Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 258: Engagement - Byley

257. Engagement - Byley

“Aren’t you going to wash up?”

Lena asked as she rubbed her damp hair with a towel. Her once short hair had now grown down to her shoulders.

They were at a campsite. After nearly two months of fighting on the battlefield, Lena and Leo had been ordered to return to the main camp.

As soon as they arrived, Lena had found a nearby stream and bathed. Since many of the soldiers, especially those conscripted, were women, a designated area for female use had been established.

Lena had gathered her toiletries and gone separately, but Leo had remained in his battlefield attire, lost in thought, so she left him alone.

The newly supplied tent was clean. The bedding, which had been soaked in frost and caked with dirt, had been replaced, and they had received new uniforms. Feeling refreshed and in a good mood, Lena hummed a tune as she tended to her personal equipment.

The first thing she needed to take care of was her sword. She held up the sword she had received from her master, letting it catch the sunlight. Carefully, she wiped off the blood and oil that had stained the blade, and then ran a dry cloth along the fuller to clean it.

She did the same for the handle, untying the leather cord wrapped around it and wiping away the caked blood. Then she took out a whetstone from her pack and sat at the entrance of the tent, sharpening any nicks in the blade.

‘No need to visit the blacksmith.’Despite the frequent and brutal battles, there weren’t many chips in the blade, a sign that she had handled the sword well. Lena felt a sense of pride.

After cleaning her sword, Lena moved on to maintaining her greaves, arm guards, and armor, piece by piece.

Aside from small metal reinforcements, all her gear was made of leather. Lena meticulously wiped away the blood from the seams and discarded the blood-soaked laces that were no longer usable. She donned the armor over her cotton uniform, tightening the new laces. The same process was applied to her greaves, arm guards, and trousers.

Her trousers, which had numerous buttons, had been taken from an enemy soldier. They didn’t match her lace-up top in design, but Lena wasn’t one to care much about appearances.

Her maintenance complete, Lena finally noticed that Leo was still sitting there, chin in hand, staring into space. She couldn’t help but nag.

“Hey, you smell.”

“...”

“Hurry up and wash. What’s the matter? Something on your mind?”

Leo, as if waking from a brief nap, released his chin and replied, “Oh, I was just thinking about something. I’ll go wash up now.” He gathered a sponge, a towel, and a change of uniform and headed outside.

But even as he walked, Leo’s thoughts remained preoccupied.

Why wasn’t Baron Arpen Albacete coming? What had caused this change? He pondered, and then something clicked.

‘Ran and Anne Aviker didn’t show up at Avril Castle.’

That was the only thing different in this round of the engagement scenario.

The problem was that he had no idea why they hadn’t shown up or what connection there might be between the sisters and Baron Albacete that would prevent the Swordmaster from even setting out.

Could it be that the Baron was influenced by something unrelated to the Aviker sisters, perhaps by another scenario? ─ He doubted it. While the engagement scenario started about half a year later than others, this was the Kingdom of Aslan, far too distant for any influence from those events.

Moreover, since Rev and Lean hadn’t made any significant moves yet, there shouldn’t have been any impact on this scenario...

‘No, maybe Lean did something.’

Honestly, he wasn’t sure.

In the previous round, Lean had woken up thanks to Rev’s message and had moved independently, mentioning that he had met a beggar with a broken arm in Orville. That encounter had somehow led to the Grand Duke of Bellita, who was secretly the demon Astroth, so Leo had warned him not to meet that beggar in the first place. Lean had barely escaped...

Rev’s thoughts had changed.

It’s not that Leo didn’t trust Lean, but something might have shifted during that process.

It was suspicious that Baron Arpen Albacete wasn’t coming to the battlefield because of something that happened in an enemy nation, but it seemed even more implausible that “mere barbarian mothers who wanted to hunt monsters,” like Ran and Anne Aviker, could influence a Swordmaster.

If they had that kind of connection, ‘I’ would have known and conveyed it.

Minseo had been out of it during that round, so they were short on information. But Leo had a rough idea of what had happened thanks to the message left by the previous Leo just before the ending. There had been no mention of Ran and Anne having any connection with Baron Albacete.

‘Alright then. What could happen in the Kingdom of Bellita that would cause Baron Albacete to stay away from the battlefield? Could it be...’

Was it possible that Count Herman Forte wasn’t coming to the battlefield either? If Lean’s actions had affected Count Forte to the point where he decided not to go to war, and Baron Albacete knew about it...

That would make sense.

What connection could there possibly be between the enemy’s Swordmaster not coming and their own Swordmaster not coming? Well, Baron Arpen Albacete had always been lukewarm about this war.

When Leo first met him in the eighth round, the Baron had come to the battlefield but had stayed at the rear, merely guarding the prince and never engaging.

Leo arrived at the stream, but he clicked his tongue and dismissed the hypothesis he had just formed.

That was overly optimistic.

