Inside the rattling wagon, Leonardo sat with his legs crossed, using the sparsely stacked luggage as a hard cushion against his back. With his eyes closed, he felt as though he were right in the middle of the loud cheers emanating from outside.
The path the large expedition force of the Council was taking was once again crowded with citizens lining the streets, much like the day he was captured. But this time, instead of jeers and curses, cheers filled the air, celebrating and supporting the Council's expedition.
Though Leonardo was not as restrained as before, he still kept hidden inside the wagon, with thick handcuffs clamped tightly on both wrists to avoid exposing himself to the citizens.
His eyes, hollow and distant, fixated blankly on the thin crack of light seeping through the window. The sound coming through that small opening was loud and vivid, stirring within him an almost irresistible urge to fling the window open.
Just a little. Just a tiny bit. He thought to himself, wishing to see the citizens cheering for him, even if only slightly, instead of denouncing him.
After a long period of indecision, he finally raised his body and approached the small wooden sliding window in the swaying wagon. Standing before it, he quietly gazed at the light filtering through the crack, before falling to his knees as the wagon jolted heavily.
Struggling, he lifted one cuffed hand and reached for the window. Just as his fingers were about to touch the frame, the voices of the citizens reached his ears.
"Long live the Council!"
"Safe travels!"
His hand, poised to open the window, faltered. The fingertips that could not quite reach lingered in the air for a long moment.
Eventually, his hand dropped heavily, the handcuffs weighing it down. He stared at the crumpled hand, his eyes full of bitterness.
The cheers and praises he had once received, the admiration and blessings from the citizens of the capital, were no longer directed at him.
With a deep sigh, he closed the already shut window even tighter, leaving not even the smallest crack of light. Then, he rose, walked back to the pile of luggage where he had been sitting, and plopped down again.
Leaning against the hard luggage, he brushed his hair back, a wry smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he muttered self-deprecatingly.
"Making up for it, my ass—."
Even though it was only a brief moment, the word "opportunity" that Agrizendro had said, despite the contradictory sympathy it held, made him laugh at the ridiculousness of his desire to grasp it. And in the same breath, he felt an overwhelming sense of pity for himself.
Leonardo clenched his fists tightly. He had to pretend everything was fine. Even if the whole world cursed him, he had to hold on to his self-belief. Because if even the smallest crack appeared, his fragile state of mind would collapse.
Outside, the cheers still echoed, but with the window sealed tight, all he could feel was the rumble of the wagon and its swaying motion. His eyes only saw dust-covered piles of luggage and the vast, oppressive darkness.
The sense of being alone in this dark, confined space was something he had long since grown accustomed to.
****
The expedition, formed by the numerous members of the Council, finally reached the gate of the capital, the cheers of the crowd fading into the distance. From there, the procession moved through several teleportation zones and portals, heading south as quickly as possible.
After a considerable amount of time had passed, the procession entered Fidele Territory without stopping. Finally, they reached the last border zone leading to the Elder Millie Peninsula.
From the moment the wagon entered Fidele Territory, Leonardo felt the atmosphere shift. The humid, hot air and the subtle vibrations from the ground made it clear that they were nearing the Elder Millie Peninsula.
Having been here a few times on Armsilver's missions, Leonardo immediately sensed that the situation was far more serious than before.
Though they had not yet entered the peninsula, the presence of monsters was already apparent. The increase in temperature and the more frequent tremors suggested that the volcanic activity beneath the surface had grown more intense.
From outside, the sounds of murmuring voices and the mixing of various mana energies could be heard, indicating that a large crowd had gathered. It seemed that in addition to the troops from the Central Branch, others had also been stationed here.
"Unload all the luggage, arm yourselves here, and stand by for further orders before entering the gate."
"Understood!"
The sounds of busy footsteps echoed as the members dispersed, and Leonardo simply sat in place, waiting.
Soon, the rear door of the wagon opened wide, and light flooded the dark interior. The sudden brightness made him squint and turn his head momentarily.
As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Hugo standing before him.
Hugo extended his hand to him.
"Come out."
Leonardo glanced at him with a furrowed brow, then slowly pressed his hands to the floor and stood up. As he bent his body, walked out of the wagon, and stepped onto the ground, he ignored Hugo's outstretched hand entirely.
Hugo silently lowered his hand, acknowledging the sharp gaze in Leonardo's eyes.
Once outside the wagon, Leonardo looked around slowly. There were far more troops [N O V E L I G H T] stationed at the gate than he had expected. They were using the vast white tents as a temporary headquarters.
Some soldiers were maintaining the climbing gear, others were repairing parts of the gate damaged by monster attacks, and a few were receiving medical treatment for injuries.
"There must be over two thousand..." he thought as he surveyed the scene.
His eyes then met those of several nearby soldiers.
Among the busy figures clad in navy blue combat uniforms, the ivory mage robes stood out, and as soon as the soldiers saw the handcuffed figure, they immediately recognized him as the infamous Leonardo Blaine.
The southern region soldiers, still unaccustomed to his appearance—blond hair, golden eyes—stared at him with wide eyes. As the gazes focused on him, Leonardo's discomfort became painfully evident.
"Apologies for making you stay hidden in the wagon," Hugo spoke gently beside him. Leonardo responded coldly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"It was fine, the ride was very comfortable."
Hugo, though silent, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern. He hadn’t anticipated Leonardo’s mood being so dark just before the expedition, and now, in the midst of all the chaos, he couldn’t take his eyes off him.
After a moment, Hugo placed his hand lightly on Leonardo's shoulder. Leonardo flinched and glared at him sharply, causing Hugo to immediately withdraw his hand as if telling him to relax. He leaned in slightly and whispered softly.
"I’ll remove the handcuffs once we enter the peninsula."
Leonardo frowned deeply, confronting Hugo, whose face was now much closer than before.
"Why? Take them off now. Everyone is staring at me because of these."
He glared at the soldiers who dared to meet his gaze. They quickly turned their heads and hurried back to their tasks. Seeing this, Hugo sighed quietly.
He should have fed him something good before the trip, tried to put him in a better mood. It was clear that Leonardo’s spirits were at their lowest, and even in the midst of his duties, Hugo couldn’t help but keep an eye on him.
Though removing the handcuffs once they entered the peninsula would be difficult—he was sure there would be voices of concern—it seemed like a simple gesture that would at least ease some of Leonardo's discomfort. Hugo's intent had been to comfort him, but Leonardo didn’t seem to understand at all.
Hugo looked at Leonardo, his eyes now full of prickles, and took the key from his combat uniform pocket.
Expecting Hugo to act immediately, Leonardo stayed still as Hugo unlocked the handcuff from his left wrist. However, instead of removing the second cuff, Hugo reattached the mana-restraining cuff to his own left wrist.
Leonardo’s expression was a mixture of confusion and frustration.
"...What are you doing?"
"Follow me. You can't be separated from me."
Hugo began to walk off, dragging Leonardo along by the chain linking their handcuffs. Leonardo, still reeling from the absurdity of the situation, protested loudly.
"No, this will make them stare even more!"
But Hugo, walking ahead, didn’t even pretend to hear him.
Suddenly finding himself tethered to the Commander, Leonardo couldn’t help but shoot glares at anyone who met his eyes. Eventually, there were too many to deal with, so he gave up, choosing instead to keep his mouth shut.
