31. Childhood Friend – Interesting Things

Leo built a simple house outside the village.

This forest belonged to the Uena Tribe, which had set up several small villages for mushroom cultivation.

Cultivating mushrooms depended on good timber and moisture control.

They wandered through the vast forest, searching for usable trees to fell in winter. The summer timber, filled with water, was avoided due to the high humidity, which made mushrooms susceptible to disease.

Mushrooms were particularly labor-intensive crops in summer. They needed to be grown in a cool, dry place, blocking sunlight as much as possible while ensuring the wood didn’t dry out.

Since there weren’t many places that satisfied optimal conditions, the Uena Tribe built villages in the cool, dry spots and traveled between them.

Leo borrowed tools from the villagers.

A strange symbol hovered above his head, and although the tribe members were wary of him, they didn’t chase him away.

They were a relatively agricultural tribe, peaceful in contrast to the hunting Ainar Tribe, known for their aggressive nature.

He borrowed discarded logs, stripped off the bark, and shredded them into pieces. The tribe members watched in fascination as Leo pulled long strings of bark. They knew how to make strings, but his skills were impressive.

A boy approached Leo with numerous questions.

“Why are you making ropes?”

“To catch animals.”

“Don’t you hunt with a bow?”

“I’ll set traps with the ropes.”

“Traps? How do you make traps?”

“Usually, I tie knots like this… Sorry, but could you step aside for a moment? I’m busy.”

The boy kept pestering Leo. Even while building the house, he followed and threw questions at him.

“What’s that hole for?”

“…It will connect to the stove. I doubt I’ll stay until winter; just in case.”

“Where are you going now?”

“……”

Leo was harassed by the boy all day long.

The next morning,

Leo woke up in a house with just the roof barely placed.

The strange symbol still hadn’t vanished and remained floating above his head just as before. It seemed far from disappearing.

He planned to go hunting today.

He still didn’t have weapons. No matter how mild a tribe might be, they wouldn’t readily give weapons to outsiders.

Instead, he had enough ropes now, which meant he could set traps.

First, he would place traps everywhere and make a spear from wood to finish off any caught game.

Once he gathered enough money from hunting, he could get weapons.

As Leo organized his day’s plan, he stepped outside to wash himself and paused when he sensed a presence.

The boy who had followed him yesterday stood in front of him.

‘What does he want now? He’s so annoying.’

The boy had only been curious and asked questions, but to someone swift like Leo, it was a huge nuisance.

Just his presence disrupted the workflow, making things take much longer than they needed to.

Unaware of Leo’s frustrations, the boy greeted him cheerfully.

“Hey, big brother.”

“…Yeah, hi.”

Leo received the greeting with a frown. The boy had another bump on his head.

“Hello.”

“……”

A girl, looking about a year younger than the boy, stood beside him, resembling him with shy eyes.

‘Today they’re really sticking together, huh?’

Leo ignored them as he washed by the stream, but it was pretty uncomfortable with the girl following him.

What could he say?

Leo had only just arrived in the village a couple of days ago and had already been awkwardly accepted as an outsider among the villagers.

‘Do I really have to care about these kids’ reactions?’

The age difference wasn’t significant.

This year, he reached adulthood, while the kids were just a few years younger.

But that didn’t mean they could be friends. Although the age gap wasn’t huge, they were still just kids who hadn’t tried starting anything on their own. They likely just did whatever the adults told them.

Looking back, Lena was impressive.

From a young age, she had helped gather food, considering their family’s situation. Leo often accompanied her but primarily learned how to hunt from his father.

Lena built her dream while working hard.

With a nostalgic thought of Lena, Leo picked up the ropes and headed into the woods.

“Where do you think you’re following me to?”

The kids unhesitatingly chased after him.

“Can’t I watch you hunt?”

“Sorry, but you can’t. If there are too many people setting traps, it’ll leave traces, and I won’t catch anything.”

“I want to learn how to hunt…”

The girl scolded the disappointed boy.

“Let’s just go. What hunting is there for a big brother? We should go back before grandma gets mad.”

“Yeah, go back. You little ones will just get in the way.”

“I’m not little! I’m Euta!”

“Nice to meet you. Now, go back.”

The boy stomped away, looking a bit angry, and the girl scampered after him.

Somehow, Lena and the beggar siblings flashed in Leo’s mind, and he felt a twinge of guilt.

