154. Engagement – Tail

“Are you not finding anything to your liking? Then… how about this one?”

A plump merchant called over a customer who was wandering about his shop, trying to make a decision but stalling due to lingering doubts. He had learned from experience that a strong recommendation works wonders for a customer just killing time.

The merchant gestured that what he was about to show should only be seen by the customer. In reality, it was nothing special, but he secretly pulled a necklace out of the drawer behind the counter.

Of course, it was certainly a craftsmanship piece, far superior to the necklaces displayed outside.

However, Leo felt indifferent.

It wasn’t that the necklace was ugly or anything; it just didn’t grab his attention strongly enough, and he doubted Lena would even like such a flashy piece.

He shook his head and left the merchant looking glum behind.

Leo was wandering alone outside again today. But unlike his usual routine of searching for traces of Ashin, he was now examining the shops lining the main street.

The streets were bustling.

In celebration of the Letii Tournament, the festival honoring her birthday was in full swing, and the citizens of Manubiul were joyfully pondering how to spend their carefully saved funds.

At that moment, the highlight of the festival, the parade, swept through the outskirts of Manubiul with cheerful music accompanying it.

The procession consisted of hundreds of volunteers, each dressed as Barbarian Warriors, farmer soldiers, or troops from the Acaian Empire, reenacting the Northern Independence War.

In the center of the parade was a rather splendid carriage, sponsored from somewhere, where a gracefully adorned woman, presumably Queen Letty, waved her hand. Meanwhile, a jester on the driver’s seat caught the crowd’s attention by reenacting a command she had issued in the past.

“Queen Letty orders! The war shall end within a month!”

The spectators chuckled, anticipating the jester’s remarks, because everyone knew what the jester was about to say, and what Queen Letty had previously commanded.

“And thus, my husband shall marry me at once!”

“Hahaha! Long live Queen Letty!”

“Your Majesty! Happy Birthday!”

The expected laughter and cheers erupted.

Her command was based on a story that had actually occurred in the past, one that was still widely talked about.

Centuries ago, two heroes, Maunin and Letty, had bravely risen against the tyranny of the Empire.

Not only were they outstanding warriors, but they co-authored books like ‘Mobility Warfare Theories’ and ‘The Origins and Principles of Blitzkrieg,’ making them highly accomplished generals who formed rebel forces to drive out the Acaian Empire from the north.

Thanks to their resounding victory in the last engagement with the Imperial Army, the war had entered a lull, allowing Letty to return to the capital. She ascended as the first queen of the Asran Kingdom and tended to the impoverished hearts of the people, worn down by the prolonged conflict.

Meanwhile, she was preparing for her much-anticipated wedding with her lover, Maunin…

But Maunin had yet to return.

The Acaian imperial forces lingered unwithdrawn near the borders, preventing their commander from coming back.

Furious, Queen Letty commanded:

– “How long must I wait? You! Go to the frontlines. Tell the generals to forget the borders that are drawn currently. March the army forward and completely defeat the trivial imperial forces. If my husband does not return within a month because we did not end the war, there will be severe punishment!”

Although they were generals of the Asran Kingdom, they dutifully followed the queen’s fierce orders.

Just three months after she issued those orders, Maunin returned with an irresistible smile and they conducted both the coronation and the wedding ceremony simultaneously.

Since then, Queen Letty became a revered figure among the northern folk. She was a bold warrior, far too down-to-earth for a queen, leading to a series of unfortunate events that left people laughing.

Every time the jester mentioned her tales while riding in the carriage, the citizens burst into laughter, departing while gleefully cheering back.

Finally, I can breathe easy.

As the parade distanced itself, Leo was finally able to navigate through the thronging crowd.

He murmured “Letty, Maunin” aimlessly before stepping into a shop selling knick-knacks.

“Welcome!”

Metal-framed wooden picture frames and soft fabric dolls, deeply dyed green tablecloths, and exotic trinkets were laid out.

There were numerous items that someone must have cherished dearly. But Leo didn’t find anything particularly appealing here either.

He was searching for a birthday gift for Lena.

‘A leather strap to wrap around the sword handle would surely be practical and nice… I wonder what would make her happy.’

He stroked the sword handle at his waist while thoroughly examining the small shop.

Then, a pair of rings caught his eye.

Copper rings. They had no special decorations, were modest, and had been well-maintained, which tempted him, but Leo set the small case of rings down.

Lena would definitely like this if he brought it home. After all, they didn’t have matching engagement rings yet.

However… he still wasn’t keen on getting married. He wanted to postpone it for at least another day; he didn’t want to give her anything that reminded her of marriage.

If she didn’t perform well in the Letii Tournament, where the chance to become a knight would be given, Leo was thinking he might persuade her to visit the Aisel Kingdom to the south while he was here. With documents proving he was a mercenary, crossing the border would be easy.

After taking his time looking around, Leo made up his mind. He handed over some money and hurried back onto the bustling street.

