The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 11

Reinhardt

Today, his head felt complicated.

[Leonardo.]

So, he trained until his mind was cleared.

[Hey, impotent loser.]

He concentrated to the point where he couldn’t hear such trivial insults. Until his head was clear…

[…Joke killer.]

“Aaaaaah!!!”

He continued to strike down with his sword. Screams kept bursting out of his mouth.

[The ultimate skill of joke assassination… kukuk…!]

His face turned red, and the speed at which he swung his sword increased.

“Shut up!! I said shut up!!”

[The joke assassination technique surpasses speech… kukuk…!]

He felt anger towards everything. The reporters, the newspapers, the jokes, even that ‘kukuk’ sound.

“I’ll kill you!! Old man!!”

The details of this anger-fueled black history went back five minutes.

***

[‘I’m truly sorry, Alfred Butler.’]

He went to the butler’s office early in the morning to apologize for what he couldn’t yesterday.

Regardless of the circumstances, Leo himself had some responsibility, so he needed to apologize.

It might have seemed too early, but Alfred always woke up at dawn, so it shouldn’t have been a problem.

[‘Talking about things like tea or cookies would be fine. Absolutely no jokes…’]

With that thought in mind, Leo knocked.

[Come in.]

Upon receiving permission, Leo opened the door.

[Good morning, Butler Alfred.]

[Oh, it’s Leonardo. Good morning.]

Alfred looked healthy, reading the newspaper, as if he hadn’t fainted yesterday. He even had tea beside him.

[That tea is Darjeeling. It seems quite high-end.]

[Oh, you noticed… I didn’t know you were knowledgeable about tea.]

[I’m still lacking in knowledge. They say a truly knowledgeable person can tell how many months the tea leaves have aged just by the smell.]

Alfred was that person. Humbly accepting the praise while elevating the other, it was a high-level conversational skill.

[Even knowing different types of tea at your age is difficult. You excel not only in humor but in other cultured areas as well.]

His heart felt pierced by those words. He was definitely angry.

[…I’m truly sorry about that matter. I’ve lived as a mercenary since I was young, so I lack the talent for cultured humor.]

[No, no. It was truly a wonderful joke. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.]

His heart felt not just pierced, but shredded. He wanted to bow in apology.

[…You’re reading the newspaper. Isn’t it tiring to read three different kinds?]

Trying to change the topic, Leo moved the subject to the newspapers in front of him. It was a distinctive topic change, so it wouldn’t seem too awkward.

[Today’s newspaper is really interesting. Especially the front page. Would you like to see it, Leonardo?]

[What? What is it about…]

Leo’s words stopped there.

【13-year-old boy becomes a joke killer.】

Sometimes, shocking truths

「The ultimate secret of joke assassination, the butler faints」

could paralyze

《The joke assassination technique surpasses speech》

a person’s language abilities.

[How about it? Isn’t it a much more pleasant article than economic recessions or accidental deaths?]

***

And now

“Aaaaaah!!!”

The paralyzed language abilities were now erupting explosively.

[The joke killer surpasses speech… kukuk…]

“Shut up!! Shut your mouth!! Crazy old man!!”

Swinging his sword like a madman, Leo shouted. The Sage, being a ghost, couldn’t be hit by the sword, but Leo had to do something to calm his mind.

[Hey, hey, I told you not to listen to my jokes… I can’t control it yet… kukuk…]

That laugh severed the last thread of his patience.

“I’ll kill you!! I’ll kill you all!!”

He seemed to be getting more excited, but it was a misconception.

He had to.

“Arias, why is Leonardo acting like that?”

Chris, who had come to the training ground just after dawn, asked while looking at the raging Leo.

“That’s Leonardo’s training method. He was also very angry and shouting during training last time.”

“Hm… It seems like a training method to draw out physical strength through emotional rage.”

That wasn’t it.

“Trying to harness the strength of his anger at such a young age… It’s beyond impressive, it’s scary.”

“That’s Leonardo for you…”

Not at all.

“But it could be dangerous. If he continues like that, he might become a slave to his anger.”

Just no. If it’s not, it’s not.

“Leonardo, training from the morning?”

Chris approached to advise Leo, who might become a slave to his anger.

“Kill…! Huh? Sir Chris?”

Seeing Chris, his excitement subsided. No matter how humiliating the event, he needed to calm himself in front of his superior.

“Good morning, Sir Chris. Good morning.”

“It’s good to train from the morning, but you should cool down a bit. In situations like this, you need to keep a cool head.”

As embarrassing as it was, he was right. In situations like this, one should respond calmly.

“I’m sorry. I’ve shown an unreliable side as a squire.”

“No, the strength you showed by letting your emotions take over was strong enough. I’m only stopping you because it’s still too early to use that strength.”

…The words were a bit strange, but since it was Chris, he decided to understand.

“By the way, I heard from Arias that you have another special training method.”

This crazy act wasn’t a training method, but since it was Chris, he decided to go along.

“Another training method… Do you mean the mana training technique?”

“Mana training technique, hmm… Is that what it’s called?”

“Yes, would you like to see it?”

