A map is spread out on the desk.
Leonardo scribbled a few words in the corner while teaching Vittorio the method of independence, and I folded it small to carry it in my pocket, making it wrinkled. Now, Raul has placed a few stones he picked from the roadside, claiming they were part of our operation map.
Each stone has a slightly different shape, perhaps trying to describe their appearance.
On a large round stone, a dried mushroom cap with a reddish tint is placed, and tiny ink dots are marked on it. It seems like Paulo has red hair and freckles. Hopefully, it's not a poisonous mushroom.
Those small black pebbles and the slightly longer pair of stones… Could they be Vittorio and me?
'Children's workshop class…'
I remember not too long ago, Vittorio and I were squatting by the riverside, looking intently for something. I thought he was fishing or something.
Though the operation map doesn't really look the part, anyway.
"To rescue the field army, we need to approach from two directions."
As we had already discussed earlier.
Raul would hijack the supply cart heading towards the dragon's head and move there first, then make contact with the field army. Meanwhile, Leo's unit would lie in wait near the escape route, and as soon as the rescue operation was executed, they would join up with the field army, providing cover while making their escape.
"While Lord Leonardo leads the knights of the Ertinez family, I think Sir Raul might need more support on his side."
Duke Marchez, who had been listening attentively, nodded in agreement.
"I'll send a substitute. They're skilled in both strategy and combat, so they should be able to assist. However, I'm worried the field army might not easily trust our word."
Raul waved his hand dismissively, as if to say, "don't worry."
"It's fine. It's all familiar faces. I've already left a mark saying we're coming to rescue them, so it should be fine."
"Since Sir Raul here is part of the First Field Army, they will follow him without issue. Sir Raul can be considered one of Leo— well, Sir Leovald's close aides."
I almost slipped and called him Leovald because Leo is so ingrained in my mouth. But since the Duke seems to misunderstand the closeness between Leovald and me, it's probably not a big deal.
After briefly covering it up, Raul explained that he was one of the few knights who had evaded Godric's tracking net. Duke Marchez looked back and forth between Raul and me, easily accepting the explanation.
"I had a feeling you weren't from the Ertinez family, but now I see you were an ally who joined in advance."
'Seems a bit convenient, doesn't it?'
The misunderstanding that I was Leovald's ex-lover was ridiculous, but the benefit of being able to explain things smoothly without revealing the connection between Leovald = Leonardo was immense.
Raul had come to find us not because he was following me, but because he was following Leonardo's trail. While the details had slightly changed, when you get down to it, it wasn't a lie.
Maybe the Duke could replace a sub-writer spot. He has the same knack for crafting scenarios as Count Ertinez.
Hmm, now that I think about it…
'Can we give and take away the writer's position?'
At that moment, Leonardo moved one of the rough stones on the map and spoke.
"The place where the field army is being held has steep terrain and many gorges, limiting movement. Considering that the field army's condition isn't ideal, we need to strike quickly and retreat. We can't afford to spend days on this."
There was no suitable place to hide the rescued field army, so the best option was to break through and exit the third act in a rush on the last day.
And during the intermission, the interference from the writers weakens, and the stage becomes more autonomous.
'It's a good time to use as a rest period.'
That's also the purpose of the intermission in the first place.
"And Isaac, you'll need to add some bodyguards on your side as well. As much as possible—"
"No, it's not like we're swimming in troops. I'm fine, really."
"Isn't the central outpost with the king more dangerous than the mountain range?"
Leonardo slightly pursed his lips, giving an expression full of displeasure. Raul, taking a step back, rolled his eyes, clearly tired of hearing this again.
"You two always move together, don't you?"
In the meantime, Duke Marchez seemed to view Leonardo and me as some kind of package deal, as if we were always tied together, judging by his reaction.
"Yeah, well, that's true, but… his Majesty — there are some issues I need to sort out between the king and me."
More precisely, it was to avoid the constant surveillance from Sub-writer 1 on the stage. Once again, Duke Marchez seemed to have a sudden realization, nodding thoughtfully.
"Ah… I suppose that makes sense."
Then, he cast a somewhat wistful look at Leonardo. It was a rare thing for the Duke, who generally didn't have a strong opinion about humans, to show such emotion.
"Then, how about I stay at the central outpost? It would look odd if the Duke were to leave, so it might be better this way."
The Duke explained that, since he and his stand-in were always prepared to switch roles at any time, there was little risk of being caught.
