A sudden flash of inspiration hit me—an excuse to get out of this situation without mentioning Godric's connection to Sub-writer 1 or anything about my experiences outside the stage.
"It's not that I have any special relationship with Godric… I just seem to have drawn unnecessary attention."
"You drew attention?"
"Well, when we were deep in the dragon's tail, in the middle of the subjugation, Godric—"
"The king."
Leonardo, who had been listening quietly, smoothly interjected to correct me.
"…Right. The king had his people keeping an eye on us. He's been itching to dig into House Ertinez ever since we were in El Dante, so honestly, it wasn't unexpected."
Technically, the bastard came to watch in person before leaving, but whatever.
"I tried to keep a low profile, but I must have done a few things during the subjugation that caught his attention. Maybe he got curious after reading the reports."
When truth and lies are mixed in equal parts, uncovering the real story becomes the hardest task.
It was true that we were being watched while in the dragon's tail, and it was true that my actions during the subjugation had caught Godric's attention. I had simply left out a few details—like who exactly had been watching us and the full extent of my interactions with Godric.
Raul still looked skeptical, but instead of pressing me further about how Godric perceived me, he latched onto something else.
"What the hell did you do during the subjugation to make the king take an interest?"
"Uh… well."
Not much, really.
A near-miss game of tag with a Bladewing Bird.
A stroll across the blank void beyond the stage.
And though Godric hadn't witnessed it himself, there was also the time I corralled a herd of mammoth-like beasts into a makeshift enclosure and handed them over to the duke as test subjects.
"…Hard to say. I did quietly support the Duke's research on the Dragonbone Sword. Maybe that was it?"
Raul let out a sharp breath. "Hah. So you got caught stirring the pot. I don't know why he's bothering with gifts and attendants, but… maybe it's a warning."
At this point, he seemed to be buying the explanation.
Leonardo, however, was a different story.
「Isaac, that man doesn't act on fleeting curiosity alone.」
He lowers his gaze calmly and whispers.
Since the moment my excuse had more or less ended, he had been diligently rummaging through the pile of clothes, eventually pulling out another formal outfit and holding it up to me, tilting his head.
「Could it be related to that night?」
His silver eyes gleam as they tilt slightly, locking onto mine.
「The night you fell.」
Lying to him is becoming increasingly difficult.
When someone shares almost every part of your daily life, it's only natural that any deception would be caught immediately.
「When you disappeared somewhere alone for a while.」
'…'
Even so, his intuition is terrifyingly sharp.
My fingers twitch involuntarily, and Leonardo skillfully slips gloves onto my hands before stepping back half a step, giving me space.
「If it's difficult to talk about, I won't press you. But—」
His hand gently covers the back of mine, warmth seeping through.
"If anything happens, let me help you."
It feels strange—someone offering help from a position lower than the one in need. Leonardo often spoke as if he were pleading, lowering himself endlessly. As if I were someone who could wield him however I pleased. Even though that could never be the case.
Whenever he acted like this, it almost made me feel as if I were someone truly remarkable…
"Yeah. I trust you."
I brushed aside my thoughts with a light smile, and Leonardo responded with a faint smile of his own.
Raul, still inside the tent, averted his gaze, his eyes rolling as if pretending not to see anything. Meanwhile, Vittorio scurried closer and murmured, "I… I'll help too."
Hmm. Having people to back me up is more reassuring than I thought.
***
The banquet was held at the ruins of an old castle.
It was the same place where, on the eve of our departure, Godric had distributed the dragonbone swords.
The remnants of the castle walls had been elegantly decorated, and tents had been set up to block out the cold wind, making the interior pleasantly warm.
As I followed Leonardo to our seats, a royal attendant subtly offered me a chair as well.
'They're treating me as a guest of the banquet, not just as Leonardo's attendant.'
Fortunately, none of the nobles seemed interested in a mere servant. It seemed they hadn't noticed—or simply didn't remember—that at the last banquet, I had stood behind Leonardo like a decorative screen.
'If someone asks which house I belong to, should I just say I'm a retainer of House Ertinez?'
I aimed to remain as inconspicuous as possible while scanning my surroundings.
Though the location was the same, the atmosphere was starkly different from the night before our departure. Back then, it had been relatively solemn, but now, it was practically a festival.
It made sense—this was the first expedition, and it had ended without disaster.
'On top of that, they've seen the effects of the dragonbone swords with their own eyes.'
After ten days of moving through the same territory, some noble houses had forged new friendships, while others had become rivals. The mood was noticeably more relaxed, with people mingling more freely than before.
I had to admit—Godric was exceptionally skilled at handling nobles.
'It must be related to what he said about the imperial family.'
Unlike me, who merely pretended to be an informant through acting, Godric ruled and orchestrated his surroundings as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
His unique ability, described not as brainwashing or mind control but as
Every indicator pointed to the same undeniable truth about him.
'Emperor.'
Right on cue, a deep drumbeat echoed through the hall, announcing Godric's arrival.
