26. Childhood Friends – Preparing for the Journey

Everyone was shocked and stared at the old man. Ophelia, surprised, asked him.

"Sir Corin, why not?"

The old man referred to as 'Sir Corin' was a holy knight. It was the duty of holy knights to protect priests when they traveled.

Sir Corin, now retired from active duty due to his age, sometimes escorted priests and usually devoted his remaining energy to teaching children.

He was not one to turn away an eager young man aspiring to become a holy knight, but he pointed to Leo's arm and spoke.

"This young man worships a false god. During my thirty years of service in the south, I have seen that tattoo before."

Everyone's gaze turned to Leo's arm.

A tattoo of multiple crossed trumpets.

Sir Corin continued his blunt explanation.

"I don't know how someone who worships a false god is in a village with a church, but it is against our doctrine to raise such a person as a holy knight."

The barbarians had their own gods.

During the subjugation of foreign tribes by the Akai Empire, the Crusader Church protected the barbarians, and most of the tribes who received grace converted.

However, some barbarians never abandoned their faith.

In the early days, the Crusader Church was tolerant of them, but over the years, it began to expel those who refused to convert.

Sir Corin had fought against a tribe with such tattoos. Apparently, some of those barbarians survived.

Considering the circumstances, Sir Corin had violated the church's orders back then...

Recalling the past, the old man's face hardened.

Lena also looked at Leo's tattoo with newfound curiosity, and suddenly remembered an old story her father had told.

Leo's father was not originally from Demos Village. He had appeared in the nearby mountains at some point, hunting, and met and fell in love with a woman from Demos Village.

When the two married, there was much talk in the village, as the priest at that time vehemently opposed it.

But in the end, the village accepted Leo's father.

Lena remembered her father saying,

"Will my daughter become the second link between Leo's family and Demos Village?"

and laughing, but it was a long time ago.

After Lena expressed her desire to become a priest and Leo's mother passed away, her father never brought it up again.

"......"

Meanwhile, Leo couldn't refute the holy knight's words. His father clearly worshipped a different god.

As silence stretched,

"Hmm... It can't be helped. I understand your feelings, but I'm sorry. We can't violate the church's doctrine."

Priest Ophelia firmly concluded.

"Then I won't go either!"

Lena's declaration made Brother Leslie jump.

"Lena! Such a miraculous opportunity..."

Young people...

Ophelia's mind grew more complex.

"We plan to leave tomorrow morning. I wish we could give you a few days to sort out your feelings, but our situation is not that flexible."

She spoke gently, not wanting to hurt Lena.

"I hope to see you tomorrow."

With those words, Ophelia led the group away.

She knew from experience that it was less hurtful to leave such matters to those involved rather than adults stepping in.

The village priest also went inside to soothe Brother Leslie.

Only Lena and Leo remained at the village entrance.

"Leo, I'm not going. Don't cry."

When Leo shed tears, Lena's eyes also reddened, and they cried together.

After a while, wiping his tears, Leo spoke.

"Lena, you have to go. It's your dream."

"But! I want to stay with you!"

"Are you going to give up your dream because of me?"

"You were about to give up too!"

"...Still, you can't."

"I want to be with you. I want to marry you, have kids with you, and be with you forever!"

"You can't!"

Lena's confession and Leo's refusal continued. After a while, they locked eyes and burst into laughter.

"Leo, that's something a girl should say!"

"And you! And it's too early to talk about having kids..."

They held hands.

A happy, yet slightly sad atmosphere lingered.

"...My dad's not home..."

"...Yeah."

Hand in hand, Lena and Leo walked through the dark village. It had been a long time since they walked through the village holding hands like this.

They arrived at Leo's house.

Lena shyly stepped into Leo's room.

It had been a while since she was there.

The bed in Leo's room caught her eye in a way it hadn't before.

Both their faces turned red.

Lena sat shyly on the bed, and Leo, unsure of what to do, loitered at the door before gathering the courage to approaChapter Lena took his approaching hand.

Leo placed his hand on Lena's shoulder and stroked her neck. When they kissed, they fell onto the bed together without hesitation.

Leo's hand on her chest felt warm. Lena's chest under his hand felt cool. ─ Feeling this, they embraced each other tightly.

The candle illuminating them melted away warmly.

The next day, Leo made breakfast.

Lena watched Leo as they ate together.

She smiled quietly. But thinking this might be the last time made her heart sink.

Lena hid those feelings.

She had whined enough.

After their intimate moment, lying side by side, Lena had cried several times, and Leo had comforted her until the end.

Each time, she clung to him again, and the sadness in her heart gradually subsided.

An inexplicable sense of peace calmed her.

"It's time to go."

Dawn was breaking.

Before leaving the house, Lena gave him one last hug. Leo patted her back gently.

Lena was leaving.

Sadness washed over him, but he patted her back and calmed himself down.

This was something he knew would happen.

He had planned to send her off again.

Lena becoming a priest and him finding a way to make her a princess was the best course of action for now.

They walked to the church together.

"You've come. Have you made your decision?"

Priest Ophelia was waiting in front of the carriage for the two youths. The old holy knight silently occupied the coachman's seat, and the horse whinnied and stamped its feet.

All the villagers had gathered around.

Yesterday afternoon, Brother Leslie had been singing songs of blessing excitedly.

Everyone knew about Lena's dream.

The villagers had come out to bless the start of the diligent and pretty Lena's dream.

Standing before Ophelia, Lena looked back at Leo once and then firmly spoke.

