The quiet period before the third expedition passed calmly.
Compared to the last campaign, there had been a noticeably higher number of casualties and injuries. During this time, unsettling rumours gradually surfaced and began to have an impact.
On the side of the anti-Godric faction, there were missing persons, the Dragonbone Sword, and suspicions surrounding the king who originally organized the purge.
Among the Godric faction, there was a subtle power struggle over the position of the commander of the royal guard.
It wasn't surprising to sense that something might happen during the third campaign. It was about time to begin the operation to rescue the First Field Army.
But before that, I needed to have a conversation with the people necessary for this plan.
"Duke Marchez. It seems we were meant to talk, and you've come just in time."
Duke Marchez nodded. He already knew I was the one behind this plan, and that I was the one leading it, so he didn't hesitate to dive into the conversation.
"First of all, there's something I'd like to share before the next expedition begins. The First Field Army is being held captive in this mountain range."
Surprisingly, the Duke did not react with shock. He simply nodded thoughtfully, listening carefully.
'That's unexpected. Why isn't he surprised?'
"Anyway, I think we can rescue them if we persuade them well. I'll need your help, Your Grace."
Once again, Duke Marchez nodded readily. The process of accepting my request was far too easy. Just as I was feeling puzzled, he clasped his hands together seriously and spoke.
"Of course."
And then, unexpectedly, he said something strange.
"I think I've figured out the answer to the test."
…What test?
The question surged up my throat instantly, but I forced myself to swallow it down and kept my calm smile. Duke Marchez, looking like a detective, adjusted his monocle.
"Ever since you told me you were the masked man last time, I've been wondering why you suddenly revealed your identity."
Did he mean that mysterious reveal during the first expedition, when I cleared the quest?
"You've also dropped a few intentional hints before, haven't you? As if asking us to guess your identity and your purpose. After thinking it over, I came to the conclusion that this is some sort of test."
To stay true to the dark side concept, I'd dropped hints like that a few times. But I'd never actually given a test.
"I thought the reason you primarily communicate with the Ertinez young master was because he was the only one who passed the test."
Well, that's just because Leonardo and I are a set…
"Haha, so did you figure something out?"
Well, whatever. Since I'd already caused a misunderstanding, I couldn't exactly clear the air now, so I switched to the persona of the
"When you first introduced me to those who oppose the king, you said you stopped watching the situation because the king killed that person."
[They shouldn't have messed with what they weren't supposed to. If they hadn't, I would've been content just watching from the sidelines… if only the king hadn't killed that person.]
Yeah. I had blatantly thrown that out there as a clue.
"And I also overheard some interesting rumours circulating among the knights of the Count's household, especially about how close you seem to be with the second son of the Ertinez family. After listening to some of the talks, I found the conversation rather intriguing."
[The young master? After returning from Sinistra, he's really changed, hasn't he?]
[Ah. The aide… or rather, Isaac? He is someone the young master personally brought from Sinistra. I heard he wasn't originally from there, but they met while he was in Sinistra. Apparently, they ran into each other during the memorial service.]
[If he had continued working at the inn there, there'd be no reason for him to leave Sinistra. It's clear that the young master insisted on bringing him, isn't it?]
[Now that you mention it, there was a rumour going around for a while. The reason the young master suddenly started practicing swordsmanship, something he had never shown interest in before… they said he was trying to imitate the dead love of his life…]
[The sword style passed down in the Count's family is completely different. Why would someone who spent their whole life learning a certain way suddenly give that up to train in another?]
"And there are also many suspicious aspects between you and the king."
[It's strange for a new noble to catch the king's eye by chance, but the two seem to know each other much too well, don't they? Wasn't this something that started long ago?]
"The king also personally sent you a banquet outfit and service. For someone who was a commoner and then became the Ertinez young master's attendant, for the king to show such personal favour… it doesn't make sense."
Damn it. There were too many eyes watching, and trying to hide all those details of that noisy procession was clearly impossible.
"And I overheard that you casually called the king by his name."
