Chapter 238: Childhood Friends – The Lovers
“Captain, someone is here to see you.”
The next day at noon, Leo visited Lev.
He wasn’t alone; Lena was with him, and she had a sulky expression. Lev quickly noticed that she seemed somewhat irritated.
Lena, who had given up on becoming a knight, wanted to return to her hometown. Seeing no sign that her return was imminent must have frustrated her, and Leo had likely spent the whole night trying to convince her.
It might be thanks to {Princess Magic}. Leo Dexter looked somewhat exhausted.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”
Lev greeted Lena, but instead of responding right away, Lena whispered to Leo, tugging at his ear. She didn’t lower her voice, so Lev could overhear their conversation.
“Is this skinny guy the one you were talking about? He doesn’t look all that impressive… Is he a fraud or something?”
“I’ve sparred with him before. He might be small, but he’s an exceptional knight. And you shouldn’t judge people like that. He’s from the southern regions.”
“Even so, he can’t be better than my husband. He’s no match for him.”
“Well, that’s true. Who could beat me?”
… I heard all that, you know.
[Achievement: First Meeting with Lena – Lena holds a high regard for Leo.]
However, Lev pretended not to have heard them.
It wasn’t that he was particularly upset but rather saddened by how much Lena’s self-esteem had plummeted.
The Lena Einarr of the past wouldn’t have relied so heavily on Leo. She wouldn’t have whispered like that and would have expressed her positive feelings for him because of the “First Meeting” achievement.
Yet, throughout the conversation, Lena stayed in Leo’s shadow. It was as if she belonged there, remaining in that darkened corner while Leo acted as expected, indulging her.
As Lena whispered about how skinny Leo looked, Leo subtly gestured to Ruben, who was about to reprimand her for insulting their captain. Ruben and the other disciples following him muttered as they went out.
“Seriously, what kind of woman is this? Relying on a man to get her way. It’s just…”
They left, gossiping about Lena Einarr.
In the well-decorated reception room, the three of them sat across from each other at an expensive table. Lev and Leo had much to discuss, but for Lena’s sake, they chatted about trivial matters.
“If you help us, we will generously reward you. If you desire a castle or a city, we can arrange that. Is there anything else you wish for?”
“Well… What I’m hoping for is…”
“Leo, hold on a second. But what makes you so sure about this person’s promises? Is it really feasible to start a rebellion in the Kingdom of Orun?”
“Oh, it seems you haven’t heard the details.”
Lev clapped his hands as if it were the most natural thing to explain.
“The great noble of the Orun Kingdom, Harvey Guidan, has promised his cooperation. Count Ogerton will also support us, and Marquis Drageen will participate as well. This is already impressive, but the Kingdom of Conrad has also pledged to help us. If the Swordmaster joins us, the rebellion is as good as successful.”
“Is that so…?”
“Absolutely! Would you like to hear something else? Although it’s not confirmed yet, the Holy Kingdom of Jerome might also join the fight. That’s why I came all this way, and it seems things are going well. Would you believe me if I said that Prince Frederick lent me this mansion?”
“… I see.”
Lena Einarr’s eyes shifted around as she listened to Lev’s smooth talk. For someone as simple as her, these grand plans sounded like tales from another world, so she just glanced at Leo and said, “Alright, do as you see fit.”
Leo finally spoke up.
“What I desire isn’t much. I would like a castle or a city, but my main wish is to live close to my hometown. Is there a way to make that happen?”
“Of course, I will make the arrangements. We could request an exchange with the Holy Kingdom of Jerome. The Holy Kingdom would take one of the castles from the Orun Kingdom, and in return, we could transfer the Castle of Vidorin in the north to the Kingdom of Astin. You can have that castle.”
“…But isn’t that castle already owned by someone?”
“Yes, it is owned by Baron Agatha, but we will receive some compensation for it around next year. It’s still in progress, but I can make this promise.”
Leo Dexter tilted his head, wondering if the Vidorin Castle and Baron Agatha Lev was referring to were the same ones he knew about. It was new information to him, but seeing Lev’s wink, he nodded in understanding.
“That sounds good. Let’s proceed with that. Now, let’s talk about the advance payment.”
“…Advance payment?”
— ‘Hey! What’s this about advance payment? Lena is here, just offer to help!’
If anyone could read Leo’s eyes as sentences, it would have looked like this. Despite Lev’s frowning and glaring, Leo continued to set his terms.
“As I mentioned before, this person is my fiancée. We had planned to return to my hometown for the wedding, but it’s been delayed, so you will have to take responsibility.”
“…What would you like us to do?”
Lev thought, ‘Please, just keep it reasonable,’ but he knew Leo was serious. He identified what would benefit everyone involved.
“I would like a wedding ceremony at the capital’s church, as grand as possible… It would be ideal if the Saint could officiate.”
— ‘I definitely have to meet this Saint.’
Lev mulled it over for a moment. As he heard Lena ask, “I appreciate it, but wouldn’t it be better to have the wedding in our hometown?” and Leo reply, “I can’t wait. Let’s have it here and then have another ceremony there,” he considered his options.
Meeting the Saint could be beneficial, but would the Saint really officiate? Given the troubles they were going through, perhaps it was something she might do for them. — Having concluded this, Lev said:
“I understand. I will look into it as much as I can. Do you have a preferred time for the ceremony?”
They exchanged small talk.
Lena’s cheeks flushed as she asked about the wedding in the capital’s church, and Lev provided a general overview of the noble society’s information. It was only after lunch that Lev and Leo had a chance to discuss matters privately.
“I want to talk in more detail about the rebellion…”
Catching Lev’s subtle signals, Lena said she was full and would take a walk. She left with a casual, unassuming stride that was uncharacteristic of a knight.
