‘Don’t give me that crap!’
The indifferent text disappeared, ignoring Minseo’s cry, and a new intro video unfolded before his eyes. It was completely different from the video he saw when he first started the game.
The video he saw when he first ran the game showed a peaceful Demos Village from a bird’s-eye view, ending with a close-up of Lena smiling in the forest at the foot of the mountain.
This video was completely different.
The viewpoint descended from a snowy mountain range and over thick castle walls, settling on a city. The screen focused on a windy open space. Two houses stood in front of the open space, which seemed to be a shared backyard. There, he saw… Lena? She seemed to have been swinging a sword before turning around.
“Leo! Are you listening to me?”
“Uh, huh? Lena!”
Minseo’s consciousness was swept away like the tide. He tried to hold on, but he was already turning into a mere spectator, observing the situation from afar. The faces of his loving parents and Chaeha became blurred.
“Huh? I called you first, why are you calling me back?”
Lena, clad in thick leather armor and with a sword slung over her shoulder, looked at him with unwavering eyes.
This Lena was a bit taller and looked stronger.
The previous Lena was also quite healthy because of her active lifestyle, but she was no match for the ‘warrior’ in front of him. She approached him, her broad shoulders and toned physique impossible to hide even beneath the armor.
She looked similar to the previous Lena, but up close, her features were a little different. While the previous Lena had a simple and kind impression, this Lena had a stubborn set to her tightly closed lips and a firmness in her thick, straight eyebrows.
Overall, she gave off a strong impression, but her slightly drooping eyes, which didn’t quite match her eyebrows, and her triangular, cutely folded earlobes hinted at a playful side.
The new Lena came closer and opened her mouth.
“Why are you spacing out? And why are you staring at me like that? Want to get hit?”
Leo was momentarily dazed. He was flustered by the rough voice that the previous Lena wouldn't have been able to imitate, so he pretended to look around.
Snowflakes flurrying in the sky, the open space behind the houses, smokerising from the chimneys here and there… The houses and chimneys, built with thin stones piled on top of each other, were a dark gray color.
‘It’s a completely different scenario.’
In a game like Princess Maker, there were cases where you could choose the father’s occupation. Depending on which series it was, you could choose from a retired knight, a merchant, a clown, a traveler, etc.
The chosen occupation determined the father’s income, the daughter’s initial stats, and the daughter’s attitude towards the father, making it an important factor in the gameplay.
It seemed like this [Raise Lena] also had multiple starting points.
The Leo of Demos Village had a hunter father and was childhood friends with Lena. But this time…
As he was looking around, trying to grasp the situation, Lena’s palm crashed into the back of his head.
“Hey! Leo! What’s gotten into you in the middle of practice?”
Leo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. He was at a loss for what to do with this sudden change.
Once again, the mind of this Leo began to overwrite Minseo’s, taking over. But even without knowing the current situation or the past, one thing remained the same: ‘he’ had to play the role.
“Ouch! Why’d you hit me?”
Leo, his mind now a blend with Minseo’s, once again glanced around, trying to gauge the atmosphere. Unlike the last time, it took him several days to understand this situation.
This was Avril Castle, a strategic stronghold located in the Astin Kingdom in the northwestern part of the continent. And his name was ‘Leo Dexter.’
He was the eldest son of the Dexter family. Like the Leo of Demos Village, he lived with only his father, but he heard that they were a prestigious knight family.
They bore the surname ‘Dexter,’ but they weren’t nobles. His father was granted the surname for his achievements in a fierce civil war, and it was passed down to his son, Leo.
His father had retired and was living off his pension.
After his mother passed away, they left the capital, Barnaul, and came to this place, his mother’s hometown… He couldn’t bring himself to ask how his mother died, and no one mentioned it.
A strange life began with a new scenario. In the previous life, he had plenty of time to assess the situation, but this time was different.
“You little…! Where do you think you’re putting your foot?”
Leo’s father, Noel Dexter, yelled as he struck his son with a wooden sword.
He seemed to often observe his son’s swordsmanship, as he had been mercilessly training Leo from the first day the scenario began. Unlike his previous father, this father wasn’t taciturn and showered him with all sorts of insults.
When the beating briefly stopped, Lena approached Leo with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re messing up the basics.”
“…”
“Wasn’t that your specialty? Like this, this, right? Why are you suddenly like this?”
Unable to understand, Lena stood in front of him and swung her sword.
Leo quietly got up and tried to copy her movements. As he did, his body moved naturally, creating a sharp gust of wind.
“See? You can do it.”
Lena turned away, as if it was nothing.
Even after that, Leo had to watch her demonstration several times.
Fortunately, his body seemed to remember the techniques Lena showed him, and the sword found its correct path even without him thinking.
This Leo Dexter had been practicing swordsmanship since he was young, so his body was very strong.
The previous Leo’s body was also quite strong from traversing mountains, but it was no match for this one. Thick forearms built for wielding a sword and fighting, this Leo handled the sword lightly and skillfully despite his large frame.
Leo marveled at his new body, but in his father’s eyes, it was still lacking, as the beatings continued endlessly.
The next evening.
Noel Dexter was complaining to his friend, Dehorman, who had just returned from hunting.
“Leo’s swinging his sword strangely?”
“Don’t even get me started. It’s like he’s forgotten the entire art of swordsmanship… and he won’t even tell me what he’s thinking.”
The giant man burst into laughter.
Lena’s father, Dehorman Einar, was one of the great warriors of the Einar tribe here.
The Astin Kingdom had a system where both feudalism and tribalism coexisted.
As numerous tribes in the north were absorbed into the Astin Kingdom, they were accepted as citizens while maintaining the existing power structure of their tribes.
For example, Avril Castle belonged to the Astin Kingdom, with stationed troops, knights, and even a lord dispatched from the kingdom. However, most of the residents living in the castle belonged to the Einar tribe.
Therefore, the castle was ruled jointly by the chieftain of the tribe and the lord.
Dehorman offered his own form of consolation.
“Hahahaha! At that age, it’s only natural to want to swing a weapon however you please. Don’t worry too much about it, my friend. Hahaha!”
However, it didn’t seem to be of any comfort to Noel Dexter, a knight, as his expression remained unchanged.
Dehorman and Leo’s father were close friends.
They were so close that they even combined the open spaces behind their houses, which were built side by side. And when Noel Dexter started teaching Lena swordsmanship at Dehorman’s request, the two families grew even closer, almost like one big family.
Dehorman slapped Leo on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. He was so strong that Leo’s body shook.
“Don’t overthink it! Swordsmanship is all about blocking, dodging, and striking down your opponent.”
“…There’s also stabbing.”
“Ah, right! I mainly use an axe, so I don’t really use stabbing techniques. Hahaha!”
“Drink in moderation, dear. I know you just got back today, but drinking too much is bad for your health.”
Lena’s mother chided her husband as she brought out more roasted meat and ale. Lena stealthily swiped some ale and handed it to Leo.
The day came to an end amidst the flickering lanterns and fireplace, the overflowing ale, and the red-roasted meat.