Bermuda

Shorendo Hazelnut—besides Hugo Agrizendro, the only S4-grade mage among the Council's combat personnel. His primary known mana attribute was light.

Just as Shorendo had wanted to meet Leonardo, Leonardo, too, had long been curious about him. The reason? He was rumored to possess the speed of light itself—and whenever the subject of speed came up, his name always followed close behind.

People across the continent referred to Shorendo Hazelnut as Lumen, drawing the obvious connection between his main attribute and his astounding swiftness. And Leonardo could immediately understand why the moment he saw him move.

Shorendo looked at Leonardo, who had casually called him Lumen, with a slightly surprised expression. But then, as if touched by something, his eyes lit up, and with an almost excessive enthusiasm, he clasped Leonardo’s hand with both of his, saying,

"I'm honored that you recognized me right away."

Leonardo was taken aback by the sudden grip and the way Shorendo brought his face far too close. He instinctively tried to pull away, an expression of discomfort on his face, but Shorendo’s grip only tightened further as he poured out his impressions without pause.

"Wow, it's been so long since I felt a fire this intense from someone. And you're an All-Rounder, right? That's no joke."

"Hey—are you gonna let go or what?"

Shorendo seemed genuinely moved by the sensation of Leonardo’s mana. Even as Leonardo continued to try to free his hand, Shorendo just followed his motion like a reed in the wind, tenaciously clinging on like a leech.

Watching Leonardo’s increasingly disgusted expression, Hugo finally stepped in with a dry voice.

"Shorendo, that’s enough. You’re being rude."

"Ah—yes! Got it!"

Only when Hugo issued the command did Shorendo finally release Leonardo’s hand. Leonardo frowned and glanced sidelong at him, thinking,

‘He completely ignored me.’

"Sorry, Blaine. I just got really excited."

Even after releasing his grip, Shorendo didn’t take his eyes off Leonardo, still smiling brightly. Leonardo stepped back slightly, visibly annoyed, and Hugo—who had been watching the exchange in silence—finally turned and asked,

"The report?"

"Ah—right!"

As if only now remembering, Shorendo suddenly stood at attention and saluted with an air of discipline.

"Loyalty. Deputy Commander of the Council’s Central Branch, Shorendo Hazelnut. Completed inspection of five southern branches on behalf of the Commander. Reporting in, sir."

"Any issues?"

"No, sir. The inspections themselves went smoothly. However, as expected, the peninsula remains the most troublesome area. At present, three battalions of southern forces are stationed there, but progress has been slow."

Hugo gave a slow nod.

"I was planning to bring that up anyway. So go report to the higher command right away."

"Heh... I was hoping to talk to Blaine just a little longer..."

Shorendo laughed awkwardly, clearly reluctant to leave, but at that exact moment, a loud voice shattered any hope of further conversation.

"De. Pu. Ty. Com. Man. Der—!"

The voice that had previously echoed from the third floor now rang out from the building's first-floor entrance. Startled by the clearly furious tone, Shorendo turned his head—and there she was. His adjutant, Erdin Shelly, storming toward him, eyes blazing.

"I told you to hurry up, didn’t I? There’s a whole mountain of work waiting after your return report!"

"I was just on my way—aaaaah!"

Without warning, Erdin seized Shorendo’s ear and yanked. Though he let out a cry of pain, she didn’t even flinch and instead offered Hugo a crisp salute, still gripping his ear.

"Loyalty. Adjutant Erdin Shelly. I’ll be taking Deputy Commander Hazelnut with me now."

"Yes. Good work."

With a curt nod from Hugo, Erdin turned and began dragging Shorendo off by the ear.

Where she got such strength was anyone’s guess—but even the man known as the Council’s Lumen couldn’t resist and stumbled along behind her. Even then, he found the strength to wave at Leonardo—but quickly grimaced again and grabbed her arm, protesting.

"It hurts! I get it, so just let go and I’ll walk!"

"Shut up."

Erdin dismissed him without a second thought and continued pulling him away at a brisk pace. Watching the scene play out, Leonardo tilted ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) his head slightly and remarked,

"That’s the Deputy Commander?"

"...He may not look it, but he’s an excellent one."

