Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 239

Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 239

238. Childhood Friend - "These People"
“Commander, someone’s here to see you.”
The next day at noon, Leo arrived to meet Rev.
He didn’t come alone—Lena was with him, and she looked rather displeased. Rev immediately noticed her irritation.
Having given up on becoming a knight, Lena wanted to return to her hometown. She was likely frustrated by the endless delays, and Leo must have spent the entire night convincing her to stay.
It might be a bit presumptuous to say, but perhaps
bedroom skills
had helped. Leo Dexter looked a bit tired.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you,” Rev greeted Lena. But instead of replying, Lena tugged on Leo's ear and whispered into it. She didn’t bother lowering her voice, so Rev heard everything.
“This scrawny, anchovy-looking guy is the person you were talking about? He doesn’t look all that impressive... Is he a con artist?”
“We’ve sparred before. He’s amazing, even if he’s short. And you shouldn’t point fingers like that. He’s from the South.”
“As if he could ever compare to my husVanned. He wouldn’t even be a match for him.”
“Well, obviously. Who could beat me?”
...I can hear you, you two idiots.
[Achievement: First Meeting with Lena – Lena has a high affection for Leo.]
Rev pretended not to have heard.
He wasn’t so much annoyed as he was saddened by her comments, sensing that Lena's self-esteem had hit rock bottom.
Normally, Lena Ainar wouldn’t have needed to lean on Leo. She wouldn’t have whispered like that, and due to the achievement, she would have shown some sign of affection toward Rev.
But Lena stayed in Leo Dexter’s shadow throughout the conversation, as if that was where she belonged. And Leo, in turn, puffed himself up to meet her expectations.
Annoyed by her dismissive remarks, Reuben was ready to lash out, but Rev discreetly signaled him to stand down. Reuben, Vanne, and the other disciples who followed Rev left the room, muttering under their breath.
“What kind of woman is that? She’s just riding on her man’s coattails. Makes you want to… Ugh.”
Rev, Leo, and Lena sat across from each other in the well-decorated reception room, with an expensive table between them. Though Rev and Leo had much to discuss, they made small talk for Lena’s sake.
“If you help us, we will reward you handsomely. If you desire a castle or a city, it shall be yours. Is there anything else you wish for?”
“Hmm… What I desire is…”
“Leo, hold on. How can you make such promises based on this man’s word? Does it even make sense to start a rebellion in the Right Kingdom?”
“Oh, it seems you haven’t heard yet.”
Rev clapped his hands as if Lena’s question was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Harvey Guidan, a great noble of the Right Kingdom, has promised his cooperation. Count Ogleton will also join us, and so will Marquis Drazhin. That’s already impressive, but the Conrad Kingdom has also pledged to assist us. With Swordmaster Leo’s support, the rebellion is as good as won.”
“R-Really...?”
“Absolutely! Would you like to know more? Though it’s not confirmed yet, there’s a chance that the Holy Kingdom of Jerome might join the fray as well. That’s why I came here, and it went quite well. Would you believe me if I told you this estate was given to me by Prince Cleo de Frederick?”
“...I see.”
Lena Ainar's eyes darted around, trying to process Rev's confident words. Being somewhat simple-minded, these grandiose matters seemed like tales from another world to her, so she glanced at Leo, signaling that he should take the lead.
Leo spoke up.
“I don’t want much. A castle or a city would be nice, but I’d prefer to live near my hometown... Is that possible?”
“Of course. We can negotiate a trade with the Holy Kingdom of Jerome. They can take a castle in the Right Kingdom, and in exchange, the Holy Kingdom can… Ah, they can hand over Bidorinin Castle in the north to the Astin Kingdom. You can have that castle.”
“...But doesn’t that castle already have an owner?”
“Yes, it belongs to Baron Agata, but he’ll be compensated next year. It’s still in the works, but I can promise you that much.”
