Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 37: Engagement – Lena's Confession

Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 37: Engagement – Lena's Confession

Lena and Leo were deployed back to the battlefield.
Lena, both a centurion and a squire, usually had the duty of guarding captains or generals, but she insisted on fighting on the front lines as a centurion.
"You have to be on the battlefield to earn merits. Just guarding someone is not very helpful."
"...Yeah. Well done."
Leo felt frustrated at times like this. There was no way to control Lena.
Her desire to become a knight drove her to the battlefield, distancing her further from the prince.
Fortunately, Leo managed to get Lena assigned with him by appealing to the general.
[Achievement: Met Arnolf de Klaus – Gained slight favor with all nobles serving the Klaus royal family. Gained slight favor with Arnolf de Klaus.]
This achievement was beneficial. Most generals were nobles, and they at least considered Leo's requests. If the request made sense, they usually responded positively.
As a squire, Leo was tasked with guarding Lena, the centurion.
It was uncommon for a squire to be assigned to a centurion, but pairing them up to include knight-level strength in the front-line squad was advantageous.
"Lena, did you receive the signal flares too?"
"Yes. I’ve already used mine. But they gave me something new because I became a squire."
Lena held a blue orb in her hand.
Centurions and knights were issued signal flares.
Centurions received two green flares and one yellow flare. Green flares were used when multiple enemy squads gathered in large numbers, and yellow flares were used when a squad encountered a knight.
These were for requesting support when facing strong enemy forces.
"Oh? A blue one? I didn’t get that."
"I guess they consider us a single knight."
Knights received an additional blue flare.
Blue flares were used to signal the presence of a mage, something not usually distributed to centurions.
Mages were the bane of soldiers. Escaping or hiding was nearly impossible, and encountering a mage often meant certain death for soldiers.
Capturing a mage was unlikely, making support requests futile, so signal flares weren't issued.
Finding mages was the knights' job. Upon discovering a mage, knights would signal for support and prevent the mage from escaping.
Leo curiously fiddled with the flare.
Signal flares were glass orbs the size of walnuts, with shimmering colors inside. These magical items ed the current location to the headquarters' mages when broken.
They had to be handled carefully.
In emergency cases, soldiers who broke the flare out of fear were executed under military law.
Leo, receiving signal flares for the first time, went through extensive training.
Do not use the flares carelessly.
Destroy the flare first, even if you die.
These were the only two rules, repeated until they stuck.
If flares fell into enemy hands, they could be easily misused.
Requesting support in empty areas or setting traps for the enemy were potential risks, making flare disposal crucial even in dire situations.
Flare functionality ceased when dropped. Leo hadn't seen it in action, but it was said to work that way.
"When did you use it?"
"Once, when you weren't around. Green flare. It's tricky to break. I used my hand, but it hurt. I'll use my sword next time."
Lena said as she carefully placed the flare in a small wooden box. Accidental breaks were hard to avoid punishment. Leo, too, carefully secured his flare.
Misuse could lead to execution, and even if he died, he had to destroy it first. The heavy responsibility weighed on him anew.
*
The reinforcements led by the prince pushed the front line significantly.
The enemy, maintaining the front line through sheer numbers, couldn't hold and retreated. Now, the Bellita Kingdom's villages began to succumb to the advancing army.
The captain encircled a nearby village. Confirming no enemies around, he ordered Lena's centuria to occupy it.
Lena's ten squads paused far from the village, waiting for the mage. A puzzled decurion asked Lena.
"Centurion, do we need a mage to occupy such a small village?"
"I don't know. We are to wait for the mage's orders."
Despite her rapid promotion to centurion, Lena knew little about tactics or war.
This was common during wartime, with plenty of opportunities for merit and a dire need for personnel, leading to quick promotions for those who could wield a sword.
To Leo, Lena's whimsical nature made her unsuitable for a general. Commanding troops seemed to be her limit, and she appeared more suited to her dream of becoming a knight.
Soon, the mage arrived on horseback.
