed door was roughly opened with a bang. At the same time, Flynn hurriedly ran into the lounge.

Hugo and Loren, who were maintaining a strangely cold atmosphere, turned to look at the unwelcome guest like a savior. Since the two usually had a chilly atmosphere when they were expressionless, Flynn, who was catching his breath, paused for a moment.

Realizing his rash behavior late, he rubbed the back of his neck and bowed his head.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in a conversation and didn’t knock…”

“What’s going on?”

Hugo picked up the tie he had placed on the armrest of the sofa and handed it to Flynn. It meant that the conversation was over and he was going back.

Loren glanced at the tie stretched out in front of him once, then lowered his eyes and took another sip of coffee. Flynn awkwardly approached and took his superior’s tie, while also looking at Loren’s expression. The 2nd Legion Commander’s expression was hard to read, but it seemed that the Commander’s mood was not very good because he was with him.

He wondered if something had happened between the two, but he didn’t bother asking the reason because he knew the contents covered in the event just before. Instead, he reminded himself that it was his turn to speak first.

“Ah, I just received a call from Gabe. At the participation registration desk in front of League’s 3rd preliminary arena…”

As soon as he heard the words “participation registration,” Hugo’s eyebrows reacted subtly. Loren’s eyes, who had been leaning on the sofa, also moved to Flynn.

Flynn unknowingly took a breath and raised his voice.

“‘Leonardo Blaine’ has applied for participation!”

Although he maintained formality because he was in front of the 2nd Legion Commander, Flynn couldn’t completely hide the joy that spread across his trembling lips. The two superiors stared at him silently for a moment. It was Hugo who spoke first.

“So?”

Surprisingly, his reaction was calm. It was so calm that Flynn was momentarily embarrassed. Even Loren, who had just mentioned that name, looked at Hugo with puzzled eyes. His voice was very dry.

However, Flynn suddenly remembered that there were always many impersonations of that name. There would have been at least twenty people who had applied to use Leo, Leonardo, and Leonardo Blaine as pseudonyms in the League so far. Each time, the Commander personally checked the application documents, and Flynn was the only one who could see the disappointment in his sunken gaze.

But, this time is different.

“Ah, yes! A request came in to confirm whether the signature of the person involved in the registration card he presented was indeed the Legion Commander’s. Gabe received the request at the time, so he immediately processed the confirmation, and this time it’s the ‘real’ Leonardo Blaine!”

The moment he heard the adjutant’s confident voice, Hugo’s eyelids, which had been trying to suppress his expectations, opened helplessly. He immediately checked the time. 6:10 PM Zodiac time. It was the time when participation registration would have been closed.

“When, was the registration properly completed?”

“He registered one minute before the deadline and was registered on the final participant list.”

“Is he still there?”

Hugo asked in a different tone than before. The gesture of grabbing Flynn’s shoulder and asking revealed his impatience.

“Ah… the confirmation request came in about 10 minutes ago, so I’m not sure if he’s still there…”

Flynn, who didn’t show any signs of the considerable grip, conveyed that he wasn’t sure. However, before he could finish speaking, Hugo took back the tie in Flynn’s hand. He quickly wrapped it around his neck and straightened it, heading straight for the lounge door.

Just as he was about to step out with his long strides, Hugo turned to look at Loren, holding onto the door frame.

“Loren, I know what you meant by bringing up that story. But the inner self of him that I know is so profound and difficult that we can’t easily judge it. Just like now.”

Loren didn’t look back at him. Hugo continued in a tone that seemed to maintain composure but was subtly excited.

“So, I intend to support the intention he has revealed, as long as it doesn’t harm the Council’s creed and my duty. I will help him get what he wants, and if he wants to come out into the world, I will be the bridge connecting the inside and outside. Of course, I will also keep your advice in mind as a friend. So that he doesn’t feel uncomfortable.”

Hugo, who was saying that, was clearly smiling faintly.

“You must be tired, so go home now. See you tomorrow.”

He completed the knot of his tie in an instant, and strode across the hallway with his long legs. Flynn, who looked back and forth, also bowed his head to Loren and followed his superior.

Click—

As the lounge door closed carefully, Loren, who was left alone, silently sipped the cold coffee.

The interior, from which two people had left, was very quiet and still.

“…….”

No emotional turmoil was revealed in her expression, but there was more bitterness than peace. Loren closed her eyes tightly and then opened them. Soon, she looked into the intuition projected in the coffee cup she was drinking.

On the rippling black surface, ominousness floats.

The cause of the ominousness began with the sight of cracks forming in their perfect leader.

The cracks collapsed the tower built by the leader, put himself in trouble, and caused a great upheaval in the entire organization. Loren watched the blurry afterimage and then put down the cold coffee cup with a thud.

Her sighing voice spread leisurely in the silence.

“Hugo. I’m worried about you.”

Laina Rogia Year 1000, January 12th.

