Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 385: Leo - Cosmetics

382: Leo - Cosmetics

There were no explicit arrangements, no set time or place to meet.

After a tumultuous day and a long night spent in their own ways, they simply found each other at dawn.

{Tracking Skill} pointed the way. By the time Ray arrived at the northern gate, both Lean and Rev were already there.

They didn’t bother exchanging greetings like, "Good morning" or "Hello."

The three stood quietly, waiting among the carts that were being loaded with water for the lakefront. When they stepped outside to a quieter spot, they whistled softly.

As if summoned by moonlight, the white horse Woody appeared, while the black horse Kus galloped across the lakeshore.

But Bante did not come this time either.

The three of them chuckled lightly, walking forward until they spotted him not far away. Mounting their horses, they took off.

"Hiyah!"The white horse, black horse, and brown horse raced across the wide, open summer plains.

They galloped for so long it seemed they might just keep going north forever. But, almost as if by silent agreement, they all reined in their horses atop a hill.

The greenery swayed gently in the wind, and in the distance, smoke from cooking fires curled up from a small village.

The crisp scent of dew drying on wild grass filled the air.

"Where’s Minseo?" Ray asked.

The prince answered, "He’s traveling. For the time he has left. He stopped by to see me yesterday."

"Does he even have anywhere to go?"

"Anywhere he wants," Rev replied simply.

Ray thought for a moment, then gave a curt nod. "Fair enough."

The wind from the north blew across their faces, carrying a faint hint of the sea. Lean ran a hand through his hair, letting it drift in the breeze, and turned to ask the others:

"What are you planning to do now?"

It wasn’t clear if he meant “what will you do” or “how will you live,” but the wind made his voice difficult to hear. Still, Ray and Rev answered plainly:

"I’ll head back and marry Rera. The Maunin-Reti Tournament is next month."

"I’ll do whatever Lena wants."

"And you?"

Lean paused, murmuring a "Well…," as he gazed down the hill. He hesitated for a while, lost in thought, before finally deciding:

"I’m going to conquer the Orun Kingdom."

"Why?" Ray asked, his distaste for war evident in his voice. Lean clicked his tongue and explained bitterly,

"I’m passing the throne to my sister."

"And?"

"I want to nip those twin princes’ ambitions in the bud. Besides, as you know, our sister will have two sons. They’ll need kingdoms to rule."

Ray nodded, understanding his reasoning, but quickly added, "Don’t ask me for help."

"Wasn’t planning to."

"Uh… Should I help?" Rev offered hesitantly.

"No. I might ask Lena for a favor later, but you two are off the hook."

"What kind of favor?"

"I was thinking of asking her to declare the abolition of slavery. The Orun Kingdom will probably throw a fit."

"What? I’m from Orun too. So is Lena."

"Not funny."

Lean ignored Rev’s joke.

The prince’s air of nobility made Rev bristle with mischief—or perhaps he was just feeling playful. Whatever the reason, Rev suddenly leapt off his horse and tackled Lean to the ground.

"What the—?! Get off, you bastard!"

Of the three, Lean was undoubtedly the weakest.

Though he’d grown taller than Rev after living a comfortable life away from poverty, he lacked any real strength.

Rev, on the other hand, was a holy knight who had spent years trekking through mountains and fields, building a sturdy physique. He easily gained the upper hand.

Ray, clicking his tongue, watched their childish scuffle like an exasperated parent, only to burst out laughing.

"Hey, Lean. What’s with your clothes?"

"What?"

Ray pointed, and Lean’s face turned bright red.

When he’d fallen from his horse, the buttons on his outer coat had popped off, revealing the shirt underneath.

It wasn’t just any shirt—it was a ragged, dirty garment that looked like something a beggar might wear.

"Oh, I see now. No wonder you were lingering near the northern gate earlier. You went to see Jenia, didn’t you?"

"…"

"Thought so. No creativity whatsoever."

Lean’s ears turned red as he refused to confirm or deny the accusation. Rev, delighted, teased him further.

"So, where’d you leave the water cup? Spilled it, didn’t you?"

"So, how’d it go? Did she agree to help?"

"…Stop it, both of you."

Laughter echoed across the hilltop as they lightened the mood. Slowly, they turned their horses back toward Orville.

As they rode at a leisurely pace, they chatted idly about the Lenas and the changes brought by time’s reversal.

They seemed to sense that such moments together would be rare in the future.

Unlike their brisk ride out, the journey back was slow and unhurried. Along the way, they bought breakfast from a merchant and ate together.

After eating, they dismounted and walked the rest of the way—though it wasn’t really necessary.

