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192. Engagement – Marching

The happy days at Abrival Castle didn’t last long. News of war broke, and the stationed troops grew restless.

As a Temporary Knight, Leo was able to observe the entire process. Lord Dialo Brina summoned the key figures of the military, such as the general, supply officer, and knights, and informed the chief of the Ainar Tribe that a mobilization order had been issued.

They requested a priest to be sent to the church according to the wartime manual, but it was refused. The Cross Church had already given orders to stay out of church affairs, as if they had foreseen the war breaking out.

Abrival Castle became busy. They picked soldiers to go to the battlefield and pulled out the military supplies stacked in the storage.

From the basement of the lord’s castle to the outer parade ground, soldiers lined up, passing wooden crates to one another as they marveled.

“Can you believe this day has come?”

“Right? Thanks to Knight Leo, it’s a lot easier for us.”

It was noise of Leo’s reputation rising.

In truth, Leo Dexter’s reputation was nearly at rock bottom. The brief goodwill he earned with his non-newbie demeanor quickly faded, and—

“We’re running low on supplies.”

“We need to wash the blankets and tents.”

“The condition of the weapons in the armory is poor. They’re all rusted, and half of them are broken. We need to repair them quickly.”

All sorts of regulations were brought up, and work began.

And they were all correct.

Since Abrival Castle served as a military stronghold, it was obligated to keep dried food on hand. The same went for military supplies to be sent to the front lines.

However, Abrival Castle was facing the Jerome Holy Kingdom. It was a kingdom where war usually wouldn’t break out, so the sense of caution was undeniably lax. They were negligent in stocking supplies, and if weapons broke, they often just swapped them out for others sitting in the storage.

It was an old practice of Abrival Castle.

The soldiers deployed were supposed to return after a year anyway, so they didn’t raise issues, but a New Knight challenged this practice.

Ultimately, the soldiers dusted off years of accumulated dirt. They polished the rusty weapons and loaded the broken ones onto carts to send to the blacksmith. In the cold winter, they massively washed the blankets and tents.

It was hardly surprising that the gazes on Leo turned sharp. The soldiers scoffed at Leo, calling him naive.

But then war broke out. Faced with the urgent need to deploy, public opinion flipped.

If they hadn’t spent two months preparing military supplies, the soldiers would have had to work day and night, so they viewed Leo, who had saved them from such hard labor, in a different light.

“I… I’m sorry… I was the stupid one, not you, Knight.”

Even the supply officer, who had been looking down on Leo, apologized sincerely. He sighed with relief, nearly ready to strip off his clothes.

Thanks to this, the preparations for deployment ended smoothly. Within just three days, the army finished all their preparations and left Abrival Castle.

The sounds of drums and horns echoed from the castle. Leo, mounted on his horse, glanced back. Soldiers and warriors filled the winding downhill path, and he was leading the way. Lena was guarding the cart loaded with supplies alongside other squires.

What will happen this time?

Phew. Taking a deep breath, Leo turned his head. Now, survival was no longer the only goal, and he gripped the reins tightly.

[ You have died. 5/5 – The player shares life with Leo. ]

Of course, this was the last life. Even if I die, I’ll restart from the beginning when my turn resets, but Minseo would likely have a hard time. From now on, he absolutely must not die.

And I know there’s a very simple way to avoid death. If it really comes down to it, I could…

just kill Lena first.

It was a thought Minseo had right after realizing there was a limit on the number of deaths. It’s a grim notion, but there’s no denying such a method exists. Similar situations have happened before.

[ Forced termination: Kill Lena 2/3 ]

If Lena dies, the game will be forcibly terminated, which is such a bizarre restriction, but this had nothing to do with the engagement scenario.

2/3. I can’t be sure the counters for the achievements are mixed up, but it’s likely I need to kill Lena in each scenario ‘by type’ to force a termination.

So, killing Lena Ainar, who is already included in the counter, wouldn’t matter…

Ugh! Leo Dexter, feeling quite disgusted, spat on the ground. The spit just happened to land on the helmet of a passing soldier.

What a nauseating thought. This is something that can never happen, and I won’t let it.

Moreover, while Minseo thinks the game will end if he dies, Leo was judging the situation quite differently.

The game will not end.

Whether Minseo is there or not, the remaining turns will repeat, so thinking it all ends if he dies is arrogant. What is he even thinking?

Leo scoffed for a moment. Exhaling roughly, he soon took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

This is merely a rational speculation about potential scenarios. Knowing Minseo wouldn’t treat Lena that way anymore, Leo apologized to the soldier who got splattered. The soldier was offended but forgave the young knight.

Now, let’s think again.

[ You have died. 5/5 – The player shares life with Leo. ]

In this turn, I absolutely must not die. Although the game can progress without Minseo, it would be extremely troublesome.

Without Minseo, I won’t receive any memories. If I die in this turn, there will be serious problems in the next scenario, which is the Beggar Siblings’ turn.

What would Prince Leo do without any memories? Would he become a fool without past experiences? Or will he finally become the true Leo without impurities?

I don’t know.

But even if I become the real Leo, having no memories wouldn’t bring any benefits.

I won’t know what achievements or abilities I have, who the dangers are, and who the helpful people are. If I don’t know what will happen next, there’s no chance of clearing it, let alone a happy ending.