‘It might seem a bit trivial, but I think Lena will like this.’ – he thought, feeling lighter as he headed back to the inn…

Suddenly, an achievement popped up.

[ Achievement: Meeting Prince Pablo de Klaus – Gained minor favor from all nobles serving the Klaus royal family. Gained minor favor from Pablo de Klaus. ]

Startled, Leo looked around. But all he saw were citizens joyfully wandering about, as the festive atmosphere simmered; there was no sign of the rare royal procession anywhere.

‘……’

Leo stood still as he gathered his thoughts. His heart was pounding loudly, and his neck stiffened with tension.

Upon recalling the prince, the {Tracking Skill} indicated the direction he was in. The direction was spinning very quickly, suggesting that the prince had just passed him.

Hoo, ha. Hoo, haaa. Hoo, haaa…

The market was noisy, but Leo could distinctly hear his own breaths. After letting out a deep sigh one last time, he turned on his heel.

He could easily ignore it and return to Lena, but he decided to stealthily follow the prince.

*

The man presumed to be Pablo de Klaus was walking quickly, his navy blue hair fluttering in the air.

He seemed unconcerned about being recognized as a prince, dressed in ordinary clothes without disguising himself at all.

There were no knights to guard the prince, making it convenient for Leo to follow him. However, Leo, filled with suspicion, was careful about his demeanor.

He followed the prince from a whole forty steps back (thanks to the Tracking Skill, he didn’t need the prince to be directly in sight), and soon he realized he was exiting the town.

Then,

Leo relaxed a bit.

The prince was loitering in front of a house that didn’t look very affluent or too poor either.

Moments later, a generally ordinary woman with narrow shoulders and a slender neck, giving her an oddly charming appearance, emerged from the house. The two embraced each other and shared a kiss.

As soon as Leo Dexter caught sight of that, he turned on his heel. It wasn’t like he could look the other way after following him, but he had no intention of spying on someone else’s private life.

While retracing his steps, Leo thought to himself that it was a good idea to have followed the prince.

“Right. Naturally, it was absurd to think of marrying the prince to Lena from the start. If that foolish Minseo tried to set up that match, he would have surely failed.”

Even if this bracelet had been around back then.

Leo raised his arm.

On his wrist was a leather bracelet with three crimson beads hanging from it. It was the {Barbatos’ Bracelet} he had received as a reward from a previous scenario.

With this bracelet, he could utilize Barbatos’ powers. Leo could see the divine energy glimmering weakly within the three crimson beads with his {Divine Energy Detection}.

If Minseo had gotten this bracelet before the previous round… it would have surely led to some unimaginable consequences.

Barbatos’ [Eyes of Enchantment] ability had the function of making someone feel favorable towards him. It could also make someone else feel favorably towards another person.

Of course, even so, Lena loved him, and that prince likely had a woman he secretly loved too, so the enchantment wouldn’t last long.

And Minseo surely wouldn’t have been able to handle the backlash that followed. He likely faced a disastrous ending.

Phew—

With Yuan followed by Pablo de Klaus, he thought he had identified individuals with peculiar human relations.

Just gathering this amount of information felt like it saved him several rounds, and the guilty feelings he had for frolicking around with Lena began to ease a bit.

Leo quickly returned to his inn, holding the gift for Lena. Pablo de Klaus also seemed to be presenting a gift to his lover, handing her a single flower.

He asked if she would like to go watch the festival together, but the slender girl, unaware that the man before her was a prince, shook her head shyly.

From the looks of it, she must have been busy with house chores, unable to remove her apron.

The prince appeared disheartened but didn’t press her. He sent his apologetic lover off and raised his hand to his ear in a customary gesture.

“…Sir Jacob?”

Yet, Sir Jacob did not reveal himself. After repeating the customary behavior of expressing a wish to converse a couple of times, the prince patiently waited until he quietly emerged.

A rather small middle-aged knight with a peculiar sword with deep grooves in its blade was present, but what caught the eye more than that was his face.

His jawline was partly shattered. Though he undoubtedly had once been a handsome man with a straight nose and well-groomed eyebrows, he was now left with only half of his lower lip.

“Sir Jacob, thank you as always. But it seems I have come in vain today. Since there’s still time and the festival is happening, would you like to grab a drink somewhere?”

The prince spoke with a raised tone. But it seemed Sir Jacob was distracted by something else and failed to respond.

“…Count Jacob Modred?”

Only upon hearing his full name did his focus shift back to the prince.

“Ah, I see. Is there something I should be concerned about?”

Sir Jacob seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking his head.

It was rude for a servant to act this way in front of a prince, but it was hard for him, who struggled with pronunciation due to his shattered jaw.

The prince appeared to understand his circumstances, however, and didn’t mind. He led Sir Jacob back towards the bustling city where the festival was being held.

Count Jacob Modred.

He was the Knight Commander of the Royal Guard and the pride of the Aster Kingdom, a Swordmaster.

And he cast a wary glance at Leo’s previous spot before following the prince.