Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 269: Engagement - Warning
268: Engagement - Warning
Minseo forgot the pain from his broken ribs. He awkwardly stood up in his cramped one-room apartment, so small that stretching his arms out would almost touch the walls. He looked at the sturdy stainless steel pot, the pink plastic ladle, and the humming refrigerator. Opening it, he felt the coldness of the freezer, unfamiliar in the summer heat.
He had returned.
Minseo swallowed dryly. His hand awkwardly reached for the switChapter Click. The sky brightened—or rather, the light turned on.
It was blinding.
He almost wished it were just a candle.
He turned off the light, which felt as burdensome as an Aura Blade, and pulled back the curtains. Below his third-floor window, he saw gray asphalt and a 5-liter garbage bag leaning against an electric pole.
If you turn at that alley, you’ll see the university. The one I graduated from.
He was back!
Minseo was overwhelmed. The bewildering emotions flew away, and he jumped up. Ugh. Even the pain from his broken ribs felt welcome.
What time is it? What day is it?
It felt as if no time had passed. His phone, discarded after endlessly watching OTube, lay scattered with his pillow. The sight made him even happier. Everything was exactly as it was before he started [Raising Lena].
“Wahaha!!”
Minseo clenched his fist and spun halfway around. He flipped through his administrative law problem book pointlessly and touched the clothes hanging on his rack. Gasping for breath, he was on the verge of tears.
Even when he was discharged from the military, he wasn’t this happy. He felt as if he could do anything, ready to step into an unfamiliar world.
Minseo couldn’t contain the tearful smile spreading across his face as he wandered around his small apartment. After a while, when the initial joy began to fade, thoughts of the people he loved surfaced.
Mom, Dad. Chaeha.
There was nothing more to think about. Minseo immediately jumped onto his bed and grabbed his phone. He checked the date and was about to make a call.
“......”
His fingers froze. Beyond the phone screen, he saw his laptop.
A dark background gleamed ominously.
Slowly, the ending credits were rolling up.
I have to see it. I have to… or do I?
Minseo’s joy subsided.
He recalled the breathless moments just now—kicking the sweaty belly of the camel, Kus, desperately avoiding a massive goat’s hoof. Clutching the reins tightly, he narrowly escaped danger and looked back to see the mountainous figure of Grand Duke Astroth pursuing him, exuding paralyzing fear. The chapter, "Engagement," ended with Ray’s heart-wrenching scream.
Even though he didn’t want to, his body turned toward the screen, like a dog trained to respond.
And he regretted it.
[ Congratulations! ]
[ Lena’s dream has come true. ]
[ True Ending 2/2: Complete ]
[ Thank you for playing Raising Lena. You have cleared all scenarios. You may now exit the game. ]
[ Rera Ainar ]
[ Final Job: Knight ]
[ Marriage Partner: Ray Dexter ]
[ Ray Dexter ]
[ Final Job: Knight ]
[ Marriage Partner: Rera Ainar ]
[ Engagement Ending: The Knight ]
[ True Ending ]
- Born in Avril Castle, Rera Ainar had a happy childhood… (omitted) …After participating in the war between nations, Rera became the knight she had always dreamed of. She held a wedding with Ray Dexter at the fortress of Toridom, occupied by the Kingdom of Astin, but Grand Duke Astroth descended upon them. With Ray’s help, Rera attempted to escape, only to fall to her death, kicked by the furious duke. -
- Born in the capital Barnaul, Ray Dexter had a happy childhood but lost his mother early. He moved to Avril Castle, his mother’s hometown, with his father, a knight of Astin’s 1st Knight Order, where he met Rera Ainar. Ray Dexter fell in love at first sight. Together with her, he practiced swordsmanship… (omitted) …Participating in the war between nations, Ray defended the camp from Count Herman Forte, who attempted to target the prince. Imprisoned for acting without authority, he was released thanks to Rera, Jensen, and Noel Dexter’s contributions. Even after losing his junior knight status, Ray fought as a common soldier, earning great achievements, and was reinstated as his crimes were reassessed when the Bellita Kingdom army retreated. Ray married Rera at Toridom as they were knighted together. However, Grand Duke Astroth descended. Ray, trying to flee with Rera, was instantly killed by the duke’s furious kick. -
[ The Beggar Siblings Scenario Ending has been altered. ]
...
