novelraw Chapter 356: Childhood Friends — Aslan Kingdom
Chapter 356: Childhood Friends — Aslan Kingdom
Episode 355. Childhood Friends — Aslan Kingdom
It was summer when Lena and Rev arrived in the Aslan Kingdom.
They crossed the border using the pass granted by the Saintess and spurred their horses to reach the capital, Barnaul, before late summer ended. Their relentless journey paid off.
The atmosphere was lively and bustling.
It was the founding anniversary of the Aslan Kingdom.
Rev let out a sigh of relief, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
"Looks like the speech is over. Too bad."
"Yeah, it is."
Lena and Rev were standing in the plaza in front of the royal palace.
They hadn't even had time to shake off their travel fatigue. After leaving only their horses at the inn, they rushed here, only to find that the speech had just ended, and the crowd was cheering."Long live King Arista de Klaus!"
Ever since the defeat of Malhas, history had shifted. The Aslan Kingdom was flourishing under the rule of King Arista de Klaus.
At that moment, a soft voice echoed through the air.
— “Daddy! I want to see it too! Show me too!”
The voice of a young girl, amplified by magic, rang out clearly.
The citizens of Barnaul burst into laughter. On the terrace of the royal palace, the king, who had just finished his speech and was gazing fondly at his people, bent down.
"It's the princess!"
"Your Majesty! Show us too! Wow! Our adorable little princess!"
The young king lifted the princess into his arms. As her tiny hands waved to the crowd, the grand opening of the Aslan Kingdom’s founding anniversary celebration was announced.
“Such a cute princess.”
“Mm.”
At Lena’s observation, Rev neither agreed nor disagreed. In truth, the sight of the princess reminded him of Lerialia.
After the king and princess disappeared from view, the citizens of Barnaul, who had gathered in the plaza, dispersed into small groups to enjoy the festival.
Lena and Rev also strolled through the streets, glancing at the numerous street stalls, but they neither spoke to the merchants nor participated in any of the amusements.
Lena spoke with a hint of regret in her voice.
"It's a shame I’m like a non-existent person here. If I ran around playing at those stalls and you followed me, what would happen in the next round?”
“I’d be the only one who goes in.”
Hehe. “I wish I could see that for myself.” Lena chuckled mischievously.
But Rev shut that down immediately, his tone resolute.
“That’s the last time you get to tease me like that. Come on, let's go.”
“Alright~ Still, I’m curious about this person named Rera. I wonder what kind of person she is.”
Eventually, the two of them entered a tavern.
The inside of the tavern was just as lively as the outside, filled with citizens enjoying the festival. In one corner of the tavern, a man and a woman were sitting together, drinking.
“Is it them?”
“Shh. Don’t point. Rera is really sharp about stuff like that.”
It was Ray and Rera Ainar.
As they approached, the voices of Ray and Rera grew distinct, separating from the surrounding din of the drunk patrons.
“There are waaay too many people in the capital. Seriously. Ah, sorry. It’s not like I hate being here, but I wonder if we really had to come out. I thought we were here to listen to His Majesty’s speech, but we didn’t even do that.”
“Just thought it’d be boring to stay cooped up at Uncle’s house the whole time since we’re already here.”
“...You’ve changed, you know that?”
“How?”
“You’re half-assing your training, and it feels like all you want to do is mess around. If you get knocked out of the tournament early, I’ll never let you live it down. I’ll tease you forever, so stay sharp.”
“Pfft. Worry about yourself, why don’t you?”
TChapter You try to say something helpful, and this is what you get. Rera wrinkled her nose in annoyance. She raised her glass to call for more beer, but instead, the leftover beer in her glass spilled onto the person next to her.
“Kyaah!”
“Ah! Oh no! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hmm… You’re sure you’re okay? Well, it wasn’t much, but still. I feel bad, so I’ll buy you something to eat.”
Snap! Wink.
With a snap of her fingers and a playful wink, Rera Ainar showed off her cool, carefree demeanor.
Lena, who had suddenly found herself doused with beer, immediately figured out what kind of person Rera Ainar was.
