NOVEL NEXT Chapter 194
Chapter 194. Engagement – Battlefield
“There they are.”
Leo pointed. In the direction he indicated, about ten enemy soldiers were hiding, and Lena gulped nervously.
It was her first deployment. Not only was it her first time on the battlefield, but it was also the first time she had to raise her sword to kill someone. Lena closed her eyes for a moment and steadied her breath.
Hadn’t she trained in swordsmanship all this time for this very moment? I can do this, Lena Einarr. Don’t be afraid.
“Let’s go. Just do what you can. Don’t overdo it.”
While she was steadying her resolve, Leo pushed her forward with calm words.
He spoke as if it was nothing and he was confident she could handle it, which eased her anxiety a bit. Holding her sword tightly, Lena rushed out of the thicket with Leo.
“Knights!”
A sentry yelled.
At that shout, ten soldiers quickly formed a defensive formation, while one soldier darted away in the opposite direction.
A messenger.
Lena, feeling a rising sense of urgency, glanced up at Leo next to her.
Leo remained as composed as ever. He noticed her glance and gave a small smile, making Lena feel a bit embarrassed. Feeling like she had shown a weak side to Leo, she corrected her gaze.
“Lena, I’ll take the lead.”
– Step.
Leo walked forward without any hint of nervousness. Only when he got close to the soldiers did he draw his sword, and Lena noticed a shift in the atmosphere.
The soldiers before her seemed less formidable. Just moments ago, she worried about how to break through that defensive formation – Should she just charge in blindly? But now, she no longer had these doubts.
Leo’s {Perfected Technique} showed her the way to proceed.
– Smash!
The shield of the soldier who had stepped forward was shattered by Leo’s strike. The soldiers swarmed forward, not missing the opportunity, but Leo’s calm movements remained unchanged.
He parried and struck down the sword of the person next to him. A soldier charging from behind received a kick in the process, which also deflected an incoming arrow. That same spinning strike took out the soldier who had been kicked.
Lena observed him. The direction indicated by {Perfected Technique} was…
Nowhere. She just had to stay still.
Lena realized she didn’t need to involve herself in the fight. Even if she did nothing, Leo wouldn’t be hurt in the slightest.
“Lena, what are you doing? Come take this.”
“…Uh, okay.”
Leo ‘offered’ her a spot. He had lingeringly dealt with it when he could have finished it quickly, allowing her to face a soldier.
“Huff… Huff…”
But the opponent handed over to her was in poor condition. Walking towards them, the soldier was trembling, possibly terrified by the knight who had been dealing with their comrades like they were flies.
Lena killed him easily. She parried the despondent soldier’s weapon and thrust her sword into his struggling chest.
Her first kill. As a swordsman, her first harvest was something as pitiful as this.
Lena felt empty. Hadn’t she expected to feel guilt for killing someone? – She was prepared, but there was none.
And that emptiness doubled when she looked up. Leo was ‘playing’ with the remaining five soldiers, quite literally. Like a mother bird not finishing off wounded prey, he glanced back at her, as if to say,
– Come, fight and grow.
He was spoon-feeding her.
Her pride was deeply wounded, but she had also prepared herself for this. Thus, Lena charged in.
When Leo, who had become a knight, suggested they dive into the battlefield together, Lena was angry. She questioned why he decided such a thing on his own, but Leo countered that it was a good opportunity for her too.
“A squire can’t go to the battlefield. At most, they’ll end up guarding the general or the commander. Is that what you want?”
To gain experience and make a name for herself, she had to go to the battlefield. That was the essence of Leo’s argument, and Lena agreed with it.
But she hadn’t realized Leo would be this strong. Unlike sparring one-on-one, she thought there would be situations where he’d need help when surrounded by many enemies, but what was she even…
‘…Stop acting like a child.’
Lena, her eyes tightly closed, gripped her sword again. Despite the fear-stricken enemies, she faced them diligently, allowing herself to try slightly bolder swordsmanship.
Noel’s swordsmanship didn’t quite suit her after all. Hiding her intention with a single move was good, but the overly defensive style didn’t sit well with her.
