84. Beggar Siblings – Baddobona Ruins

Lena and Leo hid in a hut while Kasia went outside and shouted.

“Hey! You can’t come this way! My father is sick, and if you come closer, you might catch it!”

“Ah, I know. Just come here for a moment. I have something to ask.”

The man coming from the direction of Taamun Village was dressed in fur despite it being late summer. He had a waist full of string and leather pouches swaying in time with his slouchy posture.

Kasia walked cautiously behind the middle-aged man, maintaining a safe distance.

Could he have noticed them? She felt anxious.

It was only when they reached the stream a little way from the hut that the man stopped and turned to speak.

“I saw everything.”

“W-what do you mean?”

He scratched his stubbly chin and grinned in a creepy manner.

“I’m a hunter. I happened to see an unfamiliar trap set up in the path while passing by. Quite strange, isn’t it? I’m the only one in our village who would set a trap like that.”

This man from Taamun Village had a lodge a couple of mountains away and hunted there. The mountains near the village weren’t abundant with game, so hunters who needed to make a living went deeper into the mountains.

Leo knew this too, so he thought there was no worry of his traps being stumbled upon by other hunters. Just placing a few traps in the mountains wouldn’t attract the attention of passersby.

[ Achievement: Murder of Civilians – You have killed ‘4’ civilians. Your happiness decreases slightly. ]

But unfortunately, the luck ran out.

The hunter, crossing the mountain toward his lodge, had discovered the traps.

“I was curious about who set this up, so I waited and saw a guy I hadn’t seen before. I even watched you guys go to your hut.”

“T-that’s because I have a younger sibling…”

“Don’t lie to me. Do you think I’m a fool? Just be honest. You two are criminals, aren’t you? Running away after committing a crime?”

“No! Really, my father is sick…”

“Oh really? Then I suppose I can let the village folks know. I could go to the authorities and say there are strangers hiding in the mountains, right? By the way, it seems there’s been quite the commotion in the kingdom lately…”

As the hunter spoke ominously, Kasia’s heart sank.

They were caught.

This guy knew everything and came looking for them.

“…What do you want from us?”

“Oh dear, your true colors are finally showing. I don’t really want anything… just came to satisfy my curiosity.”

“….”

Kasia swallowed hard and said nothing.

She could tell what the scum was after just from his eyes. It was a gaze she had received countless times before and understood better than anyone else.

‘Leo must not be discovered. Absolutely not.’

Murder of nobles. It was a serious crime from which they would never escape.

If they were caught, Leo would die.

Kasia sealed her lips tight.

She had promised herself that she would never do anything like this again… but it couldn’t be helped. She couldn’t let her beloved die.

With a highly furrowed brow, Kasia approached the hunter and, filled with hesitation, skillfully reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, finding the shape of a horn tattoo beneath her hand.

“…You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you could tone down the casual speech a bit.”

“….You really won’t tell anyone, right?”

“Well, that depends on you.”

Bastard.

The hunter’s rough palm brushed across Kasia’s cheek, while the stream continued to flow indifferently, as if nothing significant was happening.

Yeah. Nothing happened.

Kasia returned to the hut feeling devastated. When Leo asked what happened, she told him a kindly villager had come by to share some herbal remedies for the illness.

She hid her sorrow behind a smile.

That kind villager visited the stream every time he went to the lodge and came back to the village.

*

The place where the First Saint, Saint Azra, venerated by the Cross Church, is said to have defeated evil for the last time.

In the ruins of the Baddobona Castle, Lena performed an elegant gesture.

She bowed gracefully in front of a massive stone that was once part of the castle and asked, “Is this how it’s done?”

“Yeah. Good job. You’re learning quickly.”

Leo patted Lena’s head, proud of her for mimicking the etiquette of the Acaian Empire so well.

Kasia was cooking nearby.

“This time, let’s learn the etiquette when interacting with commoners. When a princess appears, it should be done like this…”

“Oh… this seems a bit simple. But why do you keep making me play the role of a princess?”

“Because you are one.”

“Oh, come on! You’re such a fool.”

She pouted, but Lena didn’t seem to dislike his words and mimicked Leo’s gestures.

