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30. Childhood Friend – Meeting

“Take care.”

As Woody pulled out the arrow lodged in his butt, he bolted across the plains in shock from the pain.

Leo bitterly clicked his tongue.

They had just barely crossed the border.

It had been a rough journey. They ran into soldiers several times and were chased by rangers. If not for the achievement that increased their speed at the border, they might have died fighting on the spot, but Woody ran like a noble steed, albeit with a clumsy gait.

Thanks to that, they managed to shake off their pursuers.

However, Leo still couldn’t relax just yet, so he decided to avoid the open plains and head back into the mountains.

Woody getting hit by the arrow also influenced his decision.

Since horses couldn’t climb mountains anyway, he figured he might as well send her away while taking the arrow out.

Leo waved his arms over his head. The faint markers that had appeared in his mind scattered due to his neurotic gestures.

What a stroke of bad luck. Why was a Holy Knight out here checking IDs?

“Damn it. Is this what they mean by misfortune?”

There was a message that appeared after killing Hans.

[ Achievement: Civilian Killing – You have killed ‘1’ civilian. Slightly cursed. ]

Though it was a result of the Cross Church blocking the border, Leo blamed his bad luck.

That damned marker!

The scattered markers soon regained their shapes again.

Had he not killed Hans, he wouldn’t have had the Holy Mark at all. That was the only evil deed he committed in this scenario. Killing a dozen bandits… does that count as an evil deed too?

Anyway, he couldn’t go to Lutetia carrying this.

“When will this disappear?”

A whole week had passed, and there was no sign of the mark disappearing.

Eventually, it would go away.

Holy Knights, like priests, use divine power, which gets consumed. Such a mark wouldn’t require much divine power, but surely he didn’t use a lot on mere thugs.

If he had used less divine power, the mark would have disappeared faster.

He thought he would meet Lena soon, but that was all wrong. He would have to live hidden until this mark disappeared.

He couldn’t enter an area governed by the Holy Kingdom. Anyone who saw this mark would report him. It was evidence that he was directly marked as an enemy by a Holy Knight and had a criminal record for evil deeds.

“I heard there are many barbarians living in the Holy Kingdom…”

Leo knew quite a bit about the Holy Kingdom. Thanks to Lena, who had relayed the stories she heard from Priest Leslie. He also learned about the Holy Knight and the mark from her.

He continued northward while climbing the mountain.

The Holy Kingdom was fairly lenient towards barbarians and was the only nation on the continent that did not allow slavery.

By allowing the barbarians’ autonomy, many tribes remained intact, which was different from how northern kingdoms accepted barbarians as citizens.

The Holy Kingdom didn’t care how the barbarians lived, as long as they adhered to the teachings of the Cross Church and didn’t harm the local populace.

Leo planned to stay near a barbarian tribe until the mark disappeared. While he could survive on hunting, he still needed at least minimal trade.

At least it was summer. It wasn’t cold, and the mountains were plentiful with food.

He had learned a lot from Lena. The more he knew, the more abundant the mountains provided sustenance.

He continued to cross mountains, filling his hunger through foraging while avoiding the villages of the Holy Kingdom.

On his journey, he discovered traces of monsters several times.

The southern regions had few threatening animals, but as he headed north, monsters became more frequent.

There was a reason the Ainar Tribe was forming a large hunting team in the engagement scenario.

It’s to hunt the rarely encountered monsters.

Despite what they called monsters, they were essentially the same animals. Monsters like the Old Phantom Fox were just unusually large foxes, which were purely a problem due to their oversized and sleek bodies.

Every time Leo saw traces of monsters, he felt the urge to run for his life. Because of that, his journey to find the barbarian tribe was endlessly prolonged, but he finally discovered a small village hidden in the forest.

In the village surrounded by thick wooden fences, the symbols of the Cross Church and the tribe’s unique emblem were prominently displayed.

*

“…That’s all. Next time, we will learn about the achievements of the Sixth Saint, Udean.”

After the ‘Ancient Theology’ class ended, Lena gathered her books and headed towards the library.

Ancient Theology was the subject Lena struggled with the most.

The village church lacked sufficient books, so she had only heard anecdotes from Priest Leslie and the priests.

She prioritized taking classes she was less familiar with.

With some free time before the next class, Lena hurried her steps to review what she had learned that day.

