The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 65

End of the Vacation

Currently, the transportation system of the Magic Tower had reached its saturation point.

Due to the recent terror attack, people whose homes were destroyed, the flood of injured individuals, and immigrants trembling in fear of subsequent attacks had overwhelmed the system.

Even warp gates and trains required reservations, as the Magic Tower’s transportation system was now busier than ever.

As a result, the members of the Reinhardt family also had no choice but to wait for their turn.

At a glance, it seemed like there was no problem…

“Ariya, my lady~”

…but for one young girl, this waiting period was nothing short of agonizing.

“Where could she have gone~?”

A boy, his eyes gleaming with aura, was roaming around, which was proof of that.

The beginning of this chase and escape game could be traced back to the ‘first kiss incident.’

***

“My lady? What’s wrong?”

Ariasphil could proudly say she had crossed several life-and-death situations up until now.

When she captured orcs and wyverns,

When she fought against Balrog,

And even when she battled the Clay Shaper,

But now, facing Leo’s smiling face, she found herself more terrified than ever. If she thought about it, wasn’t it Leo’s cooperation that helped defeat both the Balrog and the Clay Shaper?

“…Ah… That is to say…”

Cold sweat ran down her entire body. She had no idea how to explain this.

“Ariasphil, why are you trembling like that? Anyone would think I’m angry.”

Wasn’t he angry? Yes, Leo was still smiling, so maybe if she just explained well…

Splat!

At that moment, Leo clenched his fist in the air. Instantly, everyone around them flinched.

“Oh dear, there was a mosquito nearby.”

Leo opened his hand to reveal the gruesome aftermath of his act. The mosquito was crushed, with the blood it had sucked now oozing out along with its innards.

Ariasphil could vividly imagine who might end up crushed in those hands, and the thought sent chills down her spine.

“So, where were we…”

Thud, thump

Ariasphil ran away. Love or whatever else didn’t matter—if she died now, nothing would be left. She was determined to preserve her life today for the sake of future love.

“…Why does she insist on making things difficult instead of just giving a simple answer? It’s really quite cute.”

Although it was clearly a compliment, even Ameri, who had feelings for Leo, and Rios, who enjoyed pure love, felt chills.

“…Um… Brother…?”

“Yes, Rios.”

Leo looked at Rios with narrowed eyes and a smile. Seeing a rarely visible expression on Leo’s face, Rios felt an overwhelming sense of unease.

“If… hypothetically, you found out who that person was… what would you do…?”

“…You wouldn’t… wouldn’t kill them, right…?”

Ameri also asked cautiously, and Leo chuckled lightly.

“Kill? Of course not.”

“Hah… That’s a relief…”

But shadows fell over Leo’s face, and beneath them, a sinister smile bloomed.

“Why would I do something so wasteful?”

Everyone pretended not to have heard his last remark.

At this moment, the Sage, who had been resting inside a cave and was out of the loop in the conversation, found himself in an awkward situation.

***

And now, back to the present.

[Why are you being so petty for a man? Your capacity is as small as a cigarette ashtray.]

The Sage clicked his tongue as he watched Leo, whose eyes were glowing with aura, searching for Ariasphil as if he were combing through every inch of the area.

[That’s exactly my point.]

The Sage, speaking bluntly as if it wasn’t his concern, didn’t seem to care about the situation since he had only heard snippets of what had happened.

Indeed, the head of the family and her father, Gladio Reinhardt, had once told him:

-If you think she’s doing something wrong, point it out. If she’s going down the wrong path, stop her.

He had said those words, though even the head of the family didn’t imagine they would be used in this way.

[…But if you think about it, isn’t her behavior the most indecent when she’s with you?]

Not only the Sage, but anyone who had observed the relationship between Leo and Ariasphil would likely think the same.

However, the two of them seemed completely oblivious to it. At this level of insensitivity, it was as if they had lost all concept of awareness.

[…Forget it. Just continue what you were doing.]

“Hm… seems like she’s not here.”

Not noticing Ariasphil, who had held her breath and pressed herself against the ceiling of the room, Leo closed the door.

“…Phew…”

As the tension in her aching arms and legs finally released, Ariasphil landed back on the floor. Although it had only been a day since that incident, to Ariasphil, it felt as if she had been chased for an entire month.

‘…Should I just confess everything?’

In truth, it wasn’t as if she was the only one who had kissed. Leo had boldly stolen her lips as well…

‘…Ugh… but still…’

The problem lay in what had happened before that.

