The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 60

Side Story – Meeting

The gazes of the people weren’t as piercing as expected.

It wasn’t simply because he was carrying a severed head around, but because they knew whose head it was.

People turned their eyes away from Leo, especially avoiding the gaze of Decal, who was hanging from his shoulder.

But it didn’t really matter. The fact that they averted their eyes meant they had already seen what was going on.

At that moment, Leo was only thinking of one thing.

‘It’s starting to smell. Is there a decent place to hang this?’

Just as he was thinking that, he spotted a tall tree nearby.

“This’ll do.”

Muttering to himself, he tossed the head and hung it on the tree. The head, dangling from a branch, looked like a gruesome ornament on a Christmas tree.

“Hey!”

Just as he was about to leave after finishing his warning, someone called out to him. When he turned his head, he saw a knight dressed in chainmail and holding a spear.

‘…A guard?’

Judging by the good condition of his weapon, that seemed likely.

“I’m here in response to a report. Kid, you need to come with me for a bit.”

“…What if I refuse?”

“There are ways to punish you on the spot.”

The sharp spear gleamed brightly in the sunlight. The punishment would likely be delivered with that spear.

“What’s the charge? Getting rid of the money source that lines your pockets?”

The guard’s expression hardened. It was a probing remark, but it seemed to have struck a nerve.

Shhhk.

Seizing the moment, Leo kicked up some sand, sending the coarse grains flying into the guard’s eyes.

“Argh!”

Without missing a beat, Leo grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Whoosh.

Even though the guard couldn’t open his eyes, he swung his spear. As a guard, he could display a decent level of spear technique.

“Dance for me, just go ahead.”

The problem was that his vision was blocked, making his distance judgment completely off. Hearing Leo’s voice, the guard rubbed his eyes and rushed in that direction.

“Die…!!”

At that moment, Leo reflected the sunlight off his sword blade. The reflected light was a blinding flash to eyes that had been in darkness due to the sand.

“You die, you bastard.”

Thunk!

With a blow from the back of the sword, the guard was sent flying. Then, stepping on the guard’s stomach, Leo began to kick his face.

Thud, thud.

After hearing those sounds a couple more times, Leo confirmed that the guard had completely collapsed. He then took the guard’s spear and planted it next to the tree.

“…This should be fitting.”

Leo wedged the spear into the guard’s armor, making him look like a scarecrow.

There wasn’t a more fitting pair than a pathetic bandit leader and the incompetent guard who allowed it.

“Ugh… Ptui!”

As a final touch, Leo spat on the guard’s facial wounds to disinfect them—a gesture both courteous and mocking.

“…What a lousy day.”

Leo wasn’t particularly worried about any repercussions. The other side would be too busy trying to cover up the fact that a guard had been beaten by a mere kid or that they had taken bribes.

“Well then, how about buying some meat after a long time?”

Leo figured he might as well stock up on some dried jerky since he’d be well compensated for the job.

With that light-hearted thought, Leo headed towards the market.

And then—

“You there, stop.”

Once again, he was dragged into another confrontation.

“…Is today cursed or something? Why do I keep getting into trouble?”

When he turned around, the rest of his words got stuck in his throat. Behind him stood a small sun.

Unable to comprehend how a human could emit such radiance, he momentarily concluded that the figure before him was a sun in human form.

“Was it you? Those people?”

The girl, with long white hair and blue eyes, asked. Her beauty was so striking that even a high-quality pendant seemed plain in comparison.

“…And how would you know who ‘those people’ are?”

Leo quickly regained his composure. His years of mercenary life had long since taught him how to steady his mind.

“The people you hung from the tree and tied to the spear.”

Her explanation made Leo scoff. The girl glared at him for his insolence.

“…Are you playing the hero of justice or something?”

“…What?”

“Whether I sever someone’s head or beat them up, it’s none of your business. Unless those two are your family or friends. Is that it?”

He was confident they weren’t, which is why he asked.

“No.”

As expected.

“Still, what you did is unacceptable.”

“And who are you to decide that? Who are you to say what’s acceptable or not? Do you even know what those people did?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that what you did is wrong.”

The conversation continued to go in circles. The market grew quiet as the exchange, which felt like a farce, unfolded.

“…This isn’t getting anywhere. I’m telling you nicely, just go on your way…”

At that moment, Leo’s eyes caught sight of the pendant around her neck. The emblem of a lion standing proudly with a holy sword—only one family could use that symbol.

“…So that’s how it is?”

Leo chuckled as he removed his gloves. He then threw them at her.

Thud.

“…Do you even know what this means?”

“You’re supposed to be some great knight, right? No need to drag this out. Let’s settle it here and now.”

There was neither formality nor courtesy, but the duel was accepted.

“Fine. Let’s do this.”

The girl drew her sword from her waist. However, the weapon she pulled out was not meant for the battlefield.

“…What’s the meaning of this?”

It was a dagger. To put it bluntly, it was more suited for slicing fruit, or at best, cutting through a rope.

“Someone like you isn’t worth swinging a real sword at.”

“…Heh… Is that so?”

Even though the girl’s words were provocative, Leo felt only irritation, not fury. He had experienced this kind of insult countless times before.

“But do you want to know something?”

Leo grasped the sword at his waist. It was, of course, a longsword that had claimed the lives of dozens.

