The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 63

Side Story – Fate

The boy looked up at the sky.

The sky was filled with the light of the sun.

People thrived under the sunlight.

But the boy thought,

‘What if night comes?’

The boy crafted wings from feathers and flew into the sky.

The closer he got to the sunlight, the more it burned him.

His wings turned to ash, and his entire body was engulfed in smoke.

As his body began to burn, the boy spoke.

“I may not be as great as the sun, but I suppose this has its meaning.”

The boy fell. His body, now like dry firewood, became a small hearth.

As the sun set, people gathered around the hearth.

For the first time, humans grasped light in their hands.

That light is what we call fire.

$

Suddenly, his eyes opened.

It was a dark night, with crickets and frogs weaving a long harmony in the background.

He lay in bed, covered by a blanket.

His body could barely move.

It wasn’t that he was in pain or that his bones were fractured.

His body, particularly the left side, felt as if it had turned to stone, completely numb.

First, he needed to figure out where he was.

Leo used a bit of force to prop himself up in the bed.

“You’re awake?”

In the room was a woman, leaning against the wall with her head lowered.

A thick cigar in her mouth added a certain charm.

“And you are…?”

Memories flashed through his mind. He clearly remembered being crushed under the debris of a stone wall, when suddenly, this person appeared and saved him.

“Chris Reinhardt of the Dark Flame. You could say I’m the one who brought you here.”

His body was well bandaged, and the wounds had been treated with medicine. Judging by the lack of any remaining injuries, it seemed he’d been properly treated while unconscious.

“…What happened to the others?”

Chris took the cigar out of her mouth and walked towards Leo.

“The victims will have some lingering effects, but with a few months of proper treatment, they should recover. And Aria, the child who crossed the line of death with you, is currently receiving training. It’s her punishment for her reckless actions.”

Aria—a name that suited the girl well.

Chris explained how Aria ended up there. The child had recklessly trailed suspicious individuals who were taking someone away. It was just like her to do something so foolhardy.

“Training… a punishment?”

“Yes, she snuck into the ritual of a dark wizard, after all.”

He had suspected as much after entering, but he hadn’t imagined it would be true. He had only heard rumors about dark wizard rituals.

“Honestly, Aria should be grateful that her punishment is just training.”

“…”

Certainly, writing a reflection letter was far better than dying, in more ways than one.

“So, how’s your body? If you’re injured, speak up. Treatment will be harder if it’s delayed.”

Leo briefly assessed his physical condition and quickly recalled the numbness in the left side of his body.

“My body doesn’t move well. It feels different from a fracture or muscle pain…”

“Let me see.”

Chris suddenly pulled down Leo’s clothes and touched his chest. The sudden contact from a mature woman made him feel both embarrassed and oddly flustered.

For a teenage boy, the sight of her cleavage was far too stimulating.

“As I thought,” Chris said as she removed her hand from the scar on his chest, nodding to herself.

“How long has it been since this scar appeared?”

“Around… a month ago… I got it while fighting with that girl…”

A dagger had pierced his chest. He had roughly cauterized the wound with a lamp to stop the bleeding. It seemed that the haphazard treatment was the problem.

“Was it Aria who did this?”

“No… Technically, I was the one who provoked her…”

He was the one who threw the glove, and he was the one who acted recklessly during the fight, so he couldn’t really claim to be a victim.

“I wasn’t asking to assign blame.”

“Pardon? Then…”

“Your paralysis is due to Aria’s attack. I needed to confirm that.”

Chris drew a black shortsword from its scabbard. The blade and hilt were engraved with patterns. Though it had an artistic appeal, the engravings had nothing to do with the sword’s actual abilities.

“You’ve seen this before, haven’t you?”

The sword radiated a clear energy, so potent that it altered the flow of the air around them.

“…Aura, right?”

“Since you know, this will go quickly.”

She sheathed the sword once more.

“To use Aura… you either have to be born with the talent for it, or undergo special training.”

Leo already knew this, which was why he had neither learned nor used Aura himself.

“But there are some obsolete methods to gain Aura.”

She drew the sword again and thrust it forward.

“Aria’s dagger likely infused your heart with Aura. Haven’t you been feeling constant pain in your chest recently?”

He had, but he thought it was just natural pain. It would have been stranger to assume there would be no aftereffects given the way he treated the wound.

“…Can Aura really be obtained that easily?”

