"Wow—."
The participants being escorted and moved each let out admiring groans. Of course, Leonardo was no exception. His golden eyes, wider than usual, looked around the interior of the main arena beyond the arched windows.
Though he had guessed it would be spacious when moving around looking for entrances outside, once he actually entered, the scale was so magnificent that the other side of the arena felt distantly far away. It was called an arena, but with some exaggeration, it felt like entering an island that had been renovated for the purpose of the league. Inside, there were not only the home ground and spectator seats, but also various convenience facilities and commercial establishments lined up.
Moreover, he had thought the strong feeling of water energy was due to the nearby river, but that wasn't the only reason. Artificial waterfalls formed in tiers between the spectator seats were flowing refreshingly in curves. All the water streams pouring from the waterfalls gathered toward the center of the arena, forming another river that flowed along the edges of the vast ground.
For a moment, he was reminded of the mysterious room he had discovered in the Castle of Romance, but it was brief. The river again climbed up curved transparent pillars that reached to the ceiling.
Eight pillars extending from all directions met at the open ceiling to form a semicircular roof. Water streams that should have fallen vertically according to the world's principles swirled at the center of the ceiling, then flowed down leisurely along the opposite pillars to become waterfalls that poured down.
Though he couldn't know the exact principle, it was a beautiful sculpture that combined water and light without blocking the sky. Thanks to this, wave shadows rippled on the ground where sunlight poured down. It was a unique structure that utilized the characteristics of Agrizendro territory, called the city of water, while also pleasing the eyes. It felt like being inside an underwater world.
In terms of compatibility, it was the worst place for Leonardo, but since it was His Grace's home ground, he didn't feel bad about it. However, he regretted that he couldn't immediately sense his presence. Finding a hidden blue jewel in a place filled entirely with the color and scent of water was not an easy task.
Of course, there was no way he wouldn't attend a league event hosted by the Council on the opening ceremony day. With that one hope, Leonardo gripped the open window frame and peered around various parts of the arena.
'Is he inside here even now?'
Part of the spectator seats had been renovated into box seats like an opera house, or private seats for VIPs were separately prepared. Though many seats weren't filled yet, since he was a duke of the empire, the Commander of the Council, and the lord of this land, he would likely sit in such symbolic seats.
As he stopped walking and looked outside with regret, a member approached and gave him a warning.
"The test will begin soon. Please move quickly."
Leonardo, who turned around, answered with a nod. Then, while moving his steps, he again scanned the other side of the arena and the ground where rehearsals were taking place.
Temporary portal entrances were glowing here and there. It seemed they were installed for convenience since it would take half a day to cross on foot. Or perhaps the match venues extended outside.
If it was the latter, the probability of meeting him would be lower, so he hoped the test would end even a little quickly to give him some leisure time. He wished he could see his face at least once, even from afar...
His hesitating gaze, unable to overcome the urging member's glare, moved to the stairs that appeared ahead. Leonardo slowly climbed the steps following the guidance while pursuing Hugo's presence until the last moment.
On the other hand, he repeated vague expectations and defensive resignation about whether that person could recognize his appearance with his face completely covered.
"Preparations are proceeding smoothly. In about 30 minutes, we will connect communications with the Central Branch stadium, adjust delay values, and hold the opening ceremony simultaneously starting at 7 PM imperial time. All VIP and distinguished guest exclusive entry routes have been controlled, and we briefly mentioned non-congested routes while reconfirming attendance this morning."
Hugo listened to the report from the Council league operations manager while scanning the interior of the main arena. The northern part of the arena where he was located was an area accessible only to officials. Though operations staff occasionally ran around busily, it was relatively less crowded compared to other areas.
"All performance teams have arrived except one and are doing final rehearsals in their assigned waiting rooms and halls. The remaining team had some problems on the way, so we received a response that they will arrive by 2 hours before the opening ceremony, excluding the rehearsal for now. All ignition and lighting devices to be used in the performance have also completed safety inspections and confirmed normal operation."
Though there was still some time left until the opening ceremony began, Hugo, who had deliberately arrived at the arena early, was personally checking inspection items for smooth proceedings. Of course, that wasn't the only reason he was moving diligently.
