The Visitor (6)
The gates of Ertinez Castle swung wide open to welcome the distinguished guests.
At the forefront, riders holding high the flags emblazoned with the royal emblem galloped forward, and all the residents of the castle lined up in the courtyard to greet the king.
Among them, the Ertinez family, the lords of the castle, stood at the very front. Leonardo, who usually left his collar undone for comfort, had it neatly fastened and wore an expensive leather cloak suitable for the chilly weather. With a gaze as cold as winter ice, he stared at the castle gate.
Besides Leonardo, Celestina also held her place in a tidy attire. Ferdinand, standing at the very front, appeared visibly tense. His expression clearly revealed the burden of an unprepared young heir having to host the ruler of the kingdom.
In contrast, the members of the royal procession were either overly expressionless or seemed intensely focused on something.
Finally, the royal carriage came into view.
A royal guard, his face hidden beneath a helmet, opened the door of the carriage. Everyone averted their eyes from the person inside the carriage and knelt down on one knee.
The young king, Godric.
The one Leonardo sought revenge against. The antagonist of the story. The one who would fall in the end.
I had been gathering information about his identity on the stage. If my role was to assist Leonardo until the end of this story, I needed to understand the enemy we would face.
Ten years ago, after the calamity, the old king's health, already failing from a long-term illness, rapidly declined, leading to the sudden ascension of the young king.
There were many ways to refer to him.
As a prince, Godric had not been particularly noticeable. He resembled his mother, kind and lovable, but he did not possess the distinctive qualities of a ruler. At that time, Godric was an ordinary boy who enjoyed raising animals and sometimes feigned illness to skip his religious studies.
Thus, when the old king suddenly passed away, many high nobles doubted the young king. The king who could not hold a proper succession ceremony due to the chaotic circumstances. A child who wore the crown in a modest ceremony attended by only a few nobles from the capital. A person whose neck would seem to break under the weight of the crown.
However, the great nobles who mocked him either perished in the turmoil or lost their influence by hiding away in their estates, while Godric stood tall as the ruler of all. So, it is clear who has the better acumen.
The king stepped forward toward the bowing Ferdinand. He gently placed a hand on Ferdinand's shoulder.
"Young Count."
"Your Majesty."
As the king helped the young count to his feet, the others who had been bowing also rose. Only then could everyone see Godric.
The king from the capital possessed a fresh youthfulness. The seat of power is often compared to gold, lightning, and the sun. These symbols signify mighty strength and enduring glory.
This young king, as if he did not need gold to assert his authority, already had golden hair. Under the midday sun, his hair shone brightly, and his straight nose cast delicate shadows on his face.
A figure of prominent presence and high authority, he wore a gentle and warm smile. That very sight sent a chill down my spine. It felt as if he were a creation mimicking a god, perfectly embodying the ideal being that everyone longed for.
"It seems the Count is absent."
His reddish-brown irises, rimmed with a bright hue, scanned the crowd. The voice, seemingly kind, was actually dry and resonated low.
Ferdinand was slightly unsettled.
The hope he briefly held that the Count might be among the king's procession faded, as the Count of Ertinez was nowhere to be seen among those who had arrived at the castle. It was clear from Ferdinand's expression that he was questioning whether the "distinguished guest" mentioned in the letter referred to the king.
"I apologize. The head of the family has departed to subdue a monster."
"I see. That's unfortunate. I had hoped to discuss something important with the Count."
The king spoke lightly, as if unbothered. Ferdinand, still clinging to a shred of hope, glanced over the royal procession and asked again.
"…You didn't happen to meet my father on your way here, did you?"
Maintaining a gracious smile, Godric replied plainly, as if puzzled by the question.
"Well, if that had happened, it would have been a pleasant coincidence, but no, I did not encounter the Count of Ertinez on my way here."
"Yes, is that so."
As Ferdinand stepped back in confusion, Godric's gaze fell upon Celestina.
The king looked at her for a moment before kindly commenting, "Is this your sister?"
"Your Majesty," she replied.
"You resemble the Countess a lot. You have grown wise and strong, just like your mother."
