Staring at the scenery he had galloped through just a day before, Hugo fell into deep thought while leaning against the carriage backrest. Clouds holding the twilight passed over his face faintly reflected in the window. Whenever he saw the color of the retreating sun, that moment inevitably came to mind.
As he unconsciously yearned for the wind-like person he had sent away with his own hands, he slowly closed and opened his eyes as the carriage entered the portal. A moment of brightness stimulated his vision, and soon the curtain of bright light was lifted. As the magnificent cityscape unfolded, he remembered this wasn't the time for such thoughts.
'Is it alright to proceed with the investigation?'
The report he had heard from Loren before leaving work kept floating around in his mind. Usually, when she stepped forward to form an investigation team, it was when evidence deemed conclusive of a crime was found during the initial investigation. Or when she couldn't trust the personnel to be assigned to the investigation team.
In any case, with mana-filled cylinders being discovered and circumstances suggesting distribution purposes being shown, there was sufficient justification to conduct a focused investigation into mana smuggling. It was also a case Loren had been following for a while.
But why did she come personally to get approval and then ask if it would be 'alright' to proceed with the investigation?
He was the one who had advised everyone not to easily trust anyone within the Council. But when he actually became the target, he couldn't help feeling bitter about it.
In his old friend's eyes, he must have seemed like a dull person who couldn't order fair investigations against his own faction. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for a flash of anguish to cross Loren's face as she requested permission.
"..."
However, he could understand her concern to some extent.
In the noble world, being in the same faction was practically like being in an implicitly connected community of fate. If the pro-emperor faction was entangled in some kind of connection that would be uncovered in the future, it meant this matter could affect his position as well.
He couldn't tell whether Loren had asked such a question out of concern for his awkward position, or because she worried that a fair investigation might not be conducted. However, if Hugo had to choose one of these, he wanted to believe it was the former.
Rather than reigning from a precariously built tower of position, falling into the mud while holding his comrade's trust suited him better.
Of course, the prospect of another obstacle waiting beyond the hardships he had barely passed through was not welcome. It was natural that an unconscious heavy sigh escaped.
"Hah..."
Flynn, who had been flipping through documents across from him, suddenly raised his head at the sound. He noticed his superior's face showing clear signs of fatigue somewhere.
His long fingers created regular noise tapping the end of the armrest. Flynn, who had been silent, examined the shadowed eyes and casually spoke up to encourage him:
"Since most matters handled by the 2nd Battalion Commander turn out well, don't worry too much."
Hugo, who had been staring out the window, briefly turned his head. Though his expression didn't change, he was inwardly amazed at his adjutant's sharpness in roughly guessing his concerns.
He silently nodded once and shifted his gaze to the documents in Flynn's hands. When he wiggled his finger, Flynn neatly organized the papers and handed them to his superior. Hugo put them down on the seat beside him without reading them.
"I thought I told you to rest as much as possible in the carriage."
"...Ah."
It was because a few years ago, Flynn, who had been an attendant for less than a month, had gotten severely carsick while reviewing documents in the carriage. Though he knew it was an incident created by his will to do well, along with sitting facing backward, Hugo had since then prevented Flynn's excessive enthusiasm to work even in the carriage.
I thought it was okay since you hadn't said anything for a while... Flynn swallowed his embarrassment and simply added, "I'm sorry." Meanwhile, the carriage passed through a temporary portal installed in the middle of the city. Soon after, the large gate leading to the Agrizendro mansion appeared outside the window.
The guards, exchanging signs with the coachman, busily moved on the watchtower to open the heavy main gate.
From here on, while peeking at the complexion of the man who should be called Master, Flynn carefully changed the subject, hoping he would shake off his thoughts for a moment:
"Do you think Leo is still within the territory?"
Hugo's pupils rolled again slowly. Though uncertainty crossed his eyes, he quickly composed himself.
"A report came up from the guard captain this morning. Said he passed through the gate around midnight."
"...That's faster than expected."
Though he had expected it, Flynn felt particularly regretful about his actions that seemed to leave without even a trace of lingering attachment. It was because he had harbored hopes that he might stay here for a while, if not settle down.
Hugo watched Flynn's face showing deep regret and opened his mouth:
"You two seem to have become quite close."
