63. Childhood Friend – Irotasi River

The carriage ahead came to a stop, and a loud horn echoed. At that moment, the soldiers and knights guarding the procession all rushed forward.

‘What’s going on?’

Leo, who was sitting in the coachman’s seat of the third carriage where Lady Gaidan was, leaned out and looked toward the front of the procession.

In front, the soldiers and knights were forming a battle formation. Unafraid, soldiers standing in the way of the noble procession drew their swords and charged recklessly.

Leo stepped up from the coachman’s seat. Leaning sideways to survey the situation, he was taken aback.

‘What the hell!’

Six knights, who he thought were mere soldiers, began to fiercely engage with about a dozen other knights. Each of them was an exceptional knight, on par with ‘Katrina’, having mastered their own unique swordsmanship.

Knights surpassing common knights like Katrina were rare. Out of the 450 knights in the Belita Royal Knight Order, maybe only a hundred could reach that level, thanks to the high standards of the order.

To see six such knights gathered together was a force that could stand out even on the battlefield.

Leo’s surprise didn’t end there. When the seventh knight joined the fray late, the earlier skirmish was no longer even a skirmish.

‘Oh my…!’

Leo was stunned by the prowess of this nameless knight.

The strongest knight among the few he had encountered until now was undoubtedly Noel Dexter, the father of the engagement scenario.

Swordmasters were a separate matter.

They were monsters outside the realm of knights, and he had never seen them fight. He once faced one and barely escaped with his life, but that was no real fight.

But here, a knight swinging two swords with one hand and collapsing the formation looked far stronger than Noel Dexter.

Was this the level just before becoming a swordmaster? That knight was effortlessly handling the knights of the Tertan family.

At that moment, a couple of soldiers screamed and fled. They dropped their shield and one-handed sword, turning tail in panic.

‘This isn’t the time! We need to run!’

Having faced plenty of crazy situations before—no, having a plethora of beggar-like memories—Leo quickly assessed the situation.

Once again, it was doomed.

He jumped down from the coachman’s seat without hesitation. Then, he picked up a sword discarded by a fleeing soldier.

Looking back, the formation had indeed crumbled, and the six insane knights were approaching, cutting down anyone in their path.

Blood spurted like mist into the air.

Lena! He had to escape with Lena.

Dodging the monstrous knight, he dashed toward the back and spotted Lena in the distance.

The maidservants behind the procession seemed to have noticed the commotion and began to scatter.

Lena was waving her arms and hopping up and down.

“Leo! Hurry!”

“Get out of the way!”

“Ahhh!”

At that moment, a soldier fleeing ahead shoved a maidservant aside.

The pushed Lena stumbled and, “Huh? Huh?” was thrown off the stone bridge with no guardrails.

“Lena!”

Below the bridge, the Irotasi River flowed with a deep blue hue. Lena, who had fallen into the water, flailed desperately, but she couldn’t make her way toward the riverbank.

Lena couldn’t swim.

Leo strapped the sword hastily to his shabby pants and threw himself into the river.

*

Lena and the maidservants were chatting in the carriage.

But suddenly, the carriage stopped, and the sound of clanging armor and shouting echoed.

The maidservants and servants rushed out of the carriage and looked ahead, turning pale.

In the distance, a bloodbath was unfolding. Soldiers with severed heads sprayed fountains of blood into the air, while severed arms slowly spiraled down into the river.

A few soldiers screamed, “Waaaah!” and fled in terror, followed closely by knights covered in blood.

They sliced down anyone within reach. They showed no hesitation in stabbing a fleeing soldier’s back or the quaking coachman sitting in the front.

“Run away!”

The servants and maidservants began to flee as well, but Lena’s face turned pale as she cried out.

“Leo! Leo!”

Frightened for his safety, Lena stamped her feet and couldn’t run away.

Leo was sitting in the coachman’s seat of the third carriage, which Lady Gaidan occupied, much farther forward than the last carriage Lena was in.

Yet for some reason, as the soldiers fled, Leo was nowhere to be seen. If he had run away, he should have been charging this way by now…

‘What should I do? Am I supposed to go this way?’

Lena passed by the restless horses and moved to the right side of the carriage.

There! She spotted Leo in the distance!

The coachmen were sitting on the left side of the carriage, so Leo, who had been on the right side, was now coming over from that direction.

It was a bit cramped over here. The carriages generally kept to the right side.

Leo picked up the sword and began to run toward her.

Lena waved her arms and shouted.

“Leo! Hurry!”

“Get out of the way!”

In a rush, a soldier fleeing in front shoved Lena aside.

Lena thought she would fall and tried to brace herself with her arms but… she felt her body lift off the ground.

“Ahhh!”

The fearsome, icy river was right in front of her.

– Plop!

Falling into the cold water, she was utterly disoriented. She flailed her arms and legs, swallowing water as cold as ice, making her body stiffen and the heavy pressure remove air from her lungs.

‘Leo! Save me! Leo!’

Gurgling under the water, Lena could no longer scream and just gasped for air.

At that moment, someone grabbed her neck from behind and began to pull her up.

“Gah!”

She gasped for the air she desperately needed, but the grip around her neck constricted her, sending Lena into a panic.

After a struggle, the person pulling her toward the riverbank called out.

“Lena! We’re almost there! Get up! You should be able to touch the ground here!”

Someone shouted from behind, but Lena couldn’t hear and didn’t stop thrashing her limbs. Only when she felt her back touch the ground did she regain her senses.

“Le… Leo?”

“Lena, are you okay?”

As Lena, exhausted and panting, tilted her head back, she saw Leo’s anxious face close to hers. His lips were pale, water was dripping from his hair, yet he was first concerned about her well-being.

Leo hurriedly grabbed her cheeks, shaking her. It reminded her of when he rescued her from the gorge a long time ago.

