Treasure Hunt (9)

When I came to my senses, I was at the southern spire.

It was an unnatural transition, as if I had been cut out from the scene unfolding at the Ertinez family grave and pasted here.

However, unlike my previous experience, I was not looking down from the sky above. Rather, I was standing on the ground, just like the characters.

Standing in the middle of the spiral staircase, in the round, empty space between the perilously extending steps without a railing, I looked up. The mass of them was pushing and jostling each other, rushing up the stairs.

When I slowly and gently touched the undulating wave with my hand, the surface rippled wildly. At the same time, it felt solid enough to step on and climb. I placed my foot on them and used the floating, black mass of armour as a stepping stone to ascend.

Upon reaching the top floor, I found Count Ertinez and Celestina looking utterly exhausted. They were resisting those things that were flooding into the narrow space, not letting go of their weapons until the very end.

[Activation conditions met.]

[Unique ability, , summons an ancient tale.]

Take 1. Count Ertinez' Castle Training Ground (Day/Outside). Celestina watches from horseback as Ferdinand and Leovald spar. She taps Leonardo's head like a drum and asks.

Lady Celestina: "Why are they always fighting?"

Leonardo: "My head is not an instrument, you know. And they're not fighting; they're training. But to me, it just looks like unnecessary hard work and sweat."

Lady Celestina: "Why do they train?"

Leonardo: "To go out and fight."

Lady Celestina: "Like Father?"

Leonardo: "(Indifferently) Yeah, I guess so."

Lady Celestina: "Then if everyone goes out, who will protect this place?"

Leonardo: "Huh? Well… the ones who stay behind will protect it."

Lady Celestina: "Brother, me, and Mother? (Sigh) That's a big problem. Brother, you're weak."

Leonardo: "(Getting upset) Are you teasing me?"

Lady Celestina: "Can't be helped. I'll protect everyone. I'll crush the monster's head like this! And like this!"

Leonardo: "Ouch! You… I think I need to confiscate those violent fairy tales."

Then the next scene.

Take 1. Ertinez Castle Courtyard (Night/Outside).

A knight runs in urgently.

Knight 1: "Lady, the monsters and the dragon's army have breached the walls! Most of our forces have left for the expedition, and we have few soldiers left within the castle. What should we do?"

Celestina removes her gloves, revealing hands covered in scars. She grabs the halberd hanging above the fireplace.

Lady Celestina: "Order all non-combat personnel to evacuate and those who can fight to arm themselves."

Gripping the halberd lightly, Lady Celestina gazes out the window.

Lady Celestina: "Tell them to follow me."

And then, like pages stuck together, it doesn't turn. I look at Celestina again.

Fourteen years old. Despite her young and innocent appearance, I see a strong will within her. Even though this is the content of , I have a feeling it's not entirely inaccurate. After all, the Celestina I remember always wore white satin gloves on her hands.

[For script enhancement, you may utilize parts of the previously written 'Origin'.]

[Would you like to apply it?]

The same message as when I extracted Ferdinand from . Without a moment's hesitation, I accepted the proposal.

[Extracting key elements from the retrieved 'Origin'…]

[Extracted Keyword: #IronWillInGentleAppearance]

[To which character would you like to apply this keyword?][Viewing information.]

Rank – Minor Character (Scenario weight 15.00%)

Role – Lady Celestina

Script – …

Dialogue – …[Temporarily adjusting the character's grade to 'Supporting Role' level.]

And once again, I felt as though I were being sucked somewhere, closing my eyes. This time, it was near the castle wall, close to a forest. I stood on a small hill, watching Raul and Vittorio. The two of them were already surrounded.

I noticed the sword that was just about to pierce Raul's throat, and Vittorio's hair, which had lost its form after being drenched in rain, now messy and wild instead of the style it had been tied in this morning.

I hurriedly approached and pushed the sword, which was just grazing Raul's skin, away with my fingertips. Adjusting the halted scene felt burdensome, as though I were moving a heavy stone. I wondered if the writers felt this suffocated every time they had to readjust a scene.

When I forced the path to be changed, the sword missed Raul's neck. I gently pushed Vittorio's hair, which was flowing down and obscuring his vision, back from his forehead.

[Activation conditions met.]

[Unique ability, , summons an ancient tale.]

Take 1. Abandoned Area (Night/Outside).

Leovald and the Dragon Slayer squad stop at a village to rest for a while. They prepare camp among the rubble.

Archer Natalie: "Wait. I hear something from afar—"

Raul, aiming his spear.

Spearman Raul: "Who are you? What are you doing here in a ruined village?"

The unfamiliar term "Dragon Slayer squad" and the scene where Raul and Leovald first meet in the scenario note made it clear.

