Before the two were kicked out through the side door pooled with rainwater, Dott subtly mentioned that Grimbleton's funeral would be held formally in two days.
The reason the funeral couldn't proceed immediately seemed to be because the Council had taken away the body, claiming to investigate the cause of death. Since he could guess her intention in mentioning the schedule, Leonardo simply answered that he understood without making any particular promise.
Afterward, he once again hid in the rain with Tergio and walked busily through the alley. While observing the town's movements, they needed to establish a base at an appropriate distance to avoid suspicions that would fall on outsiders who appeared the day after the death incident. Leonardo moved to a nearby village and searched for an inn with few people.
On the way, he was able to hear a brief account from Tergio about the situation before he arrived here.
"After you said you had a tail following you, I kept watching this area. So even if I didn't know that old man's every move, I immediately knew when the village atmosphere became strange. If the death incident was the work of a specific force, they'd obviously try to eliminate witnesses. I infiltrated among people to catch clues before that, and got to know a woman named Dott. At first, I only kept a close eye on her because of the investigators. After dawn, I was loitering around the restaurant area when I luckily met her."
Tergio, who had tried to infiltrate inside pretending to be a customer, said he made eye contact with Dott when she came out to dump kitchen wastewater. Though he tried to pass it off casually, Dott saw him first and immediately recognized he wasn't from the area.
She asked Tergio about his business, and when he questioned about news of the shop owner, she secretly instructed him to come around to the back door.
Leonardo, shielding the falling rainwater with his forearm, asked in a puzzled tone.
"She spoke to you first? Why?"
"The old man assumed you'd come looking and asked that woman. She would have noticed a young man from outside taking interest in the incident."
"Still, you're strangers, what did she trust?"
Leonardo felt his trust in her words about not disclosing anything was gradually declining. If there were more young men from outside than just himself and Tergio, wouldn't there be a possibility she'd disclose about the card or envelope to a third party?
Sensing Leonardo's anxiety, Tergio added reassuringly.
"I didn't bring up the main point right away. I could feel her constantly testing me. She said she was looking for the owner of a card, describing him vaguely as a sharp-eyed, tall man. I knew it was about you right away since I'd heard from you beforehand, but that woman hadn't actually seen you, so she confused me with you. Who else here is tall besides me?"
Tergio said something shameless in a very serious tone. Knowing his pretense was sincere, Leonardo didn't bother responding.
"After that, I promised to bring you, and I didn't hear any other stories. She only said she had something to tell the card's owner, and I also heard for the first time earlier that the old man had left those items."
"Do you think she's trustworthy? That woman."
"She didn't seem to be lying. She'd have no reason to either."
Leonardo nodded. Tergio, glancing at his cheeks that had turned pale from being thoroughly soaked with rainwater, casually threw out.
"If you're worried, should I kill her?"
Leonardo, who was about to look forward and walk again, turned around sharply with furrowed brows.
"Don't say useless things. What did that woman do wrong?"
Tergio shrugged and stared straight ahead. Just then, narrowing his eyes, he extended his arm and pointed somewhere.
"Over there."
Leonardo, who had been watching his partner's profile, likewise shifted his gaze. A two-story inn with a worn-out sign was visible.
Around it, only fierce rain poured down without people passing by. Though it looked like a dangerous area, it was the most comfortable environment for the two.
The two entered the inn side by side without any particular agreement.
Perhaps because it was far from the station, it didn't seem to be a place frequently visited by travelers. There weren't many people in the first-floor tavern either, only pot-bellied men who seemed to be always soaked in alcohol.
After receiving keys from the owner and climbing the stairs, the musty dust smell characteristic of old inns filled the air. Entering the room, there was one bed with a table and two chairs arranged for basic needs. Leonardo immediately went to a chair and plopped down. As 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, laid them on the table, and began tearing open the envelope's edge with a dagger.
Meanwhile, Tergio sat on the bed, shaking out his wet hair with an old towel. Having refreshingly stripped off his damp clothes, he remained wearing only his lower garments.
