The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 70

Holy Sword

“…What do you mean?”

Ariasphil asked with a serious expression. If this was a joke, she would erase the existence of her brother with her sword.

But… if that was true…

“…You don’t know either…? I just heard about it too…!!”

Rios, who usually remained composed, was unusually flustered. It was far too much to be a joke or a lie.

“…No way…”

It couldn’t be. After the fierce battle at the Magic Tower, they had even made a promise, and they had kissed both in dream and reality.

In such a situation, it made no sense for Leo to betray her.

“…No way… could it be Alfred…?”

Crushed by an inexplicable sense of guilt, Rios mumbled Alfred’s name to himself several times, but Arias, who was equally confused, couldn’t hear him clearly.

“…It can’t be… why… again… why would Leo…”

Unwanted thoughts kept surfacing. She feared that Leo’s absence from the current gathering might be related to this ominous premonition.

“…Grandfather…!”

Just as she was on the brink of a panic, her eyes landed on her grandfather. Normally, Marquen didn’t visit the mansion often, so his presence here filled her with an inexplicable sense of unease.

“…Where is Leonardo?”

Even Marquen, her grandfather, was looking for Leo with a rather grim expression. She almost wished he would find Leo and scold him as usual.

“Aunt Chris…!”

This time, she looked at her aunt. Chris’s face, usually adorned with an air of elegance, was now deeply shadowed by guilt.

“…No way… hasn’t he arrived yet?”

“…Why… why are you looking for him…?”

Arias was on the verge of tears, barely holding back her sobs. Please, anything, just tell her the reason…

“…I’m sorry…”

An apology escaped. Her anxiety turned into certainty, squeezing out the despair within her.

“…Leonardo… said he would… renounce his knighthood…!”

It was a confession delivered with great difficulty, requiring a raised voice to convey the heavy truth.

“…Why…?”

Upon hearing the confession, the thoughts that arose were neither anger nor despair.

“…Why…?”

A pure question, an incomprehensible one.

“…It was due to the Council of Elders’ reprimand. Under the pretext of atoning for the sin they mentioned…”

“…Sin…?”

Who dared to accuse that boy of wrongdoing?

“Leo worked so hard…”

It was an undeniable fact for everyone.

“He worked harder than anyone else here…!”

No one could dispute it.

“…Why…! Why didn’t anyone…!!”

Why didn’t anyone tell Leonardo it was okay to stay?

“Where is he… who did this…!”

Who had the audacity to expel her knight, with what right… to drive away her man?

“The Council of Elders was confused as well. They likely didn’t intend for this outcome when they reprimanded him.”

She hadn’t expected such an excuse. She didn’t care about the circumstances of those old men who had ruthlessly trampled on someone else’s expectations.

“Where is the Council of Elders located…?”

In that moment, everyone present froze. Had the spirits resonated with her emotions? Even the air turned chilly.

“Even if you confront the Council of Elders or force an apology from them, it would be meaningless. Leonardo is already disillusioned with what we’ve done.”

Just as Ariasphil had said, Leonardo had accomplished far more than anyone of his age.

It was nothing more than a few pathetic adults, envious of the boy’s efforts, ruthlessly trampling on his achievements. To expect him not to be disillusioned was nothing short of selfish.

“…Is that all!? Leonardo, no matter the situation, did everything he could to protect me…! He made every effort to protect people…!!”

Ariasphil couldn’t hold back her anger and broke down in tears.

“We’re just going to…! We’re going to give up on Leo…!!”

“…I’m sorry that it seems like I’m always leaving the choices up to you.”

Marquen held out an object wrapped in black cloth.

“If you want to bring him back, take this.”

“…Bring him back…?”

“We lost our right a long time ago. We’re not the kind of people who have the ability to persuade him anymore.”

As the cloth was removed, a red flash illuminated the surroundings, radiating the heat of flames. The blazing fire had been forged into the shape of a sword’s blade.

“…This is…”

“But Arias, you are the only one here who still has both the qualifications and the ability.”

It was the Lava Sword, Hwachung.

“If you’ve learned spirit summoning, you should be able to wield Hwachung. If you use it, the chances of defeating Leonardo will increase. So…”

Thud.

She grabbed the hilt of Hwachung.

“I’ll bring him back.”

As Arias grasped it, the red blade of Hwachung began to burn blue.

“By any means necessary.”

Her blue eyes blazed with the same intensity.

The surrounding area was filled with the heat of her emotions and the flames.

* * *

The moon set, and the sun slowly brought the future of tomorrow into the present of today.

The rays of sunlight that filtered through the trees woke Leo, who had been using a tree stump as a pillow, illuminating the path ahead.

[Get up. It’s time to go.]

“Yes, I suppose it is.”

Brushing off the leaves and dust from his clothes, Leonardo stood up. His destination was his workplace and home, the Reinhardt estate.

[Are you ready to bow your head and take off your uniform?]

[Don’t just get beaten, enjoy it a little. If you do that, maybe they’ll forgive you. Make sure to groan well too.]

Was it suggesting that he should find enjoyment in tough situations, or was it just some perverted nonsense? Probably the latter.

“…Hah…”

As he reached the main gate of the estate, a wide garden came into view. The expansive garden, which was as vast as a meadow, now felt as familiar as his own front yard.

The only unusual thing was that, instead of guards or gardeners at the gate, there stood a young girl.

