NOVEL NEXT Chapter 199
Chapter 199. Beggar Siblings – Mentor
The line between dream and reality is blurry.
Following her brother and “Sister Xenia,” Lena arrived in front of a theater, tilting her head in confusion. It was her first time there, but it didn’t feel unfamiliar. She was even confused when she almost remembered the name of the chubby man asking, “Is that your boyfriend?”
As Lena followed her brother, looking around the busy theater, she kept repeating, “Huh?” and “What?” in dumbfounded surprise.
“Where have you been? The show is about to start. Hurry and get ready.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll go to the dressing room right away. Leo, sorry, but I need to work for a bit. The shower room is over there.”
I’m starving.
As Xenia disappeared, Lena felt a sudden pang of hunger. Washing up was good, but she was so hungry she could barely stand it.
“Brother, I’m hungry…”
“Lena, let’s just wash our faces first, and then we’ll go eat.”
Leo led Lena into the shower room, seating her on a wooden stool in front of a tub. He struggled briefly to fetch fresh water from the well but was too weak from hunger.
Blaming the well without a pulley, Leo instead picked up a water container with some water left in it. He tied Lena’s hair back and instructed, “Let’s wash your face, lean forward.” Just as he was about to wash her face…
– Gulp.
Lena hurriedly drank the water from the container. Leo shouted, “Don’t drink it!”
After some struggle, they finished washing up.
Lena, disappointed that she couldn’t lick the water off her face, was quickly dried off by Leo. He washed his own face roughly and they headed outside.
The Orange Theater had a dining area for the troupe members. It was a small annex next to the theater. Though they had washed their faces, they still looked like complete beggars and would likely be refused a meal.
Leo pleaded with Ober at the theater entrance to ask the dining lady for permission. The lady responded angrily,
“I told you not to bring beggars here!”
But Ober captured her interest with a tantalizing story,
“This kid says he’s Xenia’s boyfriend.”
“Hmm~ Now that I look, he’s quite handsome. Xenia must have high standards. She pretends not to be interested in men… Oh my, and this girl is so pretty. Is she your sister?”
Thanks to the fuss, the beggar siblings were able to eat their meal.
Lena and Leo returned to the shower room. After struggling to fetch fresh water and washing up, Ober brought them clothes.
They wore the same clothes from the previous playthrough: a white clerical robe and flashy theatrical costumes. No longer looking like beggars, the siblings decided to watch a play while waiting for Xenia.
The theater seats had some space available.
Today was the day the Rauno family members came to watch the play together. However, due to the morning rain or perhaps poor communication, only about half of them had arrived. The rest would arrive around the start of the second act.
The curtain rose, and the stage lights turned on. Sitting close to the stage, Lena and Leo watched a play they had seen before.
Leo, half-watching and half-thinking about their next steps, noticed Lena staring blankly at a boy in the next seat.
He looks familiar too.
Laughing, old memories felt like meeting an old friend. Unable to look away, Lena’s eyes met the curly-haired boy’s, who was fidgeting, finding the play boring.
In the dark theater, the boy and girl stared at each other. They hesitated to speak until the boy finally mustered the courage to say something. At that moment, Xenia, dressed as “Lady Reticia, sister of Toddler Akiunen,” on stage,
“O King-! Elevate this person-!”
She presented “Banoon Rauno” to the king.
“Um, hi?”
“Oh, hi.”
“Who are you? I’m Santian Rauno.”
“I’m Lena. But… have we met somewhere before?”
Santian shook his head. His heart raced with excitement as this incredibly pretty girl talked to him, but he answered honestly.
“No, it’s the first time.”
“I see… Well, nice to meet you. Can I call you Tian?”
“Huh? S-sure. All my friends call me that. But how old are you? I’m…”
“Shh! Santian, you need to be quiet.”
Santian, who had been speaking cautiously, was reprimanded by his parents sitting beside him. However, the brief silence didn’t last long, and the boy and girl soon resumed their whispered conversation. Leo watched his sister with a complex expression.
– “She’s not just a child!”
Why did I say that? In the last playthrough of childhood friend scenario, I had told Lev, “Remember clearly. Let her do what she wants. She’s a hundred times better than us.” I had left this warning for my next self.
Rev had been dumbfounded.
Having traveled to rally the barbarians, he couldn’t understand how his friend had become so sentimental in his absence. And neither could I. Even if I conceded a hundred times, Lena was still young…
‘There’s no way he forgot his vow not to exploit his sister.’
It was perplexing. I couldn’t really understand why Leo had said that. Barely a few hours into this playthrough, Leo, who bore traces of Minseo’s influence, kept the warning from the previous Leo de Yriel in mind for now.
First, recovering {Bloodline} was urgent. It was the clearest way to make Lena a princess and crucial to control Conrad Kingdom this time. Otherwise, it would severely hinder the next childhood friend scenario.
It’s likely that all three scenarios—childhood friend, engagement, and beggar siblings—must be completed individually. In the previous childhood friend playthrough, a rebellion had been started in the Kingdom of Orun, and Conrad Kingdom had intervened. Perhaps it was because of Leo de Yeriel’s presence that Prince Eric reacted so sensitively, but there was no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t happen again.
Moreover, the next rebellion would not only involve clearing the childhood friend scenario but also the engagement scenario, so thorough preparation was necessary. With 18/22 attempts left, there weren’t many chances remaining.
