Beggar Siblings - Separation
[Congratulations! Lena got married!]
Leo couldn't find his sister in the end. He fled Orville, pursued by the Marquis' knights.
To evade their horseback chase, he would throw himself into muddy pits or charm village women with his handsome face for help.
Ironically, it was the {War} event that rescued him from his predicament.
From Orville, the capital of the Bellita Kingdom, various supplies were transported to the northern battlefront. Leo would hide near these supply routes, delaying his pursuers.
Regardless of the era, all armies prioritized securing supply lines.
For tens of thousands of troops, more crucial than driving back the enemy in front of them was to first eat and have weapons in hand to fight.
The same went for the Bellita Kingdom army. The Bellita generals were focused on the rear supply routes.
The Marquis' pursuit squad, fearing the wrath of the army if they lingered near the supply lines, couldn't approach recklessly. Leo seized this opportunity to make his escape.
Having shaken off his pursuers, Leo set up a hideout in the mountains near the battlefield.
It was dangerous being near the warzone, but he knew how the war would unfold. The Astin Kingdom army wouldn't be able to cross the river visible in the distance. At least not until this winter.
As before, his {Hunting} skill proved useful in his escape. At least in the mountains, he wouldn't starve or freeze to death.
Still, life wasn't easy, and Leo spent his days busily. Sometimes, when heavy snow trapped him in his hideout, he would think of Lena.
Did she escape safely? Is she warm enough in this weather? Surely she wasn't captured by the Marquis, right?
Unable to bear the worry, anxiety, regret, and self-blame, he set out to find his sister before winter's end.
Before that, Leo found a parasitic plant called 'Defare.'
This plant attached itself to and rooted in small animals like rats and Migas. Surprisingly, the animals seemed unconcerned and remained healthy.
On the contrary, the animals with Defare often seemed to become leaders, indicating a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.
Leo caught a small animal, killed it, and tore the Defare from its body.
Inside the animal's body were small, round bulb-like things. When he poked them with his fingernail, black sap oozed out.
Put this in your eyes.
The {Rules of Back Alley} information explained the use of Defare.
Changing eye color with Defare sap was a method often used by criminals to hide their identities.
He also knew the side effects.
Burning pain in the eyeballs and deterioration of vision. Leo was willing to accept those side effects.
He had to find his sister, whose eyes wouldn't hurt even a bit if he put it in them.
However, if he went around with these golden eyes, he'd attract the Marquis' pursuit again and never find his sister.
That was scarier than the state of his eyeballs.
Taking a deep breath, he dropped the Defare sap into his eyes as if applying eye drops. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his eyelids, flickering with fear, hindered him.
After several attempts, the sap fell into his eyes.
Leo screamed and rolled around in pain, as if his eyes were on fire.
After two days of agony, the pain subsided. He peeled off his eyebrows, which had become matted with tears of blood.
He couldn't see well.
The three Leos not only had similar appearances but also shared excellent eyesight.
They could tell at a glance, from dozens of meters away, whether Lena Einar was wearing her clothes inside out, if his sister Lena was about to bite into spoiled food, or what kind of mischief Lena from Demos Village was planning.
But now his vision was blurry.
He had to frown to see the branches right in front of him, and the fallen leaves on the ground were indistinguishable, appearing as one with the earth.
Later, when he looked at his reflection in the water, his eyes were no longer golden but a muddy gray, the color of dried leaves.
The changes weren't limited to that. There were round, bubble-like things in his eyes.
It was as if the Defare bulbs had taken root inside.
However, he didn't care about the state of his eyes. He was only worried that his deteriorating vision would hinder his search for his sister.
Finally ready, Leo set off on his journey, envisioning the road ahead.
The Bellita Kingdom occupied the center of the continent. The west, Marquis Tatian's territory, was unnecessary. Lena wouldn't have gone in that direction.
He also ruled out most of the eastern territories.
Those were controlled by the royalists and a few moderates, including Baron Peter, all under the Marquis' influence.
Mentally erasing half of the Bellita Kingdom, Leo focused on the remaining northern and southern regions.
Frowning to see even a little further, his hair disheveled, he meticulously visited each city and village.
Then, in a tavern in one city, he overheard an order the Marquis had issued throughout the land.
- Capture anyone with golden eyes.
