novelraw Chapter 384: Leo - The Meeting Ground
Chapter 384: Leo - The Meeting Ground
381: Leo - The Meeting Ground
"Hail to Saint Lena!"
The world flashed white, and when his vision returned, Rev found himself in an unfamiliar scene.
Ahead, six white horses trotted before him, and he realized he was sitting in an open-roofed carriage. The streets were packed with a clamorous crowd.
The blazing summer sun bore down on him, making him squint as he raised his hand to shield his eyes. When he looked ahead, he saw the royal palace of Orville in the distance.
They were heading there.
Wait—we?
As his view expanded, Rev noticed someone sitting beside him.
It was Lena.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, he called out, "Lena!""Hands off."
Lena looked up at him with a soft smile, one she seemed to maintain with deliberate composure.
"I can see you’re surprised, but stay calm. Don’t look around too muChapter People are watching."
She was calm. But as Rev took in her appearance, he couldn’t help but ask dumbfoundedly, "Why are you dressed as a saint?"
Lena let out a small chuckle. "Because I am a saint. And you’re a holy knight, remember?"
"W-what?"
Sure enough, Rev was dressed in the formal garb of a holy knight. He needed answers.
"What’s going on? You know, don’t you?"
"Of course I do."
"Then tell me! Hurry, I’m about to lose it here! If you don’t, I’ll collapse right here!"
Lena burst out laughing. As Rev admired how beautiful she looked even while teasing him, she playfully replied,
"If you want to embarrass the church, go ahead and collapse. But you better act dignified, like a proper knight escorting a saint."
As she spoke, Lena occasionally waved at the cheering crowd.
Frustrated, Rev stifled his curiosity and focused on the road ahead.
Cheers erupted all around them.
Flowers were thrown lavishly into the air.
The carriage soon arrived at the gates of the royal palace, where the king himself had come out to greet the saint in the garden.
"Welcome, Saint Lena. Thank you for honoring us with your presence."
"You are too kind. It is my honor to meet you, King Kumaean de Tatalia."
The king assisted Lena as she stepped down from the carriage.
But Rev immediately realized something was off—the man before him wasn’t the king he knew.
It was Cardinal Michael, now wearing a crown.
The spot where Karoman de Tatalia, who had been devoured by Astroth, should have stood, was now occupied by the former cardinal, who had once insisted on wearing plain robes and drinking only water.
"Why is he here? Did Astroth truly perish?"
Since the system messages only appeared for Minseo, Rev couldn’t fully grasp the situation. Hoping Lena would explain, he followed closely behind her and the king.
As they walked, the king spoke,
"Most of the princes and princesses have already arrived. We are only waiting for those from the Orun Kingdom, but I’ve been informed they’ll be slightly delayed. It seems the banquet will begin later than planned. My sincerest apologies, Saint Lena."
"There’s no need for apologies, Your Majesty. I’m fine. Besides, for all six royal families to gather with only a slight delay is truly impressive. It shows how much effort you’ve put into hosting this meeting."
"Your kind words bring me great joy. It is a deep honor to host such a meaningful event in my later years. If I may, could I ask you to deliver a short opening speech at the banquet?"
"Of course, I’d be happy to."
The king gave a respectful nod to Lena and departed, his old but commanding presence leaving a lasting impression.
As Lena stood gracefully in place, maintaining the image of a proper saint, she waited for the doors to close behind the king.
The moment the doors shut—
"Ugh, this is exhausting."
Lena kicked off her shoes, their high heels clattering to the floor. Still dissatisfied, she gestured at Rev.
"Rev, unbutton the back of my dress. I’m boiling in this thing."
"What if someone comes in?"
"Then I just won’t open the door. Now hurry."
Only after tossing off the ceremonial robe did Lena’s face finally show relief.
Underneath, she wore light undergarments that left her arms and legs bare, making her look much more comfortable.
"You should loosen up too," she suggested.
"I’m fine. But seriously, explain—what’s going on?"
"What part of it?"
"We were just fighting Astroth, right? You hugged me after we defeated him, and then suddenly…"
"Maybe you were just so heat-struck that you dreamed all of it?"
"What?"
Rev caught the slight twitch of Lena’s nose and realized she was teasing him again.
"Don’t mess with me."
"Hehe. Time rewound, Rev. Astroth is gone. But it’s not like everything reset—our lives were altered a bit too."
"How?"
"Well, for example, I became a saint when I was a child. At least, that’s how my memories go. But don’t worry, I still remember fighting Astroth with you. Anyway, I became a saint and went to the cathedral, while you stayed in the village and later became a holy knight. Eventually, you showed up as my escort knight. Got it?"
"Sort of. Then why are we here?"
