38. Engagement – Count Forte

The Austin Kingdom Army was stuck in front of a city.

“Lena, where’s the Swordmaster?”

“I think he’s still in the rear. I heard he was forced to come because of the Prince. He wants to go back even now… Huu.”

Lena and Leo exchanged small talk. It was the most relaxed time they had experienced since participating in the war.

The front lines had been pushed back significantly. The Belita Kingdom Army had failed to maintain their hold on the city and had rebuilt their camp far across the river.

Realizing that crossing the river anytime this year was unlikely, the Austin Kingdom Army decided to spend the winter in front of the city and laid siege to it.

Unlike the towns they had occupied so far, the city seemed prepared for a defense, with its gates bound in tattered wooden boards.

The city walls weren’t very high, so it seemed that the siege weapons positioned nearby could easily scale them, but the city hadn’t been attacked for nearly a month.

“How much longer do we have to wait?”

“It should be almost over.”

In this world, even when you have the upper hand in a siege, you cannot charge in and take over as long as a sorcerer is holding out inside the walls.

When soldiers mass, area-effect spells paint the sky.

“This is frustrating. Can’t our sorcerer block the spells?”

“I think it takes a while.”

Information about the Noble Society included some brief details about magic.

Magic was based on a discipline called ‘Mana Road Studies,’ which focused on researching ‘Mana Roads.’

To use magic, a sorcerer inscribed a path for mana called a ‘Mana Road’ in the air.

Depending on the shape of that path, the flowing mana manifested mysterious phenomena, and that was what magic was.

After the method of inscribing Mana Roads was discovered, magic developed rapidly. Unlike the old days, where mana was used haphazardly, modern sorcerers commanded vast magical power through the precise science of ‘Mana Road Studies.’

If given enough time, thousands of soldiers were as insignificant as ants before a wave. Once a colossal Mana Road for large-scale area spells was established in the sky, fire, ice, lightning, storms, and cold waves—all tailored to the sorcerer’s taste—would wreak havoc beneath.

“Wait a minute!”

Lena interrupted Leo’s explanation.

Raising her hand high was adorable.

“Can’t we just prevent them from making that Mana Road?”

“I heard somewhere that if you inscribe a Mana Road that interferes with the enemy’s magic, the two Mana Roads will entangle, causing some kind of interference phenomenon. When colliding mana meets, it creates explosions… so it ends up being the same for our soldiers.”

“Ah. So what do we do?”

“I heard we need to install a barrier that nullifies all Mana Roads around the castle? It’s been about a month, so they should be almost done.”

“Wow! Leo, you’re smart.”

Lena patted his head in praise.

“You were also impressive when you taught me some etiquette before. Though you’re my husband, I can brag about you anywhere.”

Leo felt a bit embarrassed.

If they knew how I obtained the Noble Society information, they would probably think I was pathetic.

Unaware of his inner thoughts, Lena continued to stroke his head.

“So we just need to remain vigilant.”

“Can’t we be a bit relaxed for a while? We’re not near the city, and it’s the outer perimeter…”

“Oh no! There’s no duty more important than being vigilant.”

She pretended to be dignified as she shook her finger.

“As a Hundred-man Commander of the Austin Kingdom, I cannot tolerate such lethargy. You should be more cautious moving forward.”

“Okay, okay~ I’ll obey your orders.”

“You~!”

Lena pinched his cheek, and Leo reciprocated the gesture.

Their puffed-up cheeks looked cute.

Maybe Lena thought the same, as she laughed while whispering, “Ugh, that hurts.”

The thought of ‘I’m happy, but I shouldn’t be like this’ had long since faded away.

With more than ten months having passed since the scenario began, the memories of Minseo in his mind had become faint. And thus, Leo Dexter’s simple yet self-loving character emerged.

“I want to keep living with Lena like this.”

His intent to clear the scenario also faded away. It was already too late to make Lena a princess, and once the war ended, he would marry her, leading to the happy ending.

He desperately wanted to delay the marriage.

‘If only Minseo wasn’t around…’

A chilling thought crossed his mind.

Only Minseo feared losing himself in the endlessly repeating story, and it was only Minseo who wanted to escape.

If only Minseo were gone. Countless, perhaps infinite versions of Leo could surely live short but happy lives, right?

Having the ending come with marriage was surely a sad affair.

But he confirmed that the story beyond the ending actually unfolded. So a happy ending was enough.

‘Though I’ wouldn’t experience it, both Lena and Leo could live happily.

If only Minseo were gone…

Leo scratched his head, irritated by Minseo’s presence.

