Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 34

34. Engagement Relationship - Method**

Lena Ainar burst into Leo's room without knocking.

Not one to bother with knocking, she plopped down next to Leo, who was sprawled on the bed, and asked, "Hey! Why are you so down these days?"

Her arm was fine.

The engagement scenario had started again, but Leo had been depressed for days. It was because the information about {Noble Society} he received as a reward from the last scenario overwhelmed his mind.

He didn't gain all the knowledge that nobles knew. The {Noble Society} information contained general knowledge shared among them, excluding peripheral or secret information.

For example, the {Noble Society} information included the etiquette of the Arcaea Empire. This was common knowledge among nobles.

However, it lacked the latest etiquette of the Bellita Kingdom. This wasn't known to nobles from other kingdoms, so it couldn't be considered common.

He also gained information about Swordmasters. They were so renowned that nobles across the continent knew about them.

Leo felt overwhelmed as he chewed over the {Noble Society} information for days. Making Lena a princess seemed almost impossible, even though he knew it was his goal.

The ways to make Lena a princess were through [The Prince's Obsessive Love], {Bloodline Event}, or by becoming a ‘King’ himself.

There were no other methods.

Leo, who had his face buried in the pillow, lifted his head to look at Lena, and their eyes met.

Lena, a beautiful warrior with a strong conviction but somewhat naive, was someone who, in Leo's subjective opinion, was destined to be loved. All the different Lenas had their unique traits, but they were all lovable.

'We need to get the Lenas to meet the prince.'

Regardless of the scenario, if Lena fell in love with the prince and Leo supported her by any means necessary, she could become a princess.

However, the prince needed to ‘obsessively’ love her. The thick walls of noble society wouldn't easily allow a commoner to approach.

"What, what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lena raised her voice in embarrassment, but Leo continued his thoughts.

Breaking the engagement was a big problem.

Lena was engaged to him.

'I need to keep my distance from Lena as much as possible...'

But this wasn't easy. They trained together daily and barged into each other's rooms without hesitation.

Even during a war, he had to stay by her side.

If he stayed away, Lena would be killed by Katrina.

Moreover, he was becoming more of a ‘perfect Leo’ over time. He could feel himself liking the Lena in front of him more and more with each passing moment.

With this, would he be able to bring up the topic of breaking the engagement later?

‘What if I die after becoming close to the prince?’

Then Lena could meet the prince. She would be very sad, but life goes on.

If they got married, wouldn't that still achieve the princess ending?

But it was terrifying.

Leo had never died before. What would happen to ‘me’ if this Leo died? If an ending didn't appear...

‘No. There's no way. If dying means truly dying, then this game can't be cleared. There have been so many dangerous moments...’

He tried to shake off his worries.

There's no way that's possible.

"Le, Leo?"

Lena averted her eyes, sensing his unease.

And the Bloodline Event.

The beggar siblings were heirs to the Yriel royal family that ruled the Conrad Kingdom.

Prince Eric de Yriel of the Conrad Kingdom had tried to kill his half-siblings. This incident was so famous that it was included in the {Noble Society} information.

Prince Eric had expelled his siblings and was recognized as the sole heir to the kingdom.

The clearest way to make Lena a princess lay here.

The beggar siblings were royalty, and legitimate heirs at that. If they could oust Eric de Yriel, Lena would reclaim her name as ‘Lena de Yriel’ and become a princess.

Having noble status made things so much simpler.

At that moment, Lena stood up as if she couldn't take it anymore.

"Ugh... y-you, Leo! I'm leaving! Eat or don't, whatever!"

She stormed out, clattering down the stairs, her face red like a beet, but Leo's worries were far from over.

Becoming incredibly powerful and becoming a king was also worth considering. It would take a very long time, but he could keep growing stronger through repetition, so it wasn't impossible.

However, the chances were slim.

Even a Swordmaster who achieved the pinnacle of swordsmanship couldn't establish a kingdom. To be a king, one needed the ability to lead and command people, leadership skills.

'Leadership? Me?'

Leo snickered.

Minseo had been a loner in college.

If he hadn't met Chaeha in the club he joined with the enthusiasm of a freshman, he would have continued attending school with the atmosphere of a returning student since his first year.