[ The Childhood Friend Scenario Ending has been altered. ]
...
Minseo couldn’t finish reading the ending credits. He was transfixed by the three photos that filled the screen.
The first photo showed Rera.
But he wasn’t sure if it was right to call her Rera. After falling dozens of meters and being buried in the bushes, her neck was twisted, her arms torn. Her legs, dangling from her ruptured abdomen, touched her forehead.
Still, it was better than the Rera in the third photo. The third photo showed a castle wall, calm yet grim. The wall was stained red, like the aftermath of a cannon blast.
The Childhood Friend Scenario wasn’t much different. Like crushing two walnuts in one hand, Saintess Meriel and Lena were caught in Astroth’s grasp.
He could almost hear their screams as they were slowly crushed. The invincible saintess had been abandoned by her god. Meriel and Lena became one mangled mess.
“Ugh.”
Minseo turned his head and gasped for air. Sunlight, filtered through the cloudy sky, poured into his apartment, and the faint pop music from next door was eerily peaceful.
‘I… I didn’t see anything.’
A sudden thought made Minseo breathe even more raggedly.
It was a cowardly thought. Trying to erase everything that had happened. He even felt like dismissing it as a mere hallucination from playing the game for too long.
He felt like vomiting.
He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head.
No. I can’t do this. I promised. I swore to make Lena happy and then leave. I swore I would never run away alone.
This ending was far from happiness. All three scenarios.
But… still…
No one could understand how hard it had been. How many years he had spent there.
Each day was a struggle.
In the Childhood Friend Scenario, he scavenged fields and mountains daily for food, occasionally hunting.
He wielded unfamiliar authority, rallying savages and spinning lies in front of seasoned nobles like Marquis Harvey Guidan, who was in his early forties and had seen everything life could throw at him. Even though he feigned composure, every time the marquis furrowed his brows or stared at him, Minseo’s heart sank.
The Beggar Siblings Scenario was much worse than that.
Survival would have been impossible without {Initial Capital} and Cassia. As each loop repeated, circumstances gradually improved, and things opened up significantly after meeting Jenia. However, the constant necessity of diligently performing something every day remained unchanged.
In that world, Minseo had never seen a lazy person, except for his sister, Lerialia. There were only relatively lazy people.
The Engagement scenario was somewhat better.
Financially, it was more comfortable, so there was no need to laboriously work. But there was another problem.
Rera and Ray were in a romantic relationship.
It was a scenario that was mentally exhausting, despite the physical comfort. Minseo found himself blending into Ray’s mind, forgetting Chaeha and inevitably falling in love with Rera. That was one of the main reasons why Ray Dexter particularly despised Minseo, treating him like a contaminant.
Ray loathed how he had to feel every intimate moment he shared with Rera, not just as a third-party observer but almost as if they were one body. Minseo didn’t enjoy it any more than Ray did, and Ray endured it because he knew Minseo felt the same. But after the loop where the engagement was annulled, Ray no longer held back.
Minseo buried his face in his hands.
He didn’t want to go back. Truly. The problem wasn’t living diligently but rather the dread of facing another horrific ending.
Even the so-called happy endings were damn miserable. They were only endurable because his standards had plummeted so low. Take Rev, who had to part ways with Lena the moment they got married; behind his joy of making Lena happy, there was a deep sadness, which Minseo felt vividly. It was an inevitable situation, so neither he nor the Leos ever mentioned it.
- Yeah. The Leos always sacrificed for the Lenas. I swore, too. I love them now, just as muChapter So go back. Go back and make them happy.
‘Yeah… That’s right. They’re no longer just…’
- Are you crazy? Why would you go back there? After everything it took to escape? Do you have any guarantee you can get out again if you go back? Is this the time to think about others? Stop overthinking it, idiot.
His heart wavered back and forth like a seesaw, battling within. Minseo agonized until the sun was nearly setting, finally lifting his head when his neck began to ache. He steeled his resolve, his eyes firm.
