The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 9

Reinhardt

“…Hmm… This should be enough.”

Leonardo said, looking at the packed luggage.

[There’s really nothing much. Only three sets of tops and bottoms.]

Leo’s luggage looked sparse to the point of being desolate. It contained simple dried food, three sets of tops and bottoms, a chainmail and leather armor, and a few coins.

[But there’s also very little money.]

“I bought meat for nutritional supplements, but some crazy guy made me throw it all up. I spent a lot on food.”

What was his name again… Sage? Eunuch? They both ended with ‘ja’, so it was confusing. Ah, it’s the same person anyway.

[If you eat too quickly, you’ll get indigestion. It was a considerate gesture.]

His lips didn’t even twitch as he spouted this nonsense, causing Leonardo to let out a hollow laugh.

“I don’t want that kind of consideration, so please fold it nicely and shove it into your chest.”

[Is that something you say to your master?]

“Then would you show your guts to your disciple?”

While exchanging warm insults, the packing was finally completed. Carrying the bag, Leo looked towards the door.

“Now then…”

“Is there something going on, Leonardo boy? I’ve been hearing voices for a while now.”

“It’s nothing! I’ll be out right away!”

Chris called out to Leo, who had been talking to himself for too long. Ignoring the Sage’s nonsense, Leo carried his luggage and left the inn.

“Sorry for the delay.”

“It’s alright. I was just worried since you seemed to be talking to yourself a lot.”

“It’s nothing. I tend to talk a lot… haha…”

He intended to hide the Sage’s existence as much as possible. Revealing it would likely bring no benefit, and there was a possibility of attacks targeting the Sage or the Sage’s stone.

[Why?]

The Sage probably knew why. It was just that the reason was so abstract and pure that he couldn’t grasp it intuitively.

Chris Reinhardt, even past her thirties, was an unfortunate human who admired outdated, mysterious powers like “Black Flame Dragon, Magic Eye, and the Curse of the Right Arm.”

During a past mission together, she had talked about having a spirit guiding her from behind as if it were a past life.

[Another fan of this Sage will be added. Haha…]

Not grasping the gravity of the situation, the Sage responded lightly, even frivolously.

Leo’s voice tightened with resolve.

“Chris!”

[Sorry. I’ll never say such things again.]

Fear is the best for swift changes in attitude. Especially if it provokes an inherent and rational rejection.

“What is it?”

He had no intention of revealing the Sage. There was another reason he called out to her.

“Where is the escort knight?”

“Do you mean the ‘former’ escort knight, Jehad?”

It seemed confirmed that he had been dismissed.

“…Yes, he is now the ‘former’ knight.”

“…I must apologize for Jehad. I’m sorry.”

Leo was momentarily taken aback by the sudden apology. He didn’t understand the context of the apology.

“I heard about the insult he gave to Ariasphil. His authoritative and insulting attitude even drew his sword.”

Come to think of it, such an event did happen. It was such a trivial matter that he had long forgotten.

“It’s alright. If you look at it, he was the one who challenged Ariasphil.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

As they exchanged words, Leo looked around curiously.

“What is it?”

“But I don’t see Ariasphil. Where did she go?”

Ariasphil, who should have been at the center of this conversation, was not around.

“Ariasphil is sleeping at the inn. She must be exhausted from dealing with Balrog and Jehad.”

Even though Ariasphil was a genius, she would naturally have physical limits. A normal person would have collapsed from exhaustion right after facing Balrog.

“I didn’t wake her, thinking she needed rest. At that age, sleep is also a form of training.”

“That’s true.”

“And there’s another reason.”

Chris’s eyes turned serious. It was a look that was different from the usual pretense.

“…Can I ask what the reason is?”

“I wanted to ask you to take care of Ariasphil.”

“…Ariasphil?”

To ask him to look after Ariasphil was a request that had shifted slightly from the direction it had initially taken when he first met Chris.

“Ariasphil, though it feels strange for me, her blood relative, to say this, is a genius who transcends time.”

Leo knew this better than anyone. Not only in the past and present, but even more than a decade into the future, no genius surpassed Ariasphil.

