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219. Beggar Siblings – It’s a pretty necklace.

Ugh— Leo stretched his arms.

As the candle wax dripped down, I realized a lot of time had passed, and when I turned to look outside, the blue moon was hanging in the sultry night sky. Lena was still engrossed in her paperwork, scratching away, while Leo had piled the stacks of documents onto the table.

Thanks to the siblings leaning together to work, what used to be a mountain of papers had been split into two piles: one approved and one not approved. For now, the latter was far more numerous.

“Lena, aren’t you sleepy?”

“Not yet.”

There was no way my younger sister would be. Leo unconsciously asked, “Why?” and immediately regretted it.

“I slept during the day.”

“…It’s not good for your health to have your days and nights mixed up. Let’s call it a night for today.”

Lena quietly nodded, leaning back on the sofa as if she wanted to finish reading what she had in hand, while Leo lifted his teacup. As he took a sip, Lena spoke up.

“Hmmm… Brother, Prince Eric did a better job than I expected.”

“Right?”

It seemed Lena had noticed too.

While going through the paperwork, it was unavoidable to come across traces of Eric, the previous prince, and his work was impressively tidy.

He avoided difficult words, and his sentences were concise. Each document maintained a logical structure that made reading easy, with no room for misinterpretation. His handwriting was also beautiful and visually appealing.

Leo couldn’t help but acknowledge that Eric had led the kingdom quite well, despite being an Apostle of the Evil God.

Well, it was just that.

Leo read the last document that Lena handed for him to sign—the funding for the uniform purchases of the Rutina Guards. He put his completion mark next to Prince Eric’s approval signature, finishing today’s work.

Lena, having put down her pen, was back to spacing out.

She had only slept two hours yesterday. Although she desperately wanted to, Leo pulled his sister’s hand.

“Why?”

“Just… should we take a walk?”

“No. I’ve seen the garden too much. From my window, all I can see is the garden. I don’t even feel like going down.”

“Not the garden.”

Leo took Lena to wander around the quiet royal castle. After telling the handmaidens to keep twenty steps back, he personally guided his sister.

They admired the “Hall of Glory,” filled with statues of past kings, and explored the “Hall of Silence,” where various mythical tales were grandly painted on the domed ceiling and walls. They naturally passed by the stairs leading down to the first-floor banquet hall and greeted the occasional royal knights on duty as they headed toward the “Hall of Peace.” In their casual conversation, Lena asked,

“Brother, why was the harbor project canceled? That… down southeast.”

“It seems Prince Eric wanted to impose taxes on Marquis Arne. Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any reason.”

“Oh really? But if it were me, I wouldn’t cancel it. Even if I did, it shouldn’t be so one-sided.”

“One-sided, you say?”

“People must be informed over there. There are many who are looking forward to it, right? Besides, it’s not far from ‘Iber Mage Tower.’”

“Ah… but there are other things to do with the funds meant for there. Like… building schools nationwide. It’s something I promised Cardinal Berg.”

“What’s a school?”

Leo recounted the conversation he had with Cardinal Berg. Lena asked, “Why should we educate the people? It’s a waste,” but eventually agreed.

“Do as you wish. But I don’t think canceling the harbor project completely is a good idea. If there’s a severe lack of funds, scale it down. It wouldn’t be good to ruin relations with the Mage Tower.”

“Understood. I will… no, Ristad!”

“Ristad. Jegun. Dorof. Your Highness, it would be problematic if you all act this way.”

According to the royal contract, a mage who must have been somewhere working suddenly emerged from thin air. The moment he recognized Oriax, he should’ve died, but thanks to Leo’s warning, he saved his own life.

“Long time no see, Ristad Uncle.”

“Greetings, Your Highness. By the way, what brings you to summon me this late at night, Prince?”

“Contact the Iber Mage Tower for me. Actually, there’s been a situation… I retract the cancellation. However, it seems we need to scale down a bit.”

“You think all wizards are friends? I’m from the Corelle Mage Tower. Just send an official document.”

“Indeed. But I already announced the cancellation, and they might have taken offense. Could you reach out to them separately? It would make things smoother.”

“I only have a contract to defend the palace; I’m not responsible for such matters…”

“Please, Uncle.”

Mmmm— the reluctant mage, seeing the princess clasp her hands in request, eventually agreed, “Alright, but this will be the last time. You have nothing else to say, right?” Poof! He vanished into thin air. Leo felt as if he had narrowly avoided a disaster.

He would have to suggest to Cardinal Berg that they start training teachers first. That should buy him some time.

With Ristad gone, Leo and Lena arrived at the Hall of Peace. They stopped in front of the portraits of past queens, where their footsteps came to a halt.

Ainass de Yeriel.

Until a moment ago, the Hall of Glory lacked their father’s statue. Due to the nature of honoring only the deceased, their mother’s portrait hung in the Hall of Peace. The siblings gazed at their mother, whom they were seeing for the first time, in silence.

In the portrait, their mother was breathtakingly beautiful.

Was it a time shortly after being married into the Conrad Kingdom? A girl similar in age and appearance to Lena was smiling brightly.

The difference was that her hair was not blonde; she had deep dimples and her features were sharp and pronounced.

If Lena was a lily, their mother was a richly colored rose—it seemed like the lily had spoken.

“…Where’s Father?”

“He hasn’t woken up yet. According to the cardinal, he’s significantly improved.”

Silence fell. The siblings stared at their mother’s portrait for a while before they both walked to the queen’s third-floor room, silently looking around.

Neither Leo nor Lena had memories of their mother.

