"Could it be an attempt to frame someone for smuggling?"
"Such bold individuals would be rare, but... if they could penetrate the barrier, they're not ordinary. Commander, are there any footprints around?"
"Besides the tracks of wild animals like deer or foxes, there are no noticeable traces. We're continuing to search the area, and we'll report as soon as anything meaningful turns up. For now, would it be better for you to move to the mansion?"
The knight commander bowed his head with an apologetic expression, but his concern was for his lord's safety against whatever danger might still be lurking. The investigation results of the incident, presumed to have targeted the pro-emperor faction, had just been publicly announced this afternoon. The discovery of a corpse of unknown origin within the heavily guarded Duke's estate was a decidedly ominous sign.
It could be the work of someone from the same faction who refused to accept the investigation results, or a warning from terrorists targeting the Duke's family. If it was a conspiracy to tarnish someone's honor, as Flynn suggested, that would be somewhat better. If it was reported through proper procedures, it could be resolved without major issues, despite some noise.
The problem was who had penetrated the barrier and fortifications protecting the mansion on all sides—and how.
The defense line surrounding the Duke's mansion boasted a fortress-like security posture comparable to the imperial palace. If only an anomaly in the barrier had been observed, Hugo would have left it to the knights and guards to verify and moved on.
But this time, he couldn't so easily say he would. With evidence of a vulnerability right in front of his eyes, the possibility of assassination couldn't be ruled out.
Though he had always faced threats to his life, it had been a long time since such a threat had slipped this close to the mansion.
Hugo, who had dissipated the ice spear he’d been stirring with, suddenly turned his head. Looking at the dog-shaped divine beast waiting beside the knight, he asked:
"Even after searching for about two hours, the divine beasts couldn't catch a scent?"
"It seems they blocked the flow of air for a certain period. They appear to have prevented the spread of scent and presence to buy escape time. There was also a magic circle drawn on the sack to suppress the corpse's energy."
The knight commander added that it hadn’t been long since the wind began blowing through this area. Right after that, the divine beasts caught the scent, and when they followed the patrol team, they arrived here.
"The opponent is likely a mage."
"I suppose so. If they can control the wind, they must be skilled. It would also be advantageous for finding gaps in the barrier."
"Is it right to assume they infiltrated from outside when security is this tight? I..."
Flynn was about to mention the possibility of an insider, but quickly closed his mouth after receiving a look from Hugo. Knights conducting the search were stationed all around. Doubting their own people—even with good reason—could lower morale and damage trust.
Flynn seemed to understand and nodded silently. Hugo, who had taken off his gloves and handed them to him, looked around at the knights and instructed:
"Cross-reference the testimonies of the guards stationed at the tower and narrow down the main infiltration route. The intruder won't be in this vicinity. I don't sense any outsider's presence in the fog."
"Understood."
Then the blue eyes fixed on the crooked magic circle drawn on the sack.
"If there were, I would have noticed."
"As a precaution, I'll stop the operation of all temporary portals installed within the grounds. What should we do about controlling the main entrance you just passed through?"
"Seal everything. I won't be going out today. By the way, is there any record of the intruder using a portal?"
"Not yet. We've also completed checking all portals within a five-hundred-meter radius outside the castle walls."
"That means teleportation is also possible."
"Commander, there's something that looks like a letter here—!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the thick fog. Hugo and the knight commander reacted at once, moving toward the sound. Knights who received the commander's signal ran ahead, forming a barricade to /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ protect their lord.
As Hugo strode straight through them with his white cloak fluttering, the suspended water droplets parted left and right, widening the previously blurred field of vision. Thanks to that, he could immediately identify the source: two knights and a search dog wagging its tail and barking loudly stood in front of a large tree.
Behind them were additional sacks that had been discovered, and a silver dagger was embedded in the tree trunk at a height reachable with an outstretched arm. Below it was a brown envelope in camouflage coloring.
"Over here."
When the knight holding position to preserve the scene pointed to the envelope, Hugo wiggled his fingertips, asking for it. The knight pulled out the dagger, picked up the envelope, and carefully handed it to his lord.
"My lord, for safety, let me check it first."
"No, it's fine."
"But, ah, Master, you should at least wear gloves..."
The knight commander and Flynn urged him in quick succession, but Hugo had already torn off the golden sealing wax with his bare hands.
