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221. The Beggar Siblings – The Princess

A dodecahedron. The sacred polyhedron of the deity surrounded Lean, suspended in midair. The cheers from Rutina Square below faded away, and a dark shadow enveloped him.

In the darkness, texts surfaced indifferently. Lean trembled in despair as he gazed blankly at them.

[ Lena’s final job has been decided. ]

[ Thank you for playing Lena’s Growth. ]

[ Reriana de Isadora ]

[ Final Job: Princess ]

[ Engagement Partner: Prince Vivian de Isadora ]

[ Lean de Yeriel ]

[ Final Job: King ]

[ Engagement Partner: Ksenia Yeriel ]

[ Beggar Siblings Ending: The Princess ]

[ Clear ]

– Born in Rutina Castle, Reriana had an unhappy childhood. Led by people’s hands, she was hidden with Lean in a vast field, and when she opened her eyes, the field was filled with corpses. Afterward, Reriana followed Lean… (omitted) …and returned to become a princess. As the official heir of the Yeriel dynasty, she entered Rutina Castle but couldn’t stay long. The following year, the Orun Kingdom invaded. Reriana de Yeriel married Prince Vivian de Isadora of the Aisel Kingdom to help the endangered kingdom and her brother. The army dispatched by the Aisel Kingdom played a crucial role in the Armistice Agreement between the Conrad Kingdom and the Orun Kingdom. Reriana de Isadora bore six children and was buried in the Isadora royal family’s crypt. –

– Born in Rutina Castle, Lean… (omitted) …was recognized as the heir. He soon ascended to the throne, but the glory didn’t last long. The second prince of the Orun Kingdom, Duke Alzeor de Lognum, crossed the border. The army allied with Marquis Gaidan swiftly defeated the new western count of the Conrad Kingdom, Count Lofeuro, putting the Conrad Kingdom in peril. Lean led the army personally, but the army lost many knights to Oriax and was swept away by Duke Alzeor’s dazzling “Knight Maneuver Strategy,” unable to maintain the frontlines. With the help of the Iber Tower, they barely slowed their advance, and the fall of the Conrad Kingdom loomed. However, the retired royal knight, Sir Bart, achieved his purpose by sacrificing himself while seeking Lady Hirie Gaidan, causing Marquis Gaidan to abandon the frontlines. As reinforcements from the Aisel Kingdom arrived, the frontlines stalemated, leading to an armistice. But it was a temporary peace. King Lean de Yeriel died on the battlefield in his 37th year of reign waging an endless war against Duke Alzeor de Lognum. His queen, Ksenia Yeriel, bore no children and could not conceive. –

[ The Childhood Friend scenario ending has been changed. ]

+ Born in the village of Demos, Leah… (omitted) …became a priest at a young age. She declined the Veronian’s request and roamed the continent as a missionary throughout her life, eventually settling at the Rutina Church, dedicating her life there. After her death, Leah was proclaimed the eighth saint. +

+ Born in the village of Demos, Reb had a happy childhood… (omitted) …helping Lean combat Oriax, he melted away, covered in the blood that poured over Lean. +

Lean couldn’t even bear to look at his sister’s picture. Except for making his sister a princess, he had achieved nothing.

Is this really the clear ending… Is this really my final moment?

The kingdom had turned into a mess.

I didn’t see it, but I can imagine. The school promised with Cardinal Berg may never have been established, and we barely survived, relying on foreign power. No, even that was the price of marrying off my sister.

Where did it all go wrong? Lean, holding his breath, soon recalled the main culprit.

– “I will never marry anyone. And I will never forgive the knight who killed you. I will surely take revenge and retrieve the necklace he stole from you. So sleep peacefully, my love.”

Lady Hirie Gaidan.

That woman had truly messed things up. If it weren’t for her, the Marquis Gaidan, who disliked the twin princes of the Orun Kingdom, wouldn’t have allied with them.

It was the cost of cheap sympathy. My nose is already dirty with, to prevent Hirie from losing her mind, utilizing that so-called favor.

But there’s something bizarre about it.

No matter how much Hirie wanted revenge, she couldn’t decide a pivotal matter of state like a war. Something must have aligned for this…

‘Did Prince Alzeor de Lognum want to wage war?’

Hirie couldn’t have married him, and if that trashy prince had dreams of conquering the Conrad Kingdom, everything would make sense.

The princes, who had to compete for the throne, flaunted their camaraderie while sharing their sex slaves. Alzeor de Lognum, who tried to survive by hiding from Reb, who had become an Apostle of Barbatos.