"We coordinated to allow entry from a slightly earlier time since there's a risk of crowding when the time approaches. However, we instructed in advance that tickets must be carried during entry, and re-entering spectators must also pass through security checkpoints to enter. Security personnel position assignments are..."
"Have all test participants arrived?"
The manager, who had been looking at his notebook, suddenly stopped speaking and glanced up at the Commander. Hugo, who had stopped walking at some point, was standing with his hands behind his back by the corridor window, scanning the left side of the arena.
The manager checked his wristwatch and answered.
"Ah, yes. Since 2 PM local time was the assembly time, the participant support team would have escorted them to the multipurpose hall. Do you have any specific instructions?"
"...No. I was wondering when it would end."
"Hmm... Since it varies by test type, we can't specify an exact time, but it seems it will finish around the same time as the opening ceremony ends. I heard that this year's participants increased by about 1.5 times compared to last year, so they decided to divide the events and conduct tests over two days. I'll inquire with the person in charge and report back to you."
Hugo nodded while unable to take his eyes off a single point on the other side of the arena. Though it was unclear due to the large crowd, he somehow felt Leonardo's presence rippling from that place.
However, he couldn't be certain whether this was his misconception or truly his presence. There were some who applied for participation but didn't actually attend, and above all, since he was someone who acted cautiously, even if he had participated, he would have perfectly concealed his presence.
'Still, if I said I stopped by to encourage them before the test started, I could naturally make contact with the participants.'
Of course, it wasn't even the main tournament, and there had never been a case where the Commander personally visited test participants to greet them. There were so many of them, and there were so many other things to pay attention to.
Come to think of it, if he encountered him before the match for no reason, he might feel burdened. Hugo let out a silent sigh and decided to wait quietly until Leonardo finished the test and came out.
Then, the manager who was continuing to flip through his notebook spoke up.
"Ah, and there's one report that came up 2 hours ago. There was a small disturbance at the A-9 entrance security checkpoint."
"Disturbance?"
"Yes. An attempt by a spectator to enter while hiding firearms was detected, so he was arrested and handed over to the Eastern Branch 2nd District Inspection Office. However, Council uniforms and three admission tickets not belonging to him were found hidden among old clothes in the bag he was carrying."
Hugo, who had been walking with his hands behind his back, stopped in place.
"Our uniforms and three admission tickets? Where did he get those?"
"The source of the uniforms is unclear. However, judging from the fact that they were old clothes rather than new ones, there seems to have been an omission in the processing by the partner company that collects uniforms. For the admission tickets, we checked the unique identification numbers, and they weren't issued to specific individuals but were for invitation distribution."
Hugo's brow gradually narrowed. Flies buzzing around on noisy event days was always a common occurrence. But the timing was bad. The explosion incident at Pentagov had only been officially concluded a few weeks ago.
The fact that the perpetrator had even prepared Council uniforms should be seen as an attempt to infiltrate with a specific purpose. Worried that it might be a precursor to copycat crimes imitating the accident that had once become a topic, Hugo became notably on edge.
The manager, reading the Commander's expression, trailed off and added:
"The admission tickets seem to have been obtained from leaks from other institutions..."
"Did you determine the purpose?"
"Ah, though it's hard to believe his statements, he claims to be from Bermuda and says he came to obtain Cardo's Gemstone. He also said he came to realize the will of the universe..."
"...."
"Yes, he seems to be... mentally unsound, so we haven't been able to determine his exact purpose and identity yet. I'll report the details as soon as additional interrogation results come in. The other firearms found were items that have often been confiscated since previous years, such as lighters, matches, small fireworks, and cheering flare guns, so the on-site counter-terrorism response team immediately dismantled and disposed of them."
Hugo, who was about to habitually run his hand through his hair, paused at the feel of hair gel on his fingertips and lowered his hand. He then continued while needlessly adjusting his tie.
"...Good work. But this doesn't seem like a matter to easily overlook, so request additional personnel from headquarters. About 200 people."
"Yes, understood."
"This matter could be a disturbance aimed at inciting hatred toward those from Bermuda. So don't inform outsiders until the interrogation is completed and accurate results are available. Since we need to verify whether there are any infiltrators inside, I'll entrust this matter to Adjutant Levernil. Listen to him for detailed instructions."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."