Intermission (4)

As the knight who had casually mentioned "forbidden love" chewed on his cabbage roll, another knight nodded seriously in agreement.

"Right. Emotions can change as quickly as flipping your hand overnight, so don't trust them too much. Especially when it comes to young noblemen and their affections."

"Love, yes, um, that's true. Yes."

"Hey! I heard you two have only been together for just over a month, so don't let it get to your head right from the start. Who knows, the young master might be more of a romantic, taking after his father."

Where should I even start to correct this misunderstanding?

I felt completely at a loss about where to begin and couldn't even think of a way to address it when the conversation topic suddenly shifted.

Rather than awkwardly correcting them about it not being a forbidden love, it would be far more beneficial to gather information about the Ertinez family in this moment.

"A romantic, huh… I suppose the Count must have held his wife in high regard?"

"Indeed. He was very famous for that in the past! Whenever the Count left to slay monsters, he had a routine he followed upon his return. He would bring back flowers that his wife loved, hand-written letters expressing his longing for her during his travels, and he would pack famous local delicacies from the places he visited."

"Oh, the Count's story is so well-known that there's probably not a knight here who hasn't heard a word about it from their spouse! When you're told to follow in the Count's footsteps, and they chat about the Count and his wife all day long…"

Ah, it seems the Count was quite a devoted husband. Perhaps he's the strict father type who closed off his heart after losing his spouse.

"So when news suddenly came that the Countess had passed away from illness, everyone in the Count's domain was deeply shocked. That was already seven years ago. Time really flies."

The Countess' death was seven years ago, and it's known that she died of illness. I made sure to engrave this information in my mind.

I had previously gathered information about the Countess' death from Leonardo's info panel, but that was merely a listing of facts. Hearing it recounted like this feels completely different. The way the story conveys that someone once existed always hits differently. Even if the subject being talked about is merely a role in a play.

"I see. The kind side of Leonardo that I know might resemble the Count's demeanour. I don't know much about the Countess, but surely her traces remain in Leonardo."

'Leonardo Ertinez' is the body that died of acute alcohol poisoning at the start of the story. Now that it contains Leovald, I won't have the chance to truly get to know the real 'Leonardo' going forward. Yet, I can't help but feel a strange sentiment for the original owner of the body, who was deemed dead.

"Discovering that slowly must also be a joy in getting to know someone. It's delightful to hear these stories since Leo hardly shares them."

Well, sentiment aside, I decided to throw a hint to the knights to see if they had more stories about the Ertinez family. However, the knights merely looked at me with lukewarm expressions and chuckled, "Looks like you're in your prime!"

Ah, I see. They're misunderstanding that I'm involved in a forbidden love. Being in the position of the young master's lover isn't very useful for blending in with the knights. While it can quickly earn me their favour, that can also be achieved simply by serving them good meals on time. Thinking this was the right moment, I opened my mouth to correct the misunderstanding.

"Um… Leo and I are not lovers; we're just friends, friends." 

"Hmm?"

The knights raised their chins as if to say, "What are you talking about?"

"Are you worried about the difference in status that you just learned about? There's no need to deny it. At least none of us here are unaware of the relationship between you and the young master, so everyone will turn a blind eye in this space."

How much has the rumour been distorted?

"No, we're really just friends. Leo had nowhere to go, and I brought him in when he was wandering around, and we became close after being benefactors to each other. There are no romantic feelings at all—"

"Then you've never held hands?"

Well, I do have some experience in that area.

"What about hugs or something like that?"

I've had those experiences too, often from being carried in emergencies.

"Kisses? Have you really never shared a single one?"

…Should I count artificial respiration? Most of my memories from that time are hazy, aside from the pain and fear of being underwater, but the sensation of our lips brushing together is a vague recollection.

Strangely, every question seemed to apply somewhat, and as I pondered how to respond, the knights snorted and thoroughly licked the sauce off their cabbage rolls.

'Why do I feel so wronged?'

At that moment, I sensed someone approaching from behind, and a shadow fell over me. It was Leonardo.

"It's about time to go to sleep."

I knew this would happen. The sleep fairy has arrived.

"Uh, I'll be there in a minute. But I noticed earlier that there weren't enough sleeping bags for everyone."

"We can sleep in the cargo compartment of the wagon. It's better than laying our heads on the ground. It's safer too, as there are fewer snakes or insects around."

"Are you suggesting we share the cargo space with three people? Won't it be cramped?"

"We've been doing that for the last two days."

Ah, is that so? Well, considering there's also a coffin for Leovald hidden under the blankets in the wagon, it might be better to sleep close by to ensure no one approaches and discovers it.

