Searching in the Dark (3)

The flames from the fireplace pushed the darkness in the room aside.

Leonardo roughly pulled the Viscount's neck and sat him up against the headboard of the bed, his back properly supported.

The fact that he was acting so recklessly surprised me, considering how considerate he usually was in front of Vittorio or me. Was he fully immersed in this roleplay, or was it because he had no intention of sparing someone who had come to steal his corpse?

After all, he was a former battlefield commander, so perhaps he wasn't as harmless or docile as I had initially thought. This fleeting thought crossed my mind.

I glanced at Leonardo before turning my attention back to Lord Lopez. Now, I had to put on a gentle smile and soothe him, comforting him as if he were a child.

First, I would have to gently scrape at his inferiority complex to relieve some of his pent-up frustrations.

"I understand. You must feel so unfairly treated. Just because you were born a few years later, everything—the vast lands, the vassals, the entire earldom—went to your brother. It must feel like a terrible injustice, right? I'm someone who's always bothered by the people left behind, those who have so much built-up inside them. I can't help but give them another glance."

Softly smiling, I patted the Viscount's shoulder, and Leonardo's gaze followed mine. Did he think he was included in the kind of person I had just described?

Our first encounter was merely me picking up the protagonist, who had nothing and no one to call their own, in a desperate attempt to survive in this world. But if Leonardo thought he was part of that, then it would only make things more convenient for me.

"Anyway, if you're going to play dirty, at least do it right. Do you really think your brother would bat an eye at a few letters with seals on them?"

You're going to die if you keep this up. I've seen it in the future.

"If you're planning to rebel, do it properly. Stop being so cowardly."

I said it with a slight tone of contempt.

A person like Viscount Lopez, full of superiority complex, is difficult to deal with if you indulge them too much. I needed to firmly establish that we held the upper hand here.

It was a process of alternating between cold and warm approaches to sharpen his mind. To make him lose his bearings. I wanted him to think that we, sneaking in like thieves, were some sort of powerful secret force.

It was ridiculous to think that we needed to establish a hierarchy among people like we were beasts, but here we were.

Feigning a relaxed attitude, I flicked through the letters with the tips of my fingers, casually flipping through them, before pulling one out.

The "He" mentioned. There was a reason why Leonardo, in the scenario notes, didn't stop at being confused by the existence of the Count of Bermont but also expressed suspicion that there was another power behind him. Lopez, the Count's subordinate, and someone even higher than him—what was this, a pyramid scheme?

If it's not a duke next, then maybe a prince? Is this some kind of multi-level operation? It felt so tedious.

Despite the annoyance, this kind of layered structure made for a perfect environment to sow discord. I shifted back from my contemptuous tone to a softer, more familiar one, subtly pushing Lopez even further.

"Look at this. You're the one doing all the hard work, coming all the way here, yet the credit will go to the Count of Bermont. At this rate, you'll always be in the position of the tail end, easily replaced if needed. Come on, admit it. You don't even know who 'He' is, do you?"

Lopez' trembling eyes met mine, and then he shut them tight. Of course. I had expected as much. How could a low-level pawn, who's easily cut down at the beginning, know the head of such a secretive, behind-the-scenes power?

Later, when the protagonist eventually strips everything away and demands "spill everything!", Lopez will probably just claim, "I don't know either," reinforcing the grandeur of the ultimate villain.

Lopez was just a scapegoat. A disposable pawn used when necessary and discarded without hesitation once he's no longer needed. As I'd sensed the first day I entered this world, extras and minor characters were always such light and expendable figures in this stage.

Lopez, trembling pitifully and sweating coldly, was a sorry sight. I pretended to gently sweep his hair back from his forehead. Then, without warning, I roughly grabbed his chin and held it in place, forcing him to look straight at me. The meaning was clear: don't you dare look away. Closing his eyes would diminish the fear I had so carefully built up.

Leonardo immediately grasped my intent and firmly held Lopez' jaw in place, ensuring his gaze remained straight ahead. It was a simple motion, but seeing the taut tendons in his hand, it was clear the strength behind it was not light.

Lopez flinched, reopening his eyes that had previously been shut. I quietly gazed at the hollowed contours of his eyes and continued speaking.