Her overall vibe was cool and stylish, but there was also a touch of goofiness. Lena whispered quietly, trying to contain her amusement.
“That person is Rera Ainar, right? I think I might actually like her. She gives off that vibe, like she’d be really good to her younger siblings… She’s got that kind of charm.”
On top of that, her physique rivaled that of most men. Her broad shoulders and muscular arms, with visible cuts of muscle, made her look incredibly cool.
…Rev remained silent for a moment before calmly shattering Lena’s expectations.
“She’s our age.”
“…Oh my.”
“Ray. Long time no see.”
Taking advantage of the moment when Rera went to buy food, Rev approached Ray.
Ray, with his arms crossed, greeted him with a grin.
He had known from the start that Rev was in Barnaul.
“Just in time. I heard from Lean. You came back from the battlefield, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Must’ve been rough. And… I suppose I should call you Lena, right? Nice to meet you.”
“Ah! Nice to m—”
“She’s coming back.”
The smile on Ray's face vanished. As if nothing had happened, he straightened his expression.
It was the kind of face you’d put on when you didn’t want to get on your girlfriend’s bad side.
“You talking about something while I was gone?”
“Nope. Just said sorry for spilling the beer, that’s all.”
“Pfft. No big deal… Everything’s dry already. Here, take this. I bought it since I felt bad.”
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Yeah, sorry again~.”
With that, the conversation between the two tables was cut off.
Rera was nagging Ray once again, telling him to train properly. But when Ray slid over to sit next to her and kissed her on the lips, she instantly fell silent.
Seeing that, Lena gasped and quietly muttered, “Oh my, oh my...” as she stole glances at the scene.
Of course, she was promptly scolded by Rev.
"Ray really hates it when people watch him like that," he muttered, glancing at her with disapproval.
Having fulfilled their goal of meeting Ray (and eating the food Rera bought them), Lena and Rev left the tavern.
With this, the requirement for the next round was met — Rev had now encountered Ray at this point in time, which meant Ray could be “awakened” in the next playthrough.
Now that they had secured that future possibility, they could finally enjoy the festival with peace of mind.
But Rev wasn’t quite ready to relax yet.
There was still one more task to complete, so he quickened his pace.
[Achievement: King 5/6]
To unlock the achievement, they needed to have an audience with the last king. Given how challenging it was to achieve, the reward was bound to be extraordinary.
They walked for a while, leaving the plaza behind. Eventually, they came across a bustling packed with warriors. A large sign hung overhead:
[Registration Booth for the Maunin-Reti Tournament]
Back when the kingdom was split due to internal strife, the Maunin Tournament was held in early summer in the Astin Kingdom, while the Reti Tournament was held in autumn in the Aster Kingdom. But now, with unification, the original form of the tournament has returned.
“Lena, wait for me here. I’m going to sign up.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
Rev weaved his way through the crowd of large, burly warriors from the northern regions.
Lena stood by, hands behind her back, humming softly, excited at the idea of being able to finally play around with Rev without any more obligations.
That’s when it happened.
A strange, mystical voice echoed in her head.
[Bow your head.]
“Huh? Ow!”
The voice seemed to come from her staff.
A large-sleeved hand suddenly shot out from the staff and yanked her hair down, forcing her to lower her head.
It all happened so fast that Lena didn’t even Realize what was going on.
The hand disappeared just as quickly, and Lena assumed she had just ducked down on her own.
At that moment, she felt something sharp whiz past right above her head.
Then, a loud, angry shout erupted from behind her.
“HEY! YOU BASTARD! WHO THREW THAT?! WHICH ONE OF YOU THREW THAT, HUH?!”
“…Me? Are you talking to me? Do you need something from me…?”
“Don’t play dumb! You threw it, didn’t you?! Wow, so this is how it is in the capital, huh? Never thought I’d see some noble brat throwing coins like he owns the place!”
“Wh-what? Noble brat?! How dare you insult me! I am a proud member of the noble House of Pamphili—”
“Don’t care, you little snot. Nobles or not, you’re dead today. I’m the mighty…”
A massive warrior confronted a young nobleman riding in a carriage along the roadside.
