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18. Engagement – A Happy Ending?

After Lena’s treatment was completed, the two, having received orders to return home, retraced their steps along the path they had marched before. Thanks to the reward money from their achievements, they could have taken their time, but Lena hurried her way back.

Thus, eight months after leaving Abrival Castle, Lena and Leo returned, carrying the melancholia of defeated soldiers.

Lena’s parents wept uncontrollably as they embraced their daughter, who had returned with an injured arm. They wouldn’t let go, thanking her for coming back alive.

At that moment, Dehorman could not hide his tears either, while Lena poured out all the grief she had held back.

Noel Dexter quietly embraced Leo.

There were no tears and no warm words, but the relief was palpable. He casually held his son’s hand, which was missing a thumb.

That evening, both families gathered together and held up their glasses until dawn.

The conversations revolved around events that had taken place at Abrival Castle during their absence.

No one asked about the battlefield; it was a topic that remained untouched.

*

Life at Abrival Castle resumed.

Leo informed the lord that he had become a knight of honor and began receiving a pension. While it wasn’t abundant, it guaranteed that he wouldn’t need to worry about missing meals.

In the first few days, Lena and Leo continually found themselves in the clearing behind their home out of habit.

They sat there, blankly passing the time.

Suddenly, Lena jumped up.

“Should I try holding a one-handed sword?”

“I was thinking about practicing with a one-handed sword and shield too. Want to give it a shot?”

“Hey, what shield? That would totally put me at a disadvantage. Let’s skip the shield.”

The two faced each other, holding one-handed swords.

However, one-handed swords were entirely different from two-handed swords, leading them to exchange only pointless strikes.

After practicing for a while, Lena threw down her sword and burst into tears.

Leo wrapped her in his arms without saying a word. He had nothing to say to comfort her as she cried sorrowfully.

With her arm lost, Lena could neither be a knight nor a princess.

Hunting was impossible with one arm.

In the Ainar Tribe, if one didn’t regularly participate in hunts, they could not be recognized as warriors, so she was now regarded as nothing more than a common girl with a missing arm.

From that day onwards, Lena did not visit the clearing again.

Leo practiced wielding the one-handed sword by himself. His {Swordsmanship} skill seemed to apply to the one-handed sword as well, and he adapted quickly, but since he had to swing with his left hand, it didn’t help much.

He tried picking up the two-handed sword again but soon gave it up.

While he could swing it, practicing without a thumb might lead to bad habits. Bad habits for a swordsman could be fatal.

So when he had set both swords down and was idly fiddling with a shield, Lena’s voice called out.

Not wanting to see the clearing, she never came outside and always called for him from within.

“Leo! Come in and try this!”

Lena often called Leo to taste her cooking while learning from her mother.

Leo shook off the first snow that had fallen on his shoulders and went inside to receive the dish.

It was a stew made from tough tendons simmered in a sauce of Odr fruits, cooked along with a vegetable resembling tomatoes. The smell was enticing.

“How is it?”

“It’s good! You’ve really improved a lot.”

While it wasn’t that delicious, it was definitely better than the first attempts. However, Lena waved her fork dismissively as if dissatisfied.

“Hmm… It’s not good enough to praise.”

“… It’s still tasty.”

“Lately, you’ve been lying a lot?”

“Sorry. But really, it’s edible.”

“Is that so? I’m relieved.”

Only the sound of clinking dishes remained on the table.

Lena struggled to eat with one hand, while Leo quickly finished his plate, waiting for her to finish before speaking up.

“Lena.”

“What?”

“Let’s get married.”

Without answering, Lena picked up her empty plate.

“Lena. Please give me an answer.”

“I… don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to get married like this.”

Leo grabbed her shoulder as she tried to run away with the plate. Spinning her around, he kissed her, causing the plate to crash to the floor.

As he held her one precious hand tightly while kissing her, tears began to flow from her eyes.

“Please marry me.”

“… What would I do being taken in by someone like me, with just one arm?”

“What does that matter?”

Leo swept Lena up in his arms and headed toward the room. Gently placing her on the bed, he kissed her again.

“……”

“……”

He attempted to untie her clothing, but with no thumb on his right hand, it was not easy. He awkwardly used his left hand to manage it.