Good thing I used Defare—he thought, just as he came to the realization that Lena wouldn't be in the Bellita Kingdom.
Since the ending hadn't appeared yet, Lena hadn't been captured by the Marquis.
But her eyes were a bright gold, so the only way to avoid the Marquis' order was to flee the country.
That's right. Lena is abroad.
Then...
He sat frozen with a mug of beer in front of him, enduring the innkeeper's glare. The newfound vastness of the continent left him lost.
Six kingdoms surrounding the Bellita Kingdom... Where could his sister have fled?
Leo clutched his head in despair. The thought of never finding his sister drained his will, and he drowned his sorrows in alcohol. The innkeeper smiled brightly.
A few days later, nursing a hangover, he dismissed the prostitute sleeping next to him. He plopped down on the disheveled bed and pondered deeply before setting off again.
He could probably rule out the Holy Kingdom to the west, the Aisel Kingdom to the east, and the Astin Kingdom to the north.
It seemed unlikely that Lena would have crossed the western and eastern territories under the Marquis' influence.
And she wouldn't have gone to the Astin Kingdom, where war had broken out.
That left the Aster Kingdom, the Ohrun Kingdom, and the Conrad Kingdom...
He had a hunch that Lena had gone south.
Perhaps because he had come from the north, a sense of aversion to backtracking had kicked in.
Even so, with one kingdom to the north (Aster) and two to the south (Orne, Conrad), it wasn't a statistically terrible decision.
Leaving behind the disappointed innkeeper, Leo hastened his journey once more.
Travel expenses... were covered by killing people.
[Achievement: Ten Mercenaries - Become stronger when facing mercenaries.]
Half a year had already passed as he traversed the Bellita Kingdom vertically. He couldn't delay any longer. There was no time to leisurely earn travel funds, so he resorted to robbing merchants.
The method for ambushing merchants was simple. Wait by the water.
Horses pulling carriages needed frequent breaks to cool down and drink water, so merchants rarely bypassed water sources.
Bandits knew this too, so ambitious and visionary ones would stake out these spots.
However, mercenaries were hired to prevent such situations, so merchants would steer clear if they saw bandits gathered by the water.
Leo had no such concerns.
He would guard the water alone and approach the stopped merchants, threatening them. Sometimes, he'd have to demonstrate his skills, which involved cutting down a few mercenaries, but he didn't mind.
Fortunately, killing mercenaries didn't count towards the [Civilian Kill] counter.
Probably because mercenaries also carried swords. If one carries a sword, they should be prepared to face the consequences.
Reaching the south of the Bellita Kingdom, Leo faced a choice.
Did Lena go to the Ohrun Kingdom or the Conrad Kingdom?
He decided on the southwest, the Ohrun Kingdom.
The southeast Conrad Kingdom was ruled by King Eric de Yeriel, who was also searching for the siblings. Searching for Lena there would be too risky.
Using the retired knight's token from Katrina, he easily crossed the border and began scouring another kingdom.
He wandered the Ohrun Kingdom in rags and even stopped by Demos Village.
There, he learned valuable information.
Lena and Leo from the Childhood Friends scenario were real people.
As if they had followed the exact same path as Leo in the previous scenario, Lena had left the village with a priest heading for the Holy Cross Church, and Leo had fled after committing murder.
Having witnessed the simultaneous progression of not only the Engagement scenario but also the Childhood Friends scenario, Leo spent a few days in Demos Village, digesting the information.
But Demos Village wasn't what it used to be.
First, there was no bakery. Mrs. Hans, the baker, had taken ill after losing her only son.
And Leo's father, the hunter, was gone. He had abandoned his house in the village and retreated into the mountains, never to return.
The villagers of Demos eyed Leo with suspicion as he inquired about these things. Part of it might have been their usual wariness towards outsiders, but the atmosphere of the village had clearly changed.
From small things like people locking their doors to the village elders sitting separately in two groups... What had happened to this once-harmonious village?
With a heavy heart, Leo left the village. As he continued to wander the Ohrun Kingdom, the ending arrived.
[Congratulations! Lena got married!]
[Thank you for playing Raising Lena.]
