Bermuda [bl]

"Huff, huff-."

The impersonator, who had been confronting the brown-haired man, managed to escape using magic, but having exhausted his last remaining mana, he was unable to fly and had to resort to running on foot.

The Council members, finding his behavior suspicious, chased after him, but he skillfully evaded them and hid here and there.

He headed straight for the teleport zone in Frost Territory. If he could get out through there and hide, no one would be able to find him. He had used Leonardo Blaine's name, and no one knew his real name, so he thought that if he could just escape from here unscathed, he could live as if nothing had happened.

He hid between alleys and moved quickly, taking advantage of the absence of people. Fortunately, having stayed here for the past few months, he had a rough idea of the geography in his head.

The mountain path was likely already occupied by the Council members searching for monsters, and the other teleport zones would also be blocked by the Council.

Then there was only one place he could go.

In Frost Territory, there was one teleport zone that was closed and not in use, and he had clearly confirmed with his own eyes not long ago that the portal there was still active. This was something only he knew, so if he passed through the portal there, he could quietly escape.

Mustering every last ounce of strength, he ran, smiling victoriously despite his shortness of breath.

"Huff- huff... Fools, no one will know about this place."

His steps beyond the corner were laborious but light. The image of the empty teleport zone was vividly etched in his mind.

'Just around this corner...!'

The impersonator, already overcome with emotion at the thought of a successful escape, turned the corner and immediately ran out onto the main road.

However, contrary to his expectations, as soon as he emerged from the alley, he had no choice but to slow down. The sight that unfolded before his eyes made him gulp down the metallic taste of saliva between his panting breaths.

"...No way."

In front of the closed teleport zone, where there should have been no one, Council members were standing by in a two-row formation. And in front of them, a woman who appeared to be of a considerably high rank stood with hands behind her back, fiercely staring at him who had suddenly appeared.

The ill-fated impersonator, who had been running as if he was about to fall forward, instinctively stopped, overwhelmed by the sharp gaze and imposing presence. Then, denying reality, he took a step back.

This couldn't be happening. No one should have known about this place.

As he immediately turned around to run away, the woman with dark red hair and a greatsword, who had been standing with her hands behind her back right in front of his eyes, instantly moved behind him and pinned the end of his cloak with the greatsword.

"Where are you-."

"Aah, aaah!"

The impersonator screamed in shock as the person who had been in front of him just a moment ago was now behind him. The dark red-haired woman, wearing a dark navy blue Council combat uniform with silver armor, looked at him intently.

Like Hugo, she had a rather splendid insignia on her fluttering cloak, which was particularly more ornate. She had a muscular body and fierce eyes.

"You, are you a fire mage?"

"Heh... heh, get out of my way!"

The impersonator frantically swung his arms to push her away, but she easily dodged and instead grabbed his flailing arm, twisted it, and broke it.

"Aaah!"

"Answer the question. Are you a fire mage?"

Screams filled the air, but the dark red-haired woman paid no heed and asked about his identity. Then, someone approached them and said, "Commander, if you keep doing that, he'll just scream instead of answering."

He was also wearing a Council combat uniform, a man with white hair who gave an overall impression of being entirely white. He sighed, looking at his superior who was breaking the arm of the suddenly appeared man.

"Is that so?"

Eventually, when she released the twisted arm, the impersonator collapsed forward. He had been screaming, but now he was almost in tears and snot, trying to crawl forward with his trembling body, but he couldn't move forward due to the greatsword stuck in his cloak.

"Tsk, Adjutant Levernil clearly said he would come this way. Is this guy really that fire mage?"

"For now, the detected attribute is indeed fire, but it seems he can't use his power well, perhaps due to severe mana depletion."

"This is quite disappointing... Should we just beat him up a few times and take him away like this?"

"No, we can't. The Council Commander ordered us to report immediately upon discovery. I just contacted him, so he should be coming this way soon."

The impersonator collapsed and wept bitterly. Hearing his sobbing, the two people who had been conversing looked down at him blankly.

"Hey... are you crying? Did I go too hard on you?"

"That's why I told you several times not to break the suspect's arm first, didn't I?"

The dark red-haired woman retorted with a sullen expression at her subordinate's words blaming her.

"This guy tried to attack first."

"You know he wouldn't even be able to graze you anyway."

While the two Council members were bickering, looking at the sobbing impersonator, someone soon appeared in front of them via teleportation. The two people who had been conversing immediately stood at attention with a disciplined appearance and saluted him.

"Loyalty. Moria Halipe, Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Council's Northern Branch, greets the Council Commander."

"Loyalty. Haron Spencer, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Council's Northern Branch, greets the Council Commander."