"We were on a pilgrimage near the Conrad Kingdom and stopped here on our way back. Cardinal Verke was trying to break away from the church, so we warned him and left. Then we heard that the Kingdom of Bellita was hosting a gathering for the six royal families and offering generous donations for attendance, so… we came to make money, basically."
Lena grumbled about her duties, but it was clear she’d adapted to this new timeline.
Rev still had questions, but before he could ask, Lena removed her inner garment too. Feeling awkward, Rev turned away and tried to steer the conversation.
"I noticed that the king is now Cardinal Michael. Is that because of Astroth’s disappearance?"
"Yep! Oh—by the way, judging by your reaction, you didn’t know Michael was a royal, did you? He was the first in line for the throne. What Astroth altered has returned to its original state. I’d say this is good news for you, wouldn’t you?"
"Why me?"
Lena smirked, stepping closer to him. "Because the Holy Church won’t expel barbarians anymore. That was Michael’s doing."
Rev’s eyes widened.
His father was a barbarian, and Rev had always harbored resentment toward the Holy Church for their massacres of his people.
But now, that history has been erased.
Just as Rev turned to Lena, ready to thank her, she handed him something soft.
"Lena! What are you… You’re undressed!"
"I’ve waited too long."
"W-waited? For what?"
Lena pushed Rev onto a chair, ignoring his words.
"When you grabbed my shoulder in the carriage earlier, I was so happy. You were like a puppet when you lost your senses, and after I became a saint, I waited ten years for you to come back. So don’t stop me now."
"W-wait!"
As Lena tried to undress him, Rev blurted,
"I-I don’t mind, but is this okay? You’re a saint!"
"So what? I’m the last saint. I’ll live my life however I want. I’ve got permission."
"What?"
She kissed him.
Dazed, Rev pushed her away slightly, stalling with another question.
"W-wait! Why are you the last saint?"
Lena sat on his lap, trailing kisses along his face as she explained,
"Because the myth of Leonel and Reisia has ended. The gods are taking back mana and divine power—they came from them, after all."
"Why would they do that?"
"To usher in the true age of humanity. Just as the age of Leonel and Reisia is now a distant myth, our era will become a forgotten legend. Priests, mages, swordmasters, and knights will disappear. In a world without magic or blessings, humans will live by their own strength. Of course, to make that happen, we’ll need to have children."
Before Rev could respond, Lena grabbed his face and kissed him again.
"W-wait! What about Ray, Lean, and Minseo? Are they okay?"
"Stop worrying. They’re fine. You’ll meet them soon enough. But first, you need to meet our kids—Noya and Soya. I’m done waiting."
"B-but the banquet—"
"Shut up. I’m a saint, and you’re my knight. Do as I say unless you want to be excommunicated."
***
The sound of tea cups clinking softly and steam rising from the cups filled the room.
Just like Rev earlier, Lean blinked and suddenly found himself in a different place. Scratching his head, he glanced at the ceiling, then at the people sitting around a table, and quickly pieced together the situation.
"Time has rewound… and history has changed."
He immediately grasped his new circumstances. Sipping his tea, he quietly observed the conversations around him.
"So, did you find her? My goodness, you must have been so worried!"
The question came from Princess Isadora, seated with two other noblewomen as they exchanged casual chatter.
"Of course, we found her right away. But can you believe what she was doing? She had run off to a theater, claiming she wanted to become an actress!"
"Oh my, Lady Jenia did that? What happened then?"
Although the lively conversation dominated the room, there were more than just the three noblewomen present.
The Count and Countess of Peter, Edlin and Gustav, sat side by side, nodding along. Next to them were Princess Isadora and Count Herman Forte, while at Lean’s side…
"I was worried she might have run away because of my son, but thankfully that wasn’t the case."
A cheerful noblewoman spoke as she sat beside Marquis Benar Tatian, her husband.
Ah, so that’s Marchioness Tatian, Lean thought.
Breaking his silence, Lean spoke casually—not to interrupt the women’s conversation but to direct his words toward Marquis Tatian, who was quietly sipping his tea as well.
"We’ve been waiting for quite a while. Do you know when it’s supposed to start?"
Not that Lean himself knew what “it” was.
But it wasn’t hard to guess: these high-ranking nobles were waiting for some royal event to begin.
The noblewomen passed the time with chatter while their husbands idly waited.
Marquis Tatian stirred his nearly empty cup and replied, "I imagine it will begin soon. I heard the prince from Orun Kingdom passed through the gates just a short while ago. Shouldn’t you be heading out, Count Forte? As commander of the First Knights, you must be busy."
"Yes, I should get moving."
The atmosphere was warm and cordial, a stark contrast to before. Lean noted that Marquis Benar Tatian had changed significantly.
