56. Childhood Friend – Habit

Leo stammered in confusion at Lena’s ambiguous look.
“What, what do you mean?”

Lena didn’t reply right away.

Leo felt strange. Ever since the day he suddenly became pensive, he hadn’t seemed like his usual self.

It was hard to pinpoint, but his usual little quirks had changed.

In particular, his habitual “ears twitching when flustered” had vanished.

Even now, it was clear he was flustered…

‘Did she notice that I know? But can people change their habits that quickly?’

Lena blinked as she scrutinized him, and Leo was sweating profusely.

‘Lena is suspicious of me.’

He was momentarily thrown off by Lena’s question but tried to remain calm. In times like these, he shouldn’t speak first.

When you’re suspected by your girlfriend or trying to hide something, speaking up only digs you deeper.

When Leo didn’t react as if nothing was wrong, Lena finally indicated her mouth and cheek with one hand and said,
“You seem different somehow. It’s the first time I’ve heard you hum a tune.”

Did I?

Leo couldn’t recall.

It was impossible to remember every tiny habit he had or hadn’t done.

“This is something I heard while working with my brothers yesterday. Dino was…,”

“That brother always hums. You’ve never sung along once…”

“I just tried to mimic it once. It seemed fun to hum while working.”

“Hmm… besides that, your ears… tsk, never mind.”

Lena clicked her tongue and shut her mouth.

She had some suspicion before speaking, but now that she had articulated it, it felt trivial. She had also seen him chewing his nails for the first time, but what was the big deal?

The more she asked, the more foolish she felt.

“Just take this. My arm’s about to fall off.”

She briefly rolled her eyes and accepted the net Leo offered.

Putting pebbles into the net, Lena cautiously approached the stream, and watching her back, Leo let out a sigh of relief internally.

‘That was close.’

Considering how long Minseo had lived as Leo in this game, it was already nearing eight years.

Depending on the scenario, he lived for as short as two days or well over two years (funny enough, both were beggar siblings scenarios), but generally, as the rounds repeated, the time he lived increased.

As a result, “this Leo,” who had to accept the piled-up memories, was bound to change.

Thinking back to the previous engagement scenario, Lena had also remarked, “You seem to have changed your personality.” At that time, he thought he had made a mistake due to being too accustomed to the repeated scenarios, but it seems that wasn’t it at all.

‘I need to make some countermeasures, or we’ll be in big trouble.’

However, this didn’t seem like a problem that could be solved just by being observant.

While he was deep in thought, he began to weave the net again, lounging against a rock.

If it were the real Leo, he’d probably be squatting on the ground.

*

The following evening, his father returned.

“Welcome back.”

As always, his father nodded silently in acknowledgment of his son’s greeting. Leo, who knew him well, accepted the silence as usual.

Leo put the dried meat his father had brought down from the mountain lodge into the pantry and prepared the meal.

The dining table was already half-set. It felt as if his father had arrived just in time, as though he were eating alone.

As the sounds of clattering utensils filled the eating hours toward the end, Leo asked,
“Father, I heard something from Lena…”

The topic he brought up was about the giant fox in the north. It was known to be large and nimble, making hunting it quite difficult.

Leo needed to avoid the {War} event in the next engagement scenario at all costs.

That route seemed hopeless.

And to avoid the war, he had to catch the giant phantom fox, but {Swordsmanship.2v} and {Passage Skill} alone wouldn’t cut it.

So, he asked if his hunter father might know a way.

But he didn’t have high expectations. While his father’s hunting skills were indeed impressive, there were very few monsters like the phantom fox in the southern region. Monsters oddly increased in numbers the further north you went.

As silence stretched on, Leo thought he had awkwardly asked a silly question, but finally, his father spoke.

“The fox jumps high.”

Whoa! As expected, his father had something up his sleeve. How could he accurately predict the actions of a phantom fox without having seen it?

Leo leaned forward in excitement, waiting for him to continue.

Leo’s father seemed to think he had already said everything. But when he saw his son’s bright eyes staring back at him, he rubbed his sparse facial hair and continued speaking.

“The reason the fox jumps is due to its instinct to avoid detection by its prey.”

“The fox quietly approaches its prey, jumps high, and then drops down with its snout to catch it.”

His delivery was halting, yet Leo listened as if hearing the most fascinating tale in the world, and his father couldn’t resist sharing more information, one piece at a time.

“If the prey senses it, the fox quickly closes in and attacks with its snout or teases it with its front legs.”

“If that big fox sees a person, it would likely view them as either prey or a toy.”

After spouting a few more sentences, his father seemed to feel he had said enough and started clearing the table, moving to another seat. It seemed he wouldn’t share anymore hints.

‘It would’ve been nice if he had explained how to catch one…’

But pressing him for deeper details would likely raise suspicions. He was already on edge from Lena’s words yesterday.

Leo sighed in disappointment, organizing the information he had heard in his head before saying, “Good night,” and heading to his room.

Leo’s father sat by the window chair, enjoying the night breeze, a hand mirror in his grasp.

He meticulously wiped the flawless hand mirror, then fell asleep.

*

The developments afterward were almost the same as when they had set off on their journey before.

Leo, who went hunting with his father, stated that he intended to leave the village with Lena, showing {Initial Funds}.

The reasons and lies were the same as last time.

Impressed by his son’s improved hunting skills, his father took the deceit straight and handed over a pouch of silver coins, as if to add some funds for expenses.

Leo suggested to Lena they leave the village together upon returning from hunting as well. However, this time, rather than the capital of the Orun Kingdom, Navis, he suggested they head to Lutetia, which was the only difference.