In response, Hugo, who had appeared with a bright light, also lightly saluted them and said,

"Loyalty. Is this guy that fire mage?"

"Yes, that's correct. We received word from Adjutant Flynn Levernil that he would come to this teleport zone. After waiting here for a few hours, this guy was the only one who showed up."

"Flynn did?"

Hugo didn't know how Flynn knew that the guy would come to the closed teleport zone, but the fact that he assured it meant there was definite circumstantial evidence or proof.

Hugo grabbed the back of the guy's collar and lifted him up with one hand. Then, Moria, who had pinned the guy's cloak with her greatsword, pulled out the sword to make it easier for the Council Commander to lift him up.

"When I sensed it at the Count's mansion, it wasn't to this extent, but his mana is pathetic."

"It is presumed that while attempting teleportation, he moved to a warehouse, set it on fire, and repeatedly escaped, depleting most of his mana."

At Haron's words, Hugo lifted the impersonator a little higher, making him stand on his two feet. The impersonator trembled, looking up at him, and then suddenly inhaled sharply. Hugo raised one corner of his mouth and said,

"It seems you know me."

"..."

"So, were you involved in the monster burial and committed arson early this morning?"

"...I, I'm sorry. Please spare my life."

Caught by Hugo, the impersonator, upon facing the person responsible for the chilling cold he had felt in his bones when he came to the Count's mansion early in the morning, completely lost the will to resist.

Until now, he had been trying his best to be defiant and run away, but every single cell in his body felt that such defiance would not work on this man. He had to unconditionally beg for his life.

Hugo looked down at the trembling man with an indifferent gaze. Judging by his yellow hair mixed with sparse brown and his dark green eyes, it matched the description of the fire mage he had heard while interrogating Ardel, the water mage.

This was the guy who had deceived the Count by claiming to be Leonardo Blaine and had gone into business with him.

However, the feeble energy felt from the guy was completely different from the one that had made him flinch earlier.

He had hoped that the fire mage, who was said to be impersonating him, might have some credibility to do so, even if only for a brief moment when he reacted to the energy. But the mana of the guy trembling before his eyes was utterly pathetic.

As the guy cried and begged, Hugo spoke to Commander Moria, who was standing next to him.

"Commander Halipe."

"Yes, Council Commander."

"Immediately hand this guy over to the transport unit and have him escorted to headquarters. Instruct them to cross-reference his fingerprints and mana composition to uncover his identity."

"Yes, understood."

Moria took over holding the guy's collar from Hugo and bowed her head in response. Then, Hugo looked around at the members on standby and said,

"You all worked hard waiting. Please hold your positions a little longer until the Delberg merchants are sorted out."

"Yes, understood!"

Not only the Council members but also Moria and Haron responded loudly to his words. Hugo immediately nodded slightly and once again disappeared from the spot using teleportation. Haron stared blankly at where the Council Commander had disappeared and said,

"Wow... this is my first time seeing the Council Commander of the Central Branch in person. With that aura and charisma... he's more impressive than I imagined. I heard he's a very cold and scary person, but it doesn't seem to be entirely true. He seems to be a rather caring person than I thought."

As Haron spoke, his eyes sparkling as if singing praises, Moria scratched the back of her head with a dubious expression.

"Well, he is... caring, I suppose."

At the ambiguous answer, Haron asked her with a puzzled face,

"Commander, you don't seem to be convinced at all?"

Moria shook her head with a wry smile and said,

"No, it's not exactly that. You say that because you haven't seen the Council Commander exerting his power."

"Pardon?"

"Do you know which division I belonged to when I first joined the Council's army?"

"Yes. You were part of the Central Branch..."

Moria spoke with a slightly heavy expression, recalling a story from long ago.

"Back then, when I was the 5th Platoon Leader of the 1st Battalion, I had the opportunity to participate in a subjugation mission that the Council Commander also went on."

"Wow, if the Council Commander personally went, the scale must have been immense."

"Yeah, at that time, there was a large-scale subjugation to catch Ancient Dragons due to their rapidly increasing numbers. But it was the first time in my life that I saw a dragon run away at the sight of a person."

Haron looked unconvinced, as if her words sounded like a bluff.

"Are you saying the dragon ran away after seeing the Council Commander? No way, among dragons, especially Ancient Dragons are known for their high aggression. I heard that they would fight to the death and never run away. That's why we're told to avoid them at all costs if we encounter them..."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

Moria shuddered as if recalling something she didn't want to think about.

"It was the first time in my life that I felt sorry for a dragon."

At her words that seemed to carry sincerity, Haron simply stared at his superior, who he thought would never know fear. And the impersonator, held in Moria's hand and hearing those words, thought that he had done well to unconditionally beg for mercy in front of that man earlier.