Even so, there was so much they wanted to say, so many words they had never spoken.

By the time they reached the northern gate, it was just past noon.

"Go on."

"Yeah. If I stay out too long, Rera will yell at me. Take care."

At the gate, the three went their separate ways.

In truth, they should never have crossed paths in the first place.

One was a knight from the far north. Another was a commoner. The last was a prince of the Conrad Kingdom.

It was a strange tale—a rare mystery in this world—that had tied them together.

As the prince turned to leave, he shouted, "See you later, bastards!"

Rev seemed to stop in his tracks, as though wiping away a tear.

Ray raised a hand in acknowledgment and continued walking, his nose stinging slightly.

And so, their story came to a close.

When Ray reached his quarters, he realized that his story wasn’t over yet.

Rera’s door was locked.

It wasn’t particularly sturdy, so he pushed it open to find—

"Ah!"

Rera Ainar froze, startled like a child caught sneaking a snack.

Her appearance was so ridiculous that Ray couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

She was trying to apply makeup.

Having never done it before, she was fumbling her way through it alone.

"D-don’t laugh! I… I want to be pretty too! Ugh. It’s only because you keep staring at women in the streets. Honestly, if I just put in a little effort, I could…"

—Snap.

The eyelash curler broke in her hand.

Not because of her grip, but because the entire cosmetic set she had somehow acquired was clearly defective.

Ray remembered hearing about this once.

Back in Conrad, a merchant had imported a batch of shoddy beauty tools from the Bellita Kingdom. Even Lerialia had bought them once and thrown a fit when she realized their quality.

Seeing it in person now, it was obvious how bad they were.

The powder wasn’t finely milled. The foundation was greasy and clumped together, unfit for use.

Yet Rera Ainar was diligently smearing it on her face. She looked worse than a child smearing their mother’s makeup all over themselves.

She must’ve realized she’d been scammed because her shoulders slumped in defeat. Ray, feeling sorry for her, pulled her into a hug.

"What are you doing?"

"Come here."

"Let go… I’m not pretty."

"Who says that?"

Setting her down gently, Ray spoke with firm conviction.

"You’re the most beautiful in the world. You don’t need makeup for that."

Ray dampened a towel with water and gently wiped Rera’s face clean. He kissed her now-damp cheek and pulled her close by the waist. Rera didn’t resist.

Yes. Rera was the most beautiful person in the world to him. Even Lerialia, her counterpart, was seen by Ray only as a little sister.

Ray lifted Rera into his arms again. After laying her down on the bed, he—oh, right. Before doing anything else, he closed the window.

Not that anyone would dare to peek now, but he went a step further and drew the curtains tightly shut. Soft murmurs drifted through the window before it was firmly sealed.

The next day, they left Orvil.

The Maunin-Reti Tournament

"My name is Rera Ainar!"

A warrior with a proud name, just like Queen Reti, whose vowels stretched long and noble. For reasons she didn’t entirely understand, time had been rewound, and she was thankful for it.

Why?

Because this body had never failed to dominate the Maunin-Reti Tournament! Hahaha!

It was a good clean slate. She’d learned a lot, but her humiliation back then had been unbearable.

Turning her head, Rera glanced at the audience seats.

There, with a sour expression, sat the long-standing bad-luck charm of Barnaule: Arpen Albacete.

"Dad! Making it to the quarterfinals is amazing! Sure, you lost to that woman, but… who knows? If she wins, you’ll have lost to the champion! It’s nothing to be ashamed of!"

"…Sigh. Fine, here, eat this."

Muttering that he’d have to return next year, Arpen stuffed something into his son’s mouth. Watching this, Rera felt a twinge of guilt but smiled anyway.

From another corner of the arena, voices called out in support.

"Rera! Do your best!"

"You too, my lady!"

It was Ray’s uncle and his wife.

Last time Rera had seen them, the man had been unmarried, but now he had returned with a charming woman at his side.

Her name is Meriel.

Apparently, Uncle Elson had met her while traveling as a mercenary in his younger years. Beside Meriel were her sister, Marsha, and her husband, both cheering loudly.

Good, good.

Rera turned her gaze forward, thinking everything seemed better now, though she didn’t know why.

The final stage she’d dreamed of stood before her.

And her opponent was—of course—Ray.

This time, they hadn’t faced each other in the earlier rounds. Rera felt a small pang of regret about that.

[Fiancée Lena has awakened as a Swordmaster! She can use Aura without consuming mana.]

It was because she had become too strong.

Ray had probably seen it too. After defeating that monster, she had ascended to the rank of Swordmaster. She could now use Aura indefinitely.

She felt bad for Ray.

