Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 89

89. Beggar Siblings - The Conditions for Ending

So far, the endings he had seen occurred when Lena got married, got a job, their relationship broke, or when either Lena or Leo died.

Leo first recalled when their relationship broke. This was a condition that first appeared in the last engagement scenario.

The ending came the moment Lena couldn't hold back her anger and swung her fist. It must have been the moment she decided to sever ties completely.

What stood out here was that the relationship with Lena affected the ending. Since the scenario's name was 'engagement relationship,' it meant that if the relationship broke, the scenario ended.

This implied that in the 'childhood friend' scenario, the same result would occur if the friendship broke. Leo sighed as he easily inferred this.

Lena, his childhood friend, was quick-witted. She watched Leo closely, noticing any changes. "Leo, are you really Leo?" she had asked.

It wasn't that something was wrong or that her perceptiveness was bothersome. It was just, "If I had known this earlier, it would have been better. If only the friendship had broken back then..."

Had that been the case, he wouldn't have attempted to break off the engagement in the last scenario. He wouldn't have tormented Lena Ainar so much.

Reflecting on his regrets, he pulled himself together and thought positively.

"At least, I don't have to worry about this Beggar Siblings scenario. Our relationship won't break..."

In the past, when his sister had shouted, "I hate you, brother!" and ran out to the brothel, their relationship didn't break. Blood ties weren't something that could be severed like an engagement or friendship.

As long as Lena was born as his sister and he as her brother, this wouldn't change no matter what.

Although he was slightly worried about his childhood friend Lena, he assured himself that he wouldn't face this ending again. ─ Then Leo's thoughts moved on to the next condition, 'when Lena or Leo dies.'

There wasn't much to ponder here.

When they died, it was the ending. Whether Leo died or Lena died.

If Leo died, it would naturally lead to the player's death, and since the game's name was [Raising Lena], it made sense for it to end if Lena died.

With a death limit, it was an ending to be avoided as much as possible.

2/3. Only two more deaths left before the end.

Next was the marriage ending.

Leo had seen Lena get married several times. But looking back now, this ending had many strange points.

- Why did the ending come when Lena got married?

Though the process was painful, he had learned from the last scenario that their relationship mustn't break.

Moreover, since no rewards were given at the end of the scenario, it could be said that it was the worst, an ending even the system didn't allow.

This meant that to make Lena a princess in the engagement scenario, the only way was for Leo to seize control of a kingdom and enthrone her as a princess, but the restriction that she must not be married seemed unnecessary.

She could be enthroned as a princess after marriage; a princess (a term referring to a noblewoman of the royal family) didn't necessarily have to be an unmarried woman...

The condition was too fairy-tale-like to simply accept as 'because it's a game,' but dismissing it as such seemed unrealistic.

And one more trivial point.

It was the ending upon marriage; that much was acceptable. However, despite proposing to Lena and promising to marry, the ending didn't come immediately.

The ending only appeared after the 'wedding ceremony.'

It was a condition that might be easily overlooked, but if examined carefully, it implied that a certain social 'procedure' influenced the ending.

'Is it because Lena considered herself married after the wedding? Did she need the process to think that way? Or...'

Was it because the priest who officiated the wedding informed God of their union?

With an overflow of questions making his head ache, Leo touched his throbbing temples and finally thought of the job ending.

The job ending occurred when Lena's final job was determined, and he had experienced it only twice so far.

Once when the Lena of the childhood friend scenario was sold off as a concubine to the kingdom's trash princes, and once when the Lena of the beggar siblings scenario ran off to the brothel.

This might be easily dismissed, but there were many points to consider upon closer thought.

In the first round, when he faced the marriage ending, the Lena of the childhood friend scenario ended with the job title 'village girl.'

Here arose the question, 'Wasn't Lena originally a village girl?'

Lena Ainar was recognized as a tribe's warrior after returning from hunting, but the ending didn't come then, and even after going to the battlefield and becoming a soldier, the ending didn't arrive. It was the same when she was promoted to captain.

Simply having a 'job' didn't meet the ending condition. Changing jobs didn't seem to meet the ending condition either.

[Final Job: ...]

After much deliberation, Leo concluded that Lena didn't perceive those as her 'final' job.

The Lena from the childhood friend scenario wanted to become a priest, and the Lena from the engagement scenario aspired to be a knight, so she wouldn't have considered being a village girl or soldier as her final job.

Upon reaching this conclusion, both Leo and Min-seo felt a deep sense of self-blame for a while.

So, the Lenas who faced the job ending felt that becoming a prince's concubine or a high-class entertainer was the end of their lives... They must have thought there was no better future ahead, leading to their despair.

That's why the job ending appeared. Otherwise, Leo could have rescued Lena from being a concubine or persuaded her to leave the brothel, changing the outcome.

Though the possibility was slim, considering the situation and Lena's despair...

Thus, Lena mustn't fall into complete despair. She needed hope.

Though it was a simple aspect of human life, he wondered why he had to ponder it. Nonetheless, it was the case.

Thinking, 'This game is truly cursed,' Leo finally recalled the last, problematic princess ending.

Separate from the various forms of endings, the scenario or game-clearing ending. The ending Min-seo had longed for.

'But is making Lena a princess really the clear condition?'

This felt ambiguous to be considered a job.

A princess, strictly speaking, is a 'status,' not a job.

So, if one were to define a princess ending, which he had never seen before, it would likely be a 'status ending.' Or it could be a type of marriage ending when marrying a prince.

Here, another question arose.

