Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 314: Beggar Siblings – Baneca Rauno
313: Beggar Siblings – Baneca Rauno
“The taste has changed a bit.”
Lean gave a moderate review while sitting before the food prepared by the owner of the chicken restaurant they had met again. The food wasn’t bad, but the man sitting across from him was another matter. Zavad Hohenheim—his attitude was disrespectful.
Zavad gestured toward this restaurant with a jerk of his chin, walking ahead without waiting for Lean's agreement. Even now, as they waited for the dishes to arrive, Zavad crossed his arms and stared intently at the prince, an unpleasant look on his face. Eventually, Lean couldn’t hold back.
“Now I understand why you were kicked out. You're lucky to still be alive.”
“I think so too, Your Highness,” Zavad replied smoothly, his fingers scratching at the table with a grating noise. Though it wasn’t proper etiquette, it wasn’t entirely meaningless either—Lean picked up on it. Zavad had thrown his words right back at him.
“Do you have a death wish?” Lean slammed his utensils down. Zavad, observing the prince’s reaction, smirked faintly.
He’s got a temper. Good. He’ll do just fine, Zavad thought, shifting the conversation to something else.
“Well, what does it matter? You're a foreign prince, and I’m practically stateless. A man like me has nothing to lose. If my attitude bothers you, you can leave. After all, you came to me because you wanted something, didn’t you?”
“What makes you think I want anything from you?”
Zavad grinned, taking his time, shoveling food into his mouth as if he were starving, though his hunger was feigned.
This is good.
It wasn’t until after he’d finished the main dish that he spoke again.
“You came to see me because you were investigating Princess Chloe de Tatalia, weren’t you? I know everything there is to know about that curse... I mean, that princess. Ah, it’s a shame about your broken engagement.”
Lean chose to listen in silence, letting the conversation unfold.
“I don’t know how you found out I was still alive, but well done. If it’s information about the princess you want, I can tell you anything. But, I also have something to ask of you in return.”
“And what do you want from me? Money? Or is it that you want me to fix your arm?”
Predictably, the beggar shook his head. Zavad glanced towards the owner, who was distracted in the kitchen, playing with some flowers, then lowered his voice.
“There’s a gang here in Orville, the Rauno Family. I need you to investigate something for me.”
Lean stared blankly at Zavad. Taking this as agreement, Zavad continued.
“If you find out what I need to know, I’ll answer a question about the princess for you. First, I want you to find out…”
“Why were you kicked out? From what I hear, you were Princess Chloe’s personal head servant. Was your dismissal related to her? Is that why your family was destroyed?”
“You’re asking a question already? Well, that’s fine. It’s not a hard one. Yes, it’s related to the princess.”
“And the reason?”
Because that madwoman was losing her mind.
But Zavad didn’t reveal the full truth. He didn’t want this hot-tempered prince to know the details of that crazy woman’s actions, so he deflected.
“Officially, it’s because I was disrespectful to the princess. But doesn’t that seem odd to you? How could a mere seven-year-old princess have the power to dismiss me and wipe out my entire family? It was just a pretext. In reality, it’s because the Hohenheim baron family fell out of favor with the king.”
“...That is strange. Did your family hold any official positions at the time?”
“Yes, we did. But you’re asking too many questions. If you want to hear more, then find out what I asked for. Now, what I want…”
Zavad lowered his voice further.
“There’s a mansion across the southern avenue where the Rauno Family gathers. I can’t go in there, but it should be easy for you. Check if there’s a tunnel in the basement.”
“Hm?”
Lean was a bit surprised. How does this guy know about that?
While Zavad’s request seemed based on suspicion, Lean’s interest was piqued. After all, there was an emergency tunnel in the basement of the Rauno Family mansion.
It was during the third siblings’ episode that I fled to the Rauno Family after being chased by Irene when the Marquis Tatian discovered my identity. At the time, the mansion was already surrounded by soldiers sent by the Marquis.
Back then, there was nothing I could do. I wasn’t skilled enough with a sword... Though, if I had been better, I wouldn’t have been chased by Irene in the first place. Anyway, I couldn’t rescue my sister, so I had to flee and seek help from Katrina.
There was an escape route in the basement of the mansion.
