novelraw Chapter 187: Childhood Friend – Consequences
Chapter 187: Childhood Friend – Consequences
187. Childhood Friend – Consequences
"It's because of me."
Leo de Yeriel sighed as he looked at the army of Duke Tertan starting to establish their camp far below the castle walls.
"Eric sent his army because I'm still alive."
Rev also swallowed his words. The dark evening glow made his face look even grimmer.
The rebellion had been successful so far. The two border lords of the Orun Kingdom had joined forces, and Leo and Lena had rallied the nobles. With the help of wizards, they had achieved victory after victory, and victory seemed within reach.
However, if the Kingdom of Conrad intervened, it would become an unwinnable war from the start. The only reason they could occupy Nevis was because the enemy intended to annihilate them.
Sending knights to the east was likely to conceal Duke Tertan's army crossing the border. They must have hidden their advance.
'So was the rebellion only possible after clearing the Beggar Siblings scenario? Or was bringing Leo here a mistake from the beginning?'
If they aimed for the throne through rebellion, this was the only place. The northern kingdoms where Leo Dexter resided had established a centralized system due to a civil war over a decade ago, and even the kings were apostles of Ashin. There was no chance there.Only in the Orun Kingdom could they rally the nobles, and in the last iteration as Barbatos' apostle, Rev knew that the king and princes were not apostles.
At least among the kingdoms he knew, this was the only place not dominated by Ashin.
Rev looked around.
The agitated soldiers and panicking nobles. They seemed to realize they had no chance against the sudden large army, as evidenced by the emerging messages.
[Achievement: Master-Servant Relationship – '2107': As long as their loyalty remains unshaken, those who swear loyalty will trust and follow Leo.]
It was decreasing. And it continued to decrease.
Rev clenched his teeth.
"Leo, it's not your fault. And it's not over yet. If we handle the siege well..."
"Sir Hazen is here."
Leo pointed below. Indeed, the position of Sir Hazen, which should have been directed to the east, was pointing downward.
The second knight commander of the Kingdom of Conrad.
Typically, lower-ranked knight orders are sent first. Sir Hazen being here meant that not only the second but also the third knight orders were present.
Prince Eric de Yeriel was determined to kill Leo. It was unclear why he was so intent on killing his half-brother, but one thing was certain.
The absurd difficulty of the Beggar Siblings scenario had transferred. Even Rev, relatively free in the Childhood Friend scenario, was now caught in its trap.
"...Let's go back. I have something to say."
Prince Leo turned back. He reassured the clamoring nobles with empty words, then led Rev to the royal palace.
"Run away."
"What?"
- Thud.
Leo closed the door and spoke without turning around. His shoulders were shaking as if to catch his breath.
"You must not die. If you die, the iteration ends. So... run away. You must live one more day."
The prince turned around. His eyes, prepared for death, met Rev's directly.
"I'll stay here. If I flee, the nobles will surrender immediately. Then the pursuers will follow."
"Don't..."
"I was planning to die anyway."
Leo approached. Though he spoke calmly while brushing off Rev's clothes, his fingertips trembled. Just as they had when they entered Orville Palace.
As if denying his trembling, Leo clenched his fist. He grabbed Rev's collar and pulled him close.
"We haven't seen Lena become a priest yet, have we? Go. Stay by her side. Confirm what happens when she becomes a priest. I still think Minseo might be wrong."
His tone was almost commanding. The prince's fierce eyes pierced Rev.
Rev muttered lowly.
"...It'll trigger the job ending?"
"Probably. But you never know."
Leo released his grip on Rev's collar. As he smoothed out the wrinkled fabric, he said,
"Actually, I mean take my sister and run away. I'm sorry for ruining your turn. It's my fault. But Lena..."
She's innocent.
If left alone, she would have quietly lived as an actress at the Orange Theatre. For whatever reason, they had brought her along and put her in danger.
A silence fell.
Rev couldn't speak for a long time, but he agreed they had to escape with Lena.
He wanted to fight honorably to the end, but that was not more important than his sister's life.
And as the protagonist of this iteration, he had a duty to learn as much as possible.
