Chapter 55: Leo is told about his past (1)

“Cold”

In the dense forest, the grumpy voice of a discontented boy echoed.

“It’s dark. Branches keep getting in the way. The grass grows up to my knees, and I don’t understand the point. Bugs are annoying. The presence of beasts is noisy. The luggage is heavy. My feet hurt.”

It was a parade of complaints.

With a faint trace of freckles on his face, the boy, Lena, scowled and rudely exclaimed forward.

“Are you even listening?!”

Then,

“…Oh, were you talking to me?”

The boy, walking with confident steps, turned his brown face, lightly raising his eyebrows.

“I thought you were just talking to yourself.”

His tone was indifferent, and his obsidian-like eyes revealed no intention.

Lena, fueled by her rising anger, vehemently scolded her companion.

“Who in the world talks to themselves endlessly for over an hour? Since a while ago, you’ve been unequivocally blaming some reckless someone for jumping out of the carriage without permission. Get real!”

Indeed.

Lena and her companions were traveling on a shared carriage from Richeldt, gathering funds to head to the Covenant Festival in Elrand.

However, as soon as they reached the forest near the border, Bruno, for some reason, jumped off the carriage.

Though Lena, who barely managed to get off with foam in her mouth, continued to follow Bruno while complaining.

“Where even are we…? This isn’t a road, it’s more like an animal trail.”

With no compass and only occasionally glancing at the sun while silently following Bruno, Lena had no clue where they were. All she could say was that they were in a rugged place more like a mountain than a forest, and that dusk was rapidly approaching.

“What are you going to do with all the travel money we’ve gathered? You’re not seriously suggesting we spend the night here, are you?”

“…I told you to stay on the carriage, Lena.”

Muttering complaints, Bruno offered such an excuse in a quiet voice.

“It can’t be helped. If we had stayed on that circuitous carriage route, we wouldn’t make it to Elrand by the third day of the Covenant Festival. And besides, if we were to approach Elrand during the Covenant Festival, it’s better not to ride a carriage.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? We’re not the shrine maiden.”

Casually retorting, Lena’s partner looked slightly surprised.

“…You know a lot about it.”

“Well, I researched it.”

Lena answered with a disgruntled expression.

When she heard that Leo had decided to go to Elrand as a shrine maiden, she had exhaustively researched the history and rituals of this fallen kingdom using all her connections. This was because Bruno, the key figure in this “Great Escape to Elrand” project, was often absent from the monastery for a week until the Covenant Festival, leaving Lena with no choice but to investigate the situation in Elrand herself.

There were mountains of things she wanted to ask, and Lena’s frustration grew day by day.

Moreover, it was difficult to meet Bruno, and ultimately, the departure was delayed until the last minute.

The escape was scheduled for the third day, but the carriage was due to arrive on the morning of the third day. However, since it was a cheap dilapidated shared carriage, there was considerable doubt as to whether it would arrive on time due to frequent repairs and breaks during the journey. Perhaps that was why Bruno acted as he did.

Realizing that she would be in trouble if she wore out her body here, Lena reluctantly accepted Bruno’s audacious act and moved on to constructive questions.

“…So, according to veteran guide Bruno, how much longer until we reach Elrand?”

“We’ve already crossed the pass. Keep going down this mountain path. When the forest clears and the temperature suddenly rises, that’s Elrand. …Well, about three or four more hours.”

“Three or four hours?!”

She couldn’t help but scream.

Lena ran up to Bruno, grabbed his shoulder, and shook him as she appealed.

“Like this?! Continuously?! We have to walk for another three or four hours?! Impossible! It’s deadly! It’s not a reasonable amount of exercise for a human being. I suggest an immediate break!”

Thanks to Leo’s physical conditioning from growing up in the orphanage, Lena believed she had much more stamina than when she was a girl, but her feet were already hurting. Or rather, her spirit was worn out more than her body. She staunchly refused to continue walking endlessly through the dark forest.

Lena threatened Bruno, holding Leo’s body hostage.

“Just so you know, if you wear out this body here, all our escape plans will be ruined. After the switch, Leo, exhausted as he is, won’t be able to escape from the search party. Is that what you want?”

“…………”

Bruno’s face was visibly annoyed.