In the meantime, Lena, trying to take off his clothes with one arm, eventually gave up and gazed at Leo.

“People like us are having sex.”

“If you keep saying things like that, I’m going to get angry. Lena is still Lena.”

He embraced the bare Lena.

*

Lena and Leo got married the following spring.

Members of the Ainar Tribe gathered in swarms for the wedding. Knights associated with Abrival Castle and several soldiers also came. The lord made an appearance as well.

Following the customs of the Ainar Tribe, Leo Dexter’s name was displayed prominently on the groom’s side, while Lena Ainar’s name was written on the bride’s side.

Tears welled up in the eyes of both fathers, while their mothers remained composed as the priest solemnly declared the union of the couple.

“Lena!”

Leo gathered Lena in for a final embrace, filled with bright smiles.

Cheers erupted from the guests.

In the happiest and most blessed moment, everything vanished.

[Lena got married. Congratulations!]

[Thank you for playing Lena’s Development.]

[Lena Ainar]

[Final Job: Cook]

[Spouse: Leo Dexter]

[Leo Dexter]

[Final Job: Honorary Knight]

[Spouse: Lena Ainar]

[Engagement Ending: Peace at Abrival Castle]

– Born at Abrival Castle, Lena Ainar enjoyed a happy childhood… (Omitted) …Having participated in the Great War, Lena achieved honors by defeating Katrina of the Belita Kingdom’s Second Knight Order. After sustaining an injury to her arm, she returned home, married Leo Dexter, and opened a small restaurant. Later, she had three children and lived happily…-

– Born in the capital Barnau, Leo Dexter enjoyed a happy childhood… (Omitted) …Participating in the Great War, Leo achieved honors by defeating Deros of the Belita Kingdom’s Second Knight Order. After sustaining an injury to his hand, he returned home, married Lena Ainar, and became an honorary knight of Abrival Castle. He regularly hunted and led a happy family…-

Images of Lena floated in the familiar dark space.

A beautiful bride missing her right arm.

She was smiling brighter than ever.

Leo filled the void of not being able to be with Lena with words.

Fortunately, it seemed they lived happily after getting married.

Leo’s spirit gradually dispersed, filled with regret and satisfaction, as Minseo’s consciousness sharpened.

‘Somehow, I saw a happy ending…’

He made Lena happy and gained something.

He experienced war, caught Katrina, and took revenge for the past on Lena.

He also achieved several accomplishments. He grew stronger against soldiers and knights and garnered slight favor from princes.

Leo could have put off marriage and explored other ventures for years, but neither he nor Minseo wanted that.

Leaving a gloomy Lena, who had lost her dream along with her arm, for the next scenario was not something a human would do.

Minseo did not regret marrying Lena.

But still, she couldn’t turn her into a princess. That was beyond his current abilities.

It was only due to the combined effort that they barely caught the injured Katrina.

Even then, it was only because Lena had a moment of clarity that they could capture her; had she failed to knock Katrina down, both would have died.

Lena demonstrated brilliant tenacity in dire moments. She deserved the recognition, not Leo.

Minseo began to feel affection for the person called ‘Lena.’ Aside from missing her parents and Chaehwa, he wanted to create a happy life for her.

[You did not clear the task of raising Lena.]

[Leo, you defeated an overwhelmingly strong opponent together with Lena. As a result of that achievement, you are granted the {Combined Skill} ability.]

[Restarting now.]

As the footage crossing through the capital of Belita Kingdom, Oberg, ended, Minseo became Leo once more.

Lena and Leo were once again sitting in rags, huddled in an alley.

An extreme hunger overwhelmed Leo. His younger sister glanced longingly at the filthy ground but struggled to look away.

“Big brother… I’m hungry… I’m thirsty too…”

Unlike before, his pockets felt heavy. Inside were eight silver coins and five copper coins.

{Starting funds}.

“Lena. Let’s go eat.”

Leo lifted Lena to her feet.

Gripping his sister’s fragile hand brought forth painful memories. The hellish night he had struggled to hold her tiny hand as she breathed weakly brought back memories he never wanted to recall.

Lena frowned, thinking he was going to dig through the trash again.

