Sub Quest (5)

The sailor who entrusted the task to Leonardo was a bearded captain with a rugged, bushy beard and a rather fierce expression. His coarse, weather-beaten skin, hardened by the sea breeze, contrasted with his pale face, which was trembling in distress.

"My Roboy hasn't returned! Ahh, Roboy! He's a smart one, never straying from the harbour, and even if he goes for a brief walk, he always returns to the ship before we set sail. If he hasn't come back yet, something must have happened! Please, won't you help me? I promise to reward you!"

Main Objective: Take the Lucky Roboy to the Captain (0/1)

Additional Objectives:

 – Conduct an investigation at the harbour (0/3) 

 – Explore the harbour area (Current progress: 6%)

The level of quest rewards and Leonardo's fame increase depends on the completion level of the quest.

Quest Participants: Leonardo, the suspicious innkeeper of Sinistra

High Achievement: Harbour exploration progress 80% or more (Fame +150)

Medium Achievement: Harbour exploration progress 70% or more (Fame +100)

Low Achievement: Harbour exploration progress 60% or more (Fame +30)

Time Limit: 11 hours 29 minutes 59 seconds

A small, grey map appeared under the "Explore the Harbour Area" task, with the path Leonardo and I had taken highlighted in a bright colour. It seemed that fully colouring in this map would serve as evidence of the exploration.

"This is Roboy's favourite snack. Please, I beg of you!"

The captain explained that the mascot cat, the lucky charm of the ship, had yet to return, which was why they had delayed their departure. As Leonardo nodded thoughtfully, he was given a description of the cat: short, silvery-grey fur with a glossy sheen, white boots on its paws, and sapphire-coloured eyes.

With a heart-felt plea to bring Roboy back, we left the dock.

Cat-finding requests like this were a frequent motif in stories like these. While chasing after a cat, mismatched companions might unite in solidarity, or they might happen upon clues to another mystery during the pursuit. Even just briefly recalling similar stories, dozens of works flashed through my mind.

Isn't the time limit way too long?

I clicked my tongue as I looked around the dock, which stretched along the coast—starting from the sailors' taverns to the bustling fish markets and stalls of all sizes. Of course, the area to be searched was quite large, but still, giving us half a day seemed excessive.

'Did they give us extra time on purpose?' I thought to myself. Just as I was contemplating this, Leonardo spoke up.

"Now that we've come this far, why don't you tell me honestly? What kind of trouble has blown into the harbour?"

It seemed that Leonardo found his dark blue hair blowing in the wind to be quite bothersome, as he brushed it off his forehead. The frown he wore made him look like a reckless, carefree troublemaker living a wild life.

Inside, he was more like a national hero—diligent and sincere, almost like a model youth—but his outward appearance was far from it.

His sharp, cold eyes, drawing a straight line like a fierce wind, his hawk-like, clear grey irises, the shadows falling along his well-proportioned nose, and his tightly shut lips made him seem somehow unruly and rough around the edges.

What does he looked like as Leovald? I had seen the corpse in the coffin during the first scenario, but I was so disoriented back then that I didn't really remember. Lost in thought, I took a moment to gather my memories and responded to Leonardo's question a little more slowly.

"I came here to investigate."

"About what?"

"It's a trade secret…"

I played a bit coy, then eventually decided to share the information.

"Do you remember Lord Lopez? That arrogant nobleman. The truth is, the reason he came to Sinistra was for a joint investment in the trading port. It's something tied to your father too. I wonder if you didn't know about it?"

"If you're talking about my father… Ah, you mean Count Ertinez?"

Leonardo, oh Leonardo. How can you answer so nonchalantly, like you're some stranger to the family? Are you going to give away the fact that you're possessed by him? Can you at least put a bit more effort into your disguise?

Internally scolding his half-hearted immersion into the role, I responded.

"What's with that distant title?"

"…Well, I'm not exactly on the best terms with my father."

I guess that's true. I let his weak excuse slide and steered the conversation back.

"Now that I think about it, it makes sense you wouldn't know. Baron Roald just sent a proposal to Count Ertinez a few days ago. The young master probably wouldn't know either, since he's been missing. Anyway, I've been looking into it, and I have a feeling that man has something shady going on. It seems like he's trying to extend his influence over the harbour."

"How do you know something like that…?" 

"Never mind that. So, what do you think?"

