Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 36: Engagement - Junior Knight

Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 36: Engagement - Junior Knight

"Hey, your chest is split open. That must've hurt."
Lena and Leo arrived at the familiar camp and received medical treatment.
Lena's injuries were minor, requiring only simple treatment, and Leo's wounds weren't severe either.
Despite the deep gash on his chest, this was one of the most common and straightforward injuries for the military surgeons to handle.
The same military surgeon who had previously stitched his finger gathered his surgical tools and spoke.
"It's going to sting a lot. Do you need some alcohol? It’s better if you don’t drink. Recovery will be slower."
"...No, I don’t need it."
"Good choice. Bite down on this, or you'll damage your teeth."
The suturing was completed quickly.
The surgeon expertly maneuvered the needle as if mending a torn piece of cloth, while Leo endured the excruciating pain that made his vision blur.
After finishing, the surgeon praised Leo for enduring well, like consoling a child, and as a service, he applied a light coating of honey over the herbs on the wound.
"If we had a priest for healing spells, this would be over in no time, but that's unfortunate. I'll bandage you later. Covering the honey with a bandage would make removing it a nightmare. Haha."
He patted Leo on the back.
"When it heals, we'll remove the stitches. Be careful not to tear the wound open. And no alcohol."
"Yes, sir."
Leo walked out stiffly. As long as he didn't move his upper body, walking wasn't an issue.
Outside, Lena was waiting.
"Leo, did the treatment go well? Let me see... looks like they did a good job stitching it up. That's a relief."
Lena examined Leo's wound closely. Then she smirked.
"You'll have a fine scar to show off."
The people of the Ainar tribe considered scars to be honorable. Lena's father, Dehorman, even lamented not having any scars on his body.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. This kind of wound heals with just a bit of spit. Oh, by the way, I just met with the administrator. It looks like I'm getting promoted to centurion."
"Wow. Congratulations."
"...Could you put some more feeling into it?"
When Lena had been seriously injured and receiving treatment, Leo had met the administrator. The administrator had praised Leo's accomplishments but had been disappointed to learn he had lost a finger.
There had been no promotion for Leo at that time.
Seeing Lena's pouty expression, Leo exaggerated his gestures and spoke.
"Really, truly congratulations! Our Lena is amazing!"
"...Enough. Stop it."
Reassured by each other's safety, they moved to the infirmary.
*
Leo spent several weeks recuperating in the infirmary.
Lena, with her minor injuries, returned to the battlefield but was called back within just three weeks.
Prince Arnolf de Klaus had returned.
The prince held a grand parade to boost the soldiers' morale, during which Lena and Leo were highlighted as warriors of the Ainar tribe who had taken down a knight.
Although Leo was neither a member of the tribe nor a warrior, the military often overlooked personal details. If the higher-ups said he was a warrior, then he was a warrior.
On the parade platform, Lena and Leo offered the Achaean Empire's military salute to the prince. The prince, delighted by the rare gesture, accepted it warmly.
Leo felt proud that he had taught Lena the imperial etiquette.
"Impressive, soldiers taking down a knight. I heard you two took down a knight together. Is that true?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You said you were warriors of the tribe... Where did you learn your swordsmanship?"
"My father taught me. He was a knight in the First Order. He has since retired."
"Ah! I see. That makes sense."
Their feat was extraordinary. While it was not uncommon for a knight to be overwhelmed by a mob of soldiers, it was rare for a few soldiers to take down a knight.
The prince, looking satisfied, smiled and asked,
"Are you aspiring to become knights then?"
"Yes!"
"...Yes."
Lena answered enthusiastically, while Leo felt a pang of regret.
This was the first time he had presented Lena to the prince. But this meeting was too formal for them to establish a personal connection.
"I will appoint you as junior knights. Your future exploits will help you in receiving a knighthood. Best of luck."
"Thank you!"
"...Thank you."
The parade concluded. The injured and those who had distinguished themselves were delighted with their rewards, and Lena, excited, grabbed Leo and shook him.
"We're junior knights! I thought it would take ten years to become knights. We might actually become knights and return!"
"Uh-huh, that’s great."
Leo was more concerned about the prince's demeanor.
The prince showed no interest in Lena. While it was unlikely the prince would fall in love just by seeing her at a parade, something about the situation bothered Leo.
