NOVEL NEXT Chapter 207
Chapter 207. The Beggar Siblings – The Whereabouts of the Necklace
Leo, riding Kuss, crossed the plains. Clop clop. Lev’s strong black horse galloped, letting its master feel the cool early autumn breeze, but Leo’s eyes were bloodshot. He struggled not to fall and occasionally gripped his thighs tightly, battling the nightmare.
I want to sleep.
He hadn’t had proper sleep for weeks. On the night he met Lev, bothered by a sticky feeling of being watched, he took a midnight walk, tried to sleep again, and finally got up to drink.
Lev, who happened to be wandering around in a distressed state, became a good drinking companion. In the village chief’s house, in a quiet guest room, the two young men filled each other’s glasses.
Lev’s palm had returned to normal. There was no Barbatos trumpet mark or Oriax’s hoofprint like Leo had; it was an ordinary bare hand.
As expected, this clarified things.
Oriax must have marked Minseo, not Leo. So, despite Leo de Yeriel being the first to receive the debuff, in the next round of childhood friends, Lev had the hoofprint on his hand.
He thought the problem was solved when he became Barbatos’ apostle. He believed it had vanished forever, driven away by the trumpet mark…
‘What happened to Barbatos?’
The answer lay in the {History of Asin}.
Asin, born from the desires of their creations, naturally disappeared if no one worshipped them. It made sense if that guy was the last believer in Barbatos. Lev’s father, Dop Bizan, had not believed in Barbatos after being freed from his constraints.
That was probably the most realistic way humans could kill a god. This might be why the ancient Archean Empire exterminated different races and why the modern Crusader Church massacred non-converted barbarians.
However, his capture of Barbatos was like a cow stepping on a mouse by accident. He didn’t even know that guy was a Barbatos believer, and Leo’s visit to this Taamun village was for no significant reason. It was just a vague destination because he had once stayed there with Cassia. So this was really a coincidence, Leo thought.
“What will you do now?”
Lev asked quietly. He was questioning whether it was feasible to reclaim the {Bloodline} if the gaze he felt was indeed Oriax’s.
Leo sighed deeply.
“There’s no other way.”
He couldn’t give up the bloodline. It was unclear if making Lena a princess was the right way to clear the game, but reclaiming the {Bloodline} of the beggar siblings was almost the only correct solution. Although Leo differed in opinion from Minseo, he agreed on this point.
“I’ll give it a try.”
“…Alright.”
The two young men clinked their glasses weakly. Since they couldn’t sleep for different reasons, they discussed their future plans all night.
– Neigh!
Startled, Leo pulled the reins. He had veered off course while dozing. If Kuss hadn’t whinnied in confusion, he would have crashed into the mud.
He muttered incoherently to himself.
“Hoo. Get a grip. Don’t sleep. Just a little longer.”
But in truth, there wasn’t much to argue about between the two of them. This was partly because they shared many memories and experiences, but also because Lev didn’t dispute Leo’s plan.
He just raised one question.
“What is Harriets’s necklace?”
– Neigh!!
“Whoa!”
He had entered the forest by then. He almost collided with a tree trunk but managed to avoid it, though he got caught on some branches.
Luckily, Leo, who fell with a thud, was not seriously injured except for some scratches.
Slap!
He slapped his cheeks hard and mounted Kuss again. Using {Tracking}, he estimated Lord Bart’s location and quickly set off again. However, he soon fell asleep once more.
Talking with Lev until dawn, Leo realized the chilling feeling had disappeared with the morning sunlight.
Feeling somewhat relieved, Leo visited his younger sister, Xenia, and Tian, who were all shocked and bruised from the pLevious evening.
He chatted with them briefly to comfort them. They hadn’t had a chance to talk yesterday due to the chaos, but while having breakfast together, he took the opportunity to introduce Lev, his suddenly appearing friend.
[Achievement: First Meeting with Lena – Lena has a high affection for Leo.]
Lena glanced at Lev with a peculiar look for a moment. However, she soon turned her head and put some side dishes on Tian’s plate, and it was right after that when Leo got to the point.
“I’ll be away for a bit.”
He confessed that a few of the bodyguards who followed him were still alive. The main point was that he would bring them over and that they should go to the Viscount of Monarch’s house first.
He felt sorry to say he was leaving again after what happened yesterday.
However, he couldn’t reach the Irotashi River on time if he traveled with Lena, Xenia, and Tiaan by carriage. Besides, it was good to be apart for a while, considering the strange gaze he had been feeling.
He didn’t need to worry about their safety. Although he wasn’t a Swordmaster yet, since the round hadn’t reset, Lev, who was as skilled as any kingdom’s knight commander, would be escorting them.
“I’ll be back soon. Go to the Viscount of Monarch’s estate and rest for a while. Count Peter should have contacted them, and here’s a letter, so you should be treated as guests.”
Leo handed over Count Gestav Peter’s letter. Xenia accepted it with a meaningful smile.
“Yes, Your Highness. Don’t worry about us, just go. We’ll be waiting. I’m very… excited.”
Just as he was about to ask what she meant, his sister interrupted. “How long will it take? You have to come back quickly.” Urged by her eyes as big as saucers, Leo couldn’t bring himself to say it would take about four months and mumbled instead. The Irotashi River was that far from here.
And so, Leo parted ways with his group. He borrowed the horse Kuss, which Lev had stolen, and set off ahead towards the Conrad Kingdom.
Crossing the border wasn’t difficult.
He easily passed through the gate with the insignia of the Viscount of Monarch that Count Peter had given him, but once inside the Conrad Kingdom, he couldn’t sleep at all.