‘Doing something… so animalistic… with Leo…’

She had nearly been overwhelmed by a fake Leo in her dream, and she hadn’t completely resisted either. If she mentioned the kiss and Leo somehow remembered everything, she would likely faint from embarrassment for the rest of her life.

‘…I must never let him find out…’

[Ariasphil, hide.]

Ariasphil quickly hid under the table.

Bam!

“As I thought, she’s not here.”

[You already knew that. Why act surprised?]

[What the heck is that? It’s a disgusting sense you’ve got there.]

It was like a combination of hearing a kind of breathing or sensing a certain scent—something that felt grossly unsettling.

Clunk.

Leo looked around briefly before closing the door again.

[…This time, he’s really gone.]

Ariasphil emerged from under the table and sighed in relief toward the spirit. In truth, the only reason she had been able to escape from Leonardo, a master of pursuit and detection, was entirely thanks to the spirit.

The spirits scattered throughout the Magic Tower had alerted her to Leo’s location in advance, allowing her to narrowly avoid being caught by him.

However,

‘…I can’t keep doing this forever…’

She couldn’t spend her entire life avoiding Leonardo. Eventually, they would have to return together, and she needed to find a way to reconcile with him before then.

‘…I really didn’t want to resort to this method…’

But she had no choice but to use her last resort.

***

“So, this is why you called us?”

Rios, seated in the Sage’s research room, stared at Ariasphil with a slightly cold gaze.

“…Yeah…”

As he took a sip of his coffee, Rios leaned over to whisper in Ameri’s ear, loud enough for Ariasphil to hear.

“Watch closely, Ameri. This is a textbook example of hypocrisy. The kind of character you despise in pure love stories.”

“It’s not like that!!”

Ariasphil, clearly irritated, snapped back angrily. Rios, narrowing his eyes and smirking, responded in an annoying tone.

“Then imagine if Leonardo had his first kiss with someone else, and then acted and said those things to you. Wouldn’t you be mad?”

“…That’s… not the same…”

At that point, Ameri, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

“That’s not right, Rios.”

Taking a light sip of her coffee, Ameri offered her own perspective.

“When you think about it, Ariasphil is old enough to handle this. Getting upset over just a kiss seems a bit petty, don’t you think?”

Ariasphil felt a strange discomfort. While what Ameri said was true, it was oddly difficult for her to agree with it.

“Sure, but remember how Ariasphil would draw her sword if Leo so much as held hands with another girl? Isn’t that a bit too one-sided?”

“…Well, that’s true…”

Ameri, having also experienced Ariasphil’s possessiveness firsthand, couldn’t deny that point.

“Still, getting all worked up over a kiss and talking about purity and all that—it’s a bit much. Having some experience isn’t a bad thing, right?”

Ariasphil felt a pang of discomfort, as if she had come for advice only to have her character judged instead.

“That’s not the real issue.”

Rios’s expression grew serious. When it came to love, he was more serious and perceptive than anyone.

Both Ariasphil and Ameri secretly thought, ‘Why can’t he be this serious all the time?’

“The issue is that you suddenly ran away without any explanation, Ariasphil.”

“That’s true. Ariasphil, you do share some of the responsibility.”

Ameri didn’t disagree on this point.

“Think about it. You were in the middle of that conversation, then suddenly bolted and kept running without explaining anything. Of course, Leo would be concerned, regardless of whether he’s angry or not.”

Ariasphil couldn’t deny it. The fact that things had escalated to this point was entirely her fault.

If she hadn’t run away at that moment, this whole chase and escape wouldn’t have happened.

“And Leo, even if he’s not outright angry, he must feel pretty betrayed. Ever since he became your personal knight, he hasn’t left your side for a single moment… and yet, you went and kissed another man behind his back. It’s not like Leo found out immediately either.”

It was true that Leo must have felt a lot of anger, but the betrayal was what really cut deep. His intention to reprimand her as her dedicated knight wasn’t just an excuse; it had a real basis.

“…But still…”

“Why don’t you try explaining everything to him? Honestly, with Leo’s personality, I don’t think he’s going to hit you or anything. Don’t you remember what he said to that woman who came to visit you in the hospital?”

Indeed, what Leo said back then was so kind and loving that it moved her deeply. It was hard to find someone who cared for her that much, except for her own family.

“But still…”

“Well, the guy who kissed you will probably have to flee for his life. If he doesn’t immigrate to another country, he might really die.”

At that remark, Ariasphil’s embarrassment reached its peak.

“…It’s not like that!!”