Two knights guarded her. Only after dismounting and removing her hood did they realize she was a woman.
High-ranking positions in this world were mostly held by men, except for mages.
Mages were humans with extremely high mana sensitivity, a rare talent found in roughly one in several hundred thousand.
This talent manifested regardless of gender, making the gender ratio among mages even.
The female mage gave Lena a brief nod before proceeding with her task. She drew on the ground with her staff and whispered into the air.
The soldiers watched in awe. Like Leo, most were seeing a mage for the first time.
But Leo felt slightly disappointed. He expected some flashy magic but saw none.
"...Hmm. This won't work."
The mage, seeming troubled, tapped her staff on the ground.
"Prepare to extinguish fires."
"Pardon? Fires?"
"The village will catch fire. I tried to disable the magic, but it's too complex. It seems connected to something physical."
"Yes... Understood."
"Let me know when you're ready."
The sudden order puzzled everyone.
Being soldiers, not firefighters, made the task challenging for Lena. She gathered the decurions.
"Do we know how big the fire will be?"
"She didn't specify."
"There's a stream nearby. We could fetch water from there..."
"But we don't have any buckets."
"We can't do it alone. To be safe..."
In the end, they decided to fill body bags with dirt and carry them, worrying about insufficient manpower. Lena ed to the captain, requesting another centuria's support.
"Mage, we are ready."
Lena called the mage, who had been leisurely reading a book. She lifted her staff and pointed at the village.
"All set. Just put out the fire. I’ve already disabled the other traps, and there are no people inside."
"Understood."
Two hundred soldiers rushed into the village. Larger than Demos village, flames erupted everywhere.
Some fires were hard to put out, but they used sheer numbers to tackle them.
For buildings too challenging to extinguish, they simply let them burn, focusing on preventing the fire from spreading.
Lena, covered in soot, said,
"It seems the villagers have already evacuated."
"The lord probably took them earlier."
"Thankfully. We didn't witness any horrors..."
She seemed relieved at the thought that she didn't have to harm civilians, but there was no guarantee this would always be the case.
As our army advanced, there were quite large villages and cities in the direction we were heading, and when we reached them, we might have to plunder by orders.
The empty village, marked with burnt patches, presented a desolate scene.
Shaking his head to clear the negative thoughts, Leo decided to think positively.
In the future, this village would be used as a supply base.
And in a few months, the fortress called "Torridom" would be within range. Capturing that fortress would greatly stabilize the front lines, and it was the main target of the Astin Kingdom army.
If they could seize Torridom, the war might end.
The poor Astin Kingdom wouldn't want a prolonged war. They might be satisfied with capturing a few cities and the strategic stronghold of Torridom.
Buoyed by this hopeful speculation, Leo handed Lena a canteen to wash her face.
For a while, we were busy organizing the captured village and managing the incoming supplies.
Wagons continuously arrived at the village, now a supply base, loaded with weapons, food, hay, tents, and daily necessities, leaving us no time to rest.
Additionally, siege weapons for capturing cities and fortresses began to fill the village, turning the once empty place into a bustling market.
Lena and Leo lived in a small house, sharing it with other soldiers, but they had a room to themselves.
Having a roof over their heads gave them a strange sense of comfort.
One evening, at dusk, Lena called Leo as he returned from duty. Her face was flushed.
"Leo, want to have a duel?"
"No. I don’t feel confident about winning these days."
Leo waved his hand, sitting on the bed.
Lena had improved her skills further, seemingly grasping Katrina’s swordsmanship through practical use.
"You fight well in real battles but seem to hold back during training. Are you going easy on me to make me feel good?"
"No."
Lena's increased strength was due to the enhanced effects of his {Hapgyeok Swordsmanship}, but unaware of this, she approached the bed and asked,
"Do you think we could defeat that female knight now?"
"Just you?"
"No. The two of us."
"Probably not yet."
Lena smiled cheerfully.
"Well~ I think we could."
She beamed and then started to fidget again.
