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148. Engagement – Insight (2)

“Is it over there? Where is it? Just a moment, I’ll ask.”

Lena entered a shop to inquire about directions. In the meantime, Leo Dexter lingered in front of the store, recalling the events of the previous night.

Yuan. I had heard all his story.

“So, what are you planning to do?” — When I asked, Yuan, who had calmly opened up about his situation, fell silent. After a while, he replied, “Please don’t loiter in front of me,” and walked back into his room.

He’s a dangerous one.

I didn’t particularly care about his grudge. However, there seemed no need to escalate matters by either killing him or informing my uncle.

Yuan’s rage was not directed at Lena, and that alone significantly reduced his level of danger.

All I had to do was keep my guard up. Having noticed him, I felt confident that he couldn’t possibly harm me — but then, something suddenly crossed my mind. The ending I faced after breaking off my engagement with Lena had been written like this:

– Born in the capital, Barnau, Leo Dexter… (excerpt)… Leo attempted to apologize, but Lena would never meet him again. He left Abrival Castle and stayed at the Dexter family’s home, spending his days in drink, and when the money ran out, he lived as a mercenary. Leading a meaningless life, Leo died young. –

Why did he die young? Why didn’t I go back to Lena?

It wasn’t suicide. No way could I have chosen that option. Even if I had sunk into despair from unbearable guilt, I would have returned at any time. I would have clung to Lena’s legs, begging pitifully.

But the existence of that Yuan offered me an answer to this question.

A son of an enemy who wasted his days in alcohol just because he broke off his engagement. I could speculate on what Yuan thought as he saw Leo Dexter in such a state…

‘Still need to keep watching for a bit longer, but looks like he’s passed one crisis… then the only remaining threat is Count Brina.’

Nodding with his fingers, Leo recalled another crisis.

What does he want?

I still didn’t know. But after some consideration, Count Brina didn’t feel like a major threat, so Leo’s fingers began to relax.

At worst, it would just be a matter of being politically used. If things got rough, I could always refuse, and though there might be some annoying tasks, the thought of my life being in danger didn’t cross my mind.

As long as I kept hidden the fact that I killed his knight.

“Leo. I found out!”

“Oh? Where?”

“They said to go straight through the alley we passed earlier. This path is really complicated.”

Lena returned.

She pointed toward a narrow alley between shabby storefronts, and the two walked while chatting.

The alley was dark and narrow. Like most paths in Barnau, it was lined with thin gray stones, with small shops selling various items every seven steps. But,

“It seems we’re almost there, but where is it? They said it’s a jewelry shop… hm?”

As Lena walked down the alley, she noticed Leo had gone strangely quiet. Turning around, she found him standing frozen in the middle of the alley.

Pale face.

He looked as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

“Leo?”

“…”

Following his gaze, Lena turned back. But all that was behind her were the narrow alleyway and sporadically opened shop doors.

“Leo? What’s wrong?”

“…Lena. Let’s go back.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

“Lena! Leo! You made it!”

Suddenly, someone burst out of a shop nearby.

“Sis! Hayu. Why is this market so crowded? I’ve been wandering for ages.”

“Haha! You’ve had a hard time. That’s why I didn’t tell you where the store was. But you managed to find it anyway. Now, let’s go inside. Have you eaten lunch?”

It was Ran.

She approached eagerly and led Lena, who chattered, “No, I deliberately didn’t eat,” and “Is this your store?” toward the jewelry shop.

Left behind, Leo clenched his jaw and reached for his sword sheath, following them.

“Hello…”

As they entered the store, a timid boy greeted them. He was undoubtedly Ran’s son. The shopkeeper, who appeared to be his father, politely welcomed the guests.

“Dear. These are the friends I told you about. The ones who hunted the monster together. Lena, Leo, this is my husband. Say hello.”

Introductions were exchanged. However, there wasn’t much for Ran’s husband and Lena to talk about, and Leo maintained a stiff expression, making the atmosphere awkward.

Naturally, it fell upon Ran to smooth things over.

“Well then, I’ll head out today. Is it okay if I just have a drink? I’ll take my little sister with me, so you guys can handle dinner… Sorry! You can just eat on your own.”

“Ha ha. Don’t worry about it. Have fun, but don’t stay out too late. You haven’t been feeling well lately.”

