"Commander?" Flynn asked, bewildered, as he hurriedly stopped and looked up at Hugo. But Hugo stood motionless, rooted to the spot.
"..." Hugo had been thinking about Leonardo Blaine all night.
Forbidden magic was, quite literally, forbidden. Even he knew little about it, as no records had survived to the present day.
But now, the possibility that the man in Armsilver could wield forbidden magic couldn’t be ruled out. No, rather—if it were him, there would be no reason not to use ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) it.
That morning, while reading the investigation report, Hugo learned that the origin of the monsters traced back to Perion, in the central-eastern region, where a large number of Quamare corpses had been discovered—as he had expected.
Burned monsters, a remote northern region where he had come to investigate after hearing rumors of Leonardo Blaine, and someone impersonating him... A low-ranking merchant who had tipped off an outsider about the monsters, the very tip that led them to the impersonator, and a man who somehow knew far too much.
And finally, the unknown man who had distinguished beasts from monsters—whom only the merchant had seen.
"Flynn." Hugo called, turning his gaze slightly. Flynn responded at once.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Do you remember the incident with the large number of Quamare corpses found in the central-east?"
"...Ah, yes. I recall. They washed up along Perion’s coast. I heard most of the monsters here were transported from there."
"Exactly. So, let’s assume Leonardo Blaine was the trigger for that incident."
"Pardon?"
Flynn tilted his head in confusion but quickly followed the logic. Quamare were known to be vulnerable to fire, and the remains were burned—an assumption that fit the facts.
"If the merchant group had a contract with him to hunt Quamare, there’d be no need to hire a fake. Which means, the merchant group wasn’t working with him. They secretly moved the monsters here, tried to cover it up, but got caught. And at the same time, a fire mage posing as Leonardo Blaine was exposed."
Hugo recited the chain of events with ease, then looked down at Flynn and asked:
"Now, who benefits the most from all this?"
"..." Flynn stared blankly for a moment. Then, after thinking it through, he finally replied:
"Leonardo... Blaine."
"I thought so too."
Hugo turned, looking over his shoulder. Tergio was still watching them.
When their eyes met, Tergio's expression faltered briefly. Flynn also turned toward him, but quickly realized Hugo’s train of thought and said urgently:
"Commander, Tergio has no mana. He only resembles the age of Leonardo Blaine from the photograph—they don’t even look alike."
"Who’s helped you the most, directly or indirectly, in this case?"
"...Tergio. But—"
"He could be using magic to alter his appearance."
"...Excuse me?"
Flynn looked at him in shock. But Hugo said no more and strode toward Tergio, leaving Flynn behind.
Tergio noticed Hugo approaching but didn’t flinch. Instead, he smiled—almost mockingly—and said:
"What is it? Still have business with me?"
"I never got to say goodbye properly."
Hugo extended his hand. Tergio stared at it. When he hesitated, just as he had yesterday, Hugo smirked and asked:
"Are you going to make me wait again to shake your hand?"
Tergio seemed to hesitate, but soon, as if there was nothing to be wary of, he reached out and grasped Hugo's hand. This time, unlike before, he looked up with a calm expression and replied:
"As long as you don’t pull me close again."
Hugo studied him carefully, their hands clasped with ease. And Tergio, too, met his gaze directly, unflinching.
I can’t sense anything.
Not even a hint of mana. It was concealed so perfectly, it was almost impossible to believe. If he had altered both his appearance and hidden his mana... it was extraordinary. Hugo Agrizendro couldn’t feel a thing.
The only sensation was one detail—the hand. Even factoring in low body temperature, Tergio's hand was unusually warm for an ordinary person.
As they lingered like that, people around them began to watch. Tergio tried to withdraw, loosening his grip, but Hugo only tightened his hold.
Tergio's easy expression gradually shifted to one of discomfort, while Hugo, unhurried, remarked:
"Your hand is warm."
"...I hear that a lot. But... maybe let go now? We’re attracting attention..."
Tergio glanced around, clearly conscious of the stares. He kept trying to pull away, not wanting to draw more eyes. Hugo didn’t miss a single movement.
"Let go."
Tergio's voice held firm resolve, his eyes locked on Hugo. Others watched, puzzled by Hugo's refusal to release him, but no one intervened, knowing who Hugo was.
Hugo hesitated briefly—should he let go? His instincts screamed not to. He felt nothing, yet the intuition that had led him here warned him not to release this hand.
For a man of reason, the thought unsettled him.
But... he chose to gamble, one last time.
If he was wrong, he’d answer for it—for using mana on an innocent civilian.
The odds of catching Leonardo Blaine were near zero unless the man revealed himself. But near zero wasn’t absolute zero. Hugo decided to trust that slim chance.
He focused, channeling extreme cold into his clasped hand, ready to freeze both their hands in an instant.
At that very moment—
Tergio yanked his hand free with unexpected strength, breaking Hugo’s grip.
Clap—
The square fell silent. A faint chill lingered, the bustling air frozen as if time stood still. All eyes snapped to Tergio and Hugo.
Tergio clutched his right hand, the one Hugo had gripped, and cautiously backed away, his expression wary, shaken.
Hugo, stunned, stared at his own hand—the cold spell hadn’t even triggered fully, yet Tergio had reacted.
An ordinary man would've barely noticed the chill, much less responded so fast, so sensitively.
Hugo's gaze sharpened as he studied Tergio, whose eyes now burned with clear hostility.
In that brief moment of contact, Hugo had felt something else—a heat potent enough to threaten him. The memory resurfaced—Gabe’s words from last night.
"Opposites sense each other more keenly than their own kind."
"If I sense him, he’ll sense me too."
A slow smile curled Hugo’s lips. At the sight of it, Tergio faltered, breathing unevenly. His icy blue eyes glared with a sharp, freezing intensity.
Gone was the cautious prey from yesterday—instead, Hugo saw the fierce, defiant gaze of a predator staring straight at him.
And in that instant, Hugo knew with certainty.
That fleeting contact—Tergio had sensed him too.
"Found you, Leonardo."
