novelraw Chapter 191: Engagement - Dream
Chapter 191: Engagement - Dream
191. Engagement - Dream
“Alright, everyone, carry on.”
Leo exited the armory. He reassured the saluting soldiers, “Don’t worry about the lack of supplies. I’ll inform the quartermaster.” Then he climbed up to the ramparts.
Leo was on duty.
Dressed in a stiff red uniform, he acknowledged the salutes of the soldiers on guard duty with disciplined motions. He made his rounds on the ramparts, inspecting the soldiers’ demeanor and attire.
His attitude was notably serious.
Despite being a new knight, who should be unfamiliar and struggling with military life, Leo displayed none of that. Instead, his familiarity with everything surprised the soldiers of Avril Castle, leading them to exchange remarks like, “We expected more excitement, but he’s rather dull.”
New knights causing trouble was a common source of amusement for soldiers.
Unless during wartime, incidents within the barracks were merely minor mishaps, which seasoned soldiers knew well.
For nearly a week, their attention had been on the young knight Leo Dexter. They were curious whether he would act arrogantly and embarrass himself or be too shy to maintain his authority, which were entertaining prospects for soldiers leading a monotonous military life.But Leo fit neither scenario. He was astonishingly knowledgeable and, when he didn’t know something, he openly admitted it. The soldiers of Avril Castle found themselves drawn to this daring young knight.
“Hey! Over there, junior knights! I know a post-meal smoke is good for the body, but you’re going to be knights! If you smell like that, the lovely ladies will run away!”
Leo shouted down from the ramparts. The lax junior knights hastily stubbed out their smokes and scurried away.
“Sir, you should eat too.”
“Yes, I should.”
The soldier smiled brightly. Leo nodded and, after confirming the changing of the guard, headed to the training ground.
The training ground was crowded with soldiers who had finished their meals. Training was ongoing, so Leo took a wide detour to avoid interruption. The junior knights standing guard in front of the barracks saluted him.
“Loyalty!”
Pfft.
Leo almost burst out laughing. Quickly turning away, he noticed that Lena was among the saluting junior knights.
“Good job, everyone. Lena Ainar, come here.”
“...Yes.”
He spoke in the most businesslike manner. However, once inside the barracks and away from prying eyes, he turned back with a grin.
“Lena.”
But Lena looked displeased, pouting and grumbling.
“Why did you call me? I told you not to.”
Lena had become a junior knight.
Despite boldly stepping forward to take the test, the scenario had only just begun a day ago, and she was still weak.
While she wasn’t a match for a knight who was highly skilled, her determination to win had earned her a decent evaluation.
“You can become a junior knight. You’re still quite inexperienced, but considering your age, it’s impressive.”
“Junior knight is fine by me!”
It was a foolish choice if one were to nitpick. Continuing to learn swordsmanship from Uncle Noel would have been more beneficial, but Lena wanted to catch up with Leo, who had become a knight, even if it meant being a junior knight.
Fortunately, the lord made her a junior knight. It was not an easy position to obtain, so she was lucky, but there was a small misfortune.
“Hey. Is that how a squire talks to a knight?”
Lena’s brow furrowed in annoyance. Glaring at her increasingly cheeky fiancé, she sighed.
“Yes, yes. I’m sorry. Why did you call me?”
Why did they have to assign her to be Leo’s squire? It wasn’t unusual to pair a newly minted knight with a junior knight, but Lena was very dissatisfied.
She would have preferred a stranger...
“Well, I just wanted to take a break and maybe hear the squire sing...”
“Do you want to die?”
“Hey, you shouldn’t say you want to kill a knight. That’s inappropriate...”
“I’ll kill you at home. For real.”
Leo, who was trying to suppress his laughter, finally burst out.
“Hahaha! Alright, I’m sorry. I’ll stop. I came to eat. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“I already ate.”
“What? No! You should have waited to eat with me. Besides, it’s the squire’s job to prepare meals.”
“What, knights don’t have hands or feet? Go get your own food.”
In fact, she hadn’t eaten.
Leo had been pestering her to eat with him for a week. So today, she deliberately waited without eating, but now she was in a bad mood. Seeing Leo’s dejected face, Lena’s heart softened.
“I’m joking. I haven’t eaten either. Let’s go eat together.”
Leo smiled brightly.
“Lena.”
He looked around the hallway to make sure no one was watching and then took her hand, interlacing their fingers. Rubbing her calloused hand, he spoke softly.
“Is being a junior knight tough?”
“It’s not tough at all. I have a great knight who doesn’t give me much work. But aren’t we going to eat? Why are you doing this?”
“To see you.”
He responded as if it was the most obvious thing.
Leo gazed at her intently, and Lena’s neck turned red. She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms, but she could still feel his gaze. Her cheeks, nose, forehead, and eyelids warmed under his stare.