Today was the opening ceremony of the League hosted by the Council. The opening ceremony was scheduled to be held simultaneously at the stadium arena in the Central Branch and at the 5th preliminary main stadium located northeast of the Zodiac. As the League was being held after a long time, the heat of interest was intense, and the demand for opening ceremony tickets was higher than expected, so one more venue was added.

The latter location was the Agrigento Territory of the Agrizendro family, and the site where a large station was soon to be built. The coastline, which was far away, led inland, and it was a transportation hub with well-developed riverside routes.

A typical stadium required land large enough to accommodate a large number of people, and at the same time, it had to be located in an easily accessible place or have well-developed transportation. Therefore, Hugo allowed the construction of the stadium within the territory in order to build the commercial district around the station site in advance, in exchange for receiving land use fees and construction subsidies from the Council.

Thanks to this, the area near the 5th preliminary arena was crowded with merchants and spectators, even though the station had not yet opened. The lodging industry, as well as restaurants, were enjoying unprecedented prosperity. And that was not only because of the League’s opening.

“Duke, it’s done.”

The three servants who had been helping with the decoration stepped back with their hands respectfully gathered. Hugo, who had been staring blankly at the speech, raised his tired eyelids. In the mirror opposite him, a man decorated by others was sitting like a trophy.

His expression wasn’t very bright for a Duke who was one day away from his birthday.

“Good work.”

His hair wasn’t simply slicked back with hair gel, but styled to bring out the volume while carefully paying attention to each strand, revealing his forehead. Darker shadows were added to his eyelids and nose, which had been tickled by brushes. A light blush was added to his originally pale skin, which made him look a little better.

But Hugo slightly raised one eyebrow at his appearance, which was more elaborate than on the day of his audience with the Emperor.

He touched his trimmed eyebrows and hairline and said.

“But isn’t it a bit… too much?”

The servants momentarily stiffened, wondering if their master didn’t like what they had done. But soon, the Duke’s exclusive artist, who had been in charge of the decoration, stood next to him and responded firmly.

“Duke, the protagonist of today, one day before his birthday, is none other than the Duke. Shouldn’t you shine brighter than anyone else on a day like this? You shouldn’t just shine. You should shine so brightly that even from afar, the halo is so dazzling that people can’t open their eyes properly. That is what enhances the prestige of the Duke’s family, as well as the pride and respect of the territory’s people.”

“…….”

“You were originally born with outstanding looks and grace, but in my eyes, you are more dazzling and perfect than ever before. So don’t worry.”

The artist, a man whose voice was characterized by a nasal tone and a beautiful timbre, praised his master while spraying perfume with a satisfied face. People in the profession of pursuing beauty tend to giggle whenever they see their best work. He felt the best job satisfaction and repeatedly raised both thumbs.

Although noble men often decorate themselves at official events, Hugo, who usually pursued naturalness, felt that his current appearance was just an ornament to show a decent face to the public. However, what the person who helped with the decoration said made sense, and he knew that his hard work had continued for several hours, so he simply agreed to it.

However, he inwardly sighed at how the situation had turned out. The more he stood out, the more difficult it would be to meet ‘him’.

‘To think that the first test schedule would be on the day of the opening ceremony…’

Coincidentally, the League’s opening ceremony was one day apart from the Duke of Agrigento’s birthday, so Hugo had to show his face to the public today. It was a huge event held within the territory and a symbolic tour to revitalize the local economy. In fact, he had fully expected this to happen, but the problem was that Leonardo Blaine’s first test date was scheduled for today.

He had even deliberately designated the 5th preliminary arena as the place where his test would be held, but in the case of the date, the dedicated operations team randomly selected one of the participant’s chosen dates, so there was nothing he could do about it. In addition, as interest in this League was particularly focused, the number of participants was much higher than in previous years. As a result, the test schedule before the preliminary round was also slightly advanced and was scheduled to proceed from the day of the opening ceremony.

In other words, it meant that while he could finally be in the same space as him, it was not certain whether there would be an opportunity to meet. He couldn’t help but worry that they would unfortunately miss each other like last time.

‘I have to stay in my seat until the opening address is over and the opening performance is over, but I don’t know if he will wait until I finish my schedule.’

On the day he heard the news that Leonardo Blaine had completed his participation application, he immediately went to the site. But he had already disappeared without a trace.

He wondered what was so urgent, he always left only traces of being at the scene and scattered like an elusive wind.

But Hugo decided not to let things go his way this time. Since he had rolled into the trap he had laid with his own feet, he had to see his face at least once. To see if he was doing well, and if he had gained some weight.

“Master, the carriage is ready.”

He stood up from the chair, put on the white gloves of the Council, and draped the Legion Commander’s cloak over his shoulders. The expression of the man in the mirror was quite solemn in a different sense.

He was thinking more carefully about what would be a good first greeting if they met again than the opening address he had to recite in a few hours.