Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 200: The Beggar Siblings - Eating Habits
200. The Beggar Siblings - Eating Habits
"Aigoo—I didn't join the knighthood just to babysit newbies..."
Katrina grumbled after scolding her frustrating junior, Deros, once again today. Despite it being a pleasant end to the workday, she was in a foul mood because she couldn't warm up to the new recruit assigned as her assistant.
Sometimes, people seem clueless for no reason. That's Deros. His skills were mediocre, and he was so timid that Katrina, who had a quick temper, felt her patience wearing thin just watching him.
However, Katrina's temper cooled as quickly as it flared. Arriving at the market, she began shopping while humming to herself.
Bread. Greens. Bread. Cheese. Bread. Bread.
Katrina mostly picked up bread. She had a fondness for carbohydrates, closely linked to her swordsmanship style.
Her swordsmanship was highly aggressive, filled with feints and tricks. To insert unexpected movements or timing, she had to push her body to the limit.
For example, she would rotate her body using only the strength of her ankles or twist her waist to its limit to deceive her opponent.
Training in such a physically demanding swordsmanship style made her prefer high-calorie foods like bread. She thought her eating habits had matured as she got older.
‘Should I buy some meat too?’
Standing in front of the butcher's shop, Katrina hesitated, remembering her future father-in-law who had visited Orville a few months ago to see his son (although she hadn't married Ellen yet).
Her future father-in-law, who ran a merchant guild, seemed to have suffered losses on his last trading journey. Seeing him embark on a trading trip to the Aisel Kingdom this time suggested he was taking on a considerable challenge to recoup those losses.
Should I buy it or not, should I buy it or not?
But the hesitation didn’t last long. Katrina ordered thin slices of meat to put in her bread.
She briefly wondered if she should save money, considering Ellen, the still-struggling artist, but...
Ha! Come on. I’m a knight.
She had no problem supporting an artist. She even had a house in her name.
Feeling silly for worrying, Katrina ordered more meat. She was now preparing for an impromptu meat feast, feeling bold.
The butcher, who saw her as a great customer, smiled happily.
After buying some alcohol as well, Katrina hurried along, her arms full of groceries. Just then, she thought, Ellen’s going to scold me for this.
"Excuse me, Knight. Just a moment."
A boy approached her. Katrina turned to see a youth in flashy clothes and thought, Wow, he's good-looking, as she looked him up and down.
"I have something to tell you."
"What is it? I'm busy. Speak quickly."
"Um..."
The youth hesitated. Katrina felt a bit annoyed but waited. Finally, the youth spoke.
"Quit the knighthood."
"What?"
It was as bewildering to hear as it was for him to say. The youth awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Katrina knew what her response would be.
"What a crazy thing to say. Are you bored with life?"
She replied curtly and turned around. Normally, she would have jumped at the chance to give him a good thrashing for annoying her.
[Achievement: The Man Katrina Risked Her Life to Protect - Earned Great Affection from Katrina.]
But somehow, she didn’t feel like it today. Maybe it was because she was carrying a bunch of groceries...
- Srrrng.
The sound of a sword being drawn reached her ears.
Still carrying her groceries, Katrina turned back around. She looked at the youth who seemed like he would collapse with a single touch and asked incredulously.
"What are you doing?"
"I said quit the knighthood. I'm saying this for your sake. If you don't understand, I’ll just have to cut off an arm."
"Wow..."
Katrina put down her groceries in the alley. She spat on her palm and unsheathed her sword, striking down without mercy.
She intended to split this crazy guy in half.
But he held his sword in a reverse grip and raised it high. His wrists crossed in an X, with the back of the sword touching his outstretched right arm.
It was a puzzling stance. But Katrina soon understood the depth of it.
- Ssshhng-!
Her sword slid off. Following the incline of the reversed sword, Katrina's sword deflected, and Leo’s sword quivered at the end. Despite deftly parrying, Leo’s frail body shook as he stepped forward.
"...!!"
Katrina was shocked.
He deflected her full-force strike with a half-step parry, then countered with a reverse grip slash. Her body froze momentarily, but she reacted swiftly.
I have no choice but to reverse my grip too.
Her sword was down to her left, and his was targeting her right arm. The only way to block was to reverse her grip.
Katrina quickly reversed her grip. It wasn’t a move she practiced often, and she could fail. If she made a mistake and dropped her sword, she might lose an arm as he threatened.
Luckily, her sword spun smoothly. She stepped back, pulling her sword up just in time to block.
One parried, and the other blocked; someone unfamiliar with swordsmanship might call it even, but Katrina knew she was outmatched.
This isn't an equal exchange.
Her opponent advanced while she retreated. He leaned forward, and she leaned back, clearly at a disadvantage.
Moreover, if he hadn't wobbled earlier, she wouldn’t have had time to block, which chilled Katrina to the bone.
There's a significant difference in our swordsmanship. But my physical abilities are superior. So...?
- Crrk.
Katrina twisted her hips to the breaking point. In that brief moment, she forced an angle to push forward, lowering herself and kicking off diagonally with a shout, “Hyaaah!”
- Thud.
But as if he anticipated it, her opponent hooked his leg inside hers.
With their swords held in reverse grips, they closed the gap. One fought to stay upright, the other to topple and pin down.
Though they didn't embrace, it was like a dance move exchanging positions, feeling each other's breaths. Katrina fell, and Leo pressed his sword down.
"Get off!"
- Thud!
Katrina's knee struck Leo's waist. The blow wasn't fatal as she was lying down, but it left Leo gasping for air, having hit his ribs.
I can’t really kill him.
