Chapter 68: Leo brings down the curtain (3)

Meanwhile.

“…da, ka, ra, aahhh…!”

Lena, who had been waiting in the carriage, muttered in Elrandic under her breath, trying desperately not to crush the book she held in her hands.

“Why does everything involving him always end up being interpreted so excessively…?”

She gripped the book so tightly that her veins stood out. The spine of the book read, “The Bride of the Spirits, or the Selfless Saint Leonora (Vol. 2).”

Lena had just finished reading the fifteenth chapter, titled “Love, Can You Hear Me? ~ The Vow of the Gold Coin King ~.”

“What’s with this tearful, modest, and pure-hearted girl act? Sure, I’m a beautiful girl, but that’s not what happened! He just said, ‘Don’t follow me!'”

She referred to the scene where she, too, had tried to stop Prince Albert from going to the lower town. While collecting the holy maiden bombs that Leo kept unconsciously dropping, she had misspoken, making Albert more stubborn. Eventually, she managed to get him to reconsider staying as a prince. Leo, relieved, had said, “Thank goodness! Please forget about me. You’ll find someone better, I promise!” in his usual clumsy manner, which ended up being interpreted as:

“Please, forget about me. There will surely be someone more suitable for you, Prince. I believe it.”

This, through the filter of a noblewoman’s imagination, had been transformed into a grand scene worthy of a full orchestral background.

This tone persisted throughout the entire story.

Lena, feeling nauseated, was about to turn the page to chapter sixteen.

“No matter what happens, the narrative always seems to bend towards hiding his true identity. It’s like a curse… terrifying!”

Because of this curse, the merely fortunate miser was eternally viewed as a pure saint.

At first, Lena had felt some sympathy for Prince Albert, who had been separated from his beloved due to their scheming. But now, she wondered if she had just gifted him with a bittersweet memory of his “eternal first love.”

From across the seat, Bruno, arms crossed, spoke to Lena, who was trembling with emotion.

“If it’s so dreadful, why don’t you just stop reading it?”

“Shut up! This is like a scab that’s about to peel off, or a hangnail that’s about to tear. Even though I know it’s going to hurt, I can’t help but pick at it. This is all your fault anyway, Bruno!”

Lena shouted back, her eyes scanning the page with a cold sweat.

Bruno sighed and lifted the curtain from the window.

“He’s late.”

“He’s probably out there creating more saintly legends. I bet a copper coin that ‘The Departure from the Academy’ will become a painting in six months.”

“I agree. Not much of a bet. But Emilio and the others are waiting for him in the backyard of the orphanage. If he’s too late, they’ll start crying—”

Bruno’s grumbling was cut short.

Curious, Lena looked up from her book. Bruno, staring out the window, had a faint smile on his usually stern lips.

“Good for you, Leo,” he murmured softly.

“What?” Lena asked, not catching his words. Bruno shook his head slightly.

“Nothing. Just that he’s an unreliable friend.”

“What does that mean?” Lena frowned.

Just then, a delicate voice called out, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

The person they had been talking about entered the carriage. Dressed in a manner befitting a bride, Lena grimaced.

“What’s with that outfit? Oh, right, the bride of the spirits…”

“Huh? How do you know about that?”

“Heh. Brace yourself, Leo. I’m going to give you a lovely, lovely reading of the rest.”

Switching to Elrandic to match Leo, Lena threatened in a menacing voice.

Leo, who hadn’t kept up with the story while busy putting out fires, just tilted his head in confusion. Bruno asked, “What’s in the basket?” and Leo’s face lit up.

“Oh, this! It’s a treat. Herring pie. Absolutely delicious!”

His carefree smile showed no hint of sadness or farewell.

(Well, that’s Leo for you. He doesn’t have the emotions to cry at farewells.)

Feeling foolish for expecting otherwise, Lena signaled the coachman to start.

The finest carriage arranged by the royal family began to move smoothly without any jolts.

They discussed their plans in Elrandic, keeping the conversation from the coachman’s ears, while eating the pie.

First, they would swap back at the Temple of Radiance.

After the swap, Lena would stay at the temple for a while.

Then, once the rumors died down, they would gradually have Leo spend more time with the orphans.

“All thanks to the Spirit of Gold,” Lena muttered, leaning back in her seat.

Admiring Leo’s knack for finding and befriending the Spirit of Gold, which even Bruno hadn’t known about, she was also deeply impressed by her dedication to Leo.

Lena muttered, “Leo’s luck is impressive. And his dedication to her… amazing.”

Leo, for some reason, looked proud and smiled.

“Ah, so you’ve finally realized how great Al-sama is, Lena!”

“Stop calling her ‘Al-sama.’ It’s… well, never mind now.”

She looked at her book with dead eyes.

Leo, carefully eating the pie crumbs from his fingers, suddenly looked up and said casually, “Hey, hey.”

“You complain about my speech, but how about lifting the curse of foul language first?”

He explained that as long as the curse was in place, it filtered out his rough lower town mannerisms.

Lena nodded. They had neglected the curse during the past three months due to lack of magical power and Leo’s busyness.