His piercing blue eyes were still sharp, but the coldness that used to dominate them was gone. Curious, Lean tilted his head slightly and saw why.
Under the table, the marquis was holding his wife’s hand.
Ah. His wife’s tragic death must have deeply affected him in the original timeline.
Lean suspected what had happened. Astroth likely targeted the marchioness to vent his frustration when he couldn’t touch the marquis himself. Now that Astroth was gone, it seemed things had been restored to their proper state.
And the changes weren’t limited to Marquis Tatian and his wife.
The presence of Princess Isadora indicated that she hadn’t divorced Count Herman Forte. Checking his {Nobility Network}, Lean confirmed that Herman was not a Swordmaster.
Swordmasters often neglected their families in their tireless vigilance against evil gods. But now, with Astroth gone, those tensions seemed to have vanished.
Just then, the doors opened, and two dashing young men entered the room.
"Ladies, it’s about to begin," announced Gilbert Forte and Toton Tatian. Standing beside Toton was a female knight named Irene.
"Oh my, really? Then shall we head out? But… our dear princess seems to be fast asleep. What should we do?"
"It’s fine. Please go ahead. I’ll wake her and bring her along."
"Are you sure?"
With that, the nobles gracefully rose from their seats and filed out. Marquis Tatian gently escorted his wife, while Count Forte entrusted his son to care for his mother before departing. Lean watched them go in silence.
Gilbert Forte, once known as the scoundrel of Orville, seemed to have cleaned up his reputation.
He wore a ceremonial sword at his waist. Though it was purely decorative, his calloused hands and confident posture gave him a sturdy and reliable air.
He offered his mother his arm, and the two walked out together in harmony.
Meanwhile, Toton Tatian discreetly held Irene’s hand behind his back as they left.
Leaning back in his chair, Lean let out a sigh.
"Finally."
It was over. Everything was over.
Seeing everyone restored to their proper place, Lean allowed himself a rare moment of relaxation. Forgetting his usual princely demeanor, he laughed softly, his voice rising from his chest.
"Heh… Heh heh… Hahaha… HAHAHA!"
He indulged in the catharsis for a moment before straightening his posture.
Because, for him, the journey wasn’t over yet.
He looked at his younger sister, Lerialia, dozing peacefully beside him, and silently vowed to himself:
"Let’s keep going. I need to protect my lovely little sister’s life."
He gently shook Lerialia awake. She groggily opened her eyes and glanced around in confusion.
"Huh? W-where are we? Brother? Where’s the monster? What happened?"
Has it been a dream? Lean replied calmly,
"Monster? Did my little sister have a bad dream? Come on, it’s time to go. Stretch a little and wake up."
"Huh? Uh… Okay."
[The beggar sibling Lena realizes the qualities of a Sovereign! She can discern truths from lies.]
Lerialia looked up at her brother with wide eyes. She tilted her head, hesitated, but ultimately followed him.
The hall they were guided to by attendants was already brimming with people. Nobles from the Kingdom of Bellita, as well as royalty from other nations, filled the room.
Seeing the impressive gathering, Lean smiled and said,
"I’m glad we came. There are so many princes and princesses here. Try to get to know them, my dear sister."
"Okay. But Brother, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Do you love me?"
"Of course I do."
"Hehe, good. That’s all I needed to hear. But… just one more question."
Her expression grew serious as she asked,
"This isn’t a dream, is it?"
Lean hesitated for a moment before replying,
"It was a dream."
"Thank you for answering."
Lerialia fell silent after that. She walked without looking up, so Lean subtly guided her steps.
And then, she saw something that proved this wasn’t a dream.
"Brother Rev?"
"Yes? Why are you—? Oh! P-princess!"
"It’s really you!!"
Lerialia burst into tears on the spot. She wanted to throw herself into her brothers’ arms but instead stood there sobbing uncontrollably.
She remembered everything—what she had done to Rev, and how much of a burden she had been to Lean.
Despite it all, her brothers had never abandoned her. Even when she doubted them, even when she opposed them.
As people turned to stare, curious about the commotion, some rudely approached.
They were Prince Athon de Lognum and Elzeor de Lognum of the Orun Kingdom.
Lean spread his cloak wide to block their view of his sister while Rev embraced Lerialia, gently stroking her hair.
"I’m sorry, Brother. I’m so, so sorry for everything I’ve done…"
Rev, calm and reassuring, patted her head as if to say everything was fine now.
Soon, the king appeared with Queen Danijela de Tatalia, officially opening the gathering with Saint Lena’s blessing.
The meeting of the six royal families was a great success, aside from a brief argument between Prince Lean de Yeriel and the two princes of Lognum.
The next morning, the three Leos—Rev, Ray, and Lean—gathered by a lakeside in northern Orville.