The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 30

Three Weeks of Vacation

Time really flew by.

That was the first thought that came to Leo as he looked in the mirror.

[You’ve grown quite a bit, haven’t you?]

Leo’s height had already reached that of a young adult. He easily exceeded 180 cm, and his physique had become robust enough to compete with adult knights in strength.

Though he said that, Leo was still surprised by his remarkable growth. He had never seen such rapid growth, even in his previous life.

[The power of Ki-jap is amazing. Teach me your secret.]

Even now, just hearing the term “Ki-jap” made his whole body shudder, and the shallow scars on his torso stung.

[It’s been two years already; you should forget about it by now.]

It was a memory that would likely come to mind in his final moments. During that month, he had lost sleep due to nightmares.

“I have to go now.”

[Alright, go on. Take it easy with the Ki-jap.]

Exchanging warm yet fiery concerns, Leo left the room.

The place Leo headed to was the training ground, where the sounds of practice and exertion echoed.

“Sorry, I’m late, Alphonse senior.”

“It’s alright. Coming here early every morning is harder than it seems.”

Even though it was a training ground filled with the sounds of practice, only Alphonse was there. With Leo’s arrival, there were now two.

“When a senior calls, it’s a junior’s duty to come immediately.”

“Senior, huh? It’s a title that makes me feel a bit embarrassed in many ways.”

Currently, Leonardo’s official position was Ariasphil’s personal knight, but the members of the family implicitly valued Leo highly.

As proof, Leo’s mana cultivation technique had been incorporated into the official training methods of the Reinhardt family, becoming the primary training method for the family’s senior knights over the past two years.

‘Although I had to hide the fact that I created it as much as possible.’

Recalling this, Leo picked up a wooden spear.

“So, it’s the spear today.”

“I just felt like practicing spear techniques today.”

“Then I’ll stick with my usual.”

The burly Alphonse Armstrong wielded a massive greatsword. Though it was a wooden sword, being hit by it would still break bones.

“Let’s begin.”

Leo and Alphonse charged at each other.

The ensuing sounds of impact and the flurry of exchanges were too fast for the eye to follow. The sheer force was also astonishing.

Each clash sent shockwaves of sword energy around the training ground.

“…Huff…!”

Alphonse’s vertical slash was unavoidable. If Leo tried to block it with his wooden spear, it would break, and the sword would crash into his body.

So,

Bang!

Leo struck the spear down vertically and used the rebound to propel himself into the air. It was a technique that allowed him to evade and counterattack simultaneously.

“…Into the air…?!”

Reacting to Alphonse’s shock, Leo thrust the spear repeatedly in midair, deflecting Alphonse’s greatsword.

“Ugh…!”

Leo landed and aimed the spear tip at Alphonse.

“I win.”

“…Yes, it’s my loss again.”

After admitting defeat, Leo lowered the wooden spear.

“I still can’t beat you. How did you move like that?”

“It’s partly thanks to muscle, but mainly due to training flexibility. It enhances the application of trained muscles.”

“Flexibility, huh… That’s definitely my weak point.”

A male body naturally tends to be less flexible than a female’s. Leo realized this from Arias and compensated by doing gymnastics and stretching, turning a weakness into a strength.

“Still, your muscles are superior to mine, senior. That vertical slash was nearly impossible to defend against.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Since we’re on the topic, how about we work on our lower bodies together today?”

Moving his gleaming muscles, Alphonse graciously suggested the workout.

“Unfortunately, I can’t today, senior. Today is…”

Alphonse, realizing something from Leo’s refusal, retracted his suggestion.

“Ah, today is magic training day. Sorry, I forgot.”

“No problem. See you later.”

Leo gave a light bow and moved from the physical training area to the magical training area.

***

“Oh~ Am I too late?”

Rios, the proud eldest son of the Reinhardt family, ran to the garden, eight minutes past the appointed time.

“You are late.”

“At least it’s not too late. That’s good enough~”

[Coming exactly at a time that’s hard to scold is a skill in itself.]