*

[ Leo has died. ]

A few days later, I died.

I was on guard as usual. The Hundred-man Commander Lena had her detachment scattered, guarding a small hill.

It was far from the besieged city.

Although Lena, as the commander, was exempt from night watch, she chose to stay with me instead. Just feeling each other’s presence while keeping an eye on the front was a happy routine.

Then one night, a shadow stirred in the darkness. By the time I sensed it, a sword was already flying toward me.

I reflexively drew my sword to block it, but could I really say I blocked it?

The sword hit with such force that it cut my own face.

Though my lips split and my nose broke, Lena was able to help block it with her sword, so that was all that happened. Without her, I would have been killed by my own sword.

Under the powerful blade pressure, Lena and I were sent flying a few steps, landing on our backsides.

It was a Swordmaster.

Only someone of that caliber could deliver such a blow.

The small message that appeared below confirmed my suspicion.

[ Achievement: Swordmaster, 2/3 ]

Did Lena also suspect the same? While flying through the air, she broke a signal flare with her sword’s hilt, smashing it against her chest without mercy.

– Crack.

I heard the sound of glass shattering as Lena continued to hit her chest, still in a sitting position.

Fearing for her life, I hastily fumbled with my own flare and smashed it.

Blood ran from my hand, pricked by the glass fragments.

Seeing the two soldiers struggling, the Large Knight grimaced and murmured.

“Whoa, are they knights? Doesn’t look like it to me…”

At that moment, several knights emerged from the darkness behind him, rustling through.

“What should we do?”

“What else? The signal flare has already been broken. It’s doomed; we have to retreat. Clean up and come back.”

The knights bowed respectfully to his command and disappeared.

The cold, heavy-set man, Count Hermann Forte, praised the little ones who had blocked his sword.

“Now that I see, you’re quite young. To block my ambush, splendid. It’s a shame to meet as enemies.”

“Are you Count Hermann Forte?”

“Ha ha ha. Yes. No need for honorifics with the enemy.”

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be guarding the city?”

As Leo spoke, air leaked out from his broken nose and split lip.

Death was certain.

The confirmed death calmed him instead and brought forth a grudge against Count Forte.

This bastard is the one who killed my sister, Lena.

I saw it in the ending of the beggar siblings scenario. Lena, who became a dark horse in the Belita Kingdom’s political arena, was killed by this guy.

No, she will die. If my dear sister Lena is on the same course…

Moreover, this guy, with his thick and straight nose and bushy eyebrows, was the father of that bastard who chased Lena out of the Monastery Church in the childhood friend scenario, rivaling Dehorman in sheer size.

I don’t want to beg for my life from such a guy.

Leo tightened his grip on his sword and squared his stance. Lena next to him seemed to have resolved herself, as well.

Count Forte scratched his dual chin with his hefty fingers and spoke.

“You’re growing on me the more I look at you. What a waste… but thanks to you, I can’t go back quickly.”

As he clicked his tongue and raised his sword, mana surged, making the thick blade ignite in a blazing white flame.

Oro Blade. The strongest swordsmanship on the continent that proves one’s status as a Swordmaster, a sword that ignores all weapons, shields, and armor stood before Lena and Leo.

And without any warning, the Count’s sword struck sideways.

Leo couldn’t react at all; in truth, even if he had reacted, it wouldn’t have changed anything. The sword that struck him without prelude severed the sword he had defensively raised, and his sight was sent upward to the heavens.

My head is flying off.

As his spinning eyes collided with Lena’s, she screamed towards his rotating head.

“Leo!”

‘Lena, run…’

[ Leo has died. ]

Everything went dark. The blazing sword, Lena, his headless body, and the flying head all vanished.

Familiar. An ending.

But I was Minseo. Leo’s consciousness was dead the moment his head flew off.

In a daze, several messages appeared before his blurry vision.

[ You have died. 1/3 ]

[ Achievement: First Death – Your speed of becoming Leo decreases. ]

[ Thank you for playing the Lena Raising game. ]

[ Lena Ainar ]

[ Final Job: Hundred-man Commander, Squire ]

[ Marriage Partner: Engaged to Leo ]

[ Leo Dexter ]

[ Final Job: Squire ]

[ Marriage Partner: Engaged to Lena ]

[ Engagement Ending: Honorable Death ]

– Born at Abrival Castle, Lena Ainar… (omitted) …was raised to the position of Hundred-man Commander for her feat in defeating Knight Deros of the Belita Kingdom’s Second Knight Order. Later, Prince Anolf de Klaus praised her achievements and granted her the title of Squire, but Lena died at the hands of Count Hermann Forte while on guard duty. –

– Born in the capital Barnau, Leo Dexter had a happy childhood… (omitted) …was granted the title of Squire for his achievements, but Leo died at the hands of Count Hermann Forte while on guard duty. –

A picture of Lena commanding the soldiers floated in his mind. It was the first time he looked at her picture with a clear mind.