Though I never went inside, I had heard that it was thoroughly prepared and had planned to use it someday. Of course, things didn’t turn out well.
But that’s all in the past. Now, why is he asking about it? How does he know a secret only known to the top members of the Rauno Family?
Lean’s curiosity deepened, and he pressed on.
“That’s an easy question to answer. There is an emergency tunnel in the basement of the Rauno mansion.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve stayed there. But never mind that... What role did the Hohenheim family hold before they were destroyed?”
Curious but saving the inquiry for later, Lean decided not to press further on Zavad’s knowledge of the tunnel. Zavad briefly reminisced about the past before answering.
“We were the ‘lictor’ of Orville—a position overseeing the city's security. It’s been in the family for generations. I, being a bastard, became a servant in the royal palace instead.”
“A lictor... That makes sense now.”
Lean began to understand why Astroth, the king, had been so severe in wiping out the Hohenheim family. The lictor position, responsible for maintaining the city’s security, remained vacant to this day.
Meanwhile, Zavad was puzzled.
Why isn’t he asking more about the princess? I thought he sought me out to restore his status through Princess Tatalia... No, there’s still time. He’ll probably ask eventually.
Clinging to that hope, Zavad took his turn to ask a question.
“You said there’s an emergency tunnel in the basement. Have you been inside?”
“...Yes.”
“And where does it lead?”
Well, I haven’t been there, but I can guess. Since his sister had escaped, it must have led outside.
“It stretches out to the outskirts of Orville. There’s an abandoned ranch at the end.”
That’s where the secret tunnel from Nevis Castle led. But hold on…
Is it really possible for such a massive tunnel to exist under the Rauno mansion?
Digging a tunnel that deep requires an enormous workforce—only something like a royal family could afford such a costly escape route. Moreover...
It can’t overlap with the secret tunnels under Orville Castle. The royal guards would never allow that.
There was also the issue of space.
Orville was densely built, and to dig a tunnel beneath all those structures without interference, it would have to go at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) underground. And the deeper you dig, the tougher the soil gets.
That’s why most underground tunnels can’t go too deep. If another tunnel were to be dug, it would inevitably intersect with the existing ones. Orville Castle’s underground maze was as complex as a spider’s web.
But when I worked as a royal guard, there were no overlaps.
That leaves two possible explanations.
The Rauno family's secret passage overlapping with the tunnels beneath Orville Castle, yet remaining hidden from the royal guards, was extraordinary. Whether they had meticulously mapped out the royal tunnels to avoid overlapping or clearly concealed their passage, either possibility was remarkable.
No matter how noble the Rauno Family might be, claiming descent from Banun Rauno, the first of the nobility, this Level of sophistication was beyond the ordinary.
Lean regretted telling a half-truth. I don't even know for sure myself... Fortunately, Zavad seemed convinced.
“So, there really is a passage. But it seems different from the one I know. Since you don’t seem too familiar with it either, please check it out. I believe there’s another tunnel.”
“And how would I know which one you mean? You’ll have to tell me.”
“It’s a tunnel directly connected to the royal palace. If my guess is correct, it leads right to the staircase before the king’s chambers.”
“You mean the King’s Ascent? There's no passage leading down there.”
“You’ve been inside the palace, I see. Then you must know about the Crown Princess Staircase and the Prince's Staircase on either side of the King’s Ascent?”
“Yes.”
“Well, beneath the Crown Princess Staircase, there’s a corridor leading to the Hall of Comfort, and beneath the Prince's Staircase is a passage to the Hall of Prosperity. But what no one knows is that there’s a corridor beneath the King’s Ascent as well.”
Lean remained silent, sensing that Zavad, once the royal head servant, was revealing a hidden secret.
“And that corridor has an ancient name. A name given by someone from a distant past—The Path of Adultery. It was named by Baneca Rauno. I found a journal she left behind in that place.”
“Baneca Rauno?”
“Yes, Baneca was the sister of the famous Banun Rauno. The spelling of their family name differs slightly, but it’s clear in her journal. It contained shocking stories that would shake the world.”
Zavad shrugged lightly after his statement.
“Of course, I didn’t finish reading it. I’m not very proficient in ancient languages. Either way, please investigate if the Rauno mansion’s tunnel connects to that corridor. I walked it as far as I could, but the exit was blocked, and I had to turn back. That’s my first request.”
