The news that Hugo Agrizendro, commander of the Council’s army, was personally taking action to capture Leonardo Blaine created an immediate stir, even though the Council had been hunting him for years.

The fact that Hugo—widely regarded as the most powerful mage in the empire—was stepping in himself meant there was finally a real possibility of Leonardo's whereabouts being exposed to the world again.

Until now, Hugo had been too occupied with his role as the Council’s commander, political duties, and managing his own territory to involve himself directly with Leonardo Blaine. But the time had come—he could no longer leave the matter in his subordinates' hands.

Anyone who ignored a summons from the Council was subject to arrest, regardless of their rank or reputation. The Council's authority had been undermined by the constant rumors of their failure to apprehend this particular fugitive.

Hoping to end the matter for good and erase the nuisance from his life, Hugo ascended the broad steps of the Council's main building.

Passing through the marble corridor and turning a corner, he arrived in front of a large, ornate door. After knocking a few times, a deep, commanding voice called from within.

"Come in."

Hugo entered, unsurprised to find the room’s occupant seemingly expecting him.

The man behind the desk had gray-streaked hair and a thick beard, yet his formidable frame and sharp presence left no doubt—he held significant power within the Council.

"What brings you here to take on this matter yourself?"

Standing before the desk bearing a polished nameplate, Hugo was met with the man’s heavy, direct tone. A faint smile lingered on the older man's lips, as though he found the situation amusing.

"Isn’t this exactly what you’ve been waiting for, Commander-in-Chief?"

Hugo's reply was dry, as if this development were inevitable. Though he maintained proper decorum, his tone might have sounded insolent to others. But the Commander-in-Chief, Abraham Langaster, only chuckled, clearly used to it.

"You've made the right decision. I’m sure both you and the higher-ups have realized by now... it has to be you."

"...I don’t believe it has to be me. I just don’t want to see my subordinates returning injured anymore."

Abraham Langaster, Commander-in-Chief of the Council, was also Hugo’s mentor—and someone who had taken an interest in Leonardo Blaine long ago.

He once explained that his interest in Leonardo reminded him of how he’d felt upon first meeting Hugo, with all his rebellious defiance.

Hugo had never appreciated that comparison. Then, as now, he refused to accept being likened to that man. In fact, he couldn’t understand Abraham's continued fascination with Leonardo, especially after Leonardo had defied imperial orders.

But much like Hugo, Abraham seemed uninterested in Hugo’s personal reasoning. His satisfaction lay in the fact that Hugo was finally stepping in himself.

"You may not like seeing your people hurt, but don’t handle him too roughly. He’s still young—there's room to steer him the right way."

"That depends entirely on his attitude."

"You’ll change your mind once you meet him."

Deciding the conversation had taken a needlessly optimistic turn, Hugo held his silence for a moment. Then, offering a brief bow, he turned toward the door, concluding the visit.

"I’m interested in his strength. That’s all."

Watching Hugo's retreating back, Abraham’s satisfied smile deepened.

"Have a safe trip."

Hugo hadn't intended to linger on Abraham's words. His visit had merely been a formal courtesy. But one thing had always unsettled him—the way Abraham constantly tried to draw parallels between him and Leonardo Blaine.

Perhaps part of that came from the fact that all three of them—Abraham, Leonardo, and Hugo—hailed from the same place: Bermuda.

Hugo had spent his life struggling to rise above the prejudice associated with that origin. He couldn’t look favorably on Leonardo, whose actions had only fueled public distrust and reinforced negative stereotypes about those from Bermuda.

In Hugo’s eyes, Leonardo’s disgrace had deepened the stigma, spreading whispers and suspicion about everyone from their homeland.

Still, setting his distaste aside, Hugo couldn't deny his interest in Leonardo’s power. As the saying goes, the strong are drawn to the strong. And for Hugo, known as the empire’s mightiest mage, encountering a new powerhouse was always intriguing.

He hoped the man was formidable enough to offer a real challenge. Only then might the "understanding" Abraham spoke of truly emerge.

****

Hugo decided to travel light, accompanied by just one adjutant. He believed this mission didn’t warrant a full battalion from the Council’s army. There was no need for excessive force to bring in one man.

Choosing simplicity, he offered brief farewells to Abraham, informed his deputy he’d be gone for a short time, and left quietly.

Leonardo Blaine’s pattern of appearing and disappearing made him notoriously hard to track. It was common to hear rumors of sightings at opposite ends of the empire within days of each other.

The latest reported sighting placed him in Frost, where Council agents had recently encountered him. Reaching that region required traveling through two portals, followed by a grueling ten-hour ride over rough, unpaved terrain.

Frost lay on the northernmost border of Raina Logia, a sparsely populated mountain region flanked by the eastern coastline.

Based on experience, Hugo believed speed and stealth would be more effective than assembling a large-scale search party to pursue him for months.

Following faint rumors that might have been false leads, he relied on mana detectors and his own acute senses to trace Leonardo's presence. But every time he felt something, the signature would vanish, leaving him and his adjutant chasing shadows for days.

By now, he mildly regretted not bringing a full pursuit team—but dismissed the thought. Deploying such a force would only announce his intentions, making capture even harder.

"Have you seen a man like this, by any chance?"

"Huh? Well..."

"If someone like that had shown up here, don’t you think everyone would’ve noticed by now? Blond hair and golden eyes aren’t exactly common."

