"Come to think of it, your birthday is coming up soon."
Flynn, who had been looking out the window for a while, spoke without shifting his gaze. Trees with drooping branches, as if painted with a brush, passed by in a row through the foggy landscape. Water droplets clinging to the leaves created a dreamlike, mysterious mood rather than anything gloomy.
After entering the Duke's estate grounds, that kind of mist often filled the road as they headed toward the mansion by carriage.
Flynn had always loved this scenery since childhood.
The scent of wet soil brushing the tip of his nose was a bonus. The clean air and natural fragrance purified the mind and body that had been through a day's hardship.
He was about to open the window a bit more when, realizing there was no answer, he suddenly turned his head.
"......."
Across from him, the Commander was leaning back against the seat with his eyes closed and arms crossed, motionless. Though they were expected to arrive in about ten minutes, Flynn carefully closed the window he’d been about to open, hoping his master could get even a short nap.
However, the moment the window latch clicked into place, a half-muffled voice drifted out.
"You can open it."
The seemingly heavy lids parted to thin slits, and tired eyes appeared between them. Flynn flinched and whispered softly:
"Ah, I'm sorry. Because of me..."
"No, I was awake. We'll arrive soon."
Hugo answered, rubbing his face. The dry sound of his palm against his skin suggested he’d fallen into a deeper sleep than he meant to. Flynn, apologetic, opened the cap of the water container and handed it to Hugo.
After taking a couple of sips, Hugo returned it to Flynn and asked:
"What did you say earlier?"
"Pardon? Ah, I said your birthday is coming up."
"...Ah."
"Are you planning to spend it quietly this year as well?"
When Flynn asked cautiously, Hugo replied dryly:
"Well, I'm not sure it'll go according to my wishes."
For someone who had only just remembered his birthday was approaching—or who might have forgotten it in the rush—it was an unenthusiastic response. Flynn knew the reason, but he couldn’t help feeling a little bitter.
The upcoming January 13th was the Duke of Agrizendro's birthday, considered as important within Agrizendro territory as the Emperor's birthday or the Foundation Festival. Festivals that made use of water and waterways—the territory’s defining features—were held, and along with the New Year's events, it was a season when tributes from various regions flowed into the Duke's lands.
Moreover, the reason this birthday was particularly important was that it marked the end of the past century and the start of the new one, alongside Raina Logia's thousand-year history.
Every year around this time, letters and gifts asking whether a ball would be held piled up at the front door. This year, the volume was even more overwhelming than usual, yet within the mansion where the man in question resided, it was hard to find any sign of preparations.
The servants had been eager to celebrate their master's birthday, planning cake designs and such nearly two months in advance, but ironically, those small gestures were all the celebration they could manage on the day.
Aside from special dishes served at meals, Hugo did not commemorate his birthday or hold separate festivities. Instead, he gave the mansion’s servants free time in the evening and let them enjoy a splendid dinner and a festive mood in his place. It could be the consideration of a wise ruler, but Flynn suspected more complicated circumstances were tangled up in it.
Hugo always claimed modesty, saying one should not hold a banquet ahead of the imperial palace in the new year. But the more fundamental reason was that he didn’t particularly welcome his own birthday.
That was also why Flynn was only bringing it up now, after the explosion-incident briefing had completely ended, after postponing it all this time. Of course, since most people outside the mansion didn’t know that, everyone was secretly preparing for the day. And among them, Flynn always carried the main burden.
'Since we'll be busy with League preparations for a while, it would be nice if he could enjoy a celebratory atmosphere, even a little.'
Having suffered through the investigation case until recently, Flynn also hoped Hugo would solidify his position at a time when both authority and honor had been restored. But contrary to his attendant’s feelings, the master he served didn’t seem to have much intention of celebrating this year either.
"By the way, Flynn, about what we were talking about earlier."
"Yes?"
Just then, Hugo pushed the carriage window open with his hand. The moist, fresh air unique to the mist seeped in.
"There was a mana stone with an amplification function in the mansion's warehouse, right?"
"Um..."
Flynn rolled his eyes upward, taking his time with the abruptly shifted topic. Though flustered by the sudden question, he honestly wondered first whether such a thing even existed.
The Duke's mansion had once been a royal palace used by Agrizendro ancestors during the old Logia era, and its warehouse was filled with such a variety of items that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it held everything in the world.
Not only precious ornaments that came in as gifts, but relics handed down from ancient times occupied their own places. Though it was called a warehouse, it would be more accurate to call it a densely organized museum. Remembering the existence of a mana stone with a specific function in a place like that was no easy task.
Nevertheless, Flynn answered with an awkward smile:
"Yes, there should be one."
