---

320. Childhood ep – Achievements

‘What a strange person.’

On her way back, Elika thought.

As a princess married into this country, she paid her respects to Duke Rupert Tertan, who was the maternal grandfather of Prince Eric.

At first, she had some expectations.

The prince might be a bit odd, but she thought his grandfather would surely welcome his lovely granddaughter-in-law.

After all, there’s no grandfather who wouldn’t.

Elika thought that if the Duke cherished her, she could secure her life based on his support, but as it turned out, Duke Rupert Tertan was even more suspicious than Prince Eric.

Well, he did welcome her.

He offered delicious tea and snacks and smiled at her. But the Duke didn’t express any ‘assertion’ that a person inevitably must when conversing.

Assertion is not only about pointing out what is right or wrong about some controversy. Choosing the topic of conversation itself is also an assertion, and the Duke merely followed her lead without introducing his own topics. He just gulped down the icy water.

Is this a culture of the Conrad Kingdom?

Perhaps people from the southern continent have a custom of not revealing their thoughts to newcomers.

Or maybe it’s because I’m a woman; he might not want to engage in deep conversation with one.

In any case, feeling disappointed, Elika returned to the royal palace, realizing that there wasn’t much a foreign princess could do.

For now, the authority of the Head Handmaiden exceeded hers.

Since she wasn’t married yet, she had no right to intervene in royal affairs, and the only thing she could do was ensure that the few handmaidens she had brought weren’t subjected to unfair tasks. This frustrating life would continue until she married Prince Eric and was recognized as a legitimate princess of this country.

Or perhaps even after…

The label of being a foreigner would be emphasized until she produced an heir. Elika felt gloomy.

– Snap!

No, that’s not right. Still, it’s comfortable here.

Elika clapped her cheeks with both hands to cultivate a sense of positivity.

Compared to the ‘Ophrontis’ kingdom, where she had to weigh every word, this place felt like a corset without any tightness. Above all, her mother was not absent, right?

She stopped in her tracks and savored the repressed freedom.

Even though she was a powerless princess from a foreign land, no one would scold her for behaving somewhat strangely, which was a huge advantage.

The king who had collapsed over a decade ago was on the verge of passing soon, so she didn’t have to worry about that, and the one she most need to be cautious around, the queen, had died giving birth to Princess Reriana.

Moreover, Prince Eric, who had caused a stir eleven years ago, had expelled his relatives from the palace to the provinces. So who would scold her?

But suddenly, Elika had a strange thought.

For a royal to expel their relatives from the palace… that’s something one wouldn’t do unless their own position were seriously threatened. In a scenario where many royals are active in politics, the royal authority tends to strengthen naturally.

Yet, Prince Eric had done just that.

Perhaps due to the solidified political situation in the Conrad Kingdom centered around Duke Tertan, and because he was under the Duke’s protection, he made such a decision… Hmm.

Elika de Isadora thought she needed to view the situation a little differently. If Eric and Duke Tertan hadn’t collaborated to seize the throne?

The suspicious Duke and Prince Eric, who treasured a necklace of his long-lost mother… His mother was the Duke’s daughter, but wait.

‘Wasn’t it around the time the king fell ill?’

The king fell, allowing the prince to make a stir. It was also possible because Duke Tertan was backing him; however, it seemed that only the Duke benefitted from that.

Prince Eric didn’t appear particularly happy. Perhaps he…

‘Ophrontis or Rutina… here or there, it’s all pretty much the same.’

Elika thought of her younger brother, Oscar de Isadora, whom she had left back in the capital of Aisel Kingdom.

He was the second prince, caught in a conflict for the throne against the first prince, Vivian de Isadora. She, too, shared a similar sentiment, but her brother was also not that happy in that situation.

It seems the world’s principle is that the princess gets sold off and the prince gets used… With a bitter heart, she began walking again.

“I’ve come to see the prince. Please let him know.”

The chamberlain awkwardly replied.

“The prince is busy at the moment and asks you to come by later.”

“Is that so? Then please tell him I will wait here.”

Elika spent three hours in front of the prince’s office before finally meeting him.

Oh dear, my legs hurt. Without even a greeting, she plopped down onto the sofa.

“What brings you here again?”

“I just came from seeing Duke Tertan. He’s quite a nice person.”

Eric’s eyebrows twitched. Upon confirming this, Elika instinctively sensed she had solved the puzzle. Her gaze towards him softened notably as she patted the seat beside her affectionately.

“You must have been working hard. Would you like to take a short break and share a meal with me?”

“…”

“Come on. Oh, and the preparations for our wedding should be going well, right? I heard you’ve been quite busy.”

It was a look that said he understood her.

Eric couldn’t help but avoid her gaze. Regrettably, the event being prepared wasn’t the wedding, but the ascension ceremony for Akinin, and shortly after, news hit Rutina that Kaderik de Yeriel had passed away.

*

‘Damn it, this is nonsense.’

Reb was on the verge of losing his mind lately. He had expected it, but swaying the knights was almost impossible, and he had to either rescue Ambergeris or not, but winter wasn’t even over and his opponent was on the brink of acceding to the throne.

God damn it, what am I supposed to do?

Cardinal Berg, who had been asked to abduct, had yet to arrive. Therefore, Leah also hadn’t received any divine power and remained just an ordinary girl, busy playing with the children at the orphanage.

Reb was slowly boiling over in frustration and despair. Maybe it wasn’t the best choice for me to be here instead of Lean in the first place.

Not that he was particularly blaming his friend… No, to be honest, he felt a tiny bit of blame. If he had entrusted this to me, things shouldn’t have come to this, right?