"I don't like bugs swarming around my territory."

Besides, in some later semi-antagonist scenarios, I'll need to contribute enough to have some real impact. If I want to be the admirable first contributor, I need to prepare in advance.

Leonardo gave me a subtle look, then sighed.

"I still don't quite understand what you're thinking. So, are we going our separate ways?"

"No. Since we're together, I'll help you out with your task. And since the cat's quick, we'll have to surround it from both sides to catch it, right? In return, when we're done with this, you'll help me with mine. Sounds like a fair trade."

"I do feel like I'm being dragged into this, but fine."

With that, Leonardo stretched his body and began loosening up. His posture gave off the unmistakable intent of running full speed. When I asked what he was doing, he answered as if it was obvious.

"Like you said, cats are quick. They like secluded spots and tend to hide in narrow spaces when they're bored. You can't expect to find one of them by wandering through busy streets."

"…Have you ever owned a cat?"

"A friend of mine had one."

With that, Leonardo effortlessly hopped up onto the fence, his movement light as a wild animal. It was such a graceful motion, it almost seemed like it could be considered trespassing, but no one paid much attention, and Leonardo didn't seem bothered either.

With a grimace on my face, I stood there when Leonardo suddenly reached out his hand.

"Are you just going to stay down there?"

"Uh, yeah. I was planning to, but… my sense of balance is a bit… ugh!"

Before I could finish my excuse, Leonardo tightened his grip on my arm and effortlessly pulled me up. Stepping onto the narrow width of the wall, I felt like I was walking on a balance beam. I wobbled a bit, feeling dizzy, and Leonardo instinctively wrapped his arm around my back to steady me, preventing me from falling.

[Scenario Weight: 5.09%]

The letters flashed across my eyes for just a brief moment before vanishing. The strange sense of déjà vu that had been lingering grew stronger, causing me to frown, though the feeling quickly dispersed. As two men climbed up onto the wall, the space became cramped, and the discomfort of the position made it hard to continue my train of thought.

Once I got used to the height, walking wasn't impossible. My eyes still stayed fixed on my feet in unease. From up here, the entire harbour came into view much more clearly. After confirming that I was managing to stay upright, Leonardo turned his gaze forward.

"I can already see one."

"That one's not wearing boots."

"…The boots are a metaphor."

"…..?"

Leonardo calmly explained that some cat enthusiasts refer to cats with different-coloured fur on their paws as having "boots" or "wearing a tuxedo."

"Am I maybe more careless than I look?" I asked, half-joking, but feeling a bit unfairly judged.

He responded with a smirk. "Seems like your knowledge is a bit skewed on certain points."

This guy was subtly trying to paint me as suspicious but somehow endearing, wasn't he? I shot him a suspicious glance but didn't say anything, instead following the fluffy cat walking along the wall. I figured that if I kept trailing the cat, it would lead me to where the others were hiding.

Occasionally, I came across street vendors squatting beneath the wall, setting up their stalls, and I would crouch down to ask them friendly questions.

"Have you seen a grey cat around here?"

"With all the fish around, the cats tend to gather in groups."

"This one's got a smooth coat and white boots on its paws, so it probably stood out."

"Oh, you're looking for Roboy too? The captain's been desperately searching for him since a while ago, but I'm afraid I haven't seen him…"

The little cat was elusive, more so than I expected. I began to think it wouldn't be as easy as I had initially assumed, so I shifted the conversation.

"What about the people who suddenly appeared around here a few days ago? A group of strangers has been wandering around in places where no one usually pays attention. I'm starting to worry they might've snatched Roboy. With all the people showing up lately, maybe they took him to demand a ransom, now that the captain's been so desperate searching for him."

The merchant sighed, reacting with a mix of disbelief and surprise, as if to say, Is there really such strange people out there? It's always hard to get people to talk if you ask outright, but by dropping hints like this, the answers usually come more naturally.

"You mean the ones with cloaks? I saw them the other day. They seemed off."

"What was strange about them?"

"Well… they showed up at dusk, disappeared somewhere, and then didn't come back until around noon the next day. Most people come during the day and leave at night, but I've been here all day selling, so I noticed something was wrong."

So, these suspicious people had been hanging around the harbour from dusk till noon the next day?

I nodded, committing the merchant's words to memory. The scent of a storyline was already starting to hang in the air.