By Zephyria Before the two were chased out through the rain-soaked side door, Dote subtly mentioned that Grimbleton’s funeral would be held formally in two days.
The reason why the funeral could not proceed immediately seemed to be because the Council had taken the body away, claiming to determine the cause of death. Since he guessed the intention behind her mentioning the schedule, Leonardo simply replied that he understood without making any special promises.
Afterwards, he and Terzio once again hid in the rain and walked busily through the alleyways. In order to observe the village’s trends and avoid the suspicion that would be directed at outsiders who appeared the day after the death, it was necessary to establish a base at a suitable distance. Leonardo moved to a nearby village and searched for a secluded inn.
Along the way, he was able to briefly hear from Terzio about the situation before he arrived here.
“I kept watching this area after you said you were being followed. So, even if I didn’t know every move of that old man, I immediately noticed that the village atmosphere had become strange. If the death was the work of a specific force, they would obviously try to eliminate the witness. Before that, I tried to find clues by mingling with the people and got to know a woman named Dote. At first, I only kept a close eye on her because of the investigators. After daybreak, I was loitering near the restaurant and luckily met her.”
Terzio, who was trying to infiltrate as a customer, said that he had met eyes with Dote, who had come out to dispose of kitchen wastewater. He tried to pass it off casually, but Dote immediately recognized that he was not from this area.
She asked Terzio what his business was, and when he asked about the owner of the magic shop, she secretly instructed him to return to the back door.
Leonardo, who was shielding the pouring rain with his arm, asked in a puzzled tone.
“She spoke to you first? Why?”
“The old man assumed you would come and asked that woman. He must have noticed that a young man from out of town was interested in the case.”
“Still, they don’t know each other, what did she believe in?”
Leonardo felt his trust in her words, which she had said she wouldn’t reveal, gradually decreasing. If the young man from out of town was not only himself and Terzio, wasn’t there a possibility that she would reveal information about the card or envelope to a third party?
Terzio, sensing Leonardo’s anxiety, added as if to reassure him.
“It’s not like she brought it up right away. I could feel her constantly testing me. I heard she’s looking for the owner of the card, and she vaguely described him as a sharp-eyed, handsome man. I knew it was you because I had heard about it from you in advance, but that woman hadn’t actually seen you, so she confused me with you. Would there have been anyone more handsome than me here?”
Terzio uttered shameless words in a very serious tone. Knowing that his arrogance was genuine, Leonardo didn’t bother to respond.
“After that, I promised to bring you, and I didn’t hear anything else separately. She only said that she had something to tell the owner of the card, so I only heard for the first time just now that the old man left that item.”
“Do you think she’s trustworthy? That woman.”
“She didn’t seem to be lying. And there would be no reason to.”
Leonardo nodded. Terzio, who glanced at his cheek, which was soaked with rainwater and had turned pale, tossed out a question.
“If you’re worried, should I kill her?”
Leonardo, who was about to turn forward and walk again, frowned and turned sharply.
“Don’t talk nonsense. What did that woman do wrong?”
Terzio shrugged and stared straight ahead. Just then, he narrowed his eyes and pointed somewhere with his arm.
“There.”
Leonardo stared at the other person’s profile before similarly shifting his gaze. A two-story inn with a dilapidated sign came into view.
The surroundings were being fiercely lashed by rain, and no one was passing by. It was a dangerous-looking alley, but it was the most comfortable environment for the two of them.
Without any special agreement, the two entered the inn side by side.
Perhaps because it was far from the station from the start, it didn’t seem to be a place that travelers frequented. There weren’t many people in the bar on the first floor either, only pot-bellied men who always seemed to be drunk.
When they received the key from the owner and went up the stairs, there was a musty smell of dust unique to old inns. When they entered the room, there was one bed, and a table and two chairs that had been set up to complete the set. Leonardo went straight to the chair and sat down with a thud. When he completely dried the moisture from his clothes and hair, white steam scattered around him.
He took out the envelope and Amulet from his inner pocket and laid them out on the table, then began to tear off the end of the envelope with a dagger.