They had both aspired to become knights together, but only she had reached this Level. Feeling a twinge of guilt, Rera spoke carefully, trying not to make him feel worse.

"Ray. I won’t use Aura, okay? Let’s fight fair and square."

Her words were quiet enough that the audience couldn’t hear.

Ray smiled faintly and stepped forward, his back to the summer sunlight. The glare cast him in shadow, making his face hard to read.

"Really? You won’t use it at all?"

There had been a time when his expression and tone would have scared her. But now, Rera hesitated only slightly before answering, "Yeah."

At that, Ray grinned.

"You should use it."

[Achievement: Beast Hunter - ‘1106’. Weak mana now flows through your body.]

Ray’s sword burst into flames. The light dispelled the shadow across his face as a 7-meter-long fiery blade blazed into view.

W-what?

In that moment, Rera understood.

She realized why the monster had been so wary of Ray back then. She also realized why he hadn’t used this power at the time.

Rera Ainar burst into laughter—rough, unrestrained laughter.

"You bastard! You’ve been hiding this from me!"

"Haha! Come at me!"

—WAAAHH!!!

Rera’s sword ignited as well.

Amid the crowd’s deafening cheers, Rera charged forward.

Toward the person she loved.

Toward the man who always led her, one step ahead—her fiancé. She swung her divine Aura Blade down at him.

The swords of the two last Swordmasters of humanity clashed with ferocious intensity, as if they yearned for each other.

And that day, Rera laughed until her voice was hoarse.

***

After the match, Ray Dexter and Rera Ainar were officially knighted.

The ceremony wasn’t the only event. As two newly emerged Swordmasters, they received overwhelming praise.

King Arista de Klaus bestowed a noble title upon Ray and granted Rera her heart’s desire—a wedding.

But it wouldn’t be an ordinary wedding.

Rera wanted the ceremony to coincide with her knighthood, and she requested that the entire Ainar tribe be invited.

Though the king couldn’t manage the latter, he proposed a compromise: rather than transporting over a thousand Ainar tribespeople to Barnaul, he would personally visit Castle Avril, where the tribe resided.

Thus, the king and the cardinal traveled to Castle Avril. The cardinal was to officiate, with the knighting ceremony preceding the wedding.

"I hereby declare these two the steadfast blades of the United Kingdom of Aslan."

The Ainar tribespeople gathered like clouds, joined by the soldiers of Castle Avril and even the Kazak Baronial family.

Amid their cheers, Rera Ainar became a knight.

Just as she had wanted, she wore not a flowing dress, but a uniform reinforced with thin steel plating.

If Minseo had been present, a system message might have appeared:

[Congratulations!]

[Lena’s dream has come true.]

[True Ending 1/2: Marry Lena!]

Ray would have been thrilled to see it. But he remembered that the last time he’d seen such messages, they heralded a terrible future. Perhaps it was better this way.

Is it really over?

Though the moment was joyous, Ray felt a twinge of unease.

For them, weddings had always meant goodbyes.

Out of habit, he glanced back.

As the ceremony drew to a close, he tried to take in everyone’s faces one last time.

His mother and father.

Uncle Elson and Saint Meriel.

Rera’s father, Dehor, and her mother.

And behind them, the gathered Ainar tribespeople. Among them was Elder Boris, who had vanished for a time but was now loudly boasting, even here.

"You know, I traveled to open a shrine. It was an incredible achievement, even if it never happened! Of course, I died at the end—what could I do? To open the shrine of the Goddess of Sacrifice, Boar, someone had to die. What, you don’t believe me? It’s true! I even drowned in the swamp instead of the hero. Hey, hero, back me up here—oh, come on, I’m not crazy!"

But Ray could see him.

Sitting beside Elder Boris was not just anyone, but Minseo.

He quietly clapped his hands, blessing their marriage.

At that moment, Rera turned Ray around and whispered:

"What are you looking at? Pay attention! It’s the vows!"

"…We present this union to the heavens."

The cardinal concluded the ceremony.

When Ray glanced back again, Minseo was gone.

He was the hero.

Ray realized it then.

It wasn’t him or Rera—it was Minseo who had untangled the world’s distortions and set things right.

A fierce kiss interrupted his thoughts.

[Lena’s dream has come true.]

[True Ending 2/2: Complete.]

[Thank you for playing Raising Lena. You have cleared all scenarios perfectly. You may now exit the game.]

"Be happy."

As Minseo soared above the blessed wedding, the ending credits rolled before his eyes.

There, written clearly, was the final fate of:

Lena and Rev,

Rera Ainar and Ray Dexter,

Lerialia de Yeriel and Lean de Yeriel.