Childhood Friend – Habit
Leo stammered in response to Lena's puzzled gaze.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Lena didn't answer immediately.
Leo felt unfamiliar. Ever since he returned one day, deep in thought, he somehow didn't seem like the usual Leo.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly, but his small actions had changed.
Especially the habit of his ears twitching when he was flustered, which had been quite useful, was gone.
Even now, he was clearly flustered...
‘Did he notice that I know about his habit? But can a person’s habit disappear just like that?’
Lena blinked as she looked at him, and Leo was sweating profusely.
‘Lena is suspicious of me.’
He was momentarily flustered by Lena's question but tried to stay calm. In situations like this, it was best not to speak first.
When being suspected by a girlfriend or trying to hide something, the more one spoke, the deeper they would sink into the mire.
As Leo pretended to be unaffected and didn't react, Lena finally covered her mouth and cheek with one hand and spoke.
“You seem different somehow. It's the first time I've heard you hum.”
Was that so?
Leo couldn't remember.
It was impossible to remember every little habit he had or didn't have.
“I heard it yesterday while working with the older guys. Dino was...”
“That guy is always humming. You've never followed along before...”
“I just tried it once. It looked fun to hum while working.”
“Hmm- besides that, your ears... tsk, never mind.”
Lena clicked her tongue and closed her mouth.
She had some doubts before speaking, but once she voiced them, they seemed trivial. Besides the humming, she had also seen him biting his nails for the first time, but what was the big deal about that?
The more I asked, the more foolish I felt.
“Hurry up and take this. My arm is about to fall off.”
She glanced at him with a puzzled look before taking the fish trap Leo handed over.
Putting pebbles into the trap, Lena carefully approached the stream. Watching her back, Leo let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
‘That was close.’
Minseo, living as Leo in this game, had already spent nearly eight years here.
Depending on the scenario, he lived as short as two days or as long as over two years (coincidentally, both were in the beggar siblings scenario). Generally, the more the rounds repeated, the longer he lived.
As a result, this 'Leo' who accepted the accumulated memories had no choice but to change.
Thinking back, in the previous engagement scenario, Lena had mentioned, “It seems like your personality has changed.” At the time, he thought he had made a mistake because he had become too accustomed to repeating the scenarios, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
‘If I don’t come up with a plan, this could be a big problem.’
However, this didn’t seem like an issue that could be solved with just intuition.
Pondering, he began weaving the fish trap again.
Sitting on the edge of a rock.
If he were the real Leo, he would have squatted on the ground.
* * *
The next evening, his father returned.
“Welcome back.”
As usual, his father nodded silently in response to his son's greeting. Leo, who knew him well, accepted the silence comfortably.
Leo put the jerky his father had brought down from the mountain cabin into the cupboard and began preparing the meal.
The table was already half-set. It seemed as if he was about to eat alone, but his father arrived just in time.
As the clattering sounds of the meal time were about to end, Leo asked.
“Father, I heard something from Lena...”
What he brought up was about the giant fox in the north. He informed that the fox was large and nimble, making it very difficult to hunt.
Leo had to avoid the {war} event in the next engagement scenario at all costs.
That path was hopeless.
To avoid the war, he needed to capture the gigantic beast known as ‘Noguhwaho’, but with just {Swordsmanship.2v} and {Combined Attack}, it was impossible.
So, he wondered if his father, a hunter, might know a way and decided to ask him.
However, he didn't have high expectations. Although his father's hunting skills were remarkable, there were hardly any beasts like the Noguhwaho in the southern region. Strangely, the number of beasts increased the further north one went.
Thus, the chances of his father, who had lived his entire life in the south, knowing how to hunt such a beast were slim.
As the silence dragged on, Leo thought he had asked a pointless question and felt awkward, but then his father spoke.
“The fox jumps high.”
Oh! As expected, his father was different. How could he pinpoint the behavior of the Noguhwaho so accurately without even seeing it?
He waited excitedly for his father to continue.
Leo's father thought he had said all he needed to. But seeing his son’s eager eyes, he stroked his sparsely bearded cheek and continued.
“The fox jumps to avoid being detected by its prey.”
“The fox quietly approaches its prey, jumps high, and then bites it as it falls to the ground, starting with its snout.”
His speech was choppy, but Leo listened as if he were hearing the most interesting story in the world, and his father, unable to resist his son's gaze, continued to spill information bit by bit.
“If the prey notices, the fox quickly approaches and bites with its snout or plays with its front paws.”
“If it’s a large fox, it would see humans as prey or toys.”
After uttering a few more sentences, he cleared the table and moved away as if he had said everything he needed to in his lifetime. It seemed he wouldn't be giving any more hints.
‘If only he had explained how he would catch it himself...’
However, asking too many questions would likely arouse suspicion. Already, he was on edge from Lena's words yesterday, making him even more cautious.
Leo, feeling a bit regretful, organized the information he had heard in his mind and said, "Good night," before entering his room.
Leo's father sat by the window, enjoying the night breeze, with a hand mirror in his hand.
He meticulously cleaned the spotless hand mirror before falling asleep.
* * *
The subsequent events unfolded almost exactly as they had during their previous journey.
Leo, who had gone hunting with his father, mentioned that he planned to leave the village with Lena, showing his {initial funds}.
The reason and the lie were the same as last time.
Impressed by his son's significantly improved hunting skills, his father believed the lie without question and handed him a pouch of silver coins, seemingly to help with expenses.