"Do you know what a lowly pawn like you has to do to rise to the top? The method is simple. You can either make yourself stand out to those above you, or you can bring them down and take their place. However, in my opinion, the first option has no chance. Your brother will always look down on you."

Snap! 

I snapped my fingers, drawing attention with a light gesture. I added, as if offering a clear solution to a lingering problem:

"So, we'll help you bring your brother down. And, on top of that, finding Leovald's corpse. It sounds fun!"

"..."

"How about it? Are you willing to listen now?"

Viscount Lopez slowly nodded. That was the cue that the groundwork was laid. I motioned with my hand, and Leonardo removed the blanket that had been gagging the Viscount. The crude action caused the Viscount to cough uncontrollably.

Looking at the trembling shoulders of Viscount Lopez, I gave a calm directive.

"Shall we start by hearing what you have to say? All your petty schemes, everything. It's nothing special. I just want to see where you stand. While I am genuinely willing to help, if the one seeking assistance is overly ambitious and knows nothing, it would be quite disappointing."

This, too, was pure bluff. I had picked up fragmented pieces of information from the scenario notes and from Lopez' information file, but I didn't know everything. To put it simply, I had only grasped the general outline.

But the image of me that had already been imprinted on Lopez was that of a mysterious third party who knew all about his backstory. To him, this exchange would likely feel like a test to see how much he could reveal, comparing what I knew with what he was willing to disclose.

Naturally, I was positioned as someone who was interested and was offering help, while Lopez became the one desperate for assistance. An invisible power dynamic had been formed.

He had no choice but to spill everything to prove his worth. There was a reason I had taken the time to establish who was in control.

Eventually, Lopez spilled all the details he knew.

I listened, occasionally responding with indifferent exclamations. The more I did that, the more desperate and detailed his responses became, constantly glancing at me for approval. It was convenient. Was this the taste of power? It felt like an automated response system, where pressing a button gave you the answer.

To summarize what he revealed:

First, the Count of Bermont had indeed instructed the theft of Leovald's body, and in return, Lopez had been promised the fertile vineyards in the western part of the Count's domain and the spoils from Leovald's belongings. The spoils were, as he mentioned, to be offered as payment to a group of grave robbers. He planned to kill them to silence them, so it seems he intended to keep everything for himself.

Second, his mission was to steal Leovald's body, place it in a wagon disguised as a regular trading cart, and transport it to the royal palace. He had no knowledge of what would happen afterward.

Third, he mentioned that he had been lingering around for various excuses, and it seemed like Baron Roald was starting to suspect him. The Count of Bermont was also urging him to hurry and find the body, making Lopez incredibly anxious and near a breaking point.

Fourth, through a letter sent by the Count, he had learned about a passage that connected to the underground sanctuary of the church. He had also obtained a map, but the map was so vague and roughly drawn that the search was being delayed.

Fifth, the reason he had been hiding the letter was that once he found Leovald's body, he didn't plan to hand it over right away. Instead, he intended to secretly steal it and use the body's whereabouts and the letter to blackmail Count Bermont for more rewards. The body was for obtaining the reward, while the letter served as insurance to protect his own safety afterward.

After hearing Lopez' detailed explanation, my thoughts were as follows:

By any chance… is he dim-witted?

As a low-tier villain, and a one-time minor role at that, I hadn't expected much.

What's more ridiculous than the betrayal he concocted was the sheer absurdity of the plan itself. I mean, it wasn't completely impossible, but what was he thinking? To blatantly get all cocky and act hostile like that? This is exactly how the Count is going to think, "This fool is getting too cocky," and cut him down in a single stroke.

Hiding the stolen body? That's something we can figure out after taking him out and consoling his subordinates to spill the beans. After all, the one who moved and transported the body wasn't the Viscount himself, but likely one of his lackeys. As long as the Count doesn't kill everyone involved, there's a way to find out.

Also, keeping the letter secretly? That's not even a foolproof insurance plan. If I were to come up with a countermeasure right now, I'd already have more than ten solutions ready. I gave him a pitying look. You're going to get yourself killed…

Anyway, I had more or less grasped the situation. I snapped my fingers and summed up the conversation with one clear line.

"Man, what a stupid plan!"

Lopez' shoulders hunched like a scared animal, his neck curling in as if he were trying to disappear.

Sorry. But it's the truth, isn't it?