“The guy whose head I cut off was the leader of a bandit gang that killed and pillaged people. And the one who got beaten was a guard who knew about it but did nothing.”

The girl hesitated for a moment.

“…?!”

Leo had deliberately chosen his words to throw her off. Immediately, he charged forward. It couldn’t be called dishonorable since what he said was the truth.

Clang!

For a brief moment, their swords locked. By all logic, Leo’s sword should have knocked aside the girl’s dagger.

But it was Leo’s sword that stopped. He had initiated the attack, and his weapon was far superior.

“…I didn’t know that.”

Yet, the girl’s dagger held Leo’s longsword firmly in place, pressing down on the blade at a single point.

It was a feat more fitting for an acrobat than a knight or mercenary.

“…Tch…!”

He had expected this.

Aura—something a lowborn like him could never learn or even witness.

Thwack!

Leo tried to follow up with a kick, but she effortlessly dodged and struck his wrist with the hilt of her dagger.

The longsword clattered to the ground, and Leo collapsed to his knees.

Now, the girl’s dagger was aimed at him, and she hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“I’m not going to ask you to apologize. I understand now. Stand up.”

She sheathed her dagger and extended a hand to him. The scene was so benevolent, so kind, that everyone watching felt moved by her compassion.

Slap!

Only Leo slapped her hand away.

“Fuck off… Are you joking? Do it again. Don’t you dare look down on people like that.”

With his swollen wrist, Leo grasped his sword once more.

“Why should I? The misunderstanding’s cleared up. There’s no reason to fight.”

“There’s no reason, sure. But… for someone like me, there’s something called pride.”

And with that, he swung his sword again. Even with his swollen hand, the sword moved faster than before. The girl, seeming to retreat from the rapid strike,

Crack!

This time, she shattered the sword itself. Despite Leo having pressed the attack, he was the one who had lost.

“Can we stop fighting now?”

Her gaze bore down on him.

“Don’t you dare… take it easy on me…!!”

Leo drew another sword with his other hand. A surprise quick-draw—his uninjured hand moved even faster.

“I said—!!”

Thud.

The sword struck its target. Perhaps it was a mistake that could only occur in a surprise attack. Blood splattered and began to flow. The sudden turn of events left the onlookers too stunned to even scream.

“…If you keep going like this, you’ll die.”

“I know… It’s pretty deep, huh…!”

The dagger was lodged in Leo’s chest, piercing his side. Blood soaked through his clothes, staining them a deep red.

“…Step back. If you don’t want to die.”

Leo took another step forward. The blade sank deeper, and the pain pulled him closer to death.

“…Why are you doing this?”

“People like you will never understand…! You might worry about how you’ll live tomorrow, but I…”

More blood flowed. The wound was dangerously close to his heart, and the bleeding was severe.

“…I… think every day about how I’ll die tomorrow…!”

Even so, his words didn’t stop.

Was it simply because he wanted this girl to end his life?

Or maybe he just wanted someone—anyone—to hear him out.

No one would ever know.

“…The truth is… I’m not some great person like you… I’ve had no reason to live for a long time now…”

What flashed before his eyes, ironically enough, was the face of his mother, whose body had never even been found.

“If I die at the hands of someone like you… maybe… I’ll be able to go out with a bit of dignity…? Don’t you think…?”

His words were nearly mad, filled with an indifference to others that bordered on insanity. With trembling hands, he gripped the girl’s dagger.

“…If I just tilt the angle a bit, I could make sure of it…”

At that moment, Leo stopped. He looked like a criminal confronted by the weight of his own sins.

“You…”

He let go of the dagger.

“I’m done.”

Blood continued to flow, so Leo tore his sleeve and tried to stop the bleeding.

“…You need proper treatment…!”

“Forget it. Don’t worry about the loser. It’s more humiliating that way.”

But when the bleeding didn’t stop as he hoped, Leo glanced at a nearby lamp. It was one the market vendors had hung up to keep their stalls lit even at night.

“Mind if I use this? Thanks, old man.”

“…Huh? Oh, uh, sure…?!”

Before the vendor could even finish his response, Leo grabbed the lamp.

Chiiiik!

Then, he pressed the hot lamp against his wound. The sound of burning flesh and the smell of it filled the market.

It was a bold and brutal act, one that didn’t seem fitting for someone so young.

“Guess that’ll disinfect it too.”

Leo remarked, looking at the seared wound on his chest. No one responded; everyone was too shocked, covering their mouths in horror.

“Thanks for the help, old man. Just wipe it off; it’ll be fine.”

With those words, Leo walked off toward the inn. As soon as he left, the market erupted in whispers.

Was he insane? Was he on something?

And did that guy really kill Decal?

Why did he start a fight and then try to die?

While everyone turned these questions into gossip, Leo was busy arguing with the innkeeper about the wound on his chest before finally collapsing onto the bed in his room.

“…Ha… damn it…”

If he had just gone through with the stab, everything would have been over. He had no more attachment to this miserable, wretched life.

“…I even killed a wyvern… so why the hell was I shaking like that…?”

The only reason he didn’t was because of how much the girl’s hand, the one gripping the dagger, had trembled.

“…Ha… shit… how embarrassing…”

Leo had chosen defeat over death.

This was the first time Leo experienced defeat at the hands of Arias.