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357. Lena Ep – Leo

(It’s autumn) and not a hint of snowstorm, just bright sunlight, making the central market square bustling after a long time.

My name is Lera Ainar.

It’s pronounced Lera with a long “e,” and I’m a warrior of the Ainar Tribe. Well, not actually a warrior yet, but I’ll be one soon enough, so let’s go with that.

I was born and raised here at Abrival Castle. I’ve never been anywhere else, but I think there’s nowhere quite like this place.

Anyway, I thought my life wouldn’t change for a while.

I expected my daily routine of sword training to change once I participated in hunting this winter and got recognized as a warrior, but that didn’t happen either.

The first sign of change appeared… let’s see… yeah, it was last summer.

“Lera! You’re slacking off again! Hurry up and carry this!”

Oh dear.

Before I could even think of last summer, a heavy load was placed on my shoulder.

It was my mom handing down a sack of Odru fruit from the carriage. My mom, a stout lady, may not look strong, but believe me, she is.

My feet stumbled a bit. Looking around, I noticed my friends were wobbling too.

Hehe. Hey, you too? Me too~

Feeling a strange sense of camaraderie while hauling the mountain of goods in the market square, but among us was someone completely unlike us.

Leo, walking steadily with a heavy load on each shoulder. Look, that’s my fiancé.

The signs of the aforementioned changes began with Leo. He changed, quite a lot, last summer.

Leo and I were training in the backyard as usual when suddenly he pulled out a hand mirror from his coat. It would be insane to say he was crazy, but that mirror was glowing softly.

Oh, really.

“What is that?” ─ I asked, but Leo just stared into the mirror, looking flustered, and dashed away.

Naturally, I followed.

“Hey, what’s that about!”

Leo dashed up to the second floor and locked himself in his room. This was unusual for him… since he locked the door, I figured he had his reasons for not telling me.

– Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Hey! Show me too! Is this really necessary?”

I banged on the door. After a while, it seemed he wouldn’t open, so I sought another way.

Leon’s room has a window. I climbed up to the roof, intending to sneak in through the window. While doing so, I thought,

‘There’s no way some bold girl secretly gifted it to him, right?’

I wondered if there could be a girl audacious enough to mess with my fiancé, but it wasn’t impossible considering how charming Leo was.

If I searched all of Abrival Castle, there might be one.

If that were true, I’d have to prepare that girl’s grave before autumn rolls in.

The late summer sun was quite hot. I fought to calm my rising anger and attempted to open the window. But clunk, it was locked too.

Huh? What exactly is going on here?

Could it be… Leo?

I felt a chill run down my spine at Leo’s strange behavior and the strangely feminine mirror.

‘No way, that can’t be it.’

─ Firmly denying it, I pressed my ear to the tightly locked window. Sorry, I’m not doubting, but… a voice slipped from the window’s wooden crevice.

“…It’s gone according to plan, so you contact the Holy Woman. This time Leah must not follow Reb. I could contact her through my mirror, but… it might create unnecessary variables. If Reb is left alone, he’ll act just like last time, and he’ll awaken upon meeting me… Oh? No, wait. Since you’re awake now, Reb will awaken upon meeting you. Thank goodness. Reb will be fine. Yep. This is the last time. Lean, you need to prepare to go to Oberg…”

But I couldn’t make out the words clearly.

He was mumbling to himself, but the sounds of footsteps wandering about the room drowned it out.

It felt just like what a cheating man seeking to hide would do.

I barely held back the urge to curse out loud.

Get a grip, Lera Ainar. You must act appropriately at all times. Yeah. It could just be a misunderstanding… I firmly gripped the roof edge, intending to kick down the window.

“Nuna! What are you doing there? You should come down and look at this.”

Just then, Leo called out to me from below. In his hand was a mirror identical to the one Leo had before, and I felt my rising heart sink immediately.

Hmmm. That window looks lovely. But I still needed to confront him, so I jumped down and pressed him for answers.

“What’s this? Your brother has one just like it.”

“I gave it to him. Look, you can video call… I mean, talk to him with it. Isn’t that cool?”

“Huh? What? Leo’s locked in! Hand it over!”

“Ah!”

– Crash!

Maybe I tried too hard to snatch it, and the mirror shattered. I screamed, “Ah!” but thankfully Leo was unharmed.

From the second floor, Leo opened the window and looked down.

“Hey! Why didn’t you answer when I called? Why did you lock the door?”

“Ugh. Nuna! What have you done? That’s so precious. It’s ruined now.”

