27. Childhood Friends - Murder

"Is this all you can give me?"

Leo had arrived at the large market in the town and attempted to sell jerky at the shop where his father used to go. However, the merchant offered him a paltry sum.

The jerky was quite valuable. This amount should have fetched a decent price, but it was far too little.

"That's the market price these days. It seems a bit poorly dried as well."

Without a word, Leo put the money back on the counter, shouldered the jerky again, and walked out. The merchant called out something behind him, but Leo didn't look back.

Unlike the goods other young men were selling, jerky had a long shelf life. If worst came to worst, he could always eat it himself.

His father had only told him to sell the jerky, not to buy anything specific with the money. It was more of an experience to try selling it.

Leo didn't want to sell his first batch of goods while being treated like this.

Leo returned to the cart.

The cart was empty, with only a few young men and Hans lounging around. None of the other young men had returned.

Except for Hans.

"Hey~ Leo, you're back?"

"Yeah. You came back early too."

"For me, it's quick work."

Now there was nothing to do. It often took the other young men a long time to sell their goods.

The jerky Leo sold was always in demand and easy to assess for quality, making it easy to sell. On the other hand, the other young men sometimes failed to sell everything and had to stay in the market for days, selling the remaining goods before returning.

This meant spending money on lodging, being unable to buy anything on the way back, and facing potential dangers. So it was common practice to sell everything quickly, even at a low price, and return in a day.

The cart would leave early the next morning.

Leo had no luggage and could have returned alone, but he didn't want to abandon his comrades.

He considered working out to pass the time, but Hans came over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Leo. Come with me for a bit."

When men heard such words, they usually followed without question.

Was there magic in those words?

On second thought, it seemed like a spell of sorts, as friends often didn't need to follow such requests.

Leo followed Hans.

"Where are we going?"

"Heh heh heh. I figured you haven't been here before."

Hans led him down an alley and opened an old door. Leo realized what kind of place this was when he saw the brothel sign inside.

"Hey. I'm leaving."

"What? Why? You're already here."

"I'm not interested."

As Leo turned to leave, Hans taunted him from behind.

"Hey! What's the big deal? Lena isn't around anymore."

Anger surged up at the mention of Lena.

"It's fine. It's dark, so you can't see their faces. Just pretend it's Lena while you're at it. I've done it a few times and it's not so bad... Ow!"

Leo's body moved on its own. He kicked Hans and beat him mercilessly as he stumbled.

The bastard had hit a nerve.

It wasn't just that he insulted Lena, who had left to become a priest, but the memory of the previous scenario's Lena as his little sister also flared up.

By the time he regained his senses, it was too late. Hans lay bleeding and unmoving.

He had planned to kill him anyway. He intended to gather travel funds until spring and then kill Hans secretly before leaving, but he hadn't expected to do it so soon.

[Achievement: Civilian Murder - You have killed '1' civilian. You become slightly unlucky.]

"What? What's all this commotion? Hey!"

The brothel's guard came out.

He wasn't a gangster.

There were no mafia families in a place like Torrito. At most, it was a gang formed by some thugs.

'Damn... I have to run.'

Leo briefly considered killing the guard too. But dragging it out could be dangerous, so he ignored the shouting thug and ran.

As he ran, he chastised himself. He had killed someone openly in the village; he had to leave quickly. If caught, it would be an immediate execution.

He sprinted to the market. He bought jerky again, a water pouch, and rope, securing them to his waist. He stopped by the blacksmith's to buy a hunting knife, which he tucked into his belt.

He wanted to buy a backpack, clothes, and shoes, but there was no time.

From a distance, he heard shouts of "Murder!" Thankfully, it was in front of the brothel, so the news had spread slowly. The thugs must have been confused and disorganized.

Leo ran in the opposite direction.

Torrito was surrounded by a large wooden fence with gates to the east, west, south, and north, guarded by the village's vigilantes. Occasionally, the lord's soldiers were also visible.

