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200. Beggar Siblings – Eating Habits

“Oh dear, that’s not why I joined the Knights Order—to babysit newcomers…”

Katrina grumbled, having just scolded her frustrating junior, Deros, again. It was supposed to be a joyful end to her workday, but her mood soured because Deros, her newly assigned apprentice, was simply not up to her standards.

Sometimes, there are people who just seem dull for no reason. That’s Deros for you. With skills that were only so-so and an excessive amount of fear, he was enough to drive the hot-tempered Katrina up the wall just by being there.

But as quick as she got heated, she also calmed down just as fast. Upon arriving at the market, she soon began to hum and shop.

Bread. Greens. Bread. Cheese. Bread. Bread.

The items Katrina primarily chose were, unsurprisingly, bread. She had a penchant for carbs, deeply tied to her swordsmanship training.

A very aggressive fighting style filled with feints and trickery required her to push her body to the limit. To deliver unexpected strikes or timings, she had to drive herself hard.

For instance, spinning her body using just her ankle strength or twisting her waist to deceive her opponents.

Training for such a wildly active swordplay led her to develop a love for high-calorie bread. She thought her eating habits were more refined as she aged, but…

“Should I buy some meat too?”

Standing in front of the butcher shop, Katrina hesitated. This thought was triggered by her father-in-law, who had visited Oberg months ago to see his son (though Ellen and he weren’t married yet).

Her father-in-law, who ran a merchant group, seemed to have incurred some losses during his last trade. Now, seeing him set off to Orun Kingdom, it looked like he decided to take on a significant challenge to recover from those losses.

To buy or not to buy, that was the question.

However, her indecision didn’t last long. Katrina ordered some thinly sliced meat to eat with her bread.

Worrying about her painter boyfriend, Ellen, who hadn’t earned enough money yet, she hesitated, thinking, “Should I save up a bit too?”

Ha! What am I thinking? I’m a knight.

I can afford to feed at least one painter. I even have a house in my name.

Feeling that she’d been unnecessarily worried, Katrina ordered more meat, preparing for an unexpected meat party, feeling quite pleased with herself.

The butcher shop innkeeper was happily smiling, having found a good customer.

Determined to buy even alcohol, Katrina hurriedly piled her goods into her arms and quickened her steps. Oh dear, Ellen’s going to be mad at me, she thought, when suddenly,

“Excuse me, miss knight, just a moment!”

A young man followed her. Turning to look at the noisy young man in his flamboyant outfit, Katrina thought, “Wow, he’s kind of handsome.” She scanned him up and down.

“I have something to say.”

“What is it? I’m busy right now, hurry up.”

“Well, that is…”

The young man hesitated. Katrina felt a bit annoyed but waited patiently, and soon the young man spoke up.

“Quit the Knights Order.”

“What?”

Neither of them could believe what was being said, and the young man seemed flustered, rubbing his neck. Katrina’s response was already decided.

“Great, now I’ve seen everything. Is life so boring for you?”

Coldly replying, she turned her back. Usually, she would’ve thought, “Oh, perfect timing! I’ll teach this guy a lesson.”

[ Achievement: The man Katrina fiercely protected – Katrina earned a strong affection. ]

However, for some reason, she didn’t want to do that. Maybe it was because she was laden with groceries…

– Swish.

The sound of a sword being drawn echoed.

With her hands full, Katrina turned around again. She stared in disbelief at the young man, who could fall over with just a nudge, and asked,

“What are you trying to do?”

“I told you to quit the Knights Order. I’m saying this for your sake. If you really don’t understand, I can chop off an arm.”

“Whoa…”

Katrina set her bags down in the alley. Spitting into her palm, she unsheathed her sword, aiming to strike down the lunatic without hesitation.

She intended to slice him in half.

However, the guy grabbed the hilt of his sword in a reverse grip and lifted it high. As his left and right wrists crossed, the reversed sword tip hovered atop his rigid right arm.

It was a puzzling stance. Yet, Katrina quickly grasped the depth of that posture.

– Swoosh!

Her sword slipped. Following the slant of the reversed sword, Katrina’s blade went wide, and Leo’s sword quivered. Though Leo almost lost his balance, he managed to advance a step forward.