Count Herman Forte might not show up, like Katrina, but that was just a guess. It was better to assume he would come rather than hope he wouldn’t.

This was a matter of Leo and Lena’s future, so Leo wasn’t going to take any chances with his preparations.

So what should he do?

In any case, there was no Swordmaster to assist them...

- Splash.

Leo, now naked, submerged himself in the cool water. Despite it being summer, the water was refreshing. As he scrubbed his muscular body with the sponge, he suddenly remembered that there was still one more person who might be able to help.

Leo quickened his pace.

He hurriedly finished his bath, not even taking the time to run a fine comb through his hair. After changing into a fresh uniform, he returned to the tent briefly (“Leo, where are you going?”) and then headed to the command tent of the Knight Commander.

“I wish to see the Knight Commander. I am Leo Dexter, son of Noel Dexter.”

“Dexter...! Please wait a moment.”

The squire, who appeared to be a junior knight, entered the tent, and Leo soon found himself face to face with Jensen Byley, the commander of the Third Knight Order.

“Noel Dexter’s son?”

Jensen was seated at a table, apparently in the middle of some work. He looked up at Leo, who had entered the tent.

“You do resemble him... Do you have any proof of your identity, soldier?”

“...Yes. I have a letter from my father addressed to Baron Albacete.”

“Let me see it. Pardon me for a moment.”

Jensen inspected the envelope. Seemingly unsatisfied with just the handwriting on the envelope, he gave Leo a subtle look before breaking the seal and opening the letter.

It might have been a rude action.

Perhaps realizing this, Jensen only read the first few lines before placing the letter back into the envelope.

“It appears to be genuine. Welcome. I met you a few times when you were very young, time flies. You resemble your mother more. How is she? Did your father not write a letter to me?”

Jensen Byley stood and extended his hand for a handshake. Leo wordlessly grasped the scarred hand.

“...It seems your father is still angry with me. Please, have a seat.”

Jensen insisted that Leo sit beside him rather than across the table.

This was a significant gesture of goodwill.

Previously, Leo hadn’t been sure what kind of person Jensen was or what relationship he had with his father, so he had refrained from bringing up personal matters. But now, it seemed he could relax.

Jensen had shown consistent goodwill in the previous round of the engagement scenario, and there was also the fact that he had an elegant, oval-shaped face and the surname Byley, a name from a nearby barony.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the younger brother of Saintess Meriel.”

“...”

He did indeed resemble Saintess Meriel. It was hard to pinpoint exactly how, but the spacing of his eyes, the length of his philtrum, and the width of his brow were all identical to the Saintess. And indeed, Jensen was her younger brother.

However, Jensen’s face twisted slightly, his scars contorting with the movement. He wasn’t angry, but the many colorful scars that even divine blessings couldn’t erase gave him a fierce appearance.

After a moment of silence, Jensen sighed lightly and spoke.

“Yes, my eldest sister is the Saintess. Hmm... It seems your father didn’t tell you about me. What brings you here?”

Should he have avoided mentioning the Saintess and instead asked what had happened between his father and Jensen in the past? It seemed too late to ask now, so Leo got to the point.

“I’ve come to ask for your help...”

Leo approached the Knight Commander with a request that reflected his readiness for a new challenge. He wanted to become a junior knight, feeling that he had gained enough experience on the battlefield as a soldier and was now eager to take on different responsibilities. Jensen stroked his chin and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Now I see! So you were part of that so-called invincible decanus squad. I thought it was just a lucky unit, but if Noel Dexter's son and disciple were among them, that changes things.”

“So, will you approve my request?”

“No.”

Jensen, adjusting his already immaculate uniform, replied with a playful tone. He was a man who strictly separated public duties from personal feelings.

“I’ll need to test your skills first. Go and fetch the soldier named Lena,” he instructed the squire, who quickly ran off to find her. Meanwhile, Jensen handed Leo a sword and nodded for him to demonstrate his abilities.

“...Alright then,” Leo agreed, keeping his strikes deliberately restrained as he exchanged a few basic blows with Jensen. Though the sparring was straightforward and focused only on the fundamentals, Jensen couldn’t help but be impressed.

“How old are you?”

“I just reached adulthood this year.”

“Remarkable. Though you’re not yet on your father’s level... Haha, don’t take that as a slight. Your father was exceptional. I see he must have been a good teacher as well. It’s a shame he retired… I’ve always wondered why. Ah, here she comes.”

Lena arrived, saluting the Knight Commander with a somewhat awkward expression.

“I’ve heard you’re Noel Dexter’s disciple. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Oh! Thank you!”

The prospect of sparring with the Knight Commander thrilled Lena. She winked at Leo as if to say, "Well done," before drawing her sword. Recently, she had discovered something new and took up a unique starting stance.

Her sword was held low at her left waist, poised for a thrust. Jensen noticed her determination and smiled warmly.