“Ha! As if that kind of thing’s worth much. I’ll buy you another one later. Now, Leo, don’t you have something to say?”

“…Sorry. I’m really sorry.”

His face as he gazed down was so full of remorse that I actually felt pity for him.

Um… I didn’t think such an expression was necessary for an apology.

I decided to forgive him. Honestly, I wasn’t mad at all.

But why does it seem like he’s looking at his little brother, not me?

When I turned around, Leo had his hands behind his back, grinning brightly. Not bad for a 12-year-old kid.

*

Odru fruits didn’t have a single part that was wasteful; from the leaves on the stem to the skin and the pulp, it was all usable. The leaves made for a nice tea that was refreshing, and the pulp was a delicacy when roasted.

The skin was ground up and kept for use as a seasoning that added a savory kick. It was sprinkled on meat, added to soups, and mixed into bread dough. There was no place it wasn’t used.

Despite being such a useful ingredient, it had one considerable drawback.

Peeling the Odru fruit was an utter pain.

The skin wasn’t just hard; it was tough like leather, making it impossible to crack. The only way was to score it with a knife and tear it off by hand.

“Ouch, my back!” I groaned, leaning back dramatically. My mom popped a roasted Odru fruit into my mouth.

“Stop whining. You’re just bored.”

“Hehe.”

But I wasn’t even whimpering; I had been peeling skins all day. Even with five more sacks of Odru fruit in the corner of the kitchen, I was in for at least another two days of struggle.

Munch munch.

As I chewed what my mom put in my mouth, she, picking through the unaffected pulps, said,

“Make sure your fiancé gets some too.”

Leo took what she offered without protest. Hmph, Mom only loves Leo. I glanced over at Leo’s mom.

“Want to have another one, Lera? Here.”

“Ah, dear friend. If this keeps up, there won’t be any left.”

“Hmph. You should calm down a bit.”

“Oh ho. What’s the harm? It’s all for the kids in the end.”

“See!”1)

I knew I’d be in for it later, but I had to voice this unfairness.

However, Mom glared fiercely, and I felt it was time to keep a low profile leaning against Leo’s mother.

I returned to peeling the Odru fruit skins again, alongside Leo. Mom and Leo’s mom chatted while working away.

“By the way, where’s Leo? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“I don’t know. He’s been acting strangely lately. Leo, didn’t your brother say where he was going?”

Leo shrugged his shoulders and replied that he didn’t know.

Back around the time I broke the mirror, it seemed that not just Leo, but Leo had changed too.

He used to be all “Nuna, Nuna” and clingy, but now he barely speaks to me and is often out running around. Somehow, it’s felt like Leo just lets his little brother be.

Leo wasn’t like this before…

I had a rough idea of where Leo might be.

But I wasn’t certain, and this Abrival Castle wasn’t a dangerous place even if a little kid was wandering around, so I didn’t bother to speculate out loud.

The moms seemed to think he was just off playing somewhere.

Ugh—

Now it was really my back that hurt. Dinner time was approaching, and it seemed today’s work would come to an end.

Leo’s mom gathered up the Odru fruit leaves while my mom started to rise to prepare dinner.

I muttered, “Oh my arm…” and slumped for a moment, but Leo dutifully helped his mom.

Ibera Ainar, Leo’s mom, shook her head and said,

“Why don’t you go find your brother? Your father will be back from work soon, and we should all eat together.”

“Sure.”

Hmm~ It feels like if I don’t help in the kitchen, I’ll definitely be roped into working. I have to do something, but it’s obvious the lady will insist I don’t need to help… So I’d have no choice but to end up in the kitchen regardless.

Since I absolutely despised working in the kitchen, I followed Leo. I had a rough idea of where Leo might be, so I wasn’t trying to slack off. I was trying to help. Yep, totally.

“Ahh~ I didn’t swing a sword even once today.”

Did Leo also know where his brother was? We walked naturally in the same direction. Leo lightly linked his arm with mine.

“Right? If it’s not too dark later… how about we have a spar, even if it’s just hand-to-hand?”

“Yikes. I have no confidence in beating you in martial arts. You’re way too strong.”

“You used to say that I should take you on anytime.”

“That was then.”

When I was blessed by mana, nothing really scared me.

Thinking I’d outdone Leo back then, I felt quite cocky, but Leo also received his mana blessing around the same time.

Unlike me, who had grown a lot more agile, Leo had become so strong it could make even my dad shake his head in disbelief.

I often wondered when I could ever beat this monster… It looks like I’ll have to keep honing my sword skills.

“Hey, there’s your dad. Uncle~ over here! Thanks for your hard work today.”

