Hugo couldn’t immediately process what he’d just heard. So he stood there for a moment, simply staring at Leonardo’s face.
Leonardo met Hugo’s gaze in silence, then turned his head away as if he hadn’t said anything, bringing the cigarette filter back to his lips.
As the smoke dispersed softly from the corner of Leonardo’s mouth, Hugo gathered his thoughts, which had momentarily stalled.
‘If not the military... then who the hell?’
His gaze, which had been lingering in the void, shifted back to Leonardo’s neck and fixed on that unmistakable black choker.
There had to be countless people in the empire who wanted Leonardo Blaine.
Even the Council hadn’t wanted to let him go. From what Hugo knew, once Leonardo was released, several organizations had begun searching for him—not much different from the Council. His immense, destructive, and limitless mana was tempting enough to lure anyone.
But was there truly another force capable of controlling him?
According to the Council’s intel Hugo had reviewed while chasing Leonardo, since his release, he’d never belonged to any organization. Aside from briefly joining private subjugation units or mercenary groups, he had carried out even high-risk, low-success missions completely on his own.
And the only reason that had been possible... was because he was overwhelmingly strong.
So if the military couldn’t put that thing on him, as Leonardo had said—then who could?
More importantly, it wasn’t like they could have threatened him. Leonardo had nothing left to lose. What kind of person, group, or organization could’ve done that to him—and why?
Hugo stared at Leonardo’s turned face for a long moment, then carefully opened his mouth again.
“Then... who put it on you?”
At that, Leonardo exhaled a long breath of smoke. He flicked open a flame and burned the spent cigarette down to ash. Finally, he stood, brushed the dirt off his pants, and looked at Hugo.
That brief moment of silent eye contact felt unusually long to Hugo. Then Leonardo curled his lips slightly and said,
“Curious?”
The tone was oddly teasing, unfitting for the subject—reminding Hugo of the grin Leonardo had worn when he’d joked with him in the Council’s central garden. It gave Hugo a bad feeling, but the truth was, he was curious. So he nodded once, saying nothing.
Leonardo smiled and said,
“Come here.”
He beckoned Hugo closer. It was a deliberate imitation—just once—of the way Agrizendro always summoned him.
Hugo narrowed his eyes but didn’t comment. In the next instant, he appeared at Leonardo’s side via teleportation.
As the heavy, clean scent filled his senses, Leonardo cupped one hand beside his lips and rose slightly on his toes. Hugo instinctively leaned forward, bending his waist to match Leonardo’s height.
Leonardo whispered into his ear with a smile,
“Se-cret.”
The tickling voice made Hugo frown slightly. He straightened and looked down at Leonardo, who was grinning brightly, clearly enjoying himself.
Realizing he’d been played, Hugo shot him a look and let out a quiet sigh. Leonardo, smiling with crescent-shaped eyes, tapped Hugo’s arm.
“Relax that face. You look like you’re going to eat me.”
Hugo rubbed his brow, visibly exasperated. Leonardo added another playful jab:
“I really can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”
Hugo glanced at him, then let it go.
It might have looked like a lighthearted joke, but Hugo had the distinct impression that Leonardo deliberately used that kind of tone when he wanted to change the subject. So rather than press further, he shifted his eyes briefly to the choker.
And then, as if nothing had happened, he looked at those smiling golden eyes again and thought,
‘Can’t say, huh...’
Kiaaa!
Suddenly, a sharp screech echoed from the peak across the way. Both Hugo and Leonardo immediately turned in that direction. The mountain wasn’t far from the base camp.
The shrieks continued, coming from multiple spots—clearly, several monsters were present. Members on patrol near the cliff edge rushed over, pulling out binoculars to assess the situation.
“Is it a Worm?”
At Hugo’s murmur, Leonardo, still staring at the peak, replied,
“Yeah. But I don’t think they’re alone.”
Worms were unicellular monsters that resembled primitive organisms—oversized amoeba-like beings.
