The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 1

My mother was a mercenary.

Moreover, she was a fairly reputable mercenary. Despite being a woman and a commoner, she was often called upon by famous nobles.

But, as befits a mercenary, she died quickly.

She passed away when I was about ten years old.

I wasn’t particularly sad; I just set out to find my own path.

Perhaps because I resembled my mother, I ended up becoming a mercenary too.

I was quite suited for it, and I came to be known as a rather noteworthy mercenary.

Up until then, I thought I was a genius.

I learned quickly and was adept at applying it in real battles, so perhaps it was an inevitable delusion.

And then, when I was thirteen,

“You’re weak.”

I met a true “genius.”

A noblewoman from a family of heroes.

From her lineage to her talent, she was in a different league.

At the age when I was just starting out as a mercenary, she was already slaying orcs, and when she was my age, she had killed a wyvern.

A vast difference in class.

She had that.

For the first time in my life, I felt jealousy.

What I achieved with efforts that tore my fingernails off, she accomplished as naturally as breathing.

As if it was only natural.

As if it was the baseline.

She did it so casually.

I wanted to win. Somehow, I wanted to stand on equal footing with her.

“Will you become a squire of the Reinhardt family?”

I endured the humiliation of becoming a squire to my rival’s family and honed myself.

And then,

“I won.”

“I won again.”

“This time too.”

I lost every single time. 200 battles, 200 losses. It was a complete and utter defeat.

I learned one thing from those defeats.

That I would never be able to beat her in my lifetime if I continued like this.

After that, I left the Reinhardt family.

I traveled across the continent, learning various martial arts.

I crossed countless life-threatening situations where death could come at any time.

When I was satisfied at the age of twenty-five and returned to her,

“Ariasphil is already dead.”

She had long departed from this world.

***

“…I can’t understand.”

“What’s…the fuck…”

The guardian of the Sage’s Cave blinked and glared at me.

“Why do you strive to become stronger when you are already so strong?”

“Bullshit… If I were strong, why would I lose to you?”

My mana core was already shattered. Every bone had cracks. As a loser, I had already lost.

“I also took quite a beating.”

That was true. The guardian golem’s right arm was completely severed, and daggers were lodged all over its chest.

“So…? Are you satisfied…?”

“I have no such emotions. I simply do not understand.”

“What the hell…? Don’t twist your words before I die… Just say it…”

The guardian tilted its head for a moment before adjusting its question.

“Why do you seek the Philosopher’s Stone?”

“To become stronger…”

My vision blurred.

“Then why do you want to become stronger?”

As my mind grew hazy, my mouth moved on its own.

“Because… there’s someone I couldn’t beat…”

“With your current strength, you could win.”

That made me laugh.

“…I can’t win. That person left first anyway.”

Now my eyes were completely closed.

“…Master?”

I could only hear the nonsensical ramblings of the living rock now.

“Should I hand over the Philosopher’s Stone to this man?”

What?

“I don’t mind, but are you sure, Master?”

What nonsense is this? Where is the master here? More importantly, what do you mean by handing over the Philosopher’s Stone…

“Understood. Let’s begin the transfer.”

What kind of bullshit…

Puk!!

“Arghhh!!”

Something stabbed into my chest, into my heart.

My body, my brain felt like they were burning.

My eyes suddenly opened wide.

“You bastard!! Now you’re desecrating a corpse!?”

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

It was a very familiar voice.

And the scene before my eyes was also very familiar.

“We haven’t even fought yet. When did you die?”

Ariasphil Reinhardt, the rival I so desperately wanted to surpass, was there.

<+–|-|–+>

EP.1 Regression-1

To Leonardo, Leo, everything felt both familiar and strange.

“What…?”

What was this situation? How could something like this happen?

He clearly remembered the scenery and the situation.

‘…This was the first time I fought with Ariasphil…’

The situation when he first met her and challenged her to a duel.

And the place where he experienced his first defeat, so it was bound to remain in his memory.

“…What is this…”

Did he die? Was he insane from being desecrated after death? Or was it something like a life-flashing-before-his-eyes moment?

“…What nonsense are you spouting?”

Ariasphil, who stood before him, looked at him pitifully with a dagger in hand.

“…Ha…damn it…”

That gaze, the one that looked down on him even in death.

“Fine, alright.”

Who cares if it’s madness or an illusion?

“What have you been muttering to yourself about? Did you suddenly get scared?”

