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238. Childhood Friend – Those Brats

“Captain, someone has come to visit.”

The next day at noon, Leo visited Reb.

He wasn’t alone; he was with Lena, who looked rather sulky. Reb quickly picked up on her annoyance.

Lena, having given up on becoming a knight, wanted to return to her hometown. It wasn’t hard to guess that the indefinite delay had her frustrated, and Leo must have spent the night persuading her.

Not that I should say it like this, but did that {room-ritual} help at all? Leo Dexter looked a bit worn out.

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

Reb greeted Lena. However, instead of responding right away, Lena pulled Leo’s ear and whispered. It was hardly a whisper, so Reb could hear it too.

“Is this skinny little shrimp the one you were talking about? Doesn’t look all that impressive… Is he a con artist?”

“I’ve fought with him once. He may be short, but he’s a fantastic knight. And if you keep pointing fingers like that, it won’t do you any good. He’s from the south, you know.”

“What, is he at least as good as my husband? He’s hardly worth a handful.”

“True enough. Who could beat me?”

…I can hear everything, you brats.

[ Achievement: First Meeting with Lena – Lena has a high affinity for Leo. ]

But Reb pretended not to hear.

It wasn’t so much that he felt bad, but rather he felt sad—he sensed her self-esteem had taken a nosedive.

The usual Lena Ainar wouldn’t have relied on Leo like that. She wouldn’t have whispered such things, and because of the first meeting achievement, she would have shown some form of affection toward him.

Yet Lena remained in Leo Dexter’s shadow throughout their conversation. She lingered there as if it was her rightful place in the gloom, while Leo catered to her expectations.

Skinny little shrimp and all that, Leo dared to express anger at Ruben, who was about to snap over what he considered an insult to the Captain. Ruben and the apprentices following him muttered,

“Who even is that woman? Relying on men like that. Just…”

They grumbled about Lena Ainar and headed outside.

In a well-furnished reception room, the three sat across from each other at a pricey table. Reb and Leo had much to discuss, but they indulged in idle talk for Lena’s sake.

“If you only help us, I will generously reward you. Should you wish for a castle or a city, I can arrange that. Is there anything else you desire?”

“Hmm… what I want is…”

“Leo, hold on. But what do you trust about this guy promising such things? Is it even plausible to start a rebellion in the Orun Kingdom?”

“Oh dear, it seems you haven’t heard the news.”

Reb clapped his hands and said, as if it was something obvious.

“A great noble from the Orun Kingdom named Marquis Harvey Gaidan has promised his cooperation. Count Ogerton will also assist, and Marquis Drazin will take part. That’s already a great deal, but the Conrad Kingdom has also stepped forward to aid us. If the Swordmaster lends a hand, then the rebellion is practically guaranteed to succeed.”

“R-really…?”

“Of course! One more thing to mention? It’s not confirmed yet, but the Jerome Holy Kingdom might also participate. That’s why I came here, and things seem to be working out nicely. Would you believe me if I said that Prince Frederick has granted me this mansion?”

“…I see.”

Lena Ainar rolled her eyes at Reb’s fluid words. To her somewhat simple mind, these grand events felt like something out of another world, so she said, “Yes, you handle it.” while stealing glances at Leo.

Leo opened his mouth.

“What I desire isn’t anything extravagant. A castle would be nice, a city would be great. But if possible, I want to live near my hometown… Is there a way?”

“Of course, we can arrange that. I think we could request an exchange with the Jerome Holy Kingdom. The Holy Kingdom could take a castle from the Orun Kingdom and… Ah, they might give the castle of Bidorin in the north to the Austin Kingdom instead. You can have that castle.”

“…But that castle must have an owner?”

“Yes. It’s owned by Baron Agatha, but she will receive some compensation by next year. It’s still in progress, but I can promise it.”

Leo Dexter tilted his head, wondering if the Bidorin Castle Reb was talking about matched the one he knew, along with the Baron Agatha.

