Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 28: Childhood Friend - Omen

Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 28: Childhood Friend - Omen

28. Childhood Friend - Omen
The long winter had ended.
Leo arrived in the city he had visited with Lena last time, burdened with heavy loads.
It was the place where he had bought a shabby two-handed sword.
His backpack was overflowing with various weapons.
Axes, swords, bows... It was so heavy that his back felt like it was about to break. He had to leave the shields and leather armors at the mountain hideout because he couldn't carry them.
Over the winter, he had raided three bandit hideouts. Should he say he plundered bandits?
‘I went through all the trouble of moving horns and hides for nothing.’
Initially, he was greedy because he didn't have much to carry, but later, he could only pick the most expensive items.
Leo was tense as he passed through the city gates.
He wasn’t worried about being pursued as a murderer. Several months had passed, so the city guards wouldn't remember his appearance, and this place was quite far from Torito Village.
What worried Leo was his load.
If they had asked to unpack the weapons, he would have been in big trouble, but fortunately, this small city didn't have as strict surveillance as the capital, so he passed through safely.
He hurried his tired legs to the blacksmith where he had bought the weapon last time.
The blacksmith was not averse to illegal dealings.
"You're going to sell all this? Do you have a permit? No?"
The young blacksmith looked at Leo suspiciously.
"Did you steal these weapons from the Family and run away?"
"If they were Family weapons, they'd have the Family insignia on them."
"Not necessarily..."
He seemed to be pondering.
"How much are you selling them for?"
"Will you buy them?"
"Depends on the price."
"Two hundred silver coins."
"Are you crazy? Get lost. Even if you sold them all formally, you’d be lucky to get three hundred silver coins, and you want to take two hundred? Even if you sold your conscience along with these, you wouldn't get that price."
The blacksmith cut him off firmly, not even considering it, and Leo finally explained his situation, saying he wanted to buy a horse.
"A horse? You can't buy a horse without a permit."
"That's why I'm asking, could you buy one for me?"
"No conscience and now no shame either. Why should I?"
"I'll give you all this if you buy me a horse."
Leo gauged his reaction.
"And just a little bit of silver along with a two-handed sword..."
"I've seen everything now... No, wait a minute."
He slapped his thighs and paced around before speaking.
"It doesn't have to be a great horse, right?"
"...It can't be completely unusable. I need to ride it."
"Follow me."
The blacksmith closed the smithy and led Leo to a stable.
He chatted roughly with a man there.
The horse he showed Leo was surprisingly young but, as expected, had a limp.
The stable owner explained apologetically.
"This one was born with one leg slightly shorter, but it runs well. Still, nobody wants a limping horse."
Leo looked disapprovingly at the blacksmith, who shrugged.
‘Everything this guy gives me is defective.’
Unhappy, but without options, Leo said, "Can I try riding it?"
"Of course. It’s fine, I tell you."
He got on the horse.
Though Leo was riding for the first time, Minseo had gone horse riding a few times in college. It was a fun elective.
[ Achievement: First Horse Ride - Leo’s riding skills have slightly improved. ]
As the achievement notification appeared, the nervous horse calmed down.
Leo walked the horse a little in the stable. It wobbled with every step due to its shorter front leg, but it wasn't unrideable. He wasn’t sure about running, though.
He dismounted and said, "Alright, I'll take it."
"You made a good choice. Without a permit, even this horse is more than you deserve. Ha ha. I'm glad. Thought it would end up farming."
The stable owner patted the horse’s mane, looking relieved.
Leo agreed to take the horse the next day, as getting it early would only increase lodging costs.
He returned to the blacksmith and received the shoddy two-handed sword and a handful of silver coins. Even those were gotten after complaining about the limping horse.
‘I'm going to look ridiculous.’
A limping horse and an unbalanced sword.
He remembered the prince of Astin Kingdom riding a black horse he had seen in Orville. Now that he was riding, the comparison felt even more striking.
‘Tsk. How can I compare myself to a prince...’
He bitterly booked a room and went to bed. The next day, Leo left the nameless city riding the limping horse.
