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157. Engagement – The Missing Woman

[ Thank you for playing Lena’s Growth. ]

Lena’s hair slipped through his fingers. The murmuring citizens, the broken railing, even the Swordmaster whose mask had fallen off as he fell into the canal quickly faded away.

A grotesque face with a shattered jaw came into view. It was an appearance that could draw attention, yet Leo couldn’t afford to concern himself with such things.

Something indispensable was gone, and a body that felt all too familiar was sinking into the canal. In his hand was a head that should never have been light.

‘……’

Darkness settled in. Leo helplessly let the sensation of Lena’s fading touch slip through his fingers.

How could this be happening?

Is it that easy for a person to die? How could everything have ended so abruptly without warning?

It felt like his head would split apart.

The mounting rage, the self-blame for everything being his fault, the warmth conveyed through intertwined skin, and her bashful smile that contrasted sharply distressed his mind.

Huff.

But Leo Dexter held on. He gasped for breath and managed to keep his sanity.

If I lose my composure too, it’s all over.

He hadn’t even read the last message, and there were so many things he needed to tell Minseo in this round.

Leo struggled not to fall apart. Yet, amidst the dry letters flashing before him, when Lena’s photo appeared, he couldn’t help but scream.

[Lena Ainar]

[ Final Job: Great Warrior of the Ainar Tribe ]

[ Marriage Partner: Engaged to Leo ]

[Leo Dexter]

[ Final Job: Apostle of Barbatos ]

[ Marriage Partner: Engaged to Lena ]

[ Engagement Ending: Honeymoon ]

– Born in Abrival Castle, Lena Ainar had a happy childhood… (excerpt) …While returning from the match, Lena threw herself at Count Jacob Modred, the Swordmaster who suddenly attacked Leo. In trying to save Leo, she lost her life to the Count’s sword. –

– Born in the capital Barnau, Leo Dexter had a happy childhood… (excerpt) …Leo went mad. He indiscriminately slaughtered the gathered citizens. With the bodies, he prepared an altar for Barbatos and died fighting Count Jacob Modred who crawled out from the canal. –

[ The Childhood Friend Scenario Ending has changed. ]

+ Born in the village Demos, Reb had a happy childhood. With his loving parents… (excerpt) …After becoming an Apostle, Reb was consumed by Barbatos’s insanity. After killing all humans in Nebis, he went to fetch Leah in the Jerome Holy Kingdom… +

Lena’s severed head filled half the photo. Her face, obscured by the ending message, chipped away at Leo’s heart.

It was absurd that her face bore no expression. Just before her head was severed, her lips were nearly crushed as if she was gritting her teeth, but her wide-open pupils only revealed that this person was dead.

Lena, you fool. Why did you follow? Why! I told you to run away…

The round orb vibrated for a moment.

But that was it. No sound, no scream, no selfish blame escaped into the world. The late apology was the same.

Before long, the letters and photos floating in the air faded away. Realizing he would soon vanish too, Leo Dexter muttered and left a message for Minseo.

I don’t know if you’ll hear it.

Once Leo Dexter disappeared, Minseo rose sharply. He returned to his original state after being shattered into pieces, yet Minseo was still not sane.

“Ah, no… Stop it. Please. Leave the kids alone. The grandfather too. Hehehe, so what, isn’t it fun… Aaaaah!”

Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. And more blood.

Everywhere he looked, there was blood. He slaughtered people horrifically while delighting in the bliss bestowed upon him by divine power, only to wriggle in pain repeatedly.

But perhaps thanks to Leo Dexter’s conveyed message, or perhaps because the familiar darkness surrounded him, Minseo frantically read the ending credits even as he recalled the horrific murder scene.

And when he was about to lose his mind again, the next message appeared.

[ You failed to clear Lena’s Growth. ]

[ Leo, you fought fiercely against the Swordmaster. For that achievement, you are granted the {Swordsmanship.4v: Jacob Flow} ability. ]

[ It starts again. ]

“Brother… I’m hungry…”

When he came to his senses, it was Orville. Leo, who had fainted in his seat and woken up, looked around in confusion.

A filthy street. Dampness on his behind and an insatiable thirst.

‘So I’ve returned.’

With the stench of excrement stinging his nose, Leo de Yeriel sighed. His arms felt skinny but not rotten.

Oriax.

I died from his curse. My last memory was crawling on the ground to reach Lena, who would be left alone.

‘The other friends… all failed.’

Memories of others brushed against him slowly. It was the memory of Reb, who became an Apostle, and Leo Dexter’s struggle to live happily.

“Brother. My throat is dry…”

Ugh—

Leo propped himself up. His sword hung loosely at his waist, and he felt the jingle of a few coins in his pocket, the {Starting Funds}, as he reached out to his sister.

Lena, sitting with a face smeared in filth, raised her arm. Her small hand weakly rested on Leo’s palm, which had no mark of Barbatos.

“Lena. Let’s go eat. You must’ve had a tough time, right?”

Lena looked up with a confused expression, but Leo didn’t retract his words.

How hard must it have been for my sister, who was left all alone? Even though they had risen to the rank of Duke, she must have had even more lonely and difficult days than this constant hunger.

Leo supported his staggering sister. He clutched her thin waist, carefully helping her step so she wouldn’t trip over a stone.

