novelraw Chapter 145*: Betrothal - Danger*
Chapter 145*: Betrothal - Danger*
*145. Betrothal - Danger*
"Snore... Hoo... Snore... Hooo..."
In the returning carriage, Elson's snores rhythmically tickled Lena and Leo's ears.
Other than that, the carriage was quiet. Lena didn't speak, and Leo remained silent as well.
Mother.
Because he had no memories of the past, Leo felt little emotion even upon seeing her grave. However, judging by the reactions of his uncle and Lena, it seemed they knew something.
Lena had been silent since bowing at his mother's grave, and Elson had patted his shoulder...
Awkwardly smiling. A forced smile, mixed with bitterness and pity, as if trying to hide something.
"Hoo..."
Resting his chin on the carriage window sill, Leo sighed. But matching the rhythm of Elson's snores, that sigh made Lena even quieter and complicated Leo's feelings further.Why did Uncle bring me to Mother's grave?
Even though he was extremely tired, he led me to that deserted house as if he had to.
Looking back, despite repeating many loops, no one had ever brought up his mother.
Minseo had only noticed during the first loop that "Mother died early," and since then, had not paid much attention to it.
Mother seemed utterly useless for clearing the scenario.
Looking out the window, Leo thought it was fortunate not to have memories. There was no longing.
Leo lifted his chin and turned his head, meeting Lena's eyes. He gave a faint smile to the anxious girl.
As long as Lena is happy, that's enough. I don't ask for more.
He cautiously felt Lena's hand coming to hold his. They fumbled with each other's rough but warm hands for a moment until the carriage arrived at Danika Avenue.
"Yaaawn. Smack smack... We’ve arrived. I’ll go back and sleep more since there's no work today."
"What about the mercenaries who ran away?"
"Oh right, I forgot about them. I need to tell them to capture them."
Stretching his stiff body, Elson entered the first alley. Soon, they came across a wall full of curses and resentment, and Lena spoke.
"Why do you leave this wall as it is? The civil war ended a long time ago."
"Huh? This? Haha, in Barnaul, removing such graffiti is forbidden. It's not legally enforced, but there's that sort of atmosphere. And,"
- Knock, knock.
Elson continued as he knocked on a door with five hinges.
"People actually know deep down. They know they are blaming the wrong person. They just need someone to blame, and they can't dare curse the king. That’s why I named the mercenary group Dexter. Even though it was okay, I changed it. To say I didn't want to ride on my brother's fame at all would be a lie..."
The door swung open. Yuan asked as soon as he opened the door.
"How did it go? Was it resolved well?"
"Yes. Thanks to Leo, we have more work now. We'll need to hire more mercenaries. Oh, and son, could you go to the office and tell them to capture the ones who escaped yesterday?"
"Alright. Is that all?"
"Well... buy some liquor on your way back. It'd be a shame not to have a drink with my nephew. You know how to drink, right? Since you do, buy an expensive one."
"Yes. Rest well, I'll be back soon."
Yuan let his father in and came out. Lena was about to wish him well, but Leo slightly blocked her.
As if to say he'd greet him instead, Leo placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
What's this?
Lena looked puzzledly at Leo and Yuan in turn. Surely it must have been a misunderstanding, but it seemed like the two were glaring at each other for a moment.
*
"Hup!"
Lena's sword quickly plunged down. Leo's swordsmanship, which she had seen while hunting snow deer, was being clumsily reproduced in her hands.
One more time.
"Hup!"
Lena slowly raised her sword and then, concentrating intensely, swung it down again. She never swung her sword carelessly.
After swinging hundreds of times over the past few months, Lena felt she understood the meaning behind this sword technique.
An obsessive mindset of not leaning in any direction. A pure stubbornness, focusing all attention solely on the sword's trajectory.
'Was Leo such a person?'
When she realized this, Lena felt somewhat bewildered. The Leo she knew was gentle but surprisingly pragmatic, taking care of everything.
However, the swordsmanship Leo had recently shown had a completely different personality, making Lena Aina find him even more interesting.
