He vaguely remembered Lena saying something before leaving, but he hadn't been paying attention.
It hadn't even been a few days since the scenario started, but it was becoming difficult to think as Minseo when he wasn't focusing.
He headed to Lena's house.
Leo Dexter's mother had passed away. So, the two men of the Dexter family often got their meals from Lena's mother.
As was common among the children of the Einar tribe, Leo's mother and Lena's mother had been friends.
They hadn't been particularly close, though. Leo's mother had been a tomboyish woman who had wanted to be a warrior like Lena, while Lena's mother had been a refined lady. Time was a cruel mistress, as she was now a boisterous woman who nagged her husband, Dehorman…
"Thank you for the food."
Leo spoke as he ate, addressing the silent Lena. "Lena, why did you just leave earlier?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Why? Did something happen?"
Lena's face flushed bright red.
This Leo… Had he made up his mind about something today? She had a strange feeling about him since a few days ago.
Earlier, he was trying to set the mood by gazing at her intensely from the bed, and now he was being so straightforward.
"Hey! My mom's in the kitchen, are you crazy? And I'm not mentally prepared yet…" Lena hissed, her voice gradually lowering until it trailed off into a mumble.
"A-and we'll be of age in a few days anyway, so there's no need to…"
"What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about? I mean, look… We're engaged and all… Not that you dislike it or anything, but, you know, there's an order to these things…" Lena babbled incoherently, and Leo, after a moment of confusion, burst into laughter.
Startled by his laughter, she shrank back.
She was truly Lena, after all.
Seeing her wide-eyed and flustered blew away his gloomy feelings, replaced by a surge of joy. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so freely. He could keep going thanks to her.
Lena fidgeted in her seat, unsure of what to do, and Leo later received a proper earful from her.
***
Lena and Leo stood facing Noel Dexter, their swords drawn.
Both of them were fully armed, while Noel, dressed in light clothing, held his sword loosely by his side. As Lena and Leo approached, spreading out, he finally raised his blade.
"Haaap!"
Lena initiated the attack.
At that moment, Leo was struck by a strange sensation.
Normally, he would have attacked in sync with Lena, but instead, he moved sideways, out of his father's line of sight, and assumed a thrusting stance.
His father, instead of effortlessly deflecting Lena's attack as usual, met it head-on.
A chill ran down Leo's spine as he sensed his father's pause.
He withdrew his thrust and moved towards Lena, anticipating a counterattack. Just as he'd expected, as if guided by some divine intuition, Lena's sword was parried away, and his father's blade came crashing down like thunder.
Gritting his teeth, Leo blocked the descending sword. In that brief moment, Lena regained her balance and aimed for his father's abdomen.
'Oh? Not bad at all.'
Noel felt a surge of satisfaction and put more force behind his strike. His sword pressed against Leo's, sliding away to intercept Lena's thrust. With the newfound opening, Noel closed the distance between him and Lena.
At this rate, Lena would be hit.
Again, in that split second, the strange sensation returned. Instead of recklessly attacking, Leo stomped his foot on the ground as his father approached Lena.
As he shifted his weight forward to charge, Noel Dexter, wary of Leo, swung his sword horizontally in a wide arc.
Both Lena and Leo effortlessly blocked their father's attack, and a brief standoff ensued.
A wide grin spread across Noel's face.
This time, he took the initiative, raising his sword and slowly applying pressure.
Noel increased his effort slightly but kept the spar going for a while longer, holding back just enough.
Leo was soon gasping for breath.
His father's movements were deceptive! In a typical duel, one would attack while simultaneously disrupting the opponent's rhythm, turning it into a battle of attrition.
However, his father, with his superior physical abilities, would chain two, even three moves into a single breath.
The disparity was even more apparent in swordsmanship. His father would block both of their attacks with a single move, and by the time they recovered from blocking it, they would have lost two breaths, putting them at a significant disadvantage.
Damn it, he was so tired that his concentration lapsed for a moment.
Leo was sent flying by a kick from his father, and Lena, caught off guard, was also swiftly kicked away.
Both of them collapsed, panting heavily as they tried to catch their breath.
Noel, his face dry and devoid of sweat, chuckled. "Leo, you've improved significantly. Your coordination with Lena is impressive, and I especially liked your defensive awareness."
Leo was taken aback. Lena had done most of the attacking, and he hadn't done much, yet Noel Dexter praised his son first.
He continued to commend Leo, stating that he had effectively restricted his movements and countered his attacks by adapting to Lena's flow.
'{Combined Attack} is quite useful...'
He had obtained {Combined Attack} as an achievement in the previous Engagement scenario, but it had been useless until now, as he hadn't fought alongside anyone.
He had been part of a gang in his time with the Family, but he hadn't felt any sense of coordination with them.
The gangsters' fights weren't about strategy or technique. They were about numbers and brute force.
Fighting alongside Lena was different. Ideas on how to corner their opponent by synchronizing with her movements came naturally to him.
Noel Dexter's actions were restricted because he was wary of Leo's movements.
Of course, that was because he was going easy on them…
After reviewing the spar and offering a few more pieces of advice, Noel went back inside.
Lena and Leo collapsed onto the ground again, catching their breath.
"Wow, Leo. That was good!"
"What was?"
"I don't know… I felt less pressure than usual." Lena hummed cheerfully.
"This is the first time I've ever fought like that against Mister Noel. You've changed a lot. Your swordsmanship has become so unique, you're like a different person. I need to work harder too."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm saying your skills have improved."
"Ah. Right."
"And your personality seems a bit different too."
"!!"
"Whoa! Let's go inside now. I need to wash up before dinner."
Lena sprang to her feet and headed back inside, leaving Leo standing there, frozen.
He'd gotten used to meeting Lena repeatedly.
At the start of the first scenario, he'd been very conscious of his behavior, trying to blend in.
He'd slipped up this time. He'd been too preoccupied with the {Noble Society} information.
If even the naive Lena Einar had noticed something was off, then he'd definitely been careless.
'I need to be more careful from now on.'
He was Leo, but he wasn't Leo. Especially at the beginning of the scenario.
Pondering his identity, Leo followed Lena inside. Snow began to fall on the empty training ground.