Hooked! (5)

Startled, I leaned forward, and Leonardo caught my chin, supporting it. Only then did I realize how much I had pulled my body back and instinctively moved farther away. I glanced at Vittorio with anxious eyes.

I wondered if he was doing something to the little one.

Perhaps sensing my unease, Leonardo grabbed me and quickly descended. As we climbed onto the roof, which was still relatively close to the inn, the view and sounds became clearer. Vittorio, as usual, must have sensed something and woke up, peeking into the hallway.

Then, I saw the fluttering black cloak.

***

Vittorio always had sharp hearing. It was partly innate, but also due to the environment he had grown up in.

The nights in this city were always pitch black, and when winter came, even the faintest chime of the afternoon bell— ding ding ding—ding—would bring the night early. Vittorio knew that meant it was 4 o'clock, having learned that one bell chime multiplied four times would signal the hour.

The dark streets were full of things that required vigilance. There were drunkards wandering the streets at late hours, adults from the watch patrol who didn't care for street urchins, and vagrants who would steal money or food from the homeless to scrape by for a meal.

Because of this, Vittorio was always alert and cautious. When kids like him banded together, adult kindness seemed distant. He was more likely to have something taken from him or be watched than to be protected, and there were times he was even chased away as a pickpocket.

The street children in this city didn't all live under the same roof. They were used to building walls around themselves, making the street their home. Vittorio was the same.

However, he was a bit more agile than the other kids, had better endurance, and was quicker to understand things. So, he didn't just build a wall for himself but extended it, becoming the leader of his group of vagrants.

Some kids would enter the church and grow under its protection, but Vittorio had younger siblings and friends to take care of, so instead of entering the walls, he considered himself a massive wall in and of itself.

His distrust and vigilance grew alongside his life on the streets. 

But these days, it was different.

"Uh… are you here?"

Vittorio caught sight of a black cloak swaying faintly in the corridor and, thinking it was someone he knew, instinctively greeted them before suddenly stopping. His sharp ears had caught the sound, and something felt off, waking him from his sleep. He initially assumed it was the innkeeper and Leonardo returning.

But something was different. There was no usual response.

If it were the innkeeper, by now he would have been coming over, saying, "Oh, you're still awake? Or did I wake you? We're back," while patting Vittorio's head. Leonardo, too, would usually tap him lightly on the back.

The boy flinched, hunching his shoulders and looking up. At the end of the corridor stood a man, his face obscured by a strange mask, draped in a black cloak like a looming shadow.

Vittorio quickly considered his options. Should he be surprised? Or should he turn around and run? Or… or…

He continued pretending to rub his tired eyes and yawn.

"Guest… the bathroom is over there."

Heart pounding, Vittorio spoke sleepily. Then, calmly, he turned his back and reached for the door handle. His hand, sweaty and sticky, felt unpleasantly damp as he grasped the knob. The creaking of the door as he pushed it open was drowned out by the sound of his thundering heart.

Vittorio squeezed his eyes shut and tried to distract himself.

The innkeeper had taught Vittorio many things, including math and writing, and occasionally shared very peculiar pieces of knowledge.

["By doing this, tears come out in an instant? Huh? Do you think you need to cry on purpose? Sometimes I do."]

["If you think about yawning, you end up yawning. Want to try? Haha. It's so weird… Ugh, I caught it too. This is a secret from the young master. If you even show a little sign of being sleepy, he'll try to put you to sleep right away. He's like a sleep fairy or something."]

["When you want to make a certain expression, don't consciously try to do it. If you deliberately move your face to create it, it'll end up exaggerated or distorted. Just keep thinking about the emotion you want to express. Then your expression will follow naturally, like a puppy following a walk."]

And right now, it seems like he himself was probably, no, extremely natural.

With a click, the door closed, and he ran to the bed, pulling the blanket over himself. Then he closed his eyes and, while controlling his breath, pretended to sleep. The sound of his heart beating followed.

And whether it was a brief moment or a while later.

