The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 26

Growth

[“…Aren’t you about to die?”]

There was no need to hesitate.

Couldn’t it be seen in those eyes? That wasn’t the gaze one gives to a fellow human. At best, it was like looking at a fly in the toilet or a mosquito in the summer.

[Why is he like that? Last time, his father just stayed still.]

Leo wondered about that too. All he was doing was carrying her, but he was being stared at as if he were some sort of beast trying to lure away his granddaughter.

From that man’s perspective, it would be only right to kill such a beast. But Leo was not a beast.

[He can’t hear us anyway, so speak freely.]

[Just as I thought.]

Leo always belittled the Sage by calling him an old fogey, but Marquen was an old fogey of a different level, someone who would lose to the Sage by a close decision. Even that was the best loss a human could achieve.

[It feels like he’s going to keep nagging about men and women sitting separately.]

[What do you mean by that?]

There was no need to explain. They already understood each other.

“…Why are you just standing there?”

“…Yes?”

“Put my granddaughter down right now.”

Leo tried to put Ariasphil down gently. Doing so would at least help extend his lifespan.

Squeeze…

For some reason, he felt Ariasphil’s grip on his shoulder tighten. It was tight enough that he felt pain in his trapezius muscle.

“Hurry.”

But his life was more important than his trapezius muscle. Overcoming her grip, Leo put Ariasphil down.

“…”

After getting down, Ariasphil hung her head, looking a bit sullen. Well, she didn’t have much choice but to walk barefoot or in uncomfortable shoes, so she wouldn’t be in a great mood.

“Ariasphil, let your grandfather carry you. That would be better.”

The moment Marquen offered his back for a piggyback ride, Ariasphil’s eyes lost their vitality again.

“No. It’s okay.”

Her cold and firm refusal seemed to crack the heart of her loving grandfather. As if to prove it, the old man was glaring at Leo with cold eyes.

“Your mother is looking for you. You haven’t given her the gift yet, so hurry up and go.”

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t given her the gift and had left the social hall. It was extremely inappropriate.

“Isn’t it your job as the knight in charge to manage this situation?”

The problem was that the twisted old man concluded that it was Leo’s fault.

[But he’s right, isn’t he?]

Let’s ignore the words of another old fogey. Dealing with one is enough.

***

The social hall was relatively lively. Although Ariasphil’s intrusion and subsequent exit caused some confusion, it seemed to be treated as a mere happening that livened up the atmosphere of the social circle.

The problem was…

“Oh, it’s been a while. Father.”

The appearance of Marquen Reinhardt.

His noble presence was too chilling to discuss the earlier situation or gossip about it.

“Sorry for coming unannounced. Various circumstances led to this.”

“Oh…! No, Father!”

Even in his past life or current life, it wasn’t common to see the head of the household so flustered.

The only one who could frequently create such a rare sight was his grandfather, Marquen.

“I couldn’t bring much of a gift. I’m sorry. I couldn’t find anything suitable.”

Marquen handed over a gift wrapped in a rough box. Silica, the star of the party, accepted it while glancing around nervously.

“…These are teeth…?”

More precisely, it was a beast’s fang.

The fang had a hole bored through the blunt end, threaded with a chain to form a necklace.

“It’s a necklace made from the fang of an alpha wolf I caught during an execution. It should make a decent talisman.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll be sure to wear it.”

Others looked at the fang necklace with quite a bit of surprise, but Silica, who received it, calmly put the fang around her neck.

It wasn’t just wolves. She had also received teeth decorations from crocodiles, sharks, bears, and even wyverns, enough to smack a museum in the face.

[Lack of creativity.]

[Then what about me?]

Starting with Marquen, though it was a bit early, others began to present their gifts as well.

From precious jewels to masterpieces crafted by artisans, fine metals, and other treasures, they began to fill the table one after another from Silica’s hands.

“Mother, here is mine!!”

The eldest son, Rios, handed over a gift box, smiling with his eyes almost closed and the corners of his mouth raised.

[Do you know what it is? I have a bad feeling about this.]

When the box was opened, something with a small handle nestled on a cushion was revealed.

“What is this…?”

Buzz

Suddenly, a blade popped out from the handle.

The point wasn’t simply that the blade had popped out.

Why had the blade come out with a strange buzz sound instead of a ‘click’ or ‘clack’?

This question could be resolved through visual information.

[…It’s a lightsaber?]

A dagger with a beam instead of a blade, and it was red.

<…Yes, there was something like this in my past life too.>

Silica swung the lightsaber a few times, looking bewildered. Reinhardt’s Black Shade nearby watched the lightsaber attentively, but she didn’t make the disgraceful move of coveting someone else’s gift as a shadow.

“…What is this, Rios…?”

“Yes! It’s a bread knife!”

But it was nothing more than a bread knife.

“…What…?”

“Haha! Let me explain!”

Rios picked up the lightsaber bread knife and cut a pastry with it. With a sizzling sound, the crust was cut, turning crispy.

“Now, you can make toast just by slicing bread.”

The people around were busy clapping at the innovation. It would be hard to stay calm while witnessing such a revolutionary waste of talent.

