The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 19

Exclusive Knight

As soon as Ariasphil Reinhardt opened her eyes, she took a deep breath.

“…Sss…”

A deep scent filled her nose and lungs along with the breath.

“Ha…”

For some reason, she felt a sense of comfort. It was a scent she was very familiar with yet rarely experienced, leaving her wanting more. This was…

“Leonardo…?”

Her half-opened eyes fully opened as she realized who the owner of this scent was.

“…Why am I here…?!”

Ariasphil threw off the blanket and got out of bed. She clearly remembered watching Leonardo wake up next to her.

And then… she couldn’t recall anything after that.

“…What happened…”

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door amidst her haziness.

“It’s Rina. May I come in?”

“…Huh?”

Although it wasn’t an expression of consent, the lingering drowsiness made her response ambiguous.

“I thought you might have overslept like last time, so I came to wake you up… Did I disturb you?”

Rina’s words made Ariasphil respond with a slightly stiff mouth.

“No, it’s just that I’m not fully awake yet.”

“That’s a relief.”

“By the way, where is Leonardo…? Where did he go?”

Rina glanced out the window towards the annex and replied.

“Well, Leonardo is in the annex.”

“Really…?”

Ariasphil got up from her seat, masking her discontent with a neutral expression.

“Miss, may I brush your hair? It’s quite tangled.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Rina moved behind Ariasphil and started brushing her hair.

“Where did Leonardo go yesterday?”

Ariasphil asked Rina, who was brushing her hair from behind.

“Well… He left the room and took a walk in the garden with the master.”

The word ‘master’ made Ariasphil flinch.

“…With father…?”

“Yes, they were walking in the garden together. They seemed to be talking…”

“They talked?”

There was only one topic worth discussing even late at night. It had to be about that incident, given that a mere servant had met with the head of the family directly.

“…What did they talk about…?”

“I don’t know. I only saw them from a distance. But…”

Rina hesitated, worried she might be adding unnecessary details.

“…Leonardo seemed to be crying. I saw his face on the way back to the annex.”

At that moment.

“…Crying?”

Ariasphil’s expression turned serious. Even Rina, who was behind her, could sense Ariasphil’s change in demeanor.

“…Pardon?”

“Leonardo was crying?”

Anyone could tell from her tone, posture, and the surrounding air that Ariasphil was serious.

“…I’m not sure exactly…”

“Where is Leonardo now?”

Ariasphil cut off Rina’s confused reply with a decisive question, her icy anger making even the innocent Rina feel a chill.

“…Probably in the annex…”

“I’ll be right back.”

It wasn’t a request but a notification. Leaving the chair, Ariasphil hadn’t fully finished grooming, but that didn’t detract from her appearance.

She dressed quickly and precisely, almost mechanically.

“Tell them I’m skipping breakfast.”

“Oh, yes, Miss.”

There was no time for a leisurely breakfast. Whatever her father had said to Leonardo, it had been serious enough to make him cry. It couldn’t have been a light matter.

‘…He wouldn’t have kicked him out, right…?’

That was unacceptable. No matter what, she had to prevent that.

Even if it meant fighting her father, she couldn’t allow Leonardo to leave…

“Are you skipping breakfast?”

“Yes, I need to…”

At that moment, she had to stop for two reasons.

The first was that it wasn’t Rina who had answered. From the voice and direction, it didn’t seem like Rina.

The second reason was…

“Good morning, Miss Ariasphil.”

The voice belonged to the person she was about to meet.

“…Leonardo?”

“Yes, did you call for me?”

Leonardo greeted her with a polite demeanor and a smile.

“…You… you didn’t leave?”

“Where would I go?”

“I mean… after talking to my father…”

“Oh, I have something to tell you about that.”

Leonardo knelt on one knee and spoke formally to the flustered Ariasphil.

“Servant Leonardo, following the order of Master Gladiolus Reinhardt, I have become your exclusive knight.”

“…What?”

Her surprised expression twisted further, but somehow, her distorted face looked like she was smiling.

***

“So, that was decided during your walk.”

“Yes, it was a decision made between the master and me. If you refuse, Miss Ariasphil…”

“No!”

Her firm and emotional outburst surprised even the naturally smiling Leonardo.

“…I… I’m fine with it! I’m happy to have you as my exclusive knight!”

There was no reason to refuse. In fact, she had hoped for this since Leonardo joined the family.

She was more than happy to welcome it with open arms.

“Thank you.”

“So… what happens now?”

She looked at him with eyes full of expectation. Although it was very subtle, it wasn’t noticeable to the less perceptive Leonardo.

“Basically, I will follow your schedule and daily life. I’ll accompany you unless you need personal time.”

Though she was more interested in what she wanted to ask rather than the formalities, Leonardo’s lack of perception couldn’t reveal that.

“Then let’s go to the training ground.”

“Are you sure you want to skip breakfast?”

“Yes, I’m not hungry.”

More than that, she was looking forward to training with Leonardo.

***

The training ground was as quiet as a desolate plain. Leonardo vaguely sensed it was because of him.

