Chapter 192. Engagement – March
The happy days at Avril Castle did not last long. With the news of war breaking out, the garrison was in turmoil.
As a temporary knight, Leo was able to observe the entire process. Lord Diallo Bryna summoned the key figures of the army, such as the general, the quartermaster, and the knights, and informed the chief of the Einarr tribe of the mobilization order.
According to the wartime manual, they requested the church to send a priest, but were refused. It seemed as if the Cross Church anticipated the outbreak of war and had ordered all churches not to get involved.
Avril Castle became busy. Soldiers selected to go to the battlefield and military supplies stacked in the warehouse were brought out.
From the underground of the lord’s castle to the outer training grounds, soldiers lined up, passing wooden crates to each other while constantly marveling.
“It’s really happening.”
“Indeed. Thanks to Sir Leo, it has become much easier.”
Leo’s reputation was being restored.
In truth, Leo Dexter’s reputation had been at an all-time low. The goodwill he had initially garnered as a seemingly competent newcomer did not last long,
“We’re running low on supplies.”
“We need to clean the blankets and tents.”
“The state of the weapons in the armory is poor. Most of them are rusted and damaged and need urgent repair.”
He cited various regulations and started working on them.
It was all true.
Avril Castle, being a military stronghold, was obliged to have dried food supplies ready. It was the same for military supplies to be distributed to the front lines.
However, Avril Castle faced the Jerome Holy Kingdom, a kingdom where an outbreak of war seemed almost impossible. Hence, vigilance was lax. They were negligent in stocking up supplies, and when weapons were damaged, they would often simply swap them out with those in the storeroom.
It had been an old custom of Avril Castle.
Soldiers who were stationed there would leave after only a year, so they did not raise any issues, but the new knight challenged this custom.
Eventually, the soldiers dusted off years of accumulated grime. They cleaned the rust off the weapons and sent the damaged ones to the blacksmith in carts. They washed the blankets and tents extensively in the cold winter.
It was only natural for soldiers to look at Leo with sharper eyes. They scoffed at him, saying, “Figures. Leo doesn’t know how things work in the real world.”
But war had broken out. With the urgent need to deploy, public opinion changed.
Had Leo not spent two months preparing the military supplies, the soldiers would have had to work nonstop, so they viewed Leo differently for saving them from such hard labor.
“Well… we apologize for what we said before. It turns out the stupid one wasn’t you, Sir Leo, but us.”
Even the quartermaster who had looked at Leo disdainfully apologized candidly. He exhaled a sigh of relief, saying he nearly had to leave the army.
Thanks to this, preparations for deployment were completed leisurely. The army left Avril Castle after only three days of preparation.
Leo, mounted on his horse, looked back at the sound of drums and horns coming from the castle. Soldiers and warriors filled the winding downhill path, and he was at the forefront. Lena was guarding the cart carrying military supplies with the other junior knights.
What will happen this time?
“Phew.” Leo took a deep breath and turned his head. No longer was simple survival the goal; he gripped the reins tightly.
[ You have died. 5/5 – The player shares life with Leo. ]
This was, of course, the last life. While I would restart the round upon dying, Minseo probably wouldn’t. From now on, I absolutely must not die.
And, I know. There is a very simple way to avoid death. If push comes to shove, I could…
Just kill Lena.
This was the thought Minseo had right after learning there’s a limit on the number of deaths. It’s appalling, but there’s no denying such a method exists. A similar situation has actually happened before.
[ Forced End: Lena’s Death 2/3 ]
Although there were really bizarre restrictions that forced the game to end if Lena was killed 3 times, this wasn’t related to the engagement scenario.
2/3. Given the tangled-up achievement counters, it’s hard to be certain, but it seems probable that killing Lena in every scenario ‘variety’ leads to a forced end.
Thus, killing this already-counted Lena Einar wouldn’t… matter.
Spit! Leo Dexter, feeling extremely displeased, spat. His spit landed on the helmet of a nearby passing soldier.
A disgusting thought. It’s inconceivable, and I wouldn’t allow it to happen.
Furthermore, while Minseo thinks the game ends if he dies, Leo believes entirely otherwise.
The game doesn’t end.
Whether or not Minseo is there, the remaining rounds will repeat. Thinking it all ends with his death is sheer arrogance. As if he’s something special.
Leo fumed for a moment. He exhaled roughly but soon inhaled deeply, calming himself down.
It was merely an intellectual exercise, considering a certain possibility. Knowing that Minseo no longer treated Lena that way, Leo apologized to the soldier who got spat on. Although the soldier was displeased, he forgave the young knight.
Now, let’s think again.
[ You have died. 5/5 – The player shares life with Leo. ]
You must not die this time around. The game will proceed without Minseo, but it would be very difficult.
Without Minseo, you wouldn’t be able to receive memories. If I were to die this round, there would be serious issues in the next scenario, the Beggar Siblings.
How would Prince Leo behave without any memories? Would he become a fool due to lack of past memories, or would he finally become the true Leo without any impurities?
I don’t know.
But even if he becomes the true Leo, it wouldn’t be beneficial without any memories.
