The Visitor (5)

[Accessing Information.]

[Accessing Information.]

[Accessing...…]

Letters layered upon letters condensed into a dark fog that seemed to engulf all of El Dante.

The information window, which tended to move with the specified entity, did not stay put but instead began to dominate the sky like a swarm of insects, each letter imbued with its own life.

The sight of these fixed phrases overlapping and separating reminded me of maggots hatching from eggs, devouring each other, and forming a massive, writhing mass.

'Ugh…'

Everywhere my gaze touched, activated in a chain reaction, causing my eyes to gradually heat up.

'It feels like my eyes are being boiled.'

My head felt like a giant cauldron, with my eyeballs floating on top like floating ingredients, spinning in a dizzying whirl. It felt as though my body was losing all its moisture, as if eventually, I would shrivel up without a trace.

[Excessive amount of information processing detected within the limited time.]

[Error occurred! has overloaded.]

"Isaac!"

In that moment, the conglomeration of words halts its movement. Soon, the swarm in the air gather and form a massive sentence.

A strange, song-like chant echoed.

No. Rather than a song, it was as if a multitude of people were chanting the same sentence repeatedly, imbued with an uncanny rhythm. It sounded like reciting a sacred text.

Merely closing my eyes wasn't enough, so I raised my hand to shield the burning heat around my eyes. But I couldn't block out the sound, and everything seemed to pierce my ears, taking on the shape of noise. Groaning, I cupped my ears with both hands. Foolishly, my eyes were left unprotected again.

It felt like a hot iron ball was placed on a steel plate. The thin membrane of my eyelids seemed on the verge of being pierced, and I was overwhelmed by pain as though my eyeballs would burst out.

"Isaac."

Someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back forcefully. The sensation of clothing brushing against my back was eerily vivid. A rough, cold hand covered my eyes, and soft lips gently brushed my ear.

"Breathe."

At that, I finally opened my eyes.

In a feeble voice, I barely managed to call his name.

"Leo."

Turning around, Leonardo positioned himself with his back to the city walls, taking up my entire field of vision. Thanks to him, the black script was no longer visible. I quickly dismissed all the information windows.

Only then did the abnormal errors gradually subside. The chanting of the unknown scripture faded away, and the surroundings became calm.

"It'll be fine."

That had now become an unspoken promise between us.

Whenever Leonardo would occasionally seek reassurance from me in his moments of unease, I would tell him over and over again that everything would be alright. He would always say what I needed to hear when I needed it most.

It might not be enough to miraculously change the reality of the situation, but at least, in this moment, it reminded me that I was not alone.

[Clear condition achieved!]

['Scenario Note #018' has successfully concluded. There are "0 hours 30 minutes" remaining until the next scenario note assignment.]

"Ha."

After barely regaining composure, I ran my hand through my hair. What felt like a long time had actually only taken a few minutes.

"…The king has already passed through the checkpoint, so he should be coming to the castle soon."

Although the perception of simple imitation could be detected by the discerners, once fully assimilated, there was no way to distinguish them except by spilling blood. Furthermore, the fact that the king wore the crown of a ruler of an entire nation meant that passing through the checkpoint was nothing.

Without realizing that the entire brainwashed legion was among them, the cheers of the citizens of El Dante could be heard, celebrating the dazzling scene presented by the king's procession.

I grabbed Leonardo and whispered, asking, "Since the Count has left the castle, Ferdinand will go to greet him. Is there a specific ceremony for welcoming the king?"

Leonardo then explained the court customs to me. When the king goes on a royal progress, the lords of the region welcome his entourage with great hospitality. How long they stay depends on the tour schedule and the king's will.

The duration of the stay varies: it could be as short as three days, but it could stretch to several weeks.

'Several weeks with those assimilated ones? I'd really prefer not to.'

"The responsibility of feeding and lodging those hundreds of people falls on the lord of the castle. For the monarch, it's an opportunity to reaffirm the loyalty of the regional lords and inspect their storage conditions. There's also the procedure where the lord and his family show their respect to the monarch, so 'Leonardo' will likely be summoned as well."

As expected, the area below the castle walls became noisy. Ferdinand, who had rushed out of the castle, was issuing busy commands to the servants in a firm voice. Among the instructions, there was a mention to quickly prepare Celestina and Leonardo.

"I… I think I should watch from a distance this time."

