Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 31: Childhood Friend – Interesting Thing

Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 31: Childhood Friend – Interesting Thing

31. Childhood Friend – Interesting Thing
Leo built a simple house outside the village.
This forest belonged to the Uena tribe, who had created several small villages for mushroom cultivation.
Mushroom cultivation depended on good wood and humidity control.
They wandered through the vast forest to find suitable trees, cutting them down in winter. Summer wood, filled with moisture, was avoided because it could easily lead to mushroom diseases.
Mushrooms required a lot of care, especially in summer. They needed to be kept in cool, dry places where sunlight was blocked as much as possible while ensuring the wood didn't dry out.
There weren't many places that met these optimal conditions, so the Uena tribe built villages in various cool and dry spots, traveling between them.
Leo borrowed tools from the villagers.
Despite the strange symbols floating above his head, the tribe members did not chase him away, though they were wary of the outsider.
They were a peaceful, farming tribe, unlike the aggressive hunter tribes like the Ainar.
Leo borrowed abandoned logs, stripped off the bark, and shredded them into small pieces. The tribe members watched in amazement as he skillfully produced ropes from the bark. Although they knew how to make ropes, his dexterity was extraordinary.
One boy approached Leo and asked him various questions.
“Why are you making ropes?”
“For hunting.”
“Isn’t hunting done with a bow?”
“I’ll use the ropes to set traps.”
“Traps? How do you make a trap?”
“Usually, you tie knots like this... Could you step aside for a bit? I'm busy.”
The boy kept pestering Leo. He followed him even while he was building his house, constantly asking questions.
“There’s a hole here?”
“...I’ll connect it to the stove. I don't plan to stay until winter, but just in case.”
“Where do you have to go next?”
“......”
Leo was harassed by the boy all day.
The next morning,
Leo woke up in his barely-roofed house.
The symbol above his head remained unchanged. It seemed it would be a while before it disappeared.
He planned to go hunting today.
He still had no weapons. No matter how peaceful the tribe was, they wouldn’t easily give weapons to an outsider.
But he had plenty of ropes now, so he could set traps.
After setting traps, he could carve a spear from wood to finish off any caught game.
By hunting and saving money, he could eventually buy a weapon.
After organizing his day, Leo stepped outside to wash, sensing someone’s presence.
The boy from yesterday stood before him.
‘Why is he bothering me so much?’
Although the boy had only watched and asked questions, it was a significant nuisance for someone as quick-handed as Leo.
Without understanding Leo’s annoyance, the boy greeted him cheerfully.
“Hi, brother.”
“...Yeah, hi.”
Leo returned the greeting reluctantly. The boy was accompanied by a girl.
“Hello.”
“......”
The girl, who looked about a year younger than the boy, had a shy resemblance to him, suggesting they were siblings.
‘Now they're in pairs.’
Leo ignored them as he washed in the stream, feeling uncomfortable with the girl following him.
It was awkward to say anything.
Leo had arrived in the village two days ago, eating with wary villagers. As an outsider, he had to be careful.
‘Do I have to be mindful of kids too...’
The age difference wasn’t significant.
He was an adult this year, while the kids were only a few years younger.
However, they were not close enough to be friends. Although the age gap wasn’t huge, the kids hadn’t taken the initiative to start anything. They probably just did tasks assigned by adults.
Thinking back, Lena was remarkable.
From a young age, she had gathered food to help her family, despite their poor circumstances. Leo often accompanied her, but his main task was learning hunting from his father.
Lena pursued her dreams while working.
Thinking fondly of Lena, Leo grabbed his ropes and headed into the forest.
“How far do you plan to follow me?”
The kids fearlessly followed him.
“Can’t we watch you hunt?”
“Sorry, but no. Too many people will leave traces, making the traps useless.”
“I want to learn how to hunt...”
The girl scolded the boy who looked dejected.
“Let’s just go. You can’t hunt. Let’s go back before grandma gets mad.”
“Yeah, go back. You’ll just be a hindrance.”
“I’m not a kid! I’m Euta.”
“Nice to meet you. Now go back.”
The boy left angrily, and the girl followed him.