Limping all the way.
*
Warm spring and news of war reached the capital church.
In this world, priests handled communications, so the capital church received news from across the continent first.
The war between the Astin Kingdom and the Bellita Kingdom was anticipated. After the prince of Astin Kingdom returned with a treatment that even commoners would find insulting, both kingdoms had been covertly preparing for war.
However, apart from that information, Saint Maryel was certain the war would break out.
"I heard the Holy Church urged not to participate in the war. Is that true?"
The Bellita Kingdom’s diplomat, who had rushed over, asked sternly, but the saint did not deny it.
Saint Maryel, sitting in a low, white-lit bishop's chair used for ceremonies, maintained an inscrutable smile. The diplomat, though respectful, reproached her.
"We do not intend to interfere with the Holy Kingdom’s politics, but isn't this overstepping? The Holy Kingdom and our Bellita Kingdom have always maintained good relations."
"The Holy Kingdom also maintains friendly relations with the Astin Kingdom."
The saint spoke the truth.
"Such a barbaric country... Ahem. But aside from that, why are priests forbidden from being mobilized? Is the Holy Church favoring the Astin Kingdom?"
"No. Priests from the Astin Kingdom will also not participate in the war."
"That's unreasonable! Our Bellita Kingdom has more churches and priests. This is not a fair condition at all."
The saint frowned at the expected difficult argument, but the agitated diplomat continued his speech.
"The Bellita Kingdom has made many donations to the churChapter And now you're withdrawing like this? At least allow us to mobilize priests to heal our knights."
"No, that’s not possible."
With the saint's firm stance, the diplomat leaned back, expressing his frustration, and asked, "Why? We are being invaded right now. The war was unilaterally declared by them. Besides, when there was a civil war in the north long ago, priests were allowed to be mobilized. Why are priests being forbidden in this war?"
He did not mention the actions of his own princess, as it was not something the saint would take issue with, but her response was entirely different.
"I am merely following the will of God."
"Excuse me?"
The diplomat’s eyes widened.
"The will of God... Are you saying God has commanded not to intervene in this war?"
"Yes. The Holy Church and the Holy Kingdom have both been told not to take action."
‘What kind of absurdity is this?!’
The diplomat internally cursed while outwardly maintaining his composure.
"It's presumptuous of me to say, but it's hard to believe that God would be interested in a minor conflict among His creations."
Saying such words officially was unwise, but he felt he would burst if he didn't let it out.
A war without the mobilization of priests! He couldn't even begin to imagine how much high-quality resources would be lost.
But the saint did not refute his sarcasm.
"I do not understand it myself. I am simply following orders."
"...I understand."
The diplomat's intensity subsided slightly.
Everyone knew the saint couldn’t lie. If she directly stated she didn’t know, it was clear she truly had no idea.
“Then, about selling military supplies…”
“We will ensure that no supplies are transferred to either side.”
He gritted his teeth. It became clear that the Holy Kingdom and the Holy Church would be of no help in this war.
“I see. I would be grateful if you ensured that no supplies reach the Astin Kingdom.”
“Yes. The church will make efforts to prevent such occurrences.”
In the end, the diplomat left, fuming, unable to contain his anger.
He left the room, his steps loud and disrespectful, forgetting to show courtesy to the saint in his frustration.
The saint remained alone in the vast reception room.
The diplomat had left in anger, but she was filled with questions herself.
‘The Great Deity commanded us to remain neutral and not to interfere. And no further explanation was given...’
The saint had also questioned other gods.
The Holy Church worshipped five gods, but in reality, these five gods were all aspects of the same Great Deity.
The one true and supreme deity did not allow any name to be used for Himself, and the other gods were all His avatars.
These avatars shared the Great Deity’s will, but unlike the brief and sometimes cryptic messages from the Great Deity, they occasionally gave long and kind explanations.
Especially Binar, the god who guided against evil, was known for lengthy speeches. One might say, informally, that he was quite the nag.
When she asked for an explanation of the Great Deity’s command, Binar gave detailed instructions.
