Home Visit (4)

Looking at the displeased expression on his face, which seemed as if it had been drawn on, I felt cold sweat trickle down my back. I had no idea what could have brought him here at this hour, so close to midnight. Wait. Could it be that he found out about my visits to the gambling den? But I had been so careful with my disguise…

However, the first words from Count Ertinez were completely unexpected. He glanced at me and Leonardo, then signaled Vittorio with his eyes as he scolded us.

"The kid can't even sleep and is awake alone while you two are… never mind."

We were scolded without knowing the reason. Could it be that he specifically came at this hour to talk to us while Vittorio was asleep?

Trying to gauge the Count's intentions, I looked at Vittorio and gently raised my voice.

"Vittorio, it's late, but you're still awake? What's the matter, couldn't you sleep?"

Vittorio, quick-witted as ever, responded appropriately.

"Yeah. I took a nap after lunch, so now I can't sleep…"

It wasn't exactly a lie. As the conversation went on, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the Count's stern frown had softened a bit. It seemed the reason for his scolding was that we hadn't been properly taking care of Vittorio. I swallowed a sigh and exchanged a glance with the child.

"You need to sleep at night to grow big and strong. Let me take you to bed. Count, may I excuse myself for a moment?"

"Hmm."

The Count silently nodded. While Leonardo and the Count sat in suffocating silence at the narrow table, I escaped with Vittorio to the bedroom at the end of the hall.

"Phew, thanks to you, we made it back just in time. Good job, kid. Did he say anything else before we got here?l

"Nope. He just asked how I felt about staying here, and I said I liked being with everyone. Then he ran out of things to say."

So that's why they were sitting there awkwardly in silence. Turns out, Count Ertinez isn't very good at handling things either.

"It's late, so you should get some sleep now. I'll find out what's going on and let you know tomorrow. You did well today."

"…Was I helpful?"

"Always. Ever since we started playing hide and seek, things wouldn't have gone this smoothly without you."

As I gently ruffled his hair, Vittorio gave a relieved, tousled smile. Knowing that he always wanted to be helpful, I pulled him into a hug and showered him with praise, causing his small face to turn bright red.

"S-stop it…"

"You know I'm not joking, right? Sleep well. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. You too, Isaac…"

When I returned to the room, the deathly silence between the Count and Leonardo remained unbroken. The Count stared at Vittorio's tea, which looked like something Leonardo had brewed, as if it were some monstrous concoction he had to finish, while Leonardo seemed at a loss for words.

'Is he going to start again?'

As I approached quietly, the Count shifted his gaze to me.

"I take it that the child is asleep."

"Yes. We'll need to cut down on his nap time. I didn't expect him to stay up so late."

Count Ertinez frowned slightly before adding slowly,

"I never thought I'd have to say this at my age, but…"

"Yes?"

"Try to restrain yourselves. Especially since there are children around… tsk."

"Pardon?"

What an odd thing to say out of the blue. I blinked at the Count, who sighed and motioned for me to sit down. The previously tense atmosphere settled a bit. Is this finally the main topic?

Hoping my double life hadn't been discovered, I anxiously watched the Count.

"Today, I received a report from the knight I assigned to keep watch."

A report about what?

"Since 'your goals align, you're working together,' an explanation is in order."

Oh. Something suddenly clicked in my mind.

[Option (3) – We are together because we share the same goal. (Count Ertinez' disappointment +10)]

As I mentally selected the option, I wondered how exactly Count Ertinez would end up disappointed. Was it due to the report he received? Could he have overheard the entire conversation? After that, original Leonardo's nonchalant demeanour was the only thing he would have witnessed, which could be difficult for the Count to digest.

[Don't worry. There's no one around.]

'No one listening, huh? And yet, that man…'

The Count took a sip of his tea, then set the cup down and quietly added,

"Don't misunderstand. I didn't order the knight to eavesdrop. He didn't hear the entire conversation. Celestina signaled him to back off midway, so he withdrew. However, he happened to hear that part and felt concerned enough to report it to me."