“Do you have enough magic power now?”

When Lena glared lightly, Leo laughed confidently and assured her.

“Ever since I got close to Al-sama, my finances have improved. So, I’ve taken care of the obsession with the broken bracelet. I’m good to go!”

He offered his slender arm.

Lena grabbed it, pressing it to his neck, and began to chant in Weitzian.

“Releasing the curse of foul language—”

But she suddenly paused.

“Releasing the curse of foul…?”

She tried again, but her mouth shut.

“What’s wrong?” Leo asked, puzzled.

“Why is it repelling the magic?” Lena questioned.

“Huh?!”

Leo, oblivious to the barrier around him that repelled magic, was genuinely surprised.

“It’s repelling magic! Something fluffy and soft is blocking it!”

Lena had never felt anything like it before. Confused, she pressed her hand to her forehead and shouted. Bruno, who had been looking out the window, turned.

“That’s—”

His black eyes, reflecting no emotion, murmured softly.

“The blessing of the spirits is too strong, its repelling the magic.”

“….!!”

Leo and Lena looked at Bruno, then at each other, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Blessed by the spirits…”

“Does that mean, Al-sama’s…?”

Well, that was exactly what it meant.

Leo and Lena exchanged glances, their mouths twitching as if they were looking into a mirror.

“If it repels magic… then… then…”

“No way… even the magic to undo the switch…”

They fell silent for a moment.

Lena was the first to break the silence.

“Leo. You need to stop being the beloved child of the Gold Spirit.”

“What…?!”

Lena grabbed Leo’s shoulder firmly, her face tense, and shook him vigorously.

“Don’t ‘what’ me! Why is it that every time I make up my mind, you always do something to ruin it? This isn’t funny!”

“I didn’t become the beloved child to ruin your plans! It was beyond my control!”

“I don’t care about the circumstances! Listen, as long as you’re loved by the Gold Spirit, you can’t go back to your original body! You’ll remain as Leonora! It’s a simple question: ‘Will you give up the gold or give up being Leo?’”

Leo retorted instinctively.

“That’s an impossible question!”

Leo and the gold had become one and the same.

Irritated by the miser who was now pale, Lena tilted her chin slightly, a faint smile on her face.

“Well… I don’t mind staying this way. Yes, I once thought we had to go back no matter what, but if you’re not willing, right? Now that the threat of marriage to the prince is gone, it’s fine if you stay in that body forever.”

“Well, that might be true, but… it’s not possible… surely…”

Leo muttered, to which Lena snapped, “Why not?”

Leo, eyebrows lowered in distress, tried to explain.

“Well, you see… we each have our own lives… You need to turn back into a woman or… you won’t be able to marry anyone.”

“Huh?”

Surprised by his words, Lena widened her eyes as Leo continued seriously.

“I mean, you didn’t want to marry the prince, but someday, you might… like someone else. There’s an appropriate age for a woman to marry. If you stay like this forever, you’ll miss the chance to become a family with someone.”

It seemed he genuinely believed this.

Lena, taken aback, let out a sigh.

“Leo, worrying about a woman’s marriageable age? That’s a leap.”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m just trying to—”

“Shut up. It’s fine. Besides, I’ve realized there’s one way to bond physically and emotionally with the opposite sex, even if we stay switched.”

She glanced up at Leo.

He stared back, wide-eyed, completely clueless.

“That’s amazing! What kind of trick is that?!”

“…Forget it.”

Lena thought she might need to reconsider dealing with this dense miser.

Leo, still confused, watched Lena’s frowning face.

Then, remembering their immediate problem, he grasped his head with both hands and groaned.

“Anyway, assuming we need to go back… What should I do…?”

Leo was deeply troubled.

Based on experience, quitting being a beloved child wasn’t physically difficult. You just had to declare, “I quit.”

But.

(Giving up Al-sama’s blessing…? Forsaking her name…? Abandoning the name of the Al-sama I finally met and love so much…?)

The psychological burden was enormous. If Alta showed even the slightest sadness, Leo felt he might not handle it.

(But, if Al-sama knows who I really am, I could ask her to bless the male me, Leo—)

He caught himself thinking wishfully and remembered her words.

—It was the first time I had a non-grimy male follower. I preferred the girl.

Recalling her slightly sulky tone, Leo paled.

(Could it be… no!? Maybe as a guy, I’m out for Al-sama!?)

Aware of his true self, a mere greedy miser, Leo turned pale.

Altha had said she’d accept him either way, but that was directed at the current Leo.

This form had even captivated popular guys like Kai and Albert.

Without the pretty girl appearance, could he still keep Alta’s affection? Leo had no confidence.

“What… should I do…”

He wanted to return to his male self and resume making money.

He wanted to give Lena back her body quickly.

But relinquishing Alta’s blessing was too painful—

He groaned, head in hands, and looked down.

Then, he noticed the basket at his feet and his eyes widened.

—Even if we can’t see each other, we’re still connected as family.

(But…)

Muttering the following words in his heart, Leo slowly lifted his head.

“Uh… for example…”

He began hesitantly, facing the irritated Lena.

“What if… we try this…?”