“It’s better to have the creator demonstrate it.”

Just as he was about to take a stance for the mana training technique,

At that moment

“You brat…! Here you are!”

Seniors, who were like heaven and earth, came stumbling across the ground. Their faces were so red that it was clear they were angry.

“Oh, seniors. Were you looking for me?”

That calm and sly remark made their already red faces flare even more.

“You…! How can you say that…!!”

“What’s going on?”

Chris, in front of him, seemed puzzled and looked at the squires.

“…Sir Chris…!”

“You’re probably Rochea’s squires, right? What’s the issue with Leonardo?”

As Chris asked, another set of footsteps and a voice echoed.

“I apologize, Sir Chris, for these rude ones! What’s this insolence?!”

It was Rochea. Rochea appeared and started grabbing his squires. Their faces tensed up as their direct superior appeared.

“It’s fine. Listening to the grievances of squires is also a knight’s duty.”

That generosity eased the squires’ tense expressions. And that relief,

“So, what’s the matter?”

often leads to reckless actions.

“That junior, Leonardo, has been excessively rude, so we’ve come to reprimand him.”

Vector, the smartest among the squires, stepped forward. He was not only famous within this group but also known for his excellent speaking skills among other kids.

“Excessively rude?”

“Yes, he disrespected us as seniors and even attacked us with insubordination.”

They showed their clothes as evidence, displaying the bruised areas. Those hit on the face didn’t need to show their clothes as the bruises were clearly visible.

“…Is that true, Leonardo?”

So, this is how they were going to play it? This was too…

It was advantageous.

“Yes, I did inflict those injuries.”

The squires internally cheered at his response.

Insubordination was a severely punished crime even within the knights, and they eagerly awaited the punishment this foolish commoner would receive.

“Why?”

“Because the seniors insulted Sir Chris and Miss Ariasphil.”

And the song of internal celebration turned into a dissonant chord.

“…They insulted me?”

“When did we ever do that?! When did we ever…!?”

“Yesterday, you called me a crazy bastard after seeing my behavior, right?”

Though it was embarrassing, the squires responded.

“Yeah! We did! But that’s because you were insubordinate…!”

“And simultaneously, you said, ‘He’s the guy Sir Chris brought in. Of course, he’s a madman,’ right?”

That was true too. The squires couldn’t immediately respond and hesitated; they were already getting caught in Leonardo’s pace.

“Well… that…”

“That remark was an insult to Sir Chris, who chose me as a squire, and a disloyal speech that showed distrust in Sir Chris’s judgment.”

Although slightly exaggerated, it was all based on the truth. As proof, those squires couldn’t provide a proper counterargument and just looked around nervously.

“And eventually, you even insulted Miss Ariasphil.”

“When did we…!!”

“Not only did you refer to Miss Ariasphil without honorifics, but you also said I seduced and ensnared the daughter of the family.”

“…”

Suddenly, they recalled what they had yelled when they were hit.

[Ariasphil!! Just because you charmed the master’s daughter! You think you’re something! You lowly…]

In the midst of sudden punches, they couldn’t even discern what they were saying. However, in a verbal battle, even such rash words could be a fatal mistake.

“As a squire, I found it more serious that my benefactor and the family’s

daughter were insulted, so I reacted first with my hands.”

Those squires had completely lost the ability to speak. The gap in verbal skills between Leo and them was already over ten years wide.

“…But don’t you think you were too harsh? They are your seniors and nobles…”

Leo cut off Rochea’s words as if he couldn’t bear to listen any longer.

“Before that, the seniors challenged me to a duel.”

“A duel…?”

“It was a form of initiation. Four of them rushed at me simultaneously, and the sword they used was already cracked. If you don’t believe me, you can check the broken sword in my room.”

Even without verbal skills, just looking at the situation, it was clear who was at fault.

“So, I didn’t think my actions were excessive. If my thoughts and actions are wrong, please correct me.”

Rochea was now rendered mute as if he had lost his voice.

“Is all of this true, Rochea?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure…”

“Not knowing is a bigger problem. A Reinhardt knight can’t manage even a single squire.”

No excuses were needed. In fact, making excuses would only follow Jehad’s path.

“I’m sorry!! I’ll educate them to ensure this never happens again!”

“Do your best. Reinhardt doesn’t consider repeated mistakes as mistakes.”

“Yes, sir!!”

Rochea loudly expressed his repentance and at the same time glared at his squires with burning anger.

The heat from his gaze turned the squires’ faces, except for Leo’s, pale.

“…We’ll take our leave now. We’re truly sorry for our rudeness.”

After apologizing, Rochea and his squires left the training ground. Their faces were not just pale but had turned ashen.

“…For some reason, it seems like only the flaws of Reinhardt are visible to you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. If it were too perfect, I might have quit being a squire because it seemed too unattainable.”

“That’s an interesting joke. The name ‘Joke Killer’ suits you well.”

…

…..

……..

Suddenly, he wanted to scream.

[Hey… If you listen to my jokes, you’ll die split in half. Please don’t awaken my mischievous spirit… kukuk…]

No, he wanted to die.

Should he commit suicide with a joke?

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