Meanwhile, Terzio sat on the bed, wiping his wet hair with an old towel. He threw off his damp clothes, leaving only his bottoms on.
His naked upper body was full of muscles and curves created through actual combat, and was covered with large and small scars. On his left forearm and lower left abdomen, patterns consisting of five horizontal and vertical strokes were regularly embroidered on his skin.
He had heard that it was the time he had carved while preparing for the prison break. Leonardo glanced at him before pouring out the contents of the envelope onto the table. The first thing that fell with a heavy sound was a ring.
“…?”
It seemed to be the cause of the envelope’s bulging surface. The engraving was delicate and the surface was very cold, and in the center was a red gemstone that looked like a ruby or a garnet.
The gemstone was not round, but had a geometric shape as if it had been crafted with some intention. However, it was impossible to guess what it was trying to represent just by looking at it from the outside.
“What is it?”
“A ring.”
Terzio, who had roughly wiped his wet body, ambled over and sat across from him. He naturally took the ring in Leonardo’s hand. Then, he shone the ruby in the dim lamplight, brought it close to his nose, and smelled it.
“It smells fishy.”
“Because it’s rusty?”
“No, more like the smell of blood.”
The two men’s gazes briefly crossed. In the past, people used to solidify human blood to make accessories, so it wouldn’t be surprising if this ring’s gemstone was truly made of blood.
However, the key was why he had sent it to him, and whose blood it was made of.
Leonardo then took out the enclosed letter. As he unfolded the nervously folded paper, a rather elegant handwriting caught his eye.
It was a fluent stroke for an old man who was about to die, but occasionally the ink was smudged or the handwriting was shaky, as if his hand had trembled.
Unlike his usual tone, the writing style was gentle. The content began abstractly.
I have seen the landscape change dozens of times, but there has never been a day when I have felt such a strong premonition.
It seems that a great upheaval is about to come to the world.
I wanted to feel the change directly with these two eyes,
But I have already enjoyed several times the natural lifespan that humans deserve.
The Mother is telling me to come back now.
My tenacious life and task are finally coming to an end.
By the time you read this, I will already be gone from the world. Forgive me for leaving in a hurry.
It seemed that my last task in this life was related to you, so I needed time to organize my surroundings.
I couldn’t notify you in advance in case the clock would stop the moment I called you.
Instead, Dote is the most tight-lipped of my daughters, so you can trust her.
By fulfilling the promise I made earlier through her, I will do my duty and leave.
Don’t think it’s your fault that my end is intertwined with you.
The knot in a life that has been going on for a long time is a gift.
Thanks to you, I had a good time.
Leonardo blankly read the words. It was a will. And one with no regrets in this life.
It had been a long time since he had received someone’s will addressed to him.
He seemed to have really predicted the day he would die. Not a murder or an external threat, but reaching the end of his life following the laws of nature.
‘But how is that related to me?’
If Grimbleton’s death was intertwined with the situation surrounding him, he would be tormented by guilt. But he had never expected this kind of method.
A task. Everyone has a task in life, but can it be clearly distinguished as if it were performing a request? And when you complete that task, your lifespan ends?
It was nonsense. He dismissed it as mere nonsense often uttered by the elderly. Only then could he believe that his death was not because he had met him, but simply because the time had come.
The corners of his golden eyes became moist, but tears did not fall. That’s why the letters left by the old man seemed to be dancing. As if he had happily left after shaking off the tasks given to him in life.
“Sad?”
Terzio, who had been quietly watching Leonardo’s face, asked cautiously.
Leonardo stared blankly before shaking his head.
“I just, it just reminded me of the old days.”
“……”
“Maybe it’s because he has a similar personality to my father.”
He replied vaguely and then scanned the last content. The ‘address’ that Dote had mentioned was written there.
On the night of the full moon, take the ring and go to the address I left.
I hope it helps.
Staphen Canyon, right fork beyond the Swamp of Thought.
A cabin next to an ash tree.
“What is this?”
Terzio asked.
Unconsciously, Leonardo’s hand went to the vicinity of his neck.
It was the moment when a new milestone was drawn.