The main pillar of the Beggar Siblings scenario—the {bloodline}. It had become widely known, so it was only natural for Prince Eric to react. But he couldn’t use that {bloodline} since he hadn’t actually come here himself.

With Akinin approaching, allowing Prince Eric to ascend to the throne… Opportunities were few and far between.

Since he couldn’t sway the knights to launch an assault, he had to expose the prince’s identity in a location swarming with knights, but missing the ascension ceremony would be problematic.

‘I guess I have to give up.’

─ Reb thought this was the wisest choice. It would be better to promise for the next time than to poke at Oriax in an unprepared state… We don’t have an ending to reach, so it seemed fine.

Reb had given this a lot of thought before coming to his decision.

The current arc belonged to the Beggar Siblings scenario. Whether Reriana got married, fulfilled her dreams, died, or whatever… Eventually, an ending would arise, and the timing when that ending appeared would be unrelated to this childhood friend scenario, which would progress as an ‘extra.’

Even if the ending appeared in the Beggar Siblings arc, they would continue to live. For my life and Leah’s life to be written in the credits of the Beggar Siblings ending, it was unavoidable.

Probably. Please.

Looking at it from a pessimistic angle, the Beggar Siblings might already be over. Wouldn’t it be fine if he caught Oriax later?

Reb trudged back the same way he had come. Over the winter, he managed to sway only Jenia Jaqueri and the Knight Commander, that’s just two people.

He returned to the Grania orphanage.

Having resolved to give up, he sought Leah, planning to leave immediately. She was busy chatting with the orphanage kids.

Ha ha ha, it was a total racket. The orphans called Leah ‘teacher.’

…Well, as long as Leah was happy.

That was enough.

Reb waved at her and pulled her away from the group. Sighing, he explained the situation and suggested they leave, but Leah burst out laughing.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Reb, you fool. You’re wrong about two things.”

“…?”

“First, you think you have to catch Oriax because of some quest.”

“That’s right.”

[ Quest: Guardian, 1/4 – Barbatos ]

It’s to clear the quest called Guardian. Leah had probably already captured Malhas and added one more to it, but Reb hadn’t seen that so far.

Leah continued speaking.

“But there’s no guarantee that quest can be completed after the ending occurs. What are you planning otherwise?”

“Otherwise, that would be pretty lame!” The complaint boiled in his throat, but he didn’t voice it. Leah would hate that.

“And the other thing is that Akinin isn’t the only chance. Think carefully, Reb. There’s probably one more opportunity.”

“…Leah. You haven’t seen Oriax, but to catch him, you need at least a hundred knights. They won’t gather in one place unless it’s a major event like the ascension ceremony. I can’t persuade those people… I only managed to sway two throughout the winter. The other knights seem uninterested in me.”

Like my useless fame.

The only one who could communicate somewhat was Jenia Jaqueri, who regarded her life as dull. The Knight Commander, who had met him through Sir Iron and had once betrayed Leah, listened quietly with guilt.

That was why he managed to sway them with just a few words.

Arbitrarily swinging the Oblivion Blade and claiming he was a Swordmaster wouldn’t persuade anyone, only scare them.

Reb depressedly confessed the outcomes he managed to achieve over the winter. Leah said, “Oh… I see.” and comforted her boyfriend.

“But there’s another event coming up shortly where knights will gather, besides Akinin.”

“Hmm? Where is that?”

“The war has only happened with the Aisel Kingdom… Oh, I heard the princess has come for a wedding.”

“…!!”

“So on the day of that wedding… Eek!”

“Leah! You’re a genius!”

Reb hugged Leah tightly. Startled by kisses on her cheeks, Leah exclaimed, struggling to regain her composure.

“You fool! Genius, my foot… Wait, what are you doing! Put me down! Aah, the sun is still high in the sky…”

Reb, with a beaming face, half-carried Leah on his shoulder. Leah, realizing what he intended to do from past experiences, screamed in protest.

“It’s broad daylight, you fool! If you don’t put me down right now, I’ll scream!”

With her fierce threat, Reb reluctantly let her down.

Even though they had officially started dating, she was different from Leah Ainar, who was in a relationship with Ray.

This was Leah’s first experience in a carriage, but immediately after, she received a tremendous scolding and was warned not to do it again or there would be consequences.

Leah wished for a relationship like that. However, unlike Ainar, who actively held hands and kissed frequently, Leah’s usual limit was just holding hands.

After getting back on the ground, Leah adjusted her clothes and shot a glare at Reb.

“I get why you’re acting like this, but just cool it. It’s broad daylight. What kind of behavior is this during working hours?”

“…Sorry.”

“And I’m busy too. You think I’m just goofing around all day? You say that if I gain divine power from Cardinal Berg, everything will be resolved, but isn’t that free? Would you just give it to me if I ask? I should have something prepared before asking for favors. Right?”

“…Right.”

Reb seemed to shrink in disappointment.

Leah had many things packed in her mind, but thinking this much nagging was already enough, she turned the conversation.

“From now on, you also come and help. There’s a huge shortage of hands here. You work much better than I do.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“Want to see? We have a bunch of twine we’ve twisted. There’s quite an amount, and if you join in, it’ll be doubled. You’re good with your hands, after all.”

“Hey, no matter how you slice it, how could it double? I’m not some machine for spinning thread… Wait! What is this?”

As he followed her, Reb’s eyes widened when the storeroom door opened.

[ Achievement: Blessing of the Holy Woman – Leo gains the ability {Divine Insight}. ]

A pile of neatly rolled twine. Each one was shining white. Meanwhile, Leah turned back to him, seemingly confused, asking, “Why?”