Vail stiffened on the spot at once, breaking into a heavy sweat, and began glancing in every direction...
Leo rested a hand on his shoulder to steady him, and said in a deep, calm voice:
"The decision's already been made. So, Vail, you need to face this. Running from it isn't an option anymore..."
Raym noticed what was unfolding before him, and felt he needed to say something — but he had no idea what...
A silence settled for a few moments, before Deputy Commander Leo turned toward Irene with a suspicious glance, and said in a confident voice:
"Oh, Fourth Battalion Commander Irene... I haven't heard a word from you since we got here. No objection, no agreement, then???"
Irene smiled back at him confidently, straightened his posture, and said just as confidently:
"We both know my opinion won't change a thing, Lord Deputy Commander. You'd already made the decision beforehand, hadn't you???"
Leo smiled, and thought to himself: Heh. Sharp and to the point, exactly as I remember him.
And before anyone else noticed, Irene turned in the opposite direction ahead of everyone else. A powerful aura flickered for a split second, unnoticed by anyone, and he said in an irritated voice:
"Ohh. He's arrived..."
Everyone turned toward that direction. A strange man sat as though he'd been waiting there for a while, holding what, to his own eye at least, was a magnificent posture — his hair silver like a wolf's, his eyes sharp, his clothes black...
Leo smiled at him, and said in a cheerful voice: "Oh, right on time, then..."
The man looked at Deputy Commander Leo with disdain, and said:
"Hmf! I came the moment I heard it was the Commander's business. Don't think for a second I'm obeying your orders..."
Raym began to feel a flicker of fear toward this strange man. Before he could even think, the man turned toward Raym, past Leo, and said loudly:
"So this is the boy I've heard about, is it??? He looks shattered, inside and out. He's nothing like you all described to me..."
Then he looked deep into Vail's eyes, and sighed, saying:
"As for you, Vail... you, more than anyone, told me about him. You painted a far grander picture than what I see standing before me now. I'll admit, I'm disappointed. I'd expected a good deal more, unfortunately..."
Leo leaned in close to his ear and whispered something between them, and the man's gaze toward Raym shifted...
At that moment, Raym found himself bewildered by him — who was this person? And why did he speak this way??? He was even rude toward the Deputy Commander himself.
Irene stepped closer to Raym, who looked confused, and said to him in a low voice meant only for the two of them:
"Yes, I know you're wondering who this frightening man is, and why he talks the way he does. It's simply because he's the second Deputy Commander, and the Commander's left arm — Lord Sephar. He's a genuinely terrifying man, and what's even more frightening is that the Commander trusts him enough to send him on missions entirely alone — exactly like Lord Leo..."
He lowered his voice further:
"But he's different. He's the most serious person you'll ever meet, bar none!!! He places his loyalty and devotion to the Commander, and to the cause, as the first and only priority!!! Which means he'll be a difficult man to deal with..."
Raym looked at him with even more bewilderment, and thought to himself: You're making this more complicated, not less...
Irene smiled at him, as though he'd heard exactly what Raym had just thought — and that was when Raym recalled something important he'd once overheard:
"Oh, did you hear that rumor???" (someone)
"You mean Lord Daniel's fallen for Lady Arvela???" (someone else)
The first one answered: "No, you idiot, not that... it's about Lord Irene. I heard his eyes and his instincts are so sharp, he can practically see straight through your clothes!!!"
The other one was instantly scandalized — and so, naturally, was Raym...
Before anyone could register it, Commander Seroh rose to his feet, and said in a firm voice:
"Sephar. I'm entrusting this matter fully to you, as we agreed..."
Sephar stood at attention and called out loudly: "Understood, my Lord Commander!!!"
Seroh glanced around once more, a final, reassured look, then turned back, and said to Raym in a sharp, commanding voice:
"Let's go, kid... no — let me say it properly... Raym!!!"