However, as if calculating the arrival time in silence, he nodded slightly and sighed softly, “Let’s take a break.”

Gathering some dry branches with minimal moisture, he started a fire.

While Bruno skillfully prepared for camping, Lena massaged her numb feet that had become heavy, finally feeling at ease.

She took a bag of nuts from her small traveling bag and bit into a few of them.

Lena silently watched as the reddish-black sunset that had been shining through the gaps in the leaves gradually gave way to the bluish-white moonlight.

In the dense darkness of the forest night, the red flames crackled.

Unable to withstand the weight of the surrounding silence, Lena finally spoke up.

“…You seem quite used to camping. Did you learn that when you escaped from Elrand?”

At the sound of Eldandese, Bruno, sitting beside her, raised his gaze slightly.

Seeing this, Lena shrugged her shoulders slightly.

Neither Leo nor Lena nor Bruno could speak in their native Weitz language. Although it hadn’t been clearly articulated as a rule, speaking to Bruno in Elrandese was Lena’s way of saying, “Let’s speak honestly.”

“…No.”

Realizing this, Bruno also answered in Elrandese.

He gazed fixedly at the flickering flames, propping his chin on his hand.

“When I went hunting or gathering in the mountains, Leo taught me. Even when I was on the run in Elrand, I never camped out.”

At this glimpse of his past, Lena’s eyes widened.

Bruno, who was shrouded in mystery except for being a refugee from Elrand.

His presence was filled with too many questions for Lena.

Not just the reason for fleeing to the enemy capital, but also his occasionally cryptic words and actions.

The sudden announcement of his return home at the timing of the Covenant Festival.

In the end, Lena hadn’t been able to get Bruno to reveal the contents of his “business.”

Leo’s words resurfaced in her mind, urging her to keep an eye on him.

If she wanted to ask, now was the time.

But she didn’t know how to approach it.

It seemed terribly difficult to interrogate someone she had lived with for so long, unlike guiding and questioning strangers like Kai.
After some hesitation, Lena’s lips curved slightly as she decided to delve into the information of “Leo taught me,” rather than the fact that she had never camped outdoors.

Leo’s topic was ultimately the most comfortable subject for the two to converse about.

“…Honestly, whether it’s Emilio and the others or you, it’s always Leo, Leo, Leo. ‘I’ve learned everything important from big brother Leo,’ is that it?” Lena remarked sarcastically.

“Well, in aspects other than money, many children do look up to him,” Bruno replied.

“Yes, in aspects other than money.”

See? When it came to Leo’s topic, conversation flowed effortlessly without the need for careful word choices.

However,

“Isn’t it disappointing that your beloved ‘big brother Leo’ got swapped with someone like me? Aren’t you quite upset with me?” Lena quipped sarcastically, her face contorted.

To Lena’s surprise, Bruno made a shocking statement in response.

“—…Yeah. I actually considered killing you for a moment.”

“Oh, just for a moment…? Wait, huh…?”

Feeling startled after inadvertently responding with an “uh-huh,” Lena listened closely. How much salt did he use? With a tone akin to asking about a teaspoon, this man was about to say something unsettling.

Bruno, though playful, never lied. Sensing the lingering aura of murderous intent within his casual remark, Lena unconsciously grimaced.

“I see. Is that so? That’s quite…”

“But, I had reasons and ultimately didn’t act on it.”

“I see. Is that so?”

Realizing she repeated the same affirmation, Lena frowned, unable to come up with a more decent response.

Feeling pressured by the other party was something Lena, with her high pride, found hard to accept.

“There were reasons, huh. Oh, right. You couldn’t harm this body, after all.”

“No. There are plenty of ways to damage the mind without harming the body,” Bruno retorted.

“…”

Truly, it was moments like these when the man’s past intrigued her. It was too unsettling. Simultaneously, feeling the weight of the difference in her and Leo’s importance within him and the orphanage kids, Lena spat out words forcibly, feeling disgruntled.

“Oh, yes. I’m really touched by your passionate friendship. To love and be loved, eternal bonds and all that. Leo must be thrilled.”

It was almost bitter.

However, surprisingly, Bruno glanced up at her words.