They were the ones who pressured Marquis Gaidan, the eastern border count, to marry Hirie. Lean, realizing why they acted this way, clenched his teeth.

In the round sphere, he couldn’t take action, but his heart did.

They are beings that cannot coexist with us, he thought, as Lean lifted his gaze. Regardless of everything… he wanted to see his sister.

So beautiful.

My lovely sister.

In the picture that emerged, Reriana, who became a queen, was there.

Wearing a tiara, sitting at the bedroom table writing a letter, captured from above at a diagonal angle, the letter began with “To my beloved brother.” Lean, struggling to sneak a peek at his sister, even just a little, at the lengthy letter, burst into tears.

‘Minseo. Just once, just once more, give me a chance… If I could, just one more time…’

Lean faded away. Minseo, shaking off his remnants like shedding a skin, sighed. However, if it weren’t for the sphere, it would have been a fleeting smile, a sigh of relief.

Indeed, making Lena a princess was the right answer. He had been stubborn, but what if I was making a blunder? He had fretted over it. If this were not the answer, he wouldn’t be able to face Leo.

Feeling relieved, Minseo looked up at the picture. His sister, a noble princess who married a prince. She had become a queen. There was nothing lacking.

This is enough for a happy ending.

It seems like it’s been the first time since unintentionally marrying Leah during the first childhood friend route. Problems arose due to Hirie Gaidan, that woman, causing complications, but that could be easily fixed.

I just have to leave Hirie be. And in the next childhood friend route, I was planning to raise a rebellion anyway.

Then the invasion of the Orun Kingdom would become a non-issue. Lean’s hopes for the peaceful lives of the Conrad Kingdom and his sister would be fulfilled.

And it seems that the relationship between that red jewel and Oriax keeps entangling with us, but that was probably something that would significantly help in catching Oriax.

It’s regrettable I didn’t realize this sooner. But this is my 18th route, and all the hardships I endured would finally bear fruit. I captured Oriax, the final hurdle in the Beggar Siblings scenario, by my own power.

So Lean, don’t worry.

I will never abandon you and plunge you into tragedy.

After making you all happy, including Lena, I will return to Chaehwa.

Within the next two routes, all scenarios would be cleared, and if there were still unsatisfactory parts by then, I would wrap up the remaining three routes at 20/23. After all, Lena is a friend, a lover, and practically a sister to me.

As Minseo solidified his resolve, the ending texts and pictures vanished. In the now serene darkness, Minseo awaited, and the reward he needed fell.

[ You have cleared Lena’s Growth. You can now choose a scenario you wish to play. ]

[ Leo, you are the king of the Conrad Kingdom and a great general who has protected your country for life. For this achievement, I grant you the {Tactics} ability. ]

[ Childhood Friend ]

[ Engagement ]

[ Beggar Siblings – Clear ]

As Minseo thought of ‘Childhood Friend,’ the shadow color of the choice (background color) lightened. The color inverted, and the letters that shone in the darkness turned black.

For a moment, what he selected flickered before it disappeared, enveloped by a vision falling from the heavens. Minseo now could enjoy the refreshing summer breeze and the thrill of falling from the sky just a little.

And soon he became Reb…

“Reb! Are you listening to me?”

[ Achievement: ‘19’th Leo – The player’s transformation into Leo speeds up slightly. ]

[ 19/23 ]

Before the girl picking mountain fruits, Reb burst into tears. Transformation? Who cared about that! He was no longer Minseo.

Memories came flooding back. Memories of gathering food with Leah in the mountains and fields, the urgency of jumping into the stream to save her.

He recalled the foolishness of bringing back a Koko-ren, feeding it water, only for it to puff up like a balloon, causing the little girl to burst into tears out of surprise.

He remembered how he had unintentionally hindered her studying next to a friend who was studying to become a priest, feeling resentful, ringing the church’s bell as if a fire had broken out.

“Uh? W-why are you suddenly crying?”

Leah, looking at Reb, who was crying rivers, didn’t know what to do. There was too much in his gaze as he looked at her.

“Leah. The truth is…”

Reb spilled everything.

At the foot of the mountain.

Munching on the mountain fruits he had picked, Reb’s story continued until sunset.

From the first route, when I married you, to the second route, when I became someone else in the northern Austin Kingdom and met a woman named Lena Ainar and became engaged to her, even to the part where I had a cute sister who was worth nibbling on, but ended up dying of illness.

From the fourth route on, I held back my words.

I couldn’t bear to tell you how you were captured by the princes of the Orun Kingdom and became a concubine, so I simply said I went to Nevis, and things went wrong.