He didn’t know yet, but upon catching Reb’s wink, he nodded.

“Alright. That sounds good. So shall we discuss the advance payment?”

“…Advance payment?”

– ‘Hey! What’s this advance payment? Lena’s right here; just say you’ll help!’

If someone could read gestures as sentences, they would have interpreted it like that. Regardless of Reb’s frowned eyebrows or his glaring eyes, Leo set his terms.

“I mentioned this before, but this lady is my fiancée. I was planning to return home and get married, but since that got delayed, you’ll have to take responsibility.”

“…What do you want me to do?”

Reb thought, ‘Please, just strike a balance.’ But Leo didn’t lack reasoning either. He pointed out that it all would benefit everyone.

“I’d like to have the wedding ceremony at the Monastery Church. As grand as possible… Yes, it would be great if the Holy Woman could officiate.”

– ‘I absolutely have to meet this Holy Woman.’

Reb momentarily gawked. Lena asked, “I’m grateful, but shouldn’t the wedding be in our hometown?” Leo replied, “I can’t wait. Let’s have one here, and then one there.” as he organized his thoughts.

It wouldn’t hurt to meet the Holy Woman, but would she actually officiate? Given all the trouble we’re going through because of him, she ought to make that much effort, right? – Concluding this, Reb spoke.

“Understood. I will see what can be done within my power. Do you have a specific timeframe in mind?”

A few little exchanges happened.

Lena’s cheeks flushed red as she asked about the wedding ceremony at the Monastery Church, and Reb scraped together his knowledge of {Noble Society} to give her a general answer. It wasn’t until after Reb and Leo had lunch together that they could finally speak separately.

“I’d like to have a more detailed discussion regarding the rebellion…”

Picking up on Reb’s gestures, Lena said she would take a stroll since she was full. She left with a light step that seemed uncharacteristic for a knight.

“What’s going on? What happened to Baron Agatha? And what do you mean we can receive help from the Conrad Kingdom? Is it true that Prince Lean has become a prince… Oh? The name has changed.”

“Sit back down. There’s so much to tell you.”

Reb unraveled the events that had transpired during Leo’s absence.

First, he informed Leo Dexter of his future story that he was unaware of. Reb mentioned that Leo would wait here until winter before returning to Abrival Castle.

“Don’t take it badly. On the way, Lena’s stomach showed. You sold your sword to cover the travel expenses, and you had the wedding in your hometown. Just like last time, you even had three kids. You lived happily ever after. At least that’s how it was written in the ending.”

“…I’m glad to hear that. Sorry about yesterday.”

“…And then the Beggar Siblings arc has started. Lean left his sister with Ksenia and went looking for Katrina. You may not like Katrina, but you know Lean doesn’t feel that way, right? She might’ve done something wrong, but you can’t just let him kill her. So, I told him to quit the Knights Order…”

“What do you mean, why would I kill Katrina?”

“Hmm?”

Reb stared wide-eyed, and Leo looked completely confused.

“What, what’s up?”

“Uh?”

“Ah, why. What’s wrong with that?”

“You didn’t kill Katrina, did you?”

“What are you talking about? I retired before summer arrived. I didn’t even meet Katrina. Why would I kill her? I could have just let her go.”

“Uh?”

“Come on!”

Rather than worrying about the flustered Leo, Reb thought of Katrina first. It was a habitual action, but the {Tracking Skill} didn’t activate.

[ Achievement: Completed ‘Katrina’s Life’ Quest – Katrina is freed from her restraints. ]

[ ‘Katrina’s Life’ Quest is nullified. ]

At the point in the last Beggar Siblings arc when Lean and Reriana arrived in Rutina, a message popped up indicating that Katrina had been set free from her restraints.

That was during spring, precisely when Katrina and Leo Dexter were supposed to meet.