With the likelihood of the rebellion failing, it was wiser to look to the future rather than stubbornly holding on.
"Thank you."
Though Rev said nothing, Leo expressed his gratitude.
The expression of the one making the sacrifice was rather bright, while Rev followed the prince with a heavy heart.
Lena was in the princess's room.
It was a time when she would usually be asleep, but she sat, troubled, without having changed her clothes.
She seemed to have heard about the situation outside.
Leo told his sister to take refuge for a while. He tried to persuade her, saying there was an emergency passage in the palace, but,
"No!"
She refused outright.
"Why do you keep trying to separate me? You did it before, and now again."
Rev, who followed, looked at his sister with surprise after a long time.
He had seen her grow to this extent in the previous iteration. But unlike before, when she was a greenhouse flower in her brother's arms, Lena had become an adult. Her hands were neatly gathered, and her shoulders were straight, clearly asserting her own space.
Lena spoke with a hurt expression. Biting her delicate lips, she expressed her thoughts word by word.
"I'm not a child. I decide where I stay."
"Then don't act like a child!!"
But when Leo shouted, Lena's expression wavered. As if seeing her brother shout for the first time, she looked shocked and held her breath.
Leo regretted it. He felt resentful towards his sister for not understanding his heart, but he didn't want to part this way.
He grabbed his sister's hand, and Lena remained still. She quietly sobbed, her head lowered.
"I'm sorry for shouting. But I can't fight if I'm worried about you. Can't you just take refuge for a while?"
"...Just for a while? Do you think I don't know what you're planning? You're going to send me away and then..."
Lena stopped. She suppressed herself, not wanting to say ominous words, but tears welled up.
She didn't run to her brother like a child. She lifted her head to hold back her tears but had to pull out a handkerchief as it was too much.
"Lena."
"..."
"Lena."
"...Why. Why do you keep calling me?"
Her brother approached. He repeatedly stroked her head as he used to and said,
"Don't worry. Stay with Rev for a while. Okay? If things go south, I'll escape too. I promise."
Lena was silent. She stared at Leo's outstretched finger for a long time before speaking.
"...Fine. But just for a while. Don't be late."
Leo's expression twisted. Memories of his past, where he broke promises as easily as he ate, resurfaced. This was the last thing his sister had said when he kept a promise.
Once again, Lena was urging her brother to keep his promise.
Leo responded with a smile.
"Alright. I won't be late."
*
Rev and Lena escaped from Nevis. They used the secret passage in the Nevis royal castle, which they discovered during their last play session, to slip away unnoticed by both enemies and allies. They ended up in an abandoned ranch on the outskirts of Nevis.
- Neigh!
Kus neighed. It was thrilled to have escaped the narrow passage and shook its head, but Rev quickly covered its snout.
Fortunately, there was no one guarding the secret passage. The Lognum royal family was so confident that no one knew of this passage's existence that they didn't even send a single soldier to guard it.
It was only natural.
They wouldn't want to reveal the existence of the secret passage, their last lifeline, to the world, and the location of the exit wasn't suitable for stationing guards.
Rev pondered where the Duke of Tertan's army might be and ordered everyone to stay silent.
"Captain, where do we go now?"
It was only after they had put a good distance between themselves and Nevis under the cover of night that Cesar spoke.
Rev and Lena hadn't escaped alone. Leo wanted to assign all four guards from the Kingdom of Conrad to her (excluding Sir Bart), but he noticed Lena's expression.
He realized that Lena would be sad if he gave all the guards, who were supposed to protect the prince, to her, so he only assigned one guard.
One guard.
Though sufficient in terms of combat strength with Rev there, it was inadequate for attending to the princess and the general.
Rev called for Cesar.
Since he had Sinis with him, he could communicate with Leo trapped in Nevis, and knowing this, Lena felt relieved.
"We will escort the princess and escape Nevis. Pick five reliable soldiers. Tell no one else about our departure."
The quick-witted Cesar kept his mouth shut. While the princess prepared, he made various excuses and gathered only five soldiers to avoid causing a stir.
