By Zephyria The lightning that shot out in an instant struck the Mana Orb floating in the air. Ero’s Mana Orb, which had been flying first, collided strongly with Leonardo’s Mana Orb. The surface, unable to withstand the impact, seemed to momentarily crumple, but soon flew far away to the shimmering distance.
Following the blue trajectory that the two spheres and magic had crossed, Leonardo also shot out like a bullet.
It happened in the blink of an eye. The ground he had been standing on was so deeply dented that cracks appeared in the barrier above the maze, and black smoke rose. It was as if lightning had struck, and Ero, left behind, stumbled backward and fell to the ground with a thud.
A thunderous explosion belatedly swept through the stadium. The powerful Magic Power spread eerily on the wind, enough to make everyone in the stadium turn around.
This tingling sensation that ran through the skin was similar to a thrill, creating a strange pleasure. Hugo, who had been watching the stadium, slightly closed his eyes and then opened them again at the familiar Magic Power brushing against his cheek.
“It will certainly get noisy.”
The member of the 1st Battalion standing next to him felt the same Magic Power and opened his mouth.
The accompanying member was about to be promoted to platoon leader, was Hugo’s confidant secretly planted within the organization, a knight of the Agrizendro family in the past, and also a secret agent closely monitoring Kenneth Weaver’s secret mission, though they were in different units.
Hugo replied, removing the faint smile remaining on his lips.
“It’s a predetermined course. Though not today.”
“As you instructed, we have coordinated with the operations side to control access so that only authorized newspaper employees can enter the interior. However, there are rumors of big names being present, and crowds have been gathering outside for about an hour. We will disperse them within two hours.”
“Hurry it up a bit more. It seems the match will end sooner than expected.”
Hugo, releasing his hands from behind his back and checking his wristwatch, followed the Magic Power that had already dissipated with his eyes. A round sphere was floating around him. This sphere, which had been delivering his voice all along, was only emitting ambient noise, as if the signal had been cut off.
After tapping it a few times and confirming that there was no response, Hugo grasped the sphere in his hand and shrunk it. Then, he glanced at the man who had been accompanying Leonardo. The man, who had been sprawled out unsightly, hurriedly got up and ran forward. He seemed to be chasing after Leonardo.
Hugo’s blue eyes followed the man’s footprints in the sand. His thoughts went with them.
‘What did that mean?’
‘Even someone as smart as him can’t remember a kid he met a few years ago.’
Smart people and kids. There were plenty of those around, but Leonardo’s voice sounded quite resentful when he said that, which caught his attention for a moment, though only briefly.
The member, staring silently at the side profile of his superior and lord, followed Hugo’s gaze and opened his mouth.
“How do you plan to handle the old-fashioned handcuffs case?”
Hugo’s eyes, which had been looking into the distance, slowly shifted to his feet. The member added.
“If it’s inconvenient, please tell me later. However, I thought it might help the Commander’s intentions if you gave me a heads-up in advance.”
Due to the sudden news of Servan’s death two days ago, the atmosphere within the Council was heavy. Moreover, Hugo, as the person in charge of the investigation, had even been summoned to the higher-ups, so it wouldn’t be a welcome question.
His eyelids, which had seemed lost in deep thought, blinked two or three times before revealing his usual sharp gaze.
“Investigate Marcus Servan’s family history thoroughly. What relationship he and his family have with Leonardo, whether there really is a relationship, and whether his superior is involved.”
“Are you suspecting the 11th Battalion Commander?”
“I don’t even know my own mind.”
“…….”
“I’m worried that suspicion towards subordinates has become a habit. Besides, the timing isn’t good to ferret out someone. An order has been issued to suspend the investigation entirely for the time being.”
Silence fell between the two. The member, who broke the silence that had accumulated in a short time, cautiously asked.
“Will you suspend it?”
“No, let’s just move on our own for now.”
“May I offer one of my thoughts?”
“Go ahead.”
“If there’s a mastermind, they would have deliberately targeted this timing. It’s not a sudden event that a witness who had been silent all along came forward saying they would tell the truth. Rather, it’s closer to a thorough plan.”
Hugo also only rolled his eyes to stare at his confidant.
“I think the same. That’s why we shouldn’t suspend it even more.”
