Bermuda [bl]

"I will return first thing in the morning tomorrow."

"Alright, you've worked hard handling the big incident. Get some good rest and see you tomorrow."

"Yes, have a good night."

After the communication ended, Hugo felt even more exhausted and rubbed his face.

He had come all the way here to catch the guy, only to get entangled in a big case, and although he had somehow resolved it, it wasn't a perfect conclusion. However, he hadn't even met the guy who was his original purpose, so there was no reason to spend any more time here.

The suspicion that Tergio might be related to the escaped grand master remained quite unsettling, but that investigation was something the Northern Branch had to handle.

As Hugo came out, Flynn was waiting for him.

"Commander, what did the Commander-in-Chief contact you for?"

"He's telling me to return now."

"Ah... We have been absent for quite a while."

"Yes. We're returning first thing in the morning tomorrow."

"What? Tomorrow morning?"

When Flynn asked again as if he hadn't expected such a quick return, Hugo said,

"Is there a problem?"

"But the suspicious circumstances haven't been sorted out yet..."

"This is the Northern Branch's matter. It's something they have to resolve. It's almost all sorted out anyway, and we need to go back and do our own work."

At Hugo's words, Flynn seemed to want to say something more, but soon nodded and replied,

"Yes, I understand."

"You must be tired too, so go and rest now. I'll hear a brief report early tomorrow morning, hand over the investigation contents, and depart right away."

"Yes, sir!"

Hugo and Flynn moved their rooms to the best accommodation within the Frost territory, not the lodging they had been staying at while going around gathering information.

Flynn felt regretful that things that hadn't been resolved yet were bothering him, but indeed, he had work to do when he returned, and the Council of the Northern Branch also had their own tasks. Flynn decided to trust his colleagues in the Northern Branch and accept that he had to let go and return now.

***

Upon arriving at the accommodation, Hugo immediately took off his cumbersome uniform and entered the bathroom. He turned on the shower and washed away the fatigue that had accumulated from moving around without getting proper sleep for nearly two days.

The stream of water flowed down his body, which was solidly well-built with furious muscles, and fell to the floor. As the warm stream of water soaked his entire body, he felt his stiff body relax languidly.

He roughly put on a robe, shook his wet hair, and came out of the bathroom, plopping down on the sofa in the room. Hugo's gaze lingered on the lukewarm liquor placed on the table, and he picked up the bottle and made it cold enough for moisture to form on the surface in one breath.

After uncorking it, he poured about half a glass of liquor and downed it like drinking water to quench his thirst. However, just like what he had drunk at the tavern before, the liquor here didn't seem to suit his taste at all.

Hugo put down the glass without pouring more. Then, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"Leonardo Blaine..."

He had come all the way here chasing him and got caught up in a big incident. However, in the end, there was only a pathetic guy impersonating him, and he couldn't find a single clue that Leonardo Blaine had been here.

Hugo thought that if he had a sense, he would easily notice the presence of such a guy. But that was a big miscalculation. To the point where it was reasonable to think that the guy wasn't here in the first place, there was no trace of him found at all.

However, for a brief moment, Hugo had felt an unknown strong presence that made him anticipate.

'What was that back then?'

That presence that was momentarily felt when arresting the Count and his servants at the Count's residence and searching for confidential documents and related ledgers.

But it was so fleeting that even he himself couldn't properly articulate what that feeling was. Moreover, others didn't even feel it, as they acted as if nothing had happened.

It was a new presence that he hadn't felt since reaching the Frost territory, and at the same time, it was a bit stimulating and even explosive.

For a very brief moment, Hugo had a slight expectation that the fire mage impersonating Leonardo might be the owner of that presence, but as soon as he actually saw the guy, that thought completely disappeared.

Rather, it would be more credible to say that Leonardo Blaine himself had emitted it, as there was nothing particularly noticeable about the impersonator.

'Just tracking the guy was really amazing of the 8th Platoon Captain.'

