29. Childhood Friend - Overseas Travel

“Sorry, but I can't accompany you.”

Rejected again.

Leo wandered through the city in front of the border gate, looking for a caravan to cross the border with, but everyone turned him down.

Crossing the border required strict inspection, and Leo, unable to reveal his identity, couldn't pass alone.

He was registered as a subject of the Marquis of Gaiden. Leaving the territory without the lord's permission was illegal.

Since Deimos Village was so small, as long as taxes were paid regularly, the lord paid no attention.

This allowed him to leave the village at will as long as he didn't leave the country.

Leo hadn't sought permission, and since he was on the run for murder, he had no legal way to cross the border. Legitimate caravans wouldn't travel with a smuggler of uncertain identity.

Leo resentfully glanced at the tall gate in the distance and turned away.

‘Illegal it is...’

He had to cross the border through illegal means.

He could either avoid the gate or bribe his way through, but the first option was dangerous. Of course, attempting to cross the border alone could lead to attacks by guards or rangers.

After much deliberation, Leo chose to bribe. Though safer, directly bribing the gate guards would be too expensive, so he sought the underworld.

Any family dealing in illegal activities would have a way to get through the gate.

He summoned a thug who seemed to have some rank in front of a warehouse. He had become adept at picking out leaders, and the thug cautiously addressed him.

“Smuggling, huh... Not hard to help with, but it'll cost you.”

“This is all the money I have.”

Leo handed over all the silver he had.

The thug laughed at the few coins in his palm, clearly insufficient.

“Got anything else? Is that horse yours?”

“...That’s a bit much.”

“You can sell it and return some money.”

“You’re smuggling me illegally anyway, so why charge so much? Give me a discount.”

“Take it or leave it.”

With no other choice, Leo made a deal. He insisted on delivering the horse upon arrival.

“Trying to escape on horseback?”

“No. I’ll hand it over as soon as we reach the village beyond the border. I don’t want to walk all the way. I’m giving you everything I have. What would I do fleeing without a cent? I’d have to sell the horse anyway. Without a permit, I’d get a poor price. Better to take what you give me.”

“Hm... Leave the two-handed sword too. Then I’ll consider it.”

“...Tough deal.”

Leo removed his sword, threateningly stating, “If you’re planning to rob me and do something to me, you’ll regret it.”

“Ah, don’t worry. We don’t want to fight someone riding a horse with a two-handed sword. We don’t deal in slaves either.”

“Fine.”

Thus, he joined an illegal weapons caravan.

Recently, families dealing in weapons were thriving due to the war.

This Orun Kingdom family also sold weapons, but it fetched much higher prices in the Holy Kingdom than in Orun Kingdom.

The Holy Kingdom bordered both warring kingdoms.

They transported weapons to the higher bidder, though it was illegal. The Holy Kingdom had declared neutrality and banned the import and export of weapons.

But the families were grateful. The nearest country banning weapon exports caused prices to skyrocket.

Even facing the death penalty, profit made the risk frequent.

As long as they didn’t get caught.

Days later, the caravan, disguised as a merchant group, passed through the Orun Kingdom gate without incident.

The wagons were laden with various weapons and armor, crushing the soft ground under the wheels, but thanks to bribes, there were no inspections.

Leo, weaponless, rode alongside the wagons, posing as a mercenary escort.

[ Achievement: First Overseas Travel - Movement speed near the border slightly increases. ]

With the achievement, Audi's steps lightened, and Leo cheerfully patted her mane.

Just one more day to reach the Holy Kingdom gate and the village beyond, and they’d succeed. The family had likely bribed the Holy Kingdom gate as well.

He relaxed. Giving up Woody was disappointing, but he was excited at the thought of seeing Lena again in the capital.

She’d be astonished. He could imagine her fussing over how he’d managed to get there.

‘Should I call her “priest” and clasp my hands when we meet?’

The thought of her embarrassedly waving her hands filled him with irrepressible delight.

During his travels, Leo had let go of his lingering feelings. Lena was now a good friend. Though marriage was meaningless in his situation, he was happy he hadn’t obstructed her dreams.

As he daydreamed about reuniting with Lena, the caravan stopped.

Blocking the narrow path across the wide plains were dozens of soldiers.

“We’re conducting inspections. Drivers, dismount and prepare for inspection.”

The unexpected situation caused the caravan to stir. A thug urgently offered a bribe, but the apparent leader of the soldiers coughed and refused.

“Boss, what do we do?”

“...What else? If we get inspected, we’ll lose everything and go to prison. There are only about thirty of them. Attack.”

With the leader’s resolute command, the thugs disguised as mercenaries and drivers drew their weapons and moved forward.

The atmosphere grew tense in an instant.

“If you don’t disarm immediately, we’ll have to attack.”

The leading soldier warned, but the thugs ignored him.

The difference in numbers was nearly double. The organization of trained soldiers was strong, but in such small-scale skirmishes, having more numbers was a huge advantage.

However, they had already failed in smuggling, so the merchant group had to drive out the enemy forces and retreat.

‘I can’t go back like this...’

What an unlucky situation. Leo anxiously bit his nails as he watched the gangsters and soldiers clash.

But the situation worsened.

As a knight in armor appeared behind the retreating soldiers, Leo lost the last shred of hope he had been holding onto.

The paladin, adorned in splendid armor with the emblem of the Cross Church, raised his sword high and shouted.

“God, remember the wicked!”

The gangsters fighting the soldiers were terrified.

