"As of this moment, Leonardo Blaine, commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, Special Forces of the Imperial Army, is hereby stripped of all ranks and titles, demoted to the lowest status, and dishonorably discharged."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of the verdict echoed through the silent military courtroom. As soon as the announcement ended, the once-still room erupted into chaos.

Leonardo Blaine, his wrists shackled with mana-restraining cuffs, sat slumped in the chair at the courtroom’s center, staring silently at the judge with bloodshot eyes.

"This can’t be happening... Commander, say something! Tell them the truth, that you did it to protect us!"

His squad members shouted from behind him, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn and face them.

Screams, the sound of his former comrades restraining his squad, and the hushed mockery aimed at him—now a disgraced civilian—all blended into a deafening ring in his ears.

The military judges, having concluded their duty, stood and left the uproar behind. It was only then that Leonardo’s eyes drifted toward the massive flag of the Raina Logia Empire hanging behind them.

He had worn that insignia, donned the empire’s cape, and braved countless battlefields—only to be branded a traitor with the stain of "dishonorable discharge for insubordination."

Leonardo let out a bitter laugh. It all seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye.

As if his mind rejected reality, his body grew numb, and the sounds around him faded to a hum. The sense of detachment was followed by a sharp ringing in his ears and a wave of nausea.

Unable to endure it, he abruptly stood from his seat. The chair crashed backward, and all eyes turned to him.

Leonardo, breathing heavily, glared at the towering imperial flag, his eyes burning with fierce resentment.

"Aaaargh!"

His pale face flushed red, veins bulging along his neck. A massive flame erupted around him as he screamed like a madman. Everyone recoiled, instinctively stepping back from the wildly flickering fire that threatened to consume everything.

He roared his grievances, swinging his arms in a desperate attempt to break free of the cuffs. But instead of the restraints snapping, the surroundings cracked apart.

"S-Someone stop him!"

At the officer's frantic shout, soldiers poured in, surrounding Leonardo. Yet they hesitated to close in—the blazing flames and ominous black sparks warded them off.

Leonardo's fire burned violently, but it wavered, as though something was draining its power. The cuffs binding his wrists siphoned his mana at an alarming rate.

Still, Leonardo kept igniting his body, his face contorted as though twisted by pain and rage.

"Damn it... How could you do this to me? How could you?!"

"What are you all waiting for? Subdue him, now!"

He screamed his betrayal to the empire he'd once bled for. But to those watching, he was just a criminal refusing to surrender, spiraling out of control.

At the repeated command, the hesitant soldiers seized the moment as the flames faltered and rushed in. As if expecting it, Leonardo fought back with everything he had, his hands still bound.

He threw punches, kicked wildly, detonating mana that was instantly drained. Fierce gusts of wind tore through the room, and the scorching air rippled.

Winds howled, flames roared higher, and soon the entire courtroom was engulfed in crimson fire. The trembling windows shattered, shards scattering like glowing ash.

In the heart of it, Leonardo's golden eyes reflected the blaze, glowing as red as fresh blood.

Just then, the courtroom doors burst open, and dozens of knights stormed in. The Imperial Knights—the elite directly serving the Raina Logia royal family—marched in, clad in pristine white uniforms embroidered with gold and crimson insignias.

They moved swiftly, sealing all exits and surrounding Leonardo. Their fire-resistant cloaks and enchanted armor gleamed, and they shifted into defensive formations, as if they'd expected his rampage.

At their head, the knight commander entered, calm and composed.

Amid the tense standoff between the flame-wreathed, heavy-breathing Leonardo and the unflinching knights, the commander approached the siege line without hesitation.

It was clear he knew Leonardo well; his unwavering eyes stayed locked on him.

"Leonardo Blaine. Surrender."

Despite the familiarity, his voice was cold—utterly detached, like speaking to a stranger.

Leonardo flinched, turning his head. The knights instantly tensed, their formation tightening.

Leonardo's lips twisted into a vicious sneer. Recognition burned in his eyes. His golden gaze, bloodshot and venomous, locked onto the commander's.

His eyes, predatory and blazing, swept across the crowd, filled with a fury that threatened to incinerate everything. Then, with a hollow, mocking laugh, he spoke in a menacing tone:

"If you were standing where I am, would you surrender?"

The commander met his sneer with an unreadable expression. After a pause, he responded coolly:

"It's an imperial order."

Silence followed.

Leonardo's flames abruptly died, smothered as though quenched by ice water. The suffocating heat and menace drained from him. His face twisted—shock, betrayal, and bitter scorn flashing across his features.

The commander, never looking away, gestured for his subordinates to seize Leonardo.

The knights and soldiers, emboldened by the extinguished flames, closed in. They forced Leonardo to his knees, slammed him to the floor, and restrained him.

Even as his head was pressed to the cold ground, Leonardo's golden eyes fixed on the boots of those around him.

The commander, watching the end of Leonardo’s defiance, turned to leave, believing it over. But as he walked away, Leonardo sneered, his voice dripping with contempt:

"No matter how loyal you live... in the end, they’ll throw you away just like me."

The commander paused at the venomous words. He glanced back, meeting Leonardo’s burning gaze for only a moment.

Then he turned away as though nothing happened, striding toward the exit.

"Transfer Leonardo Blaine to Amphitrite Prison."

At the commander's order, the military officer—who had been shouting to restrain Leonardo—grimaced with disapproval. Imperial Knight interference in military matters never sat well.

"There's a military prison right next door. Why Amphitrite?"

The commander looked over his shoulder, eyes cold with disappointment.

"He's no longer a soldier, is he?"

