Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 102

102. Childhood Friend - History of Ashin

Leo stared blankly at the tattoo on his right palm and arm.

The {History of Ashin} provided information about those known as Ashin.

Long ago, during a time when non-human species thrived on this continent, these species worshiped a nameless main deity.

They prayed and offered sacrifices to attract the attention of the Creator of all things and the ruler of this world.

But it was in vain.

The main deity did not particularly accept their offerings and was fair to all species, so there was nothing to gain from worshiping him.

Gradually, these species began to worship their own gods. They dreamed of a transcendent being who would bestow special favors upon them and offered sacrifices, resulting in the birth of the 'Ashin.'

Ashin (兒神), Child God.

Among them, Oriax was the god of the Minotaurs (half-man, half-beast with a bull's head).

The species that dominated the southern continent were ferocious.

Minotaurs, sensitive about their territory, attacked and killed any visible non-human species. They remembered even the smallest mistakes and relentlessly punished them.

As a result, they constantly waged wars against other species, piling up the bodies of their enemies like mountains and offering sacrifices after each battle. They celebrated their bloody deeds by offering the corpses to their god.

Of course, their sacrifices were meaningless. Since the main deity, the ruler of all things, did not receive offerings, the Minotaurs' sacrifices were merely a frenzied celebration of their massacres.

However, over a long period of repeated sacrifices, their madness gave birth to a god. Oriax was born from the rotting piles of corpses and became their god.

Leo repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist. The footprint on his right palm was not a tattoo. It was a mark imprinted by the power of Oriax.

It indicated the presence of someone who had invaded his territory... It probably wouldn't be visible to others.

The {History of Ashin} continued.

Since 'history' is a record of events, there were many records of the ferocious species and their ruthless god, Oriax.

They massacred countless non-human species and gradually expanded their power from the southern coast of the continent.

But the prosperity of the Minotaurs did not last long.

As they extended their influence, they encountered a formidable adversary in the southeastern continent, now occupied by the Kingdom of Conrad.

It was the Centaurs (half-human, half-horse species).

The two half-man, half-beast species clashed on the fertile plains, resulting in a fierce war that lasted for decades.

The war ultimately ended in the victory of the Centaurs, who loved music and had built friendly relations with surrounding species.

Such 'trivial' conflicts between species would not normally be included in the {History of Ashin}, but it was included because the Minotaurs, driven to extinction, sacrificed themselves to summon Oriax.

Oriax, piercing the veil that separated gods and creatures, descended. In response, the Centaurs summoned Amdukias, an Ashin they worshiped, leading to a clash between the two gods.

It was an earth-shattering battle.

Oriax rotted countless life forms and even tall mountains, while the music played by Amdukias's five mouths shattered the rocks buried deep underground.

This is why there are few mountains and rocks in the current Kingdom of Conrad.

The battle between the two Ashin, which devastated the southeastern continent, ended with Amdukias's victory. Oriax lost all his worshiping Minotaurs and disappeared into the annals of history... only to reappear later.

This was different from the usual Ashin, who disappeared entirely when their worshiping species vanished.

Rubbing his palm, Leo shifted his gaze to the trumpet tattoo on his left forearm, the mark of Barbatos.

Unlike Oriax, who caused numerous incidents recorded in the {History of Ashin}, Barbatos...

"Leo! Are you listening to me? Hey? What's that?"

Lena, who was picking mountain berries, turned around and interrupted his thoughts. She pointed at the scabbard hanging from Leo's waist.

[Achievement: Bound Item, 0/3]

[Sword - Indestructible.]

"What?"

"Wow! It's a sword? When did you get something like this..."

"Ta-da!"

What the hell.

Leo quickly drew the sword, pretending to boast.

"Surprised? Look at this. Isn't it cool?"

This game has no consideration at all. Like before, the only item he had, a 'sword,' appeared clumsily as soon as the scenario started. Not to mention, this Lena was perceptive...

"Wow, wow! Where did you get this? Did you buy it? Let me see it. I want to touch it."

"I bought it last week in a big town. What do you think?"

"It's heavy! Amazing! But... why did you buy something like this?"

"I wanted to learn swordsmanship, so I splurged a bit."

"Swordsmanship? Weren't you going to become a hunter? Do hunters need something like this?"

"You don't know much about hunting, but when hunting, you see..."

In fact, a sword was almost useless for hunting, but Leo tailored his explanation to the common misconceptions laypeople might have.

"And you need to be prepared for encounters with bandits. I'll be an adult next year, so I got it in advance."