But she didn’t forget to quickly pray at the small brass chalice in the middle.

This little brass chalice was located on the first-floor staircase, and aside from Lena occasionally offering prayers, it was a rather useless decoration.

‘I’m so happy.’

Ever since coming to the Monastery Church, each day had been touching for her.

Indeed, the classes at the Monastery Church were of high caliber. Lena had diligently studied theology since childhood, but there were still deeper reflections to be had even in basic theology classes.

“Ah! Daniel! Hello.”

She approached an apprentice admiring the newly created mural. He greeted her warmly, bowing his head slightly.

Daniel was a higher-ranking apprentice than Lena. His rank could be identified by the number of threads on his apprentice robe, and he had five threads on his.

He was such a model student, practically living in the library, so he frequently crossed paths with Lena, who often visited.

Despite his friendly appearance, Daniel was rather rigid in his demeanor.

Still, he was extremely kind, and he had meticulously informed Lena of the curriculum. He even recommended his study order, proving to be quite helpful.

“Is this… the moment Saint Azra defeats evil for the third time?”

Daniel looked at Lena, seemingly surprised.

“Wow, you recognized it at a glance. I already knew you were deep into your theological studies, but even I had to take a moment to realize this portrays the scene of him scolding the demons by the banks of the Rodran River.”

“How did Saint Azra resist temptation? Back then, there was neither a church nor divine power.”

“I read a book about ‘The Twelve Achievements of Azra’ where…”

Lena and Daniel exchanged theological discussions in front of the mural for a while before parting ways.

Daniel watched Lena’s departing figure, admiring her inwardly.

This mural was not something easily recognizable. It was easy to mistake it for depicting another story, and even the senior Daniel hesitated in front of it for a moment.

‘Though she’s a woman, she has a remarkable depth of knowledge.’

He held some biases against female priests.

In this era, high positions were predominantly held by men, and the vast majority of priests were men too.

Those hailed as saints were all male, and aside from a few rare female saints chosen by the divine, there were hardly any women who left any noteworthy achievements.

Daniel also held a somewhat negative view towards female saints.

They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Saint Maryel, the current head of the Cross Church, was merely the daughter of a humble noble family before her ascension.

He believed one should not compare the countless saints and female saints who endured hardships to those few exceptional women.

However, Lena appeared special.

Her depth and dedication to her studies somewhat shattered his biases.

‘Did I think wrongly? Well, female priests are rare, but they’re not completely absent.’

Regretful of having judged her with prejudice, Daniel headed to the relic placed at the center of the building. After waiting a moment for others to leave, he knelt down and prayed, confessing his sin of holding biases against her.

Lena didn’t stop by the library.

She had talked way too long with Daniel.

‘Let’s see, the next class is… the etiquette of the Acaian Empire.’

The Monastery Church taught a wide range of subjects, not just theology. Though she hadn’t learned as deeply as in theology, she needed to gain a broad understanding.

Lena chose this class in hopes of learning about the world of nobility, as she didn’t know much about etiquette at all.

The class took place in a small auditorium.

An elderly monk demonstrated etiquette, and the apprentices awkwardly imitated his poses.

Lena flailed her arms and legs about.

“The way to greet a king and duke differs from how you greet a marquis or count.”

‘Do I really have to learn this basic stuff? That old man probably hasn’t even met any of them… How ridiculous.’

Gilbert grumbled as he half-paid attention to the etiquette class.

Now that he was here, Gilbert Forte had to attend classes.

He just had to endure for two more years. After two years of study, the education institution of the Cross Church would issue certificates only to nobles.

Although he had come reluctantly, he felt he needed to take something away to save face, and he intended to endure this irritating life in hopes of charming noble ladies with his Cross Church completion certificate.

There were quite a few classes he had to take, and his attendance and grades needed to be high, so Gilbert picked only the classes he knew well. Etiquette was as simple for him as breathing.

‘Nobody even uses such etiquette these days. They’re teaching nothing but old-fashioned manners.’

The etiquette of the Acaian Empire was still in use, although rarely.

The Belita Kingdom inherited the legitimacy of the Acaian Empire, so this etiquette was mandatory in official settings.

However, it was not used in everyday life. It was only employed by stuffy old folks or heads of noble families, while most nobles preferred more sophisticated and modern manners.

