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335. Childhood Friend Ep – Crossroads

“Stop messing around.”

“Hm. How did you know?”

Lean casually confessed. Reb felt a mix of disbelief and chills.

This guy figured everything out in the brief moment he woke up from a call and thought about messing around.

Well, even when he got kicked out of the royal palace and was wandering the streets, he was clever… So how much smarter must he be now as a prince?

Reb asked for confirmation.

“You know you’re the ‘22nd Leo,’ right? You must remember that Ray captured Malhas.”

“……Ah~ So Ray contacted me last time. I guess Ray remembered himself as the 20th Leo? Hahaha. What a pity. I wanted to have some fun… Right, I’m the 22nd.”

That guy understood it perfectly.

Ray was in a similar situation last round as Lean is now. With Malhas gone, history has changed, and he lived a different life.

But he had overlapping memories. The recollections of his past life and those up to the 19th round.

‘Almost got tricked there.’

Reb chuckled, thinking that with Lean being this smart, their conversation would be easier. He took off the pouch filled with mountain fruits and crouched against a nearby rock.

Behind the mirror reflecting Lean was bustling as well; it seemed he was moving to another location. Eventually, one side showcased the forest, while the other displayed the splendid royal castle as the prince and commoner conversed.

“Did you fix the necklace? Hm~ It sounds like it worked out well. Did my sister live well?”

“…Yeah. She lived well. I guess she did everything she wanted. There’s a photo of her as a grandmother, and she’s still pretty at that age.”

“Haha. Really? She must have lived a long time. She probably married Santian, right?”

“Yeah. That rascal, I wonder what kind of virtue he built up in his past life. Oh, by the way, I found out a bit—Santian Rauno is a descendant of Banun Raono. It seems like there’s some connection between us, but I haven’t fully explored it yet.”

“Why not?”

For a moment, they exchanged stories about a beggar with a broken arm. Lean muttered, “Hmmm. Baneka Raono…” and then shrugged while changing the subject.

“Instead, I guess you found out something for sure. You said you have a way to catch Astroth.”

“Really? How?”

“They said they’ll lure him into his own trap.”

“…”

“…”

“What? Is that it?”

Reb scratched his head awkwardly.

“Yeah. Well… I thought you had something in mind, but I don’t really understand what you mean.”

“I must have given you something detailed.”

“That’s exactly what I can’t understand.”

“Oh dear. What did Minseo say?”

“Minseo didn’t say anything. I guess he didn’t understand it either.”

It might lower Minseo’s reputation, but Reb told a little white lie. Sometimes it’s better not to know how the true ending happened.

Lean, feeling a bit guilty, brushed his bangs aside.

“Oh my… I guess I passed on the information too casually. Then there’s no helping it. I’ll have to hear everything that happened.”

“What happened was…”

“Wait. Just glossing over the outline won’t be helpful. I can’t talk long in the mirror… Sorry, but could you come to Rutina?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. If Minseo’s plan hasn’t changed, you’ll have to go to the Aisel Kingdom anyway. Just stop by on your way.”

“…”

“Why? Did the plan change?”

“No, not exactly…”

Reb hesitated for a moment before agreeing. However, it wasn’t easy for a commoner to meet a prince, so Lean promised, “I’ll send a guide. I think it would be best to wait at the south gate of Rutina. How long do you think it’ll take?”

“Hmm… No. Maybe I won’t go, so let’s find another way.”

“…Alright. Then let’s say you call me. I’m using the room Brother Eric used, you know? Underneath, I’ll bury a bell in the garden. Come in the morning and throw a rock through the window. Remember the secret passage?”

The room Eric de Yeriel used.

A room on the third floor of Rutina Castle with protruding windows like a terrace. Naturally, the path leading to the garden well was also remembered.

“For now, I’ll keep Ray awake. You might need help on your way over.”

“…Thank you.”

With no more things to share, Reb and Lean ended the conversation while expressing concern for each other.

“Go that way…”

Reb tucked the shattered mirror in his arms and walked down the hillside. The hot sun penetrated through the gaps in the leaves, so he raised a hand to block it.

How embarrassing.

Lean probably realized what I was thinking. According to Minseo’s plan, I should be rushing toward the Aisel Kingdom, but I was heading in the opposite direction toward Jerome Holy Kingdom.

[ Achievement: King 4/6 ]

In fact, following Minseo’s plan was the right choice. 23/24. The remaining rounds were down to the last one, and there were two kings left I hadn’t met yet.

What I’d gain from completing that achievement? I had no idea. But Minseo was convinced it was essential for capturing Astroth and distributed tasks considering the time and place allocated for each scenario as well as the remaining rounds.

Last time, the final beggar siblings scenario was conducted to fix a ‘pretty necklace,’ while this childhood friend round was solely chosen to achieve that [King] achievement.

To put all my efforts into the last scenario. Minseo had selected the engagement scenario as the final round.

Tsk.

Of course, it’s understandable that Leo and Lena from the engagement scenario are the strongest among the different Leos/Lenas. It’s just that for me, having this round be the last felt like a thorn stuck in my throat.

The actions I took in this round would be permanently fixed. Revenge could be taken only once. Just like the reason I tried to finish things with Cesar last time.

‘I want to spend even one more day with Leah…’

Minseo’s plan, which considered the time and place for all six people, naturally included Leah’s circumstances.

