What is this now?
After a brief silence, I casually turned to look at Leonardo.
"Aren't you going to offer any flowers?"
"Oh."
Leonardo, who had been staring blankly and in a daze, suddenly snapped to attention. He unintentionally squeezed his hand, causing the lily stem to bend, and he stared at it with an unreadable expression. I watched him quietly, waiting without a word, until the square emptied out and grew still.
While Leonardo gazed at the coffin in a daze, I watched the dispersing crowd. Their presence was lighter than air, with a scenario importance so faint that, once Butier and Orlie had left, and Leonardo's gaze was no longer on them, they quickly dissolved like feathers, slowly scattering away—like dust or ash.
I had come to understand what it truly meant for the "scenario importance to converge to zero" and for one's existence to be erased. It was an end far worse than death. The crowd of Sinistra, their existence wiped out, left no trace—no remnants, no proof they had ever been there—before vanishing into nothingness.
While I froze in fear, the entire crowd scattered, and Leonardo crossed the quiet square, offering a single lily before returning. As if nothing had happened, he recited a line.
"Well done. Looks like you drank too much the night before. You should rest and head home."
"...Home?"
"Ah, looks like you've even forgotten where home is."
At that, Leonardo made a troubled face. Of course, that made sense. After all, his true body was buried under that stone, Leovald, and now it seemed his soul had somehow settled into this young, drunken fool's body. I couldn't help but question him with incredulity.
"Have you really forgotten where your home is? Or is it that you have no place to go?"
"….."
"Unbelievable. So, even on a day like this, you're wasted and lying in an alley… Ugh. Whatever."
I gave Leonardo a light shove.
"Even though the weather's warm, if you sleep outside, your lips will get chapped. Come on, follow me."
"Where are we going?"
I didn't even know myself. The only reason I stuck close to him was because if I let go, I felt like I'd be a goner.
"…You'll see when we get there."
I led the way as we crossed the street. And then, I witnessed something strange. When I turned the corner first, I only saw an empty white space, completely blank, but the moment Leonardo followed me around the corner, an ordinary alleyway unfolded before us. It seemed that anything outside the protagonist's line of sight was treated as a blank space.
"The path's a bit complicated, so keep up."
I said that as I moved ahead aimlessly, as if I knew this alley like the back of my hand. Because of that confidence, Leonardo didn't even seem to consider that I was just as lost as he was in this unfamiliar city.
After turning a few busy corners, we found ourselves standing in front of a building's door. When I glanced inside through the window, I saw nothing but the same white emptiness I'd expected. I almost said, "As expected."
Seeing the blank space outside the protagonist's perception, a theory began to form in my mind. This world seems to be designed based on the scenario and the protagonist's awareness. In other words, when the scenario note says "The funeral at Sinistra Square," that place becomes the square. And when the protagonist perceives this as a complicated alley, then that's exactly what it becomes.
This hypothesis was proven when I subtly dropped the hint earlier: "The path's a bit complicated, so keep up." Instantly, the previously simple street transformed into a more intricate alley. It was true. This world was being constructed in real-time, heavily influenced by the protagonist's awareness.
I casually pointed to a random building and said, "This is where I run… a tavern. Not bad, right?"
The moment I said "tavern," an incredible transformation happened. Leonardo's gaze shifted toward the building, and the background morphed into something far more natural. The rigid limestone walls softened into brick facades. The empty white space inside the closed windows became a cozy tavern, complete with wooden furniture and a crackling fire. A soft lilac curtain fluttered in the open window of the second floor, and a wooden sign bearing the tavern's name appeared as if it had always been there, giving the place an ancient, established vibe.
I was somewhat surprised inside, but I pretended to be nonchalant as I opened the door. As expected, there was no one inside. The counter was empty, with no innkeeper to be seen. This must've been because Leonardo had just recognized me as the owner of the tavern, freshly created in this moment.
"You don't seem to have a place to go, so I'll give you a room. I won't charge you either, since I won't be doing business today, out of respect. Consider it luck," I said.
"Ah, thank you…"
"Go wash up for now. You reek of alcohol. Leave your clothes outside the door, and I'll take care of them."
