Sub Quest (4)

Early in the morning.

I squeezed the water out of my wet hair as I stood up. The luxury of a porcelain bathtub was something I could never afford in this inn, so squeezing myself into a wooden tub was the best I could manage.

The only downside was the lack of hot water. But after boiling a pot full of water and pouring it twice, the temperature was just right. There was no need to be too realistic here, anyway.

Figuring my wet hair would dry on its own, I returned to my room and sat at the desk. The clues I had gathered over the past few days through the notice board and the street urchins were steadily piling up, giving me more leads for future developments. With the help of the copy bug, I had plenty of money to spare. I bought a lot of paper to organize my thoughts, and the stack of notes had grown quite thick by now.

The dampness from my hair, which was at an awkward length covering my neck, dripped down, and I tilted my head to prevent it from spreading onto the papers. The cool morning air touched my damp skin, providing some relief. As I sat there, lost in thought while staring at the papers, a neat knock echoed through the room. The sound wasn't coming from the lower part of the door but higher up, which left only one possible person.

"Come in."

It was Leonardo. Though it was still early morning, it wasn't unusual for him to visit at this time, given his typically diligent nature. As for me, I had woken up unusually early today. The days of sleepless nights due to tension seemed to have passed, and perhaps the fact that I was finally getting some proper rest was helping.

I had been bustling around since dawn, washing up and rifling through papers, so it was no surprise that Leonardo knew I was awake and had come to find me.

Instead of speaking immediately, he took in the whole room with a glance. His gaze wandered, first landing on the scattered blankets and pillows on the floor, then moving to the desk piled high with papers, before finally resting on me—drenched hair left carelessly unattended, droplets dripping down.

Even after seeing the mess, Leonardo remained silent. He stepped in, asked for permission, and began straightening the blankets and tapping the papers into neat stacks. I watched him, somewhat absent-mindedly.

Now that I thought about it, he was the Commander of the First Army, wasn't he? Maybe his military background was kicking in here.

After tidying up the disarray, he tossed a dry towel at me. I caught it by the neck and draped it over myself. Leonardo had a mildly displeased look on his face, but soon got to the point.

"If you allow me, I'd like to take some time off this morning."

Over the past few days, Leonardo had been busy with his side work. He was completely broke, with nothing to his name, truly a penniless situation. Luckily, the bulletin board was set up, and people had started posting all kinds of requests.

There were even some that could potentially help him raise his reputation—requests that would benefit the scenario's requirements. So, I had encouraged him to go ahead. After all, business at the inn was slow during the day, and taking time out to deal with outside tasks was fine. Besides, if he wanted to buy information from me, he'd need to save up some money.

Since then, Leonardo often came to me for permission and would go out into the village to build up his reputation points.

Curious, I asked around and found out that he was doing all sorts of odd jobs. Apparently, just yesterday, he mediated a dispute between brothers over the ownership of a pot left by their father. And the day before that, he had uncovered the secret behind a suspicious grain storage where wheat had been mysteriously disappearing.

[Current reputation score of Leonardo in Sinistra: 870 points][One citizen of Sinistra's review: "He has a bit of a fierce look, but he's a rare and diligent young man!"]

Right. Diligent…

I glanced at the floating text in the air before asking Leonardo.

"What's the plan for today?"

"I'm planning to head toward the harbour. A sailor apparently lost their lucky cat while unloading cargo. There's been a sighting near the harbour, so I'm going to check it out."

While the heroic mission he took on was trivial at best, the word "harbour" caught my attention. 

"Harbour?"

Upon seeing my reaction, Leonardo stiffened. He responded in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"Your expression is really suspicious."

"What kind of rude comment is that? Yes, a cat. A cat, right…"

I wasn't sure if it was related to my current investigation, but since the harbour was involved, I couldn't help but stay alert. After considering the timing, I spoke up abruptly.

"Let's go together. Oh, but let's have breakfast first."

"You too?"

"I have some business there anyway. I'll leave the inn with Vittorio for a bit. There aren't any customers during the day anyway."

Lately, Vittorio has been learning the inn's chores from me. Honestly, I'm just as much of a newbie as he is, pretending to know what I'm doing, but since I felt bad for him being so awkward and always on edge, that's how it happened.

Thanks to that, I can leave the inn with him for an hour or two if I sit him with the street kids who come by sometimes.

"Aren't you neglecting your business too much?"

"I'm the owner, so what does it matter?"

I lazily leaned back in the chair and responded, and Leonardo shook his head a little.