‘This is ridiculous.’

I don’t even know where to start being flabbergasted.

Was it meeting a Swordmaster while on outer perimeter guard duty? Or the number 1/3 next to death?

Minseo gradually shifted his focus away from the fading picture and text, realizing that there was no useful information in the ending.

First, the Swordmasters.

I met two Swordmasters in this scenario.

Both were odd. Our side’s Swordmaster, Baron Arpen Albasete, seemed to be on vacation, not moving from the rear, while the enemy’s Swordmaster, Count Hermann Forte, was overly active.

Even until the day Leo died, the flag indicating that a Swordmaster had arrived on the enemy’s side never went up. He kept his arrival secret and snuck into our camp with just a few knights while detouring far from the city.

‘He must be trying to destroy our supply base?’

That was the only way to think. But that wasn’t something a Swordmaster would do.

The city was on the verge of capture. A Swordmaster would obviously announce their presence on the battlefield, boosting morale and saving the isolated city.

But Count Hermann Forte did not do that and instead engaged in a risk- laden action. Had he run into our Swordmaster while sneaking into the rear base, he would have likely met an untimely end.

If that had happened, the war would have effectively ended there. But he risked his life to invade, and when Lena broke the signal flare, he was forced to retreat.

– Thanks to you, I can’t go back quickly.

He didn’t leave Leo any information but merely complained.

Interpreting it could imply regret for not ending the war quickly, but that cold man didn’t seem like a benevolent person trying to end the war’s tragedy at the cost of his own life.

Thinking carefully, something felt off.

During the childhood friend scenario at the Holy Kingdom’s lodge, I heard that Count Forte had achieved a significant feat and that the war would soon end.

That would mean that Count Forte returned before achieving any distinguished merit at the end of the war.

Otherwise, a Swordmaster’s achievements wouldn’t be known to the citizens of the Holy Kingdom during wartime. I guessed he would have returned and garnered noticeable recognition after earning merits.

He undoubtedly returned early, risking his life to do so.

‘Why? Why must he return quickly? Shouldn’t someone like him be able to lounge around in the rear…’

But before the questions could end, another one arose.

‘Wait, what about our Swordmaster? With an enemy Swordmaster clearly present, how could Count Forte casually turn back? No way… Could he have returned too?’

He could have used the excuse that the rear base was under attack, claiming the Prince was in danger and took the Swordmaster back with him, but that seemed odd no matter how I looked at it.

The Swordmaster from the kingdom that initiated the war seemed to be just sitting back while the Swordmaster from the invaded kingdom hurried back despite the risk.

And ultimately, both chose to abandon the war and go back.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Yet again, there was something unclear during the scenario.

[ Achievement: Swordmaster, 2/3 ]

A bizarre achievement.

Other achievements provided some form of reward. For instance, by meeting the Prince, one could gain his favor.

But this achievement only left a name and a number behind.

‘Is it an achievement unlocked by meeting all three Swordmasters? Would I only get something like [Become Stronger Against Swordmasters] or [Gain Some Weak Favor from the Swordmaster]…’

This stingy game that doesn’t even warrant a single line of explanation tossed endless questions his way.

Unable to find any answers despite deep contemplation, Minseo gave up on guessing. He decided to concentrate on what he needed to do.

First, the {War} event had to be avoided at all costs.

If he went to the battlefield, not only would he be unable to make Lena a princess, but serious dangers awaited him as well.

Katrina was nothing. There was a Swordmaster behind her, and that was how he died first.

Ah, and the 1/3.

What in the world is that?

‘Is it a limit on the number of times?’

It felt like a sign that only three coins were put into an arcade machine… suggesting that dying three times meant game over?

‘No way, I’m not going to actually die after filling that meter up, am I?’

Minseo tried to swallow, but without a physical body, his spirit could only tremble.

It was frightening.

And he admired Lena. Even when her arm was gone, she showed remarkable ingenuity to take down the enemy and quietly smashed the signal flare even before death.

In contrast, I…

At that moment, a message appeared, cutting through his thoughts.

[ You failed to clear the Lena Raising game. ]

[ Leo, you blocked a Swordmaster’s sword once. For that achievement, I grant you the ability {Swordsmanship.2v}. ]

[ Restarting now. ]