“…!!”

Katrina gasped.

Her full swing of a blow was parried mid-swing, and just as she froze, the sword in the reverse grip sliced toward her. She hesitated for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

I too have to grip my sword in reverse.

My downward sword is now on my left, while his blade is zeroing in on my right arm, leaving me no choice but to block.

In a flash, Katrina flipped her sword to grip it in reverse. It was a move she hadn’t practiced much, so she feared she might fumble. If she dropped her sword by mistake, she would undoubtedly lose an arm, as he jovially promised.

Fortunately, to her relief, her sword spun smoothly. Katrina quickly stepped back and drew her sword, barely managing to parry.

One sword was parried, and the other was blocked; to a layman, it might sound even, but Katrina knew she’d lost ground.

This is not an equal exchange.

Her opponent moved forward, taking command of the situation while she fell back, forced into defense. The young man’s torso leaned forward while hers arched backward; it was glaringly obvious who was at a disadvantage.

Moreover, had the young man not stumbled earlier, she wouldn’t have gotten a moment’s reprieve, sending a chill down Katrina’s spine.

There was an overwhelming difference in their swordsmanship. However, her physical prowess was superior. So, what now…?

– Crack.

Katrina twisted her waist as if it were about to break. In that fleeting moment, she forced herself to find an angle to launch from, lowering herself greatly, crying out, “Hraaaap!” as she aimed at the ground…

– Thud.

As if he’d anticipated it, the young man stepped between her legs.

Locked in reverse grips, the two spun, one trying not to fall while the other aimed to topple.

They didn’t embrace, but they exchanged positions like a dance, feeling each other’s breath. As Katrina stumbled, Leo pressed down with his sword.

“Get lost!”

– Thud!

Katrina’s knee struck Leo’s waist. In her fallen state, the blow lacked the weight to be fatal, but it knocked the wind out of Leo.

I can’t really kill him now, can I?

By pure accident, Leo landed atop the bewildered Katrina, shifting the position of his sword above her.

Pushing up toward the hilt of Katrina’s sword, he lifted it dangerously, as if about to stab her. But instead, he opted to target her arms.

This left Katrina, with her hands clamped together at her chest, in a dire situation.

Her posture was so compromised that even if he aimed at her belly, she wouldn’t have much she could do in response.

Perhaps it was a blessing he chose to target her arms instead; yet, if things continued, her elbow would undoubtedly get sliced, so calling it fortuitous was a stretch.

“Uaaah! Get away from me!”

In desperation, Katrina stabilized the tip of her sword against the ground beside her waist. Using this as leverage, she pushed up on the hilt with her right hand while bracing herself with her left, attempting to escape. However,

“Hraap!”

Leo forcefully twisted the sword. As she tried to slip out, he pressed downward on her right arm as if it were of no concern to him.

With her forearm on the brink of being severed, Katrina abandoned her sword.

She quickly sprang up and slapped Leo’s pretty face with a loud thwack! Then, as she reached for her sword again…

– Clang!

“Enough. It’s over.”

The young man took her sword away. While she was still recovering, he picked up the fallen sword and tossed it aside, leaving her disarmed while he held a weapon.

Katrina panted heavily.

Whether it was due to anger or having faced death a moment ago, she couldn’t exactly tell, but she at least knew this young man wasn’t trying to kill her.

The two stood silently, catching their breaths for a while. As their heavy breathing slowed, it was Katrina, glaring at Leo as if she’d swallow him whole, who broke the silence.

“Damn it. Yeah, I get you’re stronger than me, but why the hell are you doing this? Who are you to boss me around like that?”

As the words flowed and the tension eased a bit, Leo sighed. Lowering his sword, he rubbed his sore side and spoke.

“Quit the Knights Order. I warned you. I’m saying this for your own good, so don’t brush it off.”

“No, what kind of nonsense is that? Why should I? And who do you think you are to tell me what to do? Do you even know who I am?”

Oh, I know, damn it.

I know your nasty temper, your years-long cohabitation with Ellen, your age and birthplace, and even who your father-in-law is.

You thug of a woman.