The prince seemed more interested in him.
[ Achievement: First Meeting with the Prince - Gained slight favor from all princes. ]
[ Achievement: Met Arnolf de Klaus - Gained slight favor from all nobles serving the Klaus royal family and from Arnolf de Klaus. ]
It was probably due to the achievements he had gained earlier. That’s why the junior knight title had been given so easily... And come to think of it, the prince had impulsively granted him the honorary knight title before as well.
Leo’s thoughts deepened.
He had something that accumulated over repeated scenarios, but Lena did not.
She had to finish everything in one go.
‘Surviving the war is the primary goal, but how can I make Lena a princess like this?’
Meeting the prince like this was meaningless. While the nature of the military allowed easy access to high-ranking individuals, it also made it difficult for Lena to get close to them.
There might be an {Event} where she saves the prince on the battlefield, creating a connection...
‘But the prince stays in the rear. We have to go to the frontlines. Can we meet him during a retreat in a losing battle?’
For now, he had to wait and see how things unfolded.
‘Or should we become knights after the war and then approach him? The war is bound to end early, so it seems possible.’
He needed to hurry if he wanted to make Lena a princess. She was already of marriageable age.
Feeling frustrated, Leo returned to the tent with Lena.
Having been promoted to centurion, Lena had her own tent, and Leo, naturally, shared it with her.
"Hey! Come out here. Let's have a spar."
"Sure. Let's get some practice in."
Leo accepted her challenge as he usually did.
The stitches on his chest had already been removed. He still felt some pulling at the wound, but it was healed enough.
As he gathered his sword, he heard Lena's suppressed laughter from behind him.
"Hehe."
"...What? What's going on?"
"Pick up your sword. You better be ready. Are you prepared? Here I come."
As soon as Lena saw him grab his sword, she launched an attack.
"Ah!"
Leo was startled and leapt backward.
It was a powerful strike, using her full body weight. He mistook it for a light feint and barely managed to block it, almost dropping his sword.
"This is..."
"It's not over yet!"
Lena rushed at him again, and the match was over in an instant.
She struck his head with the flat side of her sword.
"Your swordsmanship...?"
"Hehe. How is it? Pretty good, right?"
Lena had become stronger. And the swordsmanship she just demonstrated was not her father's. It was Katrina's swordsmanship.
Spinning her sword, Lena said,
"I tried mimicking that knight, and it seems to suit me well. Now I understand why you changed your style. Your father's swordsmanship is... a bit sneaky."
Noel Dexter's swordsmanship was stable. Having perfected it during a brutal civil war, he always had a hidden reserve in every move.
In a war where no one could be trusted and comrades often stabbed each other in the back, his swordsmanship evolved to be stable and observant of the situation.
The reason Lena could charge even after losing an arm came from this reserve.
She didn't hesitate to throw herself at Katrina, using her hidden reserve.
"Calling it sneaky might be too harsh? This swordsmanship also has a lot of tricks. It can be tough on the body."
In contrast, Katrina's swordsmanship was aggressive. She was skilled at disguising powerful strikes as light feints, mixing real and fake attacks to overwhelm her opponent.
Attracted to Katrina's swordsmanship, Lena combined it with Noel's techniques to create a new style.
Leo, genuinely impressed, asked for a rematch.
"Wow... amazing. Let's go one more round. I was too surprised to pay attention just now."
"Anytime."
With renewed determination, he faced Lena again... and lost.
Lena's skills had far surpassed his. In a one-on-one duel where Leo couldn't use his special techniques, it was inevitable.
"How was that? Pretty good, right?"
"...You just got better."
Leo sat down on the grass, reflecting on the recent sparring.
It wasn't just Katrina's swordsmanship that made him lose. Lena had grown stronger with the new techniques. Her sword now contained both the hidden reserve and deceptive moves.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Lena sat down next to him.
There was a smell of sweat.
"Leo."
"Yeah?"
"...Never mind."
"Why start talking and then stop? You're such a tease."
The breeze passed between them, cool and refreshing. Lena called out to Leo several times but never finished what she wanted to say.
*
Two flags were raised at the Astin Kingdom's military camp.
One belonged to the prince, and the other to the swordmaster.
