Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 206: Beggar Siblings - Timer

'Kus' had been stolen.

However, the strong black horse was rather content. Galloping across the vast plains, fields, and forest paths like the wind, it felt like it was reclaiming its true nature.

Originally, Kus was destined to pull plows and carts throughout its life.

Born with broad hooves ideal for farming, Kus now whinnied in gratitude towards the owner who let it run freely.

Of course, this time too, the owner did not respond. He kept heading north with a distant look in his eyes. A significant change occurred about a week after forcibly crossing the border and heading towards Orville.

"Rev!"

"Huh!? Wh-what?"

[ Achievement: Met Another Leo, 3/3 ]

[ 'Met Another Leo' achievement has been removed. ]

[ Quest: Guardian, 2/3 ]Guardian?

Something unfamiliar popped up. However, Leo had no time to ponder.

"H-how did this happen? Why are you here? You are..."

"Whoa, whoa. Let's get off and talk."

The misty look in Rev's eyes cleared, and he was extremely flustered. As Kus wobbled from the confused reins, Leo de Yeriel hurriedly dismounted.

Looks like this friend needs some explaining. Leo calmed Kus by stroking its nose and took the reins from Rev. The two sat down by the roadside.

"Rev. It's good to see you. This is the second time I'm meeting you but..."

Where should he start?

Leo paused to gather his thoughts.

This Rev was from the '16th' cycle of Leo. The next scenario after the beggar siblings was childhood friends, so when Rev had found him last time, there wasn't much of a time gap.

It was after the beggar siblings' cycle had ended that '15th' Leo was able to quickly grasp the situation.

But this friend knew nothing yet. Rev had only experienced up to the 15th cycle, where he met Astroth and was killed by Count Herman Forte.

He didn't know about the 16th cycle where he failed the rebellion, or the 17th cycle where he became a Sword Master and got engaged. Leo had to explain everything, including what he did before leaving Orville. So Leo de Yeriel began calmly.

"First, I'm Minseo. I may not be exactly that now, but you understand what I mean."

"...Alright. What happened to Lena? Did the rebellion succeed?"

"...No."

A fairly long conversation ensued.

Leo explained that they had to leave his sister at the theater, but she somehow followed them to the kingdom. They stopped by the Marquis of Gaidan's place, exhausted all the {Bracelets of Barbatos}, and then he (Rev, you) roamed around the kingdom uniting barbarians.

However, Leo didn't mention the traitor, Cesar. Instead, he altered the ending, saying,

"We were surrounded at Nevis and died there."

He concealed the gruesome ending. No need to point out that you killed my sister...

"Don't worry about Lena. She made it to the capital churChapter She was later canonized as a saint, but the problem... never mind. I'll tell you later. After that, the engagement cycle began."

This one ended tragically too.

Leo confessed that Leo Dexter and Lena Ainar went to war, and he became a Sword Master by killing Katrina. He admitted he was too preoccupied with hunting knights to care for Lena Ainar...

Disheartened, she never picked up a sword again. She got married while heavily pregnant in Lutetia, the capital of the Jerome Holy Kingdom.

Rev listened quietly. His expression unchanged, but he occasionally plucked and chewed the grass on the ground, indicating his troubled state.

Having explained what happened in Orville this cycle, Leo paused. When he felt Rev had sufficiently absorbed the information, he suggested Rev should return.

"Gilbert Forte might head to the capital churChapter Just in case, you should go. This cycle... just live as you wish."

Rev seemed deeply shaken by the mention that Gilbert Forte might not be thoroughly dealt with. However, after a long silence, he shook his head and stood up.

"Forget it. Let's go."

"Go? Where to?"

"Where else? You left your sister behind. Are you out of your mind? I would have found you on my own anyway."

...That might have been the case.

Non-player Leos followed their actions from previous cycles. If Rev, who had come looking for him, hadn't found him in Orville, he would have used {Tracking Skill} to follow him to Conrad Kingdom, aligning his actions with the previous cycle.

"Ah, you haven't seen Taamoon Village yet. It's as peaceful as your Demos Village. Shouldn't we go to the capital church first?"

"...It's fine. Count Peter promised to help."

"And?"

"Then we can use communication from the church in Baron Monarch's territory. We can check if Gilbert Forte has been dealt with before departing, so let's go."

"...Alright. Thank you."

Leo felt his heart warm up.

Although Leo spoke as if it were nothing, he knew that it wasn’t an easy decision for Rev. Despite wanting to rush to Lena immediately, he prioritized the beggar siblings' scenario.

In this harsh world, Rev was someone he could absolutely trust. Leo and Rev each mounted their horses and returned to Taamoon Village.

When they arrived at the village chief's house, it was already dark. However, only the stableman was in his room; Jenia, Lena, and Santian were nowhere to be seen.

