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32. Childhood Friends – Departure

Leo quickly became fond of the innocent and honest Euta siblings.

He even took Euta into the forest, where Euta, full of enthusiasm, learned how to hunt quickly.

“Hey, your sister is going there again.”

Euta’s younger sister, Enen, was about to run into the forest again. Euta was too busy trying a new trap to notice, so Leo caught Enen and sat her next to Euta.

Enen wore a sulky expression and whined.

“Waaah, my butterfly.”

Sometimes, Enen followed her brother and played while he struggled to set traps. It seemed she liked insects, as she often rummaged through the bushes.

“Stay close to your brother.”

“That’s boring.”

In the meantime, Leo had managed to get a dagger from hunting in the village and had tightly filled the loose walls of his house.

He didn’t spend too much effort since he wasn’t planning to stay long.

“But I noticed the villagers have been busy since yesterday. What’s going on?”

In response to his question, Enen answered shortly.

“They’re gathering mushrooms.”

“Why?”

“To sell.”

Looks like they also bring produce for sale like in Demos village.

“Don’t you have to help?”

“Grandma and I took care of it. You didn’t help at all.”

“Just wait a bit. I’ll learn to hunt and make you meat dishes.”

“Tch. I don’t like meat.”

“You haven’t even tried it.”

“Not true! I have tried it!”

“You haven’t!”

“I have!”

The siblings bickered as they usually did, and Leo watched them with a warm smile.

The next day, instead of going hunting, Leo entered the village and watched as the Uena Tribe people busily worked.

He also spotted other tribe members from different villages for the first time, and the village square was piled high with mushrooms, seemingly gathered from various tribal farms.

Euta waved happily from a distance. The Euta siblings were following their grandmother as they moved the mushrooms.

‘This place seems nice to live in too.’

Like Demos, this village felt warm with camaraderie.

As an outsider, Leo was still a target of suspicion, and he couldn’t join in on the lively atmosphere.

A mark still lingered above his head. Although it had faded a bit, it seemed certain to disappear only by winter.

‘I think it’ll be gone in a few months… but I can’t move in winter, so I’ll have to wait until next spring.’

It was taking much longer than expected to meet Lena, but she still had a ways to go before becoming a priestess.

According to Priest Leslie, it would take three years, and only a year had passed. There was no need to rush.

Around noon, seeing the village youths moving mushrooms outside, Leo quietly went out to observe.

Outside the village, merchants with large carts were bustling about.

‘Whoa! That could have been a disaster.’

He quickly hid. It seemed they weren’t selling mushrooms directly; rather, a merchant group came to buy them.

If the Holy Kingdom’s people spotted the mark, it would create quite a commotion, so that day, Leo couldn’t move an inch in the village.

He lamented about wasting his time coming to watch. ─ Just then, he noticed the glances of the villagers had shifted slightly.

At that moment, Euta’s grandmother came over.

“What kind of mischief are you getting into outside?”

Busted. It seemed someone saw the mark in the brief moment he stuck out his face, or perhaps one of the villagers had asked.

“Actually, I…”

Leo spilled everything to his grandmother.

Except for the part about killing Hans, he told her about his childhood friend going to the monastery, fighting with bandits to gather travel expenses, and everything that happened while crossing the borders.

Euta’s grandmother reacted unexpectedly to the mention of killing the bandits.

“Well, you seem to be a greater warrior than you look.”

“Is there no way I can stay here? I plan to leave in the spring when the mark disappears.”

“If you explain well to the villagers, it should be fine.”

Leo was pleased, but soon disappointing news followed.

“However, the merchants might report you. It would be better to just run away.”

“Is that so…”

Leo felt disheartened.

Where to go next?

As he pondered, his grandmother handed him something.

“Take this. Go northeast. You’ll see a mountain called Bomer. It’s a volcano, so you can’t miss it.”

The item she handed him was a headband.

“The Hatata Tribe is south of Mount Bomer. It’s my son-in-law’s tribe. If you show this, they’ll let you stay.”

Both of Euta’s parents had passed away from illness. So this headband was their heirloom.