She often did this recently. It seemed like she had something to say but hesitated.
"Are you going to say you have something to tell me again?"
"...You're quick to catch on."
"What is it? Just say it already."
Lena paced the room before finally making a decision and confessing.
"Let’s get married when we return."
Leo looked at her in surprise.
"Hehe, why are you so shocked?"
She turned her back, continuing her abrupt confession.
From her back, with her hands behind, her embarrassment was evident.
"My dream is to become a knight and marry you. So, I’ve been intentionally delaying it. Sorry."
"Wouldn’t it be hard to become a knight if you become a mother? But we’re already..."
"Squires!" Lena shouted, spinning around.
Her face was a mixture of embarrassment, pride, and happiness.
"We might return as knights, or even if not, as squires, we can still aim for knighthood after marriage! If we train hard and prove our skills to the lord, we might get knighted without going to the capital, right?"
Lena faced Leo directly and declared firmly,
"So, let’s get married when we return."
"......"
"Why are you silent?"
"...I’m so happy I’m at a loss for words."
"So, your answer?"
"I would love that. Lena, marry me."
Lena covered her face with both hands, clearly embarrassed but still smiling behind them.
"Oh... it’s so hot. Even though we’re going to get married, it feels so good."
She cautiously sat beside Leo and looked at him expectantly.
It seemed she was hoping for something.
She was awkward with anything besides swordsmanship.
When Leo kissed her, Lena blushed but accepted his lips.
*
On that quiet night with the sounds of insects, Leo couldn’t sleep.
He felt trapped.
He wasn’t unhappy with Lena’s confession.
He was overjoyed, blissfully happy.
But he felt completely stuck. Being in the war, he realized he couldn't make Lena a princess.
Coming to the battlefield meant inevitably facing Katrina.
It was an unavoidable {Event}, and to survive, he had to fight and win. That meant at least defeating one knight.
If he defeated a knight without serious injury, he would meet the prince during the victory parade, where the prince’s favor would backfire. The prince would open the path to knighthood for them.
And once the path to knighthood opened... Lena confessed.
Even if he survived the war, he couldn't make Lena a princess. If he returned after the war, he had to marry her.
Break the engagement?
Only a scumbag would mention breaking an engagement to such a happy Lena.
Even if he decided to become a legendary scumbag, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Leo’s heart was pounding wildly, and ‘I’ was so filled with happiness that he couldn’t sleep.
The ‘Engagement’ scenario had too many contradictions. There seemed no way to make her a princess through normal means.
One thing became clear. He had to avoid the {War} event.
‘Indeed, spending time on the battlefield with limited time is not feasible. Staying here accelerates bonding...’
He knew how to avoid the war. The {Hunting} event, capturing the Noguwha, would provide a reason to avoid the war.
However, there was one significant issue.
The Noguwha was extremely strong.
It moved as lightly as the wind despite its massive size, but the weight never disappeared. Leo knew this from moving its carcass. It was terrifyingly heavy. An adult man hit by its front paw would be sent flying.
Even Dehor, the great warrior of the Ainar tribe who had captured many beasts, was praised for his great achievement of capturing the Noguwhaho.
Leo groaned, rolling over.
‘How am I supposed to catch that? Should I just run away?’
But there was no good way to convince Lena.
Eloping?
They were already engaged.
Using sword training as an excuse?
His father trained with him daily.
He quickly shook his head. Unlike the childhood friend scenario, there was no justification for taking Lena and leaving.
Turning over, he saw Lena. She was sleeping peacefully, which made him love her even more. But frustrated by the situation, he reached out and pinched her nose.
‘How am I supposed to make her a princess? Ugh!’
Lena groaned and turned over, making Leo feel guilty. The game creator was insane... Lena did nothing wrong.
He covered Lena with the blanket again.
That night, Leo tossed and turned, unable to sleep, while Lena kicked off the blanket he had covered her with.
Summer was gradually ending.

.
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Chapter 37: Engagement – Lena's Confession