He slowed his pace and walked casually past the gate, trying to look nonchalant. It felt like an arrow could strike his back at any moment.

"Close the gates! There's been a murder!"

Leo was already far outside the village.

He saw the gates of Torrito closing.

"Hey! The guy who just left! Come back!"

There was no way he wouldn't have heard, but Leo kept walking as if he hadn't.

The stares from people working in the fields around him were sharp, but no one came forward.

Leo left the main road and hid in the forest.

And he did not return.

"...And that's when I found her."

"So what happened?"

"I sneaked up on her. She was so focused on gathering herbs that she didn't notice me. So I..."

In the forest, two men were engrossed in their lewd conversation, forgetting to keep watch.

Leo, observing them from a distance, stepped back.

It was a bandit hideout. There were no more than a dozen men at most, and a small mountain stronghold against a cliff was in front of him.

The small entrance, surrounded by a low fence, had two bandits chatting carelessly.

Leo circled around the stronghold and climbed over the fence.

- Rustle

Damn.

The autumn forest, covered with fallen leaves, made it hard to move quietly.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Something from inside... Hold on."

Leo, hiding at the corner of the stronghold, heard footsteps crunching on the leaves approaching.

He drew his hunting knife.

Just a bit closer...

As soon as the bandit turned the corner, he was met with a knife.

"Ah! Gahhh."

Blood flowed down the dagger in a rush. Another bandit ran over in surprise, but it was too late.

Leo pressed the embedded dagger firmly, drawing it out leisurely, leaving air between flesh and steel. The man clutched at the pouring blood as his life flickered.

"Is everyone out working? How many are here?"

At Leo's question, the bandit hesitated.

Bandits were weaker than gangsters.

Unorganized and untrained, they threatened powerless villagers or robbed reckless merchants and travelers.

If the Family was a large corporation in the city, the bandits were small businesses hiding in remote places.

Gangsters were more like self-employed individuals.

The bandits were no match for him. Even without a two-handed sword, Leo was stronger in the mountains.

[Achievement: Bandit Camp Capture - Easier to find other bandit camps.]

[Achievement: Ten Bandits - Stronger when dealing with bandits.]

Leo hunted bandits for two days. Borrowing bows and swords from the first bandits he caught, he shot bandits from a distance, killed those who chased him, and tracked down those who hid.

In the end, he caught four bandits who tried to escape together. The once quiet bandit camp area was now soaked in blood.

Only then did Leo leisurely look around the camp.

It took almost a month to find this camp. If he had been any later, he would have suffered through winter.

The camp was ready for winter.

There was plenty of firewood and ample food. Taking advantage of the bandits' diligent preparations, he settled in the camp.

His plans had gone awry. He intended to hunt with his father and save money, but killing Hans had caused serious problems.

Returning to Demos Village was impossible.

A gangster had witnessed the murder, so the village must have been swarming with soldiers.

He considered explaining everything to his father and leaving, but decided against it.

If he got caught visiting the mountain lodge, his father would be suspected of hiding his son.

Running away far was the best for everyone.

He felt sorry for his father and the villagers who would suffer for a while. Thinking of Hans' wife made him uneasy, but it was already done.

Leo climbed the mountain to avoid pursuit.

Despite the era's lack of scientific advancement, communication was incredibly fast because of the priests. His description likely spread to the lord's castle and nearby villages as soon as the murder occurred.

An outsider wandering alone was conspicuous, making the mountain a necessary choice. He couldn't visit nearby villages for a long time and had to head to a distant city.

Originally, he planned to visit the Kingdom of Conrad to the east.

The kingdom where the beggar siblings had been exiled was a few weeks' journey east to the border.

He intended to find clues for the beggar siblings' scenario in the capital there, but that plan was shattered.

The Demos Village estate belonged to Count Guidan, bordering the Kingdom of Conrad. Leo couldn't cross the heavily guarded border after committing murder in the count's territory.

