Reconnaissance (1)

With narrowed eyes, I watched these new—and familiar—characters, when the landlord awkwardly intervened with a strange tone.

"The esteemed guests here must have arrived today as well. It's rather chilly, so it's strange to see such distinguished people talking in the courtyard. If it's alright with you, may I invite you to dinner this evening?"

The fake Duke of Marchez nodded.

"Generous offer."

"What about Lord Lopez?"

"It's Count Bermont, I said. Well, I won't decline."

At Lopez' grumbling reply, the landlord nodded and approached us.

"Then, Lord Ertinez, I will guide you to your room."

The landlord had already given nearly all the guest rooms to Lopez and Marchez, so he said there were only a few rooms left. Leonardo casually offered a solution.

It was an efficient suggestion to just cram the knights into the remaining rooms, according to the number of available spaces.

The landlord's face lit up, pleased, calling it truly generous, but honestly, it seemed like Leonardo, who was going to share a room with us without needing any further explanation, was far more satisfied.

The knights gathered in small groups to share rooms, and Vittorio and I were squeezed into Leonardo's share. The room was quite spacious, so I thought Raul might be able to share it as well, and I glanced at him. He seemed to be seriously considering it.

"To insist on that… No, but the little one… A kid, and in that kind of state on a New Year's Eve night…"

Hmm. He seemed to be stuck in some dilemma again. I shouldn't worry about it. Whether he knows or not, he'll figure it out.

Leonardo was already unpacking in the guest room. His things were mixed up with mine, so I'd have to rummage through it if I wanted to find any clothes.

"For dinner, do we need to dress up like we did when we were invited to Ertinez Castle?"

I held up the formal attire the servants at Ertinez castle had carefully prepared for Leonardo, who was standing quietly in front of me.

It had to be custom-made, but due to the alterations made by the disappointed Leovald after his muscle loss, the tailor had cried and left, saying the shoulder width didn't match. Unable to watch any longer, Ferdinand had lent him some of his own clothes.

The clothes that were too difficult to alter and couldn't be fixed fit my physique perfectly, so I took them for myself.

"Just enough to show some courtesy will be fine."

Leonardo responded, quietly playing the role of a clothing rack. Since there was a well-polished metal piece used as a mirror, it was definitely easier to check each other's appearances this way.

Humming, I draped a few more outfits over my shoulders before pulling out a long, rolled-up black cloth from my backpack. It was the usual secretive black attire.

Leonardo lowered his eyes as if he had expected this.

"Hmm, black suits you well. After eating, how about a walk, for a little bit of both?"

"Yeah…"

Leonardo quietly accepted his fate.

Vittorio, already knowing the meaning of this outfit, half-buried himself in the backpack and began searching for the matching mask and gloves.

The evening dinner took place in a space resembling a large hall. It seemed to usually serve as a corridor for receiving villagers.

They had joined several tables of irregular lengths and widths, and awkward chairs that clearly weren't for dining, creating as many seating spots as possible—almost like a patchwork quilt.

It wasn't an extravagant meal, but a dish of freshly grilled bird meat, stuffed with vegetables and coated with seasoning, was served. A generous portion of freshly baked bread accompanied a steaming stew from a large pot.

The landlord brought out a bottle of wine, which he had apparently been saving for the distinguished guests.

Lopez tasted the wine, then delicately set the glass down, not touching it again.

On the other hand, Leonardo ate without any complaints. Despite moving his utensils at a reasonable, even slow pace, strangely, whenever I looked away for a moment, his plate was already empty. Vittorio was closely observing this curious phenomenon as though studying it.

In the meantime, I glanced around at the faces seated at the high table. While the knights' area appeared to be noisy and lively, the people gathered here were rather dignified and quiet.

The landlord's family, Lopez and the fake Duke of Marchez' entourage, and the three of us were the only ones seated.

By chance, I had ended up at the table as a hastily assigned attendant of Leonardo, and Vittorio as Leonardo's squire.

As a side note, the landlord, perhaps knowing the notorious reputation of the wild Leonardo, had slyly approached me before the meal to ask.

"Is it true that the young master has given up drinking? Count mentioned in the letter that, should anything happen, the black-haired attendant would handle it well. Now that the Duke is also here, I hope there won't be any trouble… Please, I beg you!" he said.

It seemed that Leonardo's reformation story hadn't reached here yet.

"You must all be on your way to the Vernis Mountains."

