Chapter 236

"You've just made a big mistake."

A moment of silence passed. Cordelia felt this time to be excruciatingly long.

She stared blankly at the broad shoulders that had come right in front of her with unfocused eyes. The area around her neck, wrapped in clothing, slowly undulated with a sudden chill.

"...Pardon?"

Her lips, which she had barely parted, could only ask again. Even that was with a trembling chin, so she quickly closed her mouth, trying not to show it.

The cool advice that had lingered on the side of her face gently pressed down on her shoulder and took a step back. It was a simple gesture, but its weight and implied meaning took Cordelia's breath away.

"You should know whom I and my family serve."

The cold voice that followed made her body instinctively shrink. Because of this, she stared stiffly at his chest before slowly raising her head with wavering eyes. Then, piercingly blue eyes looked down at her coldly, continuing in an even lower voice.

"I don't know what you're relying on to act like this towards me. Have I seemed too soft to you because I've turned a blind eye to too many things?"

"..."

Cordelia let out a sigh of lamentation. She had pondered many times before speaking up, but it seemed the situation she had been worried about had finally arrived.

It wasn't that she hadn't anticipated this reaction, but actually hearing it made her head ring for a moment.

Telling him all this information up to now was essentially no different from gambling. After all, Hugo Agrizendro was publicly known as the head of an imperial faction family.

But his well-known sense of justice and his assurance that he would release Leonardo made her think he wouldn't just stand by in this situation. His power was needed for resolution, and she had glimpsed sufficient possibility that he would help from the way he cared for Leonardo.

Moreover, it was a decision she had made after careful consideration based on the information she had accumulated as the heir to a marquis family... But as if to firmly state that it was completely wrong, the man before her said with sharp eyes:

"When I first entered Fidele due to the peninsula issue. My overlooking of your disrespectful words and actions was out of respect for you who had fought alone for a long time, and compassion shown as a fellow human being. I tried to understand your feelings at least a little. Even with a foreign army entering the territory, I thought it was unavoidable cooperation for survival."

"..."

"But is that why? The things you're telling me now sound like you're asking me to betray my loyalty, turn a blind eye to actions against it, and even help your rebellion."

"...Your Excellency, I... that."

The word 'rebellion' sent a chill down her spine. Cordelia's mouth opened, trying to say something. However, when she saw a sharp piece of ice glinting in Hugo's hand, she instinctively took a step back.

Hugo glanced at Cordelia like this, then used the ice piece as a knife to open the envelope of the petition. Then he began to carefully read the contents written there and the list of signatures, flipping through the several pages of documents inside.

To Cordelia, it felt as if that ice piece was now at her throat. But Hugo, regardless of his tense counterpart's appearance, engraved the list of names among the densely written letters in his mind. Then, after flipping through three or four more pages, he added a few words to her, who was completely frozen.

"The Imperial Knights are no different from the Emperor's limbs. Regardless of what happened before, that's an unchanging fact. You say you're blocking them from coming to the territory by even cutting off portals. Whatever your suspicions might be, it's not just obstruction of official duties, but such a clear act of contempt... I'm not even sure what more I should say about this situation."

At Hugo's voice, which let out a small laugh, Cordelia closed her eyes tightly and then opened them. Realistically speaking, there was nothing wrong with what he was listing.

Her actions were no different from informing on her own crimes to the Emperor's loyal subject, so there was justification in his response as Duke Agrizendro.

But Cordelia had reasons for conveying her words even while taking risks. In this noble world, every word given to the other hides numerous intentions and thoughts. So Cordelia believed that His Excellency's words up to now didn't just have their literal meaning.

From the beginning, the relationship between him and the Emperor that she vaguely knew wasn't one built solely on such loyalty and devotion. Cordelia brought up the past to dig into this point, speaking in a somewhat agitated tone.

"However, Your Excellency, you must remember when I visited Logia on His Majesty's orders a few years ago. At that time...!"

She immediately regretted her words as she continued. It was because she felt the pressure from His Excellency's gaze that if she uttered a few more words, she wouldn't be safe.

They say the most fearsome existence in the world is none other than people. A fear she had never felt even in front of monsters enveloped her entire body. Because of this, unable to say anything and just standing still, Hugo coldly warned her with a low sigh.

"My lady, lower your voice."

The blue gaze stared at Cordelia, then once again turned to over her shoulder.

"No matter how secretly we speak, we shouldn't think that only our eyes and ears are here."

