novelraw Chapter 148*: Betrothal – Insight (2)*
Chapter 148*: Betrothal – Insight (2)*
*148. Betrothal – Insight (2)*
"Is it that way? Where is it? Wait a minute, I'll ask for directions."
Lena went into a shop to ask for directions. Meanwhile, Leo Dexter wandered outside the shop, recalling the events of the previous night.
Yuan. He had heard all of his story.
"So, what are you pRanning to do?" Leo had asked after listening to Yuan's calm recounting of his tale. Yuan had remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Please don't loiter around in front of me," and then he had gone back to his room.
A dangerous fellow.
Leo didn't care about Yuan's grudge. But he saw no need to escalate the situation by killing him or reporting him to his uncle.
Yuan's anger wasn't directed at Lena, which significantly reduced his potential danger.
As long as Leo remained vigiRant, what harm could such a person possibly do to him? Feeling confident, Leo remembered something. The ending he had faced after breaking off his engagement with Lena had been described like this:
- Leo Dexter, born in the capital Barnaul... (abridged) ...Leo had tried to apologize, but Lena never saw him again. He left Avril Castle and went to the capital Barnaul. While staying at the Dexter family house, he spent his days drinking and when he ran out of money, he worked as a mercenary. Leo, who spent his days meaninglessly, died early. -Why did he die early? Why didn't he return to Lena?
It wasn't suicide. No matter how despondent I might have been, I wouldn't have chosen suicide. Even if I was overwhelmed with guilt and despair, I would have gone back to her eventually. I would have clung to Lena’s skirt and begged pitifully.
But the existence of Yuan provided an answer to this mystery.
A man who wastes away in alcohol over a broken engagement. Yuan must have seen such a Leo Dexter and felt certain thoughts... it was clear.
'I'll have to keep an eye on him, but I think I've managed one crisis. Now, the remaining threat is Viscount Brina.'
Leo tapped his fingers, thinking of another danger.
What does he want?
He wasn't sure yet. But from what he had pondered, Viscount Brina didn’t seem like a major threat. Leo’s fingers stopped tapping as he felt more reassured.
At worst, it might be a case of being politically exploited. If it came to that, he could refuse. It might be annoying, but he didn't feel his life would be in danger.
As long as I hide the fact that I killed his knight.
"Leo. I found out!"
"Where is it?"
"They said to go straight down the alley we passed earlier. This place is really confusing."
Lena returned.
She pointed to an alley between some shabby buildings, and the two walked, chatting along the way.
The alley was dark and narrow. As with most of Barnaul's streets, it was paved with thin, gray stones, and every seven steps or so, small shops sold various goods. But,
"We're almost there, but where is it? It's supposed to be a jewelry shop... Huh?"
As she walked down the alley, Lena realized she felt a sudden emptiness beside her. She turned to see Leo standing still in the middle of the alley.
His face was pale.
He looked at her as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
"Leo?"
"..."
Lena followed his gaze and looked back. But all she saw was a narrow alley with sporadically opened shop doors.
"Leo? What's wrong?"
"...Lena. Let's go back."
"Huh? What are you talking about..."
"Lena! Leo! You came!"
At that moment, someone ran out of a shop further down the alley.
"Sister! This market is so confusing. I got lost."
"Haha! You worked hard. That’s why I didn’t give you the exact location of the shop. But you found it well. Come on, let’s go inside. Did you have lunch?"
It was Ran.
She warmly greeted them and led Lena, who was chattering, "No, I didn’t eat on purpose. Is this your shop, sister?" toward the jewelry shop.
Leo, left alone, gritted his teeth and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword before following them.
"Hello..."
Upon entering the shop, a boy timidly greeted them. It was obvious that he was Ran's son. And the man who appeared to be his father, the shop owner, greeted them politely.
"Honey. These are the friends I told you about, the ones who helped catch the monster. Lena, Leo, this is my husband. Introduce yourselves."
They exchanged introductions. However, Ran's husband and Lena didn’t have much to talk about, and Leo maintained a stiff expression, only observing basic manners, leading to an awkward atmosphere.
