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83. Beggar Siblings – The Past and The Future

When Gilbert Forte, the son of the Swordmaster, was assassinated, Oberg was thrown into chaos.

Count Hermann Forte, having lost his only heir, was furious, and all the guards from Oberg were mobilized to find the assassin.

However, the investigation faced significant challenges.

The peculiar nature of the assassination site—a tavern run by Lord Brian Zauer—complicated matters.

Most guests frequenting that tavern were nobles or wealthy individuals, making it impossible for soldiers to conduct a thorough search.

Thus, the investigation spiraled into a political battleground.

The Swordmaster faction seized this opportunity to put immense pressure on the royalists, while the royalists retorted by questioning what benefit they would gain from killing a rogue.

Ultimately, the head of the royalists, Marquis Benard Tatian, stepped in. After all, the assassination occurred at a tavern directly managed by Lord Zauer, who was a member of the royalists.

Marquis Tatian summoned Lord Zauer to his residence.

“If the Swordmaster faction keeps pressuring me, I’ll reveal the list of guests and information I’ve gathered over time!”

Lord Zauer displayed a fierce resolve, wrinkling every crease on his face, unwilling to back down.

Marquis Benard Tatian seated the lord and calmly soothed him. He was smiling gently.

No one knew what conversation transpired between the two, but days later, Lord Brian Zauer closed all the taverns in Oberg and quietly returned to his territory.

In a sign of good faith to withdraw a royalist member, Marquis Benard Tatian drew the line: he would release ‘some’ information about the guests who visited the tavern on the day of the assassination, thereby avoiding further conflict with the royalists.

Once that information was disclosed, a thunderstorm descended upon the wealthy patrons, not the nobles, who frequented the tavern.

They were promptly rounded up and subjected to harsh treatment, and the investigation rapidly narrowed its focus.

Among those who had been at the tavern that day, there was one youth whose identity remained undisclosed, and he became a suspect.

A young man with a boyish build and golden eyes. As his description circulated, many of the guards investigating were left in shock.

The suspect was someone they recognized.

The youth in question was a beggar who would go to the lake every morning, cup in hand, as soon as the north gate opened, to fetch water.

He held onto the cup tightly with both hands on the way back, fearing it might spill.

Despite being a beggar, he was remarkably handsome, and his habit of fetching just one cup of water every day was peculiar enough to draw attention.

Once, when a soldier offered him bread out of pity, he replied, “I won’t forget this kindness,” causing quite a stir among the guards.

Later, realizing his mistake, he bowed his head in apology, adding something that was even more absurd…

In any case, upon identifying the suspect, the guards set out to find the beggar.

However, he had gone missing weeks before, causing the investigation to hit a wall.

After scouring Oberg to no avail, the church’s communication network was activated.

An order was sent across the Belita Kingdom to capture the beggar boy with golden eyes, who was once a beggar.

This incident, which turned Oberg upside down, reached Katrina’s ears as well.

Upon hearing the suspect’s description, she instantly recognized the assassin as Leo… yet she chose to remain silent.

Katrina was well aware of Gilbert Forte’s infamy.

‘Looks like he had a grudge against that rogue… right. He mentioned having a pretty sister.’

That guy seemed to be seeking revenge on the noble who had harmed his sister, trying to get away by approaching me. Perhaps to obtain a pass to escape to another kingdom.

‘Claiming he wanted to join the Knights Order was a lie.’

While disappointing, there was a more pressing issue.

‘Wait a minute, this is bad. If he gets caught at the border, I’ll be in hot water too!’

Damn it. After some contemplation, Katrina concluded…

‘Oh, I don’t care. Let’s just pretend I don’t know anything.’

Even if the backlash hits me, I could just say I was fooled, and I did have a soft spot for that guy Leo.

Honestly, that noble deserves to die a hundred times over. No matter how much of a son of a Swordmaster he is, he should face punishment.

Katrina firmly closed her mouth and said nothing to anyone.