“Then let’s start.”

Leonardo began to swing his sword. It was the usual mana refinement technique but more refined in skill.

“Got it!”

Ariasphil also grabbed her sword and started the refinement technique, showing a more sophisticated mana refinement than before.

[She’s really a genius.]

Mana particles swirled around her intensely. Without Leonardo’s skill, training near her would have been overwhelming and pointless.

[Who in the world killed someone like her?]

Leonardo’s expression hardened at those words.

It was just an offhand comment. It might have seemed tactless or rude, but it was just a casual remark.

But Leonardo’s expression was unusually grim.

<…That’s…>

“Leonardo?”

Noticing his mood, Ariasphil approached him.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

“…It’s nothing. I’m just a bit off today.”

“Do you want to rest?”

“No. Training helps clear my mind.”

Ariasphil seemed to agree and resumed her training.

[Did I say something wrong?]

[…Yeah, yeah, I’m garbage.]

[Wanna die?]

Leonardo resumed swinging his sword with a more relaxed expression.

“By the way, Leonardo.”

While swinging her sword again, Ariasphil asked.

“Who taught you weapon skills?”

“You mean my weapon skills?”

“I’ve never seen anyone handle so many weapons. Even in the family, there’s no one like that.”

Leonardo struck downward with his sword and answered.

“No one specifically taught me. I just used whatever I could get my hands on.”

His diverse weapon skills weren’t just to defeat Ariasphil.

Lack of money often meant he couldn’t get proper weapons, so he would frequently use whatever he could find or take his opponent’s weapon.

“So I naturally learned to use many weapons.”

Of course, Ariasphil was a significant reason for his improvement, but he couldn’t say that yet.

“…That’s impressive. You learned all that by yourself.”

“Is it? My mother being a mercenary had a lot to do with it too.”

Leonardo’s mother was a famous mercenary. People in the surrounding villages remembered her name even if they didn’t know the village’s name.

“She must have been amazing. I didn’t know.”

“It’s understandable. She wasn’t famous nationwide.”

“So where is she now? Far from here?”

Leonardo calmly replied.

“She’s dead.”

“…Dead…?”

He said it so nonchalantly that Ariasphil’s expression changed.

“When I was about ten, she didn’t come home for about three months.”

Leonardo’s mother often traveled far as a mercenary.

When Leonardo was a baby, she didn’t do that, but as he grew older, she sometimes didn’t come home for weeks.

[How did you live alone?]

But after three months without contact, it was reasonable to assume she was dead.

“Still, you never know. Maybe she had reasons…”

“Oh, but my mother told me to think that way.”

“Huh…?”

“If a mercenary doesn’t come back for about three months, it’s safe to assume they’re dead. So she told me to think of her as dead if that happened.”

The listeners’ expressions varied. Ariasphil’s pupils trembled, and the Sage seemed shocked by the foreign culture, unable to speak.

[This is progressing too quickly.]

What followed was simple.

After making a grave for his mother, he thanked the villagers and left the village.

And that brought him to the present.

“…I see.”

“That’s how it was.”

“…Sorry for asking…”

“It’s fine

. That’s life. And it wasn’t all bad.”

“Was there something good?”

Leonardo smiled and said.

“I met you, Miss Ariasphil. And we became friends.”

It was a bit embarrassing to say, but it was important. Given the previous debate over formal speech and friendship, it was even more crucial.

Even if the Sage looked at him as if he were more than trash… He decided to ignore the senile man.

“…I see..!”

Ariasphil turned her head, repeatedly mumbling the word ‘friends.’ Although her head was likely red, Leonardo, remarkably, didn’t notice.

“…Then… could you…”

After hesitating for a moment, Ariasphil spoke again.

“Could you call me Arias…?”

“…Arias?”

She didn’t expect him to drop the formal speech. But calling her by her name seemed reasonable, and she gathered her courage.

“That’s… a bit difficult.”

Leonardo’s response to her courage was that.

Her flushed face cooled, and her uplifted mouth lost its strength. As expected, Leonardo didn’t see her as particularly…

“But if you wish, I could call you ‘Miss Arias.’ How about that?”

She felt a physical sensation like the onomatopoeia “whack” as her face reddened. She tried to hide it, but the blush spread across her skin like ink in water.

To Leonardo, it was merely a compromise, but to Ariasphil, it was like an affectionate address.

It was akin to shyly calling an older woman by both her name and title, which was more rewarding.

“…That sounds good…!!”

“I’m glad. Miss Arias.”

“…Ugh…”

Her face burned. How could he say that so casually?

Though it was her request, it was still unbearable.

“…Miss Arias?”

Not seeing her face, Leonardo couldn’t help but worry. As her exclusive knight, satisfying her was his duty.

“In return… Could you call me ‘Leo’?”

“…Huh…?”

“Leonardo is a bit long. People often call me Leo. What do you think?”

She slowly turned to look at him. It was embarrassing, but this name exchange had to be done face-to-face.

“…Sure… Leo…”

“…Thank you, Miss.”

That’s how they became friends.

And then,

A month passed.

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