"Lena! What are you saying!"
Sister Leslie jumped up.
"This is such a great opportunity... Lena, tell them you'll go quickly."
"I don't want to go. I want to stay with Leo."
Lena declared boldly.
Her expression was resolute. Leo, watching her, found it unbearable to see her give up such a good opportunity because of his own selfishness, and he lowered his head like a guilty person.
Sister Leslie waved his arms frantically, trying to persuade her, but Lena didn't budge.
"...We have to leave early tomorrow. If you change your mind, please come see us in the morning."
The unnamed priest who had come to take Lena looked resigned and led the others away. The village priest consoled the bewildered sister, who kept glancing back until she disappeared inside.
"Lena... I'm sorry."
"What's there to be sorry about? I wasn't planning to go anyway."
"But..."
His throat felt tight. He knew how much Lena wanted to become a priest.
Lena, who always worked and studied diligently, had her dreams ruined just so he could live comfortably and happily. Tears welled up in Leo's eyes at his own cowardice.
Lena hugged him tightly, accepting his selfishness.
"I'm happy being with you, Leo. That's enough for me."
Even though it felt like she was losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a dream she had nurtured since childhood, it was okay. She was going to live happily with Leo forever.
The two embraced for a long time, unable to let go.
The next morning, Lena didn't go to see the priest, afraid her resolve might waver. The female priest and the old man left in a carriage, taking Lena's dreams with them.
The rumor that Lena had given up a chance to go to the central church for Leo quickly spread.
Lena's parents were both regretful and happy. They trusted Leo, who had been with their daughter since childhood and was a diligent and upright young man.
They hurried the wedding plans, and Leo's father agreed quickly.
Lena's parents pulled together what little money they had. It was far from enough, but the villagers helped generously. After all, they were preparing food for everyone, so they didn't hold back.
Leo's father also helped a lot with the wedding preparations. He sold the furs piled up at the mountain lodge and handed over the stored jerky to the village hall.
After the wedding was confirmed, Lena and Leo proudly held hands again. The village elders, remembering how they used to cross the village holding hands as children, were moved and showered them with blessings.
The wedding was held before winter arrived. The village priest officiated, and all the villagers gathered in front of the church to bless Lena and Leo's marriage.
Sister Leslie, putting aside his regrets, gave Lena a book and a red ribbon as gifts. Hans spat in the corner of the church.
As they stood before the officiant, Leo held Lena's hand, solemnly vowing to make her happy for the rest of their lives.
"...I present to you the birth of a new couple before God."
No sooner had the priest finished than Lena jumped into Leo's arms, holding him tightly.
"Leo! I love you!"
Leo beamed. At that moment,
[ Lena has married! Congratulations. ]
The words obscured Lena's joyful face.
"Lena? Lena!!"
Not only Lena, but the church and the villagers faded into darkness. In the empty space, there was no longer his body, only monotonous text emerging from the darkness.
[ Thank you for playing Raise Lena. ]
[ Lena ]
[ Final Job: Village Maiden ]
[ Marriage Partner: Leo ]
[ Leo ]
[ Final Job: Hunter ]
[ Marriage Partner: Lena ]
[ Childhood Friend Ending: Peace in Demos Village ]
- Lena, born in Demos Village, had a happy childhood. Although poor, she received warm attention from her parents and spent her childhood with her friend Leo... (continued) ...Lena did not leave for the central church and married Leo, having two children and living happily ever after. -
- Leo, born in Demos Village, had a happy childhood. Although he lost his mother early, he grew up with his excellent hunter father... (continued) ...Leo married Lena. As a great hunter, he lived happily ever after with Lena and their children. -
The final image of Lena, smiling happily at their wedding, appeared. Beneath it was a summary of their lives together.
'What is happening?'
Leo was bewildered.
Just moments ago, he was holding Lena's hand. The warmth was still vivid... It felt like he was under a powerful spell.
Leo tried to thrash about to escape, but without a physical body, he was stuck. He could only watch the photo slowly fade away.
As Lena's picture and their story disappeared, Minseo's mind grew clearer.
'Was this really a game?'
The eerie unreality of floating in the void sent shivers down his spine.
Anger surged within him.
Who was manipulating his life like this? Why?
I was Leo. I met someone to spend my life with and even ruined her dreams to stay together.
He already missed Lena. He wanted to see her cheerful face and hold her scarred hands. He had planned to become a great hunter and ensure she never got hurt again.
He was going to atone for his selfishness and live happily.
As Lena and Leo's story vanished, only the empty darkness remained.
Finally, Minseo could separate himself from Leo's emotions.
As the faces of his forgotten parents and Chaeha emerged, Minseo was shocked and desperate.
'I have to get out of here!'
Guilt flooded over him for having forgotten Chaeha and genuinely loving another woman. He felt his mind couldn't bear this.
As he struggled, words appeared before his eyes.
[ You have not completed Raise Lena. ]
[ Leo, you became a great hunter and lived happily with Lena. As a reward, some of Leo's hunting skills will be inherited. ]
[ Restarting. ]
'Don't give me that nonsense!'
The indifferent text vanished, ignoring Minseo's desperate cry, and a new intro sequence began to play before his eyes. It was completely different from what he saw when he first started the game.
The original intro sequence showed a peaceful view of Demos Village from a descending perspective, closing in on Lena smiling in a forest on a mountainside.
This time, the perspective dropped from a snowstorm-covered mountain range over thick castle walls into a city. The screen focused on a windswept open area. Two houses stood in front of the open space, resembling a backyard. There, someone wielding a sword turned to look back...
Lena?
"Leo! Are you listening to me?"