Lena naturally accepted such treatment from her brother…

“Hmm? Brother, what’s this? What is this?”

She questioned while pointing at the sword and bracelet.

“I found those this morning; I’ll show you after we eat.”

Leo prioritized their meal. Lena replied, “Okay,” and didn’t ask further.

Was it this way…? Leo rummaged through Minseo’s memory. He turned once left and right down the alleyway and headed into the market.

As always, he showed a silver coin to the Chicken Shop Owner. He requested boiled chicken from the merchant who looked disapprovingly at the ragged attire of the beggar siblings.

“Do you not need seasoning?”

“No. Just boiled chicken is enough. Please give me the broth boiled with the chicken and just a bit of salt.”

“It’ll be tasteless, though? If you say it’s not good later… Fine.”

Upon handing over the silver coin in advance, the owner turned without further discussion.

“Brother, where did you get that? That’s money, right?”

His sister repeated the same question she had asked numerous times before. It was Lena’s standard reaction to seeing the {Starting Funds}.

“Can we get a house with that?”

Leo accommodated his sister’s naive questions. He echoed the response Minseo had given her before, but the quickly prepared boiled chicken stuffed Lena’s mouth.

Om nom nom nom nom.

“Be careful; it’s hot. Here’s the salt. If it’s dry, drink some broth.”

Despite the lack of seasoning, Lena devoured the body with ferocity, as if it was the best meal she had ever tasted. She was entirely unconcerned about the salt.

Well, there’s no good in spicy food on an empty stomach. — Leo thought as he diligently tore into the chicken as well.

The chicken disappeared in an instant.

The Chicken Shop Owner looked at the siblings as if questioning what kind of beggars they were, while Leo, sharing the oily broth, stood up. Maybe there wasn’t quite enough; he pulled his sister away from attempting to eat salt with her hands.

Once outside, his sister questioned again. Behind them, the merchant was sprinkling the salt they had left over.

“Brother, what were those things you found this morning?”

“This is a bracelet, and this is a sword. It’s a weapon… so it’s dangerous, so just look at it.”

Leo showed the bracelet with only two beads left, the one-bound item, and drew the sword about two inches out for her to touch the scabbard but not the blade.

With a slight pout, Lena said,

“Because you picked these up, you couldn’t bring back water this morning.”

“…”

Come to think of it… Leo was puzzled. There was something odd about the point Minseo had treated lightly all this time.

– Why didn’t I bring water back this morning?

The questions didn’t end there.

The point where the scenario begins. The filthy alley where dirty water collects was not our home. It wasn’t too far, just a few alleys down; we must have sought shelter from the pouring rain there.

‘Without drinking water… where was I going?’

It certainly couldn’t have been any other way. No way would he leave home without reason.

He didn’t know when the rain had started in the morning, but it didn’t seem like he moved while getting wet. If it rained before they left, he would have gathered rainwater in a cup placed in front of their shabby house.

Also, if something had occurred that prevented him from bringing water back that morning, and so he was heading to fetch it, there would be no reason to leave the cup behind.

“Lena, did I suggest somewhere to go to you in the morning?”

Leo asked. But Lena shook her head lightly.

“No. You were just saying we should go somewhere. Then you said to find food after the rain stops.”

“…That’s right.”

Leo put the questions aside. It seemed like a past matter already forgotten with no way to uncover it.

“Where are we going now?”

“…I have somewhere to go.”

His sister pouted, but this time he truly had no way to tell her what to say.

He was heading to find Kasia. Since he was going to ask for help from someone he’d never met, he had nothing to inform Lena about in advance.

[ Achievement: The Man Kasia Sacrificed Herself for – Gained great favor from Kasia. ]

Moreover, because of the ‘great favor achievement,’ Kasia would likely tremble and show all kinds of goodwill. She would offer anything so unhesitatingly that the recipient might doubt her motives.

It was funny and uncomfortable that he knew that.

Leo walked forward with familiarity.

This was a path he’d walked down several times before. It was a street he had often roamed while working as a thug, so to exaggerate a bit, he could walk blindfolded without losing his way.

‘Thinking about it, I’ve never gone without help from Kasia.’

In the first round of the beggar siblings, she had shown us altruism without expecting anything in return when we collapsed in front of the apothecary.

In the second round (the outcome wasn’t good, but) she had given us shelter when we had nowhere to go, and in the third round, she had introduced Oberg, testifying to our identity as we tried to join the Rauno Family.

And at that time, Kasia had thrown herself at the knight Irène to save the man who had pushed her aside. Just like Lena Ainar in the previous round, her head had been severed.

A grateful woman.

Yet, she was an unfortunate woman who only desired a single hug.

‘This time, I’ll definitely repay her somehow. Without making her earn more money.’ — Leo vowed as he turned into the leather street alley.

He no longer hated or resented her.

However,

“Huh?”

Leo suddenly stopped. Kasia’s shop was nowhere to be seen. There should have been a shoe store here in the middle of this alley, but only a storage pile of junk remained.

Panicking, Leo wondered if he had mistakenly come to the wrong place, but knowing that wasn’t the case, he wandered around. He returned in front of the storage that should have been a shoe store and stood dazed.

Kasia had vanished.

Even with the absolute ability gained through scenario rewards, {Tracking Skill}, he couldn’t pinpoint her location.