Leo felt a bit guilty, recalling his own past with Lena.
However, having a novice by his side would render the traps useless. Maybe later, but he couldn’t afford it now.
He watched the siblings disappear before resuming his path.
*
The next day.
Leo had set traps everywhere. Since he wasn’t familiar with the area, the chances of catching anything were low. He was unbearably hungry, having not eaten since the previous day.
‘Should I beg for another meal? I hate it...’
He had already promised to repay the villagers for several meals.
Begging for more made him uncomfortable.
‘There’s probably nothing in the traps yet. Should I gather something to eat? But I need to make a spear. And build the house.’
Grumbling, he stepped out of his makeshift hut.
“Brother, here...”
Euta appeared again, shyly offering something to Leo.
It was a rice ball mixed with finely chopped mushrooms and tort wood.
Leo accepted and ate without hesitation. There was no need to refuse a kind offer, and he understood what Euta wanted.
Euta handed Leo a water pouch right after he finished eating.
Leo, displeased at giving in for a meal, spoke up.
“You want me to teach you to hunt?”
“Yeah!”
“But why learn to hunt? Your tribe cultivates mushrooms. That skill is more valuable.”
“Growing mushrooms isn’t fun. We just look at trees all day... Hunting seems more exciting. I even know how to shoot a bow.”
“Really?”
He seemed to think that hunting involved running around with a bow. Lena Ainar had a similar thought.
Of course, there were times like that, but more often than not, it wasn’t the case. Unless you were a world-class archer, it was incredibly difficult to hit animals running through the forest.
To hunt with a bow, you had to shoot from a distance without being noticed, and if you didn’t take the animal down in one shot, it would flee. You could spend half a day tracking it.
There was tension in the moment you released an arrow, but all the other time was just spent wandering through the mountains. It wasn’t much different from Euta’s complained-about task of ‘always looking at trees.’
To correct the young boy's misconceptions, Leo decided to show him the value of a meal.
He demonstrated a small trap on a nearby stump.
“Here, this is a ‘sky snare.’ When an animal passes by and touches this spot... it gets caught in the noose and is suspended in the air.”
“Wow! That’s amazing. How does it spring up like that?”
“It uses the elasticity of the tree. If you make a small cut like this below a bent branch... it bends well while maintaining its elasticity.”
Euta marveled at the trap, touching it curiously.
“I have to go hunting now. Try making one like this. I’ll leave the rope here.”
“Got it! I’ll make one right here.”
Leo grinned at the boy.
‘It’s not as easy as you think.’
It would take days to make just one trap.
If Euta kept fiddling with it without succeeding, the wood would lose its strength and become useless. It took a lot of practice to master the technique.
Leo, free from his troublesome follower, resumed hunting.
As expected, it took Euta several days to make a decent trap. His sister often came by to watch and tease him as he struggled with his makeshift traps.
Leo wasn’t bored, but Euta’s grandmother came by a few times to scold him.
Dressed in unique clothing, likely a shaman, the grandmother seemed to be there to fetch her granddaughter. She frowned at Leo for teaching the children dangerous things.
Yet, she didn’t stop her grandson from learning. Instead, she gave Leo food as thanks for watching over the children.
The peaceful days of summer were passing by.
*
Two people strolled through the well-kept park of the cathedral.
“Currently, King Tatalia II of Bellita was the third prince. Because of his frail health and shy nature, no one expected him to ascend the throne. However, around the time he came of age...”
Lena listened attentively to Gilbert's story. Their first meeting was awkward, and even now, she was often led around by him, but his stories were interesting.
Gilbert was knowledgeable and articulate.
He didn’t seem particularly interested in the theology Lena enjoyed, but he vividly described the secrets of nobles and the customs of various kingdoms.
“Today was fun too. Thanks to you, I got a lot of exercise.”
“I enjoyed it as well.”
They often went for evening walks. Gilbert had coaxed Lena, who studied late at the library, into making it a habit.
Lena didn’t mind; in fact, she began to enjoy it.
Breathing in the cool autumn air while clearing her mind after a day of studying added a refreshing touch to her busy day. With Gilbert’s entertaining stories, she wasn’t bored.
