novelraw Chapter 174: Childhood Friend - Mirror
Chapter 174: Childhood Friend - Mirror
174. Childhood Friend - Mirror
Rev couldn't leave.
He had planned to eat, say goodbye to Lena, and then head straight to Orville, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave.
Dazed, Rev had fled to his room but was dragged out by his mother. Instead of tough jerky, he ate a warmly cooked dinner.
"Herbs are good for the body," his mother insisted, so Rev had no choice but to finish the slightly bitter soup.
He couldn't understand the situation, but by the time he finished dinner, he realized.
"Oh, sorry for being late. This friend insisted on another drink... Excuse us."
Leslie the monk and his father returned arm in arm. The two grabbed jerky from the kitchen and started drinking in front of the house.
Rev could hear them chatting through the window. Summarized, their long conversation went like this:
The Bizaine tribe was annihilated.Attacked by the Church of the Cross, only five boys hiding in jars survived. They set out on a journey for revenge, and Dof Bizaine, who met his mother in Demos Village, broke his promise to his friends and settled here.
An inebriated Dof Bizaine continued,
"Back then, I hated the Church of the Cross. They were my enemy. But now, thanks to you, I know that the god I believed in was a false one."
"Does Rev still serve that... god, Barbatos?"
"Somewhat? I'm not really sure. He rarely speaks, so it's hard to tell who he takes after."
"Who else? He takes after you. I still remember the day you first came to church following your wife. I had just returned home as a monk... Haha, we were both young then."
"Hmph. Don't bring up those days. The village priest was so stubborn... Opposed our marriage because I believed in another god, and tried to stop my wife from entering the churChapter If it weren't for you, I would've burned the place down."
"Hahaha. Surely you wouldn't have burned it down... I argued a lot with that priest, too. Looking back, we were probably just immature."
"Immature? Maybe we had the right to be..."
Rev quietly closed the window.
It was enough to know that his father had been freed from his shackles and his life had changed.
He didn't know why his mother was alive, but since he never knew why she died in the first place, he guessed there must have been some unspeakable reason.
'Could this mother be someone who will help clear the game?'
─ No such thoughts crossed his mind. Minseo wasn't cold-hearted enough to see someone else's mother in such a calculating way.
Feeling warm after eating his mother's food, Rev soon fell asleep. He dreamed of his mother, but couldn't remember the details.
"Hey, didn't you say you had something to say? Why aren't you coming out?"
Lena waited for a long time.
Eager to hear what Rev had to say, Lena had a restless night and couldn't go to the 'early morning fieldwork' the next day.
*
Mothers are peculiar beings.
Rev, who spent most of his time wandering outside with Lena, felt a big difference between having his mother at home and not.
Meals were automatically prepared at the right time, and Rev ate them without gratitude. Choked up by the unconditional love, he ran outside saying, "Mom, I need to use the bathroom..."
When had he ever received such kindness... such love?
Minseo and Rev, who had struggled through harsh games, lost their bearings in this warmth.
Two days passed like this.
"I want to go on a journey."
Rev confessed to his mother and father. He desperately wanted to stay with them, but couldn't delay any longer.
"I plan to go quite far..."
He didn't say this to ask for support.
He just wanted them to know that their son might be going on a journey from which he might not return, but his father surprisingly agreed without hesitation.
"Alright. A man shouldn't be confined to one place."
"Honey."
His mother looked displeased. She glared at her husband, who was fetching a bundle of money, and began to persuade Rev.
"Do you really have to go?"
"...Yes."
"Why? I'm upset. I wanted you to marry Lena and live here with us..."
"Lena is going to be a priest."
His mother was silent for a moment. Realizing from his calm tone that her son had made up his mind, she sighed. She suspected that his decision to leave had something to do with Lena, so she stopped trying to persuade him.
"Take this."
Dof Bizaine handed a bundle of money to Rev.
A pouch of silver coins.
Although he shouldn't have thought this, it was less than the money he had received in previous rounds. He could easily guess the reason.
Seeing the money was insufficient, his mother stood up. She brought out a 'hand mirror' and handed it to Rev.
"Sell this to cover your expenses."
"No, honey, that's...!"
"Why not? Can't we at least do this for our son who's leaving?"
This time, his father looked displeased. Rev worried that he might change his mind and ask him not to leave, but fortunately, he didn't.
"Thank you..."
[ Achievement: Bound Item, 1/3 ]
[ Sword – Indestructible. ]
[ Mirror – Not Connectable. ]
The moment he took the hand mirror, an achievement notification appeared.
Strangely, the count for bound items had increased from 0/3, though Rev didn't understand why, he stared curiously at the 'not connectable' message.
Then, his mother asked,
"When will you leave?"
"...I plan to leave tomorrow."
"I see. If you need anything, let us know..."
His mother seemed to have a lot to say. Wondering if it was something important, Rev listened attentively.
She just advised him to take care of himself.
But Rev didn't feel like he had wasted his time.
*
The next day, Rev left the village at dawn.
Lena didn't come to see him off, knowing from the previous night that he was leaving.
"So that's what you wanted to say..."
Lena's tone pierced Rev's heart, but she soon brightened up. Having missed her early morning fieldwork,
"Take care. Have a safe trip! By the time you return, I'll be a priest!"
she encouraged him. Instead of seeing him off, she was at the church early in the morning, reading books.
