335: Childhood Friends - Crossroads
"Don’t ss with ."
"Hm. How’d you figure it out?"
Lean admitted it without resistance. Rev was both baffled and unsettled.
In the fleeting mont after Lean had been woken up by Rev’s contact, he had grasped the situation and decided to ss around.
Well, it wasn’t surprising. Even when he’d been exiled from the palace and wandered the streets, Lean had been sharp. Now, having grown up as a prince, how much sharper must he have beco?
Rev asked to confirm, "You know you’re the '22nd Leo,' right? You rember Ray capturing Malhas, don’t you?"
"Ah~ so you contacted Ray in the last regression, huh? Did he think of himself as the 20th Leo? Haha, too bad—I wanted to pull a prank. Yeah, I’m the 22nd."
The guy caught on instantly.
Ray, in the last regression, had been in the sa position Lean was now. Malhas had disappeared, the history had shifted, and Ray had lived an entirely different life.
Yet both Ray and Lean retained overlapping mories—those of their lived experiences and the mories up to the 19th regression.
‘I almost got fooled.’
Rev chuckled dryly, thinking that Lean’s intelligence would make the conversation easier. He took off the pouch of wild berries and set it aside, leaning against a nearby rock as he crouched down.
The space behind the mirror reflecting Lean was just as busy—he seed to be relocating. Soon, the two of them, one in the forest and the other with a radiant royal palace as a backdrop, began their conversation.
"Did you fix the necklace? Hmm~ Looks like things went well. How’s my sister?"
"She’s doing fine. Lived a full life, tried everything she wanted. This ti, I saw a picture of her as an old woman, but even at that age, she was beautiful."
"Haha, really? Must’ve lived a long life. I bet she married Santian, didn’t she?"
"Yeah. That guy must’ve racked up so serious karma in a past life. Oh, by the way, I found sothing out—Santian Rauno is a descendant of Banun Rauno. Seems like there’s so connection to us, but I didn’t dig too deep."
"Why not?"
They briefly exchanged stories about a beggar with a broken arm. Lean murmured, "Hmm. Baneca Rauno..." before shrugging and steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Instead, you said you figured sothing out. You ntioned a way to capture Astroth."
"Yeah? How?"
"You said he’d fall prey to his own sches."
"..."
"..."
"That’s it? That’s all you said?"
Rev scratched his head awkwardly.
"Yeah. The thing is, you seed to have sothing in mind, but I have no idea what it ant."
"There must’ve been sothing I organized and passed on."
"That’s exactly what I can’t figure out."
"Geez. What about Minseo? What did he say?"
"he didn’t say anything. He must not have understood it either."
Rev lied, partly to protect Minseo’s reputation. After all, sotis ignorance is bliss when it cos to the true ending.
Lean, looking sowhat apologetic, ruffled his bangs.
"Ugh... I must’ve been too careless when I passed on the information. In that case, there’s no other choice—I’ll have to hear everything that happened directly."
"Well, what happened is—"
"Wait. If you just give a broad summary, it won’t be much help. Since we can’t talk long through the mirror... sorry, but could you co to Lutetia?"
"?"
"Yeah. If Minseo’s plan hasn’t changed, you’ll be heading to the Aisel Kingdom anyway. Stop by on your way."
"..."
"What? Did the plan change?"
"No, it hasn’t, but..."
Rev hesitated briefly before agreeing. However, knowing it wouldn’t be easy for a commoner to et a prince, Lean made a promise.
"I’ll send a guide to wait for you at the south gate of Lutetia. How long will it take you to get there?"
"Um... never mind. I might not co after all, so let’s figure out another way."
"...Alright. In that case, you can call instead. I’m staying in the room Eric used—rember the terrace-like window on the third floor of Lutetia Castle? I’ll bury a bell in the garden below. Co by in the morning and toss it through the window. You rember the secret passage, right?"
Eric de Yeriel’s old room.
It was the room on the third floor of Lutetia Castle, with a protruding terrace window. Of course, Rev rembered the passage leading to the garden well.
"I’ll wake Ray in the anti. You might need his help while heading that way."
"...Thanks."
Having nothing more to discuss, Rev and Lean exchanged well wishes and ended the contact.
"While heading that way, huh..."
Rev tucked the shattered mirror into his belongings and descended the mountain. The scorching sunlight filtered through the leaves, prompting him to raise a hand to block it.
It felt embarrassing.
Lean seed to have guessed Rev’s intentions. According to Minseo’s plan, Rev should have been heading toward the Aisel Kingdom. But Lean must have realized Rev intended to go in the exact opposite direction—toward the Holy Kingdom of Jero.
[Achievent: King 4/6]
Following Minseo’s plan was the right thing to do. There were only 23/24 regressions completed; the next one would be the last. Yet, two kings remained unt.
What completing that achievent would grant was unclear. But Minseo was certain it was crucial for capturing Astroth. he had divided the tasks accordingly, considering the ti, places, and regressions left.
If the last "Beggar Siblings" scenario had been about fixing the "pretty necklace," then this "Childhood Friend" scenario had been chosen purely to achieve the [King] milestone.
To ensure everything would lead to the final scenario. Minseo had designated the betrothal scenario as the ultimate regression.
Click.
It made sense. After all, the Leo and Lena of the betrothal scenario were the strongest among all the Leos and Lenas. Rev didn’t find that hard to accept.
But knowing this regression would be his last made it feel like a thorn in his throat.
What he did in this cycle would be set in stone forever. Revenge could only be exacted once—just as he had tried to end it all by dismantling Cesar in the previous regression.
"I just want to spend a little more ti with Lena..."
Minseo’s carefully calculated plan, taking into account the ti and place for all six individuals, naturally included Lena’s whereabouts.
