Chapter 128: Childhood Friend – End
Bad guy!
Bad guy! Bad guy!
While staying at the Vidornin castle and sparring with the knights, Lena Einarr had a severe quarrel with Leo Dexter. The once-cold Leo had, at dawn, disappeared without warning.
When Lena woke up in the morning, she realized Leo, who shared the room with her, was gone. She wandered all over Vidornin castle, grabbing anyone she could find to ask where Leo had gone.
No one knew his whereabouts.
Alone now, Lena was engulfed by various thoughts. Could it be that Leo returned to his hometown? Even if he has been cold towards me recently, surely… surely he wouldn’t do that.
What if something happened to him? Lena spent her days gripped by fear and anxiety, unable to do anything, until Leo returned a week later.
He came back late at night, acting as if nothing had happened, and gave a flimsy excuse to the concerned Baron Agatha couple, saying he was searching for a phantom beast.
Naturally, Lena was furious.
“You! How could you disappear without telling me? Do you know how worried I was?!”
But Leo remained silent. He flopped onto the bed as if tired and turned his back to her.
Ha!
Left incredulous, Lena shouted at him. Regardless of who might hear, she hurled insults at him, but Leo didn’t budge.
In the end, enraged, Lena stormed out of the room. Clomping down the cold hallway, shouting “Bad guy! Bad guy!” she gradually calmed down.
Why on earth is Leo behaving this way?
Though she was angry and resentful, feeling like a foolish idiot or a madwoman for being engaged to such a man, she could not give up on him.
Leo… was meant to be her first and last love.
Calmed down, Lena Einarr paced the hallway deep into the night, trying hard to understand him.
Thinking back, Leo’s attitude had changed since his swordsmanship skills had significantly improved.
He started avoiding her with a dazed expression and responded bluntly. Especially after her major blunder while hunting the phantom beast ‘Sulgak Sarok,’ he stopped speaking to her altogether.
“Yeah… he’s keeping his distance because of my lack of skill.”
Leo must have been disappointed in her because her skills were far inferior. There was no other reason for a person’s attitude to change so drastically overnight.
“He said he didn’t dislike me. Leo… wants me to catch up with him again. Right. Otherwise, why would he suggest we go on a training journey? Honestly, my skills are not enough to participate in the Maunin tournament…”
Though hurt by his changed attitude, Lena steeled her heart.
Leo’s skills were truly remarkable, but she believed she could catch up with him again with diligent training.
Lena Einarr returned to the room.
Seeing Leo still turned away, she spread a blanket on the floor and fell asleep.
From then on, Lena threw herself into swordsmanship training. Ignoring Leo’s suggestion to leave, she focused on learning Bryan’s swordsmanship, when Baron Agatha Berger brought some good news.
“We have good news. The royal family has requested a large dispatch of knights and squires. Additionally, anyone with sword skills can join, and they will be given a squire title immediately if they qualify. This is a great opportunity for those aspiring to become knights. We have already selected a few to leave. Sir Bryan will be leading, so why don’t you join them?”
It was indeed wonderful news. Overwhelmed with joy, Lena readily accepted on behalf of the somewhat confused Leo.
Following that, Lena and Leo, along with other squires from Baron Agatha’s house, arrived in Rutetia.
Due to the royal family’s tight schedule, they had to rush on horseback, but Leo’s behavior was odd.
Though it was no longer surprising that he was cold towards her, he was visibly anxious. He constantly looked around with a worried expression as if lost and occasionally talked loudly to himself.
“What’s wrong with him?”
Lena wondered but, still angry, snorted and paid him no mind.
They barely made it to Rutetia on time, where they were briefly examined and then bestowed the squire title. While becoming a squire is easier than becoming a knight, it was unusual to receive it so readily.
The reason soon became clear.
They were informed that an apostle of the dark god had appeared in the Orun Kingdom. To vanquish this enemy, the Frederick royal family was forming a suppression force.
“Please cooperate. The apostle of the evil god is an enemy of all humanity. If we succeed in this subjugation, there will be great rewards. Horses and fine swords for knights and a knight title for squires.”
There was no reason to refuse.
As warriors who wield swords, it was only right to join this mission. Lena, all the other squires of Baron Agatha, and Sir Bryan decided to participate.
Surprisingly, Leo also agreed without hesitation, although no one knew why.
However, Leo showed a noticeably relaxed expression after joining the subjugation force led by the prince. He wandered around within the force, which was heading south towards the Orun Kingdom.
What on earth is he up to…
Thus, Lena continued to follow the subjugation force, sparring with Uncle Bryan (they had become close enough that she just called him “uncle”) whenever there was a chance, and in the sweltering summer, set up a camp after joining forces with the Crusaders.
“Wow… how many people are there? My goodness, the crusaders are swarming.”
It was the first time Lena had seen so many priests. She had never seen a crusader before, and seeing hundreds of them, she could truly grasp the power of the Crusader Church.
‘At this rate, even if the evil god himself appeared, there would be nothing left for me to do,’ she thought. But the expressions on the faces of the priests and crusaders were unusual.
They all frequently glanced to the south with tense faces, so even Lena, who was in a somewhat light-hearted mood, and the junior knights started reducing their jokes, waiting for the decisive day.
At this time, something rather amusing happened.