"They mentioned going for a short walk, sir," the village chief respectfully told the mid-to-late teenage noble youth.

Leo shrugged, "Jenia must have suggested it. You know how she exercises every morning. She was stuck in the carriage all the way here."

He said it casually while activating {Tracking Skill}. Confirming that his sister, Jenia, and Santian were all in the same direction, the two men walked leisurely out.

Rev, surveying the village, remarked, "It does seem nice here. If I had known, maybe we could have just hidden with Cassia in a village like this."

Leo chuckled, "Yeah, right. You might be better with the sword now, but back then, we'd have been dead if caught."

"Haha, probably. It feels like ages ago now. But the memories are still vivid... huh?"

"Huh?"

Just then, as they emerged from the village and walked through the fireflies, they heard a distant shout ("You bastard!"). Gripped by a sense of foreboding, Leo and Rev hurried their pace without a word. Soon, they saw something that made their blood boil.

A man, shirtless, was approaching Jenia and Lena, holding a knife, while Santian lay motionless on the ground.

"You damn bastard."

Leo and Rev sprinted furiously.

They shouted to distract the drunkard's attention and rushed to block him.

"Who are you!?"

- Thump!

Rev kicked the man, and as he staggered, swinging his dagger wildly, Rev struck his wrist, disarming him. Leo checked on Lena and Jenia.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Oh, brother! Tian...!"

His sister burst into tears. Leo was momentarily alarmed, fearing the worst, but Tian was alive. His head was a bloody mess from repeated blows, but he managed to speak in a trembling voice.

"I'm... I'm okay."

"What do you mean, okay, you idiot!"

"Jenia, what happened?"

Jenia was pale. Clutching her heaving chest, she explained, "That man tried to rape me. Thank you for coming... It was really close..."

"I'm sorry. I should have come sooner... I shouldn't have left you in the first place."

Leo hugged Jenia, gently patting her back and comforting his terrified sister.

"Let's go inside. Quickly. Here..."

Gritting his teeth in rage, Leo thought, I'll kill him. I'll tear that bastard who threatened my sister and Jenia limb from limb. No, I'll cut off his filthy parts first and shove them in his mouth.

Turning his head, Leo intended to tell Rev to hold down the scumbag while he escorted the children and Jenia back. But to his surprise, Rev was already furiously kicking the man.

"Rev, what's wrong?"

"Hey, look at this."

Rev pointed to the would-be rapist's bare chest. Squinting in the darkness, Leo realized why Rev was acting this way.

A trumpet-shaped tattoo. The symbol of Barbatos was etched on the man's chest.

Ah...

Rev was now the 16th Leo.

That meant he hadn't yet come to terms with the emotions from the 13th cycle, when he was a follower of Barbatos.

Each cycle they endured was horrific. With every new scenario, they tried to come to terms with the previous cycle’s ending and regain their composure.

But this took time. Even if a new cycle layered over it and made it nonexistent, the emotions remained. And those emotions had to be soothed by the person experiencing them.

I, the next in line, had managed to quell those bitter feelings (since Minseo wasn't present during the 14th engagement cycle, I didn’t receive those memories).

I felt guilt for Lena, who was consumed by Barbatos, and even though it wasn’t my doing, I reprimanded myself on Rev’s behalf.

But it was still someone else's matter. My scenarios were more urgent and pressing, leaving me unable to fully resolve Rev's emotions.

Seeing Rev completely lose it brought Leo back to his senses.

"Do what you need to." Leo said, then supported Santian and led Lena and Jenia back to the village. Rev, maintaining some sense, didn’t kill the filthy Barbatos follower in front of the children.

However, Leo knew exactly when Rev killed him. "Oh my! What happened? Why is the young gentleman’s face like this?" The village chief fussed as they passed, laying Tian on a bed.

Leo felt as if the world, or perhaps the universe, trembled momentarily.

An unknown wave brushed past him, and a message flashed before his eyes. Whether it tried to appear but vanished too quickly to be fully seen, Leo only caught a glimpse of its rectangular outline.

But one thing was certain...

'What is this?'

The symbol on his palm had disappeared. The mark proving he was a follower of Barbatos was gone, replaced by a distorted cow’s hoof print. Whatever this meant, a proper message soon clarified it.

[ 'Follower of Barbatos' achievement has been removed. ]

[ Debuff: Oriax's Hoofprint – Taunt, cannot escape. 13 years, 3 months, 21 days, 5 hours, 25 minutes, and 9 seconds remaining. Damaged. ]

It was Oriax's hoofprint. Breaking through the dark night sky, the debuff from Oriax, who had watched him with eyes full of rotting blood, still remained. The ticking timer, originally 17 years, confirmed this.

Leo shivered all over.

It suddenly felt like someone was watching him. With a strong sense of malice.