He was handsome. With his neatly combed blonde hair and always dignified attire, he stood out in the modest church.
Lena looked up at Gilbert standing beside her. Even on second glance, he was undeniably handsome.
‘Sorry, but his appearance is better than Leo’s.’
Though Leo was good-looking for a village youth, he couldn’t compare to a noble.
Gilbert’s confident build, deep baritone voice, and his strong nose and thick eyebrows highlighted his masculinity.
Even at the cathedral, he was a famous figure among the nobles.
Lena was simply amazed that she had become friends with such a noble.
To someone like her, nobles were formidable figures whom she had to bow deeply to and be careful around to avoid trouble. The cathedral was indeed a blessed place.
As she silently offered a prayer of thanks, Gilbert requested her hand.
“Lena, may I have your hand for a moment?”
She was now used to holding his hand. Somehow, she felt as if she lost control of her body in front of this man, which was understandable. His natural manners held her in sway.
They had grown close, but the fact that he was a noble also played a part. Commoners had to at least pretend to die if a noble commanded it.
Fortunately, Gilbert’s requests were always within reasonable limits.
“It suits you well.”
A small bracelet adorned her arm. Lena waved her hand in embarrassment.
“Oh? I’m sorry. I can’t accept something like this.”
Gilbert responded smoothly to her refusal.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you misunderstand. I wasn’t giving it to you. I was curious how it would look on someone. I apologize for my rudeness.”
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry too.”
Gilbert stepped back.
Lena’s reaction was firmer than expected.
“If it’s okay with you, could you wear it for a few days and give me your thoughts? I want to give it to my sister, but it doesn’t fit my wrist.”
Although he was an only child, Lena didn’t know this and hesitated.
“I’m not sure if I can keep such a precious item...”
“It’s not that valuable. I picked it up at a market stall. Is that okay?”
“Well, alright. I’ll return it to you in a few days. It looks simple yet somehow elegant.”
It was.
Though it looked simple, it was platinum.
Gilbert diverted Lena’s attention to his imaginary sister.
He could replace the fictional sister with any noble lady he had met and describe her.
Lena soon got engrossed in stories about the luxurious lives of noble ladies.
‘She has an unusual love for such stories. She dislikes gifts but...’
She was a peculiar woman.
Gilbert had never met a woman who grew up in a village.
In a remote village like Demos, there were hardly any ‘new stories,’ so most of what Lena knew was from Brother Leslie.
Brother Leslie had some travel experience, but he was still a priest and knew only dull stories. Even those fascinated her.
Lena, engrossed in Gilbert’s stories, lost track of time until she noticed the moon high in the sky.
“Oh no! I have early classes tomorrow... I’m sorry. I have to go.”
“Alright. I had a good time today.”
“Thank you. I enjoyed it too. Good night.”
She parted with Gilbert and headed to her dormitory.
“Lena, are you heading in?”
“Oh, Daniel, are you leaving now too?”
Lena met Daniel, who had also stayed late at the library, and they walked together.
In the moonlight, the bracelet sparkled, catching Daniel’s eye. He frowned slightly.
Women...
“You wear bracelets too, Lena?”
“Oh! This isn
Oh! This isn’t mine. I just...”
His eyes narrowed.
“...Is it from Gilbert Forte?”
Daniel was an apprentice who had passed most of his classes and was almost certain to receive his ordination in the fall of next year.
Had he completed his studies a bit earlier, he would have been ordained this fall, but luck wasn’t on his side.
Even if the ordination didn’t go well, he could still become a priest, so he was already treated as an ordained apprentice.
As a result, he was starting to assist with church duties and had seen Gilbert Forte’s records.
The church was particularly concerned about Gilbert Forte, the son of a Sword Master and a notorious rake in the Kingdom of Bellita. His reputation was not good.
“Are you close with Lord Forte?”
“Yes. Lately, we often go for evening walks. It’s good exercise and fun. He told me an interesting story today, it was about...”
Lena chattered brightly, but Daniel’s eyes grew colder.

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Chapter 31: Childhood Friend – Interesting Thing