Meanwhile, the Rauno Family, who had sold information about Gilbert Forte, also kept quiet. For a different reason.

– If it’s revealed that we sold the information, we’re all dead.

Murdering a noble was a grave offense. When they sold the information, they merely thought they were trying to get a piece of the action from a debauched great noble, never imagining it would lead to murder.

Life doesn’t come with extra chances…

The Rauno Family quickly shut down their information trading operation and shrank into themselves.

[ Achievement: Long Live the Rauno Family – Gained a slight favor from the thugs affiliated with the Rauno Family. Gained slight enmity from families in opposition. ]

[ The ‘Long Live Rauno Family’ achievement has been lost. ]

While Oberg and the entire Belita Kingdom erupted in chaos, the parties involved found themselves on a mountain in the southern part of the kingdom.

Leaving a small hut halfway up the mountain, Leo read a message indicating the loss of his achievement while tying ropes outside.

As expected.

He knew that killing Gilbert Forte would stir up quite the backlash.

He planned to spend the fall and winter in this mountain with Lena and Kasia, heading to Conrad Kingdom when things calmed down.

Having escaped from the pursuit of Marquis Tatian in the past, he felt confident he could hide well.

In the mountains, he had no trouble sustaining himself with his {Hunting} skills.

In truth, killing Gilbert Forte was a tremendous gamble.

The assassination itself wasn’t the gamble. Assassination was easy, and Leo was confident he could shake off any pursuit.

The gamble concerned future developments.

In a few months, Bart would kill Rupert Tertan’s grandson by the Ilotashi River in the western region of Conrad Kingdom.

That was what was going to happen. It had occurred in the previous Childhood Friend scenario, so it was bound to happen again.

However, when he received gold coins from Kasia, a thought struck him.

‘If I hurry south with this money, might I be able to prevent the tragedy of the last Childhood Friend scenario? I only need to get Lena and Leo out from the procession with the servants and handmaidens.’

This wasn’t something he had even considered until he received gold coins from Kasia.

It had been impossible since he didn’t have the means to travel that far.

When he sold the information that the prince of Austin Kingdom would arrive and face shame in the fall, it was too late to help them.

Yet, with Kasia’s advanced timing of nearly two months, a new path emerged. Leo pondered for a moment but, unfortunately, dismissed the thought quickly.

First, he needed to move with Lena and Kasia, so he couldn’t go down south that quickly. His sister, who didn’t know how to ride a horse, needed a carriage, which would slow them down.

Perhaps he might just make it in the nick of time…

This led to a second dilemma.

If he left without handling Gilbert Forte, Lena would be chased away in the next Childhood Friend scenario.

On the contrary, if he handled him, he would be trapped.

It was a choice between quickly heading south to help with the ‘past’ Childhood Friend scenario or killing Gilbert for the sake of the ‘next’ Childhood Friend scenario.

Images of Lena and Leo dead by the Ilotashi River flickered in his mind. But his choice was the ‘next.’

When a past scenario is altered, one can never know what would happen. All he knew was that if the ending changed, the rewards remained the same.

Even if the ending changed, just like his {Tracking Skill} remained intact, the {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart Style} skill he gained during the Childhood Friend scenario would remain unchanged.

He didn’t expect any additional gains.

Clearing it was uncertain as well.

In the previous Childhood Friend scenario, Leo had aimed to reunite Lena with the prince, while Lena had grown suspicious of the changed Leo.

Even if he intervened to prevent them from going to meet the prince, Lena would eventually distrust Leo, leading to a breakdown in their relationship, much like in the past Engagement scenario.

After deliberation, he decided that he would regret it, but he was certain about the path he had chosen.

If they didn’t arrive before the two died, everything would become completely tangled, and rushing to move would leave his sister’s bottom sore on the bumpy carriage.

It was a tough decision, but that didn’t resolve all his issues.

Sir Bart.

What would happen to that knight?

If he killed the heir of the Tertan Family, he would undoubtedly be hunted by Duke Tertan.