"Oh, I see. That's interesting."

Lena awkwardly swung the sword, poked the ground a few times, and handed it back. Then she glanced at Leo.

"Geez, did you hide it all the way here just to show it off? You could've just shown it in the village."

"Hehe, showing it in the village feels too boastful. My father also has a sword, but he leaves it at the mountain lodge and doesn't bring it down."

That's a blatant lie. His father didn't have a sword. But Lena never visited the mountain lodge...

Lena said "Hmm~" and turned her attention back to the mountain berries.

'It seems I managed to pass it off.' Leo thought, trying not to show any signs of relief.

He felt the clinking of the {Initial Funds} in his pocket and gazed at Lena's back.

Her tightly tied hair swayed with each berry she picked, striking Leo's chest.

'Lena...'

This time, he intended to send Lena to the cathedral. In the childhood friend scenario, there was an event where she could become a priestess.

He had abandoned the plan to marry Lena off to a prince after the previous betrothal scenario.

Seeing Lena Ainar's suffering and the almost tooth-cracking anger of Leo Dexter, he deeply reflected.

He decided not to use Lena as a tool for clearing the game. He vowed to make her happy while aiming for a clear.

This was Minseo's resolution, but it also pierced deeply into Leo from Demos Village.

He, too, had once selfishly prevented Lena from leaving because he wanted to be happy. He had blocked his friend's future several times.

Although Minseo's wish was mixed in, he was also a co-conspirator.

He didn't want to part with her.

'But now I must let her go. Lena has dreams, and I have things to do... Honestly, I would only hinder her if I stayed by her side. Lena had given up on her dreams because of me. That shouldn't happen...'

Leo steeled his heart.

Friendship. That would be enough.

Lena and Leo filled the leather bag with mountain berries. Leo's hands moved slowly, so Lena helped him (saying, "Leo! Why are you so slow? Let's hurry up and go back."), and they descended the mountain.

"Goodbye. Enjoy your meal!"

"You too..."

"?"

After sending Lena off and returning home, Leo let out a sigh.

His father was out hunting.

'Where are my boots? The blanket... I guess I don't need it.'

He prepared to go hunting in his room, which he hadn't seen in a while. He wore thin arm guards to prevent scratches from branches and tied a string around his waist. He was about to put on his hat but instead collapsed onto the bed.

"Sigh."

He planned not to return until autumn after leaving for hunting.

His childhood friend, Lena, was incredibly perceptive. Curious and never one to overlook anything unusual, she always focused her attention on Leo. As other Leos' habits mixed in and scenarios repeated, he could never escape her notice.

Last time, Lena had asked, "Are you really Leo?" and "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" which had left her disappointed and upset.

Unfortunately, there was no way to resolve this. It was impossible to remember and control all his small habits, and he couldn't just confess, "I'm not actually Leo."

It was hard to explain his peculiar situation, and only Leo himself could understand the gap between being Leo and not being Leo.

Telling Lena wouldn't help her, and he didn't want to burden her with it.

Lena needed to become a priestess.

He didn't want to complicate his friend's mind with unnecessary talk.

There was also a practical reason. This childhood friend scenario forced the {Priestess} event.

The princes in the capital of the Right Kingdom, Nevis, were worthless trash that had to be avoided. This meant going to another kingdom, but obtaining permission to cross the border required going to the lord's castle, which led to an event where he would head towards the Duke of Tertan's house.

Following that event led to death by Bart. Bart, who bore a grudge against the duke's family, attacked Philas Tertan, killing all the servants and maids, ending the last childhood friend scenario that way.

So, in the beggar sibling scenario, he had already made a choice.

Upon receiving gold coins from Cassia, instead of running to stop Bart, he chose to kill Gilbert Forte. This was to prevent Lena from being chased away when she went to the cathedral in Lutetia.

Leo's heart sank heavily. His body pressed deeper into the bed in response.

"Just endure for two months. Come back on the day Lena leaves and send her off happily."

He was leaving for the mountain lodge partly to avoid Lena's suspicions but more so to avoid her confession.

In a short time, Lena would ask to go pick mountain mushrooms, and there, she would subtly confess, "I'm thinking of quitting my priestess studies."

It was a crucial turning point in Lena's attitude.

After that, she would grab his hand, and he would be unable to break away from her. Despite his resolve to let her go, he wouldn't be able to suppress his feelings.

So, he decided to keep his distance from the start.

