novelraw Chapter 175: Childhood Friends - Mitriweed
Chapter 175: Childhood Friends - Mitriweed
175: Childhood Friends - Mitriweed
"...Is it edible now?"
A brief silence followed. Leo de Yeriel scratched his head in front of the soup he had made.
His sister, Lena, had a look of complete disinterest. Despite the fact that the meat Rev had caught was added and should have made the dish tasty, her expression remained unchanged.
"Let's see..."
Rev tasted the thickened soup, noticed the fishy smell, and commented,
"It's okay. But there's too little water."
He added more water and discreetly slipped in some 'mitriweed.'
In the absence of proper ingredients on the road, it was a lifesaving measure. Fortunately, the scent of the weed, which retained an autumn fragrance, managed to mask the fishy odor of the meat.
Such skillful hands.Cooking wasn't solely about skill, but Leo de Yeriel's hands seemed to ruin anything they touched. Knowing this, Lena said, "Thank you for the meal~" and suppressed the high standards she had developed while living in the theater.
Even though the weed masked the odor, the taste was still lacking.
Mitriweed was a common grass found in the southern part of the continent. Its cone-shaped leaves were pretty and edible, but the sharp spines inside made it unsuitable for consumption. These spines hardened the longer they were boiled.
As Leo picked out the mitriweed while eating the soup, he lamented,
"...It's better if I hunt next time. I may be slower than you, Rev, but you can't do everything."
"It's fine," Rev insisted.
"No, I should at least do that muChapter You're also driving the carriage..."
Rev shrugged, indicating it was up to him, and started to gather the pots and bowls.
"Uh... Rev oppa, I'll do the dishes," Lena said, standing up quickly. She grabbed the pot (with some soup still left) from Rev, who said it was fine, and carried it to the stream.
However, the diligent Rev found another task.
He fetched the 'Kus,' which he had let graze freely, and harnessed it to the carriage, brushing off the weeds stuck to its body. Deciding it needed a wash, he untied it again.
"Come along," he said, as Leo brought the laundry.
Though there wasn't much, they didn't have many clothes to change into, so they did the laundry whenever there was an opportunity. Leo scraped out ashes from the campfire he had used to cook lunch and headed to the stream.
- Neigh!
Rev poured water over Kus's body, while Leo used the only water bottle to do the laundry. This scene seemed familiar, but the large black horse, Kus, didn't fuss.
Splashing around in the water with the ash mixed in, Leo did the laundry while Rev washed Kus. Lena approached them.
"I'm done with the dishes. Is there anything else I can help with... Eek!"
She screamed when she saw the undergarments in her brother's hands. Snatching them away, she hid them behind her back.
"Oppa, what are you doing with those?"
"...What?"
"Why are you doing my laundry..."
Leo's blank expression made Lena blush. She glanced at Rev, who had a similar expression.
'Oppa is such an idiot, a fool.'
If he was going to do it, he should have done it secretly, not in front of Rev oppa.
How embarrassing.
"Laundry is something I usually do. Go away. I'll take care of it."
"Huh? Since when did you..."
"Hurry."
Gritting her teeth, Lena approached closely and glared, but Leo just found her cute.
Leo sent a 'Why is she acting like this?' look to Rev, who shrugged back, 'How should I know?'
Driven by Lena's insistence, Rev and Leo were driven away from the stream. Even Kus was driven off, and the three males watched Lena as she did the laundry. Her crouched figure splashing in the water seemed both pitiful and commendable.
"...Our little sister has grown up a lot. She can even do the laundry."
"Indeed. Cassia noona used to do it... Jenia must have taught her well."
"..."
Leo fell silent, thinking of his parted lover, Jenia, while Rev recalled Cassia's last moments.
Kus, on the other hand, was thinking about carrots.
*
"Next!"
The line of those wanting to leave the kingdom at the gate stretched out long.
Occasionally, the gate guards' voices announcing the next person could be heard, and Rev and Leo had parked their carriage far away and were plotting.
