Engagement - War
The bleak news arrived at Avril Castle just as the snow began to melt.
The Astin Kingdom had declared war on the Bellita Kingdom in the center of the continent. Astin had always coveted the warm and fertile central region.
Upon hearing the news of the war, Dehorman, his face grim, summoned his family, Leo, Noel Dexter. Without preamble, he cut to the chase.
“War has broken out. The Jerom Holy Kingdom has declared its neutrality, so we are required to send troops from our castle.”
Avril Castle was closer to the Jerom Holy Kingdom than to the Bellita Kingdom. Had the Holy Kingdom not withdrawn, Avril Castle would have kept its troops for defense. However, the situation had taken an unfavorable turn.
Dehorman's words were laced with frustration.
“Why do they wage war when we could all just live in peace? I don't understand what those nobles are thinking."
Silence followed the news of the troop dispatch. Some of Avril Castle's soldiers and some of the Einar tribe warriors would be sent to the battlefield.
Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. It was an honorable duty for a warrior to answer the call to war.
Their discomfort stemmed from a different reason.
“Lena… must go to war.”
According to Einar tribe custom, if the child of a great warrior was themselves a warrior, they were obligated to take their parent's place in times of war. It was considered dishonorable for a great warrior to go to war while their warrior child remained.
Lena nodded, seemingly already aware of this.
"I understand. It might be for the best. Earning distinction in war will help me attain knighthood."
She seemed enthusiastic, but Dehorman couldn't shake off his unease.
His daughter, who had only recently become a warrior, was going to war.
He didn't let it show, but he couldn't help but regret not taking Lena hunting for a few more months.
The assembled family members, each grappling with their own heavy hearts, returned to their daily routines. There was still time before the departure date.
Leo recalled the recent {hunting} event. If Lena had been injured while fighting the Noguhwaho, she could have avoided going to war.
However, even if he had known about the war in advance, it wasn't an {event} he could have manipulated. It was impossible for the two of them to defeat the Noguhwaho.
‘Another {event} where Lena will leave…’
Previously, there had been an event where she left to become a priest, and this time it was for the battlefield. Lena Einar dreamed of becoming a knight, so perhaps it was inevitable.
Leo couldn't stop her from leaving.
The Lena from Demos Village hadn't wanted to part with Leo, so she hadn't left. But this time, it was a mandatory draft, and Lena didn't seem to have any intention of refusing.
After much deliberation, Leo sought out Noel's room. As usual, his father was sitting in his rocking chair, reading a book.
"Father, I want to enlist as well."
Unlike Lena, Leo, who was neither a soldier nor a warrior of the tribe, was not obligated to participate in the war.
Families of soldiers were exempt from the draft. This was because some of the soldiers already belonging to the castle were participating in the war. Since Noel Dexter, while belonging to the castle, was a retired knight, the Dexter family had complete exemption.
Still, volunteering was always an option, and Leo intended to follow Lena.
Noel slammed his book shut.
"No. You'll die for sure if you go now. Absolutely not."
In Noel's eyes, his son's swordsmanship was abysmal. For some reason, Leo had become overly reliant on exploiting openings with his nearsighted vision and couldn't anticipate his opponent's movements.
His swordsmanship lacked stability, relying solely on reckless swings. He might get lucky and take down a few enemies, but he would ultimately die on the battlefield.
At his father's blunt refusal, Leo dropped to his knees.
"Father, please. I have to go with her."
"No means no!"
"Not everyone dies in war."
"You know nothing about war!"
Noel knew the chaos of the battlefield all too well. This foolish son of his had no idea that swords flew from all directions in a war. Cavalry was a different matter, but for infantry, defensive swordsmanship was crucial.
"If you utter another word about going, I won't hold back. I'll break your legs if I have to, but you're not going!"
Leo was thrown out of the room, accompanied by Noel's roar.
In the end, he couldn't participate in the war due to his father's fierce opposition.
He tried to enlist secretly, but Noel, being a knight affiliated with the castle, found out. That day, Leo was beaten black and blue. The threat to break his legs had not been an empty one, and Leo ended up limping for days.
The departure date drew closer with each passing day. Everyone laughed and chatted as if nothing was amiss, but a strange melancholy lingered in their every word.
* * *
In a clearing where grass had begun to sprout, Leo approached Lena and offered her a wooden sword.
Lena was leaving tomorrow.
"Let's spar."
Lena, who had been silently swinging her sword in preparation for her departure, smiled at his provocation, set aside her real sword, and took the wooden one.
"You better watch out. I'm in top form."
Lena pointed her wooden sword at him.
A cautious standoff ensued. Leo subtly shook the tip of his sword, trying to bait Lena, but her sword followed his every movement as if anticipating his intentions.
Her stance declared that she was ready to counter any move he made. Unable to bear the pressure, Leo made the first move.
As expected, she effortlessly deflected his sword. Their wooden swords scraped against each other, emitting rough, grating sounds.
Lena swung down with a swift overhead arc. Leo closed the distance, striking her wrist with the pommel of his sword. His wooden sword naturally aimed for her chest, but she spun away, attempting to kick him in the abdomen.
Not going to happen!
Leo sidestepped the kick and swung his sword down with all his might.
- Thwack!
Their wooden swords clashed, briefly locking in a contest of strength. Behind the crossed blades, Lena's eyes sparkled.
She straightened from her crouched position, shoving Leo back forcefully, and offered him praise.
"Not bad. You've improved."
"I haven't been slacking off."
They exchanged grins, their eyes locked on each other, before clashing once more.
However, after a brief exchange of blows, Leo's balance faltered. Lena seized the opportunity, sweeping his feet out from under him.
He tumbled to the ground.
As Leo quickly tried to regain his footing, he felt something blunt press against his neck. Lena held him down with her wooden sword and spoke.
“Leo, your strange swordsmanship still has a long way to go.”
The match ended anti-climactically.
Though defeated, Leo, overcome with a surge of frustration, sprang to his feet, grabbed Lena's waist, and flipped her over.
They both dropped their swords and rolled on the ground.
A silent struggle, a flurry of grappling and counter-grappling, ensued. In the end, Leo overpowered Lena with brute strength and pinned her down.
"Hey! Leo! That's cheating!"
"I know!!"
Leo shouted, his face inches from hers.
Pinned beneath him, Lena stared up at him, then chuckled and reached up to caress his cheek.
“Silly… I'll come back alive, so don't do anything reckless and wait for me.”
Lena wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down, and kissed him, and Leo didn't resist.
Lena was leaving tomorrow, and he couldn't follow her because his swordsmanship was so poor. Shame welled up inside him, threatening to spill over as tears, but he choked it back, not wanting to appear as if he was mourning a warrior about to head into battle.
They lay there, intertwined, embracing for a long time in the clearing, before sharing a tank of beer.
Lena pushed Leo away.