They surveyed the room, which had an altar for Akine, trying to guess what kind of person their mother had been. Beautiful jewelry lying around, and with many books, it seemed she enjoyed reading…

– Sparkle

A blue necklace shone in the moonlight reflecting through the window. Remembering something, Leo picked up the blue necklace, and a message floated to mind.

[ Achievement: Bound Item, 1/3 ]

[ Sword – Indestructible. ]

[ Mirror – Unusable. ]

[ Necklace – It’s a pretty necklace. ]

If Minseo had seen it, he probably would have grabbed the back of his neck in shock. But Leo just thought, as it was pretty, while turning it around.

It looked similar to the necklaces my sister and I wore. The same pattern was engraved in relief, just a little larger. Earlier, their mother in the portrait was wearing this.

All the bound items seem to be connected to mother. Why is that achievement counter not going up? It rose when Rev received a mirror from mother.

With realization and curiosity, Leo tucked the necklace into his pocket. Just as he approached his sister, who was fiddling with what their mother might have worn, footsteps echoed. It was Galen, who had been reinstated as a royal knight.

“Your Highness. Sir Bart has arrived.”

*

After sending Lena back to her room, Leo met Bart and his companions. They looked disheveled, as if they had rushed over in a panic.

“Sir Bart. Long time no see.”

I know Bart. We had met before, shared some drinks.

However, Bart probably didn’t have any memory of that, so Leo concealed his elation.

“Wow, Your Highness. I can’t believe you’re alive…”

The weeping knights. But Bart remained silent, kneeling with a deeply dejected expression, and Leo guessed the reason.

“Thank you for all your hard work. The fact that I can return is entirely thanks to you knights. I did visit you, but unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side. Don’t feel too down, and everyone should be reinstated.”

“…What cheek do we have to return? Galen helped the prince’s restoration, but I have done nothing. An unfaithful retainer… I’ll take my leave now. Just meeting the prince during my lifetime is enough.”

Bart said gloomily. His voice laced with regret. Leo wouldn’t accept that.

“Is my life so light? Are my sister’s and my lives? Stand tall. Regardless of what others say, you are the true heroes.”

“However…”

Leo straightened Bart’s crumpled collar. The middle-aged knight, gaunt with protruding cheekbones, was riddled with scars on his face.

“If you dispute my decision one more time, I will consider it a breach of loyalty. Surely, you wouldn’t defy the orders of your prince, would you?”

This was based on the achievement of servant-master relationship. Leo believed that Bart, who would ‘never’ betray him, would follow his words, but the response was a rejection.

“I’m sorry. Please reinstate the others instead. I cannot do that.”

“…Why not?”

“I am not even a knight… nor have I kept my vow.”

Bart drew his sword. It was a longsword made from the melted weapons of his deceased comrades, pulled from its sheath for the first time without any polishing.

“This sword… was made from the weapons of my fallen comrades. I swore to take vengeance with this sword before it breaks, but I could not keep that promise. I have nothing to offer as sacrifice to their spirits, so please do not humiliate me.”

Despite the deep disappointment filling his eyes, Bart remained unwavering.

He was a rigid knight who had lived solely for revenge. Leo realized that persuading him was impossible and withdrew.

“Then what will you do now?”

“…I don’t know. For now, I’ll go bury my fallen comrades in a sunny place. After that…”

Bart sighed.

It seemed he had never thought about life after taking vengeance against Duke Rupert Tertan.

Leo poured him another drink. Bart did not refuse, and as he gulped down the drink, Leo, feeling sorry for him, brought forth a piece of bizarre information that he originally should not have known.

“Are you not thinking of seeking your wife and children?”

“…So Galen has told you. With what face shall I go see my wife? I once tried to find her, but she vanished without a trace. I wonder if she’s doing well… the children must have grown up by now.”

“They are in the Orun Kingdom. A handmaiden in Marquis Gaidan’s territory.”

“…What?”

“Your eldest son got married. He’s about to give birth soon… Your second son is operating a sawmill, and they’re both strapping young men.”

“H-how do you know this, Your Highness?”

“Please don’t ask. Your wife’s name is Marisa, right? I assure you I speak the truth, so trust me and go find her. If you cannot trust that, perhaps contact the church over there.”

“…I understand. I will do that.”

Clinking, leaving the flabbergasted Bart behind, Leo raised his cup. Now, it belonged to Prince Eric. Feeling drowsy, he quickly asked.

“I have something to ask.”

“Yes, please proceed.”

“Why did you take the necklace from Hirie Gaidan?”

“…What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“There’s no need to be surprised; I learned it when I met her. That lady harbors some grudge against you, so you should be cautious when visiting Gaidan Territory. More importantly… please answer quickly.”

Bart shivered.

That necklace. The chilling feeling he had when he first saw the crimson gemstone attached to it came flooding back.

“I don’t even know why I did that. It just felt ominous, and without thinking, I tried to seize and smash it, but no matter what I did, it wouldn’t break. My comrades only said they felt nothing… Ah, could it be related to that… the Evil God that you defeated, Your Highness?”

“Yes, it was connected.”

Leo fell into thought for a moment. It was strange that Bart, who got caught up in the sense of foreboding from looking at the gemstone, had never realized it.

The power of the Evil God isn’t inherently opposed to the Divine Power; it’s merely a different kind of power, so not even priests who handle divine power typically notice it.

But why was Bart apprehensive about it? Did he have something special about him that he sensed the gemstone, clearly from Oriax? Leo found it utterly perplexing.

Even I can’t sense the powers of the Evil Gods unless I have the ‘Divine Power Insight’ achievement…

“What did you do with the necklace afterward?”

I should ask him to give it to me. I want to try breaking it with the Oblivion Blade. ─ He thought, but Bart disappointed him with a short reply.

“I threw it into the sea.”