Leo Dexter tilted his head, trying to figure out if Rev was really talking about the Bidorinin Castle and Baron Agata he knew.
He hadn’t yet heard the news, so he was confused. But when Rev winked at him, he nodded in understanding.
“Alright, that works. So, let’s discuss the advance payment now.”
“...Advance payment?”
‘Hey! What advance payment? Lena is here—just say you’ll help us!’
If someone could read the emotions in Leo’s eyes, they would have seen this message. Leo, ignoring Rev’s furrowed brow and exasperated looks, pressed on with his condition.
“As I mentioned before, this woman is my fiancée. We were planning to get married back in our hometown, but it’s been delayed, so you need to make it right.”
“...What exactly do you want me to do?”
Rev internally sighed, pleading with Leo to stop, but Leo had something useful in mind for everyone involved.
“I want to get married in the cathedral, as grandly as possible... and it would be great if the Holy Maiden could officiate.”
‘I must meet that Holy Maiden.’
Rev chewed on his thoughts for a moment. As Lena murmured, “I appreciate the thought, but wouldn’t it be better to get married in our hometown?” and Leo insisted, “I can’t wait. Let’s do it here and then again back home,” Rev gathered his thoughts.
It wouldn’t hurt to meet the Holy Maiden, but would she actually officiate? Considering all we’ve gone through because of her, it’s the least she could do...
Rev concluded and said,
“Alright, I’ll do my best to make the arrangements. Do you have a specific date in mind?”
They continued discussing various details.
Lena’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she asked more about a cathedral wedding, and Rev, drawing from his
noble society
knowledge, answered her questions. Finally, after sharing lunch, Rev and Leo had a chance to speak privately.
“I’d like to discuss the rebellion in more detail…”
Catching Rev’s hint, Lena, now full from the meal, decided to take a walk. She left the room, her steps light and carefree, completely at ease.
“What exactly is going on? Did something happen to Baron Agata? And what do you mean by getting help from the Conrad Kingdom? Did Prince Lean become king… Oh, wait? His name changed?”
“Sit back down. There’s a lot I need to tell you.”
Rev then began explaining everything that had happened.
Rev decided to start by telling Leo Dexter about a future that he was unaware of. Rev explained that Leo had stayed here through the winter and then returned to Avril Castle.
“Don’t get upset, but listen. On the way back, Lena’s belly started to show. You sold your sword to cover the travel expenses, and you held a wedding back in your hometown. Just like last time, you had three kids and lived happily ever after. At least, that’s what the ending said.”
“...That’s a relief. Sorry about yesterday.”
“...And then the
Beggar Siblings
cycle began. Lean left his sister with Jenia and went to find Katrina. I know you don’t like Katrina, but as you know, Lean doesn’t feel the same way. What she did was wrong, but I couldn’t just let you kill her again, so I suggested you leave the knighthood…”
“What are you talking about? Why would I kill Katrina?”
“Huh?”
Rev looked up, his eyes wide with surprise. Leo’s expression was one of genuine confusion.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“What?”
“What’s going on? Did you kill Katrina or not?”
“What are you talking about? I retired before summer. I never even met Katrina. And why would I kill her? Just letting her go would have been enough.”
“What?”
“Oh, come on!”
Rev, more concerned with his thoughts than with Leo’s frustration, reflexively tried to use his
Tracking Skill
to check on Katrina. However, it didn’t work.
[Achievement: ‘Life of Katrina’ Quest Completed - Katrina is freed from her shackles.]
[‘Life of Katrina’ Quest is now terminated.]
The message indicating Katrina’s freedom from her shackles had appeared during the previous
Beggar Siblings
cycle, right around the time Lean and Lerialia arrived in Lutetia.
That had been in spring, around the time when Katrina and Leo Dexter were supposed to meet.
So, Rev had assumed that Katrina had been killed by Leo again, not knowing why she had appeared so quickly on the battlefield, nor how she had been freed from her shackles. He had presumed that things had played out the same way as before.