“If you’re giving this to me…”

“It’s fine. I was supposed to return it anyway, but it was too far. Take it back as a favor.”

“Thank you. I won’t forget your kindness.”

“Kindness? Don’t be silly. Just prepare and go. Don’t tell the kids. I don’t want to see them whine.”

With that, grandmother left.

Seeing her gesture of defending him to the villagers, Leo felt his heart swell.

Early in the morning, Leo left the poorly built house behind and set out on his way.

His body felt light. He only had a small dagger and a bundle of rope.

He also had the headband and a lunchbox, all prepared by Euta’s grandmother. She had secretly come last night to throw him some food before leaving. Truly a kind person until the end.

As he navigated the dark mountain path, Leo felt a pang of longing for not being able to say goodbye to Euta and Enen.

‘Will I ever come back here again?’

Pushing through the forest, he shook off his regrets.

After a week of hard travel, he found the Hatata Tribe.

Showing the headband to the wary tribe members, several of them let out weak sighs.

The chief offered him a small shed next to the village, and he spent two seasons, autumn and winter, there.

One morning, during a fierce cold snap, he woke up to find the mark on his head had disappeared.

Leo left the village before the cold could dissipate and set off toward the monastery where Lena was studying.

*

A cold wave hit the monastery.

Lena had been expelled from the monastery.

Dressed only in the single outfit she had worn in autumn, she shivered at the city gate, having had her trainee’s clothes taken from her.

“Waaah, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

Tears continuously poured from her eyes, freezing around her chin.

She still couldn’t believe she had been expelled.

The day before, Lena had drunk with Gilbert. At a meal as usual, Gilbert had offered her a drink, and despite hesitating, she accepted. She wanted to try alcohol at least once.

It must have been strong because she got drunk after just one glass. She struggled to regain her balance as her body swayed.

When Leo tried to refuse wherever Gilbert wanted to rest, he dropped her off at the monastery. Up to that point, things were fine.

As she stumbled to enter the lodging, Gilbert held her back. She thought he was helping her since she couldn’t steady herself.

In her haze, she caught sight of Gilbert’s face.

‘Whoa. That’s way too close.’

Lena raised her arms to push that shiny face away.

Nobles aren’t that special. ─ she thought.

At that moment, Daniel appeared.

Alcohol is strange; it makes people pop out of nowhere.

Grasped by Daniel’s hand, Lena was taken to a room that wasn’t hers, and there, she slumped onto the table, falling asleep.

The next morning, Lena woke up clutching her throbbing head.

Looking around, she found herself in a well-lit cell.

“Where am I? What happened?”

Stepping out of the room, she asked, only to be met by a priest who clicked his tongue and informed her of the gravity of her situation.

Apparently, she had committed a crime. They said there was an ongoing meeting in the higher-ups.

“What? Me? Is it because I drank? But drinking’s fine…”

Lena couldn’t comprehend the situation and was subjected to a brief interrogation.

The priest, with a stiff expression like a stone statue, sat her down without offering a single cup of tea, delivering cold questions and notifications.

“There were testimonies saying that you and Gilbert Forte committed shameless acts.”

“Excuse me? Shameless acts?”

“Last night, it was reported that you two were hugging in the park. Do you remember?”

“Uh, no. That can’t be true. That’s not the kind of relationship I have with Lord Gilbert.”

“There was a trainee’s testimony saying that you were trying to kiss while hugging.”

“W-what?”

“Moreover, you received a bracelet as a gift from Lord Gilbert. Is that true?”

“No! That was a present for his younger sister. He just asked for my opinion on it. I handed it back a long time ago.”

“Lord Gilbert’s younger sister?”

“Yes!”

“…Regardless, it’s true that you hugged, right?”

“I-I don’t remember! I’m serious!”

“Lord Gilbert has acknowledged it. And may I ask what you were doing outside?”

Lena keep protesting, but the conclusion didn’t change. In fact, the conclusion had already been reached.

The monastery had to punish the two.

Although there were testimonies against Lena, the priests who taught her defended her, saying she wasn’t the type of student to do such things. Considering Lord Gilbert Forte’s past actions, he clearly must have been trying to take advantage of Lena with alcohol.