At Agrizendro’s surprisingly generous praise, Leonardo looked up at him with skepticism. But after a moment, he recalled the powerful mana he’d felt during the handshake and seemed to understand.

Unlike in the military, where seniority often took precedence, the Council’s rank system—at least as Leonardo understood it—placed significant weight on an individual’s personal abilities and accomplishments.

Because of that, those with overwhelming strength and outstanding records could rise through the ranks quickly. Shorendo Hazelnut, known to have reached the rank of Deputy Commander at a young age, was a prime example. That meant his abilities weren’t just strong—they were nearly unmatched.

As he thought about that, another question naturally rose: Just how powerful was Hugo Agrizendro, someone even higher than Shorendo Hazelnut?

They had fought before, but Leonardo had never once seen his limit. It was impossible to gauge.

"Agrizendro."

At the sound of his name, Hugo turned his eyes toward Leonardo.

"Have you ever fought the Deputy Commander?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. With a slightly puzzled look, Hugo responded with a question of his own.

"Why do you ask?"

But that alone confirmed what Leonardo suspected—they had fought. Rather than answer directly, Leonardo simply followed up with what he truly wanted to know.

"How did you win? Against that light?"

Hugo didn’t answer immediately. He turned and looked in the direction Shorendo had gone, as if recalling something, and then slowly said,

"I think... I trapped him inside a room of mirrors made from ice."

Leonardo’s eyes widened slightly in admiration.

It made sense. Against the overwhelming speed of light, it wasn’t brute strength but clever application that offered the upper hand. As an All-Rounder like Hugo, Leonardo knew—by mixing just a bit of earth into ice and dulling one surface, you could control light’s reflection, trapping or redirecting it at will.

It was, in Leonardo’s opinion, one of the most insightful methods to counter light with ice.

As he nodded in silent agreement, Hugo looked at him and asked with a faint smile,

"What? You planning to fight him?"

But to his surprise, Leonardo didn’t immediately say yes. Instead, he stared at the place where Shorendo had disappeared, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought, before muttering,

"...The day will come. Sooner or later, we’ll fight."

Hugo found his tone strangely ambiguous.

After a long pause, Leonardo sensed his gaze and turned his head. Their eyes met—neither blinking. Leonardo stared into Hugo’s icy blue gaze.

If I can’t defeat those two...

Hugo, noticing something unusual in Leonardo’s stare, broke the silence.

"Do you have something to say?"

At that, Leonardo casually shrugged and forced a light smile onto his lips.

"Nope. Nothing at all."

But deep down, he realized something unsettling—he had been seriously underestimating Hugo Agrizendro. Not only had Hugo uncovered his true identity, but now it felt like he could read him like a book just from a glance.

It was...unsettling.

Hugo, however, just raised an eyebrow and let the moment pass without prying further. Instead, he turned the conversation back to what he had intended to say earlier.

"Leonardo. Try not to call him Lumen like you did earlier."

"Why not?"

"Even if he doesn’t mind it, that kind of nickname culture originated on the battlefield—used to identify key enemy targets. Or when criminals gave code names to their marks. It's not meant to be flattering."

Leonardo blinked a few times and responded in a slightly baffled tone.

"Come on. Maybe that was true in the past, but nowadays even civilians use those names casually. So why care?"

"The fact that they use them casually is the problem."

Hugo repeated calmly. But Leonardo still looked unconvinced.

"Ask any kid playing outside who the Council’s Lumen or Kazad is. They’ll probably think it’s some kind of hero name. People using those words doesn’t mean they’re enemies or thugs."

Leonardo voiced his perspective, but what really caught his attention wasn’t the content of Hugo’s reply—it was how Hugo’s face visibly stiffened at the word Kazad. Leonardo grinned with amusement and repeated it with teasing emphasis.

"Right? Ka—zad?"

Hugo, clearly unamused, checked the time on his wrist and replied coldly,

"Looks like you've had enough fresh air. Go back inside."

"What? No way. I want to stay a little longer."

"I don’t have time. Go. Now."

The noticeably chill in his voice made Leonardo lower his head in defeat, clearly displeased.

Seriously... he's so rigid. Anyone with a brain can see he’s Kazad.