As Leo kept talking to himself, she glared at him. The surrounding spectators also murmured and laughed at his strange behavior.

But this brat, even after dying once, still had a mouth on her.

“No, sorry for mumbling. Just come at me already.”

“Alright.”

She rushed at Leo with the dagger. Despite it being a short blade, quick strikes flew.

“But you know.”

However, he had seen such strikes countless times over the years. Even though he had died once already.

“If you fight with such a fruit knife, you’ll lose.”

Leo evaded the quick strikes and positioned himself behind her.

“…?!”

She was surprised,

“How…?!”

and the surrounding people were astonished.

Regardless, Leo swung his sword. Without a proper mana core, using sword aura was impossible, but…

‘As a handicap, this is enough.’

It was enough against a child.

Clang! Clang!

The swords clashed. He launched a relentless assault to prevent her from drawing her longsword.

“Ugh…!”

Mana began to flow into her sword. For a swordsman, the presence or absence of sword aura on their weapon made a big difference. Even now, the tide was shifting in Leo’s favor.

‘So before that…!’

Leo drew his dagger with his other hand. In a sudden counterattack, her dagger was flung into the air.

“…Ha…ha…”

Leo pointed his sword at her neck.

He had won. Though she was a kid, he had won for the first time.

Against the genius, against her, against Ariasphil.

“Ha…”

So?

At that question, Leo’s smile faded.

As the smile disappeared, so did the excitement.

‘What does it mean to win like this?’

It felt empty.

Whether it was madness or an illusion, it felt hollow.

What he had longed for was not this kind of self-satisfaction.

At least… winning like this…

“I…lost…”

As she was about to admit defeat,

“I lost.”

Leo admitted defeat first.

“…What?”

He couldn’t accept or understand a victory like this.

“If you hadn’t let your guard down, the outcome might have been different.”

“But… using a dagger was my choice…! So…”

“Whatever.”

Everyone looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“It doesn’t matter whether you chose it or not. I can’t accept my victory.”

Although it wasn’t his business.

“What kind of…”

“If you don’t like losing, let’s call it a draw. Alright?”

He sheathed his sword that was pointed at her.

“Then I’m off. Sorry for picking a fight suddenly.”

With that, Leo left the place.

Arias, who was sitting on the floor, could only stare blankly at Leo.

The other spectators were no different.

“…Ugh… What kind of sight is this, almost dying…”

The victory he had managed to achieve felt utterly empty. It seemed meaningless, knowing he would die soon, since this was just a dream.

“…Still…”

‘Ariasphil…’

At least he would die after seeing that irritating bastard’s face.

Soon, he would wake up from this dream. He had no regrets, but since some had been lessened, he should be satisfied.

[Hey! You rascal! Are you satisfied with just being saved?!]

An old man’s voice was heard.

What was this? Was he hallucinating because he was about to die…

[It’s not a hallucination!! You little brat!!]

An old man popped out from his heart, right in front of him.

What the hell.

“What the hell?! Shit?!”

Seriously, what the hell.

***

[Hem, hem…]

The old man, or rather, the old ghost in front of him, cleared his throat. It was uncertain if it made any sense since he was a ghost, but that’s what happened.

[Let me formally introduce myself. I am…]

“Are you the grandpa I used to play with?”

[…No.]

“Then are you the innkeeper I swindled?”

[…No.]

“Or the old mercenary I saved?”

[No, you idiot. Listen when someone speaks!]

When Leo continued to interrupt, the old man suddenly began to get angry.

Why was he acting like this? He was just trying to remember.

[Hem, I am the essence of magic, the origin of all magic, the one who established modern magic…]

“The Sage.”

[Hey…!!]

When Leo cut him off, the sage stomped his feet and fumed with rage. Though he was floating in the air, he did so.

“So, was I wrong again?”

[…Fine, you got it right, kid.]

The sage shook his head and sighed.

“But what is this situation? Suddenly going back to the past, and the Sage being a ghost.”

[It’s complicated to explain, but to put it simply, you and I have become one.]

“…Oh…”

Something rose from the depths of his throat.

“Ugh…! Damn it…!”

He retched repeatedly. This wasn’t what he went to the sage’s cave for.

[Why are you gagging?! You should be honored!!]

“No!! What’s honorable about merging with an old man I’ve never seen before like a chimera?!”

[What…what?! Chimera?! Do you know I’m your savior?! I saved you with the Philosopher’s Stone!]

Saved with the Philosopher’s Stone?