I finally understood why the entire had to be discarded.

The first encounter, the relationships between the characters, the flow of the story, and even the main antagonist had all changed, so it was inevitable that everything had to be different. In the , Raul was not as disciplined as he is now, and it seems he was never conscripted in the first place. He likely once survived alone in a place that was once called a slum, giving off a more hardened and sharpened aura.

Take 2. Area near El Dante (Night/Outside). Raul stretches.

Spearman Raul: "So, you're saying that's the commander's hometown? The place where monsters are swarming right now?"

Archer Natalie: "Why? Are you planning to pull back because it seems dangerous?"

Spearman Raul: "It's not that…"

Raul charges toward El Dante.

Spearman Raul: "I just don't want the commander to go through the same things I did, so I want to lend a hand."

I check the subheading. "The Gatekeeper of El Dante" is the same subheading as the one in the scenario note where Celestina grabs the halberd and prepares for battle. Is it dealing with the same event?

[Similarities have been found between the current development and the retrieved 'Origin'.]

[Would you like to overwrite the current development?]

Based on what I've experienced so far, it seems that has separate conditions for activation. Unlike or , this unique ability isn't something that just appears because I want it to.

If we consider the timing of when the Apostle Persona appeared, the answer might become clearer.

Looking at the moments before and after activated… Could it be that it only activates in relation to promises or contracts I've made, like the one with Leonardo Ertinez—specifically, the vow to "protect a member of the Ertinez family"?

Therefore, even though Raul isn't a member of the Ertinez family, since there exists a scenario in where Raul steps in to help the Ertinez family, he might be considered an eligible subject for the activation of .

[Restoring the similar development and proceeding with the overwrite.]

[The character, 'Spearman Raul', has temporarily had his combat power increased.]

The moment my eyelids fell again, I was back in the cemetery behind Rondine Tower. This time, it wasn't just me—others began to notice the strange occurrence as well.

[Sub-writer 1: What did you do?]

A small panel like a screen appeared in the air, showing the situation from a distant place.

The skirmish at the southern spire, where Celestina and Count Ertinez were, continued without interruption. Celestina, skillfully wielding her halberd, swept through them, clearing the spiral staircase beneath the spire and sweeping the chaos away toward the far side.

The situation in the direction of Raul and Vittorio was similar. Raul, looking fatigued and stumbling for a moment, suddenly shifted momentum and charged forward, spinning his spear at a terrifying speed, mowing down those before him.

The tide of battle had changed.

[Main Author: …!]

Now, it was the writers' turn to act.

Instead of watching from above, they stepped onto the ground, speaking the lines, exhaling on the stage.

Archbishop Butier, having left the Nidum Tower, rushed through the night. Eventually, he reached the southern spire, where he scattered bright and dazzling light from his hands as he ascended the stairs.

Pushing back the waves of monsters.

Celestina and Count Ertinez noticed Butier and, as he joined them between the two, he healed the weary Celestina and the Count, allowing the battle to continue once more.

["Main author (31% share)" votes against.]

The panel showing Raul and Vittorio's fierce struggle also experienced a strange occurrence.

When Raul briefly retreated and collided with the wall, a gloved hand suddenly reached out through the bars of a window that blocked the wall. Vittorio, startled at first, quickly recognized the figure and widened his eyes in surprise.

With a firm grip, the bars were pulled apart, and what emerged was—Orlie, the knight. Similar to Count Ertinez, he had been imprisoned in the basement of the Count's castle along with the other knights. At that very moment, he had been undergoing a trial of his own nearby, where Raul and Vittorio were fighting. He joined Raul and Vittorio's group, beginning to sweep away the enemies.

["Assistant Writer (2% share)" votes against.]

And finally.

['Sub-writer 2 (Share ??%)' is currently unavailable. The vote will be invalid.]

[Notification: A total of 33% of the shares opposed the rollback. With 30% in favour and 33% against, the proposal is rejected.]

After a brief silence, a torrential downpour began to fall upon the world. The noise and colours, which had been slow, quiet, and grey for so long, overwhelmed me with such intensity that it almost felt violent.

[Sub-writer 1: Ah, so you're going to hold out after all.]

[Sub-writer 1: I suggested the easiest and most considerate path, yet you refuse it with all your might. How cruel of you not to understand my feelings.]

"Leo, be careful!"

Soon, it was as if madness had descended upon the entire cemetery, and the creatures began to thrash about more violently than before.

[Sub-writer 1: If you refuse my consideration, there's only one way.]

[Sub-writer 1: Offer me the .]

And then, they began to charge at the stone chest I held in my hands.