I wrinkled my nose and waved my hand dismissively. Leonardo nodded sheepishly, then I grabbed the key to the first room on the second floor from the wall hook and handed it to him. He awkwardly headed toward the stairs.
As Leonardo's figure disappeared around the corner, my gaze shifted to the corner of my vision, where a timer had been floating, counting down. And once again, letters began to form in the air.
[The waiting time has expired, and a new scenario note has been assigned.]
Take 1. Inn (Day/Inside). Leonardo looks at the mirror, horrified by his reflection.
Leonardo: "What is this…?"
As he frets, the innkeeper arrives and hands him a pocket watch.
Leonardo: (internal monologue) "This symbol… is it from the Count of Ertinez?"
Take 2. Inn (Night/Inside). Leonardo overhears a conversation between drunken patrons.
Customer 1: "By the way, King Godric is such a wise ruler. Seems like the death of the national hero really shook him. After hearing about Sir Leovald's passing, he's been hiding inside the castle, refusing to come out."
Leonardo grips his cup tightly.
Leonardo: (angrily, internal monologue) "That cowardly murderer!"
Leonardo sinks into deep thought, wondering if there's any way to contact those who followed him.
Main Character: Leonardo
Scenario Clear Condition: [Leonardo discovers the truth behind his death. He recognizes "Leonardo Ertinez."][Viewing personal information]
Rank: Minor Character (Scenario weight 0.89%)
Role: Innkeeper of Sinistra
Script: [Finds a clue related to the original owner of Leonardo's body from his clothes and conveys it.]
[Serves free food and drinks to Leonardo and the guests.]
Dialogue: "Is this yours? It looks valuable. Take good care of it."[Processing rank adjustment rewards. Please wait a moment.][!Warning! – If the scenario weight reaches 0.00%, your existence will be erased. (Main Scenario Failure)]
The second assigned scenario note was set in an inn. Moreover, my role had changed. From being a silent citizen #1,001, I had been promoted to the innkeeper with lines, and it looks like I got promoted from just an extra to a minor character. Quite an impressive achievement.
It seemed that the events that took place in the empty "between the lines" before the scenario notes were assigned had an impact on the scenario. Or perhaps the spaces between the lines are also part of the scenario itself.
As long as the curtain doesn't fall, everything that happens on stage is part of the story, isn't it?
Thanks to that, things had become somewhat easier. After all, the background of the scenario now happened to be the inn I had just acquired.
And as for the grade change reward… I had no idea. It was still unknown information, so I decided to set it aside for now. Instead, I used the clues I had to speculate on a few facts about the current situation.
First, Leonardo is currently inhabiting the body of someone connected to the Count Ertinez family. Second, it's highly likely that the death of his original body, Leovald, is somehow linked to King Godric in a negative way.
I moved quietly up to the second floor. Outside the door, there were Leonardo's clothes, which had been left out. They were in quite a sorry state. I took the pile of clothes down to the first-floor counter and shook them out. A bright silver chain slipped out, and a small pocket watch fell to the floor.
Click.
When I opened it, I saw the engraved pattern inside. It was the crest of a swallow holding a white flower. Beneath it, Leonardo's name was embossed in relief. This must be the symbol of the Count Ertinez family. I inspected it carefully before setting it aside and soaking the clothes in a basin filled with lye water. As I did the laundry, I began to think of ways to raise my scenario weight.
How could I use this to increase my scenario weight? As a simple, ordinary innkeeper, I wouldn't last long. I needed a more long-term and influential role.
Then, a sudden idea struck me.
If being a regular innkeeper was the problem, then maybe being an extraordinary innkeeper would work. Yes. A kind but suspicious innkeeper who knows too much, perhaps…
But if someone who seems to be kindly and ordinary suddenly changes, it would break the believability. Plus, the amount of information I have right now is so limited that it's hard to act suspiciously like I know something. It seems better to follow a scenario that's more plausible. I wonder if there's no way forward.
And just then, by some stroke of luck, words suddenly appeared in front of me.
[The settlement has been completed!]