“Got it. I’ll be back early.”

– Smack.

Ran kissed her husband, who sported a bushy beard. Immediately after stepping outside, Lena teased with a mischievous look.

“You two seem really close. It’s the first time I’ve heard you talk like that.”

“I’ve got sins to atone for. Haha. Come on over. Your little sister is here.”

Ran confidently entered the shop right next door.

This shop, too, lacked a wall and yard, but unlike the previous shop that displayed simple leather goods like necklaces and bracelets, here featured mostly cotton products like neck scarves and hair ties.

“Welcome… oh my! Lena, Leo. So glad you could come! It hasn’t been long, but it’s delightful to see you.”

“Hello!”

“Hello!?”

Two children, a boy, and a girl who looked just like Anne greeted them. The girl, presumably Anne’s daughter, had long hair like her mother and was quite pretty, while the boy appeared to be more playful compared to Ran’s son who had been shy moments ago.

“Where’s your dad?”

When Ran asked, Anne pulled her son away from the unfamiliar guests as she responded.

“He stepped outside for a bit. Lena, have you eaten? No? Hm… then how about we eat something while waiting for our husband to come back?”

Before long, a table was placed in the center of the shop, which seemed to double as a workshop where tiny fluff drifted about. Anne produced a modest spread, noting, “I don’t have much ready, but it should tide us over.”

Nibbling on the oddly hard cheese pieces, Anne stated.

“Kids, these warriors hunted the monster together with mom.”

“Oh, come on! That’s a lie!”

“I’m serious. Why would mom lie? You guys didn’t believe it, so I called in witnesses.”

The children’s curious eyes turned towards Lena and Leo. For some reason, Leo still didn’t loosen his tense expression, leaving the obligation to satisfy their curiosity to Lena.

Clearing her throat, she began to describe the ordeal of catching the Spirit Reindeer, using gestures to embellish her story.

“…and then that monster lifted both its legs up high!”

“Lifted them up?”

“Lifted them up?”

The kids eagerly leaned on the table, their hands and chins resting, hanging on to Lena’s every word, while Ran’s son had joined his cousins’ ranks.

“Then, a tremendous wind swept through! It felt like my cheeks were going to freeze off!”

“Wow… that must have been cold.”

“And then? Did you hit it?”

“The sister was so surprised she couldn’t do anything. But at that moment, your moms stood bravely in front of the monster…!”

“Stood in front of it?”

“Stood in front of it?”

“Haha! What’s with the laughter? This cold? This is summer back in my ‘Ice Island’! And with that axe over there…!”

“With the axe!”

“Eek! I’m scared.”

The boys still seemed excited, but Anne’s daughter covered her eyes with her tiny hands. Still, her fingers peeked through to keep an eye on Lena’s lively performance.

Lena suddenly jumped to her feet, startling the kids. Mimicking the action of swinging an axe and the Spirit Reindeer falling, she concluded her performance, making them exclaim, “Wow…!” and clap.

“We’re not out hunting!”

“I’m also not out hunting! I’m just out for a ‘night stroll’!”

The two boys laughed as they pretended to duel (though unarmed). The girl cheered, “Our mom is the best!” as she began to massage the shoulders of Ran and Anne.

The noisy children dashed outside. Finally, at the now peaceful table, Anne smiled cheerfully.

“Thanks. You made us the stars of the show without even mentioning your own stories.”

“Hehe. How was it? Pretty good, right? If you’re grateful, you know about today’s bill… right?”

“Hahaha. Don’t worry about it. But… why has Leo been so quiet since a while ago?”

“I don’t know. He wasn’t like this a bit ago… but now he is.”

“Looks like he doesn’t like kids that much. My husband was like that before I had a son…”

Ran continued to share tales from her newlywed days, with Anne adding chimes to her story. Normally, such topics would lead to complaints about their husbands, but this time it didn’t.

Lena had heard their past during their stay at the hot spring town, so she understood the reason behind it.

The three women chattered for a while. Leo remained quietly in his seat until Anne’s husband returned.

“Hello…?”

Yet, the man who was Anne’s husband looked strikingly similar to Ran’s husband from before.