They moved slowly, dragging themselves along with the suction cups on their undersides, which secreted a corrosive acid. These suction pads allowed them to climb atop carcasses and dissolve the surface to consume their prey.
Because of the acidic composition of their bodies, even though they moved slowly, other monsters rarely targeted them. But there was exactly one species known to be their natural predator.
Hugo, picking up on Leonardo’s implication, replied,
“Dermocas, then.”
Dermocas also had acid-resistant mucus, allowing them to withstand and counter Worms. They were the only species capable of hunting them.
Although it was too dark to see clearly and the monsters were hidden among rocks and bushes, the likelihood of Dermocas lurking on that peak was high.
Fast, pack-hunting, and able to summon others using ultrasonic cries—their presence near a densely populated base camp posed a serious threat.
As Hugo debated their next move, Leonardo silently raised his hand toward the mountain. Hugo asked,
“What are you doing?”
“Shooting them.”
His nonchalant reply made Hugo hesitate.
“From this distance? Leonardo, can you control it?”
Leonardo answered like it was # Nоvеlight # the most obvious thing in the world.
“Of course.”
He then glanced at Hugo, silently asking May I? But Hugo hesitated. Earlier in the day, he’d sensed instability in Leonardo’s mana.
Still, if the monsters disturbed the sleeping members of the base camp, it could severely delay their departure at daybreak.
Leonardo, more familiar with the peninsula’s monsters than anyone, looked confident. After some thought, Hugo decided to trust him—but with caution.
“Don’t kill them. Just scare them off with minimal mana.”
As soon as Hugo gave the go-ahead, a small red orb formed in Leonardo’s palm. It was no larger than a bead, but the energy it held was far from small. Hugo narrowed his eyes, gauging the flow of his mana.
Leonardo’s expression had gone still. The playful air from earlier vanished. His lightning-sharp golden eyes locked onto a rustling patch of bushes.
The red orb fragmented into several pieces and shot forward in a straight line, trailing glowing streaks behind them like burning threads of light.
With a high-pitched whoosh, they tore through the air and struck their unseen targets—Dermocas hidden beneath the brush—killing them instantly. Their brief death cries echoed before silence returned.
Leonardo scanned the area with sharp eyes for any stragglers. Hugo stood beside him, alert, even as Leonardo dispatched the threats cleanly.
Then, Leonardo noticed a rapidly rustling bush and raised his hand again—just as Hugo, watching closely, suddenly moved.
He widened his eyes slightly, then quickly grabbed Leonardo’s wrist.
As a result, Leonardo’s aim was pulled high, and the shot fired off target. Leonardo looked first at his wrist, then at Hugo with an expression of pure confusion.
A sharp sizzle hissed where Hugo’s hand touched him, and hot steam rose into the air.
Before a fire mage casts a spell, the area around their hand can become hot enough to vaporize ice. Grabbing that wrist at such a moment was something no sane person would do.
Leonardo stared at him, as if asking What the hell are you doing? Meanwhile, the deflected beam soared toward a more distant peak. A moment later, sparks exploded—and then came the thunderous boom of a massive detonation and the rumble of collapsing rock.
Even from a distance, the sound was terrifying. It jolted the camp awake in a panic. A sentry who’d been watching the peak ran up, calling out to Hugo above the cave.
“Commander! A landslide—!”
Watching the chaos unfold, Hugo clicked his tongue and waved dismissively at the sentry.
“It’s nothing. Ignore it.”
Leonardo, still stunned, narrowed his brows and snapped at Hugo.
“What was that?”
Hugo looked at him calmly and replied in a low voice,
“Leonardo... I’ve been feeling it for a while now—your mana control is unstable.”
“...”
Leonardo furrowed his brow but didn’t respond. Hugo continued, still composed,
“If that attack had hit the nearer peak and caused a landslide—and if there were members patrolling below... what do you think would’ve happened?”
