Each one of them had a serious, focused gaze as Leonardo's words came out.
"The item on our agenda is the Vanishing Point incident at Therion Academy two days ago. Are there any opinions?"
Dorian raised his arm at Leonardo's question.
"If I may, we have no actual way of knowing what happened within the Abyss of the Vanishing Point itself as no Jaegers were on the scene at the moment of rupture. And from what we've gathered, our late Hugo teleported every civilian and personnel out of the academy before the incident."
Roselia then raised her hand.
"That is true, but the real problem of this incident was the utter lack of preventive signs that a Vanishing Point would appear at that moment. As you all know, the Genesis Magic Corporation that we Ludwigs are in charge of have developed sensors all throughout Elderngard as a means to prepare for eventual incident."
Claude immediately chimed in.
"But as I'm sure you're already aware, the sensors did not pick up on the appearance of the Vanishing Point. We all know that before total rupture, there are always spikes in ambient mana when a Vanishing Point appears. And it is the GMC's sensors that detect such spikes in mana levels. But even then, the incident happened without notice. So what are we supposed to conclude, Roselia?"
Roselia clenched her fists at the question, fully conscious of Claude's insinuations.
"Now, now, you old fossils. Pointing fingers won't help here," Greg cut in between them almost instantly.
"On our side, with the help of the GMC's mages, we've investigated the side to the best of our abilities. And considering the damage we witnessed, we can only conclude that whatever Hugo was facing, it was powerful."
Leonardo then leaned back in his seat, hands interlocked on the table before him.
"I see. But as it stands, we still do not know what happened at Therion Academy."
"Your Majesty…"
"Hm?"
Leonardo's yes drifted towards Claude.
"What is it, Claude?" Leonardo's curiosity was piqued as even the other three elders' eyes went towards him.
"Though I can affirm it with full certainty, wouldn't our efforts be more fruitful if we pursued another lead?"
All of them reacted at Claude's words with surprise and confusion.
"What is it that you mean, Claude?" arms on the table with elbows resting against the cold surface, Leonardo leaned in, chin resting against his interlocked fingers.
"I propose that we pursue another irregularity that may provide us with some answers if any."
Claude studied each one of his interlocutors before elaborating.
"Stop talking in circles and get to the point already," Greg expressed, the suspense killing him like a bad itch.
"I was getting right to it," Claude then cleared his throat.
"A few years ago, Hugo approached me with a certain favor."
Claude began, everyone's attentiveness being high while Leonardo, with his eyes becoming more focused, more or less figured out what was going to be said.
"He wanted me to register a certain boy for him. And the boy in question had emerged from a Vanishing Point."
As the words left his mouth, Dorian's jaw dropped while Greg's eyes widened in shock and a gasp escaped Roselia's throat. All but Leonardo seemed to have been surprised by this news.
"How is that possible?!" Dorian's voice rose an octave as jumped out of his seat
"Calm down, Dorian. Let Claude finish his tale," Leonardo's gaze locked onto Dorian's, calming him down as he sat back down.
"You can continue."
Claude offered a slight bow to Leonardo as he continued.
"As I was saying, the boy had come out of a Vanishing Point and was taken in by the Jaegers Association under the supervision of Chris Blakelord. Hugo, who was on his way to pay a visit to Deker von Rotsguard on that day, discovered the existence of the boy."
"I have no knowledge of what happened specifically, but after that event, Hugo came to me, asking me to register the boy as a Realizer within our database."
As Claude retold the tale, Greg's finger was tapping non-stop on the roundtable they were seating around on.
"As you all know, Hugo's influence is in no way inferior to that of our own, and as I saw him as a trusted friend, I did not inquire on his intentions. But I cannot deny that I did do my own research on the incident, and what I discovered was that when the Vanishing Point from which the boy emerged ruptured, no Abyss was formed in the process. The portal simply vanished behind the boy, and the strike team that had been dispatched was dismantled by said boy."
"Haa…" Greg released a deep sigh and clutched the bridged of his nose in frustration. 'Deker… You stupid son of mine… Just what did you rope yourself into?'
Dorian and Roselia simply remained silent, the tension in the air becoming thicker in the process.
"I recently learned that the boy you speak of attended the academy right until the incident that occurred during the 5-Star Competition."
Leonardo broke the silence, attracting the attention of Claude and the others.
"That is correct Your Majesty. But it is my belief that Hugo harbored that boy somewhere in Elderngard for all these years. Not only that, but as we all know, Hugo was not only the greatest mage in Elderngard, but he was also an intelligent and cunning man whose actions and intentions always carried a certain form of mystery."
"But Hugo is already dead. His body burned alongside the academy. It was even a miracle there was a body to salvage," Dorian glared at Claude intently, arms crossed as he leaned back into his seat.
"Yes. I'm aware of that fact."
"Then what's your point? Why bring up that kid only now?"
The air became thicker and thicker with silence as Claude then released a deep exhale.
"The incident at the academy was an irregularity that we couldn't foresee. Even with the recent drops in rate of Vanishing Point appearance, it is still a matter of fact that we know little about their true nature."
Claude's posture was straight and firm while his eyes were determined and focused as the words left.
"Hence, though I cannot affirm that we will obtain consequential information, I propose that we begin an all-out search of Ace Blakelo—"
"How fascinating," a gentle, polite voice brushed Claude's ears, interrupting him as all eyes now widened in direction of the black-haired man with red eyes that had appeared from thin air. "Would you mind if I join in?"