Minseo's abilities seemed insufficient to become a king. So, did this Leo have the qualities to be a king?

Moreover, the continent was already occupied by seven kingdoms. There was no land to squeeze into, and the regimes of each kingdom were stable.

Places where a rebellion might occur immediately... he didn't know yet. Such detailed information wasn't included in the {Noble Society} information.

Of course, he could prepare for a rebellion over a long period. Whether he could or not, he had plenty of time for infinite repetition, so the possibility was there.

But there was a problem.

‘Until then, shouldn't Lena remain unmarried? She shouldn't decide on a job either.’

Lena had to be made into an old maid and a drifter.

Leo shook his head, thinking this was not right.

Lena wasn't a game character to be controlled. She was always ready to run towards her life with her own will.

The reason Lena had followed Leo’s words ‘to some extent’ until now was simply because she liked him.

He didn't want to exploit that feeling.

At that moment, one glimmer of hope for becoming a king came to mind.

The barbarians of the Orun Kingdom.

*The previous childhood friend scenario where Lena and Leo were captured was no coincidence.*

It was partly due to their lack of street knowledge from not having the {Rules of the Backstreets} information, but the Orun Kingdom was also the nation that employed the most slaves on the entire continent.

Due to the forested and mountainous terrain of the Orun Kingdom, many barbarians still lived in tribes, and the Orun Kingdom oppressed them.

This was in stark contrast to the two northern kingdoms that integrated the barbarians as citizens and the Holy Kingdom, which allowed the barbarians to self-govern.

There were hardly any barbarians in the Bellita Kingdom, located in the central continent (though, to be precise, the humans living in the central part of the continent were considered "civilized"). The Conrad Kingdom, with its bizarre lack of mountains and vast plains, also had few barbarian tribes.

Lastly, in the Aisel Kingdom to the east, known as the Magic Kingdom, the unique political system, abundant rivers, and swamps meant that while there were barbarians, they couldn't be classified as "barbarians" in the usual sense.

Anyway, in the Orun Kingdom, there was a group that could certainly support Leo if he incited a rebellion. Moreover, the Orun Kingdom didn't have a Swordmaster...

‘If I became a Swordmaster and united the barbarians of the Orun Kingdom...’

Leo shook his head, ending his musings.

A Swordmaster? No way.

The strongest warriors on this continent, of which there were only three.

Even having three was considered exceptional. According to the {Noble Society} information, it was unprecedented in human history to have more than two Swordmasters in a single era.

Reaching such a supreme level, where only one might emerge over several decades, seemed unfathomable.

I'll think about the last method later.

‘Did Lena tell me to eat?’

It seemed like Lena had said something about eating earlier, but he was too focused to hear properly.

Even though it had only been a few days since the scenario started, it was already hard for him to think as Minseo if he didn't focus.

He went to Lena's house.

Leo Dexter's mother had passed away. Thus, the two men of the Dexter family often received meals from Lena’s mother.

As was common among the Ainar tribe's peers, Lena's mother and Leo's mother were friends.

They weren't very close. Leo's mother, like Lena, wanted to become a warrior and was a spirited woman, while Lena's mother was a lady of refined manners. Over time, however, she had turned into a fierce woman who constantly scolded her husband, Dehor...

“Thank you for the meal.”

Leo asked the silent Lena as he ate.

“Lena, why did you leave earlier?”

“What, what did you say?”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

Lena's face turned bright red.

It seemed Leo had made up his mind today. She had felt something was off for a few days now.

Earlier, he had set a mood by looking at her intensely on the bed, and now he was being so direct.

“Hey! My mom is in the kitchen. Are you crazy? And I’m not ready yet...”

Lena tried to explain in a low voice with big mouth movements, but her voice trailed off.

“And in a few days, I’ll be of age, so there’s no need to rush...”

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what? We are engaged, but... not that I dislike you, but there is a proper order to things...”

Lena hurriedly tried to explain something, but Leo couldn't understand her for a while and then burst out laughing.

She flinched at his laughter.

Lena was truly Lena.

Seeing her wide-eyed like a startled rabbit, his gloomy feelings vanished, replaced by a sense of joy. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed like this. It was thanks to her that he could keep going.