Today, for some reason, her brother hadn’t even gotten water, nor could they rummage through the bin due to sudden rain that poured down in the early morning.

As Lena understood it, by the time dawn had passed, there wouldn’t be any food left.

Her brother led her out of the alleyway. Once they reached the market, the variety of food smells assailed their noses.

‘Despite all that food piled up… Huh?’

His brother strode toward a chicken shop, where a hefty man stepped out, swinging a club to block their path.

“Hey. Get out of the way while I’m being nice.”

Lena clutched her brother’s sleeve in fear. He lightly waved her hand, signaling her not to worry.

“Can I buy something with this?”

Her brother took out two brown coins from his pocket.

“Ah, a customer! Should I wrap a chicken for you?”

“Can’t we eat here?”

“Dining in is a bit more expensive.”

Her brother retrieved a few more copper coins from his pocket.

“Hmm. With that appearance, it’ll be hard to let you in… but since there are no customers right now, come on in.”

Lena dazedly followed him inside and took a seat.

Wow, my brother is awesome!

“By the way, where did you get those?”

“I found them. I kept them as a backup.”

“That’s money? You said before that you could buy anything with it, right?”

“Yep.”

“Can that buy us a house?”

“A house… would require lots and lots of these.”

“How many?”

“Way too many to manage right now.”

“Where can we find more?”

“……”

It seemed his sister had received very little education.

‘I need to gather money quickly, ensure safety, and start with her education… This scenario’s beginning is too hard.’

This version of Lena was too beautiful; if safety wasn’t ensured, he couldn’t let her outside.

Then he needed to hire a tutor, but in this era, only nobles could afford one, which surely would be terribly expensive.

‘No, nobles hire renowned scholars… A decent teacher wouldn’t cost too much, right?’

At that moment, the boiled chicken Leo ordered was chopped up. The seasoned roasted chicken was pricier, so he had decided to save money.

Lena devoured the tender chicken meat eagerly. Watching her, Leo fell into contemplation.

‘Survival has to come first, even if the princess is put on hold.’

If he acted too boldly early on, there was a high chance that Lena would be captured like in the previous childhood friend scenario. He worriedly chewed on a chicken leg, reflecting on what he had gained so far.

As quest rewards, he received {Hunting} and {Swordsmanship} skills, {Starting funds}, intelligence about {Alleyway Rules}, and the {Combined Skill}.

And the achievements were…

[Achievement: First Meeting with Lena – Lena has a high favorability towards Leo.]

[Achievement: First Murder – Leo feels less guilt over the act of murder.]

[Achievement: Ten Soldiers – Gain strength when dealing with soldiers.]

[Achievement: One Knight – Gain strength when facing knights.]

[Achievement: First Meeting with a Prince – Earn slight favor from all princes.]

[Achievement: Meeting Anolf de Klaus – Earn slight favor from all nobles serving the Klaus royal family, and slight favor from Anolf de Klaus himself.]

…But it felt too little.

Especially, the only immediately useful ones were {Swordsmanship}, {Starting funds}, and {Alleyway Rules}.

My abilities are severely lacking.

I felt the same during the engagement scenario. Even with a well-trained body as Leo Dexter, I couldn’t do anything.

The event of war made it immensely harsh, and this beggar siblings scenario had a starting environment so dire that life was no different from war.

Even with Leo’s body, he was undernourished, incredibly thin, and short. He had no weapon, and even if there was a decent two-handed sword, with this body, he would struggle against just two thugs.

That would only apply if the opponent was careless. If the enemy fought carefully and didn’t let their guard down, he would definitely lose.

At this rate, he couldn’t protect Lena.

‘For this scenario, let’s strive for a happy ending.’

Leo took a deep breath internally. This beggar siblings scenario was practically like starting over.

Last time, Lena had died of illness in just two days. Thus, it seemed wiser to abandon the hope of clearing it at once.

His little sister choked on her chicken, gulping down water.

My cute little sister.

Perhaps because this Lena was family, he felt attached to her more quickly than with other Lenas.

This time, he would definitely make her happy. He’d prepare a comfortable life for her while gathering information separately.

He never wanted to see her die again.

‘But last time, it wasn’t completely fruitless.’

Leo had a clear destination in mind.