“What’s going on? What happened with Baron Agatha? And what’s this about receiving help from the Kingdom of Conrad? Did Prince Leanne become a prince or something? Oh, wait, his name changed.”
“Sit down. I have a lot to explain.”
Lev began recounting what had happened while Leo asked questions urgently.
First, he explained the future events that Leo Dexter did not know. Lev told him that Leo would wait here until winter and then return to the Castle of Avril.
“Don’t be upset. On the way, Lena became pregnant. You sold your sword to cover the travel expenses, and you had the wedding in your hometown. Just like last time, you had three children and lived happily. At least, that’s what the ending says.”
“…I’m glad to hear that. I’m sorry for what happened yesterday.”
“…And then the Beggar Siblings scenario began. Leanne left his younger sister with Xenia behind and went to find Katrina. You might not like Katrina, but as you know, Leanne is different. Although she made mistakes, I couldn’t just let you kill her. So, I told her to leave the Order of Knights…”
“What are you talking about? Why would I kill Katrina?”
“Huh?”
Lev looked at Leo with wide eyes, clearly surprised. Leo looked equally confused.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“Ah, why? What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you kill Katrina?”
“What are you talking about? I retired before summer even came. I didn’t even meet Katrina. And why would I kill her? I could have just let her go.”
“Huh?”
“Ugh, seriously!”
Instead of focusing on Leo’s frustration, Lev thought about Katrina. Although it was a habitual action, the {Tracking} skill didn’t activate.
[ Achievement: Completed the ‘Katrina’s Life’ Quest – Katrina escapes her bonds. ]
[ The ‘Katrina’s Life’ Quest is now complete. ]
Lev remembered the message that Katrina had been freed from her bonds around the time Leanne and Leriana arrived in Rutina during the last Beggar Siblings scenario. It was spring, which was exactly when Katrina and Leo Dexter were supposed to meet.
Lev had assumed Katrina had been killed by Leo again because of how quickly she had appeared on the battlefield and how she had been freed from her bonds. However, finding out that this wasn’t the case led him to wonder where Katrina had gone.
After a moment of confusion, Lev realized something. There was someone else influencing the current scenario besides just him—Leanne de Yeriel was awake.
‘Ah, so Leanne must have prevented Katrina from going to the battlefield. That’s why he stayed in Orville for so long.’
Since Viscount Bart had ordered the raid on Phallas, there was no reason for Leanne to leave early. While it was odd for him to delay so long, the situation made sense, and Lev felt more at ease. On the other hand, Leo Dexter was feeling quite upset.
“What’s going on? Let me know too.”
“Ah… explaining this is quite complicated. Listen carefully. When I was you, I met Katrina. She did something annoying, so I had to kill her… Wait, then why did Lena give up her sword?”
“…Because she saw a person like you even becoming the Swordmaster. Something she wouldn’t dare to dream of.”
“…I see. It wasn’t a big deal then. Sorry about that. Anyway, so Leanne was trying to save Katrina…”
The conversation returned to its starting point. Lev took his time to explain the events of the Beggar Siblings scenario, and Leo occasionally interjected with questions.
“Didn’t you meet Cassia?”
“Tsk, you should have taken better care of your younger sister. It almost turned into a big problem. So, is Barbatos completely gone?”
“Why did Viscount Bart take the necklace? That’s strange.”
“Xenia was a noble??”
“Oh… Santian… Your sister must have been very sad. At least you caught Oriax, though. He’s not gone, is he?”
“Pretty necklace? For the love of… Why don’t you write things down in detail? Let’s ask the Saint about that. Hmm, it’s clear that the bond items are related to our true names. The hand mirror was obtained when you knew your true name, so the counter went up then, and the necklace, a memento from Leanne’s mother, increased the counter after you learned Leanne’s true name… That leaves only me. Let’s ask the Saint about this as well.”
“…Making Lena a princess was really the clear condition… You’ve had a tough time.”
The Interjections.
Lev continued to explain his story, despite Leo’s interjections.
“What? You remember past memories? Why? That’s strange. Is there something different from the previous Childhood Friends scenario? Let’s see. What happened in the previous Childhood Friends scenario? Lena’s death… no, that’s not it. It wasn’t the first time you killed Lena. I’m getting annoyed now, you bastard… Anyway, forget that. Could it be that the ‘Twenty Photos’ achievement affected you somehow? No? Why? Leanne saw you, so maybe it had an effect on you. Damn it, I don’t know. Let’s move on. Minseo will figure it out.”
“Ah, so the hand mirror was for communication. But why didn’t you contact me? It’s supposed to be… Ah, it was a one-time use. Damn, then there’s nothing I can do… Wait a minute. I just thought of something—what about the new mark of Oriax? Isn’t it going to cause a big problem if Leanne goes to the Kingdom of Conrad in the next Beggar Siblings scenario? I’m sorry for Leanne, but it’s better to leave the Beggar Siblings scenario as it is. What? Am I saying something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
There were many more instances of such interjections.
Then, while they were still talking, Leo suddenly stood up. The reason was that Lena hadn’t returned yet. Leo Dexter hurriedly ran out, and soon they found Lena Einarr loitering at the edge of the garden.
In the garden, Lev’s disciples were training their swordsmanship. Lena was staring blankly at…
“Catch this!”
“Oh, you’re getting better!”
It was Ban Bizan and Ruben Bizan.
The two barbarian warriors, who had promised to marry, were exchanging increasingly powerful blows with bright smiles on their faces, while Lena’s expression was contorted in despair. Nonetheless, she seemed unable to look away and stood there awkwardly as if nailed to the spot.
Leo exaggeratedly pulled Lena’s gaze away from the scene. Lev quietly exhaled his frustration in an unnoticeable manner.
It was the fall, with the leaves having fallen.
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