By Zephyria “If you let me have a cigarette, I’ll answer.”
As soon as Flynn and the northern branch investigator heard Leonardo’s words, they sighed softly as if they were quite disappointed. However, unlike the two, the investigator Ekison showed a very unpleasant expression as if he felt that his actions were a challenge to him.
“…This bastard―.”
At Leonardo’s seemingly playful attitude, Ekison muttered in a low voice and glared at him with even more fierce eyes.
However, Leonardo Blaine did not lose his unique arrogant expression and composure and stared at him in the same way. At that, the investigator said to Leonardo in a somewhat coercive tone.
“Leonardo Blaine. You don’t seem to know the situation well, but you are already subject to aggravated property damage for rioting in the imperial capital square. Do you think you, a criminal, have the right to demand something here?”
“Ah, there’s a guy who uses trees among the battalion commanders who came to catch me earlier, right? It seems like he smokes the same thing as me, so if possible, with that guy’s―.”
“Blaine!”
When Leonardo Blaine lightly ignored him and said what he wanted to say, the investigator, who was angry at his actions, slammed the desk hard and jumped up from his seat. Thanks to that, there was a brief silence in the interrogation room.
“How long are you going to be so arrogant? Be aware of your position.”
Leonardo Blaine, who was facing Ekison’s undisguised gaze full of anger, could guess why his actions, which he had felt were subtly scratching his temper since earlier, were like that.
As much as he was scratching at him, he was also acting like an arrogant person and scratching at the other person’s temperament as a result. Leonardo Blaine discovered the ‘contempt’ towards himself that had been in Ekison’s gaze from the beginning.
A so-called investigator, who should be fair and objective, was condemning him while wearing a ridiculous mask of justice. In an instant, this whole interrogation felt ridiculous.
As the investigator looked down at him, telling him to be aware of his position as if he were a huge flaw, the faint smile that had been on Leonardo Blaine’s face slowly disappeared.
“My position….”
Since when, he had been thoroughly ignoring the expression of emotions towards him by people he did not know.
Because there were too many people who knew him because of his brilliant and gloomy past, he was tired enough just carrying the grudges and curses that he brought from the battlefield and various missions on his shoulders.
And he knew very well that he would go crazy if he didn’t ignore it like that.
Leonardo Blaine saw this investigator in front of him for the first time today. But he was not generous enough to understand the circumstances of this investigator’s emotions, who was showing clear hostility towards him, and there was no reason to do so.
Leonardo Blaine, who no longer felt the value of cooperating with the other party who had already framed him as a criminal, expressed the hostility that had just arisen in him without hiding it.
Soon, his eyes narrowed and his golden eyes shone bright yellow, turning into fierce eyes. As his atmosphere changed in an instant, no one inside the interrogation room made a sound.
The reason why that silence was broken was because Leonardo Blaine jumped up from his seat halfway.
Everyone inside flinched at the sudden movement. As he showed an action as if he was about to rush forward, the door of the interrogation room was opened roughly at the same time, and armed members entered with capture guns pointed at him.
Leonardo Blaine was unable to stand up completely because his body was tied to the iron chair fixed to the floor. However, he emitted a threatening aura even in that state. Then, he ignored the guns and armed members pointed at him as if they were nothing, and only glared at Ekison and said to the other party in a savage voice as if chewing over it.
“Investigator Luke Ekison, listen carefully. You call my actions aggravated property damage, but from my point of view, it’s legitimate self-defense to protect myself.”
“…….”
“If you want to ask me for my crimes and talk about my rights, you must first put me in court and make a judgment. I don’t care about your petty hatred.”
The investigator’s expression noticeably distorted at his words. Leonardo Blaine looked at such Ekison and let out a cold sneer, then said again with a fierce momentum.
“Do you think you, who only have circumstantial evidence that I helped the guild leader escape, have the right to arbitrarily impose a separate charge on me, treat me like a criminal, and force me to cooperate with the investigation?”
With Leonardo Blaine’s words, silence flowed again inside the interrogation room. A cold current was surging around, and Ekison and Leonardo Blaine’s gazes fiercely stared at each other as if they would not give in.
And then. From the open door, through the armed members who filled the interrogation room, a magical energy familiar to Leonardo flowed in. The owner of that cool magic power spoke to Leonardo in his weighty and low voice.
“Stop there, Leonardo.”
At the solemn voice, the investigators and scribes, including Flynn, turned their heads, except for the armed members.
“Commander, loyalty.”
“Loyalty.”
“Loyalty.”
As Hugo appeared inside the interrogation room, Ekison saluted him with a slightly embarrassed expression. Everyone who was sitting also stood up and gave him a salute. However, Hugo did not respond to their salutes and only stared at Leonardo Blaine.
Leonardo Blaine stared at Ekison with a cold face, then glanced at Hugo, who was staring at him expressionlessly, and turned his gaze away, letting out a sneer.
As he expected, he must have been watching everything from outside.
Knowing that he was being monitored from all sides and that his expression, actions, tone, and even the reason for his existence were being eaten away one by one, he felt very annoyed by this situation where he had to pretend not to know and control himself, so Leonardo Blaine sat back down on the hard chair and frowned deeply and muttered as if chewing his teeth.
“That damn commander.”
Hugo’s brow furrowed subtly at the clearly audible voice.