[…Is he a genius or an idiot?]

[I vote for idiot.]

Since it was a tie, let’s compromise and call Rios a genius idiot.

“…Leo…”

Ariasphil tugged at Leo’s sleeve. Lost in thought, he hadn’t realized it was their turn.

“Mother, here this is…”

Ariasphil, standing beside Leo, presented her prepared gift. Given the nature of the gift, it wasn’t boxed but wrapped in fine cloth and ribbons.

“This is… truly beautiful.”

The flower, shining in five colors, looked as if a small rainbow had been softly woven into each petal by magic.

“…Where did you find this flower? I’ve never seen one like it before…”

“I didn’t find it, I made it. Leo taught me.”

As she said this, Ariasphil grabbed Leonardo’s sleeve. People’s gazes alternated between Leonardo and the rainbow flower.

“Leonardo-kun.”

Silica, holding the multicolored bouquet, smiled warmly at Leo.

“Yes, happy birthday, Lady Silica.”

Leonardo knelt on one knee and offered his congratulations to the lady of the house. Her kind smile showed how pleased she was with his etiquette.

“Thank you, Leonardo-kun.”

“It’s nothing compared to the grace I’ve received from the family.”

Compared to what the family had given him, the flower was a simple token of his respect.

Leo bowed his head slightly and expressed his gratitude once again.

“Haha, I can see why Ariasphil cherishes you. Thank you for being by her side.”

Silica showed her warmth as she sniffed the bouquet. Leo, reassured by her reaction, turned his gaze back to Ariasphil.

“…Cherishes… why use such a word…”

For some reason, her face was slightly flushed. But without paying attention to her blush, the crowd at the party began to gather around Silica.

They wanted to make an impression on the family, especially since the gift-giving had ended.

Of course, Leo and Ariasphil were also among the crowd.

“Your name is Leonardo, correct?”

Marquen walked towards Leo through the crowd. The cold air created a tacit space between them, separate from the lively party.

“Yes, Sir Marquen.”

“I heard you first met Ariasphil in an unofficial duel. Is that true?”

Given the emphasis on the word ‘unofficial,’ it didn’t seem like a positive comment was forthcoming.

“Yes, it is.”

But he couldn’t deny it. It was a fact Leo acknowledged, so he had to accept it.

“It was just the reckless ambition of an immature mercenary.”

“It’s good that you’re aware.”

Marquen’s eyes were cold. The sharp focus in his eyes felt as if they were freezing the surface of a lake.

“So who won?”

“It was a draw. It was an unofficial and unfair duel.”

His brows furrowed slightly at the response.

It didn’t seem to be the answer he was looking for.

Without relaxing his furrowed brows, he continued with another question.

“I heard there was a second duel. How did that one end?”

“…That duel was interrupted. A Balrog appeared in the village, so we couldn’t finish it.”

Even with the coherent response, there was no sign of his frown easing. On the contrary, the wrinkles on his forehead deepened and multiplied.

“So, you’ve never defeated Ariasphil even once.”

The air around them turned so cold it seemed frozen. If anyone sighed, it would likely produce visible steam.

“Father, why would you say that out of the blue…”

“This is an issue that needs to be addressed, so don’t interfere.”

[That guy’s a real old fogey.]

At the moment, Marquen had the upper hand in the day’s score. It was truly regrettable to witness this epic reversal alone.

“In the end, it’s true that you haven’t won, correct?”

“Father! That’s not why you came here in a rush, is it!”

Even Chris, who had been watching from a distance, couldn’t just stand by and tried to calm the situation.

“This is a necessary question to clarify things.”

“But…!”

“Chris ‘Tina’ Reinhardt, do not make me repeat myself.”

The mention of ‘Christina’ caused the murmuring of the surrounding people to grow louder. The reason could be found in the name ‘Christina.’

[Is her name Christina? I thought it was Chris.]

Thanks to Marquen’s obstinate nature, it was all revealed, but it would be courteous to respect privacy, even in such a way.

“Then what should be done?”

“It’s simple. Have a rematch with Ariasphil.”

“A rematch?”

“We need to verify your qualifications as the knight in charge. Do you have any objections?”

Leonardo briefly turned his head to gauge Ariasphil’s reaction.

“I’m fine with it, but I think Ariasphil’s opinion is also important.”

“I’m okay with it!”

Her immediate response made the check of her expression unnecessary.

“…I want to settle this properly.”

Given a little thought, it wasn’t an unexpected reaction.

For Ariasphil, the duel with Leo had its own significant meaning.

“…”

Leo hesitated for a moment. He was debating whether he should use magic and if he should continue to hold back.

“…I…”

Just as he was about to agree after his internal struggle, Marquen spoke first.

“If it’s too difficult, let’s do this. If you defeat Ariasphil, you can take a weapon from my armory…”

“I’ll do it.”

It might have seemed like he was acting out of greed, but he felt no guilt.

After all, he had planned to fight anyway.

Once again, the armory wasn’t the main issue.

He had no impure intentions towards secondary things like a sword that could unleash fiery sword energy or a spear that emitted lightning.

He would approach the duel with a clean conscience.