Leo, unintentionally covering Katrina’s body, repositioned the pressure of his sword.
He raised the blade toward the hilt of Katrina's sword, making it stand. He could have stabbed her belly, but instead, he aimed for her arm.
Katrina, with both hands on the hilt of her sword near her chest, found herself in a difficult position.
Her stance was so compromised that she couldn't do anything even if he cut her stomaChapter She was somewhat relieved he aimed for her arm, but if this continued, her elbow would be cut.
“Get off! Move!”
In a desperate attempt, Katrina braced her sword tip against the ground beside her waist. Using it as leverage, she pushed the hilt with her right hand and tried to prop herself up with her left hand. But,
“Hyaa!”
Leo twisted his sword hard, ignoring her attempt to get free, pressing her right arm sideways.
Facing the threat of losing her arm, Katrina abandoned her sword.
Quickly getting up, she kicked Leo’s handsome face. Then she tried to retrieve her sword...
- Clang!
“Enough. This ends here.”
The youth had taken her sword. Even as he got kicked, he grabbed the fallen sword and tossed it aside, leaving Katrina unarmed and him holding a sword.
Katrina panted.
She couldn't tell if it was because she was angry or because she had just brushed with death, but at least she knew this youth wasn’t trying to kill her.
The two caught their breath in silence. When the heavy breathing subsided, Katrina, glaring at Leo as if she would devour him, broke the silence.
“Damn it. Okay, I get that you're stronger than me, but why are you doing this to me? Who the hell are you to harass someone minding their own business?”
With the tension easing a bit, Leo sighed, lowering his sword and rubbing his aching side.
“Quit the knighthood. I warned you. I’m saying this for your sake, so don’t dismiss it.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Why should I? And who are you to tell me this? Do you know me?”
Yes, damn it.
I know your foul temper, that you’ve been living with Ellen for years, your age and birthplace, and who your future father-in-law is.
A woman like a gangster.
Yet, she was an honorable knight deserving of respect. She couldn’t stand injustice (though it was more about her temper), was more tender-hearted than she appeared, and would demand anyone dishonoring a fellow knight take her life.
‘But if she goes back, she’ll die again!’
Katrina was a benefactor to Leo. Sharing memories, she was the same for other Leos, but with varying degrees. Only Leo de Yeriel and the beggar siblings’ Leo received direct help from her.
Conversely, Leo Dexter neither liked nor disliked Katrina. If forced to choose, he disliked her, as she had killed Lena in their engagement’s first round. He had also cut off her arm once and witnessed her verbally abusing Lena in a previous round.
Of course, Leo Dexter’s indifference wasn’t the problem. The issue was that the previous round’s outcome was ‘fixed’ as an ending, meaning that on the battlefield, Katrina would inevitably die at Leo Dexter’s hands.
Why she arrived early on the battlefield was a mystery...
What to do with this woman? Leo, frustrated by Katrina’s endless questions, burst out.
“When I say quit, just quit already! Why are you arguing?”
“This crazy bastard, how dare you command me...”
...Command me?
Katrina’s eyes widened. This crazy... no, this crazily powerful guy’s sword emitted a crackling flash.
“S-S... Swordmaster?”
There was no doubt it was an aura blade. The indignation of being beaten by such a disrespectful youth vanished completely.
Katrina collapsed to her knees.
*
[Quest: Katrina’s Life - Help Katrina Break Free from Her Constraints.]
Despite the somewhat bewildering event, Leo walked down the nighttime streets, lost in pleasant thoughts.
Katrina had asked him to take her as his disciple.
She had clung to him, saying it was her lifelong dream to learn from a Swordmaster, and Leo finally understood what constraints bound her.
Katrina was dissatisfied with her swordsmanship. Always projecting confidence, it hadn’t occurred to him. Truly, it’s hard to know a person’s heart.
However, this was a welcome development for Leo. He said,
“Alright. But I’ll have to leave soon, so I can only teach you for a week. Is that acceptable?”
Katrina was overjoyed. She even agreed to leave the knighthood in exchange for his teaching.
It seemed too easy, but Leo didn’t think so.
Katrina’s constraint quest was incredibly difficult. Clearing it required becoming a Swordmaster or introducing her to Count Herman Forte, which was far more complex than Cassia’s quest, which was simply a hug.
It took until the 18th round to even get a clue. Leo chuckled to himself.
‘Where was it? Over there...’
Thinking it had been a long time since he had such a hectic day, he walked through an unfamiliar alley.
Having not been here in ages, he was unsure but soon arrived at his desired location.
Or rather, a place he had no choice but to go.
It was the back of a building, the ‘home’ of the beggar siblings. If you could call leaning planks against an arch and covering them with cloth strips a home.
Leo picked up a small cup filled with rainwater. He gulped it down and crawled into the makeshift shelter. It was a pathetic sight but unavoidable.
He had gone to Katrina hoping to stay at her place.
But Katrina had said,
“Master! Thank you so much for today. I will never forget what you taught me. I’ll fix everything by tomorrow. Where shall we meet? If it’s no trouble, may I come to your house to pay my respects?”
She spoke with utmost respect. He couldn’t tell her, “I have no home.”
Leo vaguely pointed to an open space and set a time. Katrina might have thought he was mysterious, but he had nowhere to go. He was reluctant to spend his initial funds on lodging.
‘I have to get up early, so I better sleep.’
Leo lay down in the cramped space. By morning, the building owner would come to demolish the ramshackle shelter.
The young Swordmaster fell asleep, content that his sister was not there.
.
!
Chapter 200: The Beggar Siblings - Eating Habits
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