novelraw Chapter 173: Childhood Friend - Middle-aged Woman
Chapter 173: Childhood Friend - Middle-aged Woman
173. Childhood Friend - Middle-aged Woman
[ You have died. 4/5 ]
[ Achievement: Fourth Death – The player’s assimilation into Leo will slow down. ]
[ Thank you for playing “Raising Lena”. ]
[ Lena de Yeriel ]
[ Final Occupation: Theater Actress ]
[ Marriage Partner: Santian Rauno ]
[ Leo de Yeriel ]
[ Final Occupation: Royal Guard ]
[ Marriage Partner: Relationship with Jenia ][ Sibling Beggar Ending: Dark Star ]
- Born in Lutina Royal Palace, Lena... (excerpt) ...ran out of the Orange Theater. Searching for her brother all night in Orville, she was captured by thugs from the Rauno family mobilized by Ober and returned to the theater. After reading Leo’s repeated persuasion and subsequent letters, she decided to wait for her brother’s return. Lena grew to be a renowned actress at the Orange Theater but always had a dark expression. She rarely met people and married very late, having two sons. -
- Born in Lutina Royal Palace, Leo... (excerpt) ...was executed by Count Herman Forte’s sword as the suspicious royal guard ‘Noel’ who seduced the princess and tried to assassinate the king. -
[ The engagement scenario ending has been changed. ]
[ Lena Ainar ]
[ Final Occupation: Knight of Avril Castle ]
[ Marriage Partner: Leo Dexter ]
[ Leo Dexter ]
[ Final Occupation: Knight of Avril Castle ]
[ Marriage Partner: Lena Ainar ]
[ Engagement Ending: Peace of Avril Castle ]
+ Born in Avril Castle, Lena Ainar had a happy childhood... (excerpt) ...she distinguished herself in the war between the Kingdoms of Bellita and Astin and became a knight. Returning to Avril Castle, she lived a happy life as a knight defending the castle and mother of three children. +
+ Born in the capital Barnaul, Leo Dexter had a happy childhood but lost his mother early... (excerpt) ...he distinguished himself in the war and became a knight. Returning to Avril Castle, he married Lena Ainar, often taking their children and Lena on hunting trips, creating a happy family. +
As Leo de Yeriel died and faded into the darkness, Minseo emerged.
With a complicated mind, he read the ending credits. Unlike Leo’s dreadful fate, the two photos that appeared were beautiful.
One was a photo of his sister.
It was a scene of Lena on stage, bathed in dazzling spotlight, reaching out to the audience. Her face was obscured by shadows, but the background audience was cheering.
Relieved, Minseo sighed. He had been worried, but it seemed Jenia had taken good care of his sister.
Well, as long as her face was well hidden, there shouldn’t have been any particular problems. With the makeup of theater actors, it’s hard to tell if they’re naturally beautiful or just well made up.
With some of his worries eased, Minseo turned to the other photo. It depicted Lena Ainar and Leo Dexter, so beautiful that it made Minseo’s chest ache.
In the photo, Lena had become the knight she had always dreamed of.
She was wearing a perfectly fitting red uniform, and Leo Dexter, in the same uniform, was holding her around the waist, lifting her up.
The photo, taken on Avril Castle’s walls against a brilliant sunset, showed Lena smiling brightly at Leo while her hair fluttered, and Leo Dexter’s joy was vividly captured.
It was painful to look at.
The past, in which he had trampled on their dreams for the sake of clearing the game, and the reality where he had to do it again, felt excruciating.
Minseo steeled himself.
I’m sorry, but I also have to return to Chaeha. I will never abandon you to tragedy and run away...
Wait for me. Help me. He thought, pondering why such an ending appeared.
Given that they participated in the war, it seemed there were no demonic influences. They must have repeated the actions from the previous iteration, but since it ended this way, it proved there were no demonic influences around.
While it was good that it resulted in a happy ending for now...
‘How did they survive?’
They went to war and returned without injury. After pondering briefly, Leo could only come to a somewhat dubious conclusion.
Count Herman Forte must not have participated in the war. Otherwise, there’s no way they could have survived encountering the Swordmaster in the {Event} bound battlefield.
Did the wound Leo de Yeriel inflicted on his thigh have an impact? But with a priest’s healing, such a minor wound would have healed quickly...
It was an unsolvable mystery. Leo decided to set this question aside and focus on another, a hypothesis left by Leo de Yeriel.
- ‘...But Minseo, this time I think you’re wrong.’
Leo de Yeriel questioned whether the true ending was really about making Lena a princess.
Capturing the Ashin.
He suggested this as a possible condition for the true ending, and it seemed quite plausible.
A world where Ashins, who seized thrones in various countries, secretly grew their power. It certainly could be a game goal.
However, after some thought, Minseo concluded that it couldn’t be.
This game is called “Raising Lena.”
It’s a game about nurturing the heroine, not a game where the protagonist grows and embarks on adventures to overcome a crisis facing the world, like ‘Final Fantasy,’ ‘Tales of Destiny,’ or ‘Diablo.’
If the goal was to defeat the Ashin, why would the ending come when Lena gets married or her occupation is decided? That would be an absurd condition.
Moreover, there was a decisive piece of evidence Minseo had seen just before buying this game from S-Team. It was a picture so unmistakably identical to Princess Maker.
It depicted the heroine, Lena, smiling front and center, with a status window, date window, daily activity selection window, and a short description of her mood that day – a game that could only be described as a clone of Princess Maker.
There was even a boy dressed as a butler or attendant like in Princess Maker, seen from the back in the picture.
It was most likely Leo.