She had to go to Lutetia and meet the Holy Woman to bring back the bronze goblet.

That was something that absolutely should not be missed, and in stark contrast to Reb, who had to head out to achieve the ‘King’ achievement.

In the end, it seemed that Leo and Lena from the childhood friend scenario would have to move separately. That’s why only Leah had the ‘{Priest} event,’ a method for moving alone without Leo…

Reb sighed heavily and returned home. Still, he removed the weeds and ate dinner prepared by his mother.

Despite spending the whole night in contemplation, he stood at a crossroads. No solution was visible.

*

Leah, who had fled to the village, had a pounding heart.

She gave up on removing Coco-ren, who stubbornly clung to her head, and sat down at the village edge.

Reb confessed to me.

In fact, there had been signs of it all along. Neither of them mentioned it, but there was mutual affection, and if I were to marry someone, I couldn’t imagine anyone other than Reb. I was just surprised by the suddenness.

‘Well, Reb is becoming an adult soon.’

There were only six months left until they’d be treated as proper adults.

It was just about the time when marriage pressure started, and marrying was not weird at her age. I couldn’t continue acting like a child forever.

A priest…

Only then did Leah put down the leather pouch hanging from her shoulder. She should have gathered much more, but she didn’t feel like getting more work done. She also didn’t feel inclined to go to church and study.

With her chin resting in her hand, the girl began to ponder life seriously. She didn’t want to admit that she had been dreaming inappropriately.

If she did, the dream she’d held in her heart for a long time would scatter like a flock of butterflies.

– Creak. Squeak.

“If you’re coming down, just come down, or if you’re staying, just stay still!”

But she couldn’t just let the flock of butterflies settle in her heart while the view around her was overwhelming.

Her parents would surely wish for their only daughter to marry soon, and there was already a suitable match. Father Leslie had been supportive in many ways, but practicality was lacking.

She had merely postponed the decision amidst the gentle urging of her parents, villagers, Reb, and the priest. Leah felt like she was as lukewarm as today’s weather.

‘Should I give up?’

Leah felt dizzy for a moment. At the village edge where she had sat down, the view was wide open but felt as though a cliff was ready to swallow her.

If she gave up on becoming a priest, rolling down there would probably be easy and comfortable. Marrying Reb, living happily in this village forever. It would just be a bit embarrassing to face Father Leslie.

Leah got angry this time.

She was tired of this village and mountain fruits, and resentful of Reb who suddenly confessed. She wanted to deny that they were everything in her life.

Ah-! Is there no one to take me away? To Lutetia! I want to travel to the biggest church in the world and meet the Holy Woman!

– Squeak?

But… for that, a great fortune would have to follow. Leah offered a ceremonial wish to Coco-ren, who was perched atop her head. Sighing, she stood up and muttered,

“How long are you going to stay attached? Come down. I’ve made up my mind too…”

What do you mean being a priest? Living like everyone else is just normal.

Leah acknowledged reality and turned away in resignation. She was planning to fall ill today, heading straight home.

Fortunately, there was no one at home.

Her parents would be busy tending to someone else’s field, so lying down first as a daughter made her feel guilty. She couldn’t lie down (‘How long will she stick around?’) and looked for chores inside the house.

Although it was a cramped space, when she wanted to, there were plenty of tasks to do.

She swept the wooden floor, wiped the door frame, tidied up the kitchen, and went to check if there were clothes to wash. At that moment, she spotted Reb coming back home. Reb’s house was right next door.

Though her mind was made up, she couldn’t brace herself.

Leah hid behind the willow fence and waited for Reb to enter his house before she straightened her back.

Ah, I’m starting to feel feverish.

When I feel too bad, my body gets sick.

Usually, during such times, one would push away negative feelings with positive thoughts, but this time she just let it be. She felt like just lying down and groaning. When she did wake up… she would be ready. Ready to live a boring yet happy life in this village moving forward.

– Squeak squeak~

“Finally moving away. Huh? Wait a minute! Why are you going there…”

Just as she was about to turn around, Coco-ren jumped down. That was fine, but the issue was the direction it was excitedly running toward.

Why did it have to go into a house where people live? What trouble was it planning?

Coco-ren resembled a rat in its head, tail, and body. But it had limbs and a palm, enough to wreak havoc in the household.

Leah was intent on catching it and tossing it away before it could mess up Reb’s place. Luckily, it was just darting around Reb’s yard and hadn’t gone inside.

“Hey! Don’t cause trouble!”

– Squeak squeak squeak~

No matter how fast Coco-ren was, it was still Coco-ren!

It was an animal that couldn’t climb trees well or run fast. I really wonder how it can survive without being eaten by predators. Coco-ren was on the verge of being caught by Leah’s hand without the animal even trying…

“Uh?”

Coco-ren clung to a piece of wood leaning against the fence to hide. That was fine, but it only covered its head, and Leah was startled for another reason.

Reb’s forgotten confession had made her completely forget. That was the wooden staff that had appeared in her hand earlier.

Startled, she immediately threw it away, but why was it here? Leah (along with Coco-ren) grabbed the staff. Suddenly, the chills that had been creeping on her body disappeared.

A bubbling surge of divine power arose from deep within her chest. Leah was bewildered, and Coco-ren took advantage of that moment to dash away.

When it returned to the very spot it had originally been after taking a long detour, the sun was setting.