NOVEL NEXT Chapter 206
Chapter 206. Beggar Siblings – Timer
‘Kuss’ was stolen.
But the strong black horse was rather satisfied. He regained his natural instincts as he galloped like the wind across wide grasslands, fields, and forest paths.
Originally, he was destined to pull a plow for his entire life.
This was because he was born with broad hooves, a body condition advantageous for farming. Kuss neighed with gratitude towards his owner for letting him run.
Of course, this time too, the owner did not respond. He was busy heading north with a somewhat dazed look in his eyes. The change occurred about a week after they forcibly crossed the border and continued towards Orville.
“Lev!”
“Huh!? Wh-what?”
[ Achievement: Meeting Another Leo, 3/3 ]
[ ‘Meeting Another Leo’ achievement will disappear. ]
[ Quest: Guardian, 2/3 ]
Guardian?
Something unfamiliar appeared. However, Leo didn’t have time to continue his thoughts.
“H-how did this happen? Why are you here? You are…”
“Whoa, whoa. Let’s get down and talk first.”
Lev, whose eyes had cleared from the hazy fog, was very bewildered. Even Kuss, who had been running well so far, stumbled in surprise at the confused reins. Leo de Yeriel quickly dismounted.
This friend seems to need some explanation. Leo, who had soothed Kuss’s nose, took the reins from Lev. Soon, the two sat down side by side by the roadside.
“Lev. Nice to meet you. This is the second time I’ve seen you…”
Where should I start?
Leo organized his thoughts for a moment.
This Lev is the 16th Leo. Since the next scenario after the beggar siblings was childhood friends, there wasn’t a large time gap when Lev came to find me last time.
He came after the beggar siblings’ scenario had ended, so as the 15th Leo, I could quickly accept the situation.
But this friend knows nothing right now. The Lev of this moment has only experienced up to the 15th round, where he met Astroth and was killed by Count Herman Forte.
He doesn’t know about his own 16th round where he failed the rebellion, or the 17th round where he became a Swordmaster and got engaged. Leo de Yeriel, who has to explain what he did before leaving Orville this time, calmly began to speak.
“First, I am Minseo. It’s not exactly the same now, but… you’ll understand what I mean.”
“…Okay. Then what happened to Leah? Did the rebellion succeed?”
“…No.”
A rather long story followed.
From how he tried to leave his sister in the theater, but had to take her along to the kingdom because she somehow found out and followed us, to how they used up all the {Bracelets of Barbatos} at Marquis Guidan’s mansion, and that I (that is, you, Lev) traveled around the kingdom to rally the barbarians.
However, Leo de Yeriel did not mention the existence of the traitor, Cesar. Instead, he adapted the ending he faced,
“We were surrounded at Nevis. We died there.”
Covering up the horrible ending. There’s no need to specifically point out that you killed my sister.
“Don’t worry about Leah. She went to the capital church safely. She was even canonized later, but the problem is… never mind. I’ll tell you about it later. After that, the engagement scenario began.”
That also ended painfully.
Leo confessed that Leo Dexter and Lena Einarr went to war and that he became a Swordmaster by killing Katrina. He also admitted that he was so focused on hunting knights that he neglected Lena Einarr…
Disheartened, she never picked up a sword again. She got married while pregnant in Lutetia, the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Jerome.
Lev listened quietly. Although there was no change in his complexion, he occasionally plucked and chewed on the grass on the ground, seemingly troubled.
After explaining what happened in Orville this time around, Leo paused for a moment. When it seemed that Lev had fully accepted the situation, he advised him to return.
“Gilbert Forte might head to the capital church. Just in case, it’s better if you go there. This time… just live as you want.”
Lev seemed greatly shaken by the idea that Gilbert Forte hadn’t been properly dealt with. However, after a long silence, he stood up, shaking his head.
“Forget it. Let’s go.”
“Go? Where?”
“Where else? You left your sister behind. Are you in your right mind? I would have found you even if you left me alone.”
…That was probably true.
The Leos who were not players followed the actions they had taken in pLevious rounds. But if Lev, who came to find me, didn’t find me in Orville? He would have tracked me all the way to the Conrad Kingdom using {Tracking Skill} to match his previous actions.
“Oh, you haven’t seen Taamun Village yet, but it’s as peaceful as your Demos Village. And shouldn’t you be heading to the capital church?”
“…It’s fine. Count Peter said he’d help.”
“So?”
“Then I can use the communication at the church in Baron Monarch’s territory. It won’t be too late to check if Gilbert Forte has been dealt with and leave then, so let’s go first.”
“…Alright. Thank you.”
Leo felt a warmth in his chest.
Though he spoke casually, he knew it wasn’t an easy decision for Lev. Despite wanting to rush to Leah immediately, he prioritized the Beggar Siblings scenario.
He was someone Leo could trust absolutely in this harsh world. Leo and Lev mounted their horses and returned to Taamun Village.
When they arrived at the village chief’s house in Taamun Village, it was a dark evening. But only the coachman was in his room, and Xenia, Lena, and Santian were nowhere to be found.