Since the main author had personally warned me, it would be wise to stay back. I couldn't understand why the other side wanted to find me, but…

Leonardo tilted his head and nodded, pressing his forehead gently against mine. He seemed to know that my sight and hearing were still impaired. Thanks to that, I didn't have to force my eyes open despite the stinging pain, nor did I need to strain my ears to listen through the persistent ringing. Just the vibration and warmth was enough to give me an answer.

Then a small mutter was heard behind me.

"What did I just see…?"

Ah. Raul was still here. I had completely forgotten.

I subtly turned my head to glance at Vittorio and Raul, and for some reason, I noticed that Raul, with his hands over Vittorio's eyes, was muttering something with a dazed expression.

"They say that people change after going through a near-death experience. Is this what they mean?"

Vittorio, feeling frustrated from suddenly having his vision obscured by a stranger, fidgeted for a moment before quickly lowering his body and slipping out of Raul's grip.

As Vittorio approached, I felt the delicate pressure of his hand tugging at the hem of my cloak. It was a tentative pull, as if he was hesitant to take my hand. The child, unsure, pressed his body closer to my leg.

A wave of guilt washed over me, knowing I had worried him. I squeezed his cautious hand with more strength, and at that, Vittorio finally seemed to relax, a look of relief crossing his face.

"Where did the second young master go?"

From below, I could hear someone calling out for "Leonardo."

Leonardo let out a soft sigh before calling for Raul.

"Raul."

"Yes?"

"Stay back for now. And keep watch."

It was clear who Leonardo was referring to. Raul quickly glanced between Vittorio, me, and Leonardo, his eyes darting back and forth. Then, with an odd twitch of his lips, he slapped his chest with a light, almost nervous gesture.

"Yep, leave it to me…"

With one last light stroke of my cheek, Leonardo swiftly leapt down from the castle wall below.

The rustling of bushes and, shortly after, the voice of a servant urging, "Young master! There you are, please hurry!" echoed through the air.

Thus, only Vittorio, I, and Raul were left alone atop the castle wall. A dry, awkward autumn breeze blew by.

"So."

Raul suddenly pressed his fingers to his forehead, as if struggling with a persistent headache, and asked,

"So what do we do now? Should we run down some alley and hide?"

"No. If we leave the castle, we'd be leaving Leo alone in enemy territory."

"Then?"

"Hiding without being noticed is the best option… Wait here for a moment."

I gestured subtly toward the storage area. Raul, seemingly intent on following Leonardo's instructions, started to step inside, but I managed to excuse myself, sending him to stand guard outside under the pretext of keeping watch.

Inside the dust-covered storage, I stood silently, looking into the empty space. In a voice barely above a whisper, I asked,

"Is telling us to hide without being noticed… just a way to avoid other writers?"

The space inside the storage room seemed to freeze, as though time outside had been abruptly severed. In an instant, the lighting inside dimmed sharply, as if the stage lights had been turned off. The sudden darkness was the answer.

"How are they planning to find me? Are they going to issue a wanted notice for my face? Or is it by name?"

There was no change in the room. Silence hung heavy.

"By my voice, perhaps?"

Then, suddenly, the error that had just confused me came to mind. The special ability I had gained from advancing from an extra to a minor role—. The abnormal phenomena caused by that ability.

"Could it be due to the special ability?"

At that moment, the room once again sank into complete darkness.

Memories from Sinistra overlapped with my thoughts— the moment when the fully assimilated Count Bermont's body had been inhabited by Sub-Writer 1. And what he had done to me back then, as he strangled my neck.

[The opponent is attempting to interfere with your mind using a special ability, !]

[Access Error! The effect of is nullified.]

[Where did they bring something like this from?]

At that time, Sub-Writer 1 clearly showed interest when he encountered someone whom the special ability did not work on. If that's the case, it wouldn't be hard to figure out how to find me.

All he needs to do is identify someone who can't be affected by the special ability.

Isn't it simple?

Knock knock. Outside, Raul urged me to come out, knocking on the door.

It's hard to understand just by the scenario notes, so if I want to observe the progress, I need to keep an eye on things from a distance. However, I need to stay as far away as possible from the king's group and avoid being seen.

'Then…'

I rummaged through the pile of clothes in the storage and pulled something into my arms before heading outside the storage.

"What's that?"

"Our new uniform."

Soon, the sound of drums announcing the king's arrival echoed.