Renovation (4)
'Hmm, manipulating the results without drawing attention is quite the task.'
On the way back after finishing my business outside the city walls, I rolled the ivory and bone dice between my fingers. It felt as if the dice gods themselves were smiling upon me, as I had just come from a gambling table where I had displayed insane winning streaks.
[Five wins in a row!]
[This can't just be luck. There's definitely some manipulation going on!]
[If that's the case, why don't you shake the cup yourself?]
[… You got it right again, didn't you?]
[There's a chance he might have tampered with the dice. Perhaps he shaved down a corner or something?]
[Hey! Get a new set of dice! You may be new to this city, but around here, everyone uses the dice from the Violet Workshop. It's for fairness, you know. Who would trust dice that someone made themselves!]
[I'm aware of that. My dice were also obtained from the Violet Workshop. Still, it's better to avoid suspicion. Let's replace them with new ones.]
Manipulating the results of the dice was not difficult. The lenient criteria for activating my ability, which allowed for treating a corpse and a bag of money as a single item, also applied to the dice cup.
After various experiments at the Lilium Fortress, I discovered that the ability known as
First, any object within the form of a container is treated as a single item and can be stored in the inventory at once.
Second, there is no need for separate actions when placing or retrieving objects from the inventory.
Third, the activation of the ability is based on a point of view, similar to the
Thus, the method I chose for manipulation was simple. I prepared an additional set of the dice cup and dice in an empty slot, pre-manipulating the dice results. Then, at the moment I shook the dice cup and slammed it down on the table, I would swap it with the pre-manipulated cup. Since the process of retrieving and replacing the object from the inventory occurred simultaneously without any time lag, the switch of the dice cup went completely unnoticed.
[How does it look?]
[Looks alright. There's no gap between the process of placing and retrieving.]
Having verified this part several times by using Leonardo's motion-sensing camera, I felt no need for concern. Thus, no matter how noisily I shook the cup, the moment it was set down on the table, it would be the undisturbed dice cup that I retrieved. So, I couldn't help but guess correctly every time.
The dice I held and shook were thoroughly separated from the results shown on the other dice. This applied when throwing the next dice as well. When placing the dice into the cup, I would pre-select the result, and during the shaking, I would use a decoy. Then, while flipping it over, I would swap it out for the manipulated cup again.
However, if I guessed correctly too many times in a row, it would naturally raise suspicions about manipulation. So, after winning several times, I would place a reasonable bet and intentionally lose. After the initial frenzied dice games attracted a good number of spectators and participants, I purposefully lost points.
I had to be cautious not to frustrate or anger the gamblers too much, or else the game could collapse altogether. While the manipulation itself was simple, the most challenging part was instilling a false hope that they could win money and stoking their desire to win. Adjusting the flow of the game while gradually revealing some vulnerabilities to maintain a sense of humanity.
'Looks like I'll need to repeat this for a few more days, rotating the types of games.'
Maybe I should try a card game next instead of dice. Card games are also worth a challenge through my abilities, but if there's a spy involved, the task would become easier. It would be much simpler if I brought someone who could act as my wireless communication drone.
Of course, to do that, I first need to find a way to move freely in and out of the stronghold. Using the cumbersome methods I have now wouldn't do.
I positioned myself near the outer walls of the Ertinez stronghold and lightly whispered to myself.
'Leo.'
Immediately, a means of transportation appeared as if by magic. Taking advantage of the stillness just before dawn, Leonardo swiftly jumped down from the wall and landed gracefully.
Wow, he's fast.
I had previously referred to him with various ridiculous titles, from scenario battery charger to pig hippo, but right now, I wanted to call him a taxi. Since there were guards patrolling near the parapets, I whispered through telepathy instead of speaking aloud.
'Now?'
「Now.」
I wrapped my arms around Leonardo's neck with a practiced motion. Without any fuss, he effortlessly hoisted me up, timing his movements perfectly before springing off the wall, using the gaps between the bricks as footholds, and swiftly scaling the wall.
Back when I was in Sinistra, I used to sneak in and out of Baron Roald's mansion just like this. The walls of the Ertinez stronghold were merely a slight step up in difficulty.
Once we safely landed inside the stronghold, I quietly walked toward the lakeshore and climbed into a rowboat that had been discreetly left on the shore. Approaching the Lilium Fortress surrounded by a lake could only be done by using the drawbridge or crossing the water.
However, there was one nagging issue: this boat was actually the coffin of Leovald…
Due to the lack of decent means to conceal the boat from prying eyes, I had ironically borrowed Leovald's wooden coffin. It was made from high-quality wood, probably befitting a national hero.
I offer my sincere apologies to the coffin, which has turned from a resting place for Leovald's body into a secret stash for my emergency funds, and now serves as a smuggling boat by the lakeside. Although the coffin's owner graciously granted permission for its use, I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about it.
