Reconnaissance (10)

Lopez' hands trembled violently as he repeatedly clattered the tableware. 

Anyone watching would think I was some kind of terrifying person. 

The duke's stand-in and the real duke were cautiously observing the atmosphere, while Leonardo, though staring down at his plate of meat, didn't touch his food in an effort to maintain his act of wariness. His expression was stern enough to barely pass muster. 

"The food's going to get cold." 

As I regretfully spun my glass with my fingertips, the duke quietly began his meal. In reality, he was merely picking at his food while keeping a close eye on Leonardo's reactions. 

Ah. Leonardo was acting that way because he seemed to recognize me. 

'He looks like he's dying of curiosity. In that case, I should give him a clue.'

As I used to input a line, the stiff wooden puppet finally began to move. He had been so shocked that the original had to appear last time to help him that he'd been diligently training ever since. Now, let's see how he does this time.

"Why are you here?"

Tsk. That's a bit vague. Is the original Leonardo not going to show up again?

「Isaac…」

'I-I didn't say anything! Whatever you heard, it was just a hallucination!'

「…」

Fortunately, Duke Marchez stepped in to rescue me from this situation. 

"Lord Ertinez, are you acquainted with him?"

He was so focused on the potential connection between the man in black and the second son of the Ertinez family that Leonardo's lousy acting completely escaped his notice. Thanks to that, Leonardo was able to continue his performance smoothly. 

"When the king visited El Dante, I was almost discovered once. At that time, that man… provided some sort of assistance. He didn't clearly state his reasons for helping, though."

He hadn't specified what was nearly exposed, but the duke would have easily inferred that he was referring to the .

"That man…?"

Resting my chin on my interlaced fingers, I silently observed the gathered faces. Duke Marchez wasn't a fool—now that he had this much information, he would soon reach a conclusion. 

The man had dealt with the former Count of Bermont, who had been a loyalist to the royal faction, and installed Lopez in his place as a subordinate.

When the royal procession reached the Ertinez castle, he helped hide the ledger, the very evidence of treason. 

He was the one who confirmed the suspicions Duke Marchez had long harboured and connected him to the Ertinez family. 

Isn't the conclusion obvious? 

The mysterious man in black before him was clearly hostile toward King Godric, and there was no telling when he had begun orchestrating and executing all these plans. 

'I just responded to situations as they came, manipulated things, and moved accordingly. Before I knew it, this was the result.'

Well, considering I'd been playing the mastermind from the moment I dropped into this world, laying down foreshadowing all over the place, this wasn't particularly surprising. A mix of coincidence, effort, and a bit of luck had brought things to this point. 

But from Duke Marchez' perspective, it must have felt like he had unknowingly become a pawn on the chessboard of an elaborate scheme I had been quietly crafting for years. 

As he straightened his posture, clear signs of unrest flickered across his face. He was undoubtedly overanalyzing, convinced that even the three families travelling together was part of my grand design. 

A cunning mastermind pulling the strings of a duke's house and two count's houses… Now that was some compelling character-building. 

For me, it was exhilarating and entertaining. But for the duke, it was nerve-wracking enough to make him swallow dryly. That was the effect I had aimed for—but perhaps it had worked too well.

Caught between the satisfaction of 'This is what it means to be a true mastermind' and the bewilderment of 'How did things spiral this far out of control?', I lightly tapped my cheek. 

Just then, the real duke suddenly stood up with a clatter. 

"Since when—was your goal from the very beginning to lay the groundwork for targeting the king?"

Lopez, who had been wearing an expression that screamed 'Why is a mere attendant speaking up?', flinched in horror at the mention of the king. Realizing that siding with Godric wouldn't be a viable option for securing his position, his face turned ghostly pale as he opened and closed his mouth like a gasping goldfish. 

But the duke had no interest in Lopez. He pressed on. 

"For what purpose?"

Why had I gathered them together? Why had I extended my aid as if I were distributing alms? And why was I aiming for King Godric? 

All those tangled questions fused into a single, blunt demand. I tapped the cooling banquet table in slow rhythm before smiling.

"They shouldn't have messed with what they weren't supposed to."

There was no need to dodge or obscure the reason why an informant would be hostile to Godric. It was the most straightforward clue to understanding the motives of such a suspicious role. 

The very reason I had once explained to an ignorant Leonardo—the same reason I had shared with Count Ertinez. 

"If they hadn't, I would've been content just watching from the sidelines…"

As my voice gradually lowered, the tension inside the tent thickened. 

The moment Lopez, frozen stiff, sharply inhaled through his teeth, I flicked my fingertips and tipped over my wine glass. Like a life slipping away, the glass tilted weakly and spilled its crimson contents in a steady stream. 

