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79. Beggar Siblings – Great Affection

The pouring rain gradually subsided.

Leina, leaning against a building to escape the rain, couldn’t hold back her hunger any longer and whined.

“Brother, I’m hungry…”

“Leina!”

Her brother suddenly hugged her tightly.

Just a moment ago, he was the one saying, “Just a little longer. Okay? Once the rain stops, we can find something to eat,” his face full of worry.

What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?

“Ugh, brother, why are you like this? I’m weak.”

“Leina! Leina!”

Leina squirmed as if to say let go, but Leo wouldn’t release his sister.

She was the sister they had searched for so desperately.

Aida, who always met tragic endings.

[ Achievement: ‘12th’ Leo – The speed at which the player merges with Leo increases slightly. ]

Despite the filth smeared on his sister’s face transferring to his cheeks, he didn’t care.

The number [12/20] was etched on his retina, but nothing mattered except Leina.

My beloved sister.

My one and only sister!

Even the spirit of Minseo mixed within her didn’t disturb Leo’s intense emotions.

Due to the guilt of how he had treated Leina during the previous engagement scenario, Leo let his feelings explode.

Leina, thinking “Hey! Let go of me!” sulked for a moment before she seemed to give up and remained still.

Her pretty eyes widened as she stared at her brother.

“Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden? Is it because you couldn’t fetch water this morning? What’s going on? Oh?”

Leina wondered if something bad had happened to her brother as she scanned him from top to bottom, only to discover something strange.

“Brother, what’s that?”

“Leina…”

“Oh come on! What is that?”

“Huh?”

Leo looked down at what his sister was poking at. At his waist… a sword was hanging.

[ Achievement: Bound Item 0/3 ]

[ Sword – Indestructible. ]

“What’s this? It’s like it wasn’t here a moment ago?”

“Uh, uhhh? This, this is… Ah! I found it in the morning. Ta-da!”

“Wow!”

Leo showed off the sword as an excuse.

“It’s called a sword, but it’s dangerous here, so you shouldn’t touch it. Just look with your eyes, okay? Got it?”

“Okay! Okay!”

He helped his sister play with the hilt and scabbard, warning her to be careful of the blade.

Leina tapped the blade with her finger and said, “Eek… it’s cool but scary.” Then she lost interest.

As his sister admired the sword, Leo composed himself from the surge of emotions.

The fourth beggar siblings scenario began.

“Leina, let’s go eat.”

Not only the bound item sword but also {initial funds} jingled in his pocket. First, he needed to feed Leina.

Leina, who had been fascinated by the sword, suddenly looked tired and got up from her spot.

“Are you tired? Want me to carry you?”

“…No. Brother, why are you really like this today? Did something happen while I was asleep?”

“No, nothing happened. I’m sorry. It’s just…”

Leo led his sister to the usual chicken shop.

As expected, the Chicken Shop Owner stood in their way with a bat.

“Hey. Get out of the way while I’m being nice… Oh, you’re customers. Do you want some chicken to take out…? You’re eating here? Eating here costs a bit more… Why are you interrupting me? Well, since there aren’t any customers, come on in.”

The merchant ushered the siblings inside, as if he knew exactly what to say.

Since they were customers, he held back.

He sneaked a glance, worried the dirty clothes would make his shop filthy.

“What can I get you?”

“Please mix half seasoned chicken and half roasted chicken.”

“Hey. Do you know how much work that takes?… What? You’re going to pay? Do you have that much money…? …Alright then.”

He held back because they actually had money.

The owner turned away without a word after seeing the silver coin Leo presented.

Leina’s eyes widened as she asked.

“Brother, where did you get that?”

“I found it. I was keeping it for emergencies.”

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

“Yep.”

While they waited for the chicken to arrive, Leina asked the same question she had before.

“Can we get a house with that?”

“It really takes a lot of this for a house, so that’s still a stretch. But Leina, you mustn’t worry about money, okay? Absolutely not. I’ll find a way to earn it. Got it?”

“What does it mean to earn money? Is it picking it up?”

“…”

Leo forgot Leina knew almost nothing right after the scenario began.

He slowly explained what it meant to earn money—something you get by working hard or making something.

“Anyway, if you want me to earn money, you have to tell me in advance, okay? Promise?”

“Okay. Got it.”

Leina, who listened well, wouldn’t try to secretly earn money after saying that.

Finally, the seasoned chicken and roasted chicken came out together.

“You’re so lucky, brother. Picking up swords and finding money… I’ve never seen anything like that…” Leina said in bewilderment, but quickly forgot her question. Her eyes went wide at the delicious food, and she devoured the chicken quickly.

“Slow down.”

“…Yum yum, munch munch…”

Guess she can’t hear me.

While Leo was removing the meat from the chicken for his sister, he fell into thought.

‘We need to get to the Conrad Kingdom…’

This was not about what to do or how to do it. The beggar siblings scenario had a clear path laid out.

{Bloodline} event.

Other scenarios had to figure out how to make Leina, a commoner, into a princess, but not this one.

The names of the beggar siblings, Leina and Leo, were ‘Leina de Yeriel’ and ‘Leo de Yeriel’, the legitimate heirs of the Conrad Kingdom and the Yeriel royal family.

They had simply been driven out by the current prince of the Conrad Kingdom, ‘Eric de Yeriel’. If they could get rid of that guy and reclaim their status, it should be simple.

But it wasn’t that easy. He was recognized as the sole heir to the throne and was under the protection of his grandfather, Duke Rupert Tertan.

Duke Rupert Tertan.

This guy was the biggest obstacle. He completely seized the power of the Conrad Kingdom while the king had been bedridden for over ten years.