"I need to find a proper skiff soon. I can't keep crossing the lake in a coffin."
「I'm fine, really.」
'I'm not fine!'
At last, the coffin… no, the boat docked at Lilium Fortress. As I stretched out my stiff body, Leonardo flipped over his coffin to dry it and set it in the yard behind the stronghold. With this, my late-night excursion had transformed into a perfect crime that wouldn't draw any suspicion.
Was this how Leonardo's routine looked when he was a drunken ruffian?
Looking at the objective facts, I had also mingled with gamblers at the gambling den all night and returned home stealthily just before dawn. I felt like a reckless head of the household… I must not get caught by the Count. I was already disguising myself while in the vicinity of the gambling den, but there's no harm in being thorough.
As I yawned and headed into the stronghold, Leonardo followed closely behind, subtly steering me toward the direction of the bedroom. Now he was transforming from a taxi into a sleep fairy. When I thought about it, he might have even better skills at disguise than I did.
"It seems like there isn't much time left before sunrise."
"At least try to get some sleep before then."
Under his gentle pressure, I had no choice but to change direction toward the bedroom. Upon opening the door to the room I used as my sleeping quarters, Leonardo stepped in right behind me.
Leonardo knelt lightly in front of me as I plopped down on the bed and began to take off my shoes. He grabbed the laces that tightened around my ankles, pulling them to loosen the knots. With deft fingers, he slipped them under the loosened gaps and gently wrapped them around my heels before smoothly pulling the shoes off.
After neatly arranging the removed shoes side by side, Leonardo stood up and sat down beside me. The added weight caused the bed to tilt slightly, making my body slide toward him. He casually rested one hand against the wall and tilted his head.
Anticipating what was to come, I lightly closed my eyes. Our foreheads touched, and Leonardo murmured, "You don't have a fever."
"See? I'm perfectly fine."
I smiled triumphantly, knowing how much he had worried about me catching a cold ever since I got caught in the rain in the mountains. Anyone else might think I was weak.
"It's not something you can easily cure with holy water, so it's best to be careful."
He wasn't wrong. Knowing that he would be adamant about my health, I chose not to argue. Instead, I promised to start breakfast with something nutritious when the time came.
Leonardo lifted my legs and placed them gently on the bed. The shabby bed of the fortress wasn't luxurious enough to lull me into a deep sleep the moment I lay down, but as soon as I settled in, the fatigue from the night crept in, and my eyelids grew heavy.
"Are you going out again in the evening?"
"Yeah, that's the plan."
The gambling house usually started to pick up around 6 PM. It was early enough to be considered so, but with few means to brighten the night, activities generally wrapped up by the afternoon, making way for the vibrant atmosphere of the gambling tables.
For a while, I would have plenty of work related to the gambling house, so I needed to show up regularly. Yet, saying it like this made me feel like a wretched person, constantly flitting in and out of a gambling den. As fatigue weighed down my eyelids, the world around me faded to darkness.
"You're going to sleep again, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well… see you in the morning."
Even without opening my eyes, I knew Leonardo was still there, seemingly prepared to wait until I fell asleep. I could have easily shooed him to his own room, but I didn't. I could tell his own bedroom was undergoing some renovations, making him reluctant to leave. I decided to let it be.
Leonardo has been experiencing the most leisurely yet busy period recently. During the day, he walks by the lakeshore with me to prove that he is "quietly reflecting on himself," or he sometimes teaches Vittorio swordsmanship inside the fortress while cleaning and refurbishing the old stronghold.
And when night falls, and the eyes watching him disappear, he quietly descends into the underground.
Yes. Once again, to the underground.
Take 1. Lilium Fortress (Night/Inside). Leonardo, confined within the fortress, endures a period of reflection. He wakes up in the middle of the night, realizing that a strong draft is blowing through his bedroom. He wanders around and discovers a secret passage.
Leonardo: "This is… I see. Since it's an old fortress and a lord's bedroom, there must have been a hidden passage to sneak out during a siege."
Take 2. Ertinez Castle (Night/Outside). After days of exploration, Leonardo ventures into the complex underground tunnels. As he passes through an old sewer, he hears voices near his head.
Baron Roald: "It seems news of the monster's rampage has reached the capital; there are rumours that the king will revive the old traditions."
Count Ertinez: "The old traditions…"
Baron Roald: "This matter could influence the uprising…"
Count Ertinez: "Lower your voice."
Leonardo: "(Inner thoughts, voice filled with doubt) Uprising?"
Main Characters: Leonardo, Count Ertinez
Scenario Clear Conditions: [Leonardo discovers the secret passage of Lilium Fortress. Leonardo overhears the conversation between the Count and the Baron.]
It seems that whenever the underground is involved in this world, the story tends to get complicated, no matter how much I think about it.