‘Right. I should modify this swordsmanship to suit my tastes. Doing so, I might perfect my own style. Then one day…’
Lena finished off the last soldier and turned to look at Leo.
They should hide before another squad comes around, but Leo seemed preoccupied with something. He was looking around, as if searching for something or being wary of an ambush.
“Leo? We need to hide now.”
“Uh, yeah. Let’s do that.”
Despite Lena pulling him into the thicket, Leo kept scanning the surroundings. His eyes seemed to be focused in the distance.
After a moment, Leo stopped and spoke,
“Lena. Um… How about we go that way instead? It’s not good to reuse the same hiding spot, so let’s find a new one.”
“Eh? Do you really have to do it right now? Wouldn’t it be better to rest for a bit?”
Even though it was spring and the bushes were growing quite thick, it wasn’t as suitable for hiding as it would be in the lush summer. They had to run between shrubs to avoid the clouds in the sky and the enemy’s gaze. It was quite exhausting, especially after just a single attack on the unit.
But Leo showed no sign of backing down. He looked so anxious that Lena thought, “Is it that urgent?” and agreed to move.
“Eh?”
“Shh!”
Lena, who had been walking along the ridge, discovered something. Between the bushes… knights!
Two knights of the Belita Kingdom were hiding among the shrubs, resting. They had dug a little into the ground and were lying down. If she hadn’t thought “That’s a perfect hiding spot,” she wouldn’t have noticed them.
Leo grabbed the shoulder of the excited Lena.
“Stay here. I’ll take care of it.”
“What? No. I want to fight, too.”
“No, Lena. They’re knights. They’re too tough for you to handle now.”
“But…”
Lena, who was about to be stubborn, felt Leo’s slight sigh. She was on the verge of saying, “You could help a bit,” but then felt miserable.
How much more pathetic do you plan to become, Lena Einarr? Now, it even feels natural to be carried on Leo’s back.
Gritting her teeth, Lena turned her head and said, “Alright. I’ll stay here; go quickly and come back.”
“Sorry.”
[Quest: Duelist 988/1000 – Swordsmanship level up one step]
I need to get that. Knights aren’t weak enough to be handled carelessly like earlier…
Leo circled widely along the ridge. Carefully stepping on the sprouting weeds, he seized his position and then quickly dashed.
“Hyaah!”
“Wha…! Ack!”
-Clang!
Leo leapt from the ridge with both feet, pressing down on one of the knights.
The knight barely noticed and pulled out his sword to block but couldn’t withstand the pressure of Leo’s weight and dropped the sword.
Blood dripped as the grip burst open.
“This bastard!”
-Swoosh!
The other knight swung his sword. Leo spun, unable to finish the weaponless knight, and somersaulted to evade.
-Ching!
A strike in midair. This individual seemed decent for a swordsman, blocking Leo’s thrust and trying to get up.
“Ugh!”
As Leo landed, he harshly trampled down on him. His face and sword hit the ground again.
“Senior!”
The knight who had dropped his sword panicked. The big knight was stomping down and repeatedly stabbing with his sword.
The senior was struggling, desperately trying to block the incoming stabs. His face was stomped flat, but he gritted his teeth, his arm blocking the stabs even as it was shredded, blood splattering everywhere.
“Quickly get the sw…! Hurry!”
The trampled knight shouted, struggling to get free, kicking upward to try and hit Leo’s arm.
“Sorry, Julian.”
“Urk?”
Leo Dexter knew who this person was. Julian, a knight of the 3rd Knights. During the previous meeting with the beggar siblings, Leo, who was a prince and royal guard at Orville Palace, had met all the knights of the Belita Kingdom.
{Tracking} didn’t necessarily need the name for activation, but he watched knights sign the guestbook at the ‘banquet.’
This was the momentum that allowed him to participate in the {War}. It was the perfect environment for clearing the Duelist quest and ensuring his life wasn’t at risk if he was careful.
Count Herman Forte, the Swordmaster of the Belita Kingdom, wouldn’t be coming. He confirmed this at the end of the last meeting with the orphan siblings.