“Damn it! Why is a paladin here?!”

At the paladin’s shout, a faint mark appeared above the gangsters’ heads. It was the mark of holiness, a divine spell the paladin performed ritually before fighting.

The mark only appeared on those who had committed evil deeds, making it easy for the paladin to distinguish between friend and foe.

Naturally, all the gangsters had the mark, and the paladin showed no mercy to the wicked.

“Attack!”

With his shout, the soldiers fiercely pushed back the demoralized gangsters.

Watching the situation from behind, Leo quickly assessed it and yanked Woody’s reins.

This was a fight they couldn’t win. That paladin alone could probably handle half of the gangsters.

So, it was best to slip away while they were still fighting.

Leo decided on a direction with a troubled heart.

If he returned to the kingdom like this, he would surely be captured at the gate, and the same would happen at the gate of the Holy Kingdom. He had no choice but to force his way through the border.

A mark appeared above Leo’s head as he spurred Woody into the bushes.

The capital church received an important guest.

The entire church was abuzz because of an unusual new student.

“...You may leave in the evening if you wish. If you stay out overnight, you must...”

At the reception for the young, handsome blond noble, the nobleman yawned widely. The priest, who had been explaining things, faltered a bit, but Gilbert casually apologized.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I read about it in a brochure on the way here. It was a long journey, so I’m quite tired.”

The rigid priest, feeling as if it was his mistake, returned the apology and tried to refocus the conversation.

“No, it’s my fault. I rushed through things that could have been explained slowly. I’ll tell you about the daily routines whenever you want. Let me show you your room first.”

Gilbert was led to his room by the priest.

However, despite the grand welcome, a small and barren room greeted him.

Gilbert had never used, let alone entered, such a room.

He had only seen such rooms a few times when seducing pretty servants. Back then, even small rooms had their charm. He had thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being confined in a small space.

But now, he had to live in this room. Gilbert Forte grimaced, but quickly covered it with a smile, assuring the priest that he liked the room and sending him away.

He closed the door and looked around the small room again.

There was nothing to see.

“Ah, really. I should have gone to war instead.”

His father had forced a choice on him.

Either join the upcoming war with the Kingdom of Astin or stay in the capital church for a few years. Gilbert chose the capital church.

As a true noble, Gilbert Forte had no desire to experience the chaos of the battlefield.

His swordsmanship was poor. He was nothing like his father, the Sword Master, and knew he would be compared to him if he went to war.

That was something Gilbert hated the most.

So, he chose the churChapter His father was disappointed once again, but what could he do? Gilbert had no talent for war.

He plopped down on the narrow bed.

There was no need to bring luggage... If he had, it would have been a disaster. He would have needed a dozen of these rooms to store his clothes.

Unable to contain his rising frustration, Gilbert muttered.

“Because of that princess!”

He felt wronged.

It wasn’t him who initiated the kiss! She had approached him first, seeking a kiss away from prying eyes.

Of course, Gilbert hadn’t refused. A true gentleman never refuses a lady’s request.

He had even lightly hugged the princess, provoking the prince who was watching.

At the time, he thought the princess did it because she didn’t like the prince of the Kingdom of Astin.

He didn’t even consider that she might have feelings for him.

I have some decency. What would a beautiful and virtuous princess lack to choose me, the infamous libertine of the Kingdom of Bellita?

It must have been a useful excuse to reject the prince.

Arnolf de Klaus, the prince of the Kingdom of Astin, had stormed off in anger, and after that, Gilbert Forte and Chloe de Tartaglia, the princess, never met again as if nothing had happened.

It was a scandalous kiss that caused a huge stir, but it didn’t affect Gilbert directly.

Even if the prince was furious, he was from another country. There was no way for him to harm Gilbert, and even if a war broke out, it wasn’t Gilbert’s problem. His great father, the Sword Master, would handle it.

After causing trouble, Gilbert had received a lecture from his father and stayed in seclusion for a few days. Considering he kissed the only princess of the kingdom, he thought it was a fair price to pay.

At least, at the time.

The problem was what the princess did next. Chloe stirred up another scandal with a man named Toton Tatian.

The political world was thrown into turmoil.

Toton Tatian was the son of Marquis Benar Tatian, the leader of the royalist faction.

The political world of the Kingdom of Bellita was divided between the Sword Master faction, centered around Count Herman Forte, and the royalist faction, led by Marquis Tatian, who was known as the ruler of the west.

The king had long since withdrawn from state affairs and remained silent, allowing the Sword Master faction, which held military power, to dominate and push the royalist faction into a corner.

Had Marquis Tatian not cleverly balanced the situation by bringing in moderates, the princess’s actions would have been meaningless.

But in this delicate balance, the princess’s scandal was significant.

She had involved the sons of both faction leaders, creating overt friction between the two factions.

Nobles whispered that the king might be using the princess to create a pretext to eliminate the Sword Master faction.

Gilbert grumbled as he opened the window.

He had no interest in politics, but Count Herman Forte took the matter seriously.

The count wanted to show that he was expelling his son from the capital in some way. This gesture would signal to the royalist faction to back off.

Persuaded, or rather coerced, Gilbert ended up here.

The prodigal son of Bellita had entered the Cross Church’s training facility as a student!

It was absurd.

Gilbert looked out the window.

He saw nothing but religious decorations and people walking carefully, their steps reverent.

All he could hear were hymns.

‘I’ve truly come to the most boring place in the world.’

He sighed, thinking he was the most unfortunate person in the world.