“No! It’s dangerous to wander around without a home, that's why we want to stay here. Lena, I would never leave her. I just need a place to work, and I need to clean up."
He pulled Lena into a hug, his voice pleading.
“I just need a place to sleep and wash up. Please, just let Lena stay.”
“Why should I?”
“…Please help us. I’m begging you.”
“Begging… Hmm…”
Cassia twirled a strand of hair around her finger, seemingly lost in thought.
“Fine. I have an extra bed anyway.”
“Thank you! We won’t forget your kindness.”
“I’ll be taking this though. And I’ll be asking for one every now and then, so make sure you have enough.” She pocketed a silver coin and stood up.
“I’ll leave some food over there, eat as much as you need. Water comes in every morning, so don’t worry about that… What else? Oh, the bed inside is yours. I always sleep out here.”
Behind the table was a small cot. That was where Leo had woken up before. A cot in the shoe shop, a carelessly tossed blanket - it was clear that customers were a rare sight here.
After her brief tour, Cassia settled back at her table. Having company hadn’t altered her indifferent demeanor one bit.
“Ca… I mean… Excuse me, but how should we address you?”
“What?”
“Your name.”
“Cassia. Call me Cassia.”
“Thank you, Miss Cassia.”
Cassia winced, a look of genuine displeasure flashing across her face for the first time. “Just Cassia.”
“Right. Cassia, thank you.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m Leo, and this is my sister, Lena.”
“Okay.”
“…”
‘She’s definitely… different.’
Cassia returned to her previous position, propping her chin on her hand and staring blankly outside. There wasn’t much to see, with a wall blocking the view directly in front of the shop.
***
“Lena, time to wash up.”
Leo carried the water bucket into the room. Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of Lena, completely naked.
Despite being so thin, she was surprisingly… No! Why was she undressing in front of him?
“Lena! You can’t just take your clothes off like that!” Flustered, Leo quickly averted his gaze.
“Why? Oh!”
She neatly folded her discarded clothes and placed them on the floor.
“No, it’s just…”
“Why?”
“…I’ll wait outside, you wash up.”
“???”
He hurriedly closed the door behind him.
‘Maybe they used to bathe together or something…’
Living on the streets, cleanliness was probably a luxury they couldn’t afford, let alone privacy.
‘I need to teach her some manners… but would even a teacher cover something like this?’
Lena seemed to be in dire need of a mother figure more than a teacher.
He glanced at Cassia, but… she wasn’t exactly the epitome of responsibility either.
“Brother, I’m done washing.”
When he entered the room, Lena was just picking up her clothes from the floor. Embarrassed, Leo shielded his eyes with the door.
“Lena.”
“Yes? You should wash up too.”
“No, it’s not that… From now on, don’t undress in front of me like that.”
“Why?”
“It’s embarrassing to show your body to others.”
“Are you ‘others’?”
“Well… not really, but you don’t have to show me. Now that we have a room, you should only undress when you’re alone. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“…Right. I’m going to wash up now, so can you step outside for a bit?”
“…Okay.”
Lena pouted slightly as she left the room.
Leo couldn’t even begin to imagine how long they had been living like this.
He had asked about her age before, and she had told him that she would be of age in two years. To his surprise, she was only a year younger than Lena from the Childhood Friend scenario. It was a stark reminder of how important one’s environment was.
After washing up, Leo rejoined his sister.
He had spent half the day scouring the streets, leaving Lena in Cassia’s care, but he had no luck finding work.
This Leo shared similar features with the other Leos (Demos Village Leo, Leo Dexter), but he was remarkably handsome.
‘Maybe it’s the bloodline?’
His nose was prominent, with strong, defined lines. His thick eyebrows and full head of hair gave him a rugged look, but his sharp jawline and the dimples that appeared when he smiled softened his features.
Despite his appealing looks, this Leo lacked both physical strength and practical skills.
His handsome face would have made it easy to find work as a hawker or a shop assistant, but such jobs offered meager pay. He had tried to negotiate for better wages, but the merchants were adamant that food and lodging were compensation enough. Apparently, a man’s looks didn’t hold much currency here.
To provide Lena with an education, he needed to earn enough money to hire a tutor.
He had resigned himself to simply achieving a happy ending in this scenario, but the thought of leaving his sister in a shoe shop while he toiled away for years didn’t sit well with him.
‘If she could at least learn basic etiquette, I could find her a good husband. Someone from a wealthy merchant family, or even a noble family.’
That didn’t seem too far-fetched.
A prince was a rare and practically impossible catch, but a mere noble… Lena’s beauty would surely win them over.
Leo felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
‘So all I need is money.’
Simple as that.
No need for elaborate plans.
Lowering his expectations certainly made life easier.
‘But how do I make money?’
That was the million-dollar question.
Good looks aside, this body had nothing else to offer.
In the Childhood Friend scenario, he had been able to find work at a tool shop thanks to his dexterity.
He had tried approaching artisans with a similar proposition, but they had all turned him away after witnessing his utter lack of skill.
‘Hopeless.’
He wasn’t strong enough for manual labor either.
The only skills at his disposal were {Hunting} and {Swordsmanship}. However, with no mountains or forests near Orville, {Hunting} was useless.
‘And becoming a mercenary is out of the question.’
Even with his less-than-imposing physique, {Swordsmanship} could have earned him a place as a mercenary. The test was a simple duel, and Leo was confident in his abilities.
No matter how weak he was, he could use his {Swordsmanship} to find an opening and strike. It only took one well-placed blow to end a life.
But mercenary work involved escorting caravans across long distances, making it an unviable option.
He couldn’t bear to leave Lena alone. There were mercenary jobs that involved guarding estates, but those were reserved for individuals with impeccable credentials.
Someone like Leo, with no connections or recommendations, wouldn’t even be considered.
‘Is that really my only option? It just feels wrong…’
In the end, only one option remained.