“They said they went for a walk, sir,” the village chief said politely to the young man who seemed to be a noble in his mid to late teens. Leo shrugged,
“Xenia must have suggested it. You know how she exercises every morning. She was cooped up in the carriage on the way here.”
Speaking casually, he activated {Tracking Skill}. Confirming that his sister, Xenia, and Santian were all in the same direction, the two leisurely walked out.
After briefly surveying Taamun Village, Lev spoke.
“You’re right. It looks like a good place to live. If I had known, I could have just hidden in the village with Cassia back then.”
“Oh, sure you could have. It’s fine now since your swordsmanship has improved, but back then, you would have been killed if caught.”
“Haha. Yeah, you’re right. It really feels like a long time ago now. It’s amazing that I still remember it so clearly… huh?”
“Huh?”
It was then. They had just stepped out of the village and were walking through the fireflies when a faint scream (“You bastard!”) was heard from a distance. Seized by a sense of foreboding, Leo and Lev quickened their pace without prompting each other. Soon, sparks flew before their eyes.
A man, shirtless, was approaching his sister and Xenia. He held a knife, and Tian was lying on the ground, possibly dead.
“That bastard.”
Leo and Lev ran like mad.
“Hey, you bastard!” They yelled to divert the bastard’s attention, then dashed forward to block the drunkard reeking of alcohol.
“Who-who are you?”
– Bang!
They kicked him first.
While Lev knocked away the dagger from the drunkard’s flailing hand, Leo checked on Lena and Xenia.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”
“B-brother! Tian…!”
His sister burst into tears. Had she been stabbed? Leo was horrified, but Tian was alive. Although he was covered in blood from being severely beaten, he spoke in a shaky voice.
“I-I’m fine.”
“What do you mean you’re fine, you fool!”
“Xenia. What happened?”
Xenia also looked pale. She clutched her chest, which was heaving and wouldn’t calm down.
“T-that man tried to assault me. Thank you for coming. It could have been really bad…”
“I’m sorry. I should have come faster… no, I shouldn’t have left you in the first place.”
Leo hugged Xenia. He patted her back and soothed his terrified sister.
“Let’s get up. Let’s get inside quickly. Here…”
Crunch.
I’ll kill him. I’ll cut off the limbs of this bastard who threatened my sister and Xenia, and gouge out his eyes. No, before that, I’ll cut off his filthy genitalia and shove it in his mouth.
As rage consumed Leo, he turned his head. He meant to tell Lev to hold the vermin while he took the children and Xenia home. But Lev’s eyes were already flipped. He was furiously kicking the bastard, venting his rage.
“…Lev, what’s wrong?”
“Hey. Look at this.”
Lev pointed to the shirtless torso of the would-be rapist. Squinting in the dark, Leo finally understood Lev’s behavior.
A trumpet-shaped tattoo. The mark of Barbatos was carved into the bastard’s chest.
Ah…
The current Lev was the 16th Leo.
So, he was still dealing with the emotions from the 13th round, the one where he was a disciple of Barbatos.
Each round we experienced had been horrible. When a new scenario started, we would Levisit the ending of the previous round and try to steady our minds.
But it takes time. No matter how much a new round overwrites the past, the emotions remained. And those emotions could only be soothed by the person themselves.
I, who came next, had managed to quell that deep resentment (since Minseo was absent in the 14th engagement round, I didn’t receive those memories).
I felt sorry for Leah, who was devoured by Barbatos, and even though it wasn’t my fault, I reprimanded myself on his behalf.
However, this is inevitably someone else’s business. My own scenario is more urgent and important, so I could not fully relieve Lev’s emotions.
Seeing Lev completely lose his temper, Leo’s reason returned a bit.
“You take care of it,” he said, supporting Santian and returning to the village with Lena and Xenia. Lev also didn’t kill the wretched Barbatos worshiper in front of his younger sibling, at least showing some discernment.
However, Leo knew exactly when Lev had killed that guy. “Oh my! What, what happened? Why is the little gentleman’s face like this?” It was when he passed the fussing village chief and laid Tian on the bed.
Leo thought for a moment that the world, no, the entire universe, was shaking.
An unknown wave brushed past him, and a message flashed before his eyes and disappeared. Whether it was about to appear or just flickered rapidly, Leo only saw the rectangular outline of the message.
But one thing was certain…
‘What, what is this?’
The mark that had been on his palm disappeared. The proof that he was an apostle of Barbatos was gone, replaced by a distorted cow’s hoofprint. A proper message soon appeared to explain what had happened.
[ The achievement of ‘Apostle of Barbatos’ has been nullified. ]
[ Debuff: Oriax’s Hoofprint – Taunt, unable to escape. 13 years 3 months 21 days 5 hours 25 minutes 9 seconds. Damaged. ]
It was the hoofprint of Oriax. Oriax’s debuff, which had looked at him with rotten blood-filled ‘cow eyes’ through the dark night sky, still remained. The ticking timer of 17 years proved this.
Leo felt a chill run through his whole body.
Suddenly, it felt like someone was watching him. And with very intense malice.