The camp was bustling with activity since early morning, with the soldiers' steps quickened. The presence of the royal family alone instilled confidence in the troops, influencing the battlefield.
The swordmaster needed no explanation.
Among the excited soldiers, a legend of a swordmaster who once single-handedly drove away an army of five thousand was being shared.
Lena and Leo walked through the excited camp, chatting.
"It's my first time attending a meeting."
"It's my first knight's meeting too. I've followed a captain to a general's meeting before, but never this."
Even squires could attend the knight's meetings.
However, they did not have the right to speak.
Squires were not assigned missions like knights. They were given tasks similar to regular soldiers, such as guarding generals or captains.
Knights and several generals gathered in a large tent.
Lena and Leo entered, identifying themselves as squires.
Inside the tent, the knights stood in a circle around a large round table.
There were few chairs, so most stood at attention. The general they saw during the parade was seated.
Opposite him was a man with thick hair and eyebrows, his eyes almost bulging out aggressively. He didn't wear armor that suited his appearance.
He was dressed in the elegant attire of nobles, which looked comically tight over his bulging muscles.
"Let's get started quickly."
Even in front of the general, he crossed his legs (surprisingly, his pants didn't rip) and urged the adjutant to begin.
But no one thought him impudent.
With his shabby attire and carrying a huge sword without a sheath, he was Arpen Albacete, the captain of the Astin Kingdom's First Knight Order and a swordmaster.
[ Achievement: Swordmaster, 1/3 ]
Leo, stiff with tension, glanced at the swordmaster. He had finally met the strongest person in this world.
The civil war between the Astin and Aster Kingdoms produced two swordmasters.
Baron Arpen Albacete emerged as a swordmaster at the end of the fierce civil war, and simultaneously, the Aster Kingdom also revealed a new swordmaster, proclaiming they were not lacking in strength.
Their presence likely contributed to the quick end of the civil war.
If a swordmaster moved unseen, wielding their sword, no one could survive.
"The current situation is..."
The meeting began.
An adjutant spread a map on the table and began explaining the war situation. The tent, filled with dozens of people in the summer heat, turned into a sauna.
No one showed discomfort, but the swordmaster, seemingly unable to bear the heat, tugged at his collar and spoke bluntly.
"I get it. I'll guard the rear."
"Excuse me?"
"The prince is here; I can't leave his side. I'll stay with him. You don't need to worry about his safety."
"Wait, Baron Albacete. The swordmaster from the Bellita Kingdom hasn't arrived yet. If you disrupt the enemy camp now..."
The general tried to stop the swordmaster from leaving, but he only returned an indifferent look.
"I refuse. Just because the enemy's flag isn't raised doesn't mean there's no swordmaster. I'll stay in the rear."
"But, Baron. This is..."
"Do not interfere with my independent command. That's it."
With those words, he left.
The general, captains, adjutants, knights, and squires all stared at his empty seat in shock.
"Damn it!"
The general stood up in anger.
His chair fell backward with a crash.
"He didn't even show up for the parade! Damn it... ahem! Sorry. That was inappropriate. Adjutant, continue."
The adjutant, sweating profusely, continued his explanation, but the meeting ended quickly.
It was solely to decide the swordmaster's movements, and with him gone, there was nothing more to discuss.
The knights left the tent, murmuring anxiously with worried expressions. Leo and Lena couldn't hide their confusion either.
"What's going on?"
"Yeah? Leo, your father said that man was extremely aggressive. It's strange."
"Did your father talk about him?"
"Weren't you there? He said he was once his junior. He was quite proud of it."
Caught off guard by the unfamiliar past, Leo quickly matched her words with his knowledge of the aristocracy.
"Ah, right. I remember now. He said that man was from a barbarian tribe."
After the civil war, Baron Albacete was the only case of a barbarian becoming a noble. This led to him being somewhat undervalued compared to other noble swordmasters.
Of course, that was the arrogant presumption of other nobles.
Apparently satisfied with his explanation, Lena nodded and said,
"Right, he was a warrior and liked to fight directly. It's strange. Maybe there's something in the rear?"
"I don't know? Maybe the prince is there."
Leo shrugged.
He thought he understood why the Astin Kingdom was losing.
He didn't know why the swordmaster acted that way, but...

Chapter 36: Engagement - Junior Knight