But having a complete novice lurking around, clueless about hunting, would ruin the traps. Maybe later, but he couldn’t afford that right now.

Once he confirmed the siblings had disappeared, Leo set off again.

*

The next day.

He had set traps in various places. He hadn’t yet learned the layout well, so the chances of catching animals were low, but he hadn’t eaten since yesterday and was unbearably hungry.

‘Should I just try to get one more meal? But I don’t want to…’

He had already eaten several times while promising to repay with hunting.

Getting more food felt awkward.

‘There should be no catches yet; maybe I’ll just gather something to eat? But I need to make a spear. I have to build the house too.’

Grumbling, he emerged from his shabby hut.

“Big brother, this…”

The boy he had chased away yesterday, Euta, had returned. He sheepishly held something out to Leo.

It was a rice ball mixed with finely chopped mushrooms and twigs from the Tort tree.

Leo took it without refusal. There was no need to turn down what was offered, and he knew exactly what Euta wanted.

Euta had clearly come prepared, handing Leo a water pouch as soon as he finished the rice ball.

Leo thought it was a bit discontenting to have been won over by just a meal and opened his mouth.

“You want me to teach you how to hunt?”

“Yeah!”

“But why learn to hunt? Your tribe cultivates mushrooms, which is the more valuable skill.”

“Growing mushrooms is boring. I always have to go check on the trees… hunting looks more fun. I can shoot a bow too.”

“Well…”

It seemed he thought hunting was just about running around with a bow. Lena Ainar had a similar thought.

Of course, sometimes that was true, but more often than not, it wasn’t the case at all. It wasn’t easy to shoot animals right and left unless you were a world-class archer.

To catch animals with a bow, you had to shoot from a distance without being spotted, and if you didn’t bring it down in one shot, the prey would flee. That would mean spending half a day tracking it down.

While there was a certain thrill in the moment you released the arrow, most of the time was just stumbling through the woods. It wasn’t much different from what Euta thought of as going “to check on the trees” all the time.

To correct the misunderstandings of this naive child, Leo decided to show him what hunting really was.

He crafted a small trap on a nearby tree stump and showed it off.

“See, this is a trap called ‘Sky Knot.’ If an animal passes by and triggers it… it will get caught in a noose and hang from the air.”

“Wow! That’s amazing. How does it jump like that?”

“It uses the elasticity of the wood. If you bend the branch and make a little scratch underneath… it will bend well while maintaining elasticity.”

Euta curiously fiddled with the trap.

“I have to go hunting now, so try to make one like this. I’ll leave some ropes here.”

“Got it! I’ll make one just like this over here!”

Leo smiled as he looked at the boy.

‘It’s not going to be as easy as he thinks.’

It would take him several days to create that thing.

If you couldn’t make the trap all at once and kept fiddling with it, the wood would lose its strength and become useless. To master the technique, he would need to practice a lot.

Leo brushed off the annoying intruder and set off again to hunt.

As expected, it took Euta several days to make a usable trap. His sister would come by from time to time, teasing him as he made the unsightly traps.

Thanks to that, Leo was never bored; but occasionally, Euta’s grandmother came to scold him.

The elderly woman, dressed in unique clothes that suggested she was a shaman, seemed to have come to take her grandson away. She shot Leo disapproving looks for teaching the kids dangerous things.

Still, she didn’t stop her grandson from learning. She even brought food as a thank-you for watching the children.

Peaceful days passed as summer slipped away.

*

Two people strolled through a well-kept park near the Monastery Church.

“Currently, King Tatalia II of Belita was the third prince. He was frail and shy, so no one thought he would ascend to the throne. But when he reached adulthood…”

Lena listened to Gilbert’s story. Although their first meeting had been awkward and she still felt drawn to him, the tales he told were entertaining.

Gilbert was knowledgeable and eloquent.

Although he didn’t seem very interested in the theology that Lena liked, he vividly recounted the intrigues of nobles and various cultures of kingdoms.

“Today was fun too. Thanks to you, I got a good workout.”

“I enjoyed it too.”

They often went for night walks together. Gilbert had charmed Lena, who was studying late at the library, and it had become a habit.

Lena thought it wasn’t bad at all and that she had grown fond of that time.

Breathing in the cool autumn breeze while clearing her head from a day of studying added a refreshing touch to her hectic life. With Gilbert sharing amusing stories next to her, she wasn’t bored at all.