"Huh? Lena!"
Minseo's consciousness rapidly receded like a tide. He tried to hold on, but he found himself transformed into a spectator, watching from a distance. The faces of his beloved parents and Chaeha blurred.
"Huh? I called you first. Why are you calling me?"
Lena, wearing thick leather armor with a sword slung over her shoulder, fixed her unwavering gaze on him.
This Lena was taller and looked stronger.
The previous Lena was active and healthy, but she couldn't compare to the 'warrior' standing before him. Her broad shoulders and the well-defined curves of her body, even in armor, approached him confidently.
She resembled Lena but had a slightly different impression up close. The previous Lena had a simple, kind look, while this one had determination in her firmly set lips and strength in her thick, straight eyebrows.
Overall, she looked fierce, yet her slightly drooping eyes and triangular-shaped, cute ears gave her a quirky charm.
The new Lena approached and spoke.
"Why have you been spaced out? And why are you staring at me like that? Want to get hit?"
Leo was momentarily stunned by her rough voice, something the previous Lena would never have imitated. He pretended to look around, startled.
Snowflakes drifted from the sky, the open space behind the houses, and smoke rose from chimneys made of thin, layered stone, dark gray in color.
'This is a completely different scenario.'
In the Princess Maker game, there were options to choose the father's occupation. Depending on the series, the choices included a retired knight, merchant, jester, or traveler, affecting the father's income, the daughter's initial stats, and how she treated her father, making it a crucial part of the gameplay.
This "Raise Lena" game also seemed to have multiple starting points.
Demos Village Leo had a hunter father and was a childhood friend of Lena. But this time...
As he hurriedly tried to grasp the situation, Lena's palm smacked him.
"Hey! Leo! Why are you slacking off in the middle of practice?"
Leo rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed and unsure how to react to the sudden change.
This time, too, Leo's consciousness began to overlay Minseo's, occupying the space, but he still had to act without knowing the present and past.
"Damn it. Why did you hit me!"
Leo, mixed with Minseo's consciousness, adjusted himself, just like before. It took a few days to understand the situation.
They were at Avril Castle, a strategic point in the northern Astin Kingdom on the continent's northwest. His name was 'Leo Dexter.'
He was the eldest son of the Dexter family. Like the previous Leo in Demos Village, he lived with only his father, but he belonged to a prestigious knightly lineage.
Although they bore the Dexter surname, they were not nobility. His father had earned the title for his achievements in a fierce civil war, a title passed down only to Leo.
His father was retired and lived on a pension.
After his mother passed away, they left the capital 'Barnaul' and moved here to her hometown. How she died was never mentioned, and he couldn't bring himself to ask.
With a new scenario and a new life, unlike the leisurely assessment he had before, things were different this time.
"Hey, you idiot! Why are you stepping there?"
Leo's father, Noel Dexter, scolded him, hitting him with a wooden sword.
Unlike his previous father, who was taciturn, this one scolded him harshly, especially from the first day of the new scenario. He was not silent and spewed all sorts of insults.
During a break in the beatings, Lena approached with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you getting yourself beaten?"
"..."
"That move is your specialty, right? Didn't you do it like this, like this? Why suddenly..."
Lena couldn't understand, swinging her sword in front of him.
Leo awkwardly imitated her movements. His body instinctively followed her, creating a sharp wind with his sword.
"See? You did it well."
Lena walked away as if it were no big deal.
Leo had to watch her demonstrate several times.
Fortunately, his body seemed to remember the techniques she reminded him of, and the sword moved correctly without thinking.
This Leo Dexter had trained in swordsmanship from a young age, and his body was very sturdy.
The previous Leo had a robust body from climbing mountains, but it couldn't compare to this one. His thick arms were made for wielding a sword and fighting, easily handling the weapon.
Leo admired his new body, though his father still found it lacking, continuing the beatings.
That evening.
Noel Dexter sat next to his friend, Dehor, who had just returned from hunting, and complained.
"Leo is swinging his sword strangely?"
"Don't even start. It's like he forgot all his swordsmanship... He doesn't even talk about what he's thinking."
The burly man burst into laughter.
Lena's father, Dehor Ainar, was one of the great warriors of the Ainar tribe.
The Astin Kingdom had a mix of feudal and tribal systems.
As numerous northern tribes were absorbed into the Astin Kingdom, they maintained their existing power structures while becoming citizens of the kingdom.
For example, Avril Castle belonged to the Astin Kingdom, with its army, knights, and lord dispatched there. However, most of the castle's residents were from the Ainar tribe.
Thus, the tribe's chief and the lord jointly governed the castle.
Dehor offered his own form of consolation.
"Hahahaha! At his age, it's normal to want to swing weapons as he pleases. Don't worry too much, friend. Hahaha!"
However, his knightly friend Noel Dexter did not find it comforting, his face remaining stern.
Dehor and Leo's father were very close.
They were so close that they merged the backyards of their adjacent houses into one. Noel Dexter also taught swordsmanship to Lena at Dehor's request, increasing the interaction between the families to the point where they were almost one family.
Dehor cheerfully patted Leo on the shoulder, shaking him with his strength.
"Don't think too deeply! Weapon skills are ultimately about blocking, dodging, and cutting."
"...There's also thrusting."
"Oh! I don't use thrusts much since I use an axe. Hahaha!"
"Take it easy with the drinking. It's not good for your body, even if you're back today."
Lena's mother brought out more roasted meat and alcohol, scolding her husband, while Lena discreetly handed a mug of beer to Leo.
As the day ended with burning lanterns, a roaring hearth, overflowing beer, and richly cooked meat, the evening wound down.