Lena was supposed to travel to Lutetia to et the Saintess and retrieve the Bronze Chalice.
It was an item that must not be missed, yet it lay in the exact opposite direction of where Rev needed to go to accomplish the [King] achievent.
In the end, it seed that the Leo and Lena of the "Childhood Friend" scenario were fated to act separately. Perhaps that was why Lena had been given the "{Priest} Event," a way to move on her own without Leo accompanying her...
Rev sighed deeply as he returned ho. Even so, he let go of his sour mood and ate the al his mother had prepared.
Despite wrestling with the dilemma all night, the crossroads he faced offered no clear solution.
---
Having fled to the village, Lena’s heart was pounding.
She gave up trying to remove the Cocoren stubbornly clinging to her head and sank down at the village outskirts.
Rev confessed to .
It wasn’t as though there hadn’t been signs. Neither of them had said anything, but they had a mutual affection. If she were to marry soone, it was impossible to imagine anyone but Rev. She had only been caught off guard by how sudden it was.
“Well, Rev is almost an adult now.”
There were only six months left before he would be considered a full-fledged adult.
It was the age when the pressure to marry would start creeping in, and it wasn’t unusual for soone to have already settled down by then. Lena realized she couldn’t keep acting like a child forever.
A priestess...
She finally took off the leather pouch slung over her shoulder. She should have picked many more berries, but she wasn’t in the mood for work. Nor could she muster the energy to go study at the churChapter
Resting her chin on her hand, Lena Started brooding over life. Her expression turned serious. She didn’t want to admit that she was dreaming of sothing out of reaChapter
It felt as though if she let go of her long-held dream, it would fly away like a swarm of butterflies, leaving her with nothing.
—Squeak. Squeak.
"If you’re going to co down, then co down. If you’re going to stay, at least be still!"
Even so, it was hard to let the butterflies settle quietly in her heart when everyone around her weighed on her mind.
Her parents likely wanted their only daughter to marry soon, and she had a suitable suitor in Rev. Brother Leslie at the church was supportive in many ways, but being a priestess wasn’t a realistic choice.
Lena realized she had been putting off her decision, coddled by the indulgence of her parents, the villagers, Rev, and the priests. She felt like she was as lukewarm as today’s weather.
"Should I give up?"
The thought made her dizzy. Sitting at the village outskirts, staring out into the open, it felt as though a cliff were ready to swallow her whole.
If she gave up on becoming a priestess, it would be as fast and easy as tumbling into that abyss. She could marry Rev, live happily ever after in this village, and just feel a little awkward whenever she saw Brother Leslie.
But anger bubbled up inside her.
She hated the village, the wild berries, and even Rev for suddenly confessing. She didn’t want to admit that these things defined the entirety of her life.
"Ah! Soone, take away! All the way to Lutetia! I want to journey to the largest church in the world and et the Saintess!"
—Squeak?
But... such a journey would require extraordinary luck. Lena clapped her hands lightly and made a token wish to the Cocoren sitting on her head. With a sigh, she got up and murmured:
"How much longer are you planning to stick around? Just co down already. I’ve made up my mind."
A priestess? Forget it. Living like everyone else is the natural thing to do.
Accepting reality, Lena turned away and began walking ho, drained of energy. She intended to spend the day nursing her spirits.
Luckily, no one was ho when she arrived.
Her parents were likely busy tending soone else’s fields, and although guilt tugged at her for lounging around while her parents worked, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything else.
Still, lying down felt too shaful, so she distracted herself with small tasks inside the house, muttering, “How long are you planning to stay stuck to ?”
The house was cramped, but there was always work to do.
Lena swept the wooden floor, wiped the door fras, tidied the kitchen, and went outside to check for laundry. That was when she spotted Rev returning ho next door.
Though she had made up her mind, she hadn’t steeled herself.
Hiding behind the thornbush fence, Lena waited for Rev to enter his house before straightening up.
"Ah, I think I’m starting to feel feverish."
Whenever Lena felt extrely upset, she tended to fall ill.
Normally, she would try to dispel negative emotions with positive thoughts, but this ti, she didn’t bother. She just wanted to lie down and wallow. By the ti she got back up, she’d have made up her mind to live a mundane, happy life in this village.
—Squeak-squeak~
"Finally! Wait, no! Why there of all places—"
Just as she was about to turn away, the Cocoren jumped off her head. That wouldn’t have been an issue if it hadn’t scampered off enthusiastically—in the direction of Rev’s house.
Why his house? What are you planning to do now?
Cocorens resemble mice in their head, tail, and body. But with their limbs and little hands, they were perfectly capable of wreaking havoc. Lena chased after the creature, determined to stop it before it could turn Rev’s house upside-down.
Fortunately, it only scampered around the yard and didn’t go inside.
"You little rascal! Stop causing trouble!"
—Squeak-squeak-squeak!
For all its trouble, a Cocoren wasn’t particularly fast.
Unable to climb trees or run well, Lena couldn’t fathom how such a creature avoided predators. She easily cornered it, but—
"Huh?"
The Cocoren clung to a wooden stick leaning against the fence. It barely hid its head, leaving its body fully exposed, but Lena was startled for another reason.
She had completely forgotten about it because of Rev’s confession.
That was the staff that had appeared in her hands earlier with a poof! She’d thrown it away in surprise, yet here it was.
Still holding the Cocoren, Lena Grabbed the staff. Instantly, the aches and chills she had been feeling vanished.
From deep within her chest, holy energy bubbled up like a spring. Lena was left bewildered, while the Cocoren took advantage of the mont to scurry off.
When it returned to its original perch after wandering far and wide, the sun was already setting.
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