Thus, Reb thought that Katrina had probably died by Leo’s hands and was baffled by why she appeared on the battlefield so soon, and how she got released from restraints, assuming things had gone the same way as the last arc.

But they didn’t meet? Then where on earth did Katrina go…

For a moment bewildered, Reb landed on something. It wasn’t just him altering the current arc. Lean de Yeriel was awake.

‘Ah, so Lean must’ve prevented Katrina from going to the battlefield. That’s why he lingered so long in Oberg.’

Since Sir Bart told him to let the palace be assaulted, Lean had no reason to leave early.

But then again, was there a reason for him to leave so late? Still, as everything fit together, Reb felt easier.

On the other hand, Leo Dexter was feeling quite the opposite.

“What’s going on? Fill me in too.”

“Ah… this is going to get really convoluted. Listen carefully. Because when I was you, I met Katrina. She did something that ticked me off, so I killed her, but… wait, why did Lena give up on becoming a knight?”

“…I saw her become a Swordmaster. I couldn’t keep an eye on it either.”

“…That doesn’t make much difference, huh? Sorry. Anyway, so Lean is trying to save Katrina…”

The conversation circled back to the beginning. Reb patiently explained what had happened in the last Beggar Siblings arc, while Leo occasionally interjected.

“Didn’t you meet Kasia?”

“Tch, take care of your sister better. That could have been a disaster. So, does Barbatos no longer exist?”

“Why did Sir Bart take the necklace? Strange.”

“Ksenia was a noble??”

“Ugh… Santian… Your sister must have been really sad. But I’m glad he caught Oriax. He didn’t disappear, did he?”

“Pretty necklace, damn, should have written more details. Let’s ask the Holy Woman about it. Hmm, it’s definitely clear that the bound item is related to our Jinmyung. The hand mirror was obtained when we learned your name, so the counter went up, and the necklace, which is your mother’s heirloom, raised the counter after we learned Lean’s Jinmyung… This just leaves me. We’ll just have to ask the Holy Woman about this too.”

“…So the real clear condition was to make Lena a princess… What a hassle.”

He chimed in. That chime persisted as Reb started telling his own story.

“What? You said you remember past events? Why? That’s strange. Is anything different from the last Childhood Friend arc? Hold on a second. What happened in the last Childhood Friend arc? Killing Lena… but that wasn’t it. You didn’t kill Lena the first time, did you? Suddenly, this is getting annoying, you bastard… Anyway, not that. It can’t be that the ‘Twenty Photos’ achievement affects you, nor the ‘Meeting Another Leo’ achievement? That has some credibility, right? No? I mean, Lean did end up seeing you. That could have influenced you. Ah, I don’t know. Let’s move on. Minseo will handle it.”

“Aha, so the hand mirror was for communication. But why didn’t it contact me? Damn… Ah, it was a one-time use. Tch, nothing we can do… Wait. But now that I think of it, what about Oriax’s newly marked seal? Isn’t Lean going to the Conrad Kingdom in the next Beggar Siblings arc? I’m sorry for Lean, but it might be best to consider the Beggar Siblings arc to have ended right there. Why, did I say something wrong? Why are your eyes so wide?”

There was still a long way to go.

However, while they were deeply engrossed in conversation, Leo suddenly jumped up. The reason was that Lena hadn’t returned. In a flurry, Leo Dexter dashed out, and soon enough, they spotted Lena Ainar ambling about the garden.

In the garden, Reb’s apprentices were training in swordsmanship. Among them, Lena was staring blankly at…

“Catch!”

“Oho, you’re getting better!”

It was Vann Bijan and Ruben Bijan.

The two barbarian warriors, who had promised to marry, exchanged some rather strong swordplay while smiling brightly, and Lena’s expression contorted in misery. Still, she seemed unable to tear her eyes away and stood there in a frozen, awkward stance.

Leo exaggeratedly gestured to catch Lena’s gaze. Reb let out a silent, heavy sigh.

It happened to be the fall, when the leaves were falling.