When Hugo showed the townspeople an old military photo of Leonardo from his personnel file, the responses were always the same.

In polar regions, where temperatures stayed low and the environment tended toward dull, achromatic tones, both the landscape and its people reflected that muted palette. A foreigner with blond hair and golden eyes would naturally stand out in such a place.

Of course, Hugo didn’t expect Leonardo to be wandering around openly with that face. But all he could do was show the photograph and ask. His only reliable information was the file’s contents, the faded photo attached to it, and his own brief glimpse of the man years ago.

Hugo addressed the woman examining the unfamiliar face in the photo once more.

"Then, have you seen anyone covering their face or acting suspicious?"

"Well, this is the polar region. It’s common for people to bundle up in the early mornings or at night when the cold bites. As for suspicious people... I couldn’t say."

"I see. Thank you."

The answers were predictable. No useful information emerged.

Still, the mana detector he carried occasionally picked up traces in the area. And the distinct presence of fire—one of Leonardo Blaine's signature attributes—was clearly lingering here.

As Hugo offered a brief farewell and walked away, the woman whispered to her companion, watching his retreating figure.

"Isn't he cold? Walking around in such thin clothes?"

Her companion gave no reply. Their eyes remained fixed on the tall, striking figure fading into the distance.

****

"Did you learn anything?"

"Nothing at all. Instead of clues, all we’re doing is making the townspeople more suspicious of outsiders."

"That’s to be expected. This place doesn’t see much contact with the outside world."

"Still... is it even worth showing Blaine’s face like this? If people here knew that face, it’d be strange if no one recognized him by now."

Flynn Levernil, Hugo's adjutant, questioned the investigation's entire approach. Their efforts had been fruitless for days, and his frustration was beginning to show. Sensing his doubt, Hugo replied with quiet firmness.

"The more familiar they become with his face, the better our chances. For now, we stay the course."

"Hmm..."

Flynn scratched the back of his head, clearly unconvinced, but held his tongue.

The investigation's method was simple: show people the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) photograph of Leonardo and ask if they recognized him.

They couldn’t mention the name "Leonardo Blaine"—Hugo had specifically warned against it. If the target heard even a whisper, he might flee. But the more Flynn considered it, the more he doubted the effectiveness of their strategy.

After all, Leonardo's appearance wasn’t something easily forgotten. With his strikingly handsome features, blond hair, and rare golden eyes, if he’d been anywhere near this town or made contact with people, someone should’ve noticed.

Even if he had worn a wig or dyed his hair to hide his identity, there was no way to conceal eye color within the empire.

No matter how bundled up someone was, their eyes usually remained visible. That should have been their greatest clue. But in this achromatic city, the only gold Flynn had seen were the bulbs glowing in the darkness.

Watching Flynn brood, Hugo lifted his tired gaze to the sky. The daylight hours in this polar region were short, and it was already growing dark.

"We’ve been at this since morning. Let’s wrap it up for today."

Flynn, visibly relieved by the suggestion, smiled faintly.

"Yes, understood."

The two headed toward the bustling part of town to find lodging for the night.

As word spread that two outsiders were asking questions, Hugo and Flynn finally stumbled upon the most intriguing information they'd heard since arriving.

****

After securing a room, they headed down to the tavern on the inn’s first floor for dinner. The place was lively, but it offered enough quiet corners to sit and eat without issue.

Hugo took a seat at the table Flynn pulled out for him and casually scanned the tavern. The crowd was larger than expected, mostly locals gathered in groups, drinking and chatting.

But in the far corner, one figure stood out—a lone patron in a black hooded cloak, seated at a small table.

"Is this seat alright?"

At Flynn's question, Hugo briefly nodded instead of replying. He tried to glance back at the cloaked figure, but the innkeeper approached to take their order, blocking his view.

Flynn ordered a simple meal along with a strong drink for Hugo. As he pulled out a handkerchief and meticulously wiped specks of dust from the table, voices from nearby drifted over, catching his ear despite his efforts to ignore them.

"You heard? There were more fire traces behind the mountain?"

"That’s what I’m saying. But it looks like someone put it out before it spread this time. The ground was soaking wet."

"It’s the dry season now. Sure, it’s getting colder, but we shouldn't be seeing wildfires so often..."

"Think it’s a monster’s doing?"

"Don’t say such unlucky things! This area’s not known for monsters."

"But didn’t you hear about that charred corpse found in a crate recently?"

"That thing? It was burnt beyond recognition. Could’ve been anything."

Fire? Monster?

Hugo and Flynn exchanged a glance. Their heads naturally turned toward the conversation. Four drunken men, faces flushed, were chatting loudly. Their voices carried across the room, drawing glances, but they didn’t seem to care.

Flynn muttered under his breath.

"Could be connected to Blaine."

"Let’s listen for a bit."

One man, clearly uninterested in dwelling on troubling possibilities, downed his glass and grumbled.

"Whatever it is, I just hope nothing dangerous happens. Heard strangers have been snooping around town lately, looking for someone. Don’t want to get tangled in trouble."

"Oh, you mean that tall, cold-looking guy? He looked dangerous himself. But if he's hunting someone, that person must be even worse. You think someone like that’s here?"

"That’s what I’m saying. Just our luck..."

As the man spoke about the outsider, his eyes met Hugo's directly.

"Anyway, if anyone suspicious shows—"

"Hey, quiet down."