The 8th Platoon Captain, who had lost him when he suddenly disappeared while chasing Leonardo, had actually achieved tremendous results. At least she had directly witnessed Leonardo Blaine in person.

Hugo thought he should give her a reward vacation when he returned, and he mocked himself. It was quite ridiculous that he hadn't even met the golden glow of Leonardo's blond hair. The Commander of the Central Branch of the Council had personally set out to catch the guy, but oh my, it had become an unsightly situation.

'Was he not here from the beginning?'

With his head leaning on the sofa headrest, Hugo stared out the window where darkness had fallen and became lost in thought. Then, he suddenly recalled what the 8th Platoon Captain had said while reporting to him.

'We used all the equipment to track his mana wavelength, but by then, there were no clues left to follow. It was as if he had disappeared from that spot without a trace.'

"Without a trace..."

Mana suddenly disappearing. Is that even possible? To do that, there were only two ways: either moving to a very distant place at once where mana couldn't be detected, or truly concealing mana perfectly.

It might be possible if he escaped that location at once with teleportation, but in the Raina Logia Empire, the distance that could be traveled at once was limited.

When moving from one territory, which meant an administrative district, to another territory, one had to pass through the gate at the border of the territory and use the teleportation zone at that gate.

This was a method devised to minimize travel time in the vast territory of Raina Logia, and at the same time, a means to prevent criminals with mana from completely escaping the scene with teleportation.

Moreover, above the gate at the border, there was a sturdy barrier created by embedding mana restraining stones to transparently cover the entire territory, so even if one tried to escape by using teleportation with the coordinates of another external territory, the caster could only move up to the front of the gate.

In other words, it meant that Leonardo Blaine, who had disappeared perfectly whenever the Council chased him, couldn't have escaped to a completely different region either. In other words, he must have been hiding somewhere inside even when he disappeared while being pursued.

Then, it would mean that he had concealed his mana with tremendous control.

However, the question didn't end there. How on earth did he hide his outstanding appearance?

He had eye-catching physical features such as blond hair and golden eyes, as well as a face that could never be forgotten once seen.

Even Hugo, who had seen countless individuals referred to as beautiful, had to admit that Leonardo Blaine was quite a beauty when he actually saw him from a distance.

No matter how much he covered himself with a robe and disguised himself, the Council's investigation network wasn't that sloppy. The Council would have investigated the identities of all those passing through the gates in the areas where Leonardo was reported to have appeared, stripped off all robes and cloaks, and checked for any traces of disguise on their faces.

After thinking that far, Hugo soon reached a hypothesis.

'What If he can change his appearance?'

However, Hugo soon shook his head.

In the past, magic to change appearance did exist, but it had been prohibited long ago. It was common sense that the incantation and method had already been disposed of hundreds of years ago to identify and control individuals because if magic to change appearance was habitually used, it would cause social confusion and had a high possibility of being abused.

Moreover, unless one had the ability to control to the extreme, it was theoretically almost impossible to evenly wrap mana around the entire body for a long time using that, which belonged to a kind of illusion magic. Even with slight stimulation, the face would appear distorted, and it would consume mana severely.

Then how? He tried hard to come up with another hypothesis for the question that arose again, but once a thought occurred, it didn't easily disappear from Hugo's mind.

He immediately searched for a communication magic tool and contacted his adjutant, Gabe Landon, again. For a contact made at such a late hour, the connection was established faster than expected, which made Hugo wonder anew.

"What is it, Commander?"

"It's late, but you're answering quite quickly."

"Ah, there's a bit of a time difference between where you are now and the capital, so it's not that late."

Hugo, who had momentarily forgotten about the time difference, finally understood why Abraham had contacted him so late at night. At that time, it would have been early evening in the capital where the Central Branch was located.

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry for disturbing your rest, but there's something I'd like you to look up for me."

"I'm working overtime because I'm covering for Flynn's work as well. Please tell me."