****

The news that Leonardo Blaine, commander of the famed Armsilver 11th Squad—a true war hero of the empire—had been expelled spread like wildfire. He was swiftly transferred to Amphitrite Prison, a remote island fortress battered by relentless waves. The 11th Squad was disbanded following the court-martial.

A few months later, he was granted parole. But Leonardo Blaine, stripped of his titles, vanished without a trace. Contrary to fears of revenge-driven chaos, only fleeting rumors remained.

It was widely known that Leonardo Blaine remained a powerful mage, despite his dishonorable discharge from the military. Moreover, the 11th Squad he had once commanded was an elite unit, frequently deployed to the empire's most dangerous fronts. That made various guilds, associations, and organizations desperate to locate him after his disappearance.

Rumors circulated—stories of him working as a mercenary, or appearing during subjugation missions—but no one could seem to find him for certain.

Occasionally, people claimed to have seen him in person, but there was no way to verify the truth of those encounters.

And so, as he vanished, the empire carried on with the war as if he had never existed.

In order to reclaim the territory lost during the chaos sparked by Leonardo’s insubordination, the empire launched countless battles, suffering heavy casualties. Yet in the end, they achieved victory without their fallen hero, asserting their might to neighboring nations and erasing the last remnants of his name.

Even so, they refrained from exiling him beyond their borders, wary that his unparalleled mana might fall into foreign hands.

Time passed quickly. The faded glory of the hero dissolved into forgotten history. It had been three years since the world had last spoken the name Leonardo Blaine.

Just when it seemed every trace of him had been buried, new ripples spread across the still waters of rumor.

A renewed hunt for him had begun.

The ripples swelled, and his name surfaced once more in public consciousness.

But unlike before, his name was no longer spoken with admiration.

Now, he was branded an infamous mage—a traitor who disobeyed orders, set the military courtroom ablaze, and humiliated both the royal family and the empire’s people.

****

"So, you lost him again?"

"Commander, I’m telling you, that guy’s not human—he’s a demon! We nearly got roasted alive out there!"

Hugo let out a quiet sigh as he stared at his two disheveled subordinates reporting back to him. One looked like he’d been caught in an explosion—his hair completely burnt off.

This wasn’t their first failed attempt, and it was clear this pursuit wouldn’t be easy.

Hugo narrowed his eyes, turning away briefly to suppress his frustration before questioning them again.

"What happened exactly?"

"We managed to detect his presence and sealed off every nearby exit. We cornered him... but he still broke through the siege and vanished."

"..."

"Afterward, we deployed every tracking device to follow his mana signature, but there was nothing left. It’s like he just disappeared into thin air."

"Vanished without a trace..."

"I'm sorry, Commander."

The other subordinate, a woman with long hair tied up neatly, reported in a quiet voice before lowering her head. She was the captain of the 8th Platoon, 1st Battalion of the Central Branch of the Council, known for her unmatched skills in mana detection and tracking. Even for her, failure stung.

The Council’s forces had dispatched powerful mages time and again to capture him, but their high-risk target possessed overwhelming strength. Frankly, given how dangerous he was, it was a relief the situation hadn’t ended in greater disaster.

But the world only cared about results.

Hugo rubbed his forehead, exhausted, his gaze drifting to the papers scattered across his desk. The contents were essentially a formal demand.

As more time passed without the Council apprehending Leonardo Blaine, criticism of their competence intensified—much to the irritation of the Council's prideful leadership.

Still, the Council, tasked with maintaining public order and overseeing the empire’s security, couldn’t afford to devote resources solely to hunting one man.

Worse yet, this period was especially volatile, and incidents demanded immediate response. Hugo would soon have to reassign these two officers to another mission without rest.

Recalling the many past failures, Hugo couldn't ignore the reality—a stark disparity in power. With a faint sigh, he made up his mind and slowly rose from his chair.

"I’ll go in person."

"...Excuse me?"

The captain of the 3rd Platoon, who had been raving about the target being a demon, looked at him in disbelief.

"You’re going personally, Commander?"

Hugo gave a small nod as he retrieved his uniform jacket from the hanger. The resolute, solemn gesture sent a chill down the subordinate’s spine. An intense, razor-sharp presence radiated from Hugo, suffocating the office with tension.

A moment ago, the officer had been complaining about the target’s monstrous power, but now, faced with the Commander's overwhelming aura, his feelings toward the soon-to-be-captured fugitive grew complicated.

Of course, he had always hoped the Commander would intervene, but now that it was happening, it signaled that the situation was far more serious than he had realized.

If Hugo himself was pursuing Leonardo, the odds of a peaceful resolution were slim. That man would never surrender quietly.

Hugo slipped on his jacket, fastening the cuff buttons with steady fingers. His icy gaze landed on the name written at the top of the letter of demand.

Leonardo Blaine.

Three years ago, stripped of his military status, he had been released on parole. According to Imperial law, all civilian mages within Raina Logia were required to register with the Council's system, designed to monitor powerful individuals capable of stirring unrest.

But after his discharge and release, Leonardo disappeared without a trace, ignoring all summons to report his personal information. Every time sightings were rumored, Council agents pursued him, only to find he'd already vanished.

Much of his background, once classified under the Imperial Army, remained locked behind layers of secrecy the Council had yet to penetrate.

Even with high-ranking mages dispatched after him, Leonardo always held the upper hand—outfighting them, escaping without a trace. His combat prowess clearly exceeded expectations.

Hugo, after countless failed pursuits, had grown sick of that name.

Like it or not, he'd been chasing Leonardo Blaine for three years now.

But with each memory of failure, Hugo's resolve hardened. It was time to end this.

His gaze fell to the dossier containing Leonardo’s restricted records. He stared at {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the attached photograph, his finger slowly tracing the sharp lines of the fugitive’s face.

"We’ll meet soon."