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145. Engagement – Danger

“Kurh… Pheeew… Kurh… Pheeew…”

Inside the returning carriage, Elson’s snores tickled the ears of Lena and Leo in a rhythmic manner.

Aside from that, the carriage was quiet. Lena had not spoken a word, and Leo remained silent.

Mother.

Having no memories of the past, Leo felt nothing particularly emotional even when seeing her grave. However, judging from the reactions of his uncle and Lena, they seemed to know something.

Since bowing to his mother’s grave, Lena had become mute, and Elson had patted my shoulder…

And awkwardly smiled. It was a forced grin that seemed to cover up his bitter and regretful feelings.

“Phew…”

Leo sighed, resting his chin on his arm on the carriage’s windowsill. However, that sigh, timed with Elson’s snores, only made Lena quieter, complicating Leo’s emotions further.

Why did my uncle bring me to my mother’s burial site?

Despite being extremely tired, he had urged me to that dilapidated place as if it were necessary.

Thinking back, despite going through several loops, no one had mentioned anything about mother.

The only thing Minseo had managed to figure out in the first loop was that “Mother passed away early,” and since then, no one had shown any interest.

Mother seemed of no use in ‘clearing’ the scenario.

Looking out the window, Leo thought it was better that he had no memories. After all, there was no longing.

Leo relaxed his tense jaw. When he turned his head, he met Lena’s gaze, and he offered her a faint smile as she fidgeted with anxiety.

As long as Lena is happy. That’s all that matters to me.

Nothing more than that.

He cautiously felt Lena’s hand reach for his. Their rough yet warm hands briefly fiddled together until the carriage arrived at Danika Avenue.

“Yawn. Smack… We’ve arrived. I guess I’ll just go in and sleep more since working today is a no-go.”

“What about the runaway mercenaries?”

“Oh right. I forgot about them. I should tell them to come back.”

Elson stretched his stiff body and entered the first alley. When the wall etched with various curses and resentments appeared, Lena spoke up.

“Why are you leaving this wall untouched? It’s been a while since the civil war ended.”

“Huh? This? Haha, it’s forbidden to remove such inscriptions in Barnau. It’s not exactly a law, but, well… there’s just a kind of atmosphere about it. And,”

– Knock knock.

As Elson tapped on the five-hinged door, he continued.

“People actually know deep down. They know they’re blaming the wrong people. They just need someone to vent their frustration on, and since they can’t blame the king, they vent it like this. I didn’t name the mercenary group Dexter for no reason. It was okay to change it, though. Well, it wouldn’t be a lie to say I had no intention of riding off my younger sibling’s fame…”

The door suddenly swung open. Yuan immediately asked upon opening it.

“What happened? Was it resolved smoothly?”

“Yeah. Thanks to Leo, we even got more work. We need to hire more mercenaries. Oh, and son, could you go tell the office to catch the ones that ran away yesterday?”

“Sure. Is that all I need to pass on?”

“Hmm… Make sure to pick up some drinks on the way. It would feel wrong not to have a drink with my nephew. You know how to drink, right? Good. Make sure to buy something expensive.”

“Understood. You must be tired, so please rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Yuan ushered his father inside and stepped outside. Lena tried to greet him with a “Have a safe trip,” but Leo subtly blocked her.

He made a gesture as if to say he would greet him instead, lightly placing his hand on his chest.

What is this?

Lena looked back and forth between Leo and Yuan with a confused expression. It was probably just her misunderstanding, but for a moment, it seemed like the two were glaring at each other.

*

“Haap!”

Lena’s sword quickly plunged down. Leo’s attacks, seen while hunting Spirit Reindeer, clumsily unfolded from her hands.

Once more.

“Haap!”

Lena slowly raised her sword and, with utmost focus, struck down again. She never swung her sword carelessly.

After swinging it hundreds of times over several months, Lena seemed to understand the meaning within the strikes.

An obsessive mindset that avoided leaning toward any direction. Completely pouring all her attention onto the trajectory of the sword, a pure stubbornness clearly emanated from her.

‘Was Leo like this?’

Realizing this made Lena somewhat bewildered. The Leo she knew was young and surprisingly practical, taking care of everything.

However, the swordsmanship Leo had recently shown hinted at a completely different persona, making Lena Ainar find him even more intriguing.

Leo had this side to him.

It felt like peeking into the secret inner world of a lover, making her happy.

Lena turned her head. A few steps away, Leo was deep into his training.

His training was vastly different from before. Rather than wielding the sword, he was repeating physical techniques that improved his body.

‘That’s fundamental, but… has he had enough of swordsmanship practice?’

Curiously, Lena briefly squatted to cool down from her sweat. Watching Leo showcase the Akaiyan Empire’s traditional martial arts technique called ‘Hiberuna’, she suddenly sprang up and tackled him.

“Yap! Die!”

Lena’s fist flew towards him. Aimed under the left armpit and at the ribs, the punch was blocked by Leo’s elbow guard, revealing his smiling face.

“Haap!”

Leo’s punch was coming straight for Lena’s face.

A slow attack.

Lena realized his intention. That was just to grab her attention, and soon he would counter-attack with the guarded arm.

Lena pivoted on her right foot, turning as if to lean on Leo and thrust her elbow at his head, but Leo had no reason to simply take it.

He stepped right and placed Leo in front as Lena turned left. With a duck to avoid the incoming elbow, he slammed down into the ground.

