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128. Childhood Friend – End

“Bad guy! Bad guy! Bad guy!”

While Lena Ainar was training with the knights at Bidorin Castle, she had a huge fight with Leo Dexter. Leo, who had been acting coldly for a while, suddenly disappeared without a word at dawn.

When Lena woke up in the morning, she realized that Leo, who shared the room with her, was gone and began to wander around, asking anyone she could find if they knew where Leo had gone.

No one knew his whereabouts.

Countless thoughts raced through Lena’s mind as she was left alone. Could it be that Leo returned to his hometown? No matter how cold he had been to her lately, surely… surely he wouldn’t do that.

What if something happened to him? Feeling anxious, she spent her days on edge, but a week later, Leo returned.

He casually came back late at night and made a ridiculous excuse to the worried Baron Agatha and his wife that he had been “looking for monsters.”

Naturally, Lena got angry.

“You! How could you just disappear without saying anything to me! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!”

However, Leo said nothing. He flopped down on the bed as if tired and turned his back to her.

Hah!

Dumbfounded, Lena yelled. She cursed loudly without caring who heard her, but Leo didn’t budge.

In the end, furious Lena stormed out of the room. She stomped down the cold corridor, hurling insults like “bad guy! bad guy!” but gradually calmed down.

What on earth was going on with Leo?

She felt angry, resentful, and like a fool for being engaged to such a man, yet she couldn’t let him go.

Leo… he had to be my first and last love.

Calming down, Lena Ainar wandered the corridor throughout the night, trying to understand him.

Thinking back, ever since Leo’s swordsmanship skills had shot up, he had displayed a different attitude.

He had been avoiding her with a dazed expression and spoke curtly. Especially after she had made a big mistake while catching a monster called “Spirit Reindeer,” he hadn’t even spoken to her anymore.

“Right… he’s distancing himself because I’m not skilled enough.”

Leo must have been disappointed in her since her skills were far below his. Otherwise, someone’s attitude wouldn’t change overnight like that.

“He said he didn’t hate me. Leo… he wants me to follow him again. That’s right. If not, why would he have asked me to go train with him? Honestly, it’s true that my skills are lacking to join the Maunin Tournament…”

Although Leo’s changed behavior was disappointing, Lena made up her mind.

Leo’s skills were truly impressive, but she didn’t think they were so far beyond her reach that she couldn’t catch up. If she trained hard, she felt she could eventually match him again.

Lena Ainar returned to her room.

Glancing at Leo, who was still turned away, she spread a blanket on the floor and fell asleep.

After that, Lena immersed herself in sword training. Ignoring Leo’s words about leaving, she tirelessly practiced under Sir Brian’s guidance when Baron Berger Agatha brought some good news.

“I have good news. The royal family has requested a large number of knights and squires to be dispatched. They have also asked for anyone skilled in swordsmanship, and if they meet the requirements, they will be immediately granted the rank of squire. This is a great opportunity for those wishing to become knights. We’ve also selected a few to depart. Sir Brian will be leading, so it would be good for you to set off together.”

This was truly great news. In her excitement, Lena, feeling a bit flustered, declared on Leo’s behalf, “I’ll go!”

Lena and Leo set off for Lutetia with the squires from the Agatha family.

Due to the tight schedule set by the royal family, they had to push themselves quite hard even on horseback, but Leo’s behavior was a bit weird.

It was no longer surprising that he was acting coldly toward her, but he was clearly restless. He constantly looked around with a bewildered expression as if he had taken a wrong turn and suddenly blurted out random thoughts.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Lena was puzzled but still angry, so she simply huffed and ignored him.

They finally arrived in Lutetia just in time, and after a brief examination by the Knights Order, they were granted the rank of squire. Although becoming a squire was easier than becoming a knight, it was strange they were awarded it so simply.

The reason for this soon became clear.

An Apostle of the Evil God had appeared in the Orun Kingdom. The Frederick Royal Family was organizing a mission to eliminate it.

“Please cooperate with us. The Apostle of the Evil God is an enemy of all mankind. If we succeed in subduing it, there will be great rewards. Knights will receive horses and high-quality swords, while squires will receive the knight rank.”

There was no reason to refuse.

Before being someone wishing to become a knight, it was a duty for anyone wielding a sword, so Lena, the Agatha family’s squires, and Sir Brian all resolved to join in.

To her surprise, even Leo willingly participated, though the reason was unclear.

However, after joining the mission led by the prince, Leo noticeably relaxed and wandered around within the troop heading south toward the Orun Kingdom.

What on earth was going on with him…

Thus, Lena trained with Uncle Brian (whom she had grown close to and decided to call him that) whenever there was a chance, accompanying the troop, and in the sweltering summer, they joined the mission team of the Cross Church to set up camp.

“Wow… how many people are there? Oh my, there are so many Holy Knights.”

This was the first time Lena had seen so many priests. It was her first time seeing Holy Knights, and with hundreds of them bustling about, she could truly feel the might of the Cross Church.

‘At this point, even if the Apostle of the Evil God appeared, it doesn’t seem like I would have much to do?’ — she thought, but the expressions of the priests and Holy Knights were tense.

Everyone was nervously glancing south, and even Lena, who had been somewhat lighthearted, and the squires kept their conversation light as they awaited the day of battle.

At that time, something amusing happened.

