The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 17

Friends

“Next, is the next one not coming out?”

It was definitely a respectful tone. The manner was polite and courteous to the opponent.

Despite that, the atmosphere was like a thin sheet of ice, ready to shatter at any moment.

The people in the audience held their breath, and the apprentice knights, who were expecting victory, even silenced their heartbeats.

The boy scanned his next opponent with eyes shadowed by darkness. His gaze felt like a single snake splitting into dozens, crawling over their entire body.

[I know you’re upset, but avoid staring. Even innocent bystanders might collapse.]

It was merely because he was tired, but that was enough to be a threat to the apprentice knights.

“I… I’ll go!!”

A knight holding a spear among the apprentices spoke. He was taller and had a better voice than the knight who fought with a sword.

“Come on up.”

Leo said, throwing down his sword.

“…What are you doing…?”

Ignoring him, Leo walked towards the armory. He picked up a spear of the same type as the apprentice knight.

“…Let’s start.”

“…What is he doing…?! Pick up your sword!”

It wasn’t just the apprentice knight in front of him; even the spectators, including Ariasphil, couldn’t understand and showed their confusion.

‘…Leonardo definitely used a sword…?’

The Leo she knew had only used long sword-based external swordsmanship or dual wielding. His skill was such that it was hard to find anyone his age with comparable skill.

But no one knew except Leo.

“Is there a rule that says I can’t use a spear?”

The fierce determination of the second-in-command. The path chosen by a second-rate talent.

“Are you mocking me?! Fight with your specialty, the sword!!”

“Who said my specialty was swordsmanship?”

The audience quieted down at that.

Most were speechless at the absurdity of the statement, but a few broke into cold sweats and kept their mouths shut.

That statement didn’t just mean he couldn’t do swordsmanship.

“Then are you saying your specialty is spear fighting?!”

“Do I need to explain it with words? Knights aren’t clowns performing on the streets. Come at me. Quickly.”

The provocation was effective.

The veins on the knight’s face showed just how much it affected him.

“Arrogant…!!”

The apprentice knight on the training ground charged. The sharp spearhead seemed ready to pierce through flesh at any moment.

Clang!

“What…!?”

Yes, if it could touch him, that is.

Leo’s spear didn’t acknowledge such clumsy sharpness. The rapid spear strike headed straight for Leo but never touched his body.

“Your stance is good, and your strength is decent.”

Leo’s assessment came after receiving a few spear strikes.

“What…?! What are you doing in the middle of a duel…?!”

Instead of stopping, Leo continued his critique.

“But your rotation is terrible, and you don’t know how to use the recoil and elasticity.”

Leo deflected each strike as if annoyed by the superficial spear technique.

“Is this what you call spear technique?”

Leo conveyed his evaluation with his spear.

Clang! Clang!! Clang!!!

“Ugh?!”

The successive triple strikes resounded with completely different sounds despite being from the same spear, reverberating through the air.

The apprentice knight’s spear fell, and he collapsed to the ground. Not because of the spear’s impact, but because the shock to his spirit made his legs give out.

“Next.”

The victor called out leisurely, pointing his spear at the fallen loser.

“Come out, next.”

There was no longer any sense of respect.

***

“What’s… that…”

There were no cheers or shouts from the arena.

It wasn’t because the fight was trivial.

Sometimes, something beyond one’s understanding couldn’t be expressed in words.

Even if it was happening right in front of their eyes.

“You… you bastard…!”

A knight with a one-handed sword and shield charged, shouting. To the spectators, it looked like he was screaming to deny reality.

“Your combination of sword and shield is a mess. If you’re going to use them like that, just throw away the shield.”

Leo, who also had a one-handed sword and shield, counterattacked. He parried the charging knight’s sword and smashed the shield with his sword.

“Blocking like that will break your wrist.”

With a final piece of advice, the apprentice knight collapsed and sprawled out.

“Next.”

This was the sixth time he called out “next.”

The types of weapons used so far were four: long sword, spear, battle axe, and the current one-handed sword and shield. Leo thoroughly subdued his opponents with these diverse weapons.

And as if to compare their skills, Leo always equipped the same weapon as his opponent.

“This is absurd!!”

The first knight who lost with a long sword pointed at Leo and shouted.

“What is?”

Without a drop of sweat, Leo looked at him with dry eyes.

“You…! You did this on purpose, didn’t you?!”

“What did I do on purpose?”

Without a subject, it was difficult to pinpoint a specific action. Even if he could, Leo wouldn’t answer politely with that attitude.

“To humiliate us…! You did this ridiculous thing on purpose!!”

“This is the third time I’m asking. What exactly did I do to humiliate you?”

Leo’s voice was several times lower. But the intimidation surpassed the pompous voice of the knight.

“…Why are you using the same weapon?! You…!”

“Because I want to.”

It was a simple and fundamental reason, which made it even harder for them to accept.

“Are you kidding?! Humiliating people for such a trivial reason!?”

“Kidding?”

Leo grabbed his sword.

And he drove it vertically into the ground.

“Does this look like a joke to you?”

Leo laid the shield on the ground.

“…You seem to be greatly mistaken.”

His red pupils shone under the shadow.

“You challenged me, and you agreed to make it a big event.”

His red eyes slowly approached the apprentice knight.

“And I had to face seven of you in a row? With the same weapon.”

They were speechless.

Whether it was because they were refuted by a mere 13-year-old boy, or because of the intimidation from a young body that hadn’t lived even 20 years.