"Alright, I'm off."
Rev bid farewell to the village youths who came to see him off. "Hey, have a good trip!" He ignored Hans, who acted more familiar than before, and cut through the quiet forest.
Rev walked quickly.
Chewing on the jerky his mother had packed, he even saved time for meals, arriving at the 'big village' in the afternoon with the sun high in the sky.
Now, how could he reach Orville before autumn?
Walking there was out of the question.
If he walked, he would surely arrive in the dead of winter, so Rev decided to...
do something bad.
In the bustling market of 'Torito,' he stole. Taking advantage of the mercenaries guarding the caravan being distracted by their dinner, he mounted a horse and fled.
[ Achievement: Theft - Slightly increases the chance of being caught by the owner. ]
Rev sighed. When he had robbed with a knife by the creek before, no achievement had popped up.
What on earth was the god's concept of good and evil...
- Whinny!
The black horse Rev rode snorted.
This horse had a thick neck and was strong. Since he needed to travel a long distance, he had chosen a sturdy-looking one, and it was performing even better than he had expected.
What should he call this horse?
As he hurried towards Orville, Rev named the stallion.
"Alright. From now on, you'll be 'Kus.' I look forward to working with you, Kus."
- Neigh!
Seeming to like the name, Kus sped up.
The strong wind tousled Rev's hair, and as he took each step closer to Orville, Minseo's spirit grew faint.
+ + +
"...So I came. Sorry for being late. Breaking through the border was harder than I thought. I should have left a day earlier..."
Rev apologized. But Leo de Yeriel, having heard the whole story, shook his head.
"No need to apologize. You still made it in time. Where's the horse?"
"I left it at the inn and ran here."
"Good. So, what are you planning to do now?"
"..."
"It's okay. Speak freely. I have a guess."
Rev hesitated for a moment before speaking. With a mix of remorse and determination, he said,
"I will become king."
Leo de Yeriel nodded as if he had expected this.
The beggar siblings scenario was over.
Going to the Conrad Kingdom to depose Prince Eric and reclaim his {bloodline} was pointless since the cycle had ended.
Even if the ending of the previous cycle changed, there would be no reward, and making his sister Lena a princess wouldn't clear the game.
In fact, truly in fact, there was an easy way to make Lena a princess. Both of them knew it but didn't mention it.
Leo de Yeriel could become a prince and marry Lena.
It was much easier for the royal Leo de Yeriel to reclaim his {bloodline} than for the commoner Rev to start a rebellion and become king... It was the 'rational' choice.
But neither Rev nor Leo de Yeriel mentioned that option. Even the faint Minseo had no such intention.
Because...
Rev liked Lena.
Everyone knew that. Ultimately, Leo de Yeriel smiled, having anticipated Rev's choice.
"You've thought it through. Then... shall we go?"
Without being asked for help, Leo stood up and extended his hand. Helping was a given, and he intended to die anyway.
The commoner Rev took the prince's hand and stood up. With a sturdy horse and Lena safe in the theater, they now planned to escape.
To the Orun Kingdom. To seize the throne.
The two smiled at each other, silently promising to do their best this time...
"Brother!"
Lena appeared. She ran up, wearing a black cloak, and hugged Leo,
"Brother, you're not really leaving me, are you?"
crying her heart out, tears and snot streaming down her face. She clung to her brother with her tiny hands, refusing to let go.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Leo repeatedly patted his sister's head and then looked up.
"...Rev. Sorry, but..."
"No, it's okay."
Things had become quite complicated.
They needed to figure out how to break through the border with Lena, who was still young and needed care, and find a way to protect her while plotting a rebellion...
Leaving the sobbing sister behind was not an option.
"...Should we let our sister rest first? We can't leave like this."
"Wait a moment. I have a good idea. Lena, can brother leave for a very short time?"
"No... Hic, no!"
"I promise to come back. I promise. Okay?"
"You never keep your promises. Last time... You said you'd come every day..."
"I'm sorry. But this time, it's true. Wait here with Rev. I'll be back before sunset."
Lena glared at Rev with her swollen eyes. Wiping her nose with the cloak's hem, she made a strange face.
[ Achievement: First Meeting with Lena - Lena holds a high affection for Leo. ]
"...Fine. But really just for a short time. Don't be late."
Leo de Yeriel, having received his sister's permission, rubbed the snot off his chest and entered the palace.
After a brief, awkward introduction, Rev and Lena waited, and true to his word, Leo returned early.
"Alright. Let's go."
"Why did you go to the palace?"
"I'll explain later. For now... Oh, we need to stop by one more place. We have no money. We need to get money from Jenia..."
"This?"
Lena pulled out a heavy bundle of money. She had received it from her sister Jenia earlier, and Leo let out a sigh, whether of relief or bitterness.
Holding his sister's hand, Leo went to a carriage rental. He handed the money bundle to a thug from the Corolla family.
[ Achievement: Long Live the Corolla Family - Gained slight favor from thugs affiliated with the Corolla family. Slight enmity from families hostile to the Corolla family. ]
With Leo in the uniform of the royal guard and the 'Long Live the Corolla Family' achievement, the three of them bought a carriage at a reasonable price and left Orville. Rev took the driver's seat, while Leo and Lena rode in the carriage, heading south.
To the Orun Kingdom.
The strong black horse, Kus, diligently pulled the small carriage.
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