“Because of that, she has always been lonely. Like the fate of an outstanding individual, she had to savor the loneliness of a noble wolf.”

“…I see.”

That might indeed be the case. Being outstanding often means being different from most people.

“But she changed after meeting you.”

“…”

“Even I didn’t expect her to express her emotions so much. Beyond her improvement in skills, that emotion must be a significant growth as a human.”

Thinking back, Ariasphil in her past life always had a blank expression. As if she had no interest in anything, she looked at the world with nothing but boredom.

“That’s why I want to ask you. Please, don’t leave that lonely wolf alone.”

It was a somewhat cringe-worthy request, but it was meaningful.

“Understood. Even without the request, I would have strived to stay by her side.”

“You must also be a lonely wolf. There is no more welcoming event than meeting a rival and a kindred spirit.”

His final words made Leo’s fingers curl in embarrassment. The cruel auditory torture made Leo’s lips and tongue twitch.

“…But there’s something I’d like to correct.”

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

The dagger of words was already loaded.

“Wolves are pack animals. Creatures like dogs mostly have packs. So a lonely wolf…”

Chris countered with a deep smile.

“Hmph, that’s just because your knowledge is limited. I have seen it. The figure of a lone wolf…”

“Oh, that’s a wolf expelled from the pack.”

“…What?”

But reality remained harsh.

“Lonely wolves are mostly of two kinds. Young wolves that left to form their own packs and old wolves expelled from their packs.”

Her eyebrows trembled violently. It wasn’t just her eyebrows; her dignified expression was greatly distorted.

“Th-that…! I meant a young wolf! Yes, a young wolf!!”

“But if a young wolf is lonely, it means it’s a failed wolf. It couldn’t form or join a pack due to lack of strength.”

As always, reality is harsh.

“Th-that…”

Chris couldn’t say anything more. She always held ideals about noble lions and lonely wolves.

‘Noble lions… even if that’s acceptable… not wolves… not lonely wolves…!!’

But nature doesn’t have such things.

[You seem eager to shatter childhood dreams.]

[You’re heartless.]

What a ruthless nature.

“Leonardo?”

While one woman was deeply lost in the destruction of her childhood dreams, another girl approached with a bright expression.

“…Ariasphil?”

Behind him stood Ariasphil. Her fatigue seemed to have completely dissipated after her rest, and she radiated her usual stunning beauty. Her clear blue eyes sparkled with life, and her long, straight white hair shone with luster. Her skin looked as smooth and moist as freshly fallen snow.

[The girl has gotten even prettier. Did she put on makeup?]

Ariasphil showed no interest in beautiful makeup or clothing. Instead, she was more interested in well-made swords or sturdy armor.

Even so, she was known as a beauty who could topple a kingdom with her looks alone.

[Make up your mind whether you’re insulting or complimenting her. It’s hard to tell what you mean.]

He had no intention of either insulting or complimenting her. He was just stating a fact.

“Sorry I’m late. I woke up late…”
“It’s alright. It would be stranger to wake up early after going through such things.”

While exchanging greetings with Leo, she glanced at her aunt, who was chewing over a deep sorrow.

“The lion… no, the wolf… the wolf alone…”

Her idolized ideal had crumbled, and her mind was similarly collapsing.

“Why is Aunt Chris like that?”

It could be summed up in one sentence.

“She’s becoming an adult.”

***

The journey to the Reinhardt main house was long. They had to ride all day to reach the city and then pay a fee to use the warp gate.

“I’ll cover the warp gate fee.”
“Are you sure? I understand it’s not cheap…”
“It’s fine. Reinhardt is not weak enough to be shaken by such an amount.”

[But it seems quite weak to destroying childhood dreams.]

Even as he thought this, Leonardo looked at Chris and said.

“I’ll repay you more than the cost.”
“I look forward to it.”

Leo and his party boarded the warp gate and were transported.

The place they arrived at was the Reinhardt family’s mansion.

“Welcome to the Reinhardt main house, boy.”

‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s amazing.’

