Chapter 11

EP.11 Reinhardt-6

My head is a mess today.

[Leonardo.]

Then train until your mind is clear.

[Hey, you sadist.]

I focus so much that such trivial insults don’t even register. Until my mind is clear...

[...Joke killer.]

“AAAAAAAHHH!!!”

I keep swinging my sword, and my screams keep bursting out.

[The secret technique of joke killing... hehe...!]

My face turns red, and the speed of my sword swings increases.

“Shut up!! Shut up!!”

[The joke assassination technique that surpasses dragon speech... hehe...!]

Anger wells up inside me at everything. The reporter, the newspaper, the joke, even that ‘hehe’ interjection.

“I’ll kill you!! Old man!!”

This anger-covered black history starts five minutes ago.

***

[“I’m truly sorry, Mr. Alfred.”]

Today, I came to the butler’s office early in the morning to apologize for what I didn’t do yesterday.

Regardless of the circumstances, Leonardo himself was also at fault, so an apology was necessary.

It might seem too early, but Alfred always wakes up at dawn, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

[“A topic like tea or pastries would be fine. No jokes...”]

With that thought and resolve, Leonardo knocked.

[Come in.]

With permission, Leonardo opened the door.

[“Good morning, Mr. Alfred.”]

[“Oh, Leonardo. Good morning.”]

Alfred was reading the newspaper as if he hadn’t fainted yesterday. He even had a cup of tea on the side.

[“That’s Darjeeling, isn’t it? It seems quite high-quality.”]

[“Oh, you noticed... I didn’t know you were knowledgeable about tea.”]

[“I still lack a lot of experience. A true expert can even tell the age of the tea leaves by smell.”]

That person was Alfred. He humbly accepted the compliment and elevated the other person, a high-level conversational skill.

[“Still, it’s hard to know the types of tea at your age. You’re also excellent in other areas of culture, not just humor.”]

Those words felt like a stab in the heart. He must still be angry.

[...I’m really sorry about that. I’ve lived as a mercenary since I was young, so I lack the talent for refined humor.]

[No, no. It was a really great joke. I laughed so hard.]

My heart is not just stabbed but torn apart. I feel like I want to bow in apology.

[...You’re reading the newspaper. Aren’t three types of newspapers tiring?]

To change the subject, Leonardo shifted the topic to the newspaper in front of him. A characteristic topic change, so it shouldn’t seem awkward.

[“Today’s newspaper is really interesting. Especially the front page. Would you like to see it, Leonardo?”]

[“Huh? Sure, what’s the content...”]

Leonardo’s words stopped there.

【13-Year-Old Boy Becomes Joke Killer】

Sometimes shocking truths are

「The secret technique of joke killing, butler faints」

People’s language skills

《Joke assassination technique surpassing dragon speech》

are paralyzed.

[“How about it? Isn’t it a much more cheerful article than economic downturns or accidents?”]

***

And now

“AAAAAAAHHH!!!”

The paralyzed language skills are now erupting in an explosion.

[The joke killer surpassing dragon speech... hehe...]

“Shut up!! Shut up!! Crazy old man!!”

I swing my sword wildly and shout. The sage, being a ghost, can’t be hit by the sword, but I need to do something to clear my mind.

[Hey, don’t listen to my jokes... I can’t control them yet... hehe...]

That laugh cuts the last thread of my patience.

“I’ll kill you!! I’ll kill all of you!!”

It might seem like I’m getting more excited, but that’s a misunderstanding.

“Aria, why is Leonardo acting like this?”

Chris, who came to the training ground a little after dawn, asked, looking at the frenzied Leonardo.

“That’s Leonardo’s training method. Last time, he was also shouting and getting angry while training.”

“Hmm... It seems to be a training method to draw out physical strength through emotional anger.”

That’s not it.

“To control anger at such a young age and use it as a source of strength... It’s beyond impressive, it’s scary.”

“Indeed, that’s Leonardo...”

Not at all.

“But it could be dangerous. He might become a slave to his anger.”

Just no. If it’s no, it’s no.

“Leonardo, are you training this early in the morning?”

Perhaps to prevent him from becoming a slave to his anger, Chris, as an adult, went to give advice.

“Kill...! Oh? Sir Chris?”

Seeing Chris, his excitement subsided. In front of a superior, even with a humiliating incident, he needed to calm down.

“Good morning, Sir Chris. Good morning.”

“Training in the morning is good, but try to be a bit more calm. In such situations, it’s important to clear your head.”

Embarrassing, but true. In such situations, it’s appropriate to remain calm.

“I’m sorry. I must have looked undignified as a squire.”

“No, the strength drawn from that passion was impressive. I’m just stopping you because it’s too early to indulge in it.”

...Something seemed off, but since it’s Chris, I’ll understand.

“By the way, I heard from Aria that you have another special training method.”

This madness isn’t a training method, but since it’s Chris, I’ll let it go.

“Another training method... Do you mean the mana conditioning technique?”

“Mana conditioning technique, hmm... Is that its name?”

“Yes, would you like to see it?”

“It’s better to demonstrate it to the one who created it.”

Just as I was about to take a stance for the mana conditioning technique,

At that moment,

“You bastard...! There you are!”