Then, the Count fixed me with a stern gaze.

"So, I'll ask you again, what does this all mean?"

[Keywords detected: breaks out in cold sweat.]

[ paces around in distress.]

[ trembles slightly.]

'Calm down.'

Though the mask was always rather dramatic, it's in a frenzy now that a crisis is approaching.

'A justification for the purposeful companionship.'

It's not hard to come up with a plausible excuse. Crafting a reasonable explanation to get through this situation is quite simple. However, what if I could use this opportunity to our advantage?

I picked up the teacup, which Vittorio had brewed for us, enduring the silence with Count Ertinez. As the teacup reached my lips, I quickly reviewed the context of the situation. The mentions of Count Ertinez and the 'big event' in the scenario notes. The original Leonardo, who has been cooperative and even lent us a corpse. The clue that suggested the Countess had met Godric at the succession ceremony in the capital before her death. The necessary pieces are already in place. I had asked this before:

'Is it really random that Leovald possessed the body of Leonardo Ertinez?'

Now, we are in El Dante's chapter, the second act of the play. To reach this point, Leonardo's allies were only Vittorio, me, and the creators who lent us the body. It's time for a strong ally to emerge. And what ties people together into a group?

There are many reasons, but I believe one of them is a common enemy. While there is the presence of Sub-Writer 1 who seems to want to usurp the protagonist's role from Leovald, that person isn't a character in the story and only causes trouble. Instead, the one who embodies Leovald's animosity and is explicitly named as a target in this revenge drama is King Godric. And conveniently, it seems Count Ertinez has feelings about the king as well.

'If used well, this could be quite useful.'

The tea slid down my throat. Hmm, it's a bit bitter. Did he learn from Leonardo? Still, considering how hard the kid worked on it, I can tolerate this much. Setting down the teacup, which lingered briefly at my lips, I smiled at the Count.

"I mentioned how Leonardo and I came to meet during dinner. However, I believe I didn't tell you about the date we first met."

Count Ertinez regarded me with a calm gaze. Leonardo seemed to sense what I was about to say and looked at me. 

Yes. Our first encounter—at your funeral.

"We first met on the day of Sir Leovald's funeral."

"The First Field Commander's?"

The hero of the nation's fame was still intact, as the Count immediately recognized the name. He asked again.

"…It was tragic news. I know the funeral was held in Sinistra, especially because Archbishop Butier insisted on it. What does that have to do with this?"

"Sir Leovald holds special significance for me. I owe my current self to him."

I added an expression of admiration for the hero, a pretext I often used when deceiving Leonardo. If it weren't for Leovald, I wouldn't have received a second chance in this world, so it's not a complete lie. The Count's brows furrowed.

"I don't see how that relates to our current discussion."

"Because Sir Leovald is precisely the purpose I mentioned."

I maintained a steady pace in my speech, trying not to rush it.

"I have doubts about the circumstances of his death."

"…Are you questioning the royal statement that he 'died in the line of duty'? You're quite bold, aren't you?"

"Haha! One only fears when there's a lot to lose."

In that moment, the Count realized I was not just a common innkeeper who had recklessly left Sinistra trusting only in Leonardo.

"Do you think I would only doubt the royal perspective?"

I turned the cup in my hand, smiling slightly.

"I have even greater suspicions. There is always a person standing behind events that unfold among the populace."

If Godric is the villain, simply being responsible for Leovald's death isn't enough. A villain must have sufficient reasons to hate their target. They should not only be accountable for Leovald's death but also have committed more mistakes and sins to fulfill the criteria of being a villain.

"And I believe you already harbour significant suspicions, Count. The fact that you are aware the other side is planning a significant event raises some questions."

The Count's demeanour shifted slightly.

"How much do you know?"

"Haha."

With this, it's confirmed that Godric is indeed the target of the operation.

"Is it about the fact that our enemy is a common one?"

In truth, I know nothing about this. But so what?