"Alright. Fortunately, it fits."
"...It's a bit tight, though."
"But you can wear it because it's you. Leo Dexter wouldn't have been able to."
"True."
Rev tugged at the short sleeves of the knight's uniform. The uniform, which Leo de Yeriel had worn, was a bit small for Rev.
After nearly two months of journeying, Leo and his group had reached the gate.
It had been a rather leisurely trip, but even after hearing all the stories, Leo de Yeriel had been anxious.
"Is it really okay to go this slowly?"
"Probably."
"I don't get it. Astaroth took a liking to me?"
It was the difference between hearing it and experiencing it firsthand. Rev nodded to reassure 'Leo, who had never met the king.'
Astaroth.
The ancient grand duke had certainly shown favor to Leo. He had greeted him warmly, saying he was glad to see him again, and the enchanted Princess Tatian had also said, "See you again," with a kiss.
Rev couldn't understand why the king had acted that way, but at least he knew the king liked Leo.
Thanks to that, they had been able to travel leisurely to the gate. Astaroth had held Leo's hand and hadn't gotten angry until just before Leo realized he was 'God's plaything.'
Moreover, the only 'mistake' Leo de Yeriel had made was kissing the princess.
It wasn't something to deploy the knight order for, and with Prince Arnulf de Klaus of Bellita Kingdom, who had come to meet the princess, leaving in anger, the relationship between Bellita Kingdom and Astin Kingdom had soured, so the knight order couldn't afford to be bothered with such trivial matters.
Of course, they couldn't be completely carefree. The fake identity 'Noel' had likely been exposed, so Leo and his group had traveled while avoiding attention as much as possible.
They were probably wanted to some extent. Although the guard knights hadn't indicated the exit, they were likely watching for the whereabouts of the suspicious knight 'Noel,' who had learned the secret passageway structure of the royal palace.
Thus, when passing through the gate, the person pretending to be the knight had to be Rev, not Leo. Leo de Yeriel advised him on how to act and then hid himself in the carriage.
- Clop clop.
The carriage, with Leo's group prepared to act, started moving.
Ignoring the line of people at the gate, Rev drove the carriage straight to the gate. Looking down arrogantly at the gate guards,
"Sa, salute!"
"Good job."
"Uh... Sir Knight, I'm sorry, but please stop for a moment."
How convenient it would have been to pass through without any issue, but the soldiers blocked the carriage. They bowed apologetically, and Rev scolded them.
"How dare you! Do you think this is a carriage you can stop?"
Rev's face turned red.
It was the smallest, most shabby carriage. Despite his brazen words, his cheeks burned with embarrassment, though he also appeared genuinely angry.
A soldier cautiously asked,
"We deeply apologize. It's not that we doubt you, sir, but could you present your pass or identification?"
"Identification? Pass? Why would a knight need such things?"
The soldier thought, ‘How are we supposed to know if you’re really a knight?’ but fearing the consequences if he was wrong, he bowed again.
"There is currently a warrant out for a blond knight. We must enforce strict procedures... We apologize. We ask for your understanding."
"Ridiculous. Does my hair look blond to you?"
"No, sir! It's not, but as a procedure..."
Hmph.
Rev scoffed. With a scornful expression that made the soldier shrink back, he jumped down from the driver’s seat. Just as he was about to grab the terrified guard’s helmet...
"Sir Bart, that's enough."
The carriage window opened. Rev, about to get angry, immediately knelt down, saying loudly, "I apologize for the commotion, Princess."
Princess?! The soldier looked up and was startled.
In the window was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. Her delicate face and berry-red lips were visible.
The soldier, convinced she was indeed a princess, bowed his head. Unable to resist, he stole another glance at her elegant face despite her saying, "Raise your head."
She was stunning.
Even squinting against the sunlight looked graceful. When she extended her delicate hand towards him, his heart skipped a beat, despite being a married man.
"I apologize for not recognizing your presence, Princess... I'm so sorry..."
"It's alright. I was touched by how diligently you perform your duties. Here, this should prove my identity."