Releasing the tragedy little by little, and after getting injured, I joined the engagement route and the gang organization of Oberg… I had to spill the truth about the Beggar Siblings route, but here I had no choice but to lie.

And back to our route, Leo prophesied that a priest would come to the village in the autumn. You had gone to the monastery with the priest and said things went wrong, getting kicked out of the church. I revealed that’s where we married.

“Reb, sorry, are you out of your mind?”

“I’m the one who’s sorry, but you… you know there are dots here.”

Red as a beet.

Leah didn’t know how to react as Reb described lightly the next engagement scenario where he had met a Swordmaster. It seemed a bit early, but Leah’s sharp gaze seemed to be suspicious of him peeking at her body, so he stood up. He drew his sword and showed off the Oblivion Blade, and Leah was wide-eyed, speechless.

“And I became Lean de Yeriel again. I had some swordsmanship skills, and I tried to gather intel by joining the Rauno Family, but…”

He met Marquis Benard Tatian. Who was trying to kill his son.

The outcome hadn’t been good, Reb conveyed indirectly. He merely mentioned he couldn’t find his separated sister.

“Back then, I wandered through our kingdom and even came to the village of Demos. Dad wasn’t around… It was a time when my mother had just passed away. I’ll continue that story in a bit.”

The next route, Leah caused troubles. She was quick to catch on and suspected the changed me, and Minseo didn’t want to unveil all these facts.

Because I wasn’t myself back then. I was Minseo, yet also Reb. I had no memories of the past.

“You know, when I get flustered, I twitch my ears, right? I didn’t know before, but you told me that by the Irotashi river.”

That’s the route where I was killed by Sir Bart. Reb lightly described him and moved on. To recount every detail would take more than a year.

Then came the break-off.

That route was nauseating.

Reb just said he was sorry to Lena Ainar, but they fought, and the relationship broke. There was no need to provide a detailed account of our disgraceful selves.

The story about a prostitute named Kasia had to be omitted, and in the next route, Lean de Yeriel met Oriax.

He met him. Without describing more, Reb shifted back to our tale… Damn it. There’s no end to this.

“Back then, our father believed in the god Barbatos. He has converted now, and Barbatos is gone. He disappeared. But at that time, I…”

I became an Apostle.

I went mad, and I killed.

The only way to soften this would be to skip the part where I wiped out Nevis. In a dazed state, I sought you and went to the monastery… confessing that Barbatos had come over to you.

With apologies.

Leah had come to terms with it, listening as if hearing a legend from Priest Leslie, holding her knees. She occasionally expressed sympathy. You’ve had a tough time. Acknowledging that.

Then, because Minseo lost his sanity, the story of engagement, happily leaving with Lena Ainar, passed by.

The story of the Beggar Siblings, trying to approach Cardinal Berg through Count Gustave Peter as a royal knight of the Belita Kingdom, also concluded, as did the childhood friend tale where they raised a rebellion in the Orun Kingdom and failed.

“You were acknowledged as a saint. If you graduate well from the monastery.”

“Really? I’m impressive.”

By now, Leah seemed skeptical. It was as if she had decided to believe that the sword Reb possessed had some magnificent function.

Yet Leah, who loved listening to stories, silently continued to listen to Reb’s words.

“It’s not a lie. It’s real. In the next engagement route, I… no, Leo Dexter became a Swordmaster.”

“Who said that?”

“…I guess you don’t believe me, huh? Look at this. This is the necklace I got from the last Beggar Siblings route, and this is the mirror that our mom had. Until now, they had no functions, but now…”

[ Achievement: Bound Item, 2/3 ]

[ Sword – Indestructible. ]

[ Mirror – Connectable. ]

[ Necklace – A pretty necklace. ]

Reb took out the mirror. The moment he was about to ‘connect’ the mirror…

– Thud!

“Ah! What a startle!”

Koko-ren fell on the mirror.

Lena clapped her hands, rolling her eyes adorably, calling forth good luck, and looked up.

“Ah! This is bad! Reb, the sun is setting! We need to get down quickly.”

Reb chuckled softly. Smiling brightly, Leah replied, “Alright, let’s head down.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

Still, spilling it out felt relieved, and as he thought this, Reb descended the dim mountain path. After parting from Leah,

“Mom! Dad!”

He shouted as he entered home and hugged his father, who had no tattoos, saying, “Why are you being so spoiled today, big boy?”

To his mother, who asked if he didn’t take that mirror to give to Leah, he shyly replied that he hadn’t given it yet.

On a night filled with heartwarming conversations in the generous hunter’s home, next door, Leah was suffering from nightmares, snoring away…