Additionally, since each scenario is slightly intertwined, there were things that needed to be done for one another.

Honestly, I have nothing to do with the other Leos… but I don’t want to be that harsh either. I want to do something for my younger sister Lena, who eventually died at my hands.

And also for ‘my’ Lena.

“It would be good to set up camp around here.”

At that moment, the guide, who had gone ahead, returned. He informed them that there was a suitable clearing nearby for camping. As the sun was setting, the knights agreed.

Soon, the campsite was set up. Leo busily moved around, encouraging the weary soldiers, and soon pegs were planted, marking a 600-meter by 800-meter area.

It was just a campsite for one night, but they couldn’t sleep carelessly. Always preparing for the worst-case scenario—that’s the reason for the military’s existence.

Fortunately, the soldiers had no trouble in organizing themselves. Being professional soldiers, they erected the fortifications skillfully and soon leisurely rested in the tents they had quickly set up.

The issue was with the warriors recruited from the Ainar Tribe. Perhaps it was their first experience marching fully armed all day, as they all trudged along. Their skills at setting up tents were lacking, and Lena was no exception.

“Leave it to me. I’ll do it.”

“Oh, please.”

Lena was struggling to set up the tent. Although she had been trained as a squire all winter, she had only practiced once, and her skills were quite poor.

Seeing this, Leo attempted to help her. But Lena exclaimed, “I can do it!” and shoved him back. After much hardship, the tent was finally completed.

“Done! How is it? Is it okay?”

Not okay. It was a tent for a knight, yet the entrance was sagging and shapeless. Leo chuckled and quietly asked,

“What about your tent?”

“……Ah.”

“Let’s just go inside for now. Let’s eat first.”

The meal was brought by a squire instead of a trainee knight. It was a funny situation with the roles reversed, but the soldiers, realizing that Lena and Leo were engaged, snickered and offered to let her take her portion first.

“Take off your socks first.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because I said so.”

They had also brought hot water from the kitchen. Inside the sagging tent, Leo grabbed Lena’s foot and pulled off her socks.

As expected, there were plenty of blisters on her feet.

She was clumsy. The squires had been subtly alternating between riding in the cart, but Lena didn’t know how to do that. Lena, who struggled to march despite not being able to walk well, was foolish, but that made her all the more lovable…

“Ah! What are you doing?! Let go?!”

– Thud!

For some reason, Lena kicked out. Leo grabbed his sore jaw and shouted, “Hey, you idiot! I told you to soak your feet in here!”

After a brief scuffle, awkwardness settled in. Lena apologized, “Hehe, I’m sorry. I thought you were trying to do something weird to me.”

“…Well, now let’s eat.”

Clatter – a sound echoed.

Lena chuckled awkwardly before falling silent. Soaking her feet in the small tub felt strange.

She sat with her knees tightly together, looking very tidy. Lena felt shy and stole glances at Leo, who was quietly eating.

At that moment, Leo spoke.

“Let’s just use this one tent. There’s plenty of room, so we don’t need to pitch another one.”

“…S-sounds good?”

Leo said it nonchalantly, but Lena’s face turned red. Luckily, the setting sun’s red light provided cover. If not, she might have been found out.

They finished their meal.

Lena hurriedly tidied up the dishes. “You sit and rest; since you set up the tent, I’ll do the dishes.” When Leo said this, “Stop! This is my job!” she yelled and went outside.

Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.

That hurt a lot. Thanks to soaking her feet in hot water, they seemed a bit better than before, but they cried out, still remembering their brief rest.

After finishing the dishes, Lena waddled back, balancing on the balls of her feet. It felt like her feet were hurting more now than when she was marching, so she dunked them back into the water.

Leo was nowhere to be seen. Thinking he might have just stepped out to work, Lena blushed again.

Sitting at the tent’s entrance, wrapping her knees, felt embarrassing. She felt like a shy bride waiting daintily for her husband to return, making her heart flutter. Normally, I would have cleared my throat and practiced swordsmanship to distract myself, but right now, my feet hurt too much to do that.

‘…Where did he go?’

When have I ever waited for Leo?

I was always too busy trying to catch up, and whenever he knocked, the door was always flung open. Sitting here, stuck waiting, made Leo’s absence feel even greater.

At that moment, Lena pulled something from her itchy pouch. It was the hand mirror Leo had given her, and she looked at herself.

What a mess.

Her hair was matted with sweat from marching all day, and her face wasn’t clean either. Her swordsmanship was terrible, and she couldn’t even set up a proper tent. But—

Leo loves me as I am.

Lena gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She felt happy, but a bittersweet emotion stirred within her.

He loves someone like me…

It felt belittling.

I don’t like that.

Lena stood up. Splash. Looking at the swaying water jug, she thought, ‘Should I wash my face a bit?’ But she tucked the hand mirror away and picked up her sword. Enduring the pain in her feet, she brought her sword down.

“Lena, don’t push yourself too hard.”

But it didn’t last long. Leo returned, and perhaps intending to refill the water, he was holding a steaming water jug in his hand.

Lena lost herself between swelling emotions and shrinking self-esteem. In a daze, she followed Leo’s hand back to the water, and fortunately, the setting sun provided her with a good excuse.

So, this too, is just an excuse.

Lena pulled down the sagging entrance flap of the tent.