Bermuda [bl]

Wow!

A deafening cheer rang out, threatening to tear off their ears.

As they emerged from the massive and majestic gate, the first thing they saw was the Imperial Capital guards guarding the entrance. Behind them, under the dazzling sun, a bridge stretched out towards the Imperial Capital, and on either side, countless people welcomed the procession with cheers.

Council members had set up barriers and were blocking people to create a straight path, and in the middle, those in charge of the escort from the Council's Central Branch were waiting.

They had come to greet Hugo, Flynn, and the one sealed inside the iron cage.

"Commander! Flynn!"

"Commander, welcome."

"Great work, both of you!"

Unlike the Northern Branch, the members of the Central Branch greeted the two more warmly, not just with a formal salute. The friendly way they addressed each other made it clear to anyone that they had a close relationship.

Among them, a man who appeared to be a battalion commander uncrossed his arms and approached Hugo. He smirked and lightly tapped Hugo's shoulder.

"You're quite late."

Hugo also laughed nonchalantly and replied,

"I'll have you know we came as fast as we could."

"My goodness, is that a scar of glory under your eye? I never thought I'd see the day when your face would get scarred."

The man who was surprised to see Hugo's wound was Andreas Fredrick, the 4th Battalion Commander of the Council's Central Branch. He had light beige hair with a faint gray tint and light violet eyes. He was about the same height as Hugo and had a handsome face that was quite popular.

Andreas stared at Hugo with a grin, as if he had discovered something incredibly amusing. The blemish on a place where it shouldn't be made his colleague's usually familiar face seem unfamiliar and intriguing. It was even more so because he had never seen such a sight before.

The joy of reunion was short-lived as Hugo, annoyed by Andreas's fussing over his face, waved his hand and turned his head to avoid the persistent gaze that followed him as if he had found something fun. As he looked around, he suddenly noticed something strange.

Since the members had to control the large crowd, the total number of people present was high, but the number of people actually waiting for the escort was smaller than he had expected.

Scanning the crowd, he spoke as if he was displeased.

"Is this all the personnel on standby?"

"What do you mean, is this all? We have a 4th Battalion Commander and our elites out here to escort a single mage. If you count the members controlling the citizens, that statement will be swallowed up."

When Andreas spoke with a slightly disappointed tone, Hugo didn't say anything further. It was understandable for him to think that way since he hadn't seen how Leonardo Blaine fought.

However, the Northern Branch had assigned three battalion commanders as escorts. The Central Branch had sent out only one. Even including himself, there were only two, which was far from enough considering the possibility of an emergency. Moreover, his adjutant Flynn wasn't even a combat mage, and the elites would have to focus on evacuating the citizens rather than fighting.

As Hugo pondered various scenarios in his mind, he frowned upon seeing that all the personnel controlling the citizens were wearing the white uniforms of the Council.

"The military didn't even show up."

"What do you expect from them? We should be grateful if they don't interfere until we finish the escort."

Andreas shrugged and replied as if he hadn't even expected anything.

At that moment, a faint creaking sound came from the iron cage, which had been silent the entire time. Both Hugo and Andreas simultaneously turned their heads in that direction.

The sound was blocked, so it couldn't be, but it was as if "he" inside was reacting to their conversation. Hugo stared at the iron cage with a stiff expression.

Although a black tarp was wrapped around to block the flames and sight caused by the guy, not being able to see the inside made it even harder for them to let their guard down.

Andreas, who was also looking at the iron cage, rolled his eyes and gazed at Hugo's sharpened eyes. After a moment of puzzlement at the rarely seen appearance of the commander, he suddenly changed direction and took a step towards the cage.

Seeing this, Hugo quickly extended his arm to stop him.

"If you touch those bars now, your hand will be burned. Don't go near it."

"I know that much."

Andreas retorted lightly but didn't stop walking. He finally approached the bars and clicked his tongue at the mana stone nets and binding stones wrapped around the iron cage, which was much taller than him.