Gilbert scoffed and looked around. Everyone was dressed in drab clothing, diligently following the etiquette.

Boring folks.

‘Huh? That one’s not too bad!’

An attractive apprentice caught his eye. Despite wearing dull and baggy clothes, the girl looked neat and was floundering, unsure of how to move her limbs.

As soon as the class ended, Gilbert hurried over to her to strike up a conversation.

“Excuse me, miss.”

The way she turned around was charming.

“Hello. Did you call for me?”

A moment of silence passed.

He hurriedly grabbed hold of her to avoid losing a woman he found appealing, but when their eyes met, he was at a loss for words against her clear, pure gaze.

But his body moved instinctively. Just as he finished his movement, his tongue followed suit a half-beat too late.

“…If it’s not too much trouble, would you like to join me for a meal? I’m Gilbert Forte, from the Belita Kingdom.”

He greeted her with a sophisticated gesture and extended his hand.

It was a pose asking for her hand, yet it also implied a light suggestion.

It contained just enough cleverness to avoid being awkward if she refused.

“Eh? I’m Lena, from the Orun Kingdom.”

She clasped the hand of the stranger she had never met before. It was the result of her earlier exposure to endless greetings from the etiquette class.

Lena awkwardly followed the rigid etiquette of the Acaian Empire.

‘Alright!’

As she took his hand, Gilbert internally cheered.

With their hands clasped, it was at least halfway successful.

The action of nobles reaching out their hands to grasp a lady’s hand implied taking the initiative.

While noblewomen would be accustomed to gracefully reclaiming control without breaking the mood, Lena was completely unaccustomed to such matters.

“But um- isn’t it a bit early for dinner?”

“No, it’s just right. If we’re going to eat at a restaurant in the capital, we need to leave now. We should leave early to get back before it gets dark, right?”

Gilbert’s tongue was slick. He calculated that he could be a bit bolder with this woman.

He still held Lena’s hand, and since it was her first time being asked like this, she didn’t know what to do.

Their clasped hands felt warm.

“Um, well… but I just met you…”

“I’ve just met you too. Wouldn’t you give me the chance to share a meal together?”

With her hand still trapped, Lena found it hard to muster the courage to reject his request.

For some reason, it felt like she had to accept, and after hesitating, she eventually consented.

“Um… Ah, alright. Can I quickly go to my room to get ready?”

“Of course. If you don’t mind, I’ll escort you.”

With that, Gilbert effortlessly stuck next to her.

Lena, completely dazed, simply followed his lead.

While it appeared as if he was kindly escorting her, his real intention was to maintain control of the situation until the very end.

Back in her room, Lena changed into her only casual outfit.

‘Why did I agree to go? I have so much to review today…’

A simple apology would have sufficed.

Yet from the moment she accidentally took his hand, it became hard to refuse.

Rejecting him while holding hands felt too blunt.

As Lena emerged, Gilbert naturally extended his hand again, and she awkwardly took it.

“I’m not wealthy, so I can’t go to an expensive place…”

“Don’t worry about that. I know a cheap and tasty place.”

Gilbert replied with a wide smile.

Of course, that was a lie. He was planning to take her to a very expensive and fancy restaurant.

Having only been in Lutetia for a month, he had thoroughly scoured it out. It was a shame that he couldn’t mingle with nobles from the Holy Kingdom due to his current situation.

But commoners were fair game…

“Since you have given me the choice of restaurant, I will cover the carriage fare.”

Gilbert held her hand and opened the carriage door for her. It seemed impossible for Lena to refuse this carriage.

This carriage would head straight to the inner city of Lutetia, and she hadn’t been outside yet.

Reluctantly, she climbed into the cramped carriage, and Gilbert leapt over to the opposite side to sit next to her. She could feel his body against hers.

Eventually, Lena, led by his hand, ended up eating at an expensive restaurant.

The meal was the best she had ever had in her life, and Gilbert skillfully guided the conversation, explaining all the dishes that came out.

When they finished eating and stepped out, the bill had already been settled. When he said she could treat him next time, they had already set a date for their next outing.

Lena didn’t even realize how she got back to her lodging.

She felt swept along by the flowing atmosphere, introduced herself to a stranger, received an escort, chatted for a long time in the cramped carriage, had an exquisite meal, and chatted some more before being escorted back to her lodging.

Lena lay in bed, dazed and tossing and turning.