At these words, Leonardo's fingertips twitched slightly. He subtly glanced around, silently observing his body's involuntary reaction.
That movement was undoubtedly from "Leonardo Ertinez."
It was not pleasant to hear the name of the primary cause of the Countess' death mentioned so brazenly.
"And this is…"
Godric's reddish irises focused on Leonardo. Ferdinand quickly moved to shield his brother. Even though Leonardo had shown significant change recently, his reputation as a scoundrel was not built in a day, so this was a delicate situation.
"This is my brother."
"Ah."
"The weather is cool. Please come inside. I will guide you to your quarters. A feast has been prepared…"
Thus, King Godric and the young count walked away. Some courtiers and royal guards followed the king, while the others left in the courtyard were guided by the servants.
"Take this to the kitchen!"
A harried servant rushed past and shoved a large jar of pickles into my hands.
'Even if I look like a servant, isn't it too much to not even glance at my face?'
Only then did I step out from behind the pillar and glance around the bustling castle. Thankfully, due to the mention of a distinguished guest in the Count of Ertinez' letter, the castle was somewhat prepared to receive guests. However, the preparations were not grand enough for hosting the king, so everyone was busy elevating the reception's standard in a hurry.
"Give that to me."
Raul, dressed as a guard, took the jar of pickles from me. He had been frowning ever since King Godric arrived and couldn't help but mutter.
"No matter when I see him, that guy always gives me the creeps. Those who have everything but pretend to be weak and benevolent on the outside are the worst."
"Haha… Indeed," I replied.
Half-heartedly agreeing with Raul, I tightly grasped Vittorio's hand, who was dressed as a young servant. His hand, cold from nerves, made Vittorio uneasy, and he kept rubbing the back of my hand with his own.
Right after the king stepped out of the carriage, I had hidden behind the pillar, intending to use the
However, the moment I set my gaze on Godric, the message that appeared before my eyes was different from what I had expected.
[Error occurred! The special ability,
[Error being corrected...…..]
After experiencing an unusual error,
Even when I tried to use the ability on Raul or Vittorio beside me instead of Godric, all I felt was a burning sensation in my eyes, and the ability didn't function as it used to.
'Of all times, why now?'
The term "temporary" suggests it will be resolved later, but my heart pounded irregularly with anxiety.
And there was one more thing that bothered me.
'The whereabouts of the Count of Ertinez.'
Godric had calmly stated that he hadn't encountered the Count on his way. However, he didn't seem surprised that it was Ferdinand, not the Count, who greeted him. It was as if he had already anticipated that the Count of Ertinez would not be in the castle. To say that his lack of reaction was due to his minimal facial expressions seemed inadequate; after all, he held the obvious role of an antagonist.
A troubling possibility was that King Godric and his retinue encountered the hunting party on their way to the castle and annihilated them. It was a dreadful thought that the brainwashed individuals mingling so casually among real people had consumed the Count, Baron Roald, and the knights forming the core of the castle's defence.
'No.'
That would be the worst-case scenario. It was just my fear conjuring up the most horrific possibility.
The main author and the assistant writer had sent us to El Dante with a clear reason and purpose. The House of Ertinez was a pawn for Leonardo, a counter against Godric's reign.
They wouldn't meet their end so suddenly…
In a corner of my mind, I was aware that I was deliberately trying to turn my thoughts away from a certain direction.
But, isn't it possible that another scenario exists? Perhaps Godric took advantage of the moment when the Count was absent and set out on his procession, while the Count, unaware of the situation, was still busy leading a hunt outside.
However, this raises another question.
'If the distinguished guest mentioned in the Count's letter isn't the king, then who else could he be referring to?'
I gazed at the Tower of Nidum, where the guest was supposed to be received.
'And what is King Godric's purpose for being here?'
***
In the early afternoon, at the banquet hall where the feast was being held to welcome the distinguished guest.
King Godric casually spoke.
"Since the Count is absent, I must speak to you, young count. I, too, am knocking on the doors of the lords to discuss the revival of ancient traditions."
The young king spoke in a soft tone and asked,
"Have you ever heard of the leap year great hunt?"