A chilling sensation touched his skin.
Every night, Leo drove his horse as if being chased by something, and one rainy day, he realized what was pursuing him.
The sky was overcast. It was dark even during the day. Entering the forest briefly to escape the pouring rain, Leo was startled by Kuss’s whinny and held his breath.
He saw bipedal, pale figures through the rain.
These creatures with huge horns stood and sat as if searching for something, pressing their noses to the ground, taking a few steps towards Leo, but either due to poor vision or the damaged mark, they occasionally turned towards Leo but couldn’t be certain, wandering around.
However, even while doing such foolish things, they were gradually getting closer to Leo. Swallowing nervously, Leo cautiously led Kuss out of the forest.
– Shhh!
Rainwater flowed down his eyebrows, soaking wet. The heavy downpour made his body feel heavy, but Leo gritted his teeth as he held the reins.
Oriax was a god sensitive to his domain. He had a relentless memory for small mistakes, punishing them tenaciously, much like the Minotaur who once believed in him.
Since being served by Prince Eric, Oriax seemed to have claimed the Conrad Kingdom as his domain.
But an unknown intruder, someone he didn’t remember marking, had invaded this territory, so he had personally come to seek him out.
Who knew what he might do if caught? And if Prince Eric learned through Oriax that he was alive, everything would be over. Reclaiming the {Bloodline} wouldn’t be the issue; he would have to flee to the ends of the continent to survive.
Even a Swordmaster could die from a stab, and no individual could face a kingdom commanding hundreds of thousands of soldiers. I need… time.
Thus began Leo’s agonizing journey.
At night, he had to run cautiously, holding Kuss’s reins. He didn’t mind, but if Kuss were injured by a fall during the night, it would be a disaster.
At dawn, he rode Kuss. He coaxed the disgruntled horse, running as fast as he could, then took a short nap at noon under the hot sun. Only then could Kuss get some feed and rest. As the sun set, he would ride a bit more, and once darkness fell, he would walk again…
– Tilt.
“Whoa!?”
Leo woke up with a start.
“Wh-where am I? What is going on?” Leo, feeling confused, realized he had fallen asleep on his horse again. He had even dropped the reins, causing Kuss to wander aimlessly until it could no longer bear the weight and tilted to signal Leo to get off.
Seeing the evening twilight, Leo grew anxious. Time was already tight, and now he had lost a whole day. He needed to hurry to make up for the lost time, but first, Kuss needed to rest. As soon as Leo dismounted, Kuss collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
“Kuss, I’m sorry.”
– Snort.
“Here, have some carrots and rest for a bit.”
– Whinny! Snort.
“And let’s push through just a bit more. At this pace, we should reach our destination in about… three more weeks.”
– Crunch, crunch.
Kuss, busy eating the carrot, didn’t hear Leo. It was just as well, as he wouldn’t have understood anyway.
* * *
“…I’m late.”
Despite his efforts, when Leo finally arrived at the Irotashi River, Viscount Bart had already attacked Phallas Tartan. The stone bridge was littered with the bodies created by Viscount Bart and his comrades.
Judging by the state of the corpses, quite some time had passed. Using his {Tracking Skill}, Leo found that Viscount Bart had fled downstream, and pursuing him would likely be futile. They had probably taken a boat and sailed out to sea.
Recalling unpleasant memories, Leo stepped over the corpses. He glanced briefly at the riverside where Lev and Leah had died, then approached the carriage in the middle of the stone bridge.
The shattered door hanging open. The carriage bore the red shield of the Duke of Tartan. Taking a deep breath, Leo looked inside. As expected, there was Harriet Guidan.
“Phallas. P-please wake up.”
Harriet, with a hoarse voice from so much crying, was pleading, clutching her lover whose throat had been pierced.
The woman was likely to cry day and night for several more days. People avoided her, unsure how to handle the grieving daughter of a great noble.
Sigh.
If left alone, she would likely lose her mind again, as she did the last time.
Leo grabbed Harriet’s wrist. “P-Phallas! L-let go!” she cried as he dragged her out of the carriage and held her by the shoulders, locking eyes with her.
“Harriet.”
“L-let go. Phallas… Phallas…”
[Achievement: The Man Who Melted Harriet Guidan’s Heart – Harriet Guidan has a slight affection for you.]
Harriet struggled, but Leo held onto her, maintaining eye contact to keep her grounded in reality.
He couldn’t say anything.
He didn’t know how to console her or if there was a way to do so. All he could do was silently endure as she beat his chest in anguish.
After struggling in his grasp for a long time, Harriet finally broke down, clinging to him and crying bitterly. Slowly, her sobs began to subside.
“…Are you alright?”
“…”
“If you’re calm, I’ll move Sir Phallas from the carriage.”
“…Alright.”
Despite trembling, the woman tried to stand on her own. Satisfied that she was stable enough, Leo let her go.
As Leo removed Phallas’s body and laid it down, Harriet collapsed again. However, she didn’t engage in the disgrace of speaking to the dead. Instead, she clutched his cold hand and swore.
“I will marry no one else. And I will never forgive the knight who killed you. I will avenge you and retrieve the necklace he stole. So rest in peace, my love.”
Did Bart steal the necklace?
As he listened to Harriet’s fierce vow, Leo was puzzled. Viscount Bart had no reason to do so, and the necklace had a particular significance.
Barbatos had coveted that necklace intensely. Leo had almost forgotten about it, but relatively recently, Lev, who had been an apostle of Barbatos, had reminded him.