While sparring with Lena as usual, Brian suddenly dashed off, startled by the sight of a royal guard accompanying the prince.

“Lord, Lloyd! So you’re alive!”

“…Who?”

“It’s me! Don’t you remember? It’s Brian. I was a squire from the Baron Agnak family, and I left to become a Holy Knight at the Monastery Church…”

“Shh!”

The blue-eyed royal guard with a big scar across his right cheek quickly covered Brian’s mouth and whisked him away somewhere.

It was only after a while that Brian returned with his eyes swollen. When Lena asked what had happened, he only mumbled something about “meeting someone he hadn’t seen in a long time.”

However, they seemed to be extremely close, as the two met often. Thanks to this, Lena and Leo occasionally chatted with the royal guard, and eventually, they were even introduced to the prince, receiving several dinner invitations.

Lena loved having meals with the prince.

Whether it was out of politeness, Leo dropped his curt manner and spoke more openly. The prince seemed to have a good impression of Leo, as they carried on small talk joyfully, providing Lena with delightful moments.

After finishing the meal and saying goodbye to the prince, Leo reverted to his usual gruffness…

“Bad guy. Just wait. If I can skillfully combine Uncle Brian’s sword techniques with Uncle Noel’s…”

Uncle Brian’s swordsmanship, which utilized ‘Forte’ to transcend into his own unique style, was really appealing.

‘Concealing the leisure of a one-point strike’ had great compatibility with Uncle Noel’s techniques, and the more she researched, the more effective sword paths she discovered.

It was during this time, as Lena began to solidify her own style, that the decisive moment drew near.

A young man on a black horse appeared. The Apostle of the Evil God was advancing, dyeing the vast plain red, making himself the pinnacle of a malevolent presence.

With a disdainful gaze directed at the land, he exuded a terrifying aura, causing the knights of the mission to tense and swallow hard.

Lena felt a strange sensation. He was definitely a bad guy… but strangely, he didn’t seem that bad.

[ Achievement: First Encounter with Lena – Lena has a strong fondness for Leo. ]

– Snap!

Lena slapped her own cheek, trying to erase the useless thoughts.

That guy is a bad guy. But somehow he resembles Leo a bit… No, how could such a skinny guy possibly resemble Leo?

While Lena was off in her own thoughts, the situation on the battlefield was escalating rapidly. The cavalry that had charged had returned with losses, and the squires were stuck in a packed formation, unable to move.

Lena, who didn’t know much about tactics, couldn’t understand why they had to stay put like this.

Isn’t fighting just about charging in and beating whatever you see? Why do they keep pulling some units forward and then uselessly stopping, training like a dog on commands? The enemy is right in front of us.

However, Lena’s questions reflected the thoughts of a warrior ignorant of the nuances of group tactics.

In fights between ten and a hundred people, tactics are not very useful. However, when a thousand face off against ten thousand, the outcome could change if ten thousand charge mindlessly while a thousand maintain a formation.

Yet, unable to go against the commander’s order, Lena grumbled while holding her position when suddenly, the Apostle of the Evil God fell off his horse.

Why he fell, she didn’t see, but the mission troops erupted in cheers, “Wow!” However, that cheer quickly turned to horror.

“Whoa! What is happening?”

Thorny trees began to sprout up randomly.

If one got stuck by those thorns, their flesh would be shredded apart.

Thanks to the blessing received yesterday, the trumpet’s sound, which had previously been insignificant, grew unbearably loud, and the red trumpet symbol hanging in the sky became too large to tell if it had gotten bigger or just dropped closer.

The view turned red and dark.

The densely sprouted thornbushes had long since shattered the formation of the mission troops. The squires started retreating towards the silhouette of a white giant visible through the thorny bushes. Though it wouldn’t be easy due to the thorny vines…

“Leo! Over here. Are you okay?”

Lena was the first to look for Leo. He seemed to have had bad luck, caught up in the rising thorn bushes and was cautiously trying to shake himself free.

“I’ll help you. You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Let go. I can get down myself.”

No matter how curtly Leo spoke, Lena raised her hand high to provide him something to step on to help him down.

“You! You bastard!”

At that moment, Leo suddenly spat out curses.

Has this guy finally lost his mind?

Looking up, she saw Leo close to tears, shedding his cold demeanor as he apologized profusely.

“Lena, I’m sorry. What should I apologize for first? I’m sorry I couldn’t help when you fell off the horse last time, sorry for sneaking off to hunt, and sorry for turning my back and lying down then. I didn’t mean it. I was awake then. No, I wasn’t asleep. I was listening to everything…”

“What on earth is this idiot talking about?”

His sudden shift in attitude was absurd, but a smile crept onto Lena’s face. She could feel all the resentment built up melting away in an instant. Ahh— I shouldn’t be so soft-hearted. I need to teach him a lesson someday…

“If you have time to say that, hurry and get down. We need to retreat quickly…”

“What the hell are you doing! Stop!”

With a sharp pain, Lena looked down in confusion at her chest. There was an object sticking out of it that she couldn’t understand.

What the hell is this glowing red thing…?

“Y-you bastard… Aah, Lena! Lena! Nooooo!”

Lena’s vision went dark. Struggling to look up at Leo’s desperate cries, she collapsed, burying her face in the thorns.

[ Forced End: Lena’s Murder 1/3 ]

A message popped up for Reb.