[ Leo has died. ]
A few days later, I died.
I was on guard duty as usual. The hundred-man unit led by Lena was scattered, guarding a small hill.
It was far from the besieged city.
As the captain, Lena was exempt from night duty, but she wanted to be with me, so she joined me on duty. They were happy days, simply watching over the front line and feeling each other's presence.
Then one night, a shadow flickered in the darkness. By the time I sensed it, a sword was already flying towards my face.
I instinctively drew my sword to block it, but could it even be called a block?
Pushed back by the incoming sword, my own blade sliced across my face.
My lips split, and my nose was severed. Thankfully, Lena, who was next to me, drew her sword and helped me block, so it ended there. Otherwise, I would have died by my own sword.
Pushed back by the powerful sword force, Lena and I flew back several steps and landed on our behinds.
A Swordmaster.
No one but such a powerful figure could unleash such a sword strike.
A small message that appeared at the bottom of my vision confirmed my guess.
[ Achievement: Swordmaster, 2/3 ]
Perhaps Lena had the same thought because she smashed a signal flare while still in mid-air. With the hilt of her sword, she relentlessly struck her own chest, smashing through her breastplate.
- Crack.
The sound of breaking glass could be heard, but Lena, still sprawled on the ground, struck her chest several more times.
Panicked at the thought of my head being chopped off at any moment, I fumbled with my breastplate, pulled out a signal flare, and smashed it.
Blood flowed from my palm, pricked by the glass shards.
The giant knight, witnessing the two soldiers scrambling in panic, muttered with a frown.
“Oh dear, a knight? They don't look like knights at all…”
Just then, several knights emerged from the darkness behind him.
“What should we do?”
“What else? The signal flares are already lit. It's a bust. We have to retreat. Let's clean up and head back.”
The knights bowed respectfully to his command and vanished.
The cold and imposing man with a bare head, Earl Hermann Forte, commended the youngsters who had blocked his sword.
“Now that I see you up close, you're both so young. Impressive, to have blocked my surprise attack. It's a shame we met as enemies.”
“You're Hermann Forte, Earl Forte?”
“Hahaha. That's right. No need for honorifics for an enemy.”
“Why are you here? Shouldn't you be defending the city?”
Air hissed through Leo's severed nose and split lip as he spoke.
Death was already upon him.
The certainty of his demise calmed him and fueled his resentment towards Earl Forte.
This bastard was the one who killed his sister Lena.
He had seen it in the ending of the previous Beggar Siblings scenario. Lena, who had grown up as a key player in the Bellita Kingdom's political scene, was killed by this man.
No, she will be killed. If his sister Lena was walking the same path...
Moreover, this man, with his thick, straight nose, bushy eyebrows, and massive build comparable to Dehorman, was also the father of the bastard who had driven Lena out of the Holy Cross Church in the previous Childhood Friends scenario.
He didn't want to beg for his life from such a man.
Leo gripped his sword tightly and straightened his posture. Lena, standing beside him, seemed to have reached the same resolve as she strengthened her stance.
Earl Forte scratched his forked chin with a thick finger and said,
“The more I see you, the more I like you. Such a shame… But thanks to you, I'm going to be late getting back.”
As he clicked his tongue and raised his sword, mana surged into the thick blade, causing it to glow white-hot.
Aura Blade. The strongest swordsmanship on the continent, proof of a Swordmaster, a sword that ignored all other swords, shields, and armor, was now on display before Lena and Leo.
And the Earl's sword swung horizontally ‘without any warning.’
Leo couldn't react in time, not that it would have made a difference. His sword, raised defensively, was sliced through by the blade that came without warning. His vision flew into the air.
His head was flying away.
His slowly spinning eyes met Lena's. Lena shouted towards Leo, or rather, his tumbling head, as if reciting a rule.
“Leo!”
‘Lena, run…’
[ Leo has died. ]
Everything went dark. The blazing sword, Lena, his headless body, and his flying head all disappeared.
Familiar. The ending.
But I was Minseo. Leo's consciousness had died the moment his head was severed.
Several messages popped up before his bewildered eyes.
[ You have died. 1/3 ]
[ Achievement: First Death - The rate at which the player assimilates with Leo will decrease. ]
[ Thank you for playing Raise Lena. ]
Final Job: Captain, Centurion
Marriage Partner: Engaged to Leo
- Born in Avril Castle, Lena Einar… (Omitted) …earned a promotion to Centurion for her contribution in defeating Deros, a knight of the Bellita Kingdom's 2nd Knight Order. Later, Arnolf de Klaus bestowed upon her the rank of Centurion in recognition of her service, but Lena was killed by Earl Hermann Forte while on guard duty. -
Final Job: Centurion
Marriage Partner: Engaged to Lena
Engagement Ending: Honorable Death
- Born in the capital city of Barnaul, Leo Dexter enjoyed a happy childhood… (Omitted) …bestowed upon him the rank of Centurion in recognition of his service, but Leo was killed by Earl Hermann Forte while on guard duty. -
A picture of Lena leading her soldiers appeared. This was the first time he had seen Lena's picture with a clear mind.