“You used the Philosopher’s Stone? On me?”

[Yes, you little brat! The treasure I made by sacrificing my soul!]

It didn’t make sense. After all, Leo went to the cave, fought the guardian, and died…

“I went to get the Philosopher’s Stone and died.”

[I know. I saw it.]

“Then why give it to someone you killed?”

[I didn’t intend to give it originally. I hate thieves.]

The Sage’s Cave.

It was said that the sage’s hidden treasure was in that secret cave.

A stone containing all the sage’s magic, they said.

Information about it was hard to come by, and even if there was, it was mostly considered nonsense.

But Leo was lucky enough to find the real Sage’s Cave,

and he fought the guardian alone to get the stone and died.

“Then why give it to me?”

[Why do you complain when you’re given something?]

“Because I’m the thief you hate, and I don’t think I was particularly polite.”

[You know yourself well.]

The sage smiled as he looked at Leo.

[It’s simple. I liked you.]

This was troublesome.

“…I prefer women my age…”

[Not in that way, idiot! As my successor!]

Successor?

“Your successor?”

[I intended to give all my power and magic to whoever defeated the guardian and obtained the Philosopher’s Stone. That person would be worthy as a mage.]

“I’m not a mage.”

[Listen till the end. Do you want me to kill you again?]

Leo felt a bit creeped out. It didn’t seem like a bluff.

[The guardian was designed to be destroyed only by magic. It was made with adamantium, which has the highest physical resistance.]

No wonder his blade only got damaged no matter how much he struck.

[But you, a non-mage, destroyed the adamantium golem alone. So, I became a bit interested.]

“So what? I was about to die then.”

[It’s still impressive. I never thought someone would use such brute force to defeat the golem.]

That was true. Though strategic fighting was his specialty, at that time, everything was unfavorable: strategy, equipment, even compatibility.

[So, I asked the golem why you desired power and the Philosopher’s Stone so much.]

“For that, it spoke quite strangely.”

[That’s because its intelligence design was sloppy.]

This guy was a sage?

[…Anyway, I liked the reason you fought. Even if you’re not a mage now, I saw potential in you.]

“Potential? I’ve never held a pen, only a sword my whole life.”

[It doesn’t matter. Someone with determination can achieve great things, even if they’re not a genius or it’s too late.]

Not a genius, but achieving great things…

“Haha… So even if I learn magic from you, I can only achieve mediocre results.”

Yes, that was the limit of his talent.

The wall as a human…

[…Are you stupid?]

“…What?”

[Do you really think you’re not a genius? Is that truly what you think of yourself?]

The sage looked at Leo with a serious expression.

[A genius is not just someone with exceptional talent. It’s someone with their own unique way.]

“Do I have such a way?”

[Yes, you do.]

After a pause, the sage spoke.

[You never give up. That’s the strongest talent I know.]

“…Isn’t that obvious?”

If you have a goal, you go for it.

That simple and obvious fact.

The sage spoke as if it was a great achievement.

[Of course. But many people in the world can’t even do that.]

“There are many greater people than me.”

[Did you give up then? When you thought you weren’t a genius, did you think, ‘Oh, really? Then I should stop.’?]

Never. Even if there were people more talented than him, Leo was still Leo.

[Then let me ask you one thing.]

“…What is it?”

[When you were dying from the golem, what did you think?]

“…This bastard is even desecrating corpses?”

[Put the jokes aside and answer properly. You already know.]

Leo’s face turned serious.

And a short phrase came out.

“I wanted to defeat Ariasphil Reinhardt.”

[But she was already dead then.]

“Still, I wanted to win. Even if she was dead, I wanted to win in my heart.”

[Kuhaha…! Hahahahaha!!]

The sage laughed. His loud laughter filled the room as if he had gone mad.

When his laughter made Leo’s ears numb, the sage stopped laughing.

[And you say you don’t have talent? A person who even wants to defeat the dead?]

“……”

[Admit it. You don’t know how to give up.]

“…If I admit it, will things change?”

The sage replied with a benevolent smile as if looking at a child.

[I’ll help you. I’ll teach you all the magic I’ve accumulated.]

The sage extended his hand.

[Become my disciple, Leonardo.]

“…Yes. I too…”

But when he tried to shake hands, he couldn’t grasp it. What was this? Why was this happening?

[Ah, right. I’m a ghost.]

“This is what a sage is?”

[Do you want to die?]

It was the moment when he gained the best teacher, albeit a bit lacking.

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