The sound of a knock echoed. Vittorio's shoulders tensed, but he quickly realized that the rhythm of the knocking was the familiar 'tap, tap, tap.'

He went to the door and opened it.

What came toward him was now a large, well-extended hand, the shape and touch of which he had grown somewhat accustomed to. The innkeeper gently ruffled Vittorio's head and whispered with a slightly trembling voice.

"You did well."

He seemed to try to smile a little more casually, as usual, but it didn't look like it was going well.

Vittorio watched his expression and, leaning against him, thought, 'It was real.'

When you try to force an expression, it shows.

Only then did Vittorio let go of his fear and anxiety. In the innkeeper's embrace, the still and cool scent of the night air mixed with the heavy odour that often emanated from Leonardo, along with the distinct grassy smell that the man carried with him.

Leonardo watched them for a moment, then peeked slightly out the window.

Before long, Count Bermont and the lowly humans he had personally fed and revived had disappeared into the distance.

***

The next day, I contacted the Viscount and arranged the time and place for the deal. Rather than a secluded place typically associated with negotiations or transactions, I chose a bright and open location. The appointed time was late in the afternoon, early enough to be considered evening. I aimed for the dinner time period, thinking it would reduce the chances of being double-crossed.

Still, given that the count had secretly entered the city while hiding his identity, and he seemed to want to handle this matter quietly, he wouldn't recklessly attack us in a crowded place. It's advantageous to choose such a location because it allows us to guard against a preemptive attack to some extent.

Just in case, I also picked a place close to the church.

Oh, and to scout the location, I went to the church again to meet Orlie, but he was busy today too.

This negotiation is likely our best chance to gather the most information, so we need to prepare well. As I was lost in thought with this burden, I noticed that Leonardo was also deep in thought. He had been like that since last night.

Knowing that the person targeting his body was involved with that must be disturbing for him. It's confirmed that there's a hidden plot.

Perhaps being a hero means you can't rest even in death.

After hesitating for a moment, I remembered that he ate less than usual for breakfast, and I called out to Leonardo.

"Young Master."

"..."

"Young Master?"

No response.

I grabbed his chin and turned his face toward me. Our eyes met.

"Leo."

"Oh, did you call me?"

"Yeah, I've been calling you for a while. You looked serious."

"…Hmm."

Leonardo, realizing he had zoned out, rubbed his cheek and responded.

"It's just that, no matter how much I think about it, it's strange. Those things we saw yesterday."

"What about them?"

"They looked like they were taking orders, didn't they? Humans are nothing but prey to them, not something to obey or cooperate with. It made me wonder if Count Bermont was one of the assimilated."

"That's not it."

Leonardo's gaze fixed on me intently. I responded a bit belatedly.

"Bermont has nothing to do with them. He wasn't one of the assimilated or mimicked ones. He's human."

"How can you be so sure?"

"With my own special method?"

"..."

He looked at me intently, almost burning a hole through my face.

"You saw it in the underground, right? How I managed to handle the assimilated one pretty well. The details are a trade secret, so it's up to you whether you believe me or not."

"…Seeing you, my situation doesn't seem so bad."

"You're too kind."

After a bit of playful humility, I looked at him seriously again.

"There are three key things in this negotiation. Who is behind the count, what they want to do with the body, and if possible, information about those creatures."

"Understood."

"And I'm going to sabotage this negotiation."

This was certain. There was no way we could hand over Leovald's body. Given the body's pristine condition, it seemed likely Leonardo would eventually regain his original body.

"Let's think about how to disappear after extracting everything we can."

Leonardo nodded solemnly.

"I know you don't care about money, but there's no need to refuse what you can get. If there's anything I can help with, let me know. It's hard to set a fire in a crowded place, though."

"Of course. I don't plan on starting a fire either. And by extracting, I mean information, not money, but yeah."

Isn't he starting to take after me a bit? And isn't it a bit off to even consider setting a fire in a public place? Not because it's difficult, but from a moral standpoint, right?

I shrugged at the thought. It's probably just us getting used to each other. I decided to take it easy and not overthink it.