This habit of using that title… I'll make sure to correct it. While I was silently regretting my mistake, Duke Marchez blinked his eyes seriously as if he had finally completed a puzzle, and then said:
"Lastly, you've spoken about the location of the First Field Army, which had quietly disappeared, and your rescue plan. The conclusion is clear. The answer I've come to is this."
The tension heightened as the duke punctuated his statement.
"The reason you stayed in Sinistra is because of Sir Leovald, correct?"
He hit the mark. As I remained silent, the duke quickly added:
"Sir Leovald is said to have been of a similar age to the king and was like a close friend. While I've never heard of you, I suspect you also spent time with the king and Sir Leovald in the past."
"…?"
Me…?
「We were never friends. It was more like a mercenary and employer relationship, a lord-servant bond. That was a story the royal side made up to make things look good.」
Meanwhile, Leonardo quickly denied the claim about being friends with Godric, seemingly uncomfortable with the idea. Duke Marchez continued gravely.
"Your information network holds things that an ordinary commoner couldn't possibly have. Perhaps you've met the king a few times as Sir Leovald's close associate, or maybe you were once a noble living in the capital who later chose to retreat into seclusion. From what I gather, you shared a deep bond with either Sir Leovald or King Godric in the past…"
Definitely not.
"After Sir Leovald's death, you likely disappeared alone into Sinistra. Even though you're not from there, the reason you were there was probably to mourn Sir Leovald."
Some of that is correct, but most of it is wrong. What kind of conversation is this?
"In Sinistra, you met Lord Ertinez and, through him, learned of the king's crimes in detail. You then collaborated with him for the sake of revenge on the First Field Commander."
That explanation holds more credibility, especially since they don't know that Leovald borrowed Leonardo's body.
The king killed Leovald, and I was the one who planned everything for revenge. Up to this point, it's been the backstory of the dark figure I had privately considered.
But what I had been thinking about was based on respect for Leovald, like having been saved by him in the past. However, with Godric suddenly trying to act familiar, something seems to have gotten tangled. Now I need to explain not only my connection with Leovald but also my connection with the king.
"That's the conclusion I've drawn. What's clear is that you are someone close to either the king or Sir Leovald. I initially thought you were Sir Leovald's lover, but the king's obsessive behaviour doesn't quite add up, so… hmmm."
Duke Marchez, speaking in rapid succession, finally took a sip of water and fell silent. The stillness that followed the exchange felt uncomfortably awkward.
'Explaining that Leovald is Leonardo without mentioning it, my dark figure persona can still be somewhat justified, and my motive for rescuing the field army is clearer. However, I don't need to overexpose the setup of possession, reincarnation, or anything else. It's a fabricated past, but still.'
Just as the silence stretched, a cheerful notification sound broke it, and text appeared, dancing across my vision, visible only to me.
[
[#Love Triangle][
Keywords – #Class Difference, #Forbidden Relationship, #Love Triangle
Unique Ability –
Keywords – #Suspicious, #Hidden Agenda, #Mysticism
Unique Ability –
With this, both
"Haha…"
With Duke Marchez in front of me, interpreting my deflated laugh as he pleased, I whispered through
'What should we do, darling?'
How did the misunderstanding that started in Sinistra slowly snowball into this situation?
Then Leonardo's whisper seeped into my ear.
「You just need to correct the part about the king and you.」
His unexpectedly calm tone made me glance at him in surprise. Leonardo stood behind me with an unusually refreshed face, guarding my back.
'…Don't you care about anything else? What are you going to do when you get your body back?'
When he returns as Leovald, if he follow that setup, we're destined for a thousand-year-long marriage. That's why I tried to make us have a setup like benefactors or close friends.
But I can't even confidently say I'll stay here in the end.
'You're going to ruin your marriage prospects.'
Before Leonardo could reply, the tent flap fluttered open, and Raul poked his head inside. I'd told him to come in once the conversation with Duke Marchez about the rescue operation was mostly finished.
"Are you done talking?"
Duke Marchez' little fantasy session had finally come to an end…
To get everyone on the same page, I'll have to tell Raul about this later, but I'm already afraid of his reaction.