Thus, in this playthrough, the task was to defeat Prince Eric de Yeriel, who served the terrifying evil god Oriax.
Leo shuddered.
He remembered the eye that looked through the gaping hole in the dark night sky. Every time the stagnant blood churned with curiosity, his body swayed along, and the debuff [Footprint of Oriax] marked on his forehead melted away.
Even as a swordmaster, Eric was not an easy opponent. At most, he could barely break through the barrier protecting Prince Eric. Even that wasn’t certain yet.
So, insurance was necessary.
Taking control of the government would be enough if he could secure the legitimacy of the wrongly ousted prince, Leo de Yeriel, and take control of the knights. Thus, the needed card to capture Prince Eric was ‘Bishop Berg.’
Bishop Berk had defeated Prince Eric in the ending where I died to Oriax and had demonstrated formidable power in the childhood friend playthrough where he was the Apostle of Barbatos.
Well… he didn’t put up much resistance against Rev and got killed, but honestly, the opponent wasn’t favorable then. And I wasn’t in good shape either.
In any case, if Bishop Berg could be persuaded, the rest was just a matter of time. If necessary, he could be kidnapped and thrown before Prince Eric, who would then be cornered to reveal his power. However, Leo felt that wasn’t the right approach and pondered deeply.
There was a more conventional(?) route, involving Gustave Peter, the hidden son of Bishop Berg. It made sense to explore this route first. Last time, it failed because of a kiss with Princess Chloe de Tatalia…
‘Oh, wait.’
Gilbert Forte must also be dealt with. If left unchecked, Leah would be expelled from the central church.
But that bastard… no, that guy was the son of Count Herman Forte, so messing with him recklessly would cause a huge uproar.
Now that I’m a swordmaster, I might be able to handle it somehow, but if it drags on, Prince Eric de Yeriel might ascend to the throne.
Then it would become even more difficult to corner him. The danger of apostles who serve evil gods lies not just in their powers but also in the difficulty of proving they are apostles.
‘Is there a way to stop Gilbert Forte without killing him or kissing Princess Chloe? Should I reveal that I’m a swordmaster? No, that would tie me down here.’
Leo wanted to leave Orville quickly. When he had previously tried to gather knights to overthrow Prince Eric, there had been a lack of time. Additionally, he hoped to prevent Sir Bart from killing Pallas Tartan if possible.
This was all because of ‘Harriet Guidan.’
When he was an apostle of Barbatos, he had mercilessly killed her, and seeing her return with empty eyes after losing her beloved was heartbreaking. In the previous childhood friend playthrough, Harriet had been captivated by the {Bracelet of Barbatos} and had never regained her sanity.
Even though his own situation was dire, he saw a potential benefit in helping her. Harriet’s lover, Pallas Tertan, was the grandson of ‘Duke Lepart Tertan.’
If Harriet, the daughter of the Marquis of Guidan, and Pallas were united, it might aid in the rebellion in the next childhood friend playthrough.
However, Sir Bart’s attack on Pallas Tartan occurred in late autumn, far away at the Irotasi River in the Conrad Kingdom. To prevent this, Leo needed to act swiftly. That’s why he had hastily proposed to Xenia.
Leo also pondered, ‘I need to figure out something for Katrina too…’ While he was mulling over what to do during their stay in Orville, the play ended.
Thinking that only the first act had concluded, Leo stretched.
But Xenia, having removed her makeup, informed him that the second act had ended. Since she wasn’t appearing in the third act, she led Leo to her room. By now, Lena and Santian had become good friends and exchanged farewells.
The third floor of the theater was unchanged. The rooms were still cramped and poorly maintained, with laundry hanging everywhere. Through the open doors, former prostitutes could be seen sitting on unmade beds, smoking.
Lena and Leo passed by rooms filled with heaps of fabric for sewing and others messy with wicker materials for basket weaving. Finally, they sat in Xenia’s room.
Unlike the other rooms, it was relatively large and well-furnished, allowing for a comfortable conversation.
There were no particularly noteworthy topics.
When Xenia asked, “You said you wanted to go to the Conrad Kingdom together. May I ask why and when?” Leo had no immediate answer.
Preparation was still needed, but he requested that she be ready to leave within a week. He promised to explain the reason when they departed.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Xenia said with a smile.
“But just in case, if we’re walking, I’ll have to decline. If you need any help, let me know. I’ve saved up quite a bit of money.”
“That won’t be necessary. Just take care of my sister for a few days. I have some things to do, so I’ll be busy, but I’ll visit at least once a day. Lena, so…”
Leo worried that his sister might throw a tantrum about being left behind, but she didn’t. Lena was too engrossed in examining the familiar room and smelling the liatris flowers on the table when she suddenly sneezed.
“Ah, ah, achoo!”
Lena looked curiously at Xenia, who handed her a handkerchief to wipe her nose.
Leo felt a mix of pride and disappointment that his sister didn’t seem to mind being left. He promised Lena, “I’ll come back tomorrow,” and left the theater.
Who should he visit first?
Leo deliberated between Count Gustave Peter and Katrina. He decided on a direction, using {Tracking Skills} to find her, and soon encountered a surprising situation.
A fallen sword. Katrina, on her knees, cried out.
“Master!”