Naturally, Ran took the lead.
"Then I'll be out for a while. Can I have a drink? I'll take my brother along, so don't worry about dinner... Sorry. Please manage without me."
"Don’t worry. Have fun. Just don’t stay out too late. You’ve not been well lately."
"Got it. I’ll be back early."
- Smooch.
Ran kissed her bearded husband on the cheek. As soon as they stepped outside, Lena teased,
"You two are so affectionate. It’s the first time I’ve heard you talk like that, sister."
"Well, I have my sins. Haha. Come on, this way. My brother's place is next door."
Ran led them into an adjacent shop without hesitation.
This shop also lacked a yard and a wall, unlike the previous one that had humble leather goods like necklaces and bracelets. This one primarily displayed fabric items like scarves and hairbands.
"Welcome... Oh my! Lena, Leo. You came. It's only been a few days, but I’m glad to see you."
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
A boy and girl who resembled Anne greeted them. The girl, with long hair like her mother, was pretty, and the boy, who seemed more mischievous than Ran’s son, smiled broadly.
"Where’s your husband?"
Ran asked, pulling her son closer who was peeking at the new guests.
"He’s out for a bit. Lena, have you eaten? You haven’t? Well... why don’t we have a snack while we wait for him?"
Soon, a table was set in the shop’s workshop area. Anne laid out a modest meal, saying, "It's not much, but it’ll do."
Chewing on some exotic, hard cheese, Anne spoke.
"Kids, these are the warriors who helped mom catch the monster."
"No way!"
"It’s true. Why would I lie? You didn’t believe me, so I brought them as witnesses."
The curious eyes of the boy and girl turned to Lena and Leo. Leo still looked tense, leaving Lena to satisfy their curiosity.
Clearing her throat, Lena began describing the hunt for the snow stag with animated gestures to the children.
"...And then the monster lifted its two legs high!"
"It lifted them?"
"It lifted them?"
With their hands and chins resting on the table, the children eagerly echoed Lena's words. By now, Ran's son had also joined his cousins, forming a unified group.
"A fierce storm was brewing! It was so cold that our cheeks felt like they would freeze!"
"Wow... it must have been really cold."
"So, what happened next? Did you defeat it?"
"Your mom bravely stood up in front of the monster and..."
"And then?"
"And then?"
"Hahaha! She said, 'This is nothing! In the 'Ice Island' where I come from, this is like summer!' Then she took that axe over there and..."
"With the axe!"
"Eek! I'm scared."
The boys looked even more intrigued, while Anne's daughter, though covering her eyes with her tiny hands, peeked through her fingers, watching Lena's animated gestures.
Lena jumped up from her seat, startling the kids. She mimicked the action of swinging the axe and the snow stag falling, creating a dramatic climax. The children clapped in awe.
"Wow!"
"We didn't come to hunt!"
"Nor did I! We were just out for a 'night walk'!"
The two boys laughed and pretended to sword fight (even though they were barehanded). The girl, proclaiming "My mom is the best!", massaged Ran and Anne's shoulders.
The children dashed outside, leaving the table finally at peace. Anne smiled brightly.
"Thanks for leaving our stories out and making us the heroes."
"Hehe. How was it? Good, right? If you're grateful, then tonight's drinks are on you... you know that, right?"
"Of course. Don’t worry. But why has Leo been so quiet since we arrived?"
"I don't know. He wasn’t like this before. He’s been like this ever since we got here."
"Maybe he doesn’t like kids. My husband was the same before we had our son..."
Ran picked up on Lena's words and started sharing stories from her newlywed days. Anne chimed in, too. Though such conversations often led to complaints about their husbands, this time it didn't.
Lena knew the reason, having heard about their past when they visited the hot spring town.
The three women chatted for a while. Leo remained silent, and soon Anne's husband returned.
"Hello...?"
Anne's husband looked remarkably similar to Ran's husband from earlier. Except for the lack of a beard, their physiques and faces were almost identical, making Lena tilt her head in curiosity.