“Simple, yes, but the side effects are severe—as you’re experiencing now.”

Certainly, while the pain was something he could bear, the paralysis was a significant problem.

“And that’s not all. If you can’t release the stored mana in an instant, it’ll turn into poison instead.”

It was only then that he understood why the stone wall had shattered. During the fire, he had momentarily released Aura.

“…So, is it resolved?”

“If you consider living the rest of your life half-paralyzed as resolved, then yes.”

Obviously, it wasn’t resolved, nor was that an acceptable outcome.

“Right now, your body has temporarily opened a pathway for Aura. But because it’s an improper method, the situation is critical. If left untreated, you might have to live like this for the rest of your life.”

There was something even more dreadful than death.

“…Is there a way?”

“There is. That’s why I brought you here.”

“Then, please tell me the method…”

“Before that.”

Chris sheathed her sword and leaned back against the wall.

“Answer my question first. The method will be something to consider afterward.”

There was an overwhelming pressure in the air, unlike anything Leo had felt from any of the enemies he had faced before.

A chilling sense of malice flowed from her.

“I ended up investigating you, whether I wanted to or not.”

Chris held up a mercenary badge. It was Leo’s worn, old badge.

“After checking your identity, I confirmed that, Leonardo, you are indeed a mercenary affiliated with the guild. But…”

She placed the badge on the table with a sigh.

“How is it that a 13-year-old boy is able to take on requests to exterminate a band of thieves or eliminate a human trafficking ring?”

This was an undeniable fact. Even if this was indeed the site of a dark wizard’s ritual, it wasn’t the kind of job a young mercenary should have been handling.

“…Do you want me to explain the reason or the method?”

“Start with the method.”

“I had a connection with the guild master, and I passed a sort of test. And…”

Leo hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I made a contract that allowed me to accept any type and rank of request in exchange for forfeiting certain benefits, including insurance upon retirement or death.”

Chris was so surprised that she dropped the cigar she was about to light.

“…Do you understand what that means?”

Leo probably understood better than anyone.

“Yes, I gave up all the advantages of being in a guild, except for being able to take on requests.”

“…Wasn’t the guild master a friend? Did he really allow such a thing?”

“I was the one who asked for it.”

In fact, the guild master had been concerned for him and had set up the contract so that Leo could terminate it at any time without any penalties or notice period.

“…Do you have any family?”

“…I think I do. I’m working as a mercenary under those conditions to find them.”

Chris’s gaze changed.

Leo continued his story.

Whether it was to dispel her doubts or because he needed an adult to whom he could finally tell his story, he didn’t try to deny the truth he already knew.

“…That’s how it happened.”

“So you still haven’t found your mother?”

“I thought it would be some comfort if I at least found a keepsake… but there’s been no body, and she hasn’t come back alive either.”

Leo gave a bitter smile.

“…Are you alright?”

“Everything… is what it is. What I learned as a mercenary is that there are many ways to die in this world that leave no trace behind.”

Whether it was being burned to ashes, tied to a heavy object and thrown into the sea, or devoured by monsters down to the bone—there were countless ways to vanish without a trace.

Such things had become so common.

His mother’s death.

“That’s not something a kid should say.”

“…But considering the number of people I’ve killed…”

At that moment, Chris bowed her head.

No, it wasn’t just a bow.

She went down on her knees, placed her palms on the ground, and lowered her head completely.

“I’m sorry.”

“…What? Why are you… Get up, please!”

Leo was caught off guard by her sudden and deeply earnest apology, making him feel uneasy.

“I judged you unfairly, only listening to Aria’s story from a month ago without knowing anything about you. This is an apology for that.”

She dusted off her black clothes and stood up.

“And you saved my niece Aria and all the other victims. This is my thanks for that.”

Chris lightly touched Leo’s body and infused it with a bit of mana. The sensation in his numb areas returned temporarily.

“I can move…”

“This is just temporary. To properly control the mana that was forcefully created, you’ll need to train using the proper methods.”

Hearing this, Leo felt a bit downcast.

“That’s… a bit disappointing. Mana training techniques are incredibly rare, after all…”

“That’s why I’ll teach you. I’ll instruct you in the Reinhardt Mana Training Technique.”

“…W-What!?”

Had he misheard, or was he just so desperate that he imagined it?

“I said I would teach you the Reinhardt family’s mana training technique. It’s the most effective method.”

