Chapter 15

EP.15 Friend-4

[Mr. Elder!! Please give me your daughter!!]

<Shut up, and don't use such a term. Aria is not an object.>

My head is already spinning, and this old man is spouting nonsense like it's his second nature. If I weren't a ghost, I would have beaten his face with a bat until his mouth was sewn shut with swelling.

“...That question is too broad. What do you mean specifically?”

First, I ask calmly and rationally. This is probably a test for Leo to confirm himself, so I need to approach it calmly and rationally.

“Well, what do you think it means, Leonardo?”

Indeed, a formidable opponent. He doesn't even allow me to gauge his intentions.

Then,

“I can't express my thoughts about Lady Ariasphil in a single sentence.”

I have to go with a straightforward approach.

“Oh, is that so?”

Gladio smiled slightly at the flexible yet firm response.

“Then, can you summarize it?”

“Though it might sound presumptuous, Lady Ariasphil is...”

The only answer is to respond sincerely.

“My goal.”

At this answer, everyone who was eating stopped. They didn't just stop talking; they even stopped eating and blinking.

It was understandable. Depending on how you interpret it, it could mean that my goal is to defeat your daughter.

“...What do you mean by that?”

When he responds like this, it adds a bit of playfulness.

“Well, what do you think it means, Lord of the House?”

“...Haha, hahaha, hahaha!!”

When I provocatively counter, the Lord of the House starts to laugh heartily. Now, every time I see someone laughing, I get chills.

[You make everyone manic just by talking.]

<That's true. What kind of fate is this...>

Leo looked at Gladio, who was laughing, while reflecting on his bizarre and twisted life with a smile.

The reason for fixing his gaze was that if he had a breathing problem, he would need to perform emergency first aid directly.

“Ha... It was an interesting meal. Since everyone seems to be finished, let's get up first.”

Gladio stood up, calming his laughter. When the Lord of the House stood, the other family members also got up from the dining table.

[It looked delicious... How was it?]

The meal was so appetizing that it could have made you dehydrated from drooling. To say it was tasteless would be like saying you have no sense of taste.

<Not sure. I'm not sure if it went in through my nose or my eyes... More importantly...>

I hope this isn't the last meal.

***

【What do you think of my daughter?】

When this question was asked, Ariasphil, like Leo, stopped thinking.

Who was the daughter? Was there another daughter of the father here? If not...

It was a question about herself.

Her pupils trembled, and the food stuck in her throat. Even after barely swallowing, she couldn't continue eating.

What worried her more was Leonardo's answer.

She felt a bit resentful towards her father. Why did he have to ask such a bizarre and strange question?

But on the other hand...

‘What will he answer?’

She was very curious about Leonardo's answer. She bowed her head as if she wasn't interested and observed the conversation. Her slightly reddened ears were an added bonus.

And the answer was,

【Lady Ariasphil is my goal.】

This answer made the heat in her ears spread to her entire face.

‘Goal...!?’

What does it mean to be a goal? A simple rival? Or a worthy opponent? Or...

The more she thought about it, the hotter her cheeks and face became.

Because it could be interpreted in various ways, like the first question her father asked,

Her face gradually turned red.

Excited, Ariasphil opened her ears wider to hear a more specific explanation, but,

【Well, what do you think it means, Lord of the House?】

Unfortunately, she couldn't figure out the exact meaning.

But for some reason,

‘Ugh...’

Her flushed face showed no signs of cooling down. It seemed to be fueling the girl's emotions even more.

Tonight, she wouldn't have a peaceful night... No, she wouldn't have a peaceful night at all.

***

After that evening banquet

Leo sat in a chair facing the sage. The sage in front of him was giving a passionate lecture.

“Haa...”

[So, it turned out...]

“Haaa...”

[The basics of magic are...]

“Khaaaaa...!”

[Shut up!]

As his yawns became longer, even the sage lost his temper.

“Haaa...”

<Sorry.>

He answered with a lazy yawn and his aura.

[Apologizing and yawning at the same time is a skill.]

“Haaaa...!”

<Thank you for the compliment.>

The sage's facial muscles were about to distort at this miraculous technique.

[It was a sarcastic compliment, brat. And you're still yawning.]

<But I can't help it. It's 3 AM.>

The current time was exactly 3:02 AM. It was impossible to stop yawning when having a sudden conversation at such a late hour.

[Still, you know, anyone receiving such teachings would be wide awake and have their ears open. You don't understand how valuable this is for a magician.]

Indeed, it was difficult for the current Leo to gauge how profound the sage's teachings were.

Not to mention, his interest in magic was low from the beginning, regardless of whether he understood the lessons or not.

<Then, I'll try not to. Haaaa...>

[Hey, brat. You just yawned with your aura.]

Ah, caught.

[Why... Why did I choose such a successor...]

<You chose me, Sage. Just tough it out.>

[Do you think I'll tough it out?]

<I don't want to.>

Since they were both ghosts, attacking each other was impossible, but he still didn't like it.

[Then, shut up and listen to the lesson.]