He revised his plans completely. The path east was blocked, and there was no reason to go south to the sea, leaving only north and west.

To the north was the Kingdom of Bellita, with its capital Orville, the setting for the beggar siblings' scenario.

"Will the beggar siblings be there now?"

He wondered if his sister Lena and Leo would be there, but there seemed no point in going.

Even if they existed, the beggar siblings' scenario had ended last fall.

The remaining option was northwest, to the Holy Kingdom of Jerome.

Lena had left to become a priestess, and Leo had to go there too, to find the prince.

Having revised his plans, Leo spent some time hunting near the camp, gathering money from selling horns and hides.

But he grew a bit greedy.

"If I do well, I might be able to buy a horse..."

Horses were expensive. So expensive that he hadn't considered buying one, but after looting a bandit camp, it seemed possible.

The bandits lived hand to mouth and didn't have much money.

Their most valuable possessions were their business capital: weapons. Swords, shields, and some had leather armor. Selling these and making money from hunting might make it possible.

"Should I just find another bandit camp?"

Winter was a convenient season for hunting, but like animals, hunters also disliked moving in winter. Hunting in an unfamiliar mountain was not easy either.

And barely managing to buy a horse wouldn't be enough.

He also needed a two-handed sword and travel expenses, which was impossible with just winter hunting.

He was tempted.

Having a horse would allow him to travel farther. He had achievements that made him strong against bandits and easier to find their camps.

Leo wondered if killing for easy money was the right thing to do. Having done it once, a second time didn't seem like a big deal...

"Besides, those guys are doing bad things too, right?"

As the days grew colder, his resolve wavered slightly.

When Lena arrived in Lutetia, the city was covered in a heavy snowfall.

She had traveled for four months in a carriage with Priestess Ophelia and Sir Corin.

Despite the fatigue from the long journey, Lena was excited, sticking her head out the window.

There, the cathedral she had dreamed of appeared in all its grandeur.

The capital of the Holy Kingdom, Lutetia, nestled between mountains and a river, had the cathedral at its rear.

Leaving Lutetia's outer wall and heading briefly towards the back mountain, one would encounter another majestic castle.

With white walls and towering spires, the inside was filled with carvings and paintings in every nook and cranny.

The entire small castle was a church, the headquarters of the Cross Church overseeing all churches on the continent.

Everyone walking around reverently seemed like priests to Lena.

Ophelia, seeing Lena's excitement, calmed her down.

"Lena, you'll enter the education facility with my recommendation. I hope to visit often, but I'm not sure where I'll be assigned."

Ophelia had spent months with Lena and made her own assessment. Lena was smart, diligent, and an exceptionally decent young lady.

Having studied theology diligently from a young age, she had a solid foundation.

Originally, Ophelia intended to just drop her off at the education facility, where she would have completed her enrollment process herself.

But Ophelia brought Lena directly.

Thanks to Ophelia's presence, Lena's registration was quick, she got the right to audit ongoing classes, and was even assigned a rare private room.

Ophelia's recommendation was very powerful. She was a high-ranking cleric close to the High Priest.

Escorted to her private room, Lena was too overwhelmed to unpack and stood at the door, pinching her cheeks.

"Is this a dream or reality..."

She sat on the bed, trying to gather her thoughts.

The monk had said one could only get a private room in the last year...

Ophelia had confidently requested special treatment, believing Lena would complete the initiation.

The room was small.

A crude bed and small desk barely fit in the cramped space.

But it was incomparable to the benefits of communal living.

Lena, grateful for all these blessings, knelt by the bed and prayed.

"Leo must be doing well, right?"

In winter, Leo would be hunting hard.

"Please keep Leo safe."

Lena's prayers for Priestess Ophelia, the villagers, Brother Leslie, her parents, and Leo continued for a long time.

Thus ended her first day at the cathedral.