No Secrets (6)

"Why has the location suddenly…"

Leonardo muttered in a perplexed voice as he closed the distance. It wasn't intentional, but I found myself unconsciously stepping back. The sense of distance, something I never usually thought about, suddenly felt very pronounced.

Was it because the moment when the original Leonardo suddenly grabbed my waist and covered my mouth wasn't particularly pleasant? Leonardo's physical presence felt consciously different from before. Though I had only taken half a step back, the approaching Leonardo awkwardly halted.

I had neither rejected nor been rejected. Therefore, the sense of distance, which had been rapidly narrowing like a ball sliding down a slope towards each other, had ultimately come to a stop.

"Um. Well, what happened was… first, we should take it slowly. Vittorio, you should sit down too."

Even while stumbling through my words, the gaze of Leonardo, who was slumped like a forsaken dog and staring intently, was hard to bear. Was it something to feel guilty about that I stepped back in surprise as he approached so suddenly?

I wish someone would cover my eyes for a moment. My thoughts are in such disarray. Right, I'd rather just close my eyes. I need to think.

First… the information I gathered from this tea time. It was an hour-long tea time, not too long or too short, but every conversation that took place during it was a clue of sorts. From this, I have deduced three main points.

The first assumption: 'Leonardo Ertinez' is either a figure comparable to the writers or is in a close collaborative relationship with them. Considering the farewell he left for Celestina before departing and the fact that he personally went to find Sinistra, he must have known how his body would be used in some way.

I recall the alley where I first encountered Leonardo. The smell of alcohol was strong on him, and the alley was directly in front of where the funeral for Leovald was being held. Can all of this be just coincidence?

As I mentioned to Celestina before, this world is a grand stage where there are no coincidences, only meticulously planned scenes and carefully arranged movements, backgrounds, and actors. Therefore, everything is pre-planned, shaped, and manipulated. Such a stage necessarily requires the existence of those who skillfully operate from behind the scenes.

Those who manipulate intricate mechanical devices from behind the stage are like gods of the machinery, referred to as Deus ex machina.

Could it be that 'Leonardo Ertinez,' who used his body as a tool and moved his position to contribute to the very beginning of the stage, is either the mechanism itself or its controller?

'Therefore, he must be either comparable to a writer or at least in collaboration with them. Or, like me, he might be something that the writers demanded.'

This leads to the second assumption. The original Leonardo mentioned that he didn't completely relinquish his body but rather temporarily lent it. The second assumption is that one day, Leovald will be resurrected in his own body. This also explains why the writers placed such importance on Leovald's corpse and were so determined not to lose it.

Now, that part has become undeniably clear. The remaining question is when and how he will be resurrected, which is certainly not a simple matter. It's also possible that the writers have not yet found a solution, and that the delays are due to the interference of Sub Writer 1, who is clearly targeting Leovald's corpse. In any case, without knowing the method, Leovald's corpse is nothing more than a heavy burden.

Finally, the third point.

'This is lacking in evidence, so it's still closer to a delusion.'

Doubt about the stage that is currently being implemented. Specifically, there's the suspicion that the story originally planned by the writers might not be this. I have had my doubts for some time now.

As I learned more about the crucial narrative thread of the calamity ten years ago and the background setting of the stage, there were parts that weighed on my mind. Before the calamity struck ten years ago, the monsters were clearly the central shared enemy of humanity.

Those 'entities' were definitely external to the control of the main writers. They are not part of the story. In their formless state, they are almost immortal, excessively foreign, and the means to triumph over them is unclear. 

On the other hand, look at the monsters. There exists a Monster Encyclopedia, with a tightly woven setting and clearly defined weaknesses from one end to the other. They possess all the elements of a 'suitable enemy that the protagonist can defeat.'

Moreover, the stories of Leovald's childhood that I have heard so far focus primarily on his life battling monsters and surviving as a street kid and a handyman, mainly before the calamity ten years ago. In every way, the monsters seem more fitting to be treated as a group the protagonist opposes.

Suddenly, a conversation I had with Orlie comes to mind.

[One day, the Great Being arranged a scripture for a traveller with the potential of a hero. However, instead of becoming a hero, that traveller met a tragic death. Can you guess what happened in between?]

At that time, I answered that someone must have intercepted the scripture, distorted its content, or perhaps someone destroyed the scripture itself. Orlie said that all three of my answers could be correct.

'But that's related to the answer to the problem. If we delve into the question itself, we can learn much more.'

