Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 207: Beggar Siblings – The Necklace's Whereabouts
Leo rode across the plains on Kus. The powerful black horse galloped through the early autumn breeze, but Leo's eyes were bloodshot. He struggled to stay upright, occasionally gripping his thighs tightly to stave off sleep.
He desperately wanted to sleep.
For several weeks, he had been deprived of proper rest. On the night he met Rev, he felt an eerie gaze that disturbed him. After attempting to walk it off, he eventually returned to bed, only to get up again and pour himself a drink.
Rev, who was also restless, joined him, making a good drinking companion. In the quiet guest room of the village chief's house, the two young men filled each other's cups.
Rev's hand had returned to normal. The trumpet symbol of Barbatos was gone, and unlike Leo, there was no mark of Oriax's hoofprint.
As expected, it was now clear.
Oriax had marked Minseo, not Leo. Despite Leo de Yeriel being the first to receive the debuff, Rev's hand bore the hoofprint in the next childhood friends' cycle.
Leo had thought the problem was resolved when he became a follower of Barbatos, believing the trumpet symbol had chased the hoofprint away for good.
'What happened to Barbatos?'
The answer lay in {The History of Ashin}.
The Ashin, born from the desires of their creatures, would naturally disappear if they had no followers. If the last believer was that bastard they had encountered, it all made sense. Rev's father, Dof Bizaine, had stopped believing in Barbatos after being freed from his influence.
This was likely the most practical way humans could kill a god. That was why the ancient Arcaea Empire exterminated other races, and why the modern Holy Church massacred unconverted barbarians.
However, capturing Barbatos had been sheer luck. Leo hadn't known that man was a follower of Barbatos, nor had he come to Taamoon Village for any particular reason. It was simply a vague destination, a place he had once stayed with Cassia. So, it was purely coincidental, Leo thought.
"What will you do now?"
Rev asked quietly. He was questioning whether it was even possible to reclaim the {Bloodline} if the gaze Leo felt was from Oriax.
Leo exhaled a deep sigh.
"I have no choice."
He couldn't give up on the bloodline. In a situation where it was unclear whether making Lena a princess was the solution to clearing the game, reclaiming the {Bloodline} of the beggar siblings seemed like the only correct answer. Although Leo and Minseo had different perspectives, Leo believed there was some validity to it.
"I'll give it a try."
"...Alright."
The two young men clinked their glasses weakly. Both were too restless to sleep, so they discussed their plans for the future throughout the night.
- Whinny!
Startled, Leo pulled on the reins. He had dozed off for a moment and veered off course. If Kus hadn't neighed and stopped, he would have fallen into a muddy pit.
Leo muttered to himself.
"Phew. Stay awake. Can't sleep now. Just a little longer."
However, despite their lengthy discussion, there wasn't much to argue about. This was partly because they shared many memories and experiences, and partly because Rev didn't object to Leo's plan.
He only posed one question.
"What is Harie’s necklace?"
- Whinny!!
"Whoa!"
He had entered a forest without realizing it. Nearly crashing into a tree trunk, he barely avoided it but got caught in the branches.
After a noisy fall, Leo fortunately only sustained minor scratches from the branches.
Slap!
He slapped his cheeks hard and got back on Kus. Using {Tracking Skill}, he gauged Sir Bart's location and set off quickly again. But soon, he fell asleep once more.
As he chatted with Rev, dawn broke. Leo realized that the eerie feeling had vanished with the morning light.
Feeling somewhat relieved, Leo visited his sister, Jenia, and the severely bruised Tian one by one.
He chatted with them briefly to comfort them. Having been too busy to talk the previous day, he introduced his newly arrived friend (Rev) over breakfast.
[ Achievement: First Meeting with Lena - Lena has a high affection for Leo. ]
Lena gave Rev a curious look. However, she soon turned her attention back to Tian, serving him some side dishes. Leo then brought up the main topic.
"I have somewhere to go."
He admitted that a few of his bodyguards had survived. He planned to bring them, asking them to stay at Baron Monarch's estate in the meantime.
It felt bad to say he was leaving again after what happened yesterday.
But there was no way he could reach the Irotashi River on time by traveling with Lena, Jenia, and Tian in the carriage. Given the strange gaze following him, it was also wise to stay apart for a while.
He wasn't worried about their safety. Though not yet a Sword Master, Rev's skills were comparable to the head of a kingdom's knights, and he would protect them.
"I'll be back soon. Go to Baron Monarch's estate and rest. Count Peter should have sent a message, and with this letter, you'll be well-received."
Leo handed over a letter from Count Gustav Peter. Jenia accepted it with a knowing smile.
"Yes, Your Highness. Don't worry about us. We'll be waiting. I'm looking forward to it very much."
What is she looking forward to? Leo wondered but was interrupted by his sister. "How long will it take? You must come back quickly." With her big eyes urging him, Leo couldn't bring himself to say it would take about four months for the round trip. The Irotashi River was that far from here.
Thus, Leo parted ways with his group. Riding ahead on the borrowed Kus, he headed towards the Conrad Kingdom.
Crossing the border wasn't difficult.
With the insignia from Baron Monarch's house provided by Count Peter, he easily passed through the checkpoint. However, once in the Conrad Kingdom, he couldn't sleep at all.
He felt the eerie sensation on his skin.