Occasionally, he had looked elsewhere during the conversation, but Cordelia, absorbed in the seriousness of the situation, hadn't noticed his non-verbal expressions. But the moment she heard his meaningful words, she hurriedly turned around, thinking she might have missed something.

However, in the place she looked at with wide eyes, only the lamps hanging on the wall flickered.

Cordelia looked around the interior of the secluded room with a confused expression. Perhaps because she had been in the closed space for a long time, her breathing quickly became rapid and her head dizzy. On the other hand, Hugo, who had caused this, calmly organized the documents back into the envelope as if it were no big deal. Then he placed it in Cordelia's hand and continued with an ambiguous look.

"If another person of the same faction as me had been here, or if I had been just a little less understanding. You and your family might have suffered irreparable damage here tonight."

The possibility of family annihilation flowing softly from his lips, added to his calm tone, made goosebumps rise on her arms.

Because of this, Cordelia's complexion paled, and the corners of her lips trembled finely. Hugo looked down at her with emotionless eyes and raised the temperature of the secluded room with his mana.

"That's how careful, and again careful, one must be to bring the truth to the surface. You should know well, having experienced it once already. What you've done now was a rash act that could endanger not only yourself but also your military colleagues whose names are written on this signature document."

"..."

"Knowing the truth is a good card, but sometimes the mere fact of knowing can come back as a disaster. It shines when it's accompanied by physical evidence, not just circumstantial. But was there anything like that in the claims you're making now?"

Hugo pulled the newspaper at the edge of the table towards him again. Then, lightly scanning it with his eyes, he continued.

"Even if someone approaches you and demands that card, or tries to persuade you with honeyed words to cooperate. If you're not certain yourself, never show it. There are many here who can cloud your judgment, like me. This seems to be the only advice I can give you."

The blue eyes once again stared at the petition in Cordelia's hand. Finally, his gaze, moving upwards, met her eyes one last time and clearly conveyed:

"Keep it well, hide it well. Always think once more."

Remember my words.

With that, Hugo dusted off his hands as if he had nothing more to say. Watching the stream of water enveloping his palm, Cordelia couldn't escape from the ambiguity implied in his words.

The cold gaze made clear the intention to keep silent. That was why the stack of papers in her hand felt suddenly heavier.

But there was clearly more than just that meaning. His Excellency's meaningful warning weighed heavily on both her shoulders. His words felt like riddles, and Cordelia couldn't hastily judge any of them.

In the midst of this, she realized that there had been no direct mention of Leonardo in all the advice he had listed so far.

***

Pipi pipi pipi-!

"This crazy bird bastard-!"

The interior of the cabin where Nero had secretly infiltrated was currently in chaos. It was fortunate that he had quickly reattached the black paper to prevent sound from leaking out; otherwise, the members outside would have all rushed in upon hearing the bird sounds.

Nero, who had been hanging from the ceiling like a spider, threw himself to catch the canary, even using teleportation. However, the tiny thing was unexpectedly fast, quickly dodging him and escaping. The high-pitched cry stimulating the semicircular canals and disrupting his agility also played a part.

"What kind of bird is this?"

When he tried to grab it with his hands, it transformed into formless mana and quickly slipped through his fingers, then returned to its original form and flew around in all directions, driving him crazy.

But he couldn't use attack magic here just to catch that one thing. Because of this, Nero had been playing tag with it for almost 10 minutes.

'Ah, what if it goes back to the Commander? Then I'm really screwed...'

Nero's palms were red from clapping so much as if swatting flies. However, he was in such an anxious state that he didn't even realize it.

He thought about just running away now, but then he would have to open the door and go outside... and if the bird kept crying like that, anyone would find it strange.

"Ah, come on! Be quiet!"

Pipi-!

The canary, panicked by Nero's shout, fluttered around the interior of the cabin. Nero rummaged through his artifact, chasing after it to find anything useful.

Just as their battle of nerves was in full swing. Perhaps stimulated by the canary's continuous cries, Leonardo's eyelashes, which had been quietly closed, twitched slightly.

Pi?

At that moment, the canary, which had flown into the air, looked back at Leonardo wrapped in bedding. As soon as it stopped moving for a moment, Nero, who had rushed at full speed, squeezed the canary's body with both hands.

"Got you."

He smiled fiercely and put all his strength into his grip. However, the touch of the plump feathers wasn't felt on his heated palms.

The canary disappeared with a "poof" sound, leaving only a bluish smoke behind.

Nero's face, which had been grinning, instantly turned pale.