<“That’s right. This fellow can even use teleportation.”>

At the point where one could use teleportation, as long as the time was well checked, one could arrive at the location immediately. Besides, this magic training room was next to Rios’ room. In the first place, the magic training room was practically a dedicated room made for Rios.

“Haha, that expression is too much! Ouch!”

“Haha, that title is too much, Rios-nim.”

“Too much? Let’s speak comfortably.”

During the two years Rios taught Leo magic, he always called Leo “Awoo.” Since this cheeky nickname was a condition for teaching magic, Leo couldn’t resist more than that.

“So? Did you do your homework well?”

Instead of answering, Leo spread his hands and displayed a circular mana. Two spells of different attributes spread out in a circle, emitting flames and frost in turn.

“Bravo! A perfect score!”

“Thanks to your teaching.”

“Right? It’s all thanks to me, I think too!”

The Grand Master of Magic, who was standing beside them, glared with a very indifferent look, but for now, Leo avoided his gaze. While it was true that the Sage’s help enabled his rapid growth, it was also true that Rios’ help had been significant. Thanks to that, he could supplement the Sage’s lacking modern magic knowledge.

“Still… honestly, I never imagined you’d do this well. Achieving the second circle in just two years and even double casting. This is rare even among advanced magicians.”

Even the indifferent-eyed Sage nodded. This meant that Leo’s growth was exceptional compared to others.

“Now, there’s nothing more I can teach you at the second circle.”

“Then, is it time for the third circle?”

“No.”

Rios shouted in a rarely stern tone.

“…Excuse me?”

“Now, I can’t teach you anymore, Awoo.”

“…Why… why not?”

It was inevitable to be flustered. He had just felt like he was dipping his toes into the principles of magic, and if Rios stopped teaching here, there would be no grounds to learn the third circle.

“Don’t misunderstand. I also want to teach you a lot, but…”

Rios took out a white document from the drawer and handed it over.

[「Magic Tower」 Intermediate Magic License]

…It was a title with detailed explanations listed in sections.

“Without official permission from the Magic Tower, you can’t learn the intermediate magic of the third circle. If you do, you’ll have to go on a blind date in jail like a few years ago.”

Only then did Leo understand what Rios meant.

“To learn intermediate magic, I have to go to the Magic Tower and get permission.”

“Exactly. Of course, if you obtain an official teacher or instructor qualification, you can skip such procedures, but since I’m unofficial, I don’t have that.”

“Why don’t you have it?”

“Why do you think?”

Leo glanced at Rios and nodded.

“Ah, I understand.”

“Understanding right away is a bit hurtful.”

Rios smirked as he handed over the file containing the documents.

“Anyway, have a good trip. Although there will be many old-fashioned people, there are also many interesting things.”

“Isn’t Rios-nim going with me?”

“I’ll pass. Besides, if I go with you, it will only be a disadvantage, not a benefit.”

Leo glanced at Rios again.

“Ah, I see.”

“…It hurts when you understand like that.”

Rios said so, raising his staff.

“Still, it was fun. Reinhardt focuses on martial arts more than magic. So, talking about magic was enjoyable~ Awoo~”

He had said that many times in his past life. In his past life, Rios had also suggested a few times to teach him magic.

[So why didn’t you learn it?]

[Ah, I see.]

The Sage looked at Rios for about a second and was convinced. It was a speed of understanding that hurt.

“But why didn’t Rios-nim learn martial arts and engage in magic?”

Rios wasn’t lacking in comparison to Aria, but he didn’t lack talent in martial arts either. He knew enough about wielding a sword to not be considered untalented.

“Hmm… that’s because magic seemed more interesting…”

Scratching his head slightly, Rios pulled out a book from the study.

“Hmm… do you know a person called the Sage?”

“Yes?”

There was no way he didn’t know. The floating object hovering right next to him was the very person.

“I guess you’ve heard of him. Stories about the Sage, whether in folklore, rumors, or fairy tales, are something everyone has heard at least once.”

Even in his past life, he had ‘heard’ the nickname. The legends and folklore about him were as abundant as those about heroes.