Final Occupation: None
Spouse: Santian Rauno
- Born in the Lutina Royal Palace, Lena endured an unhappy childhood. Led by the hands of others, she and Leo... (omitted)... After escaping Orville, Lena arrived in the Aisel Kingdom. With her eyesight greatly diminished, she was unable to find work but accepted the marriage proposal of the diligent Santian Rauno. She gave birth to two sons. -
Final Occupation: Traveler
Spouse: Unmarried
Beggar Siblings Ending: Eternal Separation
- Born in the Lutina Royal Palace, Leo endured an unhappy childhood. Led by the hands of others, he and Lena were hidden in a vast field... (omitted)... After shaking off his pursuers, Leo scoured the Bellita Kingdom, the Ohrun Kingdom, and the Conrad Kingdom in search of Lena. He was eventually captured in the Conrad Kingdom and secretly executed. -
Sharing a campfire with a merchant group, Leo felt his surroundings fade to black and calmly accepted the ending.
He knew this would happen.
The journey to find his sister had stretched endlessly, and all he could do was hope for her happiness.
Leo, now a devout follower of the Holy Cross Church, offered a prayer of gratitude as he read the text.
It seems Santian Rauno, that blacksmith, took good care of her.
And in the picture of Lena's wedding, though she smiled brightly at the guests, her brow was furrowed. Her eyes, unfocused, darted around as if searching for someone. Like Leo's, her eyes were the color of dried leaves.
I'm right here...
Leo choked back tears and reached for his sister, only to realize he was a floating orb and accepted his fate.
He would disappear now.
He had resented Minseo's consciousness, but he let go of that too. In the end, he wasn't the one who could make his sister happy.
With a silent message of 'Please take care of Lena,' he dispersed like mist. Minseo, who had returned, was consumed by guilt.
'...'
This failure was truly inexcusable.
Minseo had always had a small excuse for his repeated failures. He couldn't control Leo's consciousness after merging with it, so he had shifted the blame onto Leo.
[Achievement: First Death - The rate at which the player assimilates with Leo decreases.]
This time, it was his fault. Leo wasn't absent, and Minseo could exert his own will to some extent.
At the beginning of the scenario, despite being impressed by the cautious behavior of Joseph Rauno, the Family Boss, he had been blinded by greed and desired to enter the Marquis' household.
He hadn't thought things through when offered the chance to become an adopted son.
Who knew that Marquis Benard Tatian would be such a monster...
'But... I did my best...'
He still had excuses. For almost two years of this Beggar Siblings scenario, he had barely rested.
From morning till evening, he worked for the Rauno Family. Late at night, he dragged his exhausted body to meet merchants and gather information.
Then, he would visit his sister, talk to her, put her to bed, wake her up in the morning, and have breakfast together.
This was his daily routine.
After meeting the Marquis, he had delved into the {Noble Society} information, meticulously studying how to address him, muttering and rehearsing lines in the carriage.
He grumbled to himself that he could have passed the foreign service exam with this much effort in real life. But he closed his mouth, remembering Lena's words.
- ...So you brought me here to show me to that man.
'I used Lena's appearance.'
Faced with this unchanging sin, Minseo felt utterly pathetic.
It was entirely his fault that Lena, having lost her brother, had to marry alone in a foreign land.
'Lena, I'm sorry. I...'
Just then, text appeared, pushing him forward.
[You have failed to clear Raising Lena.]
[Leo, you spent your remaining life desperately searching for Lena. For your efforts, you gain the {Tracking} skill.]
[Restarting.]
The intro video, plunging through the clouds from a clear blue sky, played once more. Minseo, feeling disheartened, found solace in the familiar, dynamic scene.
Let's try again.
It's not over yet.
We're getting there, little by little.
It's painful, but if we keep repeating this, one day, we'll reach a happy ending. For all of us.
As Minseo made this vow, his vision shifted to Demos Village, heading towards the edge of the forest.
He could see Lena in the distance.
It was the familiar and heartwarming Lena from the Childhood Friends scenario. And Minseo became L...
"Leo! Are you listening?"
Lena looked back and asked, but he couldn't answer.
Leo's face was pale, drained of all color.
His eyes were fixed downwards, unable to move.
[Achievement: '10th' Leo - The rate at which the player assimilates with Leo slightly increases.]
[10/20]
In the lower right corner of his vision, the numbers 10/20 appeared small, but ominously, and refused to disappear.
This game had a limit.
Thanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteDamn. This is actually good. better than I expected
ReplyDelete