Leo helped Lena onto Kus's back, gestured for her to cover herself well with the cloak, and said,
"First... we get out of here."
Where to go?
That was the very question Rev wanted to ask.
The war they had painstakingly prepared for over six months had been a losing battle from the start, and he had no idea what to do next.
Leo had suggested going to the cathedral, but honestly, it was just an excuse to send him and his sister away; he didn't believe they could gain anything in Lutetia.
However, Rev kept silent. As a general, he couldn't show any signs of despair, so he led the soldiers with a confident facade.
After two days of travel,
Feeling that they had put enough distance between themselves and Nevis, Rev finally sighed in relief.
"We will camp here tonight. While the tents are set up, I'll go hunting. Cesar, prepare to cook."
"I will accompany you."
Hatu spoke up.
Among the soldiers Cesar had brought along was Hatu. As all the soldiers Cesar knew were warriors who followed Leo, the soldiers here were all barbarian warriors.
Rev nodded.
He entrusted Lena to the guard and climbed the mountain with Hatu.
"General, if I may be so bold, please don't worry too muChapter Everything will be fine."
On the way back from hunting, Hatu offered comfort. Rev touched his face, wondering if he looked that bad.
"Yes. It will be fine... Hatu, I'm sorry. I've caused you so much trouble... You said you wanted to return to your family soon, right? You can go back now. I'll give you some travel expenses, though it's not much."
Hatu shook his head.
"No, sir. And it's not over yet. I believe in you, General."
Rev felt a lump in his throat.
The bond of servitude was being reaffirmed countless times.
For nearly two days, messages had been constantly popping up in his field of vision, and each time, Rev's self-esteem had taken a hit.
In such a situation, the young barbarian's sincere comfort warmed his heart.
Right. It wasn't over yet.
"Yes... we still have the mages."
Rev murmured.
The mages who had left to stop the knights rampaging through the territory. They were leading a total of 7,000 soldiers.
The priority was to send them to Nevis. Although the situation had drastically tilted with the Duke of Tertan's army joining, a siege wasn't something that ended quickly. If they hurried, there was surely a way to help Leo.
With hope rekindled, Rev's expression brightened. He hurried down the mountain with Hatu.
The soldiers had set up tents and lit a bonfire in the middle, preparing for cooking. As soon as Rev arrived, he called Cesar.
"Cesar. Can you contact the mages? The ones who took the soldiers to the rear."
Cesar looked flustered. Perhaps due to Rev's sudden change in attitude, he blinked rapidly before shaking his head.
"No, sir. We would need to have met a mage beforehand. Sinis can only remember one person at a time. Currently, he can only reach Prince Leo de Yriel."
"I see... Understood. We will have to go to them directly."
Though disappointed, Rev didn't lose hope. He began to think about how to quickly bring the mages and the army.
"Captain, let's eat first. Hatu, bring this and that to the general and the knight."
The crude meal was quickly prepared.
No matter how much meat was added, poorly bled meat would only be fishy and tasteless, but after two days of chewing on dried foods like jerky, any warm broth was welcome.
Cesar filled Rev's and the guard's bowls with plenty of solids, and Hatu carefully carried them over.
"Is there none for me?"
"It's coming right up."
The meal was prepared for Lena, Rev, and the guard. Unable to eat hot food well, Rev blew on his broth to cool it as he spoke.
"Sir Iron. Will you ride my horse and go ahead? Your horsemanship is better than mine. Take my token and call for the mages."
Sir Iron was one of the guards who followed Prince Leo. The son of a fisherman, his warehouse in the port of Noyar was where the guards had been hiding.
"Are you planning to attack the enemy's rear with that army? Understood..."
- Cough!
At that moment, Sir Iron, who had slurped some hot broth, coughed.
Rev and Lena were startled, and Sir Iron himself was surprised as he wiped his mouth, only to see not phlegm, but blood.
Coughing up blood, Sir Iron stood up abruptly. He drew his sword but then collapsed forward, coughing! Leo also coughed.
‘W-what is this...?’
"Guh!"
Looking up, he saw his deputy, Cesar, thrusting a sword into Hatu's chest. Smiling.
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