The Holy Kingdom was to declare neutrality, and the Holy Church was to prevent all priests from participating in the war. And he mentioned the reason, which none had explained, as if in passing.
["The time has come for the evil that has descended upon this world to be dealt with, so do not concern yourself and fulfill your duty. Human strength is valuable but must be mindful of time and place. The Great Deity has blessed you and placed three great rivers on the continent, which will flow naturally as they should... (abridged)"]
...A long speech filled with metaphors that was of no help at all.
*
Leo traveled for three months on horseback.
Having a horse was indeed convenient. It was much faster than a carriage, and he didn't have to match the merchant caravan's schedule.
He named the horse Audi, but usually called it Woody. Woody ran better than expected. Though the back-and-forth motion was severe, he quickly got used to it.
Leo dismounted and walked across the open plains, and when passing through dense grasslands or forests, he urged the horse forward quickly.
He saved the horse’s strength in safe areas and sped through places where bandits or thieves might emerge unexpectedly.
They had no way to stop a running horse. While there were methods to deal with cavalry on the battlefield, bandits and thieves were far from being prepared for such tactics.
Moreover, brandishing a two-handed sword while riding made them mistake him for a knight, and they avoided him.
To a knight, a dozen or so bandits were no more than morning exercise, so none of the scoundrels had the boldness to verify if he was truly a knight.
At night, Leo gathered foliage to make a bed for Woody and covered him with a thick cloth. He slept beside the horse under the starlight.
He thought of Lena. Sending her away was a tough decision. Though it was necessary, he wanted to stay with her.
The serene journey through beautiful landscapes slowly eased his lingering attachment.
Perhaps it was the tranquility of the night, but faintly, Chaeha began to replace Lena in his thoughts.
- Let's spend some time apart and focus on ourselves. It's for us. I'll achieve something too. Let’s work hard.
Chaeha had suggested a separation, not a breakup.
She wanted time to prepare individually.
Minseo had collapsed, unable to face life. He spent his days avoiding reality, becoming reclusive, relying on Chaeha for comfort.
Chaeha might have realized the need for independence earlier.
She chose to stand up on her own rather than wallow in mutual sorrow.
At that time, when Chaeha informed him...
Woody shifted restlessly beside him.
As Leo covered Woody with the cloth again, he forgot about Chaeha. He fell asleep thinking of Lena.
Leo continued his journey.
He passed through the capital, Nevis, avoided barbarian tribes, traversed the Kingdom of Orun, toured the ports of the western sea, and then headed north.
His travels yielded little in terms of achievements.
In this world, it was hard to distinguish what was an {Event}. Helping a begging vagrant felt like it might trigger an event, and listening to requests from barbarians also seemed eventful, making it difficult to tell the difference.
When he visited Nevis, he considered revenge.
He had learned the names of those who kidnapped Lena. They belonged to the Dorf Family, similar to the Corolla Family in Orville, mainly dealing in slavery and drugs.
Slavery and drugs had a symbiotic relationship. Nothing silenced a rebellious slave better than drugs, and drugs required slaves for mixing and testing, making them complementary.
'Revenge... it's still too early.'
He lacked the strength, and it wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a day or two.
A family was on a different level than mere bandits. Each member was an elite of the underworld, incomparable to those chased into the mountains.
Such members were also well-organized.
Assassinating three or four of them might be possible, but a series of assassinations would put the entire family on high alert, making it hard to deal a significant blow beyond that.
At that point, a direct confrontation would be necessary.
To face them head-on for revenge, he would need the skills of a knight, capable of defeating dozens at once. But even a knight alone would struggle.
Those thugs had backing as well.
Alternatively, it would take a long infiltration and a careful plan, something not feasible in this scenario.
Thus, revenge against the two princes of the Kingdom of Orun, those scum, was even further off.
Devoting his entire life might not be enough, and even as a knight, the chances were slim. They were legitimate heirs to the throne.
Leo left Nevis, vowing revenge.
When he reached the border crossing into the Holy Kingdom, it was the height of a scorching summer.

Chapter 28: Childhood Friend - Omen