Either way, it was disgraceful.

Not just as knights, but as humans.

“Then.”

Leo was already close to the apprentice knight’s face.

“Was this a humiliation? Or did I give myself a handicap and provide you with an opportunity?”

“This… peasant…!”

Leo knew through his short life experiences.

Humans instinctively pick on things that cannot be changed when they are disadvantaged.

There was no need to look far; the noble apprentice knight in front of him was an example.

“Yes, I am a peasant.”

Leo turned his gaze from the man and looked around. The surrounding people were full of those with noble blood.

“And I will probably remain a peasant. Unless I change my parents and bloodline, I will forever be a peasant.”

And he had no intention of changing it.

“You can insult and criticize my lowly status as much as you want. It’s all true, and I don’t mind, so feel free.”

And he had no intention of denying it either.

“But remember this.”

What the boy, the young man desired most was.

“You couldn’t defeat even someone like me.”

He merely wanted to engrave that fact.

To make his lowly birth meaningless.

Leo looked around and shouted loudly.

“…I understand that my background, status, the circumstances that brought me here, and my existence itself are unpleasant to some.”

People couldn’t say anything. It wasn’t just because his words were true. They couldn’t find words because a child was shouting such words himself.

“If there is a reason to expel me, bring it without hesitation. If it’s valid, I will accept it anytime.”

The young boy knew his situation better than anyone else.

“But as long as there’s no such reason, I will live for my goal.”

And at the same time, he aimed higher than anyone else.

“If there’s anything that hinders my goal, I will overcome it and eliminate it.”

This wasn’t a request or a notice.

“This is what I want to declare.”

It was a declaration.

A long and short declaration that could be called a speech ended.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Leo said, walking out of the training ground.

[Where are you going?]

The attendants and knights, more experienced and of higher status than him, cleared the way for Leo’s steps.

Thud

At that moment, Leo fell.

“Leonardo!!”

Ariasphil ran over and caught the fallen boy.

“Call a doctor… no, a healer priest!! Quickly!!”

Chris urgently called for help. The attendants also hurriedly followed the command and ran.

“Wake up…! Leonardo…!”

Ariasphil shook the fallen Leo, repeatedly calling his name. It was a significant improvement that she didn’t slap him.

“…You were pretending to be okay, but you were pushing yourself too hard. To evade that quickly, you’d have to strain your mana…”

Everyone looked at Leo with serious expressions.

But

[Hey, you’re awake, right?]

The Sage was not.

<…>

[Keh-heh…]

That ‘word’ was more effective than an alarm clock.

[But why do you do that? Don’t you need to get up?]

Leo, with his eyes closed, recalled the recent incident. He definitely gave the speech well without stuttering or biting his tongue, but the problem was when he walked away.

[How does a guy who uses teleportation techniques

trip over a gap in the stone floor? That’s a skill too. Impressive.]

His mana had long been exhausted. Although it wasn’t to the point of fainting, he was tired enough that he couldn’t distinguish whether there was a stone or a gap at his feet.

[So? When will you get up?]

[What? Why?]

Might as well rest while you’re down.

Leo decided to take the sleep he hadn’t finished.

***

The warm and cozy feeling wasn’t just from the soft blanket, but also the luxurious bed that fully supported his body.

[Die…]

He heard a curse. It was probably a hallucination, so he ignored it and enjoyed the feeling…

[Die…]

Ignoring that senile old man’s words, he snuggled into the bed…

[Die and go to hell…]

Leo responded, slowly opening his eyes. He was getting used to the Sage’s grumbling through aura.

[You’re awake? Then go back to die.]

[You make me feel like I’m on drugs because of you. And it’s night now.]

The Sage then gestured towards the bottom of the bed.

“Ariasphil?”

Ariasphil was sleeping under the bed. Just like when they caught Balrog, she had fallen asleep next to him.

[She insisted on staying here because she was worried about you.]

[Guys like you are best when dead. Getting nursed by a beautiful girl twice.]

<…>

Leo could barely contain his contemptuous gaze.

[Hey, lower your eyes.]

When he looked down, there was Ariasphil.

“…Leo…nardo…”

Ariasphil mumbled Leo’s name while holding onto the blanket he was covered with.

‘…She’s a bit different from my past life.’

Was it because he had changed? The current Ariasphil felt different from the one he remembered.

She seemed a bit softer, kinder, and a little bit cute.

Not just in personality, but she was also quite a charming girl in appearance.

Her soft-looking cheeks, skin that seemed really smooth, and hair that looked so silky…

“…Should I get up now?”

He was thinking nonsense because he was tired.

Leo carefully lifted the blanket and got out of bed. He gently picked up Ariasphil, preparing to put her on the bed.

[What are you going to do? Attack…]

It was cold, so he thought he should at least lay her on the bed. Leo gently held her with his hands and arms, preparing to place her on the bed.

“Excuse me, Leonardo.”

At that moment, the door opened. It happened so suddenly that he couldn’t react.

“…I heard you collapsed, but are you okay…”

It was the head of the family, Gladio Reinhardt.

In other words, Ariasphil’s father.

“…Ah.”

A dark room, a large, warm bed, and a disheveled blanket.

Finally, him holding the sleeping Ariasphil in his arms.

The father of a young girl was looking at him.

“…”

Head of the family, I can explain everything. Just give me 30 seconds. I don’t want to die yet.