Just then, I spotted Leo’s dad approaching from a distance.

The neatly uniformed man in red was Leo’s father, the ‘Head Knight’ of Abrival Castle.

A head knight is responsible for the defense of a specific region, honestly, it tends to be a role filled by those who weren’t particularly skilled or had been swept away in conflicts.

Of course, Leo’s father didn’t fall into any of those categories. He was the youngest knight to ever join our Asran Kingdom’s history and was still known for being an unpredictable powerhouse.

He often exchanged letters with the commander of the First Knight Order, so he undoubtedly had outstanding abilities.

Despite all that, the reason he lived in this remote mountain fortress was that he loved his wife so much that he decided to live in her hometown.

After giving birth to Leo, they moved to Abrival Castle and raised Leo here. Leo’s mother being from our Ainar Tribe made it easier for her to adapt. Uncle Noel asked.

“Hmm? Where are you two off to? I doubt you’re going out on a date at this hour.”

“Geez, Uncle… We’re going to find Leo. You should wait here. The moms will be preparing dinner.”

“Oh, okay. How about your father?”

“Looks like we missed him? My dad went to the lord’s castle… Apparently, the new lord keeps asking him questions.”

“Ah, I see. Since it’s the Young Lord’s first time overseeing the territory. He seems like a nice person… then I’ll be on my way.”

Uncle Noel left for home.

We crossed the Ainar Tribe town, eventually arriving at a wooden house with decaying corners. The unkempt yard was overgrown with weeds, peaceful yet eerie.

“Excuse me.”

There was no reason for someone from the Ainar Tribe not to enter someone else’s home from the same tribe.

Leo, their civilized guy, took the lead and took the door handle. Inside was filled with a musty dust smell…

“Lera! Come in! Just talking about you!”

It was the home of Old Man Boris.

He was drunk again, thanks to whoever brought the booze, and Leo was sitting in front of him. Without even furniture, they were sitting on the bare floor with a campfire lit.

You could tell at a glance.

Old Man Boris was droning on, regaling tales of his glory days while the boy was likely mesmerized by his drunken ramblings. Leo’s eyes sparkled, being just 12 years old.

That could be expected, but he should be believing in someone credible. I grabbed Leo’s arm and pulled him up.

“Old Man Boris, that’s enough. Even so, bringing the child here like this isn’t decent.”

“Huh? I didn’t bring him! I was saying, Lera, I was just talking about you.”

“Oh, I can only guess it’s about my sword. I’ve heard it a hundred times.”

“Indeed! Do you even realize how great that sword you have is? The first time I saw that sword was at the mysterious temple of Antalopf Canyon… Did I tell you? I stayed there for a day. That sword was stuck right in the middle of the temple, and when I woke up…”

“Yeah, yeah. It disappeared without a trace. The sword and the temple. You said it was Lord Lachar’s domain. Got it? I’ve got to go now. Let’s go, Leo.”

I dragged Leo along.

But behind me, the sound of Old Man Boris drunkenly rambling continued endlessly.

“Lera! You’re going to do great things. Having a divine weapon means just that. Truly! You’re going to do great things! Things that I didn’t even get to do… What was I talking about? Right. I went to the monastery to return a brass goblet. The Holy Kingdom, you see. There was a volcano called Bomel there, and below it was the church of Binard. I managed to cross the lava but couldn’t open the door… And in the southern sea vastness is the temple of Namir… in the eastern marshes is the deity Boar… Oh? Where were we? Lera! You’re going to do great things! Having a divine weapon means just that…”

Ugh, I can’t stand this.

I stepped outside, leaving behind the ramblings of the old man, the persistent nuisance of our Ainar Tribe. I decided to say something to ensure Leo wasn’t fooled.

“Old stories can be fun, but don’t get too into it. Especially the nonsense that old man says. This sword isn’t a divine weapon or anything.”

That’s right. There wouldn’t be such a thing.

This was an heirloom that my late grandfather left for me, and my dreams were far too simple for me to do great feats.

I’m going to become a knight, marry Leo, and live here at Abrival Castle like Uncle Noel.

There’s no way someone like me would do something significant. I might have been thrilled by the madman’s words as a child… Haha! I’m not as naive as I used to be. I’m about to come of age.

Tsk tsk. I hope Leo doesn’t get any silly ideas…

Leo, still holding onto my hand, stared off into the distance. And before long, something happened.

Leo disappeared.

Along with Boris.

Someone testified that they saw them riding a massive horse towards the Holy Kingdom, but there were no hoofprints to be found anywhere.

1) Look at that!