Bermuda [bl]

"Commander?" Flynn asked in bewilderment as he hurriedly stopped following behind and looked up at Hugo. However, Hugo remained motionless for a while, standing in place.

"..." Hugo had been thinking about Leonardo Blaine all night long.

Forbidden magic was literally forbidden magic, so even he didn't know much about it, as there was nothing that had been passed down to this day.

However, now that there was a small possibility that the guy who was in Armsilver could also use forbidden magic, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't use it. No? Rather, if it were him, there would naturally be no reason not to use it.

In the morning, while receiving the investigation report, Hugo learned that the origin of these monsters was Perion in the central-eastern region, where a large number of Quamare corpses had been found previously, just as he had expected.

A large number of monsters burned by fire, a remote area in the north where he came to track down after hearing news of Leonardo Blaine, and someone impersonating him, a low-ranking merchant group member who informed an outsider about the discovery of monsters, the most decisive tip in catching the impersonator, and he who knew too many things strangely.

And the unidentified man who distinguished between beasts and monsters, whom no one had seen except for that merchant group member.

"Flynn." When Hugo called out, turning his eyes slightly, Flynn immediately answered.

"Yes, Commander."

"Do you remember the incident where a large number of Quamare corpses were found in the central-eastern region?"

"...Ah, yes. I remember. They were found in large numbers on the coast of Perion. I was informed that most of the monsters here were transported from there."

"Yes, then let's assume that the trigger for that incident was Leonardo Blaine."

"Pardon?"

Flynn tilted his head at the incomprehensible words, but soon assumed that the trigger for the incident was Leonardo Blaine, as he said. Quamare was also a monster vulnerable to fire and was found burned, so it was a suitable assumption for the situation.

"If the merchant group had a contract with him to hunt Quamare, there would be no reason to hire a fake one. Therefore, the merchant group and he are not tied in an employment relationship. The merchant group secretly transported a large number of monsters from there and tried to hide them here but was eventually caught. And at the same time, the fire mage who was impersonating Leonardo Blaine was also caught."

Hugo, who had been reciting the situation without hesitation, looked down at Flynn and asked,

"Then, who benefits the most from this incident?"

"..." Flynn stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, after a while, he managed to open his mouth.

"Leonardo... Blaine."

"I thought so too."

Hugo immediately turned his body and looked back. Tergio was still looking this way.

When Teo's eyes met Hugo's, he made a slightly puzzled expression. Flynn also turned his head to look at Teo, but soon realized Hugo's intention and hurriedly continued,

"Commander, Teo is a person without mana. He only looks similar in age to Leonardo Blaine in the photo, but he looks completely different."

"Who helped you the most directly or indirectly in this case?"

"...It's Tergio. But—."

"He may be able to use magic to change his appearance."

"...Pardon?"

Flynn looked at Hugo with surprised eyes. Hugo said that much and walked back towards Tergio, leaving Flynn behind.

Tergio saw Hugo approaching him but didn't avoid him. Rather, he smiled naturally to the point of being a bit cheeky and said to him,

"What's the matter? Do you have any business left with me?"

"I didn't get to say goodbye properly."

Hugo held out his hand to him. Tergio stared at the hand placed in front of him again. When he seemed to hesitate to take his hand, just like yesterday, Hugo asked, raising one corner of his mouth,

"Are you going to make me wait again to take my hand?"

At his words, Tergio, who seemed to hesitate a bit, soon took Hugo's outstretched hand as if there was nothing to be reluctant about. Then, unlike yesterday, he looked up at him with a relaxed face and answered,

"As long as you don't pull me close again."

Hugo stared at him, gauging him as he took his hand relatively easily. And he, too, was gazing at Hugo without avoiding his eyes this time.

'I don't feel anything.'

He really couldn't feel a hint of mana from him. To the point where it seemed impossible to hide it this perfectly, even if he tried his best. Moreover, if he had changed his appearance and even concealed his mana, it was truly awe-inspiring. Because Hugo Agrizendro couldn't feel anything.

The only thing he felt now was one thing. Even considering that his hand temperature was low, Tergio's hand was unusually warm compared to an ordinary person.

As the time holding hands became a bit longer, people around them also started to look at them. Tergio seemed to want to get out of this situation, so he loosened his grip and tried to pull his hand out, but Hugo held his hand more firmly and didn't let go.

As his relaxed face gradually turned into impatience, Hugo, on the contrary, took his time with a leisurely face and said to him,

"Your hand is warm."

"...I hear that often. But, won't you let go now? People are looking at us quite a bit..."

Tergio looked around, seeming to be conscious of people's gazes. Then, as if he didn't want to prolong this situation that was getting more and more attention, he kept trying to break free. Hugo closely observed his every action.

"Let go."

Tergio clearly expressed his intention while looking at Hugo. At that, other people still found it strange that Hugo wasn't letting him go, but no one stepped in because of who the other party was.

Hugo fell into a brief dilemma about whether he should let go of this hand now. Although he clearly didn't feel anything, the 'intuition' that had brought him here pulled his reason, saying that he shouldn't let go of this hand.

Hugo himself couldn't understand why he was engulfed in such thoughts when he had always considered himself rational.

However, he decided to try gambling, just one last time.

If he was wrong, he would have to pay the price for using mana while holding an innocent citizen.

The probability of catching Leonardo Blaine was infinitely close to 0 unless he appeared in front of him. But in order to catch the guy that no one had caught so far, Hugo had to believe that the probability was close to 0 but not necessarily 0.

Hugo decided to trust his intuition and prepared himself to completely freeze his hand along with Tergio's. Then, he instantly concentrated extreme low temperature on the hand that was clasped with Tergio's.

At that moment,

Tergio used all his strength to shake off Hugo's hand that was holding him tightly so that he couldn't escape.

Clap-

Silence flowed all around, and a tense atmosphere lingered due to the noticeably colder air, and the bustling square seemed as if time had stopped. Everyone's attention was focused on Tergio, who had suddenly pushed away the commander's hand, and Hugo, who was in front of him.

Tergio covered his right hand, which had been shaking hands with Hugo, with his left hand, and as if startled, he took gradual steps back with a frozen, wary face, not taking his eyes off him.

Hugo also looked at his pushed hand with a very surprised face, which was unlike him. Coldness that had not yet been activated was still lingering on his hand, and to Hugo's feeling, it was before it even touched Tergio's hand.

If he were an ordinary person, he would have only felt a brief chill and wouldn't have been able to react this nimbly and sensitively.

Hugo turned his gaze and looked at Tergio, who had clearly raised hostility towards him.

It was just a fleeting moment, but from the hand that was clasped with Tergio's, he felt a 'heat' that could threaten him. As he recalled that sensation, his conversation with Gabe last night quickly flashed through Hugo's mind.

'I know that originally, opposites feel each other better than their own kind.'

'If I feel him, he will feel me too.'

Soon, a smile spread across Hugo's lips. Seeing that smile, Tergio's gaze wavered with utmost confusion, and he breathed heavily. His blue eyes stared at him with a sharp gaze that seemed to freeze everything around him.

In Tergio's perplexed face as he covered his hand, Hugo saw not the prey that had held its breath in front of him yesterday, but the eyes of a fierce beast that was looking straight at him.

And the moment he saw that, Hugo could clearly be certain that in that fleeting moment when he pushed his hand away, he too had felt the same thing as him.

"Found you, Leonardo."