The warrior’s face was filled with unfiltered rage, while the nobleman's face flushed with indignation.
Other warriors began to gather, rallying behind the big guy.
An older man, perhaps a retainer of the noble, hurriedly stepped forward, waving his hands in a bid to mediate.
“Everyone, please calm down! Let’s resolve this peacefully!”
Lena, sensing the tension, quietly moved away, wide-eyed at the escalating chaos.
A moment later, Rev returned, grinning from ear to ear.
“All done! Now, let’s go play! I’ve got money, so just say the word if there’s anything you want!”
“Hmm~ That sounds nice, but… isn’t that the donation money we collected at the church? Shouldn’t we be a little more careful with it?”
“Come on, it’s fine. Compared to all the suffering we’ve been through, this is nothing. Even Namer, the God of Patience and Devotion, would probably cut us some slack. Let’s go!”
Rev grabbed Lena’s hand and took off running.
Lena followed, chuckling at his antics.
She didn’t Realize what was happening behind her.
The warrior who had picked a fight with the noble, the other warriors whistling in support, and the public official struggling to mediate…
She had no idea how that little scene would spiral into something much bigger.
But for now, Lena and Rev were swept up in the euphoria of the festival.
***
The Maunin-Reti Tournament was one of the most popular events of the year.
As the grand finale to the Kingdom’s Founding Day Festival, it drew massive public interest.
Villages from across the kingdom sent their mightiest warriors to participate, and even Barnaul’s residents trained for years in hopes of winning.
To fuel the hype, the royal Klaus family offered grand prizes for participants.
The top 4 finalists and the winner of the "Losers' Bracket" were offered either a chance to join the royal knights or a hefty cash prize.
In the past, they’d even given out legendary swords.
But Rev’s reason for entering the Maunin-Reti Tournament wasn’t for the rewards.
It was for one reason alone:
The tournament champion would be granted an audience with the king.
And to achieve the [King 6/6] achievement, a mere glance from afar — like earlier — wasn’t enough.
Sure, they could use the Saintess's name to get a royal audience. But that would be too easy.
Instead, Rev chose the difficult path.
For one, it wasn’t that hard for him to win the tournament.
{Swordsmanship Lv. 5: Forte Style}
The only person who could stop Rev from winning… was Ray.
But since he’d already conspired with Ray, that wasn’t an issue.
Secondly, there was Ray’s special request:
Make sure Rera Ainar doesn’t qualify.
If Rera placed in the top 4 or won the losers’ bracket, she’d be offered a spot in the knights.
And knowing Rera, she’d definitely accept.
If Rera’s dream came true, the “Ending” condition would be met.
Even now, while pursuing the [Protector Questline], that “ending” condition was still active.
It wouldn’t matter this round, since this was the “Childhood Friends” playthrough. But next round? They’d have to deal with it.
Lena, watching Rev with suspicion, asked a pointed question.
“What if you don’t get matched with her? What if you and Ray both miss her in the bracket?”
Rev shot her a confident grin.
“No chance of that happening. We rigged the bracket.”
“…Seriously?”
“Nothing too crazy. Just a small favor from Captain Jansen. He’s a junior of Ray’s dad, and we asked him to arrange it so Rera would face either me or Ray.”
“…You’re so dirty. You’re planning to crush her on purpose, huh?”
“Yup. And I’m gonna win.”
“Wow. You guys are terrible. Wait, hold on. Did you… did you ever do something like that to me?”
Rev froze.
“W-what?”
“Did you ever block my dreams on purpose? Be honest.”
…He had.
Several times, in fact.
Rev lowered his head.
“…Yeah. I did.”
“…I knew something felt off.”
“…I’m sorry.”
At his apology, Lena squinted at him, her face a mix of exasperation and affection.
She liked him too much to stay mad for long.
But since he owed her, she figured she might as well tighten his leash a bit.
“It’s fine, Daddy Noah. But you’d better behave from now on. Got it?”
Rev’s eyes widened, his face going pale.
Meanwhile, Lena grinned mischievously, hands on her hips like she had just won a war.
While he stood there stunned, she quietly used her divine power to quell her bout of morning sickness.