What accomplishments or abilities I have, who the dangerous individuals are, and who the helpful ones are— if I don’t know these, clearing the scenario, let alone a happy ending, would be impossible.
Moreover, each scenario is slightly interconnected, requiring certain actions to be taken.
Honestly, I have no entanglements with the other Leos, but I don’t intend to act so cruelly. For the sake of the sister, Lena, who ultimately died at our hands, I wanted to do something.
And for ‘my’ Lena too.
“Let’s make camp around here.”
Then, the guide who had gone ahead came back. He informed them that there was a suitable clearing nearby for camping. The sun was already setting, and the knights agreed.
Soon the campsite was organized. Leo busied himself comforting the weary soldiers, and soon a 600-meter-wide by 800-meter-long perimeter was staked out.
Even though it was just for a night’s stay, they couldn’t just sleep haphazardly. Always preparing for the worst-case scenario— that’s the army’s reason for existence.
Thankfully, the soldiers were easy to manage. As professional soldiers, they were adept at setting up the camp, and they took a comfortable rest in the tents they quickly erected.
The problem lay with the warriors conscripted from the Einarr tribe. Being heavily armed and having never marched all day before, they clumsily shuffled around. They were not good at setting up tents, and this included Lena.
“Leave it, I’ll do it.”
“Well, if you say so.”
Lena was struggling to set up the tent. Though she had been trained as a junior knight over the winter, she had perhaps only done it once, and was quite clumsy.
Unable to watch any longer, Leo tried to help. But Lena, saying “I’ll do it myself!” rather sternly dismissed him. After much perseverance, the tent was finally up.
“Done! How is it? Looks good, right?”
It’s not at all good. The tent, which knights were supposed to use, had a sagging entrance and looked shabby. Leo gave a wry smile and asked softly,
“What about your tent?”
“……Oh.”
“Come in first. Let’s eat.”
Unlike typical situations, it was a knight who brought the meal, rather than a servant. The soldiers knew Leo and Lena were engaged, so they chuckled and let them take their turn first.
“Take off your socks.”
“What? Why?”
“Just take them off.”
Leo brought hot water from the mess tent. Inside the sagging tent, Leo pulled off Lena’s socks.
As expected, her feet were full of blisters.
She was a woman without much savvy. Junior knights would subtly take turns riding in the wagon, but Lena didn’t know about such tricks. Though she had walked poorly, she had marched straightforwardly, which was dumb yet adorable…
“Ahh! What are you doing? Let go!”
– Thud!
Lena kicked out in frustration for some reason. Holding his aching jaw, Leo shouted, “You idiot! Soak your feet in here!”
After some struggle, the tension eased. Lena apologized, “Hehe, sorry. I thought you were doing something weird to me.”
“…Then let’s eat now.”
There was a clattering sound.
Lena laughed awkwardly before becoming quiet again. Soaking both feet in the small water container felt strange.
Sitting with her knees tightly together, Lena felt embarrassed and occasionally glanced at Leo as he ate noisily.
Just then, Leo spoke.
“Let’s just use one tent. It’s spacious enough; there’s no need to set up another one.”
“…Uh, should we?”
Though Leo said it casually, Lena blushed. The setting sun’s red light made it fortunate, as otherwise her blush might have been noticed.
After finishing their meal, Lena quickly gathered the utensils. Leo told her, “Take a rest; since you set up the tent, I’ll do the dishes.” Lena sharply retorted, “This is my job!” and went outside.
Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch. Ouch.
It hurt terribly. Though her feet felt slightly better after soaking in hot water, they still screamed in pain after even a brief rest.
After finishing the dishes, Lena waddled back. Her feet hurt even more than during the march, so she soaked them again.
Leo was gone by then. Lena, thinking he must be out working, blushed again.
Sitting at the entrance of the tent with her knees hugged, she found it embarrassing. It felt like she was waiting like an obedient new bride for her husband’s return, making her heart flutter. Normally she’d clear this feeling with a cough and sword training, but her feet hurt too much now.
‘…Where did he go?’
When had she ever waited for Leo?
Leo was always playing catch-up, and his door was always open if it was kicked. Waiting helplessly like this only made Leo’s presence grow larger.
At that moment, Lena took something out of her itchy chest. She looked at herself with the hand mirror that Leo had given her.
A mess.
Her hair was matted with sweat from marching all day, and her face wasn’t clean either. Her swordsmanship was terrible, and she couldn’t even set up a tent properly. However,
Leo loves me like this.
Lena stared blankly at herself in the mirror. She felt happy, but there was a bittersweet emotion somewhere.
Loving me like this…
A feeling of shrinking.
I hate it.
Lena stood up. Clang. Seeing the swaying water jug, she thought, ‘Should I wash my face a bit?’ but she put the hand mirror in her chest and picked up her sword. She endured the pain in her feet as she swung down the sword.
“Lena. Take a break.”
But it didn’t last long. Leo had returned, and he was holding a steaming water jug, probably to change the water.
Lena got lost between the swelling emotions and her shriveling self. Floundering, she was led by Leo’s hand back to soaking her feet in the water, luckily using the setting sun as an excuse.
So, this is also an excuse.
Lena lowered the shabby tent entrance curtain.
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