They were like two peas in a pod, differing only in having no beard; Leo couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

By the same token, Anne asked for her husband’s permission. They stepped outside, expecting to find the kids nearby, but they had vanished without a trace, and Ran and Anne didn’t seem too worried.

While they walked, Lena asked.

“Hey, sister. Are your husbands… brothers?”

“Yes, that’s right. They are brothers. I forgot to mention that back then. We’re related by marriage.”

“Oh…”

In this world, it wasn’t uncommon to have relatively close marriage connections. Nobles often used marriage as a means to solidify alliances, and even commoners saw the bonds of marriage as a form of insurance for both families.

For example, if Ran were to lose her husband early, the now-widowed Ran could seek help from Anne’s family.

Since Ran was Anne’s sister, and by extension, her late husband was the brother of Anne’s husband, they could easily provide help without worry about any awkwardness around the family dynamics.

On the other hand, within the Ainar Tribe, instances of such fruitful ties were rare. On closer inspection, it was simply because the entire tribe was practically related, and they feared the dangers of overly close blood connections.

In any case, while Lena marveled at this, the four of them arrived at an inn located at the South Gate market street.

“Wait here a moment. I’ll go order. You probably have no clue what they sell here, so we’ll just order for you. Is that alright?”

Ran greeted the innkeeper warmly. Sitting stiffly on a shabby chair, Lena observed Leo, who was still gazing seriously, resting his chin on his hands.

“Leo, why have you been this way? Is something on your mind?”

“…It’s nothing. Just… thinking about stuff.”

“What stuff?”

Lena leaned in closely. But Leo swallowed his worries and simply deflected.

This place… is dangerous.

[ Achievement: Holy Woman’s Baptism – Leo gains the {Divine Insight} ability. ]

The alley where Ran and Anne’s shop was located. The floor there was inscribed with Asin’s divine power.

I don’t know who it is.

But from the fact that the remaining divine power was in a pentagon shape, and it was of a much higher caliber than Barbatos’s inverse triangle, I could tell they must be quite the experienced Asin.

With the information gathered from {History of Asin}, Leo Dexter understood what the marks on the ground signified.

It was an altar.

Thanks to Rev’s ‘murder counter,’ I didn’t have to worry about the offering’s efficiency, but the Asin used various techniques to slightly enhance their fraction-level efficiency.

One technique was to turn an entire area into an altar, and the South Gate market, etched with divine power along its complex alleys, had become one such altar.

However, it wasn’t yet complete. It looked like they had only just begun drawing it, as there were no signs on the main street cutting through the center.

Leo anxiously tapped his foot. There were more points of suspicion.

Why did they choose to draw something like this at the South Gate market?

While this is a market, it wasn’t particularly crowded. If they were going to create an altar, it would make more sense to target a residential area.

‘South Gate…’

The worst-case scenario popped into my mind.

Perhaps they were in the process of sketching an altar aimed at the entire capital, Barnau.

This altar was likely one tapping into all eight directions: north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.

Cold sweat trickled down Leo’s back. The thought of an old Asin apostle lurking somewhere in this vicinity made it impossible for him to relax for even a moment.

“Ran, Anne! It’s been a while. But are you still being cautious? I saw you all wandering around at night?”

“…We’re just out for a walk. What’s this about being cautious, it’s not like it’s the Nine-Day War.”

Ran and Anne waved it off awkwardly. The grizzled innkeeper, reminiscing about the past, chuckled.

“Haha, that’s true. But seeing you two like when you were in the vigilante squad brings back memories. What will you have to eat? We just got in some fresh vegetables today. Shall I fry some up?”

At last, Lena, Leo, Ran Abiker, and Anne Abiker sat around the table.

As they tilted their glasses, they engaged in trivial talk as well as conversations about Count Brina.

“It was a major issue when the mercenaries fled, but thankfully, Leo handled it well. He also brought back the mercenaries,” Lena said.

Lena was having a jolly time.

However, the jovial atmosphere wouldn’t last long. Leo, who had been scanning the surroundings distractedly, urged, “Let’s leave. It’s getting too late.”

Feeling disappointed, Lena bid an early goodbye to Ran and Anne. As the two returned home, in a nearby alley of the South Gate market, children were skipping and singing.

“Our mom~ hops this way~ out for~ a night stroll!~”

The cheerful voices of the children echoed hauntingly within the dark alley.