Treasure Hunt (1)

That evening, everyone gathered at the Lilium Fortress after finishing their assigned areas.

Vittorio, dressed in the attire of a young page, tugged at his collar, looking uncomfortable. Raul, wearing a guard's helmet on his side, collapsed exhaustedly on the floor.

Unlike us, who were disguised as the castle's servants, Leonardo, the second young master who stood out, had completed his infiltration mission by climbing trees and scaling walls, and was in a slightly messy state compared to usual.

"There's something stuck here."

I removed a leaf tangled in his hair and handed it to Leonardo. Then, we shared the results of our respective searches.

Of course, I already knew the answer.

"Well, I still don't know. I just went for a long walk."

Raul, who presented a map filled with large, sharp X marks, scratched the back of his head.

"I didn't spot anything suspicious…"

Vittorio, carefully filling the map with small, thick X marks, muttered with a hint of disappointment.

"Nothing."

Leonardo, while tucking the leaf I had removed into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper that looked more like a strategic map from the opposite pocket. Why was he keeping the leaf, I wondered.

Anyway, it was the expected response.

If anyone had actually found a clue here, that would have been more of a problem.

I combined my map with theirs and connected the individual pieces. The castle's map, which we had divided into four parts earlier, was now pieced together into a large, full map of the Ertinez Castle.

"Haha, this is a disaster."

Raul slumped his head as he looked at the map, filled with X marks.

"Given how large this castle is, there must be countless rooms and hidden spaces. How are we supposed to find anything in just three more days?"

Earlier today, I had divided the map into four parts and shared the situation with Raul and Vittorio.

The count, for personal reasons, was wary of King Godric and had been conducting his own investigation, making a ledger of sorts.

It is assumed that King Godric suspects the existence of this ledger and has come here because of it.

In the five days during which the count's hands were tied—if we don't find and destroy the ledger first, the Ertinez family will be in danger.

Vittorio, who had lived a life somewhat disconnected from such grand schemes, simply expressed his concern with, "If we can't find it, the count will get hurt… everyone will be in big trouble, right? I don't want that." His passion was clear.

On the other hand, Raul, with his sharp instincts, had already guessed that Count Ertinez was preparing a rebellion against the king. Writhing in agony, he groaned, "Ugh! Please, don't talk about such huge matters with me!" He struggled, but eventually accepted the situation and followed along.

Still, it seemed he couldn't suppress his rebellious instincts.

"What if those royal agents get to it before us? What if they find it first? And we don't even know what it looks like!" Raul raised the issue, which was a valid concern. There was no fault in his words, except for the fact that I had already figured out where the ledger might be.

After thinking it through again, the place where the ledger was most likely kept was indeed the Count's wife's tomb.

The Ertinez family has the Rondine Tower as their stronghold. It is a place only those with the Ertinez name are allowed to enter. Behind the Rondine Tower lies the family tomb. It would be easy to spot someone who wasn't a family member entering, but for the Count, visiting there would seem perfectly natural, making it an ideal place to hide a secret.

'Besides…'

If the ledger was hidden there, it would have been the perfect place for the Count to nurse his thirst for revenge over the course of seven long years.

'It wasn't born out of a thirst for power, but purely out of a desire to avenge his wife's death, so the emotional toll must have been great.'

Whether it was anger, murderous intent, or guilt, whatever it was. Even if one experiences loss, isn't it something that, eventually, they let go of in their heart?

However, overcoming sorrow is not the same as living a lifetime continually reflecting on what was lost. This is not easy. 

When we say that nothing lasts forever, it includes not just happiness but sorrow as well. It is this strange fairness that allows good days to eventually come after experiencing loss. It doesn't always take something grand; even the most trivial of moments can be enough.

One day, for no particular reason, the weather is just nice. A summer shower feels unexpectedly refreshing. The sound of children laughing is pleasant. The scent of wildflowers blooming on the roadside lifts the spirits. Life gradually improves in these fleeting, almost imperceptible moments.

And for Count Ertinez, who has three beloved children, it's even more so. To continue pushing for such dangerous acts, he must have had to regain control of his emotions several times. He must have had to remind himself of his wife's death over and over again.

'That's it. It's the tomb.'

The ledger the Count mentioned is certainly in the graveyard. In that moment, what was once a possibility transformed into certainty.

"…?"

Suddenly, I felt a gaze and looked up to see three people staring at me intently. With enthusiasm.

"Did you think of something…?"

Vittorio asked, his tone full of hope. His expression clearly showed that he was deep in thought. I lightly ruffled the child's hair and nodded.

"Yeah. Looking at the map, it's starting to make sense."

A cool breeze blew in through the open window. The thin, tattered curtains fluttered in the breeze. I pretended not to notice the sharp gaze of the moonlight.

Once I became aware of it, an unmistakable sense of déjà vu washed over me. It was an uncomfortable, ominous gaze.

However, if it felt like Orlie and Butier were watching everything in real-time, the gaze from Sub-Writer 1 felt particularly out of place. It appeared sporadically and vanished, so it didn't seem like it was always there.