"Yes. I'll go."

Ophelia read Lena's eyes.

It seemed they had resolved things well.

Recalling her own past, she smiled gently.

"Then let's depart."

"Wait a moment!"

Lena's parents came running.

They embraced Lena tightly.

They didn't blame her for not coming home last night. They just patted her head and encouraged her to stay strong.

"Oh, you don't have to give me this..."

Lena held a small money pouch in her hand. If she accepted it, her parents would struggle through the winter cold. She tried to return it, but they firmly pressed it back into her hands.

"We trust you, our daughter. Always remember that we're on your side."

After saying goodbye to her parents, Brother Leslie also approached quietly and handed her a bundle of money.

"Lena, this is travel money that we all pooled together. Don't feel burdened and take it. Buy yourself something nice to eat at the central church... Work hard."

It was ironic that they had gathered money for her when she was the first to be given such an opportunity. Seeing such a rare chance come her way, it was clear that Lena was a child blessed by God.

Brother Leslie offered a silent prayer.

"Brother Leslie..."

Everyone for my sake... Lena's nose stung with emotion.

Then, she saw Leo. He was faintly smiling, but his smile was sad.

"Leo!"

Lena ran to hug him, and the villagers tried to suppress their surprise.

Those who knew about Lena and Leo's relationship all glanced at Priest Ophelia.

But she was looking off into the distance, pretending not to notice.

She had already figured it out when they came together. However, Ophelia believed that as long as it was before baptism, sexual relations weren't an issue.

It wasn't something she could say to the old, conservative celibates of the church, but by that logic, she herself wouldn't have become a priest. Yet, God had granted her glorious divine power.

Ophelia, with her hands behind her back, asked Sir Corin how long the journey would take, already knowing the answer.

Sir Corin gruffly replied that it would take four months at the shortest, five months at the longest.

Lena and Leo's hug ended.

"I'll go..."

"Be strong."

Even as she climbed into the carriage, Lena couldn't take her eyes off Leo.

As the horses stomped and the carriage jolted forward, the villagers' hastily packed food supplies clattered.

"Lena! Stay strong!"

Under Brother Leslie's direction, the villagers sang a hymn.

The hymn, filled with encouragement and affection, continued until the village was completely out of sight.

Lena's eyes reddened, and tears flowed freely. Priest Ophelia sat beside her, silently comforting her.

After Lena left, Leo focused on hunting to save up for his travels.

If he wanted to buy a two-handed sword, his initial funds wouldn't be enough. He couldn't ask his father for money now that he had no excuse to take Lena with him.

How long would it take for Lena to become a priest? When he asked Brother Leslie, the old man pitied him and answered.

"It usually takes four to five years to complete the rites, but I think Lena might take about three years. She's already done a lot of theological study and is very smart."

The rites at the central church determined whether one would become a priest or a monk, conducted every autumn.

According to Brother Leslie, Leo had three years.

When Lena became a priest, the ending message would probably say, "Lena's final profession has been determined."

It was a long time.

Leo had never lived in a scenario for three years.

The shortest was the first beggar siblings scenario, which lasted only two days, and the longest was the fiancée scenario, which ended when he killed Katrina and returned injured, lasting less than a year and a half.

But this time, he had a guaranteed three years. Planning to travel for a long time, it was best to earn plenty of money.

Leo's father was proud of his son for diligently hunting. Leo's {hunting} skills had already improved remarkably.

One day, his father brought out snake wine and offered it to him.

He wasn't of age yet, but a proper hunter had to taste the homemade liquor.

Sipping the strong snake wine, Leo regretted not being able to bring beer from the lodge.

After a while, his father suddenly spoke.

"What do you think of Barbatos?"

"...I'm sorry. I can't really like him."

His father remained silent.

He was asking for a reason.

"Because of this tattoo, I couldn't follow Lena."

Leo told him about what had happened then.

When he mentioned the holy knight, his father's eyes flashed. But when Leo said he had tried to become a holy knight, his father nodded silently.

After hearing the whole story, his father, holding a skewer in one hand and the snake wine in the other, poked at the dying fire for a while before speaking.

"Tomorrow, you take the jerky to sell."

Leo was a little surprised and looked at his father.

He had sold jerky at the market with his father a few times before. It didn't seem that difficult, but this was the first time he was entrusted to do it alone.

'Is this recognition?'

His father said nothing more. They quietly drank the snake wine, cleaned up, and went to sleep.

The next day, Leo loaded up with jerky and headed down the mountain.

It was incredibly heavy. He regretted greedily packing too much in his excitement to sell for the first time, but it was too late.

He panted, taking breaks to set down the load and catch his breath.

As he entered the forest where he and Lena used to pick berries, his chest ached. At the village entrance, the memory of holding her and crying made his eyes sting, but an unwelcome guest awaited him.

"Hey~ Leo. Long time no see."

"Oh, Hans."

"Want some water?"

Hans offered his canteen from his belt.

Leo declined.

"I'm leaving."

"Alright~"

What should he do about that guy?

In the previous scenario, that bastard had sold them out. Lena was kidnapped and sold to the princes.

Just thinking about it made his teeth grind.

'Why did he sell us out?'

Hans had a crush on Lena. Maybe he was jealous seeing us leave?

No matter the reason, it didn't matter. I will definitely kill him.

Swallowing his murderous intent, Leo returned home.

Lying in bed, he thought of Lena. Traces of her were everywhere.