The once lively banquet hall fell into silence, and the nobles bowed their heads in deference to their king.
Since our unpleasant encounter during that airborne stroll—when I had shoved him away and left—I hadn't had any further contact with him.
Now, after all this time, our paths had crossed once again.
Godric appeared as he always did—wearing the gentle and magnanimous mask of a young king—as he took his seat at the head of the table. His gaze, tinged with a faint trace of red, briefly swept over me.
[Sub-writer 1: It would have been better if you had worn the clothes I sent you.]
Yeah, no thanks.
I irritably dismissed the messenger window and subtly shifted into the shadow cast by Leonardo's broad frame. Meanwhile, the king raised his cup, drawing everyone's attention.
With a clear, ringing voice, he delivered the opening toast.
"In gratitude for the success of our first expedition and the safe return of my loyal subjects, I offer this first toast."
A chorus of cheers and a threefold cry of 'long live the king' followed.
However, not everyone was enthusiastic—some merely clapped out of formality.
'It won't be easy, considering his reputation is at its peak right now, but it's time to start expanding our alliances.'
Lord Ertinez was present, as was Duke Marchez. There were certainly others who knew what Godric had done.
'With the First Field Army, the duke, and other noble factions combined, we might actually have a fighting chance.'
Seven years ago, during the succession ceremony, Godric's actions had been undeniably efficient—but they had also made him a target for suspicion.
If he had taken his time, handling things discreetly, the risk of being discovered by the count or the duke would have been significantly lower. I had once wondered why he had acted so recklessly.
But after learning about his plans in the blank space between stories, I finally understood.
'He's using the
He had already killed Leovald's body once. Now, he intended to kill Leovald's soul as well—completely erasing him—and take full control of his body.
Then, using the original script I currently possessed, he would reset the entire story.
He wanted to be the protagonist, restarting everything from the very beginning. This wasn't just another minor reset like the ones I had experienced before. This was something on a completely different scale. A total reset, rewriting the story from its very first chapter.
'That's why he was so reckless.'
It didn't matter who died, who grew suspicious, or even if the characters in this world sensed something was wrong. Because to Godric, this stage was already a finished story.
As I was lost in thought, a royal attendant stepped forward and unfurled a long scroll.
"I shall now announce the results of the first expedition."
The scroll contained a record of the hunting achievements—listing which noble house had hunted which tier of beasts, and so on.
"The subjugation force has collectively hunted over two hundred creatures in this first expedition alone."
In other words, enough raw materials had been gathered to fill the Evil Dragon.
Colourful banners fluttered along the old castle walls. Beside each flag, attendants began decorating the walls with thin plaques of gold, silver, and bronze, marking the recorded achievements.
'It looks like a scoreboard at a sports competition.'
By framing it this way, those desperate to earn the king's favour would undoubtedly push themselves even harder.
"The Marchez House has taken down five mid-tier beasts and ten low-tier beasts."
As I watched a silver plaque and two bronze plaques being placed beside the Marchez banner, I half-listened to the scoring system for the hunt, letting the information pass in one ear and out the other.
After all, I wasn't here to win a competition…
"Ah. Now that I think about it, I seem to have forgotten to announce the honour promised to the victor."
Godric's voice was neither particularly loud nor heavily accented, yet it carried effortlessly across the hall. As all eyes turned to him once more, the attendants behind the throne bustled about, tallying scores according to each house's crest.
The once-weathered walls, which had formed the castle's framework, were now adorned with gold, silver, and bronze plaques. As the torchlight reflected off them, the surface shimmered like a galaxy filled with countless stars.
"The one who has hunted the greatest number of beasts shall, by tradition, be granted an honorary title. In addition, they will receive land in the northern territories of the kingdom, along with silver equal in weight to the heaviest carcass they have brought down."
A scribe's voice murmured in the background.
"The Ertinez House has taken down five mid-tier beasts and ten low-tier beasts…"
Another silver plaque. Two more bronze. The Ertinez banner gained further decoration.
"Furthermore, as the victor has proven their readiness to serve the kingdom—"
Five gold plaques were placed beside a banner bearing a black wildcat on a golden field—an unfamiliar crest, one I had never seen before. Their accomplishments surpassed those of any other house thus far.
"In recognition of such loyalty, I shall bestow upon the victor the rank of Captain of the Royal Guard and keep them close by my side."
"The house has also taken down five high-tier beasts."
Murmurs spread among the gathered nobles.
"Huh. I don't recognize that house. Are they newly ennobled? That's an extraordinary achievement."
Seated at the head of the table, Godric slowly turned his gaze in my direction. A playful smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
A whirlwind of realization struck me, and at last, I understood why Godric had been absent for a while—not just from his usual place, but even from the messenger window.
[Sub-writer 1: So, what do you think? Do you like the banner? I put quite a bit of thought into it, you know.]
Is he insane?
'He had created an entirely new noble house out of thin air…'