"This is no different from a dragon. You're saying it moves even with this level of sealing?"

Hugo shook his head and said,

"It's worse than a dragon."

Andreas, who had been looking up at the large object, slowly turned around at those words. He knew well that Hugo wasn't the type to joke around in the first place, but hearing those words along with the wound near his eye made him realize that the person inside the iron cage was even more formidable than he had thought.

Listening to the intermittent creaking sounds and the cheers echoing around, Hugo said to Andreas,

"Anyway, I think it's best if we move quickly. It's better not to provoke him."

At his words, the waiting members immediately surrounded the iron cage and took their positions. Andreas, who had been watching their swift movements, also nodded in agreement with Hugo's words and moved to his position.

Soon, after confirming that the escort formation was ready, Hugo gave a hand signal and nodded, and Flynn, who was at the very front, grabbed the reins of the horse again and moved forward. The crowd's wave also stirred as it followed the moving procession.

Once they crossed the wide bridge in front of the gate and entered the Imperial Capital, that was when the real beginning would start.

Beyond that bridge, an even greater crowd would be gathered, and the moment they crossed the bridge, they would set foot in the complete territory of the Imperial Capital, where teleportation was prohibited throughout the entire area.

In the Imperial Capital, the scale of magic that could be used was drastically reduced due to the small mana stones buried underground to limit the mana of mages.

If large-scale magic was used in a densely populated area, people could get hurt by the aftermath, so the intention was to prevent chaotic situations in advance. Moreover, when external forces with malicious intentions invaded the Imperial Capital, it was also a means of defense to delay their time to reach the imperial palace.

Furthermore, the Imperial Capital was divided into a total of four zones, with a gradual mana control barrier generated in each zone. The power of these barriers grew stronger as one approached the imperial palace, and in the 4th zone, the interior of the imperial palace, the use of mana was nearly impossible except for very small spells.

In other words, once they reached the first checkpoint leading there, it would become more difficult to respond to and control unexpected situations using magic.

The escort procession, carrying various concerns, slowly advanced along with the iron cage confining Leonardo Blaine.

The name of the bridge they were currently crossing was the Diamond Bridge. It was named so because when viewed from above, the eight bridges connecting to the Imperial Capital from each direction looked like a crafted diamond.

Moreover, its durability was also extremely sturdy, living up to its name and reputation. However, for some reason, with each step they took, the escort personnel felt as if the bridge was slightly trembling. It was supposed to be a bridge strong enough to withstand wartime bombing.

And they couldn't distinguish whether it was due to the tension caused by the presence beside them or the numerous cheers coming from beyond.

And so, as they passed the end of the bridge connected to the gate and the iron wheels of the cage stepped on solid ground...

An overwhelming crowd filling the vast square unfolded before the escort procession that had entered the 1st Mana Control Zone.

Wow!

When another cheer that seemed to pierce through the heart was heard, Flynn, who was the first to face that sight, unknowingly gulped.

Thanks to the members setting up barriers and controlling the citizens, entering through the central passage was easy, but the cheers of the people in the overheated atmosphere were on a different level from before.

The imperial flags of Raina Logia hanging on the tall buildings fluttered violently in sync with the stimulating resonance, and even those who couldn't come out to the streets were glued to the windows, watching this scene.

It seemed as if the entire gaze of the Imperial Capital was focused on one place.

Creak-

Meanwhile, as the iron cage kept creaking and moving, Hugo's ominous premonition grew stronger.

Even if his eyes and ears were covered and he was tied up, there was a high possibility that sounds of this level would not be completely blocked. The commotion from outside, surging in like a flood, was clearly provoking the guy.

"Please don't come close! It's dangerous!"

The Council members held each other's arms more tightly and actively tried to stop the citizens, but perhaps not realizing the danger, people kept narrowing the path and pushing in.

It was not enough even if they shouted at the top of their lungs to cooperate for safety.

They seemed to have no real sense of how terrifying the being inside this iron cage was.