Raul hurriedly finished copying the map and left to get some quick rest. Though he would be separating from the group for reconnaissance tomorrow, knowing his comrades were nearby, he was likely feeling the urgency.
Vittorio seemed to have grown quite fond of Raul, as he had gathered a bundle of food for him. He certainly had a knack for things. I wonder who he learned that from.
Since tomorrow was the day of departure, the knights outside the barracks didn't linger long in the festive atmosphere of the banquet.
Vittorio was the first to nod off, eventually curling up and falling asleep against my back. After carefully tucking the blanket around the child, I gently left the bed and approached Leonardo.
He had placed the dragon bone sword on the table and was quietly inspecting it. As I placed my hand on his shoulder, I could feel the tension in his stiffened muscles.
He had never clearly explained his own death. Perhaps he assumed I already knew, but it's possible that, instinctively, he avoided bringing it up.
Even though I know I died to end up here, whenever I try to recall the exact way I met my end, my head throbs and I instinctively avoid it. I'm not sure if it's a good thing to feel a sense of kinship over such matters.
Leonardo naturally made room for me to sit beside him, and we sat together, staring blankly at the dragon bone sword. I was the one to break the silence first.
"You said it feels unsettling, right?"
He silently nodded.
"Faint, but definitely similar to them."
Even though his role as the protagonist had been altered, is it instinctive for him to sense some trace of them, since he's still the central character?
He quietly shifted his gaze, as though scanning the unseen landscape beyond the tent.
"Since the sword was scattered, I can feel them from all directions. In this state, detecting their presence will be difficult."
Leonardo replied quietly. Though I'm not a discerner, I couldn't understand how he felt the presence of them. He seemed weary, as if burdened by a severe headache. Perhaps this too is something Sub-writer 1 intended.
Since I couldn't act on it during the opening, when the eyes and situation around us made it difficult, I take action now. I gently rub my eyes, which had darkened with fatigue, soothing myself, and Leonardo's gaze focuses on me.
"How does it feel?"
When I gently asked to calm his heightened nerves, Leonardo responded honestly, saying that it felt like his ears were ringing from being constantly exposed to noise.
What must it have been like for him when he was at the front lines in the body of Leovald? That place would have been surrounded by them from all sides, and everything must have felt chaotic. Had he felt like he was trapped in that turmoil for the ten years after the first incident?
Perhaps heading north and getting away from this place would allow his senses to recover, but tonight at least, it seems sleep will be elusive.
"I wonder if covering the senses with something else would help…"
Considering we have a march tomorrow, a good rest is crucial, yet here we are, unable to sleep. As I absentmindedly massage his earlobe, he lets out a small laugh. What's so funny?
"The roles are reversed," he said, sounding amused. He was the one who used to drag me to bed when I tried staying up late.
"A day or two of sleeplessness won't kill me," he added, but hearing it from someone who usually sleeps like a log felt oddly irritating. Is this what it feels like to walk in another's shoes? I draped my arm over his shoulder, using a tone I typically reserved for threatening people in the shadows.
"You won't go to bed willingly, will you? Then I'll drag you there myself."
Leonardo flashed a small smile before suddenly wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me up effortlessly. The sudden sensation of being in the air made me instinctively pull him into a hug, and I could hear him mumbling something against my chest.
"I can't see ahead…"
"You started it," I muttered, and in the midst of complaining, Leonardo, who had claimed he couldn't see, skillfully found the bed. He collapsed on top of it, and as a result, I could feel the bed sinking deeper with his weight pressing down.
He pressed his ear against my chest, and in a soft voice, he whispered, "I can hear your heartbeat louder than anything else right now."
Following the resonance of my chest, his voice seemed to vibrate through me. When I whispered back, "Me too," he murmured that my voice sounded louder, and his tone was unusually gentle, almost like he was enjoying it more than usual.
At that moment, I decided to hold him close. It was a bit heavy, but it didn't matter. The warmth and weight of his body pressing down on mine made it easier to drift into sleep.
Vittorio, who had shifted slightly to the side, clung to my arm, warm and close. I could feel the solid weight on my chest, and I didn't even need to mention how comforting it was.
If it were summer, I would have been sweating from the heat, but it was winter, so the cold air made the warmth of others feel even more comforting. It was strange, how the act of sharing warmth had become such a natural part of daily life.
Some say you don't know the space you occupy until it's taken, but I'm starting to realize I know exactly where I stand.