There were countless aspects to be amazed by. From the grand size of the mansion, to the warp gate on the estate—a rarity only small towns could afford—and the garden, which was large enough to be considered a small forest.

[Ruben seems to have made some money.]

[…That’s true.]

For some reason, the Sage’s expression darkened. It was a complex expression that was difficult to describe. Before Leo could inquire, a crowd gathered at the front gate.

A commotion arose, and servants gathered outside the mansion, forming a line at the entrance.

[It’s like a king’s arrival.]

The two direct descendants of the family were arriving, so this level of reception was mandatory.

“It’s quite noisy, Chris.”
“Indeed, Ariasphil. That’s why I didn’t announce our arrival, but it seems it was pointless.”

However, both of them were not fond of such welcoming ceremonies.

“Welcome, young ladies.”

At the center of the commotion, the elderly butler, Alfred Sebastian, approached the two Reinhardt ladies.

“Long time no see, Alfred.”
“It hasn’t been that long, considering your recent adventure to find yourself.”

The shadow supporting Reinhardt silenced the old butler to hide his dark history.

“…I apologize, young lady. I spoke out of turn, not realizing there was a guest.”

“Refrain from such talk even if there are no guests, Alfred.”

With a dignified expression, Alfred looked at Leo. Leo was reminded of the Reinhardt family’s stature through Alfred’s demeanor and etiquette.

“Hello, I am Alfred Sebastian, the butler of the Reinhardt family.”

Leo already knew the etiquette between knights and nobles. However, to leave a good impression on the head butler Alfred, he needed to go beyond that.

“Hello, butler. I am Leonardo, a wandering mercenary. I cannot disclose my surname, I apologize.”

With a polite greeting, Leo looked at Alfred. Despite being concerned about his manners, Alfred’s curiosity lay elsewhere.

“…Why is that, Mr. Leonardo?”
“Because I am not a noble.”

The air turned cold, and the atmosphere stiffened. Even Leo, who made the joke, felt embarrassed.

[You should have said you were out of your mind if you were going to say that. I wouldn’t have given you the Sage’s Stone.]
“Brurupuhahaha!!”

Suddenly, loud laughter echoed.

“Ahak!! Ahihihihi…! Ihihihihi…!!”

The old butler and the dignified old man were gone. Only an elderly man, convulsing with laughter at the joke, remained.

“Sorry…! I’m sorry…! Hahaha…!”
“Why, Alfred?!”

Alfred managed to suppress his laughter after several deep breaths and coughs.

“Ahem, um… I apologize. That was unseemly of me…”
“It’s alright. By the way, do you happen to have any oranges among the refreshments? I’ve been craving oranges.”

“Puhahahaha…!! Ahihihi! Ahihi! Ihik!!”

[What’s wrong with him? Does he have a condition that makes him laugh at nonsense?]

Alfred Sebastian

He was the longest-serving butler in the Reinhardt family and the most esteemed head butler.

His dignified demeanor and manners earned him respect from men and affection from women.

Leo admired him as a man and as a human.

However, one day,

‘What’s the matter, Mr. Leo?’
‘Oh, I’m looking for something. I lost a trophy from fighting a skeletal knight.’
‘Is that so? I have some free time, so I’ll help you look.’
‘Ah! Thank you. That skeletal knight was really troublesome.’

Leo had no intention of being funny. He just lacked formality in his speech due to his mercenary background.

‘Pfft!’

And Leo realized that humans are not perfect.

[So the old man laughs at jokes even babies wouldn’t find funny?]

After that, Alfred and Leo became more than just professional acquaintances. They occasionally exchanged jokes.

“Kuhahahaha!!”

[But…]

“Kuhahahahaha!!”

[Isn’t he laughing too much? He’s not going to die from laughter, is he?]

Come on, no matter how much he laughs, Alfred wouldn’t…

Thud

Alfred collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

“…Alfred!!!”

Leonardo, aged 13.

“Mr. Alfred!!”

Thirteen minutes after arriving at the family mansion.

“Head Butler!!”

He made the head butler faint.