“Come at me.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Lena lunged forward with a sharp thrust. Jensen easily dodged, gaining the initiative, but—

“Huh?”

Lena’s body spun mid-thrust, her leading foot supporting her as her left leg lifted. She was trying to combine a thrust with a kick, an ambitious and risky move.

Normally, this would be a mistake.

Since Jensen had merely dodged, he had enough balance to easily counterattack by slicing at her airborne leg. However, he didn’t do so, recognizing that it was just a sparring match.

Besides, Lena’s sword was already aimed at his abdomen, ready to strike if he went for the leg.

Was she planning to sacrifice her leg to take his life? That wouldn’t be a wise choice for a knight... Wait, that’s not her intention at all.

Jensen’s eyes caught the way Lena’s leading foot dug into the ground, her muscles tense, desperately trying to keep her weight from shifting forward.

Haha! So the kick was just a feint. If I went for her leg, she’d retract it and use that momentum to thrust at me again. That was her plan all along.

Jensen grinned.

Having seen through her intentions in a split second, he ignored the kick and swept his sword low, targeting her supporting leg instead.

“Ah!”

Confident in her move, Lena was taken aback.

Even if she managed to retract her raised left leg and continue her thrust, Jensen’s sword would cut through her right leg before she could strike.

In that case, what’s the point of thrusting?

She wasn’t even sure she could deliver a thrust if her supporting leg was cut.

Lena quickly withdrew her right leg, attempting to leap away, but Jensen’s sword grazed past it just as she jumped, narrowly missing it. As she landed, she tried to regain her stance, but Jensen’s kick came at her like a bolt of lightning.

- Thud!

“Ugh!”

Lena tumbled across the ground from the force of the kick, but she still managed to raise her sword in time to block Jensen’s descending strike.

However, she should have realized that Jensen was holding back. His sword, with its blunt, square-shaped tip, was more like a heavy saber than a traditional sword, specialized for slashing rather than stabbing.

If he had wanted to, he could have smashed her sword to pieces with successive strikes.

Ruthless slashing.

It was Jensen’s preferred fighting style. But he held back, controlling the surge of violence within him. The fiery look in his eyes cooled, and he sheathed his sword, adjusting his uniform as he spoke with a professional tone.

“Impressive. Very clever indeed. A feint with a kick, so ‘clever’ it is. Hahaha.”

“...Ha... Haha. Yes, it seems so.”

“But it’s still rough around the edges. It needs some refinement… Even so, it’s remarkable. You’re already developing your own style of swordsmanship. You could be knighted right away if you—”

“No, being a junior knight will suffice.”

Leo interjected.

“We haven’t earned enough merit to be knighted yet. We haven’t even formally passed the entrance exams. I’d like to achieve something significant as a junior knight first and then be knighted properly.”

If they were knighted immediately, they would be sent to the front lines!

Leo’s true goal was to stay in the rear, where they could receive help from other knights to defeat Count Forte. Speaking like an honor-driven knight appealed to Jensen’s sense of propriety.

“That’s true. There’s no rush, and it wouldn’t be proper for Noel Dexter’s disciples to be knighted in haste.”

Jensen nodded. “Alright, then. Go back and wait for now.” Lena, still somewhat dazed from the sparring, chatted away. “Wow... I thought that was a good move, but it didn’t work on the Knight Commander. Leo, did you know I almost died just now?” She picked up her sword and began to review the sparring in her mind.

Leo expected the junior knight title to be granted soon, along with a position as a guard for a centurion or general. But no word came from Jensen.

Unable to push further, Leo waited until Prince Arnulf arrived and the review ceremony was held.

Lena and Leo’s squad was called up to the platform to cheers from the soldiers and warriors. They were recognized for their exceptional performance—twenty-plus battles without a single casualty—and promised generous rewards. At that moment, the prince pointed at Lena and Leo.

“Knight Commander Jensen Byley, are these the ones who will serve as my guards?”

“Yes, I vouch for their skills. Moreover, they are the disciples of the renowned Noel Dexter. This one here is his son. Will you grant them the rank of junior knights?”

[ Achievement Unlocked: Meeting Arnulf de Klaus - Gain mild favor with all nobles serving the Klaus royal family. Gain mild favor with Arnulf de Klaus. ]

“Oh! The son and disciple of Noel Dexter? If the Knight Commander vouches for them, then they must be exceptional. I see no reason to deny it.”

And so, Lena and Leo were granted the rank of junior knights. Everything was going well, except...

‘Why did it have to be guarding the prince?’

Remembering past events, Leo felt uneasy. As he sighed,

“We’re going to be guarding the prince! What do we do? I don’t know any court etiquette. Leo, do you?”

Lena, full of excitement, asked as Leo began teaching her the military salutes of the Arcaea Empire. It was summer, and the Kingdom of Aslan was advancing vigorously toward the plains of Asgard, the land in the Kingdom of Bellita that they had long sought to reclaim.