Bryan, who was sparring with Lena as usual, suddenly ran off in panic upon seeing a bodyguard of the prince.
“L-Lord Lloyd! You’re alive!”
“…Who are you?”
“It’s me! Don’t you remember? It’s Bryan. I was a knight apprentice at Baron Agnac’s house, the one who left to become a crusader…”
“Shh!”
A bodyguard with blue eyes and a large scar running across his right cheek and lips quickly covered Bryan’s mouth and led him away somewhere.
Bryan returned much later with swollen eyes. When Lena asked what had happened, he simply said, “I met someone I was separated from a long time ago.”
But for someone to be that significant, the two of them met often. Thanks to this, Lena and Leo also frequently conversed with the bodyguard, and eventually, they were introduced to the prince and were invited to dine with them several times.
Lena enjoyed the meals with the prince.
Out of courtesy, Leo would drop his gruff tone and speak lively. The prince also seemed to have a good opinion of Leo, enjoying their small talk, making it a joyful time for Lena.
Even though Leo would return to his gruff demeanor after parting with the prince…
‘You bad guy. Just wait. If only I can blend Uncle Bryan’s swordsmanship with Noel’s swordsmanship…’
Uncle Bryan’s swordsmanship, which he had transcended using ‘Forte’ into his unique style, was truly captivating.
Since there were many overlaps with Uncle Noel’s swordsmanship, which included ‘hiding a moment’s leisure,’ the more she studied it, the more she found useful paths of the sword.
While Lena was slowly establishing her unique swordsmanship, the decisive moment approached.
A young man with a dark horse appeared. The evil god’s apostle, placing himself as the apex, was approaching, dyeing the vast plain red.
The apostle, exuding a sinister aura, disdainfully gazed over the land. The knights of the subjugation force swallowed their groans, fully alert.
Lena felt a strange sensation. He was undoubtedly a bad guy, but… strangely, he didn’t seem so bad.
[ Achievements: First Meeting with Lena – Lena holds a high affection towards Leo. ]
– Slap!
Lena slapped her own cheek to erase the unnecessary thoughts.
That was a bad guy. But somehow, he kind of resembled Leo… No, how could such a skinny guy resemble Leo?
While Lena was lost in thought, the combat situation was becoming dire. The cavalry that had charged out returned only with losses, and the junior knights, in tight formation, were trapped and unable to move.
Not understanding the art of war, Lena couldn’t grasp why they had to stay put.
Isn’t fighting just about charging wildly and striking down whatever you see? Why advance only partway, then stop unnecessarily, and have us move sideways or backward like a dog training? The enemy is right in front of us.
But Lena’s doubts were those of a warrior who didn’t understand the subtleties of group battles.
In a battle between ten and a hundred, strategies weren’t as crucial. However, when a thousand faced ten thousand, an organized formation could turn the tide against an unorganized assault.
Anyhow, since they couldn’t defy the commander’s orders, Lena grumbled, staying in place, when the evil god’s apostle was dismounted.
She didn’t see why he was dismounted, but the subjugation force cheered, “Wah!” However, the cheer soon turned into astonishment.
“Wow! What is happening?”
Thorny trees began to sprout haphazardly.
Getting pricked by these thorns seemed enough to tear the skin to shreds.
The trumpet sound, thanks to a blessing from the previous day, was now unbearably loud, and the crimson trumpet symbol in the sky had either enlarged or descended closer, appearing gigantic.
The landscape was red and dark.
Due to the densely sprouting thorny trees, the subjugation force’s tight formation had long broken. The junior knights began retreating towards the white giant figure visible through the thorn trees. It wouldn’t be easy with the thorny vines…
“Leo! This way. Are you okay?”
Lena was the first to find Leo. He was unlucky and trying to carefully pull himself free from the thorns he was caught in.
“I’ll help you. You didn’t get pricked, did you?”
“Let go. I can get down by myself.”
Regardless of Leo’s curt reply, Lena raised her hands to create a foothold for him to step down.
“You! You bastard!”
At that moment, Leo suddenly uttered a curse.
Has this guy finally gone crazy?
When she looked up, Leo’s previously cold expression softened as if he was about to burst into tears, and he apologized profusely.
“Lena, I’m sorry. What should I apologize for first? I’m sorry I couldn’t help you last time when you fell off your horse, I’m sorry I went hunting secretly, and I’m sorry I turned my back on you that time. I didn’t mean it. I was awake then. No, I wasn’t asleep. I heard everything…”
“What is this idiot saying?”
Although his sudden change in attitude was bewildering, a smile crept onto Lena’s lips. She felt all the resentment that had accumulated over time disappear in an instant. Ah, I shouldn’t be so soft-hearted. I should properly scold him over and over again…
“If you have time to say that, just come down quickly. We need to retreat soon too…”
“What the hell are you doing! Stop!”
Feeling a sharp pain, Lena looked down at her chest with a bewildered expression. There was an object protruding that she couldn’t comprehend.
This burning, dark red thing… what… is this?
“You, you, you bastard… No, Lena! Lena! Noooooooo!”
Lena’s vision darkened. She barely managed to look up at the wailing Leo before she collapsed, her face burying into the thorns.
[ Forced Termination: Lena Killed 1/3 ]
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