"...You're working hard. By any chance, is there any remaining record of what kind of magic there is to change appearance?"

"Magic to change... appearance, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Please wait a moment."

Gabe's voice sounded somewhat tired, so Hugo expected it would take some time for him to return. Eventually, after some waiting, Gabe's voice was heard again.

"There are quite a few types, actually."

At his words, Hugo narrowed his brows and asked,

"What are they? Is there magic to change eye color too?"

"Not only eye color, but basically any part of the body can have its color changed if it's a part of the body. Besides that, even voice, skin texture, and gender can be changed."

"..."

"However, it's something written in ancient literature in the first place, and it's magic that has been completely prohibited for a long time, so only its existence is known, and the method or incantation is currently unknown."

"Yes. I know that too. Then... there wouldn't be anyone who can use that prohibited magic now."

Hugo concluded that his thoughts were indeed unfounded. However, Gabe on the other side of the communication channel, thinking that the Commander asking him this was related to tracking Leonardo Blaine, hesitated about whether to tell him what he had heard implicitly, and soon opened his mouth.

"Ah, no. There probably are."

"What?"

Hugo reflexively asked back as if puzzled. In response, Gabe answered in an uncertain voice,

"Well... From what I've heard, the Empire's special force unit, Armsilver, is implicitly allowed to use prohibited magic. Of course, it's not a confirmed fact, but I don't think the possibility can be completely ruled out."

At Gabe's words, Hugo was momentarily at a loss for words. His mind felt blank as if someone had hit him on the back of the head, but one fact clearly came to mind.

Leonardo Blaine is, in name and reality, from Armsilver.

What if the guy can perfectly conceal his mana and even change his appearance? He couldn't help but laugh.

How does one catch such a guy?

"Ha, Armsilver. Armsilver..."

"...Did you find a clue to track Leonardo Blaine?"

"No, rather the opposite. I can't even imagine how to find him now."

Hugo spoke in a self-mocking tone. It was true. Is there anyone who can catch such a guy? Rather, he should be grateful that the guy is living quietly to some extent despite having such abilities.

Gabe quietly listened to the voice mixed with a bitter laugh and opened his mouth.

"But I think you'll find him, Commander."

"...Yes. Thank you for the words."

"It's not empty words. Don't you have a keen sense, Commander? And you have ice and water. And he is known to have fire and electricity. I know that opposites feel each other better than those of the same kind."

Gabe's words made sense. In fact, even in the research materials that studied the attributes of mana, it was documented that while one feels familiarity and stability with the same attribute of mana, one feels tension and sensitivity towards the opposite attribute.

In other words, the opposite attribute itself makes a person alert, so they can react much more nimbly and quickly than the same attribute that provides comfort.

It was in line with the fact that Hugo immediately felt the presence of fire when he went to the Count's residence, even without seeing the main body of the fire mage inside.

But what good would all those things do? He had to return early tomorrow morning. Unless Leonardo Blaine appeared right in front of him, the probability of finding him was infinitely close to zero.

"Yes. But if I feel the guy, the guy will feel me too. Can I catch such a nimble guy running away?"

"Hmm... But Commander, didn't you catch a dragon fleeing away at full speed?"

At Gabe's words, Hugo chuckled and said,

"Unfortunately, Gabe, I'm returning tomorrow."

"You're coming back already?"

"Yes. Did you enjoy your freedom well in the meantime?"

"There was no freedom to speak of. Didn't I handle Flynn's work alone as well? Please bring that guy back with you soon."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

Hugo ended the call, looked out the window for a moment, and then lay down on the bed.

He would be leaving here tomorrow morning. Although regret lingered about Leonardo Blaine, as Abraham said, news about the guy was bound to come again someday as he lived on. Now it was time for him to return to where he was needed again.

Promising the next encounter in his heart, Hugo closed his eyes as he had been conducting quite a tiring investigation recently. Before long, he quickly fell asleep.