Lena handed over the badge of the Grand Princess Danijela Tatian, which Leo had obtained. The soldier, overwhelmed by the sight of the golden badge, didn’t know what to do.
"Thank you for considering a humble commoner. Then..."
What should a soldier do upon meeting royalty? There were no rules for that, so he tried to return the badge as politely as possible.
But the princess didn’t accept it.
"I have a favor to ask."
"Anything, please, command me."
His heart raced as the beautiful princess winked at him.
"I am heading to the Kingdom of Orun. Secretly. So, could you keep my visit here a secret?"
"Of course. I will keep it completely confidential. No one will know you passed through this gate."
"Thank you. And one more thing..."
Had there ever been a more nerve-wracking day in his twenty-one years? When the beautiful princess winked at him, his heart raced despite being a married man.
"I heard there is a gate at the border of the Kingdom of Orun. There might be a similar situation there... Should I show myself to the foreign soldiers as well?"
"No, absolutely not! It would be an outrage. If you permit, I will accompany you. I have friends among the patrols who know me. Please leave it to me."
Leo’s group passed through the gate.
At the gate of the Kingdom of Orun, Rev presented the 'Noel' badge, declaring himself a messenger, and the soldier emphasized that there was no need to search the carriage.
Unaware that inside the carriage, Leo was complimenting, "Our sister’s acting skills are incredible," the soldier let them through.
*
"Rev, what's your plan now?"
As they entered the Kingdom of Orun, Leo, seated next to him, asked. Lena was napping inside the carriage.
Rev, driving the carriage, took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.
"...I plan to meet with Marquis Guidan first. I’m thinking of rallying the barbarian tribes, but charming the Marquis into loyalty is the priority."
"Charming?"
"Yes. With this bracelet."
Rev had two red beads left on his {Barbatos Bracelet}. Leo had the same bracelet, but its beads were colorless.
"Hmm... I don't think it's a good idea."
"...Why not?"
"The Marquis's loyalty won't last long with that. You know better than anyone that enchantments aren’t permanent. The same goes for the 'Master-Servant Relationship' achievement."
[Achievement: Master-Servant Relationship - ‘0’, as long as loyalty does not waver, those who swear allegiance will believe and follow Leo.]
"...That's true. But there’s no other way. No matter how many barbarians we gather, without the help of nobles, rebellion is impossible."
"Right. But... if it were me, I wouldn’t charm the Marquis."
"Then what?"
Leo de Yeriel smiled. He seemed to have a good idea but didn’t want to interfere with the protagonist Rev’s choice.
"Tell me. It’s fine."
"Alright. If it were me... I’d charm the Marquis’s wife."
"What?"
For a moment, Rev thought his superficially handsome friend was out of his mind. But then he remembered the rumors about the Marquis Guidan's family he had heard from a maid.
"Oh... right. The Marquis’s wife..."
It had been mentioned in the previous chapter about childhood friends. The successor of Marquis Guidan, Havny Guidan, was kicked to death by a pony.
Marquis Guidan destroyed all items related to the Church of the Cross in their mansion, and the Marchioness fell ill, unable to get up. She closed her heart and stared blankly into space, only reacting to her husband and daughter, crying and fainting whenever she saw them. She was recuperating in the Guidan estate in the northeastern part of the Kingdom of Orun.
"Yes. I would cast the charm on the Marchioness. Remember? The charmed Marquis Harvey Guidan gave you his son’s room. Perhaps... the Marchioness might also mistake you for her son and recover her senses."
Impressed, Rev unconsciously stopped the carriage. He had been quite worried, but this plan would gain much more favor than temporarily charming the Marquis.
At the very least, he would be treated generously as the benefactor who healed the Marchioness.
"Let’s do that. That’s a much better plan. Thank you. It's a really good idea."
Rev expressed his sincere gratitude. But Leo de Yeriel had one more piece of advice to give.
"And don’t forget, the Teovic Family's weapon caravan will soon be coming this way too."
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