His naked upper body was full of muscles forged in real combat and large and small scars crossing the contours. On his left forearm and left lower abdomen, patterns made of five horizontal and vertical strokes were regularly embroidered on his skin.
He had heard it was time carved while preparing for escape before. Leonardo glanced at him and then poured out the contents of the envelope onto the table. The first thing to fall with a heavy sound was a ring.
"...?"
It seemed to be the cause of the envelope's bulging surface. The intaglio was delicate and the surface was very cold, with a red gem that looked like either a ruby or garnet embedded in the center.
The gem wasn't round but had a geometric form as if crafted with some intention. However, from the outside alone, he couldn't guess what it was meant to represent.
"What is it?"
"A ring."
Tergio, who had roughly wiped his wet body, sauntered over and sat across from him. He naturally took the ring from Leonardo's hand. Soon, after holding the ruby up to the faint lamplight, he brought it close to his nose and smelled it.
"It smells fishy."
"From rust?"
"No, more like the smell of blood."
The two's gazes crossed briefly. Since jewelry was sometimes made by solidifying human blood in the past, it wouldn't be surprising even if this ring's gem was truly made of blood.
However, the key was why this was given to him and whose blood it was made from.
Leonardo continued by taking out the enclosed letter. As he nervously unfolded the folded paper, quite elegant handwriting caught his eye.
Though it was flowing strokes for something written by an old man about to die, occasionally the ink smudged or the handwriting shook as if his hands had trembled.
Unlike his speech in life, the writing style was refined. The content began abstractly.
I've watched the world change dozens of times, but there's never been a day when I had such a strong premonition.
It seems great upheaval is coming to the world.
I wanted to personally witness the change with these eyes,
But I've already enjoyed several times the natural lifespan humans deserve.
Mother is telling me to return now.
My tenacious life and my task are finally coming to an end.
By the time you read this, I'll already be gone from this world. Please forgive my hasty departure.
Since my final task in this life seemed related to you, I needed time to settle my affairs.
I couldn't send word in advance, fearing the clock would stop the moment I called you.
Instead, among my daughters, Dott has a particularly tight mouth, so you can trust her.
By keeping my previous promise through that child, I fulfill my duty before leaving.
Don't think it's your fault because my end was connected to you.
An ending is a gift to a life that dragged on tediously.
Thanks to you, I'm leaving having played well.
Leonardo blankly read through the words. It was a will. One with no lingering attachment to this life.
It had been truly a long time since he received someone's will addressed to him.
He really seemed to have anticipated the day of his death. Not murder or external threats, but reaching the end of life following nature's providence.
'But he says it's related to me?'
If Grimbleton's death was entangled in the situation surrounding him, he would have been terribly tormented by guilt. But he hadn't expected this kind of approach at all.
A task. Though everyone has burdens in life, could they be clearly distinguished like completing a commission? And when that task is completed, does one's lifespan end?
It was nonsense. He dismissed it as mere babbling that elderly people often spouted. Only then could he believe his death wasn't because he met him, but simply because his time had come.
His golden eyes moistened but tears didn't fall. It was because the old man's writing seemed to dance playfully. As if he had cheerfully cast off the task given to his life and departed joyfully.
"Sad?"
Tergio, who had been quietly watching Leonardo's face, asked casually.
Leonardo slowly raised his eyelids and shook his head.
"Just, it reminds me of old times."
"...."
"Maybe because his personality was similar to my father's."
He replied vaguely and then skimmed through the final content. The 'address' that Dott had mentioned was written there.
On the night when the full moon rises, take the ring and go to the address I've left.
I hope it will be helpful.
Starpen Canyon, beyond the Swamp of Obsessions, right fork.
Cabin next to the ash tree.
"What is this?"
Tergio asked.
Unconsciously, Leonardo's hand moved toward his neck area.
It was the moment when a new signpost was being drawn.