‘This is ridiculous.’
He didn't even know where to begin processing this.
Encountering a Swordmaster while on guard duty at the outer perimeter? Or the number 1/3 written next to "death"?
The ending didn't offer any useful information, so Minseo tore his eyes away from the fading picture and text, trying to gather his thoughts.
First, the Swordmaster.
He had met two Swordmasters in this scenario.
But both of them were strange. Their Swordmaster, Baron Arpen Albacette, had been reluctant to participate and remained idle at the rear. On the other hand, the enemy Swordmaster, Earl Hermann Forte, had been overly aggressive.
Until the day Leo died, the flag signifying the arrival of a Swordmaster in the enemy camp had not been raised. He had concealed his arrival, brought only a few knights with him, and infiltrated their camp by bypassing the city.
‘Did he come to destroy the supply depot?’
That was the only explanation that made sense. But that wasn't something a Swordmaster would do.
The city was on the verge of falling. A Swordmaster would naturally announce his presence on the battlefield to boost morale and rescue the isolated city.
However, Earl Hermann Forte didn't do that. Instead, he took a significant risk. If he had infiltrated the rear base and unfortunately encountered their Swordmaster, he would have been isolated and killed.
If that had happened, the war would have been as good as over. But he risked his life to infiltrate, and when Lena lit the signal flare, he had no choice but to retreat.
- Thanks to you, I'm going to be late getting back.
He didn't leave any information for Leo, but he did mutter a complaint.
Depending on the interpretation, it could mean he was unhappy about being delayed in ending the war, but the cold-hearted man didn't seem like someone who would risk his life to end the tragedy of war out of compassion.
Come to think of it, there was something strange.
During the Childhood Friends scenario, at the Holy Kingdom's lodging, he had heard that Earl Forte had achieved a great victory and that the war would be over soon.
In other words, Earl Forte had returned ‘before’ achieving his victory and the war ending.
Otherwise, news of a Swordmaster's achievements during the war wouldn't have reached the citizens of the Holy Kingdom. It was likely that his return was followed by a conspicuous award ceremony, which led to the news spreading.
He must have gone out of his way to return early.
‘But why? Why would he be in such a hurry to go back? He could have just relaxed at the rear…’
But before that question could be answered, another one popped up.
‘Wait, what about our Swordmaster? How could Earl Forte just leave when there's clearly a Swordmaster in the enemy camp? Don't tell me… did he go back too?’
He could have used the excuse of the prince being in danger after the rear base was attacked and taken him back, but that didn't feel right either.
The Swordmaster belonging to the kingdom that started the war seemed to be reluctantly observing the situation, while the Swordmaster of the invaded kingdom was desperate to return as quickly as possible.
And in the end, they both abandoned the war and went back.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Moreover, there was something he couldn't figure out during the scenario.
[ Achievement: Swordmaster, 2/3 ]
What a strange achievement.
Other achievements came with some kind of reward. For example, meeting the prince would earn his favor.
But this achievement only offered a name and a number.
‘Is it an achievement that unlocks after meeting all three Swordmasters? Even if it gives something like [Strengthened Against Swordmasters] or [Gained Slight Favor of Swordmasters]…’
This stingy game, reluctant to even provide a single line of explanation, only left him with countless questions.
Unable to find an answer no matter how much he pondered, Minseo gave up on speculating. He should focus on what he could do.
For now, he had to avoid the {War} event at all costs.
Not only would going to war prevent him from making Lena a princess, but it also came with grave danger.
Katrina was nothing. Behind her lurked a Swordmaster, and because of him, he had died for the first time.
Ah, and the 1/3.
What was that about?
‘Don't tell me it's a limit on the number of deaths?’
A mark that seemed to indicate only three coins were inserted into an arcade game machine… Did it mean the game was over after three deaths?
‘Surely it doesn't mean I'll really die if I use them all up, right?’
Minseo tried to gulp down his saliva, but his bodiless spirit couldn't swallow, and he shuddered.
It was terrifying.
And Lena was admirable. Even when her arm was almost severed, she displayed the resourcefulness to fight back, and even in the face of death, she calmly lit the signal flare.
On the other hand, he…
Just then, a text appeared, interrupting his thoughts.
[ You have failed to clear Raise Lena. ]
[ Leo, you blocked a Swordmaster's sword once. For that achievement, you will be granted the {Swordsmanship.2v} ability. ] (T/N: Not a Typo, the raws clearly say ê²€ìˆ .2v)
[ Resuming. ]