While the other two instinctively shifted their gazes toward the small pool of wine, Leonardo remained unwavering, staring directly at me. 

As if he couldn't bear not knowing what expression lay hidden beneath this mask. 

I added briefly, 

"If only the king hadn't killed that person."

Then I wouldn't have needed to interfere. That was the beginning and the inevitable conclusion of it all. 

'Everything started because King Godric killed Leovald.'

And it wasn't just a fabricated backstory for the informant's role. If Sub-writer 1 hadn't gone too far and killed off the protagonist of the story, I wouldn't have ended up slipping into this world in the first place.

Duke Marchez seemed to instinctively recognize that he had just heard the most crucial clue to the man in black's motives. He was already deep in thought, his mind spinning rapidly as he tried to deduce the identity of the person I had mentioned. 

Before he could reach a conclusion, I waved a hand dismissively and rose to my feet.

"Well, since things have turned out this way, why don't the three families get along? Your goals may differ, but I think you'll find it easy enough to unite under one cause." 

I casually stepped behind Leonardo and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You, young master, want revenge." 

Then, turning to Duke Marchez, I offered an exaggerated bow, my tone playful. 

"And of course, so do you, Your Grace." 

I didn't even bother glancing at Lopez—just snapped my fingers instead. A subtle reminder not to forget his debt. 

"And you… surely, you understand that a rising ship offers far greater opportunities than a setting sun."

Godric would never spare even a passing interest in Lopez, anyway.

Clapping my hands together like a guardian forcing quarrelsome children into friendship, I declared, "What a beautiful alliance! Don't you all agree?" 

The room fell silent. But there was no need to spell out what was already clear—everyone's interests aligned. That was all that mattered. 

Sensing it was time to wrap things up, I rolled my shoulders and grinned. 

"Well, I'm no fairy godmother. I've spoon-fed you this much, but from now on, any deals we make will come at full price." 

"Deals?"

"Information is more valuable than gold, wouldn't you say? You're all practically dying of curiosity about my true identity and exact motives. I'll show up when you have something worthwhile to offer—then we can trade information."

"You mean… progress toward uncovering the truth the king is hiding?"

"Nothing too difficult, right?"

Of course, I was practically inciting them to treason, so it was far from easy. But I answered playfully, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. 

Sensing that my exit cue had arrived, I stretched lazily and bid them farewell. 

"Well then, do fight bravely in the Vernis Mountains. And be sure to take care of your necks!"

Then, another sharp clap of my hands. 

That was the signal. 

Through the gap in the tent's entrance, a razor-sharp metal shard flew in, snuffing out the lanterns that had been illuminating the space. A little assistance from Raul, who had been standing watch outside. 

By the time the flames were rekindled, there wasn't a single trace left of an extra presence in the tent—aside from the overturned wine glass on the table. 

Ah, that was fun! 

After my swift exit, I crouched near the underbrush where Raul was waiting and nudged his side with my elbow, grinning. 

"So? Think they're convinced?"

"You planned everything down to the last detail, so why are you pretending you just bluffed your way through with luck? When did you start plotting all this? Be honest! An apostle, my foot—you're obviously the leader of some underground syndicate! And why on earth did the commander fall for it so easily?!"

"I'm really just trying to help Leo with the purest of intentions, you know?"

How could he twist my goodwill like that? Unbelievable. 

Later that evening, after finishing his meal, Leonardo returned and sat right next to me, wearing a subtle look that practically begged for feedback. 

"The duke didn't suspect a thing!" 

Of course, that was probably because he was too focused on the man in black to spare any attention for Leonardo. 

Still, I praised his performance lavishly, telling him how much he had improved, and ruffled his hair until he looked completely at ease. 

From the side, Raul groaned, "Please, have some sense of caution for once!" But Leonardo, as he often did, simply accepted the gesture with an expression as blank as ever. 

Honestly, I had no idea how things had escalated to this point. 

Eventually, Raul, thoroughly exasperated, began muttering about needing reinforcements, listing off Natalie and Paulo as if summoning allies. But under Vittorio's withering stare, he quickly shut up, looking as if he had taken significant emotional damage.

It was the last night before we reached Vernis.

***

The next day at noon.

The hunting force came to a halt. Towering peaks loomed overhead, gazing down upon the small figures of men below. At the end of the winding mountain path, the ruins of a grand castle, built in an ancient style, came into view. 

Duke Marchez spoke. 

"This is the Vernis Mountains." 

The stage for Act 3 was not a city— it was the vast, snow-covered mountains themselves.

[Entering Scenario Zone: The Intermission has ended.] 

[Act 3, "The Chapter of Vernis," begins.] 

[A new scenario note has been assigned!]