[The engagement scenario ending has changed.]
[ Lena Einarr ]
[Final Job: Knight of Castle Avril]
[ Spouse: Leo Dexter ]
[ Leo Dexter ]
[Final Job: Knight of Castle Avril]
[ Spouse: Lena Einarr ]
[Engagement Ending: Peace of Castle Avril]
+ Lena Einarr, born in Castle Avril, had a happy childhood… (omitted) … She participated in the war and achieved great merits, becoming a knight. She returned to Castle Avril, lived as a knight guarding the castle, and had a happy life with three children. +
+ Leo Dexter, born in the capital Bernoulli… (omitted) … He participated in the war and achieved great merits, becoming a knight. He returned to Castle Avril, married Lena Einarr and frequently went hunting with Lena and their children, leading a happy family life. +
This was the ending we were supposed to have.
There’s no way to know the reason, but Count Herman Forte wouldn’t be in this war… No, absolutely wouldn’t be. So I just need to clear the quest.
Of course, the identical ending wouldn’t be good. There’s one more thing I need to do, but it’s not that difficult.
“Then, goodbye.”
Leo preemptively bid farewell. Given the intense resistance and the stupid subordinate grabbing his sword, he decided not to mercifully end it. Instead, he pierced through the right wrist he was stepping on.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Senior! You, you bastard! How could a knight do something so cowardly…!”
“Cowardly?”
-Swoosh!
Leo dodged the fiercely swung sword lightly and sneered. I just did my best because the opponent might hurt me if I didn’t give my all, and they call it despicable. It’s laughable. Leo, finding no reason to respond, quickly slashed the knight in front of him. After a few exchanges, Leo’s sword pierced the neck, and soon Yulian also followed his junior to the other world. Though his right wrist was half severed, and his left arm was in tatters, Yulian charged valiantly and was honorably pierced through the heart.
[Quest: Duelist 990/1000 – {Sword Skills} increase by one level.]
Not much left now. Covered in blood, Leo smiled as he pulled out the insignia of a knight of the Belita Kingdom from the bodies of Yulian and his subordinate. The accomplishments and quest counters were piling up neatly. There was no doubt that there would be no more significant threats ahead, so a smile naturally crept onto his face.
‘Soon, everything will be over.’
With the merits I’ve accumulated, I will withdraw from this war. As soon as the Duelist Quest is completed, I will head to the Holy Kingdom of Jerome, and there I shall marry Lena. Since Lena seems set to become a knight, it’s best to inform her in advance to prepare for the occupation ending.
And in the next childhood friend episode… I will finish this damned game.
“Ha. Hahaha… Hahahahaha!”
Leo Dexter laughed as he looked up at the sky. Despite having taken down two knights, he still had enough energy left that he wasn’t afraid of the incoming enemy. Meanwhile, far off in hiding, Lena was scowling. Overwhelmed by Leo’s full-force combat prowess, she was breathing heavily.
‘Don’t behave like a kid. I must, absolutely, must catch up to Leo…’
Can you catch up? Can someone like you, even match that monster? “Lena, thank you for waiting.” The monster approached. Leo smiled gently, but Lena couldn’t bring herself to look him straight in the eye.
* * *
Similar incidents kept happening. Leo roamed the battlefield hunting knights, with the quest clear in sight. But one day, Leo met an unexpected visitor.
“What, what’s this! Senior!”
“…Oh dear. I told you to look for soldiers, not a knight. Deros! Move aside!”
Flaming red hair. Katrina parted the bushes where Leo and Lena were hiding and entered. She drew her sword, pushing aside the surprised junior, Deros. Leo was equally shocked.
‘Why is this woman appearing now? Has something changed again?’
It’s still late spring. It wasn’t the time for Katrina to show up. She always appeared in mid-summer because the second knight division, to which she belongs, started off late.
Based on what I’ve seen so far in this wretched sibling tale, the first and second knight divisions of the Belita Kingdom set off late following the orders of Count Herman Forte. Instead of being here, they should just be setting out from Orville by now…
A chilling frost ran down Leo’s back.