“…But why would you go that far…?”

“Anyone can offer apologies or thanks by bowing their head. As an adult, I have a responsibility to take care of things properly.”

With that, she started walking toward the door.

“And as a child, you have the right to rely on someone. However…”

Creak—Thud

As Chris quietly opened the door, Aria tumbled into the room.

“…Ugh…!”

“Aria, what are you doing here?”

“Ah… well… it’s not what you think, Aunt…”

Leo, looking at her from the bed, asked with a slightly exasperated tone.

“What’s my name?”

“Leonardo… Ah.”

She was caught so easily it was almost laughable.

“You heard everything, didn’t you?”

“Yep.”

Her quick response showed she had indeed heard it all, though she avoided making eye contact, clearly embarrassed.

“So, if I learn that mana training technique, I’ll heal and get stronger, right?”

“That depends on your effort. I’ll only teach you the method; mastering it is up to you.”

That seemed like a reasonable condition.

“Then, if I manage to learn it within a month, can I challenge Aria to a rematch?”

“…Are you serious?”

“If I joked about something like this, I’d probably get killed, wouldn’t I?”

At that, Chris burst into hearty laughter. Leo wondered if he might have some talent for humor after all.

“Haha, interesting. Aria, what do you think?”

“…Uh… well… okay, I guess…”

Still embarrassed about being caught eavesdropping, she gave a hesitant and lukewarm response.

“Then it’s settled?”

“…Yes. You’ve developed a good look in your eyes.”

Looking into his eyes, Chris extended her hand and spoke.

“Your eyes are filled with determination and passion. Even if you don’t achieve victory right away, it will be of great help to Aria in the future.”

“We’ll only know once I try.”

She gave a faint smile. It wasn’t a mocking smile but rather one that showed she finally saw a spark of youthful bravado in the boy.

“Then, why don’t you become a servant of our family?”

$

“And that’s how I ended up working for the Reinhardt family.”

“Isn’t there something you’re leaving out?”

“…So, you already knew.”

Leo had intentionally only mentioned the very beginning of his past life. What the Sage was truly curious about was clearly…

“…how Aria died.”

“So, when are you planning to make love?”

Leo couldn’t help but doubt why this man was historically known as the Sage. Such an inappropriate question at such a moment.

“…Forget about that. How did I do on the test?”

“Look at the black stone.”

Leonardo glanced at the black stone attached to his bracelet. A red line was now etched at the center of the bracelet.

It gleamed like a jewel, but the color had the eerie texture of flowing blood.

“I told you, didn’t I? That stone would absorb your mana and grow.”

“…So, this is how it changes?”

“It probably happened because you got struck by lightning. As for how the power has changed, even I don’t know.”

It would be awkward to press him on this since it seemed the Sage hadn’t anticipated this outcome either.

“Anyway, that’s why I brought you here. With your weapon changing, I was concerned about possible rampages, so I needed to keep an eye on you.”

“Then what about the test?”

Was there no concept of scores or passing?

“That was just to help stabilize your weapon. It’s easily influenced by emotions. If you failed, both you and I would have died, but luckily, we didn’t.”

Leo wasn’t sure whether to be angry at the Sage’s nonchalant attitude or relieved that the bracelet had stabilized.

“…So, what do I do now?”

“If you want to talk more, we can keep going. If not, just walk out of the cave. Then…”

Drip, drip…

“…Hey…”

For some reason, his lower body felt wet. The uncomfortable sensation of something warm running down his legs was highly unsettling.

“…Um, Sage, sir… Does what’s happening in reality affect things here?”

“Yeah. Things like peeing definitely carry over.”

A wave of shame washed over him. As he feared, it seemed he had wet himself in the hospital room.

“I’m getting out of here right now!!”

“Sure, and make sure to wash your underwear.”

The embarrassment was so overwhelming that Leo couldn’t even curse as he bolted out of the cave.

His eyes shot open as he screamed.

“Nooo…!!”

“…Huh…?”

In front of his bed, just to the side, stood a girl, holding the waistband of his pants.

The crotch area of his pants was stained with a dark, thick liquid that clearly wasn’t just urine.

The girl with white hair and blue eyes was holding Leo’s pants just below his waist, where they were caught on his hips.

“…Uh…um…hick…?”

For the first time in a while, Aria spoke. Her face was redder than Leo’s, who was lying there as the patient.