Engagement - Method
Lena Einar barged into Leo's room.
Oblivious to the concept of knocking, she plopped down next to Leo, who was sprawled on the bed, and asked, "Hey! Why are you so down lately?"
Her arm was perfectly fine.
The engagement scenario had begun again, but Leo was feeling down for a different reason this time. The {Noble Society} information he had received as a reward from the previous scenario was flooding his mind.
He didn't gain access to every single piece of information known by nobles. {Noble Society} contained general knowledge shared among them, omitting specific or confidential details.
For instance, {Noble Society} included the etiquette of the Akaia Empire. This was common knowledge among nobles.
However, it lacked the latest etiquette of the Bellita Kingdom. This wasn't something nobles from other kingdoms would know, so it wasn't considered common knowledge.
He also gained information about Swordmasters. They were so renowned that nobles across the continent knew about them.
However, there was no information about Gilbert Forte, that bastard. He was only famous within the Bellita Kingdom.
Leo had spent days mulling over the {Noble Society} information, feeling like his path was completely blocked. He knew he had to make Lena a princess, but it seemed nearly impossible.
The only ways to make Lena a princess were through the [Prince's Mad Love], the {Bloodline Event}, or by becoming the 'King' himself.
There was no other way.
Leo lifted his head from the pillow and looked at Lena, their eyes meeting.
A beautiful warrior with strong convictions, yet subtly naive – at least, that's how Leo saw her. Lena Einar was someone you couldn't help but love. While each Lena had her own unique traits, their loveliness remained constant.
'I need to get Lena face-to-face with the prince.'
No matter which scenario's Lena it was, if she fell in love with the prince and Leo supported them from behind by any means necessary, there was no way she wouldn't become a princess.
However, the prince needed to fall 'madly' in love with her. The thick walls of noble society didn't easily allow commoners to enter.
"Wh-what's with that look?" Lena stammered, raising her voice in embarrassment, but Leo continued his train of thought, ignoring her.
The broken engagement, that was the biggest problem.
Lena was engaged to him.
'I need to distance myself from Lena as much as possible...'
But that wasn't easy. They trained together every day, and she barged into his room like this all the time.
He had to stay by her side even if a war broke out.
If they were apart, Lena would die to Katrina.
Moreover, as time passed, he was becoming more and more like the 'complete Leo.' He could feel himself falling for the Lena in front of him more and more with each passing moment.
Would he even be able to bring up the engagement later...
'What if I die after she becomes close to the prince?'
Then Lena would be able to meet the prince. She would be devastated, but the living had to move on.
If they got married, wouldn't that achieve the princess ending anyway?
But he was scared.
Leo had never died before. If this Leo died, what would happen to 'him'? If the ending didn't trigger...
'No, that can't be. If I really die when I die, this game would be unbeatable. There have been so many dangerous moments...'
He shook off his worries.
That couldn't happen.
"Le, Leo?"
Lena avoided his gaze, watching him cautiously.
And then there was the Bloodline Event.
The beggar siblings were the heirs of the Yeriel royal family, which ruled the Conrad Kingdom.
Eric de Yeriel, the prince of the Conrad Kingdom, had tried to kill his half-siblings. It was such a famous incident that it was included in the {Noble Society} information.
Prince Eric had driven out his siblings and was recognized as the sole heir to the throne.
The most obvious way to make Lena a princess lay here.
The beggar siblings were royalty, direct descendants at that. If they could just get rid of Eric de Yeriel, his sister Lena would reclaim the name 'Lena de Yeriel' and become a princess.
Having a noble status made things so much simpler.
Just then, as if she couldn't hold it in any longer, Lena jumped to her feet.
"Ugh... Y-you, you! Leo! I'm leaving! Eat or don't, I-I don't care!"
Flushed red, she stomped down the stairs and ran off. But Leo's worries were far from over.
Becoming incredibly strong and taking over the throne himself was also a possibility, albeit a distant one. It would take a long time, but it wasn't entirely impossible since he could keep repeating the scenarios and growing stronger.
But the chances were slim.
Even a Swordmaster who had achieved the pinnacle of swordsmanship couldn't establish a kingdom. To become a king, you needed the ability to lead and command people – leadership.
'Leadership? Me?' Leo chuckled to himself.
Even in college, Minseo had been a loner.
If he hadn't met Chaeha in the club he had joined with freshman enthusiasm and quickly quit, he would have been going to school with the aura of a returning student from his freshman year.
Minseo's abilities seemed insufficient for becoming a king. So did this Leo have the qualities to be a king?
Moreover, this continent was already occupied by seven kingdoms. There was no land to squeeze into, and the regimes of each kingdom were stable.
As for places where a rebellion might break out... he didn't know yet. Such specific information wasn't included in the {Noble Society} knowledge.
Of course, he could spend a long time preparing for a rebellion. Setting aside the feasibility, the possibility was there for him, someone who could repeat life indefinitely.
But there was a problem with that.
'Does that mean Lena can't get married until then? And she can't decide on a career either.'
He'd be turning Lena into an old maid and a jobless bum.
Leo shook his head at the thought.
Lena wasn't a game character he could control. She had her own will and could choose to live her own life at any moment.
The reason Lena had been 'somewhat' following his lead so far was simply because she liked him.
He didn't want to take advantage of her feelings.
Just then, one last glimmer of hope for becoming king came to mind.
The barbarians of the Ohrun Kingdom.
It was no coincidence that Lena and Leo had been captured in the previous Childhood Friend scenario.
He had been unaware of the ways of the world due to the lack of {Rules of Back Alley} information, but the Ohrun Kingdom was the country that employed the most slaves on the entire continent.
Due to the geographical characteristics of the Ohrun Kingdom, with its dense forests and numerous mountains, many barbarians still lived in tribes. And the Ohrun Kingdom oppressed them.
It was vastly different from the two northern kingdoms, which had integrated the barbarians as citizens, and the Holy Kingdom, which allowed the barbarians autonomy.
There were almost no barbarians in the Bellita Kingdom, located in the center of the continent (or rather, humans who had lived in the central part of the continent were considered 'civilized'), and there weren't many barbarian tribes in the Conrad Kingdom, which was strangely devoid of mountains and covered in vast plains.
Finally, there was the eastern Isel Kingdom, known as the Magic Kingdom... With its many rivers and swamps, its political system was so unique that while barbarians existed, they weren't really classified as 'barbarians.'
Anyway, there were definitely groups in the Ohrun Kingdom that could become Leo's strength if he were to start a rebellion. Moreover, since there were no Swordmasters in the Ohrun Kingdom...
'What if I became a Swordmaster and united the barbarians of the Ohrun Kingdom...'
Leo shook his head, ending his thoughts.
Swordmaster, my foot.
The strongest beings on the continent, there were only three of them.
Even three was considered an anomaly. The {Noble Society} information mentioned that it was the first time in human history that there had been more than two Swordmasters in a single era.
He couldn't even fathom how long it would take to reach that supreme level, a level that only one person might achieve in decades.
He'd think about the last method later.
'Didn't she say something about eating earlier?'
Oh god, I don't know if I can read multiple arcs if him pushing the Lena's away and intentionally cucking himself. I really hope this doesn't end with him just returning to his old world and pretending none of this happened and chasing after he ex girlfriend.
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