'A warning letter? Blackmail? An assassination notice?'
Malicious phrases he’d received from time to time flashed through his mind. But whatever it said, it didn’t matter. He would capture them, uncover their identity, and uproot them to the core—make them kneel before him.
Hugo unfolded the paper with a hardened expression. Those gathered around watched their lord's cold eyes, holding their breath. The blue eyes scanning the contents were so deep in the fog that no one could make out the letters reflected in them, no matter how closely they stared.
Only Flynn watched the elegant brows that usually revealed his master's emotional state.
But as Hugo read, his brows gradually lifted. His expression—like he’d seen something strange—became complex and subtle in an instant.
"What's wrong?"
When Hugo stared at the page without moving, Flynn asked cautiously. Hugo didn’t answer, only kept reading with his brows drawn tight again.
His gaze moved over sentences more concise than expected, and poor handwriting that looked awkward around a pen. Still, he read each character, as if it had been written with deliberate effort to be neat and clear.
Unlike what he’d braced himself for before opening it, the impression of the first line was bewildering—and oddly sweet.
My Dear Lord
Happy early birthday
gift for you
―Your Lion―
"...This."
The blue eyes narrowed.
'Lion?'
Hugo slowly raised his head and looked again at the sacks scattered nearby.
The dragon corpse and its parts, preserved to maintain their product value. If converted to currency, they would be worth quite a lot. ...Could those be the gift?
The magic circle drawn on the surface of the sack caught his eye again. The strokes forming the crooked circle somehow resembled the clumsy handwriting in the letter. With that thought, this grotesque, chilling scene took on a different light than before.
After losing words for a moment and working his lips, Hugo unconsciously glanced at the tree where the letter had been hung.
He stepped up to the trunk and stretched out his arm, roughly gauging the height.
'At this height, certainly...'
The reach of the 'Lion' he was imagining was long compared to his own, so if he had stood here and fixed the letter himself, the height seemed about right. If it was his doing, then the dragon corpse laid out near the mansion, the lack of footprints, the skill to control the wind, and the knights’ failure to discover him all started to make sense.
How could his knights ever catch someone whom only he could find in this world?
Judging by the sheer scale of the gift, there was only one person who came to mind who could pull this off right now.
Hugo rubbed his lower lip with his hand. It was an instinctive attempt to hide his expression, but he couldn't conceal the smile that slipped out.
"Ha."
Since that was his first reaction to the letter, his subordinates stared blankly at their lord's chuckle, not understanding the situation. Though they knew it was disrespectful, no one could look away from the handsome face that had softened with warmth.
Hugo, as if making all that tension seem pointless, murmured calmly with lowered eyes:
"You should have shown your face before leaving. How heartless, when you call it a gift."
He hadn't expected something this cute after months without contact. Earlier, talking with Flynn, he’d felt nothing in particular—but a birthday message. If it became a thread that let him hear news of him, then the upcoming birthday might be somewhat special after all.
And still, even for the king of the jungle, how—and from where—had he gotten this far inside?
Just as he was wondering, he found part of the answer he had nearly missed at the bottom of the folded letter.
P.S.
"...Strengthen the southwest?"
Flynn, who had been listening quietly, quickly turned his head to stare toward the southwestern tower. After scanning the sacks again, he asked Hugo in a tone that all but said it outright:
"Could it be Leo?"
Hugo, who had rolled his eyes slightly, nodded once. Flynn, eyes brightening, smiled as if in bloom. The knight commander, who had been tactfully reading their reactions, cut in:
"My lord, may I ask about the contents? Is it perhaps a notice?"
"A notice?"
Hugo, who had been looking down at the letter, turned to the knight commander.
"...A notice. That's not wrong."
A gentle laugh colored his voice.
His fingertips lightly traced the words 'Your Lion,' which had so boldly claimed ownership without a hint of fear. For a moment, the Emperor’s voice—mentioning 'my cat'—floated up, then vanished. There was no one whose destructive power could be dismissed as some small, cute creature. How could someone who dismembered a terrifying dragon be anyone’s pet?
He was free—and only this letter and gift, sent by his own will, mattered.
The warmth pressed into those short lines was proof enough of that.
So even if Hugo wanted to lure the mischievous intruder a little in response, it would be far more humane than an arrest.
Hugo tucked his smile away and murmured softly:
"We'll meet soon."