Senior squires, like the sky, came stomping through the ground. Their faces were very red, clearly showing their anger.

“Oh, seniors. Were you looking for me?”

That calm and sly remark made their red faces even redder.

“You...! You call that a word...!!”

“What’s going on?”

Chris, standing in front, looked at the squires with a sense of doubt.

“...Sir Chris...!”

“You’re probably... squires of Rosia, right? What happened with Leonardo?”

As Chris asked, another sound of footsteps and voices echoed.

“Excuse me, Sir Chris, these guys! What kind of rudeness is this?!”

It was Rosia. Rosia appeared and started to restrain his squires. Their faces tensed up at the sight of their direct superior.

“It’s fine. Listening to the squires’ complaints is also a virtue of a knight.”

With that magnanimity, the squires’ tense expressions relaxed. And that relief,

“Then, what’s the matter?”

invited overconfidence.

“This junior, Leonardo, has been extremely rude, and we came to reprimand him for it.”

The smartest of the squire group, Vector, stepped forward. He was known for his excellent oratory skills, not just in this group but among other children as well.

“Extremely rude?”

“Yes, he disrespected us seniors and even attacked us with lower-rank aggression.”

They showed their clothes as evidence, pointing to the bruised areas. Those who had been hit in the face didn’t need to lift their clothes; the bruises were clearly visible.

“...Is that true, Leonardo?”

This is how it’s going to play out, isn’t it? This is too...

<It’s to my advantage.>

It was to my advantage.

“Yes, I caused those injuries.”

At that answer, the squires in front inwardly rejoiced.

Lower-rank aggression is a serious offense in the knight corps, and they were really looking forward to seeing what punishment this stupid commoner would receive.

“Why?”

“Because the seniors insulted Sir Chris and Lady Aria.”

And the triumphant song they were inwardly singing suddenly turned into a dissonant note.

“...Insulted me?”

“When did we do that?! When did we...!?”

“Yesterday, you clearly called me a lunatic after seeing my attitude.”

Though they were hesitant, the squires answered.

“Yes! We did! But that was because you attacked us...!”

“And at the same time, you said, ‘He’s the one Sir Chris brought. It’s natural that he’s crazy.’”

That was also true. The squires couldn’t immediately respond, and they were already being led by Leonardo’s pace.

“That... That was...”

“That statement was an insult to Sir Chris, who chose me as a squire, and a disloyal remark questioning his judgment.”

Though slightly exaggerated, it was all based on the truth. As evidence, the squires couldn’t even properly defend themselves and were just looking around nervously.

“And in the end, they even insulted Lady Aria.”

“When did we...!!”

“Not only did you call Lady Aria by her name without honorifics, but you also said I seduced the daughter of the house and she fell for it.”

“...”

Suddenly, the words they shouted when they were hit came to mind.

[Aria! Just because you seduced the daughter of the house! What’s so great about you! You’re just a common...]

It was a statement made without proper judgment due to the sudden punch. But in a battle of words, even such a slip could be a fatal mistake.

“As a senior, before showing respect, I felt that insulting my benefactor and the daughter of the house was a grave offense, so I couldn’t help but react.”

The squires were completely speechless at this explanation. The gap in oratory skills between Leonardo and them was already over ten years.

“...But wasn’t your response too harsh? They are your seniors and nobles...”

Rosia’s words were cut off as if he couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

“Before that, my seniors challenged me to a sparring match.”

“A sparring match...?”

“It was a kind of initiation. Four of them attacked me, one against four, and the sword they gave me was already cracked. If you don’t believe me, you can check the broken sword in my room.”

Moreover, even without oratory skills, the situation itself clearly showed whose fault it was.

“I don’t think my response was too harsh. If you think it was too lenient, that’s fine, but I don’t feel it was too harsh. If my thoughts and actions were wrong, please correct me.”

Rosia became a mute with a perfectly intact vocal cord.

“Is all of this true, Rosia?”

“That’s... I’m not sure...”

“If you don’t know, it’s a bigger problem. A knight of Reinhardt can’t even manage a squire.”

There was no need for an excuse. No, if he made one, he would follow the same path as Jerard.

“I’m sorry!! I’ll make sure this never happens again!”

“Try harder. In Reinhardt, if a mistake is repeated, it’s not considered a mistake.”

“I understand!!”

Rosia showed his maximum repentance with a loud voice. At the same time, he glared at the immature squires, expressing his burning anger.

The squires’ faces, except for Leonardo, turned ashen from the heat in his eyes.

“...Then, I’ll take my leave. I’m truly sorry for the rudeness.”

After apologizing, Rosia and his squires left the training ground. The squires’ faces were already ashen, now turning to a muddy color.

“...For some reason, I only see the flaws of Reinhardt in you. It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s fine. If you were too perfect, I might have given up being a squire, thinking it was too distant.”

“A funny joke. Indeed, the nickname ‘joke killer’ suits you.”

...

.....

........

I suddenly wanted to scream.

[Hey, hey... If you hear my jokes, you’ll split in half and die. Please don’t wake my... hehe...]

No, I wanted to die.

Should I commit suicide with a joke?

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