[She’s been waiting for you, seething with anticipation.]

It was Ariasphil. Leaning against the gate, it was clear she’d been waiting for far more than just a couple of hours.

[Looks like you’re in for it, huh?]

He really was likely to be beaten until he was near death.

“You’ve come.”

She opened her eyes and looked at the boy who was about to quit being her knight.

“Apologizing for being late seems… rather pointless now, doesn’t it?”

His words were not just calm, but almost shamelessly so. At those words, Ariasphil closed her eyes briefly.

“…”

A moment of silence passed, with only the sound of the wind rustling.

“Are you really planning to leave?”

Her question was carried by the wind.

“It’s not that I’m leaving; it’s that I can’t stay.”

There might have been a difference to him, but to anyone else, it was the same.

“…I see.”

But Ariasphil tried to understand.

Thud.

The gloves in her hand, a symbol of their bond, were tossed to him as evidence of the boy’s resolve.

“…You know what this means, right?”

“With this, even I can accept it.”

Leo couldn’t help but smile at her gesture. It was such a refreshing and pure laugh that Arias didn’t even get angry, though she could have mistaken it for mockery.

“Ha… I’m sorry. I was just reminded of something from the past.”

“…Yeah, it was like this when we first met, too.”

Thinking back, that day had been the start of everything. The beginning of their strange and long connection had started with that duel.

But Ariasphil wouldn’t know. The memory Leo held onto wasn’t of the beginning, but of the end that had happened and shouldn’t have.

“…Then, to the training ground…”

“No. I’d prefer it outside. Like in the old days.”

“…Alright.”

The end and the beginning had come full circle. In that moment, the finite life of the boy seemed to stretch infinitely.

* * *

The place they chose for the duel was a small courtyard in the Reinhardt estate. Small, but considering the size of the estate, it was more than enough for a duel.

“There are… quite a few people here.”

Surrounding them were knights leading the future of the Reinhardt family, as well as Ariasphil’s family members.

Not only that, but even the servants of the Reinhardt mansion had gathered in the courtyard to watch the battle.

“Are you really… planning to quit?”

Alphonse, his senior, approached Leo, asking in a tone that suggested he didn’t want to believe it. No one wanted him to leave so emptily.

“I’m not sure.”

But Leo hid his true feelings as he walked towards the center of the courtyard.

“You’ll know after this duel.”

No one could stop Leonardo.

Standing there wasn’t a knight, nor a mercenary, but a warrior who had transcended.

It wasn’t something mere people could hold onto.

“We’ll start when this glove hits the ground.”

Leonardo held up the glove that Arias had thrown to him.

“…Understood.”

“Then…”

Leonardo threw the glove high into the air. All eyes followed the glove as it ascended, then began its descent.

A sudden gust of wind caught the glove, causing it to waver and fall irregularly.

And as the glove fell along its twisted trajectory,

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion rang out as a blinding flash filled the air. The moment everyone’s attention was focused on the falling glove, an explosive burst of light and sound echoed through the courtyard.

As consciousness wavered and nerves became paralyzed, the human mind blurred in the face of sudden, drastic change.

Especially when one is deeply focused, unexpected situations can have an even more profound effect.

CLANG!

Leonardo had double-cast a flash and sonic spell, and in the same breath, he unleashed a swift sword strike. Caught off guard by the sudden assault, Ariasphil found herself struggling just to defend, let alone counterattack.

“Blocking with just your senses… Your talent is still terrifying.”

Her vision and hearing had been sealed off by the shock from earlier. Normally, her consciousness would have been paralyzed as well, but Ariasphil had long since surpassed normal human limits.

“What are you doing, resorting to such cowardice…? This isn’t like you…!”

“Cowardice? Of course.”

Leonardo followed up with a spinning kick, landing another blow. Arias was sent sprawling by his fluid counterattack.

“I’m no longer a knight. That means I have no reason to fight by your standards of ‘honor.'”

This was how Leonardo had always fought.

“So, when you’re dying, do you think you can survive by claiming it’s cowardice?”

“…Dying…? You can’t mean…!”

He didn’t respond. Rather than answering such questions, it was better to show her through action.

“…It doesn’t matter…!!”

Ariasphil got back on her feet and drew Hwachung, the weapon she had prepared. Though her sight and hearing were far from perfect, if she didn’t use it now, she would be overwhelmed.

“Hwachung, is it? I see you came prepared. At least, somewhat.”

Fwoosh

Blue flames enveloped Hwachung. Even just the heat radiating from it demonstrated its power and intensity.

“Starting with a blue flame on your first try… Your talent truly is remarkable.”

BOOM!

The ground scorched as she sent a flaming sword strike hurtling toward Leonardo. Yet he didn’t flinch.

[Wind Armor – Modified Sword Aura]

There was no need to.

Leonardo had modified a 1-Circle wind defense spell into a 2-Circle offensive support spell. The wind that surrounded his sword began to swirl, gradually drawing in Ariasphil’s blue flames into his own blade’s aura.

Then, as Leonardo released the wind-encased sword strike, the flames were expelled alongside it.

Arias found herself once again on the defensive as the mass of flames was sent back toward her.

“Ariasphil, did you really think you could stop me?”

His voice was cold, and those watching had never seen such an expression on the boy’s face before.

“In that case, you should give up. Your sword no longer holds the purpose I’m searching for.”

The sword pointed at her was chilling, almost devoid of warmth.