He had felt similarly when trying to break off the engagement with Lena Ainar before. He had resolved to keep a clear distance before getting too deeply involved.

This wasn't repeating the same mistake.

Lena and he were friends. And if gently nudged, she would pursue her dreams.

Better to hear her confession and part ways tearfully than to be bewildered and cry at the end.

Lena would probably be a bit puzzled about why he went to the mountain lodge and didn't return...

Leo tossed and turned. He needed to leave after dinner, but he didn't feel like getting up from the bed.

He raised his left arm and looked at the tattoo on his upper arm. Trying to erase thoughts of Lena, he thought of something else.

'Barbatos...'

Like the white necklace in the beggar siblings scenario, the tattoo seemed to indicate some {event}.

It was the mark of Barbatos, where multiple trumpets crossed.

There was almost no information about Barbatos in the {History of Ashin}. It only briefly recorded that he was a god born from the wishes of 'hunters.'

This meant Barbatos was likely a moderate god.

Lack of records indicated he hadn't caused significant trouble, and not all Ashins were as vicious as Oriax.

Oriax was one of the most malevolent among all Ashins, while most Ashins simply accepted their worshipers' offerings and quietly existed.

Every time his father finished a hunt, he buried the prey's head in the ground and offered a bow as a kind of sacrificial ritual.

Whether he expected something in return, Leo didn't know...

'But what does this mean? Am I supposed to receive Barbatos's power? To borrow his power to defeat Oriax?'

The tattoo seemed to point as clearly as the {bloodline} event in the beggar siblings scenario.

He hadn't paid much attention to the tattoo because he didn't know about the {History of Ashin}, but in the childhood friend scenario, he might always have had the opportunity to borrow Barbatos's power.

Now, the enemy he had to face was beyond human understanding. To confront it, he needed a powerful supernatural ability.

'But...'

Leo scratched his head.

Something felt off. It didn't add up.

Lena wanted to become a priestess, and the church massacred non-converting barbarians. Worshiping Barbatos was entirely contrary to Lena's future aspirations.

Lena was the heroine of this game...

'Though I need to make Lena a princess before she becomes a priestess, it still feels strange...'

Is this a trap? Another vicious trick? Or is it a clear path like the {bloodline} event?

After pondering for a while, Leo couldn't stand his hunger and got up from the bed. He rummaged through the kitchen and had a simple meal.

'I'll think about it slowly. There's still time.'

Lena would leave...

After finishing his meal, Leo put on his boots, pulled his hat down low, and went outside. He stared blankly at Lena's small house next door, wondering if he should say something before leaving.

In the end, he called out to her.

"Lena."

"What? At this hour?"

"Yes. It turned out that way."

"Why? You can go tomorrow."

"I'll be an adult next year, so I need to learn hunting early to maintain my dignity. So, I'll stay at the mountain lodge for a while."

"Really? Isn't it dangerous? Don't overdo it; just go tomorrow morning."

Oops. Such a good suggestion.

Unable to suppress his uneasy feelings, he had hastily packed his things. He felt like a fool but was too well-prepared to turn back.

"It's not dangerous at all. My father and I often go back and forth to the mountain lodge, so there's a bit of a path, and there are no bandits around. No big animals either. If there were, my father would have caught them already. It's fine."

"I'm worried... okay. How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know? Probably longer than usual."

"Okay. Be careful and come back safe."

"Yeah... you too, take care."

"Huh? Of course, I'll be fine. You're talking weird today."

"...I'm leaving."

"Go~."

After saying goodbye, Leo climbed the dark mountain.

The next day, Leo's father looked at his son with curiosity when he arrived at the mountain lodge.

There was no reason for him to come so suddenly, and arriving at the lodge in the middle of the day meant he had left the night before.

But he simply nodded at his son's explanation of wanting to learn hunting quickly and said nothing.

Leo unpacked his things at the lodge and lay down to catch up on sleep. As he rubbed his body on the layers of cheap leather piled on the bed, he thought.

The day he returned to the village would be the day he sent Lena off.

With the {Priestess} event coming in the fall, Lena would become the priestess she had always dreamed of.

Then, Lena would be happy.

And I...

Leo soon fell asleep.

After arriving at the lodge, he immersed himself in hunting to forget Lena. Despite having no past memories, he naturally grew fond of her, trying to cover it with friendship. Even if he repeated this scenario many more times, he would send her off to become a priestess...

But as always, his plan faced a variable.

One month after arriving at the lodge, Lena came to the lodge. "Leo!" she shouted, panting heavily.