Lena hugged Leo tightly, shivering. She was truly scared. Since falling into the water so many years ago, she hadn’t submerged herself in water again.

“Leo, thank you.”

Amidst the chaos, Lena felt sorry for having been cold to Leo during their time together and said with trembling voice.

“I’m sorry. I doubted you unnecessarily… I thought you weren’t moving your ears…”

“Lena. I’m sorry, but this isn’t the time. We need to flee quickly…”

Just then, there was the sound of someone leaping down. Shocked, Leo drew the sword hanging at his waist and swung it back.

– Clang!

His instinctive swing miraculously blocked the stab.

The knight targeting Leo’s back showed a moment of surprise, then quickly tossed the sword grip from his right hand to his left and attempted to stab again.

“Not happening!”

Lena shoved Leo.

Leo, rising awkwardly, missed the thrust but… Lena got hit. Her delicate shoulder was gruesomely pierced.

“Lena!”

Leo sprang up and blocked her with his body. The knight, who was slaughtering the knights of the Tertan family, stood in front of them.

It was the end.

“Lena! Run away…”

He took a defensive stance with his sword raised, but the knight’s sword pierced in like a spear. From below up, the knight’s blade mocked Leo’s swordsmanship as it sank into his chest.

“Gah… ugh…”

Time seemed to slow as his vision wavered with afterimages.

A sword embedded in his chest, a dark, mangled blade, a large left hand casually gripping a red jewel and hilt, with three blue droplets engraved in relief and letters carved into the grip…?!

Leo’s eyes widened.

That symbol was the same as the one engraved on the beggar siblings’ necklace!

So that means this person is…

The knight withdrew his sword. Blood poured out of Leo’s punctured back, drenching Lena’s head.

Lena stared in disbelief as the thing that had been peeking out from behind her friend vanished again.

“L-Leo?”

Leo collapsed face-first. He felt his teeth crack against the gravel below.

‘Just Lena… just let Lena live…’

[ Leo has died. ]

Before he could turn his head to take his last look at Lena, his heart stopped. Darkness fell rapidly, and messages began to pop up.

[ You have died. 2/3 ]

[ Achievement: Second Death – Your speed of merging with Leo has decreased. ]

[ Thank you for playing “Raising Lena.” ]

[ Lena ]

[ Final Job: Handmaiden of the Gaidan Family ]

[ Marriage Target: Single ]

[ Leo ]

[ Final Job: Servant of the Gaidan Family ]

[ Marriage Target: Single ]

[ Childhood Friend Ending: Death of a Friend ]

– Born in Demos Village, Lena enjoyed a happy childhood… (text missing) …while working as a maidservant, she was killed by Sir Bart while following Lady Gaidan to the Conrad Kingdom. –

– Born in Demos Village, Leo enjoyed a happy childhood… (text missing) …while working as a servant, Leo was killed by Sir Bart while following Lady Gaidan to the Conrad Kingdom. –

As before, Leo died and only Minseo’s spirit was left wavering in the void.

And, overlapping with the monotonous texts, images of Lena and Leo lying dead surfaced.

Lena, who died while embracing Leo, was trying to cover her friend’s wounding, even in death, with tears streaming from her eyes.

– Urgh!

Minseo, who shone for a moment, turned away, finding the scene unbearable. He turned a blind eye to their deaths, showing only a functional reflection on this round.

Another failure.

This time, it ended before he could even try anything. All he managed to do was attempt a journey with Lena, and the death count had steadily risen to 2/3 after this tenth round.

Now Minseo felt more burdened by the death count than the round limit.

If he dies just one more time, it would be 3/3… pushed to the brink.

– Urgh!

He struggled to ignore the fading images and texts as he pondered. He felt sorry for the deceased Lena and Leo, but the time he can think as a complete Minseo is now.

‘What on earth is this scenario asking me to do?’

Most routes seemed blocked. There was no legal way to cross the border with Lena.

To make a princess, he needed to leave the village before the {Priest} event happens, but if he goes to the lord’s castle for permission… it ends up like this.

What is it asking me to do?

The childhood friend scenario seemed the freest but was also the least clear, making it impossible to grasp the scenario’s purpose.

‘The beggar siblings scenario seems to have some path to recover {bloodline}…’

That thought reminded him of something.

‘Wait a minute… is this scenario meant to assist other scenarios?’

Minseo mentally counted the abilities he had gained from the childhood friend scenario.

From the first round, he acquired the {Hunting} ability, from the second round, information on {Back Alley Rules}, and from the third round, information on {Noble Society}.

These were all useful in other scenarios as well.

In addition, the childhood friend scenario was the only one that suggested a safe way to detach Lena.

No, rather, the {Priest} event was being essentially forced.

If he could send Lena off to Lutetia through the event, Leo would be able to act freely by himself.

‘Since Lena is too perceptive to travel together, that seems right; but Gilbert Forte, that bastard, is the reason Lena gets kicked out again!’

He didn’t want to see her being cast out again.

Minseo thought deeply.

If he could just somehow deal with Gilbert Forte in the beggar siblings scenario… like Katrina returned from the war, that bastard wouldn’t show up at the monastery.

‘If that happens, let’s send Lena off through the {Priest} event. After that, just think of it as a time limit. They said it would take about three years for Lena to become a priest, so in the meantime…’

[ You have failed to clear “Raising Lena.” ]

The message abruptly popped up. Before Minseo’s plans could come together, the restart message had been announced, and in the meantime, the images and texts had vanished.

‘Let’s think this through!’

[ Leo, you have blocked the sword of someone who has pushed swordsmanship to its limits. As a reward for that achievement, you are granted the {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart-ryu (流)} ability. ]

[ Restarting. ]

Minseo’s hopes were dismissed.