"Once the hunt starts, it won't be easy to rest… You should get some sleep now."
As I gently tapped the back of his head, Leonardo slowly lifted his gaze. He spoke, as if it had just come to him.
"Earlier, when we received the priest's blessing…"
"Hmm?"
"It was definitely different," he murmured. He'd always received the rites from priests at farewells, and it had always felt natural. But this time, it was different, he whispered.
"When you gave me the blessing, it felt better."
Was he talking about the blessing before leaving El Dante?
With a naive tone, he asked again, "Is it because you're an apostle?"
Well, honestly, there's nothing divine about me. But I couldn't exactly deny the hope in his eyes either.
"If you believe that… then sure, I'm a strong and amazing apostle," I replied with a small, uncertain smile.
'Is this what he wants me to do?'
Seeing how tired he looked made me feel a bit sorry. After all, tomorrow's mission would mark the beginning of a full-scale hunt. Reaching out, I gently cupped his cheek, and Leonardo lowered his eyes slightly, quietly allowing me to draw him in.
I kissed his cheek first, wishing for our safe return, then moved to his forehead, and finally the bridge of his nose.
As soon as his lips parted, Leonardo, who had slightly lifted his head, approached. He murmured "Thank you" silently, lowering his face in the same manner. His breath tickled.
Perhaps because it was dark, he held my head with his hand to ensure our positions didn't misalign. His familiar hand wrapped around the back of my head and gently pulled. I sensed the distance closing, but I flinched every time our skin touched unexpectedly. Even so, when the lips that had touched my cheeks pressed gently against my forehead, I could accept it without trembling.
「Isaac.」
Just as his lips were about to part from the bridge of my nose, Leonardo's voice, using
「…My memories before death are fragmented, but it was that sword.」
Hearing a firsthand account of death is peculiar.
Just like how Leonardo's presence overshadowed other senses with my heartbeat, I confirmed the person in front of me was alive through the warmth that clung closely. It was because the tone felt so distant in that moment.
「I died by that sword.」
Godric's royal sword. The sword said to have used a dragon's spine.
That was all. He didn't say anything more, and complete silence fell. I just leaned my head back on his chest again. I placed my hand on his head and gently stroked it. I couldn't be sure if the sound of my heartbeat and this small contact would be comforting, but I felt him relax a bit more.
Suddenly, as I listened to him talk about his death, fragments of memories buried in my subconscious seemed to surface. There was a very bright and intense light, and everything was chaotic. Was it cold then? I don't know. In the end, I probably smiled. I remembered the corners of my mouth being pulled up. It wasn't exactly a happy smile, but… in the end, all I could do was tightly hug Leonardo and barely respond with "Yeah."
***
The next morning.
All the expedition teams lined up under the old castle ruins. The rows of people standing in formation looked grand even from a distance.
[Clear Condition Achieved!]
The scenario notes from Paulo's perspective had also passed safely through the night.
The flags of each family fluttered in the wind, and Godric, dressed in heavy and ornate attire, walked up to the high platform. As always, he appeared deliberately kind and somewhat indifferent. His reddish-brown eyes scanned the crowd.
The subjugation campaign was scheduled to proceed like a wave. It would happen about three times, with one departure, a return, a rest, and then another departure. Each campaign would last about ten days, totalling three times. Since it was a traditional event emphasizing honour, it also had the aspect of a hunting competition.
The captured monsters would be brought to the old castle ruins and counted like points. The one who recorded the highest honour would be personally commended by the king.
I wasn't particularly interested, but those who were more interested in the other spoils rather than honour seemed to be targeting this.
Just one month.
'To save the First Field Army within that time.'
And we also had to defend against Godric's scheme to assassinate Leonardo. It was clear that it would be a busy stage. I understood why Godric insisted on holding the leap year great hunt despite failing to annihilate the Ertinez family in the second act.
'So there were two plans from the beginning.'
To punish the Ertinez family for treason and deal with Leonardo at the same time. Even if this failed, the leap year great hunt, already inserted as the backdrop of Godric's visit, would inevitably take place.
It's certain that they are a bothersome type to deal with. The units, divided by their roles, split in different directions according to the king's orders. There must be a reason why Godric sent us north, though we can't know what awaits us.
Eventually, Godric's voice, standing on the platform, spread far and wide, but we decided to face it head-on without retreating.
"May glory in victory be with all the brave."