He was handsome. With neatly combed blond hair and always dressed in dignified clothing, he stood out in the serene church.

Lena looked up at Gilbert, confirming he was undoubtedly handsome.

‘Hmm~ Sorry, but he looks better than Leo, doesn’t he?’

While Leo was quite good-looking for a young man from a countryside village, he couldn’t be compared to a noble.

With his proud stature, deep voice, and an upright nose and thick eyebrows that hinted at charisma, Gilbert exuded a manly charm.

Though he had come to the Monastery Church, he was already a celebrity among the nobility.

Lena found it remarkable that she had gotten close to such a noble.

For a commoner like her, nobles were figures to bow deeply to upon sight, ensuring they wouldn’t face any unpleasantness. Indeed, the Monastery Church was a blessed place.

As she internally offered her gratitude, Gilbert asked for her hand.

“Lena, may I have your hand for a moment?”

She took his hand comfortably. Somehow, she felt like she had lost control of her body in front of this man, but that was only natural. His natural manners held her in a gentle sway.

They had become close, but he was still noble, after all. Commoners had to at least act passive when nobles asked.

Fortunately, Gilbert’s requests were always mild.

“You really suit it.”

A small bracelet dangled from her arm. Lena waved her hand in surprise.

“Eh? I’m sorry, but I can’t accept something like this.”

Gilbert replied nonchalantly to her refusal.

“I’m sorry. I made you misunderstand. I wasn’t offering it. I was just curious about how it would look when worn by someone.”

“Oh, I see. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Gilbert stepped back.

Lena’s reaction was unexpectedly firm.

“Could you possibly wear it for a few days and share your thoughts? I want to gift it to my sister, but it doesn’t fit my wrist.”

He was an only child, but Lena had no way of knowing that and hesitated to respond.

“Can I really keep such a precious item…?”

“It’s not that expensive. I found it at a stall while passing through the market. Would that be alright?”

“Hmm, fine. I’ll return it in a few days. It looks simple, yet it has a sense of elegance.”

It must be so.

Although it appeared modest, it was platinum.

Gilbert discreetly turned Lena’s attention to her sister.

The sister could easily be replaced with a noble young lady he had met once or twice.

Soon, Lena was captivated by stories of the glamorous life of noble young ladies.

‘This girl really loves these stories to an odd extent. But she doesn’t seem to like gifts.’

What a unique woman.

Gilbert had never met someone from the countryside like her.

In remote places like Deimos village, there were hardly any ‘new stories,’ and most of what Lena knew came from Priest Leslie.

While Priest Leslie had travel experience, he was still an unavoidable priest, so he only knew dull stories. Even that sounded fascinating to her.

Before long, Lena became so engrossed in Gilbert’s tales that she lost track of time and gasped when she saw the moon high in the sky.

“Ah! This is bad. I have an early class tomorrow… I’m sorry, I need to head back first.”

“Okay. Thanks to you, I had a great time today.”

“Not at all. I enjoyed it more. Have a good night.”

She parted from Gilbert and headed toward her lodging.

“Lady Lena, are you heading home now?”

“Oh, it looks like you’re leaving too, Daniel.”

Lena ran into Daniel, who had just come out of the library late, and they walked together.

At that moment, the moonlight glimmered off her bracelet, catching Daniel’s eye. He slightly frowned.

Women…

“Lady Lena, you’re wearing a bracelet too.”

“Ah! This isn’t mine. It’s just…”

His eyes narrowed.

“…From Lord Gilbert Forte?”

Daniel was a promising apprentice, nearly confirmed to undergo the ceremony next autumn after passing most of his classes.

If he had completed his training a bit sooner, he would have gone through the ceremony this autumn, but luck had not favored him.

Even if the ceremony didn’t go well, he could still become a priest, and he was already treated as an apprentice in the clergy.

Thanks to that, he was gradually assisting with church duties and had come across Gilbert Forte’s background.

He was currently the most noteworthy figure in the educational facilities: the son of a Swordmaster and a disgrace to the Belita Kingdom; the rumors weren’t good.

“Are you close to Lord Forte?”

“Yeah. Recently, I’ve been going for night walks often; it’s good exercise and fun. He told me an interesting story, about…”

As Lena chattered brightly, Daniel’s expression turned icy.