A few minutes later, after I woke up a still-drowsy Vittorio and asked him to take care of the inn for the morning, I went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Leonardo followed, rolling up his sleeves as if he were used to helping out.

We always had a lot to prepare for breakfast, but ever since Vittorio joined the meal count, Leonardo had been consistently helping out in the kitchen.

He may have been hurt by betrayal, but in the end, he's a diligent, responsible, and proper hero—someone who feels straight out of the old school feel-good stories. It really takes me back to those days.

Vittorio tried to help too, but I told him to rest until his leg fully heals, so I sat him down again.

I left the task of dicing the carrots, shallots, mushrooms, and raw meat to Leonardo. His knife moved back and forth across the cutting board with a focused expression, carefully chopping the carrots into perfectly diced pieces, like they were drawn on graph paper. Vittorio and I couldn't help but admire this skill. They were truly flawless squares.

Once the ingredients were prepared, we heated a generous amount of oil in a large pan and added the finely chopped meat that Leonardo had prepared. The oil coated the meat, creating a glossy sheen as it fried, filling the kitchen with a deliciously savoury smell. When the vegetables in a separate pan were golden and crisp, we combined them with the meat and added a spoonful of butter, continuing to stir until everything was cooked through.

Preparing six servings at once meant the pan was heavy, but whenever my wrist started to hurt, Leonardo would immediately take over, so I never had to worry about strain.

We added tomato sauce, herbs, and a bit of spicy seasoning to the fried mixture, then poured in some wine, letting it simmer gently. After seasoning it with a bit of salt, we let the sauce reduce until the filling was ready.

The sizzling sound of the juicy meat and sauce bubbling away in the pan was music to my ears. From the counter connecting to the kitchen, I could hear the faint tapping of Vittorio's foot.

Yes, delicious food always brings out a sense of excitement in people.

With Leonardo handling the frying, I took the opportunity to grease the oven pot. I pressed down on the dough I'd bought fresh from the bakery across the street, creating walls of flour dough. After letting the filling cool slightly, I generously stuffed it into the pot, making sure the balance was perfect.

While Vittorio and Leonardo weren't looking, I thickly sliced some cheese and placed it over the filling, like tucking a blanket over it, before covering it with the dough. After breaking an egg and brushing it over the dough, all that was left was to wait.

The meat pie came out of the oven golden-brown and perfectly baked, with the juices sealed inside. The crust was crispy, its brown hue giving it a rustic charm. The pie, shaped round to fit the pot, looked delicious.

Now used to the large portions, we gathered around to share the pie. The flaky crust cracked open, and inside, the juicy filling, which had been simmering in the oven, melded together, creating a harmonious blend of flavours. The cheese stretched out as we pulled apart the slices, evoking a familiar nostalgia.

Vittorio beamed at the long strings of cheese, clearly pleased. There's a reason cheese has remained popular for years. With a satisfied smile, he took another bite.

"This would sell well if we added it to the inn's menu," he said.

"Wouldn't it be too expensive? The ingredients are quite fancy—meat, dough, and it takes quite a bit of effort to make," I replied.

Lately, I felt like I was getting better at cooking, since I kept focusing on the food for the inn, neglecting the actual lodging business.

A slice of the pie vanished in a blink of an eye, and before long, Leonardo was already devouring his second. His cheeks puffed out, and I couldn't help but feel the urge to tease him. His muscles may be growing, but I couldn't be the only one noticing it.

After finishing the meal, I waved goodbye to Vittorio and stepped out into the street.

Sinistra had developed as a city due to its geographical advantages. 

I only saw the pale, empty world outside the city walls, but according to the locals, a gentle mountain rose to the north. Even with the mountain, it didn't obstruct travel, so Sinistra had been able to grow smoothly. To the southwest, where the guards' outposts and checkpoints were located, the open plains allowed outsiders to mostly enter and exit through the southwest gate.

If you descended the sloped road to the east, you'd reach the harbour, where sea trade was bustling. In an era when shipping goods by boat was more common than by cart, the geographical conditions were perfectly suited for this type of trade.

I strolled leisurely down the lively harbour path. The salty breeze brushed through my hair, a pleasant sensation. The sea stretched wide before me, revealing a bright blue reflection of the sky.

Who could claim that this vast ocean was a false creation, a world made up of lies? A weight that I hadn't even realized was there felt a little lighter.

Well, regardless of how I felt, I was still trapped in this scripted world.