Lena expressed explosive joy just like before, hugging Leo tightly.

Trembling with emotions, Lena, as he comforted her back, Leo promised himself,
‘This isn’t solely to make her a priest… this time, I’ll definitely make you happy. I now have a way to meet the prince.’

Turning his childhood friend Lena into a princess was a result that would satisfy both Minseo, who was aiming for a clear completion, and Leo, who hoped for Lena’s happiness.

Of course, this time Lena would have to do something that wouldn’t earn her any money. While she collected funds for the education expenses to enter the Cross Church in Lutetia, Leo would use {Tracking Skill} to get close to the prince.

Once again making his sly plans, Leo meticulously calculated the amount of money to show Lena. Just enough to drop once they arrive in Lutetia…

However, a small problem arose.

He had forgotten one thing.

‘How do I cross the border?’

Lords’ subjects couldn’t move recklessly across regions. To legally leave the area they were bound to, they had to report it to the lord.

Leo had never obtained permission before.

Once, he had forcibly crossed the border, and another time, he had passed through the gate with proof provided by Katrina.

He couldn’t afford to get into a chase while bringing Lena across the border, so this time he needed to obtain permission for sure but had no idea how.

‘Maybe I should ask the Priest and stop by the Lord’s Castle to report on the way.’

He didn’t know for certain yet, but since many were bound for Lutetia to become priests, there should be some procedure in place.

Having crafted a makeshift plan, Leo packed for the journey. He secured the money safely and gathered a few pieces of clothing…

‘It’s a pity I don’t have any weapons.’

This damned game didn’t give out weapons.

He hesitated about making a wooden sword while Lena persuaded her parents but ultimately gave up.

Even if Leo wasn’t a person who cared much about appearances, walking around with a wooden sword would be terribly embarrassing.

And he wanted to avoid doing anything that might arouse Lena’s suspicion as much as possible.

‘Well… with my {Swordsmanship.2v} in this body, even without a weapon, punks and bandits shouldn’t be a problem. It should be fine.’

Now, just by picking up a stick, he could take on several of them at once without issue.

He might take a few stabs, but…

He recalled when Lena had been kidnapped in Navis and felt a brief surge of anger, then consoled himself, thinking he had grown a lot since then.

A few days later, the two left the village of Demos.

Just like last time, there was a small farewell party in the village the night before, and Priest Leslie and Lena’s parents handed her money.

It felt like they had received a blessing from the priest, but this time, there was also a certificate written by the priest stating that she was leaving to become a priest in Lutetia.

And Hans, who had been driving the cart with them, seemed to be sneaking in the background.

“I’ll get us a place to stay! Let’s see… is that an inn over there?”

“Nope. That’s just a tavern.”

“Huh? Isn’t the inn usually above the tavern? I read somewhere that mercenaries drink and have fun in the inn lobby!”

“While inns do sell alcohol at the restaurants they run, that’s just a tavern. The restaurant below the inn is much quieter. Come this way.”

He led Lena to an inn with a plump innkeeper and immediately booked a twin room.

“Lena, I’ll go out for a bit.”

“Where to?”

“I forgot something in the cart and want to grab it quickly.”

“Ugh! You idiot.”

“Make sure to lock the door well.”

“I’ll do it even if you don’t tell me!”

If she didn’t help, she wouldn’t. Leo chuckled at her bravado as he stepped outside.

He was aware Hans was following behind. While he hadn’t noticed it before, it seemed he had indeed scouted their inn ahead of time.

Hans was checking the inn before trying to slip away into the shadows.

But just as Leo was about to call out, “Hey! Hans! Come here!”

Leo hesitated.

‘But what do I gain from hitting him?’

For starters, it would feel good. The guy sold us out and was the main culprit behind Lena’s kidnapping, after all.

But…

‘…I’ve killed him once before.’

Back then, he had been enraged by the line, “Think of Lena while being with a prostitute,” and ended up killing him.

Leo stood there staring blankly for a moment, stuck in a philosophical quandary.

It was all because of Kasia and Katrina.

Both had once instigated a grudge against Leo.

However, in Katrina’s case, after killing her once out of revenge, she had provided significant help in the previous scenario, and any lingering resentment melted away.

When Lena Ainar had died at her hands, although he must have been sad, he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, perhaps leading his rage to subside quickly.

On the other hand, his feelings toward Kasia were very complicated.

They had helped one another, grudged, and then helped again.

And it wasn’t even the same person repeating this, but events that occurred repeatedly as they met anew across rounds.

Leo hadn’t been able to settle his feelings about Kasia yet. He didn’t know how to deal with her.

Realizing his emotions were getting overly complicated, Leo shook his head. He watched Hans trying to disappear in the distance.

So what should he do about that guy…

This is annoying. Let’s think simply. That brat has never helped us, was responsible for Lena’s kidnapping, and now he followed us to find an inn. Doesn’t that justify beating him up?

Considering the ‘Civilian Killing Count,’ and for the sake of future developments, he didn’t plan to kill him. Witnessing the shock on Hans’s mother’s face from losing her son was also unsettling.

He quickened his steps to catch up with Hans.

“Hey! Hans! Come here.”

“Uh? Le, Leo, the weather is really refreshing tonight… Ah!”

Leo felt this was more than fair and, bottled up with all his frustrations, hit Hans.

Not just a slap on the cheek and chin, he roughly grabbed his hair and shook it.

He warned him not to follow again or there would be consequences.

A disheveled Hans limped away. Seeing him mumbling curses, Leo chased after him to give him another lesson.

Just as Hans said, that night the sky was high and refreshing.