‘...No. I can’t leave the Lenas like that.’
Just one more loop.
It seemed that killing Count Forte was the problem. If he could undo that, all three scenarios would end happily. He lifted his head, thinking…
- Shit.
- Look at that. Shit. It’s all fucked up again.
On the dark laptop screen, where the ending credits had disappeared, a single message window flickered ominously.
[ You logged out with the Guardian Quest unlocked. Would you like to re-enter? The game cannot be terminated until the Guardian Quest is completed. Yes / No ]
[ 08 : 14 ]
If only those numbers represented hours and minutes. Unfortunately, they were minutes and seconds. The laptop ticked away with a clicking sound, counting down the time.
A string of curses rose up his throat.
Minseo eventually screamed profanities, loud enough to halt the pop music from next door. But the counter did not stop.
[ 07 : 31 ]
“Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”1)
Minseo, having spat out curses, panted heavily. He finally understood why those so-called believers begged not to be led into temptation.
He flailed in front of the countdown clock, helplessly, like a scene from a silent movie. Eventually, with a dazed expression, he stood up and sat on the edge of his bed.
He tried his best not to think. He wetted his lips with his tongue, blinked his eyes, straightened his back in his sitting posture, and patted his knees.
[ 05 : 29 ]
Nothing compared to Ray Dexter’s thick legs. Not even the stout legs of Rev, the boy from the mountain valley. Still, it was far better than those of Lean…
Mom. Dad.
But the thoughts he tried to suppress surged in. Emotions swelled, and his eyes grew moist, his nose tingled. Unable to hold back, Minseo raised his hands to cover his eyes.
[ 04 : 50 ]
A sob burst out between his clenched teeth. He struck his knees, smack, smack, because he couldn’t bear it otherwise.
His eyes caught sight of his phone. Checking the time, Minseo grabbed it.
Mom, Dad. Your foolish son is about to make the world’s stupidest decision. I just want to hear your voices... just once before I go.
But he had forgotten his parents’ phone numbers.
Minseo searched his contacts, intending to find his father. But at that moment, he shuddered as if struck by lightning. Ashin, Seares’ warning flashed in his mind.
= You will soon stand at a crossroads. At that time, do not contact those you love.
It wasn’t advice for Rev. It was a warning left for me… for me.
Minseo clutched his tear-soaked face again. In truth, he knew. He knew all along.
Contacting his parents would weaken his resolve. He had planned to use them as an excuse to abandon Lena.
It was the devil’s sweet temptation.
[ 01 : 42 ]
Minseo rose weakly from his bed. He lit a cigarette, a Régence Blue, the kind his father used to smoke. One hand held the phone, the other gripped the mouse—this laptop was a gift from his father.
Seoul University! You did it! his father had rejoiced, gifting it to him upon his college admission. His mother had given him the latest smartphone, one she had never used herself, as a present to her son returning from military service.
His parents were divorced.
Somehow, it made sense why they visited him separately during his military service. It was a long time ago, though.
Sigh.
Minseo exhaled cigarette smoke, firming his resolve. He placed the mouse over the button and dialed the phone number with his other hand. He remembered Chaeha’s number.
[ 01 : 06 ]
He knew it was foolish. But Chaeha would be fine. Hearing her voice wouldn’t waver his resolve.
Just as he had crushed Chaeha’s dreams, as he had done to the Lenas, he vowed to return. He would fulfill the Lenas’ dreams, make them happy…!
…And then he would come back and ask for Chaeha’s forgiveness. They would move forward together.
[ 00 : 34 ]
Tr-ring, tr-ring, the simple dial tone repeated. Then, click, the call connected.
“...Yeah, Minseo. How have you been?”
It was a voice weary from reality. Chaeha spoke in a forced cheerful tone.
“I’ve been going to interviews lately. How’s your studying going? ......Why aren’t you saying anything?”
[ 00 : 01 ]
The counter stopped. The apartment with the open window was empty. Outside, on the asphalt, only a single Régence Blue butt had fallen.
1) The Christian Lord’s Prayer.
.
!
Chapter 269: Engagement - Warning
Comments