Castiel Bain’s sudden testimony and confession, and the subsequent suicide of Company Commander Servan. The continuous behavior of these individuals, including the 11th Battalion Commander Noel Presentia, who had been refusing food and drink due to the death of his subordinate, could not be seen as a coincidence.
Until Bain testified that it was his superior’s order, the investigation into Leonardo’s old-fashioned handcuffs case had been sluggish. The reason was that, in a situation where clear evidence or witnesses had not emerged, the equipment management officials at the time, trying to overcome the uncomfortable internal atmosphere, were driving it in the direction of the members’ mistakes. Even the Council’s higher-ups, who disliked causing a stir, saw it as a mistake by a new recruit who was deficient in the system and tried to quietly move on after giving the member a suitable disciplinary action for protection.
But Hugo did not easily conclude this case.
Although Leonardo had left with his freedom, he thought that he should root out what had happened within the organization he belonged to with his own hands. That’s why he clung to it until the end and dug into it tenaciously. He also thought that it was for Leonardo’s sake. He had been watching Leonardo’s time of enduring in the midst of cynicism, his face like shattered glass fragments marked by extreme anxiety and fatigue, from the side all along.
Moreover, the voice of Castiel Bain, who had recently come forward as a witness, kept lingering in his mind.
‘Anyone would have guessed that the Legion Commander wouldn’t just let this go.’
It was one of the few statements that he could be sure was true amidst the confused testimony. If there was a mastermind behind this case, and if that mastermind had guessed his nature and actions, they would have anticipated that he would not easily conclude the investigation and would have thrown a plausible bait to try to wrap up the case. And that bait was Bain’s testimony and Servan’s suicide, and the reason why they deliberately triggered the case at this time was because it was the ‘League period’ when the Council’s higher-ups had to be cautious.
“This League is different from other times. From the noble lives of our comrades left on the Eldermilli Peninsula to the aftermath of the Pentagov explosion, it’s a golden opportunity to renew the Council’s regrettable footsteps. At the same time, it’s the beginning of a new era along with the thousand-year history of Laina Rogia.”
“That’s right.”
“The higher-ups won’t tolerate discord. They’ll try to avoid even the slightest bit of gossip. Especially if it’s an incident that could lead to the replacement of a battalion commander-level officer in the 13th Battalion, which is like the face of the Legion. Someone is using that very well. They manipulated the chess pieces as soon as the League opening ceremony began.”
Taking a step forward, Hugo rested his arms on the transparent railing of the spectator seats. With his hands clasped together, he stared at the sun hanging on the edge of the blazing sand desert.
“If you were a victim entangled in the center of this case, would you want to know the truth? Or would you just want to embrace freedom and live like the wind without knowing anything?”
Even though the member knew that he was the only one near his lord in this vicinity, he quickly realized that the question was not directed at him.
“He must have overcome many storms already, and I’m afraid that the abyss I dig up will drown him.”
The wind that blew at that moment shook Hugo’s neatly combed navy blue hair. Along with it, his melancholic eyes sank endlessly.
Therefore, the member could not answer rashly. He stared intently at his lord, who had openly revealed his ‘fear’, and, with deep contemplation on his upright profile, carefully opened his mouth.
“Only the person involved will know that. It doesn’t seem to be a part that I can add to.”
Hugo, who had been listening silently, nodded once.
That’s right. It would be meaningless to ask someone other than the person involved for their opinion.
Leonardo’s delicate inner self had been repeatedly torn apart, healed, and burst open, and only the outer shell had become hardened. But in reality, he knew that the bleeding hadn’t stopped yet, and that if you looked inside, a young boy covered in blood was trembling pitifully.
That’s why Hugo hadn’t been able to mention the quagmire surrounding Leonardo all along. However, he couldn’t hide it forever.
His blue eyes listlessly scanned the distance. Even though he had magnified the image on his retina to the limit, he could no longer see Leonardo’s face. Instead, he could guess that he was in the sandstorm raging with the momentum to sweep everything away.
“As expected, I’ll have to ask him directly. Whether he wants to know the truth.”
Tiny grains of sand piled up to form a huge hill. He was only worried that it might scratch the tender skin passing through the gaps.