But if they didn’t meet? Then where on earth was Katrina…
For a moment, Rev was stunned as he pondered this, but then something occurred to him. He wasn’t the only one altering the events in this cycle. Lean de Yeriel was also awake.
Ah, Lean must have prevented Katrina from going to the battlefield. That’s why he stayed in Orville for so long.
If Lean had been instructed by Sir Bart to let Philas be attacked, then Lean wouldn’t have had any reason to set out early.
It didn’t entirely make sense for him to delay so much, but the pieces were starting to fit together, and Rev felt more at ease. Leo Dexter, on the other hand, was growing increasingly impatient.
“What’s going on? Fill me in.”
“Ah… It’s complicated. Listen, when I was you, I met Katrina. She did something that really pissed me off, so I killed her… Wait, then why did Lena give up the sword?”
“...Because she saw me become a swordmaster. I wasn’t paying much attention to her either.”
“...That doesn’t change much. Sorry. Anyway, Lean tried to save Katrina...”
The conversation looped back to where it started. Rev slowly explained what had happened in the previous
Beggar Siblings
cycle, and Leo interjected occasionally.
“You didn’t meet Cassia?”
“Tsk, you should have taken better care of your sister. That could’ve ended badly. So, Barbatos is completely gone?”
“Why did Sir Bart take the necklace? That’s strange.”
“Jenia was a noble??”
“Poor Sanatian… His sister must’ve been really heartbroken. At least Oriax was defeated. That guy’s still out there, right?”
“That damn pretty necklace… They really should’ve described it better. We should ask the Holy Maiden about it. Hmm, it’s clear that these cursed items are connected to our true names. The hand mirror Levled up when I learned my true name, and the necklace, which was Lean’s mother’s keepsake, Levled up after Lean learned his true name… I’m the only one left. We should ask the Holy Maiden about this too.”
“...So, making Lena a princess was the true clear condition... You’ve been through a lot.”
Leo continued to add his thoughts as Rev shared more of his story.
“What? You have memories of the past? Why? That’s strange. Did anything change from the last
Childhood Friends
cycle? Let’s see… What happened in the last
Childhood Friends
cycle? Lena’s murder… No, that’s not it. That wasn’t the first time you killed Lena. Damn, that pisses me off. Anyway, that’s not it. Could it be that the
Twenty Photos
achievement somehow affected you? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Maybe the
Meeting Other Leos
achievement? That sounds more plausible, doesn’t it? No? Why not? Lean saw you, right? That could’ve had an impact on you. Damn it, who knows. Let’s just move on. Minseo will figure it out.”
“Ah, so the hand mirror was for communication. But why didn’t you contact me? You little… Oh, it was a one-time use. Tsk, nothing we can do about… Wait. Now that I think about it, what about the new brand from Oriax? If Lean goes to the Conrad Kingdom in the next
Beggar Siblings
cycle, won’t that be a disaster? Sorry, Lean, but it might be better to leave that cycle as it is. What? Did I say something wrong? Why are you giving me that look?”
And so it went.
But in the middle of their conversation, Leo suddenly stood up. Rev wondered what was going on, and then realized that Lena hadn’t returned. Leo Dexter hurriedly rushed out, and they soon found Lena Ainar wandering aimlessly near the edge of the garden.
In the garden, Rev’s disciples were practicing swordsmanship. Among them, Lena was watching...
“Take this!”
“Not bad! You’re getting better!”
It was Vanne Bizaine and Reuben Bizaine.
The two barbarian warriors, who had promised to marry, were smiling brightly as they exchanged increasingly powerful blows, and Lena’s face twisted in despair. Despite this, she couldn’t tear her eyes away and stood there, rooted to the spot.
Leo exaggeratedly waved his arms to catch Lena’s attention. Rev let out a quiet, sorrowful sigh that no one else could hear.
Autumn leaves had just started to fall.
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Chapter 239