Winter had ended.

After spending autumn and winter in the mountains near Taamun Village, Leo hurried off to travel again, stopping only briefly for a meal.

– Puiiik. Piik.

At that moment, two Magere creatures nudged him, signaling their own hunger.

Kasia quickly threw a bundle of hay from the cart in front of the Magere.

Leo harnessed the two Magere to the cart as a means of transport. These quadrupedal creatures were similar to donkeys, smaller than horses, and slower, but they were incredibly persistent. Usually, they were used for fieldwork, but Leo used them as ‘horses.’

Horses were too expensive.

[ Achievement: First Foreign Travel – Movement speed slightly increases near the border. ]

Though the Magere were too slow to pull a cart, Leo intended to utilize the achievement of ‘First Foreign Travel.’

He was still in the southern part of the Belita Kingdom, so the achievement hadn’t activated yet, but things would change once he crossed into the Conrad Kingdom.

He was heading precisely south.

If he didn’t change his course, he could descend along the border between the Conrad Kingdom and the Orun Kingdom.

Then the achievement would continuously activate.

Sir Bart was alive.

{Tracking Skill} informed him that he was to the south.

While it wasn’t yet a completely safe situation, Leo felt his gamble was paying off.

He had dealt with Gilbert Forte, and now all he needed to do was find Sir Bart.

He had taken care of both the ‘current’ and ‘next’ scenarios.

‘Is the pursuit surprisingly loose? I thought I’d get chased once or twice at least…’

No matter how well he hid, someone who killed a noble would eventually end up being caught.

The reason he hadn’t been pursued after assassinating Toton Tatian before was solely due to Marquis Benard Tatian being behind it.

This time, there was no backing. Thus, he expected to be found out in a month, being pursued and forced to build a temporary hut he could easily discard.

Of course, Leo was confident that he could fend off the pursuing soldiers and hide himself.

As the scenario began and time passed, muscles had developed on his once skinny frame, and to capture him, a knight would be needed, but knights weren’t any common resource.

With strength that was difficult for regular soldiers to match, if Leo decided to retreat into the mountains, pursuit would be challenging and he could easily break through any encirclement.

Though he might be held back by Lena and Kasia, he would likely succeed in escaping.

However, Taamun Village was a good village. They easily believed the words of strangers.

Though he hadn’t entered that village, it was certainly as peaceful a place as Demos from his childhood friend scenario. Thanks to that, his younger sister had been able to avoid the hardships of being pursued and hide for nearly half a year.

Leo marked Taamun Village in his memory, planning to revisit it if he ever found himself on the run again.

“Now, let’s learn something else. First, raise your right hand to your chest and let your left hand hang down, making sure your palm is visible. If you flip it, it means you’re asking for your life, so be careful.”

Lena stared at Leo as he demonstrated the ‘Princess’s etiquette towards knights.’

“While doing that, bend your left knee slightly to bow. Don’t hunch your back; just bend at the waist. Twist your shoulders slightly to the right. Oh, Lena! Don’t pull your right foot back. That’s something only male nobles do. If a lady or princess does it, it becomes way too explicit. Why is it explicit, you ask? You don’t need to know. Just don’t do it. Got it? Yes, just like that. Don’t forget to close your eyes for a moment too. If you keep your eyes open while showing etiquette, the meaning can change plenty, so just make sure to close them once. Just once. Not twice. Keep your wrists straight, and make sure all your fingers are together and not too far apart. Don’t bend them, just keep them natural. I’ll tell you about the fingers later. Actually, that’s the hardest part…”

The brother had changed.

Lena followed her brother’s instructions for a while before tapping her now stiff lower back.

“It’s fun, but my back hurts… Leo, where did you learn all this?”

“Hm? This? I’ve known this for a while. I figured since you’re coming of age next year, it’s time I taught you.”

“Really?”

Lena gave a little “hmm~” sound and accepted it.

Her brother always knew so much more than she did. From what was safe to eat to where to sleep, he always had the answers.

If she followed him, she felt she would be okay.

Recently, there had been changes in his behavior, like meeting with Kasia or suddenly going on trips, but Lena didn’t have any suspicions.

