Thud—
Leonardo’s head gently tipped toward the broad chest with the vehicle’s movement. Hugo, who had opened his eyes at some point, naturally supported the falling head with one hand.
He looked down at the side profile that had come to rest near his abdomen. Then he raised his right hand and formed a large water droplet in the air. After sealing the surface of the droplet in a layer of air, he slid the finished water cushion into place between himself and Leonardo.
Then, so Leonardo’s bandaged left arm wouldn’t be pressed, he slowly lowered Leonardo’s head, aligning his shoulder with the water cushion as much as possible. The sloshing water brushed Leonardo’s left arm, but there was no reaction—perhaps because it didn’t actually soak him.
“...”
His face, lashes neatly lowered, looked almost unnaturally sound asleep. Hugo gently pressed Leonardo’s eyelids, checking for any movement.
He also counted his pulse while rubbing the back of his neck. When he felt the heartbeat had noticeably slowed, he finally withdrew his hand. Instead, he gently brushed the golden hair scattered over his thigh.
It had been only five minutes. That was how long it took for Leonardo to fall completely asleep.
“I hope he stays asleep until we arrive...”
As Hugo muttered as if to himself, the person in the passenger seat glanced at the two through the rearview mirror.
“My lord, will this really be alright?”
Hugo’s downcast gaze shifted to the front seat. Meeting his subordinate’s eyes in the mirror, he gave an ambiguous answer.
“Well, it has to be.”
Just then, a beep signal sounded from the anti-eavesdropping radio attached to the front seat.
—Gate confirmed 100m ahead, accelerating.
At that cue, the entire escort convoy quickly picked up speed. The vehicle’s shaking intensified as well, but Leonardo didn’t wake. The medical officer had explained that if a painkiller combined with a sleep inducer was taken while the nervous system was already suppressed, sudden drowsiness could occur.
Still, Hugo hadn’t expected the effect to hit so quickly. He had hoped Leonardo would fall into a deep sleep, but at this rate he worried the drug might wear off before they arrived.
While Hugo was caught in those thoughts, the massive gate came into view beyond the windshield. Fidele’s external gate, densely built from pale yellow bricks, took the form of a solid fortress wall carved into the mountain—befitting a border county.
Because it marked both the beginning and end of the territory, the gate carried a majestic, unyielding presence. Just as he’d felt when passing through on the way to the expedition, Hugo couldn’t shake the sense that it was a blue dividing line—an event horizon that foretold an approaching crisis.
This might be nothing more than needless worry on his part, and Cordelia’s. But the fact that he kept circling back to her words made that strange “intuition” whisper that he shouldn’t overlook this.
Moreover, aside from serving the Emperor, the Imperial Knights often tried to impose authority over other institutions by riding on the Emperor’s name. So Hugo hoped that the knights he might soon encounter weren’t visiting with a purpose that would put them at odds with him.
“Execute the operation immediately after passing through the gate. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes, understood.”
The two in the front seat answered in unison. At the same time, their vehicle entered the center of Fidele’s external gate.
Lit by torches, the interior was like a tunnel cut straight through the mountain. But it wasn’t long, and after a brief darkness, bright sunlight greeted them again.
As they rolled onto the straight bridge beyond the gate under the pouring light, Hugo steadied himself and took a small, deep breath. With his warmly heated hand, he gently cradled Leonardo’s forehead and crown to keep his head from jolting.
Once they entered the forest beyond the bridge, anything could happen without it being strange. But no one would be able to take Leonardo away from him. No matter what, he intended to keep his promise.
*****
Delua looked down at Marlen, who had fallen asleep after taking the same medicine as Leonardo, and clasped her hand, praying inwardly. When the car jolted hard, she tried to reduce the impact by hugging Marlen close, even with the safety devices in place.
If the portal connection had been intact, they could have reached the imperial capital in a day without grinding along rough roads. Now, even the installation of temporary portals wasn’t enough, and they had to physically move to the gate of another territory like this.
Even with escort vehicles, it would take one to two days to reach the nearest point, so Delua couldn’t quite understand Lady Hareth’s decision to inspect the portals at this time, even after hearing there were circumstances.
But she soon shook her head, cleared her mind, and focused only on nursing Marlen. Just as she was about to pull up the fallen blanket to cover Marlen’s neck properly, the vehicle’s speed suddenly dropped without warning.
Screech—
Delua, swaying hard, looked forward with startled eyes, and the driver—who had been watching the right window—said to her:
“Battalion Commander, we’re turning left.”
No sooner had he spoken than the vehicle lurched into the turn, shaking violently again. Thrown sideways, Delua hurriedly grabbed the stretcher rail, steadying herself so Marlen wouldn’t jolt.
“Hey, there’s a patient here—be more careful—!”