To think Leo had such a side.
She felt happy, as if she had peeked into her lover's secret inner self.
Lena turned her head. About six steps away, Leo was training.
His training was very different from before. Instead of handling the sword, he repeatedly practiced body-building techniques.
'That is basic, but... does it mean his swordsmanship is sufficient?'
Curious, Lena sat down for a moment to cool her sweat. Watching Leo perform the traditional Arcaean martial arts moves called "Hiberuna," she suddenly stood up and pounced on him.
"Yap! Die!"
Lena's fist flew. Aiming for the left armpit, under the ribs, that fist was blocked by Leo's elbow guard, and Leo's smiling face appeared.
"Hup!"
Leo's fist came honestly towards Lena's face.
A slow attack.
"Yes, I'm planning to participate in the Mau-Nin tournament."
In the Kingdom of Astin, there were two ways to become a knight aside from becoming a noble family's knight. One was to take the entry exam for the kingdom's knight order, like in other kingdoms, and the other was to place in the Mau-Nin tournament, held every early summer in the Kingdom of Astin.
Originally, this Mau-Nin tournament was called the "Mau-Nin-Reti tournament." It was held on the founding day of the Aslan Kingdom to honor the achievements of King Mau-Nin and Queen Reti, who liberated the north from the empire. However, after the Nine-Day War, when the Aslan Kingdom split into the Kingdoms of Astin and Aster, the tournament underwent some changes.
The two kingdoms couldn't hold the same tournament, so the Kingdom of Astin began hosting the Mau-Nin tournament, while the Kingdom of Aster hosted the Reti tournament.
"A tournament... It doesn't seem like a great choice. As you probably know, joining the knight order through a tournament will be tough. Especially for Lena," Elson said, glancing at Lena with concern.
He had a reason to worry, as those who became knights through the tournament faced discrimination. Despite overcoming fierce competition, many were deemed unfit to be knights, and thus were stigmatized upon joining.
This was critical because the knight order's structure was based on pairing knights into teams of a main knight and a subordinate knight. In such a setup, someone like Lena, who came from a barbarian tribe, would be openly looked down upon. They would belittle her, asking why she was wielding a sword instead of an axe.
"I'm fine!" Lena shouted boldly, wondering if Leo knew she had been delaying their marriage. "Unless I'm lacking in skill, it's petty and mean to discriminate. I don't think it's something to be avoided out of fear. Proving our skills will gradually change things."
"Well..." Elson couldn't help but worry. Life as a knight's squire had taught him that the world was not so simple.
"Okay, if you're determined, I have nothing more to say. There's no guarantee you'll even place in the tournament. Hahaha. But wait..." Elson teased them and then stroked his chin.
"I'm not sure if the Mau-Nin tournament will be held this year. Because of the war, it might not happen. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen any announcements for it. With about a month left until Mau-Nin's birthdate... I'll look into it."
After that, the drinking session continued without much incident. Elson, being talkative, chatted merrily about trivial matters, while his son, Yuan, occasionally nodded.
Eventually, Elson, who couldn't handle much alcohol, was the first to leave. Lena, also quite tipsy, seemed about to head to bed but then said,
"Leo, do you want to sleep together? Hmm~ The room feels too big for just me..."
She subtly held Leo's hand. Leo hesitated for a moment and then,
- Flick!
"Ouch! Why did you hit me?"
Leo flicked Lena's forehead.
"Just because. Haha. Hold on, I'll go wash up at the well."
"Ugh. Get lost. Don't come in. I must be crazy. If you come, you'll regret it."
Grumbling, Lena went into the room. Leo placed his hand on the closed door for a moment, listening to her muttering inside, and steeled himself in the darkness.
Lena, this time, no matter what, I will make you happy.
Smiling, Leo turned and walked away.
But he did not head to the well outside. Instead, he returned to the dining room and slumped into a chair, facing Yuan, who was still absently twirling a crystal glass. Leo suddenly spoke up.
"Who are you?"
It was to preemptively deal with a threat greater than Viscount Brina.
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