She could tell by looking at his eyes. The blood ties that connected them dispelled any doubts she had.

‘Brother really is amazing!’

He always managed everything expertly. She wanted to help him, but she didn’t know when she would get the chance.

Today too, Lena followed her brother’s words diligently.

“Dinner is ready. Come eat!”

Kasia called for Lena and Leo.

Her cooking skills had greatly improved after cooking for the siblings for nearly half a year, despite being mediocre at the start. The appetizing aroma wafted, enticing their stomachs.

“Sister, I’m going to eat well. It looks delicious today too.”

“Eat plenty.”

Kasia had lost quite a bit of weight.

Whether it was due to the hardships of living in the mountains, she had become increasingly haggard despite already being thin. Leo felt guilty and went hunting to prepare meat dishes, but she couldn’t find her appetite to eat much.

As soon as she left the mountains, however, her health improved. It seemed she was meant to live in a heavenly city.

“Thank you, sis. Always.”

“Don’t mention it. You don’t have to keep thanking me. Just eating well is enough for me.”

Kasia turned red at Leo’s heartfelt thanks.

She was truly someone to be grateful for.

Leo let go of the grievances he had held against Kasia. He laid aside the old past due to her long devotion.

Also, as he got to know more about Kasia, he began to form a bond.

To be honest, until now, Leo hadn’t known much about her.

In the first Beggar Siblings scenario, he only briefly met her. The sister who helped them when they collapsed in front of the pharmacy; that was the extent of his impression—she seemed like a rather odd woman.

In the second Beggar Siblings scenario, he had become a thug, busy making money, with little opportunity to converse with Kasia.

At the time, he thought of her as a peculiar but good woman. He even entertained the thought that Leo would reunite with Kasia at the ending.

When he met her a third time, he held resentment towards her. He approached with a mindset of using her for a practical purpose and later coldly pushed her away.

And this time, on their fourth encounter… indescribable feelings arose.

The notion that she was still an unusual woman didn’t change, but it wasn’t negative like before.

Kasia, whom he got to know during their travels, was fundamentally a somewhat melancholic person. She had a habit of punctuating overly realistic or harsh conversations with a finality that was jarring.

Leo, who understood why she was like that, felt nothing but pity for her. Thankfully, her demeanor had been gradually improving.

Also, Kasia turned out to be unexpectedly meticulous.

While she no longer stared off into space with a lost gaze as she used to, perhaps because of the impression he had retained from past encounters, he thought she was someone who did everything half-heartedly.

She explained her home to the siblings who asked to stay at her place but didn’t bother removing the money box, so it wasn’t surprising to think that way.

Yet, when Kasia concentrated, she became infinitely detailed.

Was it because she was the daughter of a cobbler?

She was adept with her hands; upon seeing Leo tie a rope, she skillfully mimicked him. She proved to be far more helpful than he was, who had the {Hunting} ability but struggled to make ropes with his poor handiwork.

[ Quest: Kasia’s Life – Help free Kasia from her constraints. ]

‘How can I set Kasia free from her restrictions?’

Leo now sincerely wanted to help her.

As they finished their meal, Leo jumped up to gather the cooking utensils, plates, and water container.

“Sister, I’ll do the dishes. You should take a rest now.”

“It’s okay. This is my job.”

“I’m not hunting anymore. Just let me do the dishes. It’s uncomfortable for me if you try to do everything. You even laid down the hay….”

“That’s true. Sis! I want to help too!”

“No! I’ll do it.”

Kasia stubbornly refused, and Leo wouldn’t back down either, so the three of them ended up doing the dishes together.

Lena washed Kasia’s dishes, Kasia washed Leo’s, and Leo took care of Lena’s dishes.

Amid cheerful chatter, the ruins of Baddobona Castle stretched long as they caught the sunset.

Once a strategic point of the Acaian Empire and a city that managed the southern territories, Baddobona Castle was now in ruins.

The ‘Ancient Theological Records’ claimed that Saint Azra defeated evil and destroyed Baddobona Castle, a fanciful tale.

He left behind a warning that this castle must never be restored, and no one should live here.

Of course, Leo had no reason to know any of this.