“Well, who knows.”

“Huh?”

“He rejects people’s kindness in life, and I, at least initially, disliked him.”

Lena was speechless at the revelation. It was still incomprehensible that Leo, who was so kind and beloved by many, “rejected kindness,” and moreover, it was surprising that Bruno had disliked him.

“At least you, I thought you were a devout follower of Leo’s from the start.”

“What’s with that assumption? Don’t drag people into weird religions.”

Bruno calmly countered before falling silent.

Crackle, crackle, the sound of the fire crackling filled the air.

Bathing in the swaying orange light, Bruno finally spoke quietly.

“When I came to the orphanage, I was a staunch believer in the Spirit religion. Spirits were the supreme beings, and Elrand was the supreme land. Believing so, I didn’t speak to anyone from Weitz .”

Lena’s eyes widened.

Observing her silent partner, Bruno stared at the flames intently.

In those black eyes rarely seen in Richert’s, shadows of orange danced.

“When did you come to the orphanage?”

“Seven years ago. After the Covenant Festival ended and the war in Elrand was over, a few months later.”

Asked in a hoarse voice, Bruno replied slowly.

And thus, Bruno began his tale.

“In the chaos after the war, I managed to survive thanks to my mother’s intervention and left Elrand. Since my mother had about half of Weitz’s blood, I came to Richert using her connections. I was supposed to be taken care of by relatives, but as the wife of that household detested raising someone with a different skin color, I ended up at the most reputable orphanage in Richert, the Hannah Orphanage.”

His narrative was matter-of-fact.

But Lena couldn’t help but think that perhaps it was because those were unpleasant memories he didn’t want to involve emotions in.

Listening to someone’s confession was a first for her.

Though she wanted to draw it out of him, now that it was happening, she didn’t know how to react.

“I had learned some Weitz from my mother and could understand it reasonably well. Even so, I didn’t feel like talking to the people in the orphanage. After a few weeks of silence, the director assigned someone to keep an eye on me—that was Leo.”

Since Leo had been at the orphanage practically since birth, he had a wealth of experience welcoming new orphans. Naturally, he was often assigned to take care of “newcomers” or “troublesome kids.”

And Bruno fell into the latter category.

“No one knew the language, no one knew the skin color, I was a refugee from Elrand. Most treated me like a pariah, but he was different. His first words were like this, ‘Hey, do you know what ‘romance novel’ means? It’s the genre of the best-selling books. If you can translate Elrand, my hourly rate will skyrocket. Teach me Elrand, won’t you?'”

After Elrand became a protectorate of Weitz , Elrandic books flooded into the country. Though he didn’t understand the appeal of books and had no idea what a romance novel was, Leo understood it could lead to money and his amber eyes sparkled.

That was Leo.

Perhaps recalling those times, Bruno’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Weitz is a barbaric country. That’s what I thought. No, precisely because of that, I didn’t mind being asked to teach Elrandic. At first, even if he didn’t understand my Elrandic, he’d still talk to me about various things. Strangely enough— it wasn’t unpleasant.”

For instance, when standing still with a stern face due to the cold unlike anything in his home, Elrand.

When caught up in a fight and accused of unjust crimes.

At moments when ice seemed to creep into his heart, Leo always smiled without a care.

“Huh? You didn’t do it? I know that. You gotta assert yourself.”

“Hey, you’re getting into too much trouble, this Trouble-uno!”

“Hey, teach me the slang here without being so pretentious. Please, Gold-stealer!”

“Eh, what? Are you angry? You raging, Raging Bruno?”

“…Wait. Have we lost track of whether this conversation is going to end well or if it’s going to end in a lame joke?”

With a half-lidded look, Lena raised her hand, and Bruno nodded earnestly. “Oddly enough, I feel the same.”

“Even I couldn’t understand his carefree attitude at the time. So one day, I asked him. Why do you only call me by weird nicknames?”

After repeating the Elrandic and Weitz language exchange for a while, Leo finally understood Bruno’s question. He scratched his freckled cheek and chuckled awkwardly.

He said this.

“—’Cause, you don’t want to be called Bruno, right?'”

Lena gasped.

Glancing at her, unable to continue, Bruno once again stared at the flickering flames.