Lopez, who had grown a moustache to complete a more sinister look, broke the awkward silence. The fake Duke of Marchez was silent, but nodded slowly. Leonardo also simply responded with a brief "yes."

'Wow, this is suffocating.'

The middle-aged landlord looked a bit overwhelmed, almost pitifully so. But Lopez didn't back down; he straightened his chest and continued the conversation.

"Isn't it a wonderful thing? For a long time, the nobility had been disconnected, to the point that even the traditions of the kingdom seemed meaningless. Yet, His Majesty, with his insight, seeks to reconnect the provinces and the capital."

Lopez rambled on about how the local aristocrats, who had been living isolated after the calamity, would once again bow to the royal family under this leap-year grand hunt. Well, one way or another, they would end up bowing.

Leonardo, of course, ignored him, and the fake Duke of Marchez remained expressionless but stiff, as though he had just heard some nonsense.

"A few months ago, my late brother, the former Count Bermont, was close to His Majesty. With this opportunity, I intend to meet His Majesty and pay my respects. I plan to bring a very fine bottle of wine to present."

Lopez, flaunting the friendship between the late Count Bermont and King Godric, didn't hide the implication that "you'd better build a friendly relationship with me in advance." Of course, there was no response. Instead, the fake Duke of Marchez asked in a dry tone.

"Fine wine, you say? It seems you've managed to bring it safely all the way here amid the chaos. I hope your knights didn't sacrifice their lives to protect that gift. After all, if the wine is worth more than human lives, it would surely appeal to His Majesty's taste."

It was a sharp mockery.

Lopez immediately frowned, clearly displeased, but, brushing his mustache, asked with a suspicious tone.

"Chaos? I don't quite understand what you mean."

"…Are you saying you came here without any disturbance?"

The fake Duke of Marchez' face was as cold as ice. He seemed lost in thought, remaining silent.

'Leo, let's throw in a hint.'

「Right.」

After giving the cue, Leonardo obediently became my spokesperson and turned to the landlord, speaking up.

"Have the refugees we brought found a safe place to stay?"

The landlord brightened up and quickly responded.

"Of course, Your Grace. The people of the Ertinez County will always be welcomed in this land. They are valuable workers, and the villagers will take good care of them. However, it seems they've had quite a hard time. If it's not too much of an intrusion, may I ask what exactly happened to them?"

This is where I need to drop some bait. Go ahead, Leonardo.

"It may not be an appropriate topic for the dinner table."

He relayed my words exactly as I had said them. The fake Duke of Marchez and Lopez' gazes all turned toward me at once. I pretended to be anxious and feigned stopping Leonardo.

"Young master… If you mention such things unnecessarily…"

The fake Duke of Marchez took the bait immediately.

"Now that you mention it, the young lord did bring people with him. What happened?"

I pretended not to see Leonardo directly explain the situation, giving him a glance that asked for permission before beginning my explanation.

"It happened just before we arrived here, in a village we passed through."

I explained how the village had been devastated by a monster's attack, how we had tracked its traces and discovered a monster that had kidnapped people, how this monster was remarkably different from the usual ones, and after a fierce battle, we managed to rescue those who had been captured… but their testimony seemed odd.

The fake Duke of Marchez' expression shifted slightly.

'As I thought.'

It seems they also encountered some nameless ones on their way here. My guess was correct. The nameless ones may have roles, but their importance is negligible. That is their biggest flaw.

Therefore, it's natural that characters with more significance, or those like me who have managed to obtain a name, are coveted.

In that case, it makes sense that Lopez, with his relatively insignificant role, wasn't attacked, while the fake Duke of Marchez and his entourage, who appeared to be of higher importance, would have seemed like a very tempting target.

The fake Duke of Marchez put down his wine glass and slowly asked again.

"This seems to match my experience quite well. Did they perhaps speak human language? The ones I met were also with people."

Lopez raised an eyebrow as if to say, "What nonsense is this?" But Leonardo simply nodded in agreement.

I studied the fake Duke of Marchez carefully. After my weaknesses had been exposed, the nameless ones had been scrambling to hide, but even so, this man seemed to know something.

He spoke quietly.

"It might sound strange, but those creatures had people working for them, making wagons like slaves. But when we were discovered, they ate all of them and fought with my knights. It was tough, but we were able to capture them alive."

The part about capturing them alive despite not knowing the nameless ones' weaknesses was quite surprising.

"And after several rounds of interrogation, before the creature died, it said…"

The fake Duke of Marchez squinted his eyes and added,

"It was trying to take those people to the Vernis Mountains to offer them."