“And the second?”
“There is one. But I can’t tell you yet. It won’t be difficult for someone like you. If you fulfill my requests... I’ll do everything in my power to help you restore your engagement with Princess Tatalia.”
Lean remained silent, his food half-finished and growing cold. After a long pause, he quietly asked something that had crossed his mind.
“Banun Rauno never married, did he?”
Though the question seemed out of context, Zavad appeared genuinely surprised.
“No. He lived his entire life unmarried. Though, as for whether he remained truly single... no one knows for sure.”
“And Baneca?”
“Enough. If you want to ask more, fulfill my request first. Frankly, I’m curious why you even care about such things. It can’t be that important to you.”
“...You’re right. It’s not that important. Thanks. I’ll be back.”
Lean rose from his seat, confessing to the restaurant owner that he was too full to finish his meal, paid the bill, and parted ways with the beggar, his twisted-armed companion, heading back to the Rauno family mansion.
He felt as if he were on the verge of realizing something significant, but his mind grew clouded, and he shook his head.
This is as far as I should go. Any further, and it’ll lead to trouble.
He had developed a sharp sense for detecting danger, and something told him that pursuing this too deeply would bring nothing but harm. And besides...
[You have died. 6/6 – The player shares life with Leo.]
From now on, death was not an option. Though there were still lives left in this cycle, if he were to die, Minseo would lose her life.
What a terrifying system it was.
Even if Lean were to die, the scenario would continue on as if nothing had happened, flowing smoothly without his intervention. But Minseo, now at the critical moment of the 22nd cycle, was being tested.
It was all about how well she had built relationships with Leo and the others. If Minseo had treated them poorly, this would have been the end.
There was a problem with not passing on the memories of prior cycles when there was no player, but even that was now solvable.
He could leave the vital information with a certain Saintess—someone unaffected by the cycle's resets. But Minseo had treated them well so far, so Lean brushed aside his stray thoughts.
I’ll stop investigating for now. There’s still the true ending to reach, and even if not for that, I can’t afford to die and leave my sister behind.
Though there was still an unsettling sense of unknowns, Lean felt confident in himself. Or rather, in the version of himself from a past cycle. He recalled an old ending sequence that felt distant now.
---
+ One day, while teaching Katrina swordsmanship, Lean went to meet Cassia and encountered a beggar with a broken arm. Intrigued by the beggar’s knowledge of court etiquette, Lean followed him and agreed to investigate the Rauno Family’s secrets. This beggar, who once served the Tatalia Royal Family, kept asking for one favor after another. Then, for some reason, the Marquis Benar Tatian approached Lean with a tempting offer. Knowing he needed more resources to complete the beggar’s requests, Lean accepted... +
---
Over two engagement cycles and one childhood-friend cycle, Lean had followed the same path each time.
But whenever Lean communicated with the church, the one warning he always received was to avoid meeting the beggar with the broken arm. And yet, no one shared any of the information they discovered from those encounters. This meant they hadn’t found anything worth sharing.
Or, perhaps, they feared the church's surveillance and decided not to trust anyone outside. Even so, had the information been truly crucial, someone would have found a way to relay it.
Lean made up his mind.
Take what you need, and leave the rest behind.
Turning away from his plan to meet Santian, Lean decided not to provoke the curiosity of anyone who might know about the secret tunnel under the mansion. It was better not to stir the pot.
Instead, he quietly approached Joseph Rauno and gave him a simple order.
“Kill Zavad Hohenheim. Don’t ask why, and do it without Ober’s knowledge.”
Shortly after, Lean sent a letter to the Marquis Benar Tatian:
/ It would be wise to send your son to the capital church with Gilbert Forte. It would also be a good idea for Irene to accompany them. /
With that, his business in Orville was concluded.
Afterward, Lean returned to review the sample boots Cassia had sent with his sister, ensuring they fit snugly before they set off on a journey to avert what could have been a tragic fate.
Their destination: to meet Ray and Rera Ainar.
Just before departure, his sister's small voice called out playfully, “Hey! Now! Hurry, get on!”
It was autumn, and Rev had just arrived at the Irotashi River.
.
!
Chapter 314: Beggar Siblings – Baneca Rauno
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