However, he was a noble, the son of a Swordmaster who held real power in the Belita Kingdom.

The circumstances under which Gilbert came to the monastery also became a problem. He was under house arrest for political reasons, and they couldn’t dismiss that.

Moreover, the Belita Kingdom already viewed the church unfavorably.

The Cross Church not only refrained from sending priests into the war but also declared neutrality and directly blocked military supplies from leaking.

The Swordmaster in command was undoubtedly displeased with the Cross Church.

So what would happen if they expelled his son from the church under such circumstances? In the worst-case scenario, the churches of the Belita Kingdom might face oppression.

Ultimately, the monastery decided to expel Lena. With such an incident happening, there was no choice to keep either of them in the church.

Fortunately, Lena was a commoner without anyone backing her.

There were plenty of others seeking to become priests in the monastery, so they made the convenient choice.

Priestess Ophelia, who had recommended Lena, protested vigorously, but the result didn’t change. That very day, Lena was immediately expelled with her little belongings.

Gilbert Forte was forbidden from going out for several weeks.

Kicked out alone in the midst of winter, Lena couldn’t leave the city gate of the monastery and prayed desperately to God, shivering all night with her trembling hands.

She even shouted that she was sorry.

The city gate didn’t open.

*

In the spring when the snow melted, Lena arrived in Lutetia, stopping by an inn to rest after her grueling journey.

‘If Woody were here, we would have arrived quickly. I wonder where he’s living well now.’

Having no means of transportation, she had walked that far.

The money she earned from hunting over the winter had all gone to buy food, leaving her with nothing to even join a merchant group.

The money she handed to the innkeeper was her last, and only a few coins remained in her pocket.

‘Wow, I’ve really come here as a beggar. Lena probably won’t like that. Hehe.’

Still, he was utterly pleased.

He would soon see Lena.

The next day, Leo woke up early for breakfast. In the inn lobby, people were buzzing.

“It seems the war is about to end. The Austin Kingdom has retreated.”

“I heard the same. The Swordmaster of the Belita Kingdom… I don’t know his name, but supposedly, he did something big?”

Leo chewed on bread while eavesdropping. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but the Austin Kingdom had retreated.

He’d seen the story of the beggar siblings ending in the Austin Kingdom’s defeat. It appeared it had really happened that way.

Leo was puzzled. The battlefield he had seen was favorable for the Austin Kingdom. It wasn’t just the Swordmaster of the Belita Kingdom who was involved; the Austin Kingdom had a Swordmaster too.

This war shouldn’t have ended so easily, but it concluded after just a year.

‘I need to find out what happened. What on earth went on…’

Finding out about events on foreign battlefields wouldn’t be easy, but, well, there was plenty of time.

There was still over a year left before Lena would become a priestess.

He gave the last of his coins to the innkeeper for breakfast and walked toward the monastery.

“What? Lena was expelled? Why?”

However, waiting for him wasn’t Lena, but a shocking answer.

They said Lena was expelled for misconduct.

“That’s absurd… She’s not that kind of person! You must have misheard, right? It’s Le-na.”

But the replies he got remained unchanged.

Leo couldn’t grasp the situation.

Lena was expelled? Why? How?

‘No, that’s not right. The first thing I need to do is find Lena.’

He racked his brain. Lena wouldn’t have the money to return to Demos Village. He heard she was just thrown out right outside the gate.

Leo left the monastery gate.

‘If I were Lena, I would…’

Have cried.

Frustration boiled up, yet he restrained himself and continued with the deduction.

‘And Lena…’

In front of him was the capital of the Jerome Holy Kingdom, Lutetia. Leo returned to the capital and spent two days wandering around the massive city.

His conjecture was correct.

He spotted Lena working in the bakery.

“Lena!”

“Leo!”

Seeing Leo, Lena dropped the dough she was holding and rushed out, running clumsily.

Her hands were sticky with dough, but neither of them cared as they embraced each other.

A sack of flour tipped over, sending clouds of flour into the air, and the bakery owner and the customers looked on in surprise.

Covered in flour, Lena sobbed into Leo’s embrace.