Her emotions, which she had been holding back, burst out. At this point, hiding it felt even more shameful.

“…The one I kissed…!”

Her love was about to explode.

“Leo was my first kiss…!”

For a moment, the room fell silent. It took Ameri and Rios a few seconds to fully grasp the meaning of her words.

“So… it didn’t happen when you gave him the potion…?”

“…No… it happened after that…”

“Then… could it have been… before that…?”

Unable to speak any further, she clamped her mouth shut. No one could mistake that silence for anything other than an affirmation.

“…Then why did you run away?”

“Wait, but… how come Leonardo doesn’t remember…?”

While love might make everyone act foolishly, this situation made Ameri and Rios wonder if love truly lowered human intelligence to the point of requiring scientific research.

“…Well… it wasn’t really… in secret… but in some way… it might have seemed like it was…”

There was no way to explain the situation without talking about “that incident.” Even though the kiss was mutual, explaining why Leo had no memory of it was beyond what even the Sage could manage.

“…So…!”

Knock, knock

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Miss Ameri, I’d like to discuss something with you… are you there?”

It was Leo. Leonardo was knocking at the door.

(How did he…)

Click.

Before Ariasphil could even finish her thought, Rios and Ameri had vanished. Rios’s instant teleportation just barely outpaced Ariasphil’s reflexes.

On the table where Rios had been sitting, there was a small note scribbled with a pen.

[Good luck~!]

“…Are you kidding me?!”

Ariasphil shouted involuntarily, and of course, her voice carried outside.

“My lady!?”

Leo wasn’t the type to stay still after hearing that.

The opportunity to hide had long since passed.

“…Well…”

Ariasphil attempted to dash out of the room.

“I’m sorry…!!”

Thunk.

“Please, stop running away.”

Leo, who had quickly caught up with her, pleaded as he blocked Ariasphil’s escape by placing his arms on either side of her, effectively trapping her.

“If you keep this up, I’ll really get angry.”

“…Well, I…”

Leo’s face was close to hers. His expression wasn’t one of forced politeness, but rather genuine anger.

Yet, rather than finding it frightening, she found it compelling. She could feel his breath, and his arms, pressed against the wall, prevented her from moving away.

It was almost like when Leo had overwhelmed her in her dream.

“…If you really can’t tell me the truth, then at least lie to me. I’ll believe whatever you say.”

“…What?”

“I’m sure there’s a reason why you’re hiding it from me. Just make something up. I won’t ask any more questions.”

Ariasphil hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.

“…What if… the person I kissed is someone I genuinely love?”

“…Genuinely love?”

Leo’s expression darkened slightly, but he responded seriously.

“…If it’s someone you’ve chosen… then I’ll help make it happen. If your family opposes it, I’ll persuade the head of the house, and even if the entire family stands against it, I’ll try to convince them.”

His sincere determination somehow made her want to laugh. The fear she had felt toward Leo had now completely disappeared.

Leonardo was just clumsy, after all.

“If that man isn’t as enthusiastic about you… I’ll personally tell him every wonderful thing about you that I know, until he changes his mind.”

Leo’s expression was a mix of emotions. He didn’t know which feeling was his true one, but in this moment, all he wanted was to do something for her.

He had returned for that very reason.

“Really? No matter what?”

“…As long as that man only has eyes for you.”

At that response, a mischievous smile slowly spread across Ariasphil’s face, a hint of playful devilry tugging at the corners of her lips.

“It’s you.”

“…You… Wait, what?”

Leo’s strength completely drained from his arms as he was taken aback by her unexpected answer.

“It’s you, Sir Leonardo.”

Ariasphil grinned and gently grasped Leo’s chin with one hand.

“So, you’ll keep your promise, right?”

“…Wait, what do you mean by that…”

“Why? Didn’t you say you’d believe me even if it was a lie?”

Now, fully embracing her audacity, Ariasphil slipped out of the restraint Leo had unintentionally loosened.

“So, you’ll keep your promise? To convince the entire family and be proactive about me.”

“No, that’s not what I…!”

“Too late! I’ll be going now! I haven’t even had a proper meal thanks to you.”

With a carefree smile, she walked out of the room, her expression bright and unburdened by any worry.

[…In my opinion…]

“I don’t want to hear it…”

Cutting off the Sage’s words, Leonardo stared blankly at the now-empty room, where only the lingering scent of Ariasphil remained.

Was what she said a lie, or the truth?

Or perhaps more importantly…

‘…Was I hoping it was a lie… or…?’

Was he secretly hoping it was true?