"There are about five days left until the official League prizes are confirmed, and I'd like to add one more prize."
"You mean the mana stone you mentioned as a League prize?"
"Yes."
Hugo, still staring out the window, answered evenly. Flynn recalled the brief conversation they’d had in the Commander's office a few hours earlier.
"Would that be alright? It must be quite valuable."
"It's an item that won't be used anyway if it just sits there, so it would be good if it went to someone who needs it."
"Hmm..."
As Flynn hesitated, Hugo added nonchalantly:
"...It doesn't have to be Leonardo. It could be anyone."
The League was not only a venue for evaluating mages' skills and ranking them, but also a kind of gateway for hidden talents from every region to make themselves known—and to grasp fame and wealth.
Therefore, to encourage the participation of reclusive masters, there needed to be overwhelming prizes to offset the long, cumbersome League schedule. In general, the Council offered monetary support, qualification to join the institution, and precious items such as treasures or spellbooks as League prizes.
This was possible because the League brought in considerable revenue from selling viewing tickets and small tournament betting rights to outsiders. Most of that revenue went to the national treasury and Council operating funds, but about 5% was paid out as prize money for participants and winners.
In truth, Leonardo, with his outstanding abilities and the compensation he received from the Council, had no reason to appear in public for money. But if an item similar to what he’d been searching for was offered as a prize, the story might be different. Flynn nodded, tactfully not pressing further.
"Yes, I'll look for it as soon as we get in today, and register it by tomorrow."
"I'm counting on you."
As he answered calmly, Flynn was inwardly excited. He wondered if this was why the Commander had asked about the mineral Leonardo was looking for—and what it was for.
Perhaps there might be another chance to meet Leonardo. Though he had become a free man, Flynn, who knew his true worth, felt inwardly regretful and sorry about Leonardo’s life beneath the surface of the world. If only he would participate in the League, victory would be a foregone conclusion.
Meanwhile, Hugo, who had proposed the prize, was tangled in rather complicated emotions. Half of it was similar to Flynn's: the desire to contact Leonardo again.
But the other half was a somewhat darker feeling he couldn’t voice to anyone.
'There are also things I need to confirm.'
Hugo, who had been staring at his watch, habitually touched the crown and his wrist.
It was around then that he suddenly sensed a chilly current. Just as blue eyes rolled toward the window, the carriage, which had been moving smoothly, gradually came to a stop in the middle of the foggy forest.
It was before he could ask the coachman what was happening. Several knights of the Duke's household emerged through the fog and stood at attention in front of the carriage window.
"Master, we apologize."
"What's the matter?"
As Hugo threw the window open and asked, one of the front knights reported in a stiff tone:
"At approximately 18:26 today, a barrier-shaking phenomenon was detected at the southwestern tower of the main mansion, and we conducted patrol and search for intruders. After searching for about an hour, no intruders were found, but we discovered a sack emitting a strange energy by the pond in Misrain Forest here."
"A sack?"
"Yes. It contained scales, claws, and chopped tissue, which appear to be the remains of a Silduran-type dragon."
Hugo, listening, opened the carriage door without delay and stepped out. Flynn followed, lifting the hem of his master's cloak as he got down. Some knights tried to dissuade him, warning it might be dangerous, but Hugo's steps did not waver.
Looking ahead past the carriage, there were far more personnel stationed about fifty meters ahead than expected. All of them, who had been in the midst of the search operation, bowed politely the moment they spotted their lord. Hugo walked through the hazy veil and headed straight for where most of his subordinates were gathered.
Just then, the officer in charge, who had turned his head, lowered his gaze and saluted with a dark expression.
"My lord, you've arrived."
"Let me see."
"This is it."
The commander of the Blue Knights—who guarded the vicinity of the mansion among the family’s knights—had come out in person. It didn’t seem like an ordinary matter. The knight commander opened the mouth of a sack that appeared to have been retrieved from near the pond and showed it to Hugo. About twenty sacks were spread out, and each was vast enough to easily surpass the height of an adult man.
Hugo rolled up his sleeves a couple of times, then gripped the sack with his gloved hand and examined the contents. It was filled with parts of a dragon that seemed to have died not long ago. White scales had been neatly processed and completely separated from the flesh, and the same was true for teeth, claws, and crystals presumed to be horns.
In another sack, giant eyeballs and heavy chunks of flesh had been gathered together in a frozen state. It was arranged to preserve the product value as much as possible—not a situation to be taken lightly.
Hugo furrowed his brow, formed an ice spear, and stirred the contents, hooking and pulling pieces out.
Flynn, who had followed and was watching with a tight expression, asked:
"Could it be an attempt to frame someone for smuggling?"