“Why... why are you acting so weird?”
Recently, Leo’s affectionate gestures had become more pronounced. Lena found this unfamiliar but not unpleasant. She didn’t quite understand why the formerly more reserved Leo was acting this way lately.
It wasn’t as if Leo was doing anything inappropriate. If that were the case, she could understand him being in a certain ‘mood,’ but most of the time, he just gazed at her wistfully.
“Stop it.”
Once Leo started, he would lose track of time. Feeling both embarrassed by and oddly cherished from his attention, Lena firmly intervened. She grabbed his nose and shook it vigorously.
“Ow!”
“I said, stop.”
Eventually, the two found themselves in a corner of the lord's castle. While people knew about their relationship, they didn’t want to be too obvious, so they discreetly shared their food from the dining hall.
Seeing Leo hungrily devour bread, Lena felt her earlier anxiety subside.
She wanted to become a knight alongside Leo, which made her anxious.
But as Leo showered her with love, she realized it wouldn’t matter if she took a little longer.
She would eventually catch up to Leo, and he would wait for her...
“Leo, you dropped something.”
Leo had no idea what she was thinking. She felt sorry for having neglected him for a week due to her brooding.
Lena approached and tugged at Leo’s collar as he looked down to see what he had spilled on himself.
*
After that, Leo and Lena were both busy in their own ways.
If one had to compare who was busier, Lena definitely had more on her plate due to the nature of a junior knight's duties.
The biggest change came from the introduction of a mage, altering the roles of junior knights significantly. Unlike the past, when they only assisted knights, the new setup had knights paired with others on the battlefield, reducing their need for extensive armor care and daily maintenance.
This left junior knights with less to do, as knights no longer needed as much gear or horses daily. However, the battlefield couldn’t afford to leave high-quality personnel idle, so junior knights were assigned tasks like guarding generals or leading squads, necessitating some training.
This was beneficial for junior knights.
If they failed to become knights, they needed other jobs. Some could stay in the order as administrative knights, but most became soldiers. Learning leadership skills as junior knights was useful for them.
Though Lena had no desire for that path, she still had to attend training sessions, making her days busier. She only saw Leo after work at home.
“So? What did you do?”
“That guy tried to act tough, so I kicked him where it hurts. Funny, isn’t it? He became a junior knight before me and thought he could boss me around.”
Lena, who had just removed her leather armor and placed it on the dresser, flopped onto the bed. Exhausted, she stretched without changing her clothes. Leo sat at the edge of the bed, stroking her hair.
“Is that okay? Shouldn’t you try to get along?”
“I tried. But he kept pushing his work onto me.”
Lena turned over.
She seemed to enjoy having her head stroked, as she adjusted to rest her head on Leo’s thigh.
“Honestly, if anyone should be bossing around, it should be me. I’ve been here longer. Maybe I should call some friends and teach him a lesson.”
Though a bit extreme, it wasn’t impossible.
Since Avril Castle was a royal territory, the soldiers and junior knights there were from the capital, not locals. They rotated every three months, leaving in late winter when reinforcements from the capital arrived.
Lena, on the other hand, was a local. She was popular among the Ainar tribe, which made up most of Avril Castle’s residents, and was the daughter of a great warrior.
Though she hadn’t become a warrior in this life, her status hadn’t diminished.
If Lena had a mind to, she could easily dispose of an outsider. Such things happened during the civil war, and it wouldn’t be suspicious if one junior knight disappeared, especially since some often deserted.
Lena pondered her own words, “...Hey, that’s not a bad idea.” Leo, incredulous, flicked her forehead.
“Ow! Why’d you do that?”
“Because you’re thinking about killing someone. Should I help? Want me to say something?”
Lena looked up at him. After a moment, she dismissed it. “No, thanks.” She turned over, grabbing a pillow.
“Mind your own business. You’ve had your share of trouble lately.”
Leo shrugged. He climbed onto the bed, crossing his legs, and gazed at Lena.
He wished time would stop.
He knew this was the happiest time for him. War would break out before winter ended, leaving no time for leisure. Then, he too would have to think about killing.
He fervently wished these days could continue, but the weather kept getting warmer. The ‘Narok Wind,’ which blew from the continent to the sea, was gradually dying down.
Leo stroked Lena’s hair again.
“Stop it.” She protested weakly as he toyed with her earlobe, but they continued chatting for a while before Leo returned to his room.
Feeling better, Lena pouted. Maybe she should have asked him to stay. Regretting it, she quickly fell asleep once she decided to go to bed.
[Achievement: Twenty Photos - Lena occasionally faintly remembers past lives in her dreams.]
However, she didn’t dream. She had never experienced dreams, whether nightmares or good ones.
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