His sister was a princess from birth. She was born with a noble status, and now she was somewhat aware of the fact that she was a princess.

Yet, the ending hadn't come. Some condition hadn't been met.

This was why Leo didn't start a rebellion at Noyar Harbor.

Declaring, "I am the prince, and Lena is the princess!" wouldn't likely bring the ending.

This was not much different from a bandit chief claiming, "I am the king!"

Status is relative. Without people of lower status, there are no people of higher status.

In other words, for Lena to be recognized as a princess, she needed people below her to acknowledge it. At a minimum, a kingdom-level population and a political and administrative system should be in place to serve her as a princess.

Creating these foundations from scratch was impossible. Such a feat would require a great hero to spend decades, and even then, they would need to be born in the right era.

Taking over an existing kingdom's system was more realistic.

Additionally, like the marriage ending, some social 'procedure' might be necessary.

For instance, a succession ceremony like the one Eric de Yeriel Prince held after expelling them might be needed. Or a coming-of-age ceremony for a princess, where something was appropriately declared in front of everyone.

"Prince?"

Bart drew Leo's attention. He had gathered the knights in the lobby and, seeing the prince lost in thought, cautiously called out to break his reverie.

"Oh, sorry."

Apologizing, Leo gave his orders. Bart and the knights followed the prince's commands and dispersed outside.

As the five knights left, Leo, left in the empty building, went up to Lena's room. He sat beside his sister, who was reading a book out of boredom.

Take it slowly. Slowly.

He planned to eliminate Eric de Yeriel Prince. Using a method other than a power struggle.

If he could somehow kill the sole known heir, it would be easy to restore his legitimacy as the rightful heir, Leo de Yeriel. Moreover, with his overpowered ability {Tracking}, Eric Prince could never escape.

So, he could afford to take his time and prepare thoroughly.

In other scenarios, he had to hurry because he needed to marry Lena or was afraid her job would be determined, but this Beggar Siblings scenario allowed more leeway.

Lena, who was a bit lazy and didn't particularly have any dreams, liked to sleep in and was still not of age, born a natural princess.

"Brother, is there anything I can help with?"

Then, Lena, who would come of age next year, asked. She looked at her brother, who was lost in deep thought, and her eyes didn't leave the ceiling.

"Hmm? No. It's fine. Everything's going well."

"I'm bored... Cassia isn't here, too."

Leo patted his sister's head. Why was her pouting so adorable?

He inadvertently pinched Lena's upper lip and philtrum, and Lena let out a loud yelp.

"Mweh! What are you doing! Let go!"

Too cute to bear.

As the mischievous play between brother and sister continued, the sun was setting.

And one by one, the royal guards who had left started to return.

Each of them brought back someone, and Leo went down to the lobby to meet their companions.

"Gasp! Prince!"

The knight who had followed a guard was so shocked that he knelt.

The knight, who was happy to see that the friend who had been expelled from the kingdom was alive, intended to secretly have a drink and hear how he had been living, but he was greatly startled and respectful when Leo de Yeriel, whom he had thought dead, appeared before him.

Leo asked in a solemn voice.

"Will you pledge your loyalty to me? Or will you follow the immoral Eric Prince?"

Some knights shook their heads in disbelief, but Leo's resemblance to the king was undeniable. Eventually, they believed the persuasive words of their friends.

"Prince Leo de Yeriel, the world knows you are the rightful heir. If you accept this unfaithful servant, I will follow you."

The knight brought by the royal guard swore loyalty to Leo.

"I gladly accept your loyalty. In return, as your lord, I will bring you honor."

Leo took the knight's offered sword, pointed it at him, and then returned the hilt.

This was the plan Leo, Bart, and the royal guards had devised. Persuading the cunning nobles wasn't easy, as they were in Duke Tertan's grasp, but the knights were different.

Knights who valued honor above all else. They hadn't rebelled against Eric Prince simply because they had no alternative, but they were internally dissatisfied with him.

And they were generally straightforward, but even if they weren't, Leo had a way to see through their hearts.

[Achievement: Master-Servant Relationship - '9', As long as their loyalty does not waver, those who swear loyalty will believe and follow Leo.]

Seeing the master-servant relationship count increase, Leo smiled. If loyalty had been falsely sworn, this achievement wouldn't have reacted.

He sent the royal guard and the new companion to talk upstairs and stayed alone in the lobby, laughing out loud.

It was a laugh of joy and relief.

He would gather them one by one like this. Slowly and secretly, he would take control of the kingdom's knights and the royal guards. He would kill Duke Tertan, scattering the noble's power center, and then eliminate Eric Prince.

Leo lit the fire in the lobby's fireplace.

Feeling the warm heat envelop his body, he sat down and recalled past memories.

What he had accumulated so far was not in vain. Childhood friend. Engagement relationship.

All the past tragedies had left him with skills and information, and the fruit of that was right before his eyes.

"Thank you, everyone."

The fire crackled, illuminating his face with bright light, and Leo whispered softly, expressing his gratitude to Min-seo and the other Leos.

Leo Dexter, that guy seemed unhappy about having his life dictated by Min-seo, but Leo de Yeriel had no such complaints. Because the beggar from Orville was destined to die miserably in the streets.

Though he had faced numerous harsh endings, he would never have come this far without Min-seo's strange, repetitive life. Nor would his sister have survived.

Lost in sentiment, Leo poked the fire with a stick.

The smoke that rose intertwined chaotically, then escaped through the chimney, and the sturdy wood logs turned to ash, settling on the ground.