Therefore, it was right to see beings like Ashin as mere obstacles hindering the game's completion. Just as the 'Demon King' existed in Princess Maker, it made sense to consider that this game imitated that aspect.
Of course, in that simple, family-friendly game, the Demon King was not dangerous. In fact, he was a very convenient and useful character.
The Demon King would take the heroine’s ‘Morality’ stat and, in exchange, selectively give stats like ‘Charm’ or ‘Grace,’ which were much harder to raise than Morality, making the trade always beneficial.
The negative stat ‘Karma’ accumulated as a result of these exchanges, but it was not a big deal.
It could be easily erased by donating small amounts of money at the church or doing part-time jobs. Many players deliberately let their daughter (the heroine) accumulate Karma and didn’t resolve it, aiming to see various ‘Bad Endings.’
Minseo realized he needed to persuade Leo de Yeriel. And he planned to visit him soon in the next childhood friend scenario.
There was only one way left to clear this “Raising Lena” game...
As Minseo gathered his thoughts, a message appeared. The ending credits and the two photos had disappeared.
[ You failed to clear “Raising Lena.” ]
[ Leo, you have wounded the continent’s strongest swordsman. For this achievement, you gain the ability {Swordsmanship.5v: Forte Style}. ]
[ Restarting. ]
As the darkness cleared, Minseo’s perspective fell from the sky.
Passing through the peaceful village of Demos towards the nearby mountain foothills, Minseo steeled himself.
His resolve was none other than...
“Rev! Are you listening to me?”
Grrk.
He resolved to meet Lena again. As Rev, Minseo took a deep breath, his emotions churning painfully.
His chest felt like it was being crushed.
The image of Lena, who had been devoured by Barbatos and had smiled wickedly, came to mind, and her blood-red eyes tore at Rev’s heart.
“Rev? What’s with your expression? Hey! Are you playing a prank again?”
A girl in her mid-teens with distinct features. Her delicate lips and gentle eyebrows were painful to look at. The face that had been half-melted by the saint’s sacred flames overlapped, making it hard for him to breathe.
Despite everything, Lena approached with a naïve expression, not understanding what was wrong with Rev.
“Rev? What’s wrong?”
“H-hey... Tada~ Look at this!”
Minseo acted like a clown. He pushed back his tears and smiled to reassure his childhood friend.
“Wow! It’s a sword! When did you get this? Where did you get it from?”
“I got it last time at the market. How is it? Surprised? Look, I also have a bracelet!”
[ Achievement: “16th” Leo - The player's assimilation into Leo slightly accelerates. ]
[ 16/22 ]
[ Condition not met. ]
While Lena was marveling at Rev’s sword, Minseo read the message that appeared.
As always, in the bottom right corner of his vision, the ominous count of 16/22 cycles loomed and flickered.
Including this one, he had 7 cycles left.
Each scenario could be attempted twice. It was a number that could be seen as having some leeway or as being almost at the edge of the cliff. His death count was also precariously at 4/5.
‘But... What's this? Condition not met?’
A new notification had appeared. Minseo scratched his head.
A game that showed not even a shred of kindness. It was truly outrageous, he thought, shaking his head. Lena was staring at him blankly.
“...What?”
“Hmm... Rev, something’s strange.”
“What?”
“Well... you seem different somehow from a moment ago. Turn around for a second.”
[ Quest: Noble Slayer 50/50 - The {Grace} ability increases by one Level. ]
[ Quest: Traitor 10/10 - The {Blood of the King} ability increases by one Level. ]
Lena examined Rev from all angles.
Something had changed. Rev’s previously rustic demeanor had become graceful, and she felt that she should not treat him carelessly.
“Strange...” she muttered, sniffing as if trying to catch a scent.
- Smack!
“Ow! You!”
Minseo flicked her forehead.
“What are you doing? We don’t have time. Let’s hurry and pick the mountain berries and go down. I’m hungry. Give me the sword.”
“What? Hey! I wasn’t done looking at it... Jeez. Why’d you show it to me if you were going to take it back?”
Lena grumbled and pouted.
Feeling a bit better, Minseo quickly gathered the mountain berries. Despite her grumbling, Lena soon started chatting about other things.
Glancing at her, Minseo sighed. He felt sorry for Lena, and for Rev too, but he planned to leave this place as soon as possible.
He needed to reach Orville before Leo de Yeriel died. Ideally, he wanted to arrive before Leo kissed the princess, but the journey from here to Orville was incredibly long.
Even on horseback, it would take two months.
That was assuming he didn’t get stuck at the border checkpoint, so in reality, Minseo was in a hurry.
However,
‘...I can’t just leave Lena. Father is still away in the mountains, but I should at least say goodbye to Lena.’
Lena was a good friend to Minseo as well.
Indirectly, but through Rev, he had known her for several years and she had often been a source of comfort and support during difficult times.
He couldn’t just leave her without a word. He also needed to tell her that a priest heading to the central church would soon visit the village...
Soon, the two of them descended the mountain, each carrying a leather pouch full of berries.
Rev sent the chattering Lena into her house. “Enjoy your meal. Oh, Lena. I have something to tell you later,” he said, setting up an appointment.
He planned to prepare to leave first.
He knew his resolve might weaken, so he would say goodbye just before leaving, fully geared up.
He also needed to eat.
What should he say? Pondering this, Rev opened the door. He threw off his shoes as he entered the house, unsure how long it had been since he last came home...
Rev froze.
There was someone other than his father in the house. For the first time, a person he had never seen before greeted him in the house, which had always been empty at the start of the childhood friend scenario.
“Son, you’re back early? Did you pick a lot of mountain berries?”
Her white hair, neat despite not being brushed, and her straight forehead made her a dignified middle-aged woman.
It was Rev’s mother.
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