But I also acknowledged that you are a knight deserving of respect. You can’t stand injustice (even if it’s more due to your temper), you’re more caring than you appear, and even if you have a junior you dislike, you noble knight, demand my life for the honor of knights!

‘But if I do that, I’ll die again!’

Katrina was a benefactor to Leo. It’d be the same for other Leos upon sharing memories, but there was a gradient of importance. The only Leo who had directly helped her was Leo de Yeriel, and the beggar siblings’ Leo as well.

In stark contrast, Leo Dexter neither liked nor disliked Katrina. If forced to choose, he leaned slightly towards dislike since, during the first engagement, Katrina killed Lena. She had even chopped off her arm and verbally assaulted Lena in a previous round.

Of course, it wasn’t a problem that Leo Dexter didn’t particularly care for Katrina. The issue was that the previous round’s outcome had been fixed to be the ending, meaning that if Katrina hit the battlefield, she would inevitably die at Leo Dexter’s hands.

Why he arrived early enough to the battlefield was anyone’s guess…

What on earth am I supposed to do about this woman? Leo felt exasperated by Katrina’s endless complaints.

“Just quit already—why are you talking so much?”

“You crazy bastard, who do you think you are ordering me around like that…”

…Huh?

Katrina’s eyes widened. The madman… No, the madness radiating from this lunatic’s sword sparked wildly.

“S-swordmaster?”

That unmistakably exuded an Oblivion Blade. Any lingering feelings of unease addressing the rudeness of this little pipsqueak and the discomfort of being bested by him evaporated in an instant.

Katrina dropped to her knees.

*

[ Quest: Life of Katrina – Help Katrina break free from her constraints. ]

Despite the somewhat astonishing events, Leo walked through the night without feeling too disgruntled, caught in a pleasant conundrum.

Katrina had asked him to take her on as an apprentice.

She pleaded, saying learning from a swordmaster was her lifelong dream, and Leo finally understood the burden she bore.

Katrina was dissatisfied with her sword skills. He had never considered it due to her always confident demeanor, but, truly… understanding a person’s heart is a challenging task.

Nevertheless, this was music to Leo’s ears.

“Alright. But I’ll only be able to teach you for a week since I’m leaving soon. Is that okay?”

He asked, and Katrina was exceptionally pleased. She even agreed with enthusiasm when he mentioned she should leave the Knights Order in exchange for his teachings.

It seemed like everything had fallen into place easily, yet Leo didn’t think so.

The quest for Katrina to break free from her constraints was immensely challenging. She would need to become a swordmaster, or he would need to present her to Count Hermann Forte for the quest to clear, quite a level different from just needing a hug for Kasia’s quest.

Now, having barely grasped a clue in the 18th loop, what more could be said? Leo let out a small, sardonic chuckle.

‘Where was it again? Over that way?’

After reflecting on what had been an unusually hectic day, he stepped into an uncharted alley.

Feeling as if it had been ages since he had been there, he nonetheless soon found himself at the place he didn’t even want to arrive.

No, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he simply had no choice.

He had arrived behind a building, at the ‘home’ of the beggar siblings. If you could even call the place home: a board propped against an archway with a ragged cloth hastily draped over it.

Leo picked up a small cup filled with rainwater. He gulped it down, cooling off, then crawled into the shelter. It seemed a sorry sight, but there was naught he could do about it.

The reason he sought Katrina first was due to hoping he could stay at her place.

But Katrina,

“Master! Thank you so much today. I will never forget what you taught me until the day I die. I’ll fix everything by tomorrow. So where shall we meet tomorrow? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to come visit your home.”

She addressed him in extreme honorifics. There was simply no way he could respond with, “I don’t have a home.”

Leo hesitantly mentioned a suitable public space to meet and set a time. While Katrina might have thought of him as some mysterious person, he had nowhere to go. It felt wasteful to spend a {starting fund} on mere lodging.

‘I should get up early, so I’ll just sleep quickly.’

Leo hurriedly laid himself down in the cramped space. Tomorrow morning, the building owner would come to tear this shabby shack down.

The young swordmaster fell asleep just like that. He was content just knowing his younger sister wasn’t here.