Similarly, Anne also sought her husband's permission. They then headed out to find a pub. The children, who had been expected to be outside the shop, were nowhere to be seen, but Ran and Anne didn’t seem concerned.
As they walked, Lena asked,
"Hey, are your husbands by any chance... brothers?"
"Yes, they are. I guess I didn’t mention it before? We have double in-laws."
"Ah..."
Double in-laws were not uncommon in this world. Marriages were often used to strengthen bonds between families. For nobles, it was a matter of course, but even commoners saw it as a form of insurance for both families.
For example, if Ran were to lose her husband early, as a widow, she could receive help from Anne’s family.
Since Ran wasn’t just Anne's sister but also the widow of Anne's husband’s brother, the families would be more inclined to help each other willingly.
In contrast, in the Ainar tribe, double in-laws were rare because the entire tribe was already closely related, and they avoided further entangling their bloodlines.
While Lena marveled at this, the four of them arrived at a pub in the South Gate Market.
"Wait here for a moment. We’ll place the order. You probably don’t know what’s good here, so let us handle it, okay?"
Ran and Anne greeted the pub owner warmly. Seated on a shabby chair, Lena continued to scrutinize Leo, who still had a serious expression and was lost in thought.
"Leo, what's wrong? Are you worried about something?"
"...It's nothing. I just have a lot on my mind."
"What are you thinking about?"
Sitting next to him, Lena leaned in closer, but Leo swallowed his worries and evaded her question.
This place... is dangerous.
[Achievement: Baptism of the Saint – Leo gains the ability {Divine Insight}.]
The alley where Ran and Anne's shops were located. Traces of a divine power lined the ground.
I don’t know who it belongs to.
But from what Leo could infer using his knowledge of {History of the Gods}, the divine power etched into the alleyway was far more complex than the inverse triangles of Barbatos, indicating it belonged to a much older deity.
It’s an altar.
Due to Revya’s 'Kill Counter', Leo didn’t need to worry about the efficiency of offerings, but deities used various techniques to maximize even the smallest efficiencies.
One such technique was to turn an entire area into an altar, and the South Gate Market, with its intricately laid out alleyways marked with divine power, was becoming such an altar.
However, it wasn’t complete yet. It seemed to have been started recently as there were no marks on the main street cutting through the center.
Leo nervously tapped his leg. There were more things to worry about.
Why make an altar in the South Gate Market?
Even though it was a market, there weren’t many people around. If an altar was to be created, a residential area would have been a better target.
'South Gate...'
The worst-case scenario came to mind.
This altar might be part of a larger one targeting the entire capital, Barnaul.
The altar could be one of eight, positioned at the cardinal and intercardinal points — north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.
Sweat trickled down Leo's back. The thought of an ancient deity's apostle wandering around nearby kept him on edge.
"Ran, Anne! Long time no see. Are you still patrolling? I saw you walking around at night."
"...Just taking a walk. No patrolling, nothing like that. Not like the Nine-Day War."
Ran and Anne awkwardly waved their hands. The pub owner, whose hair had turned gray, reminisced.
"Haha. Right, right. Still, it was fun seeing you act like the old days when you were in the vigilante group. What do you want to eat? We got fresh vegetables today. Should I fry some for you?"
Soon, Lena, Leo, Ran Aviker, and Anne Aviker were seated together.
They sipped their drinks, engaging in light chatter and talking about Viscount Brina.
"It was a big problem when the mercenaries ran away, but thankfully Leo handled it well and even brought back the mercenaries," Lena said.
They were having a pleasant time.
But the gathering didn’t last long. Leo, looking around distractedly, said, "We should go. It’s getting late," urging them to leave.
Feeling a bit disappointed, Lena bid Ran and Anne farewell earlier than planned. As they headed home, children were seen skipping and singing in an alley of the South Gate Market.
"Our mom skips like this~ when she goes out for a night walk~."
The children’s cheerful song echoed eerily in the dark alley.
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