Anyway, since I was being watched, this time I had to proceed with the plan, deceiving everyone perfectly. It wasn't the same as doing it secretly. Since there was an extra ear listening, I couldn't reveal the truth.

So.

"I think the clue to find the ledger is here."

I planted false information.

"Rondine Tower?"

Vittorio tilted his head as he looked over the map.

I nodded seriously and began to speak logically, weaving a fabricated explanation.

"Yeah. We've searched thoroughly for just half a day, but the lack of any significant findings means… it's highly likely that whatever we're looking for is in a place we haven't been able to access."

I tapped the centre of the map, where the four sections of the map converged. Unlike the other places, which were filled with meticulous marks, the central area—Rondine Tower—was relatively empty. It made sense. It was at the corner of the map, and the location had certain special conditions.

"See, only the Ertinez family can enter here, so we couldn't search it. It would have been difficult to send Leo in too…"

Originally, Leonardo didn't frequent Rondine Tower, and since Celestina and Ferdinand were always staying there, there was a high chance that the other family members would notice any attempt at a search. 

Adding a reasonable excuse, Raul and Vittorio nodded in agreement.

"So, it's probably in Rondine Tower?"

"Most likely. It's probably one of the private spaces that the Count uses often."

"That makes sense."

Everyone seemed to be convinced. As we made plans to infiltrate Rondine Tower, deciding on the route and timing, the mood shifted, and the sky seemed to darken once more.

I hoped that the Sub-Writer 1 would diligently follow the fake information I had planted.

"Shall we take turns watching again tonight?"

"Yes, yes."

Raul stood up, slinging his cloak over his shoulder. He quickly set the time to switch with Leonardo at dawn and left without hesitation.

Vittorio, looking like he hadn't slept well the previous night, was gradually nodding off. He seemed to be sleep-deprived, so I quickly sent him off to his bedroom.

"Isaac."

After tucking Vittorio in, I returned to the room, and Leonardo was walking toward me, setting the mood. This didn't look good. It was the kind of situation where I was about to be scolded.

He reached out and traced his hand from my cheek down to my neck. The spot where his fingers made contact felt like it was pulsing uncontrollably. All this from just missing one night of sleep.

"You didn't sleep well again."

Caught. It was just one night, though.

"Hmm. Well, the situation wasn't exactly ideal for getting good rest…"

As I fumbled through my excuses, trying to explain myself, Leonardo suddenly pressed his hand beneath my knee and swiftly lifted me up. He then made a "shh" motion and nodded toward Vittorio's bedroom. Oh no, I realized that I'd been making too much noise and might wake him. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. With a faint smile, he tilted his head slightly and gently pressed his forehead against mine.

"You should get some rest."

Then, without another word, he swiftly prepared the bathwater and led me to the bathroom. His movements were ghostly efficient. Sitting awkwardly in the steaming tub, I could hear the soft sound of clothes rustling behind me. He neatly folded his discarded clothes and prepared a fresh set of garments.

As the days passed in the same room, I learned that Leonardo was the kind of person who kept everything neat and orderly. Perhaps it was because of his military background. Unlike me, who inevitably left things a bit messy despite trying to keep organized, he had a natural tendency to maintain order.

'I wonder if it bothers him to share a room with me.'

The presence approaching from behind cast a heavy shadow over my head. When I looked up, our eyes met directly—Leonardo was looking down at me.

"It doesn't bother me. I actually enjoy tidying up for you."

"Did you hear that?"

I grumbled, but before I could respond, Leonardo gently nudged me, creating enough space for himself in the tub. 

It was a bit of a hassle to prepare the bathwater twice, and reusing the water from the previous person felt a bit awkward, so on tiring days like this, it had somehow become normal for us to bathe together.

The water level quickly surged, spilling over the sides of the bathtub. The hot water, rising to my chest, felt pleasantly soothing, and I let out a deep sigh as steam gathered in the air, swirling with my breath.

"Isaac."

Leonardo called my name lightly.

"Yes?"

I responded with my eyes closed, but he pressed a different kind of question into the space between us.

"I was thinking about tomorrow's search of the Rondine Tower. Do you have any other intentions behind it?"

I opened my eyes just slightly. Leonardo was washing himself as if nothing was unusual, but the realization hit me anew—lately, he seemed to be able to read me more easily than before. I couldn't help but be impressed by how perceptive he was.

For this mission, I had to deceive my allies. I didn't know when or where Sub-Writer 1's watchful eyes and ears might be lurking. 

But then, the thought hit me.

'That's right. I was planning to tell you.'

The system's power over the writers, temporarily suspending their writing rights, was something I had to consider. The system was clearly above the writers.

That meant the conversations we shared, using the ability , were out of reach of any eavesdropping.

The sky was still a pale, muted grey, and the oppressive light of the clouds filled the space above us. I didn't feel the weight of those arrogant, distant gazes anymore.

The only flaw of was that it sometimes made me spill my inner thoughts without control, but in moments like this, it certainly proved to be a useful tool.

'I've really figured out where the ledger is.'

There was only one person I could truly share this burden with.