At that time, I was focused solely on the answer required by the question, interested in how the hero's fate went astray. However, now that I think about it, what's important is the scripture itself.

[One day, the Great Being arranged a scripture for a traveller with the potential of a hero.]

This means that the deity—the writer—had a prepared in advance for Leovald, doesn't it?

Not a makeshift script like the current one. A finalized script free from the flaws that Sub Writer 1 can meddle with and twist. A destiny that was originally planned for the hero.

In other words, there exists an original text that the writers initially planned. However, something that fell outside the writer's control intervened, leading to the calamity ten years ago, which caused the stage to not unfold as intended.

'If my conjecture is correct, it explains why the scenario notes are always being written as makeshift scripts.'

The previously prepared scripts and scenarios must have become utterly useless. They would have had to write something new in a hurry. Within this hypothesis, the prepared play is thwarted before it even begins due to some 'reason.' Furthermore, due to the death of the protagonist, Leovald, there was a moment when the protagonist was absent.

Ultimately, to salvage the situation, the writers borrowed Leonardo's body to insert Leovald's soul, starting the story anew as a reckless possession, which I suspect is what is.

If that's the case, when Leovald's body and spirit finally merge, will the originally planned story finally unfold on stage?

'There's definitely a possibility.'

"Issac."

A soft voice pierced through my swirling thoughts, bringing them to an abrupt halt. As I opened my eyes, which I had closed to avoid Leonardo's sulky expression, I found Vittorio and Leonardo sitting there, looking up at me intently. My heart, which had been racing as I tried to predict an uncertain future, gradually settled down.

"Ah, sorry. Did I take too long with my thoughts? You must have a lot of questions."

"No, it didn't take long at all."

"Well, that's a relief. Just give me a moment."

I needed to explain to Leonardo first. This was a conversation that had to be shared in private.

「Don't you remember? When Celestina suspected you, the original Leonardo briefly returned.」

Leonardo's eyes widened in surprise. He then looked back and forth between me and Vittorio, quietly asking, 

「Did he do something?」

It seemed he suddenly suspected that our awkward glance at him was linked to the actions of the original Leonardo. To some extent, that was true. I hadn't really noticed before, but Leonardo's appearance fit the description perfectly… 

He looked quite rebellious, insincere, and had a peculiar temperament.

「Actually, rather than having done something wrong, I'd say he helped us instead. Thanks to that, we avoided the Lady's suspicions. We got all the information we were after.」

At that moment, Vittorio, who had been observing Leonardo like a wary cat, hesitated before speaking.

"Something seemed off earlier. It felt like you were a stranger… and if I get close, you might act annoyed…"

What a harsh critique. And surprisingly accurate. The original Leonardo didn't appear to have a friendly personality. It was clearly a much harder hit than the criticism of the poisoned tea. I could see Leonardo's shoulders subtly slumping.

Well, from his perspective, he must have felt like he was struck by lightning out of nowhere. Losing control of his body for just that brief moment, it was understandable that his companions would feel uneasy. Watching him like that made it clear to me that the figure before me wasn't the carefree 'Leonardo' but the awkward Leo that I knew. Feeling a bit guilty, I moved closer and sat beside him, and Leonardo's expression brightened a little. Now it was time to clarify things to Vittorio.

"Uh, Leo was acting strangely, right? The truth is… Leo doesn't remember being 'Leonardo.' The Leo we know is the one after he lost his memories."

While talking with Leonardo before, I had sensed that the moment would come when I would have to explain this. I had previously agreed with Vittorio to explain it to this extent.

As much as I wanted to explain our circumstances and the truth of the situation, I knew that if he got too deeply involved, Vittorio might end up in danger. Just like when he was dragged underground by Count Bermont or that horrifying moment when he was dying in the underground labyrinth of Sinistra.

I had no intention of repeating such experiences. Therefore, I planned to simply explain that his personality changed due to memory loss, but the appearance of the original Leonardo added another line to my explanation.

"Sometimes, it seems like he briefly flashes back to his memories. For now, he is the Leo we know."

"…So that's his original self…"

Vittorio stared at Leonardo with a troubled expression. I felt that if I said any more, Leonardo would become too disheartened, so I hurriedly changed the subject.

"By the way, is anyone free tonight?"

Leonardo and Vittorio's gazes shifted to me.

"I'm planning to climb the tower."

The destination was the tall spire located south of the Ertinez Castle.

I could hear the keys jingling in my pocket.