No matter how great a knight might be, in the end, they were still human; there’s no beating numbers.

‘He better stay alive…’

Leo had bet everything on that symbol he saw just before dying in the last Childhood Friend scenario.

He believed that knight would be the biggest ally in progressing the {Bloodline} event, and left Oberg like this.

No, actually he hadn’t bet everything. After all, he had killed Gilbert Forte while promising to meet next, which had led to this predicament.

‘Was killing him just greed?’

He was restless.

In a situation where one couldn’t foresee anything, he was trying to gain even the slightest benefit. He attempted to consider both ‘this’ and ‘next.’

But… preventing Gilbert Forte from reaching the Monastery Church was crucial. Simultaneously, he needed to leave Oberg as quickly as possible to find Sir Bart.

So, he killed Gilbert, hoping that the formidable knight wouldn’t be caught easily.

Leo let out a deep sigh, one that was large enough it looked like a yawn.

He was anxious.

“Brother, are you tired?”

“No, not at all. Is everything organized inside?”

“Yes!”

Lena crawled out of the hut. Her curled-up posture was adorable. How can she be so cute no matter what she does?

Lena turned the snare her brother made here and there, asking,

“Are we hunting with this?”

“Yes. Just wait two days. I’ll cook some meat for you.”

In that moment, he thought of Euta and Enen siblings. Euta had promised to hunt and provide meat for Enen.

But Enen…

The image of Enen’s shattered corpse sprang to mind.

As Leo’s emotions twisted, Kasia appeared from a distance.

“Leo, I’m back.”

“Was it heavy? Kasia… sister.”

“No, not at all. Just a few dishes and some clothes.”

Having traveled for a few weeks since leaving Oberg, Leo and Kasia redefined each other’s titles. Leo now referred to Kasia as ‘sister,’ while Kasia decided not to call Leo ‘Sir.’

Kasia had vehemently insisted otherwise, but given that she was ten years older than Leo, she reluctantly agreed. Although she still maintained decorum, their titles had made their conversation much smoother.

Leo told Lena to organize the clothes and dishes brought by Kasia inside, then quietly asked,

“What did the villagers say? Do they believe it?”

“Yes. They didn’t seem suspicious.”

The place where the three had settled—halfway up the mountain—was close to a small village called ‘TaaMun.’ They had chosen this spot near the village for Lena’s sake.

Living like a savage in the mountains was a challenging affair.

Without proper food, clothing, or shelter, one would have to make do with rudimentary cooked meat or foraged fruits every day.

Leo could endure it alone, but he wished for his sister not to experience such discomfort.

Thus, they settled a short distance from the village, planning to occasionally buy supplies.

However, it had to be Kasia who visited the village. Because of Lena’s excessively beautiful appearance and Leo’s fugitive status, they couldn’t expose their faces to anyone.

“I told them that my father fell ill and moved into the mountains. Since I might transmit the illness, I asked to receive goods from afar, and they seemed to accept it.”

Kasia knew that Leo had killed a noble.

They would have to hide here for at least the next six months, and since she needed to assist him, Leo confessed the truth.

He had to kill a certain noble before leaving. He asked for her help.

Kasia smiled. She was rather pleased that he had asked for help and teared up.

And when they arrived in the mountains and needed an excuse for the villagers, it was Kasia who thought of the lie that “my father fell ill and moved into the mountains.”

Her experience must have influenced that thought.

“I’m glad. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

As long as she could stay by this man’s side, these matters were trivial.

She would do anything for him.

Having lived in the city her whole life, the difficulties of mountain life were uncomfortable, but one word from him felt far better than a soft bed. Besides, this man had become a monumental turning point in her life.

Kasia was extremely proud and happy to have been able to help him… but her assistance wasn’t limited to just buying goods from the village.

While Leo hunted, Lena organized their home and learned the letters her brother taught her. One day, as they continued this daily life, a middle-aged man approached their hut.

With a fishy smile.