Nevertheless, Hugo did not say anything, but rather Ekison’s face turned red as if he had heard insulting words at Leonardo’s words. Then he leaned forward as if he was about to grab Leonardo’s collar.
“This bastard, what rude things are you saying to the commander―!”
“It’s okay, investigator Ekison.”
Hugo stopped such an investigator with words. Ekison immediately closed his mouth, but his eyes were still glaring at Leonardo Blaine.
On the other hand, Leonardo Blaine leaned back against the iron chair as if he didn’t care at all. At his rebellious actions, Hugo let out a small sigh and said calmly.
“I’ll let you have a cigarette.”
At those words, Ekison was surprised and tried to say something, but Hugo raised his palm in front of Ekison as if to stop him, and gave him a cold look.
Ekison, faced with the silent gaze, soon lowered his head without saying a word. Hugo turned his gaze back and continued speaking to Leonardo.
“Also, as you said, until the disposition is decided, I will treat you as a witness only in the Frost territory case.”
“…….”
“Instead, promise that you will faithfully cooperate with the interrogation again after you smoke.”
Leonardo didn’t answer, his gaze averted. But Hugo didn’t try to rush him and waited for him.
Leonardo stared blankly at the files spread out on the table, as if lost in thought.
From the moment he returned to the Imperial Palace, he had to endure all kinds of emotions directed at him, and he was physically and mentally exhausted and had become quite sensitive. However, he knew better than anyone else that this situation was not good for him.
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if his head hurt, and lowered his head, rubbing his face with his bound hands as if washing it. He rubbed his sharply angled eyebrows, blinked his strained eyes a few times, and then suppressed his agitated mood a little. As he did so, the throbbing headache seemed to subside to some extent.
Soon, he raised his head again. Then, looking at Agrizendro, who was still waiting for his answer, he said with a tired and complicated expression.
“I promise.”
* * *
Hugo took Leonardo out of the interrogation room and headed to the terrace on the top floor of the Council’s annex west building. It was because Leonardo insisted on smoking there.
However, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, a dozen armed members and Meterion, the 3rd Battalion Commander, accompanied them.
Upon reaching the terrace railing, Hugo briefly loosened Leonardo’s straitjacket straps. Leonardo, whose arms had been fixed for a long time, massaged his left arm with his right hand as if his arms were numb from being in the same position for so long.
Seeing this, Hugo gestured to a member behind him, and one of the armed Council members approached Leonardo and offered him a cigarette. Leonardo took it and examined it, then said to the member with a disappointed face.
“This isn’t what I smoke.”
Then Hugo looked down at him and said coldly.
“Be grateful that I brought you out.”
Leonardo made a slightly disgruntled expression, but Agrizendro’s treatment was better than that of the investigator, so he didn’t argue any further.
Soon after, he put the filter in his mouth and created a small flame with his finger, lighting the end of the cigarette.
Then Meterion, who was holding the chains connected to the shackles on his right wrist and ankle, looked quite surprised, though he tried not to show it. He couldn’t believe that he had used magic even with these thick magic stone shackles on.
However, Hugo, as if he had expected that he could use some magic even in his current state, stepped back a little without saying anything. Then, he leaned against the pillar, holding the chains connected to the shackles on his left wrist and ankle as well.
With Leonardo in the middle, Hugo and Meterion stood on either side, holding the chains and watching him, and behind them, armed members lined up in a row, waiting.
Leonardo leaned against the railing, rested his arms on top, sucked on the filter, and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
Already, a vast, colorful sunset was spreading across the sky of the Imperial Palace. The smoke he exhaled scattered towards the scenery of the Imperial Palace, which was tinged with the red sunset. The sunset shone on his face, and his appearance was completely dyed crimson.
He stared at the distant sky for a moment, then lowered his head slightly and slowly looked around the Imperial Palace spread out before him.
The reason he insisted on being brought here was because, unlike the main building surrounded by a large courtyard, this place offered the closest and best view of the Imperial Palace streets.
The hustle and bustle from earlier had vanished, and the Imperial Palace was still peaceful, as if nothing had happened.
People moved busily between the visible buildings, and their shadows stretched long, decorating the streets. The setting sun reflected off the windows, creating a sparkling light. Even though he frowned because he was dazzled, Leonardo never took his eyes off the scenery.
With a cigarette in his slightly chapped and stinging lips from fatigue, he exhaled smoke mixed with many emotions against the backdrop of the vast Imperial Palace.
Fluttering flags and towering spires, the sound of bells ringing from the huge clock on top. Listening to the sound of constantly moving carriages and the sound of horses’ hooves passing between them, he smiled bitterly from the bottom of his heart and said.
“Really, nothing has changed.”
The sunset cast shadows like diagonal lines over his pupils, and the smoke lazily spread out from between his red lips. The slightly upturned corners of his mouth and the finely furrowed brow due to the glare were contradictory.
Hugo, who was watching the contradictory smile next to him, looked at his eyes, which were dyed red like the sunset, and thought that this scene in front of him was undeniably, cruelly beautiful.
But even in the midst of all that, he felt that Leonardo, who had become the most perfect subject in the picturesque scene, looked somehow very forlorn.
His alluring lips were clearly smiling, but the corners of his eyes, visible under his furrowed but elegant eyebrows, were soaked red in the sunset, making it seem as if he were crying.