Lena, flustered, didn't know what to do, and Leo later received a good scolding from her.

Lena and Leo pointed their swords at Noel Dexter.

The two were fully armed, while Noel, in light attire, let his sword hang. Only when Lena and Leo spread out and approached did he raise his sword.

“Hup!”

Lena took the initiative.

At that moment, Leo felt a strange sensation.

Normally, he would have attacked in sync with Lena, but he moved sideways to get out of his father's line of sight and prepared to thrust.

His father, instead of lightly deflecting Lena's attack as usual, blocked it head-on.

His stillness was chilling.

Leo retracted his thrust and moved toward Lena to prepare for a counterattack. As if possessed by intuition, he predicted correctly: his father's sword came crashing down like thunder after deflecting Lena's blow.

Gritting his teeth, Leo blocked the descending sword while Lena, having regained her balance, aimed at their father's abdomen.

‘Impressive.’

Noel felt a deep satisfaction inside as he applied more pressure. His sword slid out of the bind with Leo's, deflecting Lena's thrust. With room to maneuver, Noel advanced on her.

At this rate, Lena would be struck.

In that urgent moment, Leo again felt that peculiar sensation. Instead of rashly thrusting his sword at his advancing father, he stomped the ground forcefully.

As he shifted his weight forward to charge, Noel Dexter slashed horizontally, wary of Leo.

Both Lena and Leo managed to block his sword with relative ease and briefly stood off.

A bright smile spread across Noel's face.

This time, he took the initiative and pressed them slowly.

Noel displayed a bit more skill but held back to extend the sparring session.

Soon, Leo was gasping for breath.

His father's movements were unfair! The usual exchange involves using a single breath to both attack and effectively counter the opponent's move. That's the normal flow and mind game in a duel.

But his father, with superior physical abilities, pressed them with two or three moves within a single breath.

The gap in swordsmanship was even greater, as his father blocked their combined attacks with a single move. When they blocked once, two breaths were wasted, making it impossible to keep up.

Oops, losing focus because of exhaustion.

Leo was sent flying by his father's kick, and shortly after, Lena was also knocked down.

The two lay on the ground, gasping for air.

Noel, without a drop of sweat on his face, smiled and said, "Leo, you've improved a lot. Your coordination with Lena is good, and your suppression tactics have gotten much better."

Leo was bewildered. Lena had done most of the attacking, and he hadn't done much, but Noel Dexter praised his son first.

He lavishly praised Leo, saying he effectively restricted the opponent's movements and blocked counterattacks by following Lena's flow.

‘The {Joint Tactics} skill is quite useful...’

He had earned the {Joint Tactics} skill from his last engagement scenario achievement, but hadn't had the chance to use it since he hadn't fought alongside anyone.

He used to run with gangs in the Family, but there he had never felt any coordination.

Gang fights weren't about strategy. They were battles of numbers and brute force.

Fighting with Lena was different. A way to corner the opponent naturally came to mind, matching her moves.

Noel Dexter was restricted by Leo's moves.

Of course, it was because he was holding back...

Noel reviewed the spar and gave a few more pieces of advice before heading home.

Lena and Leo lay back down on the clearing, catching their breath.

“Wow, Leo. That was great.”

“What?”

“Somehow... I felt less pressured than before.”

Lena hummed a tune, seemingly in a good mood.

“I’ve never fought like this against your father. You've changed a lot. Your swordsmanship has become unique; you’re like a different person. I need to work hard too.”

“Uh, what? What do you mean?”

“You’ve improved.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Your personality seems to have changed a bit too.”

“!!”

“Ah! Let's go inside. I need to wash up before eating.”

Lena got up and went inside. Leo stood frozen for a moment in the clearing.

He was getting used to meeting Lena repeatedly.

When he first started the scenario, he had paid close attention to her to fit in.

This time he had been careless. He was too engrossed in the {Noble Society} information.

If the naive Lena Ainar had noticed, he had indeed been too complacent.

‘I need to be more careful from now on.’

He was Leo, yet not Leo. Especially at the beginning of a scenario.

Leo pondered his identity as he went inside, leaving the snowy clearing behind.