Leo's proposal to Lena to leave the village together was also the same. The only difference this time was that instead of heading to the capital city of Nebis in the Ohrun Kingdom, they would go to Lutetia.
Lena, as before, expressed explosive joy and hugged Leo tightly.
As Lena trembled with emotion, Leo patted her back and made a vow.
‘Although I'm not going to make you a priestess... this time, I'll definitely make you happy. Now I have a way to meet the prince.’
Making his childhood friend Lena a princess. This was an outcome that would satisfy both Minseo, who aimed for a clear goal, and Leo, who wished for Lena's happiness.
Of course, this time too, Lena would have to do work that wouldn't accumulate money. While she gathered the tuition fees to enter the Cross Church in Lutetia, Leo would use his {tracking skills} to approach the prince.
Once again devising a wicked plan, Leo meticulously calculated the money he would show Lena. Just enough to last until they reached Lutetia...
A small problem arose.
He had forgotten something.
‘How do I cross the border?’
Residents were not allowed to move freely between regions. To legally leave the area they were bound to, they had to report to the lord and get permission.
Leo had never received such permission before.
Once, he had forced his way through the border, and another time, he had passed through a checkpoint with a token given by Katrina.
Since he couldn't risk a chase at the border with Lena, this time he had to get permission, but he didn't know how.
‘Let's ask the priest and stop by the lord's castle on the way to report.’
Although he wasn't sure yet, there must have been some system in place for those leaving to become priests in Lutetia.
Having made his plan, Leo prepared for the journey. He securely packed his money, took a few sets of clothes...
‘It's a shame I don't have a weapon.’
This damned game didn't provide any weapons.
He considered making a wooden sword while Lena persuaded her parents, but he gave up on the idea.
No matter how little Leo cared about appearances, walking around with a wooden sword was too embarrassing.
And he didn't want to do anything that might make Lena suspicious if he could help it.
‘Well... with {Swordsmanship.2v} in this body, I can handle thugs or bandits even without a weapon. It should be fine.’
Even with just a stick, he could take on five or six of those guys.
He would get stabbed a few times, though.
He briefly got angry thinking about the time Lena was kidnapped in Nebis, but soon comforted himself, thinking he had grown a lot.
A few days later, the two left the village of Demos.
The small farewell party in the village the night before, the money given to Lena by Monk Lesley and her parents, all were the same as before.
They also received the priest's blessing, but this time, they held a certificate written by the priest, stating they were leaving for Lutetia to become priests.
And it seemed that Hans, who had come along with the cart, was quietly following the two of them.
"I'll take care of the lodging! Let's see... That place over there, is that the inn?"
"No, that's just a tavern."
"Huh? Isn't the inn usually above the tavern? I read somewhere that mercenaries drink in the inn's lobby and stuff."
"Some inns do sell alcohol in their dining areas, but that's just a tavern. The dining area below the inn is much quieter. Come this way."
He led Lena to an inn with a plump innkeeper and, as soon as they secured a twin room, he said,
"Lena, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"I forgot something in the cart, I'll be quick."
"Ugh! You dummy."
"Make sure to lock the door."
"I would do that even if you didn't tell me!"
If he didn't tell her, she wouldn't lock it. Leo chuckled at her bravado as he stepped outside.
He knew Hans was following them. He hadn't noticed before, but he had correctly guessed that Hans would have checked their lodging in advance.
Hans was checking the inn and was about to disappear into the darkness.
But just as Leo was about to call out, "Hey! Hans! Come here!" he hesitated.
'But what do I gain from beating him up?'
It would certainly feel good. He was the one who sold them out and was the main reason Lena got kidnapped.
But...
'...I already killed him once.'
Back then, he had killed him in a fit of rage after Hans had said, "Just think of Lena while you're with the prostitute."
Leo stood there for a moment, lost in philosophical contemplation.
It was because of Cassia and Katrina.
Both of them had held grudges against Leo at one point.
But in Katrina's case, he had killed her once to get revenge, and in the last scenario, she had helped him greatly, clearing away any lingering resentment.
When Lena Einar first died, although it was sad, the anger might have subsided quickly because he did not witness the scene directly.
On the other hand, his feelings towards Cassia were very complicated.
He received help, bore a grudge, and then received help again.
Moreover, it wasn't even the same person repeating these actions; such things happened in a relationship that was completely reset with each iteration.
Leo still couldn't sort out his feelings towards Cassia. He didn't know how to treat her.
Realizing that his emotions were becoming excessively complicated, Leo shook his head. He saw Hans trying to disappear into the distance.
Then what should he do about that guy...
His head hurt. Let's think simply. That bastard didn't help with anything, let Lena get kidnapped, and now he was following them as they went to find lodging. Isn't that enough reason to beat him up?
Anyway, because of the 'civilian kill count' and for the sake of future progress, he didn't intend to kill him. The sight of Hans' mother collapsing after losing her son was also shocking.
He hurried his steps to catch up with Hans.
"Hey! Hans! Come here."
"Huh? Le, Leo, the weather tonight is really refreshing... Ack!"
Thinking that he was being quite lenient, Leo hit Hans, pouring out all his pent-up frustration.
It wasn't enough to just hit his jaw and cheek; he also grabbed the guy's hair and shook him.
He threatened him, asking why he was following and warning him not to follow again.
Hans, now a mess, limped away. Seeing him cursing under his breath as he left, Leo chased after him and gave him another thrashing.
As Hans had mentioned, the sky was high and refreshing that night.