She frowned, then cut herself off, and quickly yanked back the curtain that had been temporarily installed inside the vehicle.
Outside the window, they had already passed the bridge connected to the gate and entered the forest on the other side. The point where the returning convoy would split should have appeared a bit farther on, but she remembered that, according to what she’d heard separately the night before, they were supposed to separate from this point. Delua craned her neck and checked the rear window.
They really are going that way.
A few escort vehicles that had been following behind hers were turning and heading onto the opposite road. Maybe the reason her driver had slowed midway was to cover for the rear vehicles, so the ones in front wouldn’t notice as they peeled off in another direction.
Far behind, the procession of wagons that had passed through the gate was just beginning to enter the bridge. Those wagons, delayed by their slower pace, would follow along naturally, unaware of what had happened in the middle.
So no one except herself and a few others would know the whereabouts of the escort vehicles that had broken off the other way—especially that fellow /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ leading at the very front of this convoy.
Delua, checking back and forth, recalled the conversation she’d had with the Commander the night before.
“Delua. I’m sorry for coming at such a late hour, but there’s something I’d like you to help me with.”
Since it was never trivial when he came to find her in the middle of the night, Delua—who had been caring for Marlen—quickly put on her combat uniform and followed him to a tent.
“Leonardo and I will be leaving the previously discussed return route. We’ll be going a different way. I’ll explain the details later, but for now, I want you to promise me one thing.”
Delua looked up at him, puzzled by the sudden request. Hugo spoke in a rather solemn tone.
“Keep this matter absolutely confidential. Especially from Meterion Clinder.”
It was well known among Council members that the two didn’t get along. But the Commander she knew had never discriminated against or disadvantaged Meterion over personal feelings or political matters. So the request to hide the return route sounded suspicious to Delua, who had known him all this time.
Still, since she wasn’t particularly tied to any faction, she was prepared to follow as long as her reliable superior gave the order—without needing him to ask.
Delua had plenty of questions, but after giving a firm answer first, she asked carefully:
“Yes, I understand. But... I suppose I can’t hear the details if I ask now?”
Hugo only gave her a small smile in response. Then, with a word of thanks, he explained which escort vehicle she should board the next day.
“Board the vehicle two ahead of where Leonardo is standing. And the driver will be wearing the same combat uniform as us, but they’re not a member of the Council.”
“What?”
She needed more explanation of what was going on, but Hugo didn’t indulge any further small talk. Instead, he said, “I’m counting on you,” patted her shoulder, and with a hardened expression, added:
“This is for Leonardo.”
“...”
Delua, still watching through the rear window, tracked the three escort vehicles that had broken off as they disappeared into the undergrowth.
As far as she knew, it was almost the first time the Commander had brought personal forces into the Council. Suspicion churned inside her, but she could only infer that something big was happening—something others shouldn’t know about.
Since she couldn’t lend help beyond keeping silent right now, she simply hoped, with all her heart, that the two would return safely. Just then, she felt the vehicle’s speed drop again. Delua stared ahead, confused.
“What...?”
All at once, the entire escort convoy that had been speeding along came to a stop in a line, as if blocked. As Delua and the driver peered forward to see what was happening, a signal tone came through the radio—one that answered her question.
Beep—
—It’s a checkpoint. We’ve stopped following the stop instruction.
Delua, incredulous, gestured sharply at the driver.
“Hey, press that button and hold it down. Firmly.”
The driver pressed and held the radio button. Delua snapped back, exasperated:
“Come on, we’re the Council. What checkpoint gives us a stop instruction?”
When she finished, the driver released the button. Still, there was no response for a while.
Delua muttered, scratching the back of her hand in irritation.
“Ah... we need to get going quickly.”
At that moment, the radio beeped again. The words that came through after a long hesitation were something Delua hadn’t expected at all.
—...It’s the Imperial Knights.
Static—
—Northern convoy all temporarily halted. Lead group arrived at checkpoint. Assessing additional situation.
That simple sentence, riding on static, froze the already quiet air inside the vehicle.
The sound had come not from the public radio installed in the vehicle, but from the personal radio attached to the driver’s waist. The person in the passenger seat half-turned and swallowed hard.
That personal radio had been prepared by the Agrizendro family for communication with the knights of House Hareth. The fact that contact had come from them—who were supposed to be secretly escorting them until they safely left the territory—meant the situation on that side had become quite unusual.
“My lord, if it’s their doing...”
The man in the passenger seat, troubled, looked back toward the rear seat.
His lord was staring out the window dense with trees, resting his chin on his hand without a trace of agitation. His right hand idly combed through the scattered strands of golden hair, as though pressing thin threads into his fingerprints.
As if that large hand were tangled in the golden threads and couldn’t move, it lingered for a long time. Then Hugo, eyes still fixed outside, finally opened his mouth.