"My strength isn't exceptional, but…"
"That's fine. There won't be a need to swing a sword anyway."
Godric isn't an idiot. He won't start a sword fight in the middle of the central outpost, risking my life when he knows it could easily end in disaster.
'He can't kill me.'
At least, not of his own accord. If a situation arises where he needs to point a sword at me, he'll probably be more worried about whether I'll die than anything else.
Hmm. Now that I've said it, it feels reckless. Ha, is this what it's like to live with the stakes so high?
Leonardo, still uneasy with my determination, reluctantly agreed to the plan, but only under the condition that Vittorio would also be assigned to me. He also added a stipulation to communicate through
As the discussion ended and the atmosphere shifted toward wrapping up, Duke Marchez quietly said something to Leonardo. Just before leaving the camp, he murmured softly, "Still, the title seems a bit much."
What's too much?
"What was that just now?"
When I asked Leonardo after the Duke had left, Leonardo gave me a somewhat confused look in return.
"He said, 'Even the young master must be going through quite the emotional turmoil…'"
"?"
"He added, 'It's hard to defeat the dead, so stay strong.'"
After a brief silence, I realized something.
'Wait, does he think I see Leonardo as just a substitute for Leovald?'
Whether it's Leonardo or Leovald, to me they're both just 'Leo,' so I made that one minor title mistake. But it seems like I've been misunderstood as someone who's attached the nickname of an ex-lover to a new lover, someone who's way too much of a jerk.
Even a drunkard who constantly calls out their ex's name in a drunken stupor would probably be less bad than me.
'Wait, this is unfair.'
Regardless of whether it's Leovald or Leonardo, or whatever I call them, to me, they're just Leo!
I've been misunderstood a lot, and while I've enjoyed it at times, this misunderstanding somehow feels unfair, and I want to clear it up.
"Darling, do I really look like a zero to you?"1
"Zero…?"
Is my humanity really seen as that low? Maybe it's time to reflect on my past actions.
Half-jokingly asking, Leonardo blinked at me with a confused look, as if the metaphor was unfamiliar to him. Every time he acts like this, I'm reminded that he's technically a foreigner.
"Ugh, it's nothing."
It's kind of cute that he acts like this only in front of me… When I patted his cheek to tell him not to worry about it, he smiled brightly as if he didn't care. When I raised my voice about safety issues, he was a bit stubborn for the first time in a while, but his ego quickly vanished again.
How has he survived this long, being so clueless?
At that moment, Raul, who was still inside the barracks, caught my eye. He briefly creaked, then picked up a small stone from the map and began adjusting the mushroom cap on it while muttering to himself.
"Paulo, you saw that, right? Even after giving him advice, he ended up falling flat… It's over. Tsk tsk."
Isn't that mushroom poisonous? I wonder if it has hallucination effects or something.
It seemed like he had been feeling pretty lonely without his teammates around. He was already struggling, and though it was a bit awkward, I had to give him the completed
In the end, Raul didn't react much after hearing the full explanation of the newly established settings.
He just listened silently, then suddenly tried to eat the dried mushroom cap that was placed on Paulo's head, and stopping him from doing that was harder than I thought.
Isn't that a poisonous mushroom?!
"It just stings a little if you eat it, okay? The commander was grinning so much, so I had to check if this was real!"
"If it stings after eating it, then it's definitely a poisonous mushroom!"
He's really a strange person.
I was afraid the military I'd soon meet would be like this too.
Soon, the day of the final expedition arrived.
"The subjugation is nearing its end and we are approaching the final stretch," said Godric from the platform installed overlooking the last expedition site. Despite the unusually cold day, no breath escaped from his mouth. His cheeks were deliberately reddened, but his fingertips looked pale, like thin parchment, as though exhausted.
"Everyone, for the kingdom."
At that moment, Leonardo abruptly lifted his head, as if sensing something in the air. It wasn't just Leonardo. Vittorio and Raul also looked around as if they sensed something.
Like animals fleeing from the tremors of an impending landslide, or birds flying low, sensing an approaching storm.
'Leo?'
「The energy from the dragonbone sword disrupted it, so I didn't notice. This close―」
Godric smiled gently and finished his words.
"I hope you all give your best until the end."
[A new scenario note has been assigned!]
Beyond the ridge, the black swamp sluggishly overflows.
"They're here!"
The enemies of the final expedition were not monsters.