"Pardon?"
Flynn, who had questioned back, then answered awkwardly:
"Ah, before parting, I had asked if I could call him by his name. Then he told me to call him Leo... Should I just call him Blaine if it makes you uncomfortable?"
Flynn seemed to guess that the name 'Leo' he had mentioned had caught attention. Hugo sent him an unreadable look before turning his head back toward the window entering a familiar road.
"Why would there be any reason for discomfort? It's something that passed between you two."
"..."
"Call him as you feel comfortable. If he allowed a familiar form of address, it means he opened his heart. That's a good thing."
Hugo answered calmly as if it were no big deal. Flynn nodded slowly but glanced at his lord's particularly emotionless expression. He was confused whether he was tired from many recent events overlapping, or if he was in a bad mood. Along with that, the frame inside the first right drawer of his office coming to mind was an attendant's intuition.
Though he had wanted to ask about it all along, Flynn kept his mouth firmly shut, feeling it would somehow be presumptuous. There was also some instinctive hesitation about hearing something he couldn't handle. Instead, while meaninglessly rolling his eyes, he decided to ask about something he had wondered about before:
"Um, Master. Did you ever tell Blaine that I was your attendant?"
"Hmm?"
"Ah, it's nothing much... Yesterday while moving to the western gate, I was talking about various things with Blaine. Somehow the topic of commuting with the Commander every day came up, and he accepted it very naturally. Even though I hadn't particularly revealed that I was an attendant."
Flynn then recalled Leonardo's words when they had arrived at the western gate, saying 'You're lucky to see this every day.' While it was natural for an adjutant to always accompany their commanding officer, the elements Flynn had talked about in front of Leonardo went beyond the role of a mere adjutant and into areas that only an attendant would know.
Yet Leonardo had listened to all of it as if it were natural. There wasn't a moment when he found it strange or questioned it.
Hugo also traced his memories at Flynn's question, but came to the same conclusion:
"Well, I don't particularly remember mentioning it either. But we might have revealed it unknowingly while conversing."
For instance, even Flynn didn't know about the existence of the secretly acquired villa.
"He tends to be sharp, so he might have guessed from context. Or. He might have known from before."
Flynn tilted his head.
"Known from before?"
The blue eyes wandered through the air before shifting toward Flynn.
"He might have heard it from someone or seen it in an article. According to what Leonardo said before, he knew my face from the beginning. Even before meeting in Frost territory."
"He knew about you, Master? Then, does that mean you had met before?"
"Met before... I'm not sure if it could be called meeting, but we had briefly passed by each other in the imperial palace. He always wore a helmet so I couldn't see his face, but we probably were aware of each other's existence. At least I was."
"Hmm..."
"But apart from that, I'm already known to the public, so if one just looks at newspapers a bit, couldn't one deduce who the attendant is?"
Saying this, Hugo handed Flynn a newspaper published as a special edition during the afternoon. The front page read 'Council Emergency Press Conference, Return of the Hero.' Below it was a photo of the battalion commanders, including Hugo, attending a press conference addressing the results of the Elder Millie Peninsula subjugation and trial-related issues. Among them, the Commander's face was prominently positioned in the center.
However, the title of hero didn't refer to the Commander, but was a word alluding to Leonardo Blaine, who had participated in the subjugation along with the Council.
To think someone who had been treated as a criminal until just recently was called a hero. The effect of the headline was certain, and the article spread quickly throughout the empire. The initial publisher was a newspaper company based in the Agrizendro territory that received relatively less political control. The article announced Leonardo's achievements to the world without missing a single detail.
As Flynn tried to read the newspaper carefully, Hugo quickly took back the pages, worried he might suffer from nausea again.
While awkwardly lowering his hands that had lost their destination, Flynn nodded as if understanding.
"I suppose so. Someone like Blaine probably would have already guessed."
Hugo also agreed with a look. Even so, he looked back at his mansion that had grown close. The faces of the ducal household servants standing in orderly ranks began to gradually become clearer.
As the view of the mansion he was returning to after a long time fell outside the window, Flynn also stopped talking and prepared to get out of the carriage.
The white carriage carrying the two men circled around the huge fountain and stopped in front of the central door of the mansion. It was around then that the head butler rushed out from inside.