So much so that I thought to give up on the {Bloodline} event as there was hardly any chance.

Until I met ‘that knight’ during the last childhood friend scenario.

‘Money is the problem. Money…’

Leo sighed silently as he watched his sister happily tearing into the chicken.

The beggar siblings scenario always had money issues.

Aside from {initial funds}, they didn’t have a single coin to their name.

Moreover, this place wasn’t like the childhood friend scenario where food was easy to come by.

This was a city.

The prices were high, and lacking any skills, Leo had to bear all the living expenses to feed and clothe his sister.

And on top of that, they had to travel to a foreign land…

‘…Should I go see Kasia?’

The thought of Kasia complicated his feelings. He was still unsure about how to treat her.

A mix of gratitude and resentment.

A woman with a monotone voice, who would unthinkingly reach out to touch people, who had attractive straight hair, who had handed his sister over to a brothel, and who often stared at walls with unfocused eyes.

She had sacrificed her life for me when I had pushed her away in the end. The vivid image of purple blood gushing from her severed neck still lingered.

It was complicated.

‘First, let’s go. I’ll think about it when I get there.’

Would seeking her out again be an act of taking advantage of her?

The last time, he had clearly approached her with the intention of using her. By drawing near Oberg, who had a connection with her, he had tried to enter the Rauno family.

Leo shook his head.

‘No. Not this time. This time, I genuinely need help. There are no ulterior motives.’

Right now, he needed a place to hide Leina and rest.

But to get help from Kasia once again… it felt shameless.

‘Should I go ask Katrina for help?’ ─ that thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

No matter what happened, Leo wanted to see Kasia. This feeling was too strong to ignore.

Wiping the chicken grease from his sister’s mouth, he headed toward the leather alley.

Kasia was watching over her shoe store as usual…

[ Achievement: The Man Kasia Sacrificed Herself For – Gained Great Affection from Kasia. ]

The moment she saw Leo, she trembled as if struck by lightning.

Kasia jumped up, opened her mouth wide, and repeatedly crossed and uncrossed her arms.

“…Hello?”

Leo entered the store.

“Ah… ah, h-hello…?”

Except for Oberg, she had almost only used informal language, yet now she was formal. Her voice trembled, and her speech was all jumbled.

Kasia was not in her right mind.

Today had felt like any other day. She woke up and spent time staring at the wall vacantly until a young man suddenly appeared.

She couldn’t breathe.

Her body felt twisted in knots.

This man…

For reasons she didn’t understand, she felt she could do anything if it was for this boyish man.

If he told her to undress, she would do it; if he told her to lie down, she would lie down. She didn’t even question, ‘Why am I like this?’

Kasia grasped her pounding heart with both hands, trying to cool her flushed cheeks, but it was in vain.

Leo stood there at a loss in front of Kasia, who was equally flustered.

He had expected her reaction to change.

She was a woman who risked her life for even a small affection.

And since that had turned into great affection…

He felt sorry for her, beyond his complex feelings for Kasia.

What do achievements even mean? Is it okay to sway a person’s heart like this?

‘I did something no different myself…’

He momentarily reflected on the past scenario while thinking about Leina Ainar.

“Um… uh, w-would you like to sit here? I can help you take that off… no, no, I’m sorry. I misspoke…”

Kasia got up, wanting to offer her chair with an excessively polite attitude.

In her fluster, Leo relayed the request he made every time he visited Kasia.

“Ah, no. It’s okay. Sorry, but we don’t have a place to stay. Can we stay here for a few days? I do have money.”

“Of course. Absolutely. There’s a room inside.”

Kasia hurriedly opened the door to the room.

She didn’t even look at the money Leo offered, which usually got her to accept a coin.

Leina pulled on Leo’s clothes, alternating her gaze between him and Kasia as if to say what’s going on.

Leo shrugged, indicating he didn’t know, and led Leina into the room.

“Just rest a bit.”

“What? Why is that lady like that? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. I’ll talk with her for a bit, so just rest.”

“Eek. I want to listen too.”

“…Okay.”

The three of them gathered back in the shop. Leina and Leo sat in chairs, while Kasia perched on her makeshift bed. She kept her head low and didn’t speak.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes! Yes, please go ahead.”

“…What’s your name?”

“I’m Kasia. If you don’t like it, feel free to call me whatever.”

No, just what kind of woman is this… Is great affection really that powerful?

It took a good while for Kasia to regain her composure.

After having tea, showing Leina’s face, engaging in small talk, and finally sharing that they needed help for various reasons, her stuttering speech faded away.

“So… you’re heading to the Conrad Kingdom?”

The actions of avoiding her gaze out of embarrassment and her formal vocabulary remained.

“Yes. We have relatives in the Conrad Kingdom.”

“Really, brother?”

“Uh, yeah.”

It wasn’t a lie. The Yeriel royal family was there.

“I just want to stay until I gather travel expenses.”

“…You can stay for as long as you’d like…”

Kasia couldn’t hide her disappointment at the thought of him leaving, but she continued talking, thinking she could be of help.

She clasped her hands tightly and even offered a request of her own.

“Shall I earn some money for you? I don’t have any money right now, but I can earn it quickly. Just give me a week, no, just a few days…”

If she said she urgently needed money from the brothel owner, Brestin Zauer, he would surely have a solution.

She might end up doing things she had never done before, but that didn’t matter.

She just wanted to do something for him.

Even if it meant hastening the time before he left.

[ Achievement: Pimp – Increases the income brought in by the prostitutes. ]

Leo’s achievement earned from receiving a box of gold coins from Leina was eagerly awaiting its chance to be utilized.