Leo grabbed her waist and lifted her up. Had this been a real fight, he would have kneed her in the face, but instead, Lena playfully slapped his back.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? This isn’t funny.”

“Hahaha. Right. Should we take a lap around the yard like this?”

“What? Hey! Hey!”

Leo started running.

Lena, slung over his shoulder, shouted, “Let go! Are you seriously doing this?” as she struggled, but Leo did not stop.

“Ouchouchou, Lena. That hurts.”

“If it’s painful, then put me down!”

Lena groped around and pulled on Leo’s ear. He promptly let her down, and just as Lena was about to give him a piece of her mind, Leo wrapped her up in a hug.

Pat-pat, Leo’s chest was broad and warm as he held her and patted her back. However,

“Um, excuse me…”

“Eek!”

A servant was watching us from a distance. He quickly cleared his throat and said, “The master has summoned Lady Lena and Young Master.” and hurriedly stepped away, but by that time, Lena had already pushed Leo away.

“…That was a bit much.”

“Haha. Sorry.”

Leo approached. He cupped her flushed cheeks and leaned in for a kiss, which Lena did not refuse.

*

“You’re here. Have a drink.”

Lena and Leo entered the house after washing up at the well. The dining table awaited them with various snacks and cups.

As Elson poured the wine, Lena and Leo humbly accepted the expensive crystal glasses.

Sitting beside Elson was Yuan, who merely stared at his glass, saying nothing.

“To think the day would come to drink with my nephew and niece. Time is fleeting yet joyous. But when are you planning to get married? It’s been about a year since your engagement, right?”

“Yes. But about marriage…”

“We’re going to do it after we both become knights. We plan to postpone it until then.”

Hearing Leo’s words, Lena quickly turned her head. She stared at him, and Elson picked up the conversation.

“After becoming knights, huh… Ha ha ha. You’re quite confident. To be fair, I haven’t seen your skills yet, but if you can catch a Marquis’s knight, Leo, you’d already be at the level to join the knight order. Are you planning to take the entrance exam?”

Leo drank a sip of wine and replied.

“No. I’m planning to participate in the Maunin Tournament.”

There were two ways to become a knight in the Austin Kingdom apart from becoming a noble’s knight.

One was to take the entrance exam for the royal knight order, just like any other kingdom, and the other was to gain a place by winning the ‘Maunin Tournament,’ held annually in early summer.

Originally, this Maunin Tournament was called the ‘Maunin-Letii Tournament.’

It was held to honor the achievements of King Maunin, who secured independence for the north from the Empire, and Queen Letty, on the founding day of the Asran Kingdom. However, after the Nine-Day War, the Asran Kingdom split into Austin & Aster Kingdoms, leading to some changes in the tournament.

It became impossible for both kingdoms to hold the same tournament, so the Austin Kingdom hosted the Maunin Tournament while the Aster Kingdom held the Letii Tournament.

“A tournament, huh… doesn’t seem like the best choice. As you all know, joining the knight order through competitions can be quite tough. Especially for Lena.”

Elson glanced at Lena with a worried look.

And understandably so, those who became knights through the tournament often faced discrimination.

No matter how fiercely they competed, many ended up being considered underqualified for knighthood, resulting in them being branded even as they joined.

This was fatal given that the knight order was essentially structured with two knights, a mentor and a subordinate, forming teams.

Yet in that context, a warrior from a barbarian tribe like Lena would likely be dismissed outright. The notion of “What could you do with a sword?” would be verbally thrown at her.

“I’m fine!”

Lena boldly exclaimed. ‘Did Leo know I was postponing marriage?’ she thought, speaking confidently.

“Maybe if you lacked skills, it’d be justified. But doing so despite not lacking them is just petty and mean. I don’t think we should back down out of fear from that. Once we prove our skills, things will improve gradually.”

“Well…”

While that statement was true, was the world that kind? Elson, having lived a miserable knight’s life, couldn’t help but worry.

“Right. Well, since you’re determined, I have nothing to say. There’s no guarantee you’ll even place in the tournament anyway. Hahaha. But wait a moment…”

Elson mischievously pointed out facts and rubbed his chin.

“I’m not sure if the Maunin Tournament will even be held this year. Because of the war, it might not happen. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen any announcements about it. There’s only about a month left until Maunin’s birthday… I should check into this.”

From then on, the drinking party continued without anything too remarkable. The garrulous Elson shared trivial stories cheerfully, and his son, Yuan, occasionally nodded along.

Eventually, the surprisingly lightweight Elson stood up. The tipsy Lena seemed set to head to her room, but then said,

“Leo, want to sleep together? Hmm~ it feels a bit big to use the room alone…”

And subtly grabbed Leo’s hand. After a moment’s hesitation, Leo—

– Pat!

“Ouch! Why did you hit me?”

He flicked Lena on the forehead.

“Just because. Hahaha. Wait a moment, I’ll wash up at the well.”

“Ugh. Get lost. You can’t come in. Am I crazy? Just try to come in!”

Lena stomped off into the room. Leo paused for a moment, hand resting on the closed door. Hearing her mumble inside, he made a resolution in the darkness.

Lena. This time, no matter what, I will make you happy.

Turning around, he marched straight back, but where he was headed wasn’t to the well outside. He returned to the dining room, flopped down, and directly addressed Yuan, who was still absentmindedly fiddling with his crystal glass.

“Who are you?”

It was to preemptively remove a danger greater than Count Brina.