“But honestly, no one believes the Sage actually exists.”

Thus, most people didn’t believe in the existence of the Sage.

“It seems too implausible. Considering their lifespan and what they do.”

It was too far-fetched to be considered a human achievement.

“After all, the origins of magic and the invention of circle magic make no sense. They say he defeated a dragon using only magic… or that he purified an island overrun with undead by leading an army of spirits. It’s all preposterous.”

At those words, Leo once again looked at the mythical figure who surpassed those legends.

[…Ah, come to think of it, there was something like that. As I get older, my memory’s fading.]

Simultaneously picking his nose and ear, that hero of wisdom admitted foolishly.

What on earth had happened in the past? Had a volcano erupted, or a meteor fallen, causing a great cataclysm?

“But I believe the Sage actually exists.”

Leo felt the same. Though it was a significant cultural shock, he was being forcibly converted to that belief in real time.

“…Why is that?”

“It’s because of this book.”

As he spoke, Rios handed over a book he had taken from the shelf.

“This is…”

[The Sage and the Hero]

The book had a worn cover and pages, and judging by its thickness, it was neither a novel nor a dictionary.

“It’s a fairy tale book that was in the family library. I discovered it first.”

That was something Leo had never heard before. It was information he hadn’t come across even in his past life.

“There’s not much to it. It’s similar to other myths, but it tells the story of the first hero, Ruben Reinhardt, whose teacher was the Sage.”

He had heard that in passing before. From the Sage himself, in fact.

“Other people didn’t seem to believe it much. The hero focused more on martial arts than magic, and there weren’t many records about the Sage.”

“…You believe it, Rios-nim.”

“…Well, honestly, I’m half skeptical. But the evidence I have is quite plausible.”

Rios placed the book on the table and began to explain.

“First, the fact that this book was in the family library. If it was a book loosely put together based on imagination, the family would have deemed it sacrilegious and burned it immediately.”

It was a valid argument. The more prestigious a family, the more they valued their authenticity. Discussing the existence of a non-existent teacher would be considered sacrilegious.

“And this.”

Rios opened the fairy tale book to the very last page and showed it.

“…This is…”

It was a portrait of the Sage. Not in a fairy-tale style, but a realistic depiction that matched the Sage perfectly, drawn at the end of the book.

“This portrait.”

“But such things are possible, aren’t they?”

They truly existed, but he feigned ignorance for now.

“It’s possible. But the only identical portrait is at the Magic Tower. And that’s only enshrined at the top tier.”

That increased its credibility.

It meant it wasn’t something a bard or painter had whimsically concocted.

“So, I think the Sage exists. That’s what I’m saying.”

“Then are you researching magic to uncover the existence of the Sage?”

“That’s part of it. Well, if you break it down, it’s 80% for fun and 20% for the Sage, but if I uncover it, it would be a glory for the family, wouldn’t it?”

Right now, Leo had a person who could bring glory to the family right beside him.

[…What? Why?]

At times, Leo felt deeply that the truth could be embarrassing.

“Well, that’s that. If you get a chance, check it out when you visit the Magic Tower. You might see it.”

“Ah… yes…”

Leo barely managed to tear himself away from Rios, wearing an expression masked with white lies.

Once he had distanced himself enough, Leo spoke.

“Sage.”

[Huh? What?]

[…What? You mean the dragon slaying?]

[It’s a bit late to be asking, but aren’t you asking too late?]

Leo acknowledged that point. But considering that the Sage tended to subtly avoid such stories, it had to be taken into account.

[It’s all true. Even though I’m like this now, I used to be quite passionate.]

In the end, people didn’t even remember the Sage properly, only considering him a mythical figure.

If it’s like this, shouldn’t his nickname be the Recluse rather than the Sage?

It was a late, frustrating issue, but one that had to be asked.

[It’s nothing. I just got disillusioned.]

<…Pardon?>

[I got tired of it. Of living in this world. Immensely.]

Crude language, but somehow it seemed like the crudeness was a way to erase the bitter aftertaste.