I acknowledged this and Leonardo disappeared toward the wagon to prepare the bedding. It seemed he was quick to leave, possibly keeping in mind that it would be difficult for me to gather information while he was around.

"Ahem. Thanks to you, I had a good meal."

"Just so you know, this is a monster-infested area, so the knights are taking turns on watch duty… just so you're aware."

While I was speaking, the knights who had finished their plates suddenly patted me on the shoulder, shook off their seating, and stood up. I analyzed their attitudes and body language toward me and ultimately decided to just let it go.

'I've heard that the stimuli experienced by a medieval person over a year or two were similar to what a modern person feels in a single day.'

They are knights who are often exposed to danger, so relatively speaking, their everyday life is less boring. However, the gossip about the secret love affair between a noble and a commoner can still become a major topic of interest. But gossip is consumable. If I don't add any more fuel to the fire, it will eventually die down.

'If the misunderstanding will resolve itself over time, I might as well let it be.'

As I headed toward the wagon, Vittorio and Leonardo welcomed me to the sleeping area they had prepared. Apart from the space occupied by Leovald's coffin, there was just enough room for the three of us to lie close together.

Honestly, I wasn't feeling particularly sleepy, but I was drawn to lie down as Leonardo and Vittorio were staring at me expectantly. The sleeping arrangement was reasonably cozy. The cover of the wagon gave us the sense of a separated space just for us.

One question did arise, though.

"Why am I in the middle?"

Normally, it would make more sense to have the smaller Vittorio in the centre, flanked by the two adults.

Vittorio lay on my right side, fiddling with his sleeve before he replied. His cheek pressed against my chest.

"It feels safer this way…"

Leonardo, lying on my left, turned over, using his arm as a pillow, and whispered.

"I'm lying on the outside so I can jump out quickly in case of an emergency."

Hmm. It seems Vittorio feels safer sleeping against the wall, and Leonardo has a very practical reason for this arrangement.

I nodded in understanding.

"Good night, little one. You too, Leo."

"Good night…"

"Sleep well."

Even though I had already slept well for two days, I didn't think I would feel sleepy, the warmth of the child nestled against me was soothing, and the presence of the one clinging to my back somehow made me feel oddly at ease. I quickly closed my eyes. I think I woke up a few times in my sleep, though I don't know why. 

However, I was so enveloped by the warmth on either side that I quickly forgot about it and fell into a deep sleep.

***

And the next day, as we moved diligently, we found ourselves trapped at the entrance of Rilke.

The reason was clear: the gentle raindrops falling from the overcast, pale sky. Beyond the curtain of water that danced lightly, an unexpected scene unfolded.

'What the hell…?'

The upstream of the river, mixed with mud and debris, rushed violently, and the collapsed mountainside completely blocked the road to Rilke. A landslide and flood caused by the rainy season.

'This is strange. There was no mention at the inn that the road to Rilke was completely blocked.'

The water upstream was murky, tinged with brown and red, as if the mountain were bleeding. Among the remnants of the landslide, the tips of a few buildings barely peeked out. At that moment, a knight gestured somewhere beyond the mound of dirt caused by the landslide.

"There's someone over there!"

Someone was waving their hand beyond the debris of the landslide. From what was likely a watchtower, a figure flailed their arms and shouted something, but the sound was half-swallowed by the rain.

"Merchant… help… collapsed…!"

Leonardo translated the cry for us.

"It seems they think we're merchants here to sell relief supplies due to the wagon. The road to Rilke is mostly blocked. A major landslide occurred three days ago, isolating the village."

Three days ago would be right when we had just barely left Sinistra, marking the end of Act 1.

'Could this be the work of Sub-Writer 1 as well?'

As I furrowed my brows, Leonardo continued.

"The only bridge leading to the eastern gate has survived."

It seemed that Baron Roald was also a physically capable figure, as he understood the implication and shouted as he jumped off his horse.

"We move east!"

When we arrived, there was a bridge made of stones. It was a typical arch-shaped stone bridge of this era, rising prominently in the centre.

Beneath the precarious bridge, the swollen waters from the rainy season roiled dangerously, threatening to overflow at any moment. Waves lapped up against the stones, even splashing onto the bridge itself. The sound of mud flowing underneath produced a menacing "quarrr" noise. The current looked so strong that it seemed nothing would be left if swept away.

'You want us to cross this?'

"Waiting a day or two until the flood settles down could be a solution."

At that moment…

"...!"

Baron Roald and the knights suddenly flinched and drew their weapons in unison. The sound of steel ringing out resonated, and the raindrops falling on the vibrating blades intensified. With a stern expression, Baron Roald shouted.

"Prepare for battle!"

And then I saw dozens of figures emerging from the shadows of the forest behind us.

"A horde of monsters!"