Every night, he drove Kus as if being chased by something, and one rainy day, he discovered what was pursuing him.
A cloudy sky. Despite being midday, it was dark. Trying to escape the downpour, Leo entered a forest, where Kus neighed and Leo held his breath.
Bipedal, ghostly figures appeared through the rain.
The massive horned creatures rose and sat, sniffing the ground as if searching for something. Occasionally, they took a few steps toward Leo, but seemed uncertain, possibly due to poor vision or the damaged mark. They would turn their heads toward Leo but then hesitate and wander around.
However, despite their erratic behavior, they were gradually closing in on Leo. Swallowing hard, Leo cautiously led Kus out of the forest.
- Swoosh!
Rain poured down Leo’s eyebrows, dripping off and soaking him thoroughly. The heavy downpour made his body feel weighed down, but gripping the reins tightly, Leo gritted his teeth.
Oriax was a god sensitive about his domain, much like the Minotaurs who worshipped him. He remembered even the smallest mistakes and pursued retribution relentlessly.
Since being worshipped by Prince Eric, Oriax seemed to have claimed the Conrad Kingdom as his territory.
And now, with an unknown intruder bearing a mark he didn’t recall bestowing upon, Oriax had come out personally to investigate.
If caught, Leo couldn't predict what Oriax might do. And if Prince Eric learned of Leo's survival through Oriax, everything would be over. Reclaiming the {Bloodline} would no longer be the goal; Leo would have to flee to the ends of the continent to survive.
Even a Sword Master could die if stabbed, and no individual could stand against a kingdom commanding hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He needed... time.
Thus began Leo’s painful journey.
He had to flee at night, cautiously leading Kus by the reins. While Leo didn’t mind, riding a horse at night was risky; if Kus were injured, it would be a disaster.
At dawn, he rode Kus as fast as possible. Despite the horse’s complaints about the reversed schedule, Leo soothed him and pushed on until midday. Under the hot sun, he would catch some sleep while Kus ate and rested. As evening approached, he would ride again briefly, then dismount and walk through the night...
- Sway.
"Huh!?"
Leo jerked awake.
Where am I? What happened? Confused, he realized he had fallen asleep on the horse again. Letting go of the reins, Kus had wandered aimlessly until the horse couldn’t bear the weight anymore and had tilted, signaling Leo to get off.
Seeing the evening dusk setting in, Leo grew anxious. Time was already tight, and he had wasted a day, so he needed to hurry, but first, he had to let Kus rest. As soon as Leo dismounted, Kus lay down, exhausted.
"Kus, I’m sorry."
- Snort.
"Here, eat some carrots and get some sleep."
- Whinny! Snort.
"And let's push a bit harder. At this pace, we have about... three weeks left."
- Crunch crunch.
Kus was too busy eating carrots to listen to Leo. Not that he would have understood, which was a relief for Leo.
*
"…I’m too late."
Despite all his efforts, when Leo arrived at the Irotashi River, Sir Bart had already attacked Philas Tertan. The stone bridge was littered with the bodies of those slain by Sir Bart and his companions.
Judging by the state of the corpses, quite some time had passed. Using {Tracking Skill}, Leo confirmed Sir Bart had fled downstream, making pursuit futile as they would have already taken to the sea.
Recalling unpleasant memories, Leo jumped over the bodies. He briefly glanced at the riverbank where Rev and Lena had died before approaching the broken carriage in the middle of the stone bridge.
The shattered door, adorned with the red shield of House Tertan, lay nearby. Taking a deep breath, Leo peered inside. As expected, Harie Guidan was there.
"Philas. Please, please wake up."
Harie’s voice was hoarse from crying. She clutched her lover, who had been killed with a throat wound.
Harie would likely continue to cry for several nights. People, unsure how to handle the mourning noblewoman, would avoid her and pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
Sigh.
If left alone, she would lose her sanity again, just like before.
Leo grabbed Harie’s wrist. "Philas! Let go!" she cried as he pulled her out of the carriage, holding her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes.
"Harie."
"Let go. Philas is... Philas..."
[ Achievement: The Man Who Melted Harie Guidan’s Heart - Gained Harie Guidan’s slight affection. ]
Harie struggled. But Leo held her and kept looking into her eyes, keeping her from retreating into denial.
He couldn't find the right words to say.
He didn’t know how to comfort her, nor did he think there was a way. All he could do was silently endure her grief.
Harie struggled for a long time in his grasp before collapsing. She clung to him, sobbing, and gradually her crying subsided.
"…Are you alright?"
"…"
"If you’ve calmed down, I’ll move Philas out of the carriage."
"…Yes."
Harie trembled but tried to stand on her own. Seeing her like this, Leo let her go.
As Leo took Philas’ body out and laid him down, Harie collapsed again. But this time, she didn't talk to the dead body. Instead, she held Philas' cold hand and made a vow.
"I won't marry anyone else. And I won’t forgive the knight who killed you. I’ll avenge you and reclaim the necklace he took. So rest in peace, my love."
Sir Bart took the necklace?
Listening to Harie’s fierce vow, Leo was puzzled. There was no reason for Sir Bart to do that, and given the necklace's significance, it made even less sense.
Barbatos had coveted that necklace. Leo had forgotten about it, but Rev, who had recently been a follower of Barbatos, had reminded him.
.
!
Chapter 207: Beggar Siblings – The Necklace's Whereabouts
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