<I'll try.>

The sage cleared his throat and resumed the interrupted lesson.

[So, do you remember what the basics of magic are?]

<...>

[Answer, brat.]

<You said it's a magic circle.>

For a not-so-bright student, it was a clear answer, so the sage nodded and lowered his voice.

[That's right, the basics of magic are magic circles. Incantations and seals are just auxiliary techniques that came later.]

<Then, do we not need incantations or seals if we have a magic circle?>

[If you have the technique, you can make do without them, but if you lack it, you need to start with the basics.]

It could be compared to the preparatory steps or posture in martial arts. Thinking about it this way made it easier to understand.

[In that sense, you have good potential. It's not easy to master a 1st Circle spell in a week.]

<How many times did you succeed, Sage?>

[Me? Immediately.]

Though it was truly astonishing, the world was full of bizarre geniuses.

[Don't be discouraged. That's pretty good.]

<Your encouragement hurts.>

[Anyway, now that you've learned 1st Circle, what do you think you should do next?]

<Well, I should improve my 1st Circle, right?>

[...Oh...]

Leo's answer made the sage give a short exclamation.

<...Why? Is it the wrong answer?>

[You look different, but you have real potential.]

His technique of simultaneously praising and insulting was still amazing.

[To be honest, I thought you'd be obsessed with 2nd Circle like the other idiots. You're really surprising.]

<There's nothing surprising. What's more important than a foundation in learning?>

[...That's surprising.]

The combination of insults and praise in one sentence couldn't stir more peculiar emotions.

Now, it was not just unpleasant but even astonishing.

[Anyway, as you said, it's better to focus on 1st Circle rather than hastily learning 2nd Circle. There's no need to rush into advanced stages.]

<Then, should I practice 1st Circle spells?>

[That's one way, but I have a specific training method in mind.]

Mana began to coalesce around the sage again, similar to when he first taught the mana training method.

[Ha!]

With a shout, the coalesced mana began to form lines. The lines, like threads, connected and formed a curve, eventually creating a circle.

[...Now, here...]

Another circle was drawn inside the first one, with a thin space between them. As this process was repeated, the empty circle was soon filled.

[You need to keep drawing circles inside the circle with mana like this.]

<Do I need to do it so densely?>

[This is how you improve. Back in my day, when the teacher told us to do it, we did it obediently...]

<Haahaaaaa...>

It was a very sleepy day, despite trying to listen attentively with wide eyes and open ears.

***

Drawing the circle itself wasn't particularly difficult. If he lacked the skill, the fire spell wouldn't have activated when he fought Balrog.

The problem was...

“Ugh...!”

The process of filling the circle with more circles.

[Why are you struggling so much? Focus your mind! Grab your optic nerves tightly!]

“Ah, shut up. I can't concentrate.”

As he spoke, the line wavered. Leo refocused the center of the line by infusing more mana.

[What the hell? I did it without a body! That's why today's kids are so problematic... They don't even try...]

“I have the Sage's stone in my heart, so it's like a parasite.”

[What... What? A parasite?]

“A parasite, isn't it? After all, you're wandering around as a ghost thanks to my magic power.”

Perhaps due to the regression, it was a fact he learned later, but the Sage's stone in Leo's heart had no stored magic power left.

Of course, the stored spells and thoughts were still there, allowing them to converse, but if Leo's mana ran out, the Sage's stone would stop working.

[Hey...! I saved your life, and you don't even know that!?]

“Yes, you saved my life and ‘parasitized’ me.”

[If that's the case, why don't you just take it out of your heart!]

“Ew, how can I do such a creepy thing? I'm too scared to even think about it.”

[Ha... Damn... Why did I get stuck with such a guy...]

While filling the fifth circle,

Knock knock

Someone knocked on the door. It had been a while, but it was still late at night.

[Who is it? At this hour?]

“Not sure.”

Leo stopped drawing the circle and walked towards the door.

“Who is it?”

Before opening the door, Leo peeked through the keyhole and asked carefully.

“I'm sorry for the late hour, but I have something to discuss about your peers. Can we talk now?”

Through the keyhole, he saw something like a white wall. After a few checks, he realized it was a person's body.

The voice was also a familiar one he had heard before, so Leo opened the door without any suspicion.

“Thank you.”

The person who entered was a large man. He had such a bulky build that Leo believed he was a full-fledged knight, not just a squire.

“I'm sorry for coming so late.”

“It must be important if you came at this hour.”

“It is.”

With a short answer, he sat down in a chair.

[Who is he?]

Seeing this peculiar squire, the sage frowned and asked.

<He's my senior.>

“I should have introduced him earlier.”

Following Leo's words, his senior began his introduction.

“My name is Alphonse Armstrong, a squire and your senior.”

“Nice to meet you, senior.”

Alphonse Armstrong, a character from his previous life, was a reliable figure both as a senior and a comrade, just like his muscles.

[Why did such a guy come at this hour? And only with men.]

<He's a good person, so don't worry. In my previous life...>

“I'll be blunt. It's best to quit being a seed.”

...

......

.........

[He's a good person, they say.]

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