Elias was the first to speak, his brows tightly furrowed, voice laced with unease and urgency. "Just how important is that document? And how did Father and Mother come to possess it?"
Marcellus fell silent for a moment, as though trying to grasp at something hidden deep within a foggy memory. He slowly shook his head, his voice slightly hoarse. "I honestly don't know… It's not that I won't tell you—I truly don't know." He paused, a heavy look settling in his eyes. "Father handed it to me himself. He said it was 'of critical importance,' that he and Mother risked their lives to obtain it. It was a secret they guarded fiercely… but he never explained the whole story. He only warned me, again and again: never let anyone else see it."
At those words, a sudden gleam flickered through Livia's eyes. She leaned forward slightly, her voice quickening with urgency. "Wait, Marcellus—have you really examined that document carefully?"
Marcellus frowned. "Of course I have. I've memorized it. I could recite it backwards—"
"Not the content!" Livia cut him off, her voice rising sharply, her gaze focused and intense. "I mean the physical document. The one you showed us—was that the original? Or a copy?"
Marcellus froze for a beat, as though something had just clicked into place. His eyes flickered, and then he slowly nodded. "…It wasn't the original. Father told me it was too important to risk. So the first thing I did was make a copy and lock the original in the hidden room at home. What you saw was the duplicate. I always assumed the content was all that mattered, that there was no difference. So I didn't think much of it… You're saying—?"
"Exactly!" Livia stood up abruptly, her voice filled with a hope that had just cracked open. "I'm starting to believe that while the document's contents are important, what really matters may be the original itself. Maybe there's something hidden in the physical document—a clue, a mechanism, even… a form of authentication."
As she spoke, her mind flicked back to what she'd seen on the page: while it did mark potential locations of the Holy Grail, the list was long and scattered—not exactly worthy of being called a "top-secret map."
"If we handed Edgar a copy, he might not even realize it. Because if he did know what was hidden in the original, he would've come to take it by force. Or—maybe he suspects the original hides something, but he's unsure whether we know that, so he doesn't dare act rashly, afraid to tip his hand."
"You're right!" Elias sat up straighter, the first spark of genuine hope lighting his eyes. "This could be our way forward. If there's a mechanism, a code, or a hidden message in that original, we can unlock it first. At the same time, using the copy to test Edgar's reaction might help us figure out what he really knows."
Marcellus slowly nodded, some of the tension in his face easing. But his tone remained cautious. "Alright, but we can't act recklessly. I won't call Edgar for now—we don't want to alert him. You two go back, retrieve the original, and then the three of us will examine it together. Carefully."
Livia nodded firmly, already on edge to move. "Got it. We'll head out right away."
The two turned to leave, but just as they reached the door, Marcellus called out to Livia.
He looked into her eyes, lowering his voice with a gravity that hadn't been there before. "Be careful. No matter what happens… your safety comes first."
Livia paused, caught off guard. For a fleeting second, a softer light passed through her eyes. Her lips curved into a faint smile—not one of ease, but of quiet defiance laced with tenderness and resolve. "You too. None of us are allowed to fall."
For that one instant, time seemed to stop between them.
Marcellus opened his mouth as if to say more, but in the end only murmured, "Mm."
Off to the side, Elias coughed, as if to cover up an expression that saw right through the moment. "We should go. Here's hoping that original really holds a miracle."
Livia nodded, drew a deep breath, and left the hospital room alongside Elias.
The door shut quietly behind them. Marcellus lay back on the bed, eyes fixed on the spot where they had just stood, his gaze darkened by a complicated emotion—worry, yes, but also a faint undercurrent of dread.
He knew:
The real game was only just beginning.