Chapter 26

EP.26 Growth-3

[...You're about to die, right?]

<Yes.>

There was no need to think about it.

Can't you tell from that look? That's not the gaze of someone looking at a fellow human. Even if you do your best, you're probably no more than a fly in the toilet or a mosquito in the summer to them.

[Why is he like that? Last time, his father just stood there.]

Leo was also puzzled. It was just a matter of carrying her, yet he looked at him as if he were a randy beast trying to seduce his granddaughter.

And in his position, a beast should be killed, right? Leo isn't a beast, though.

<Mr. Marcken is... how should I put it... an upright person.>

[Since he can't hear us, speak freely.]

<A stick-in-the-mud. He's so rigid he's about to ascend to heaven.>

[Of course.]

While he always criticized sages as stick-in-the-muds, Mr. Marcken was on a whole different level, the kind who would lose to a sage in a decisive victory if they ever faced off.

That alone was the best defeat for a human.

[He'll probably keep ranting about how men and women shouldn't be alone together after seven years of age.]

<Huh? Is it because he's a stick-in-the-mud too?>

[What do you mean?]

There's no need to explain. You already understand each other.

“...Why are you just standing there?”

“...Yes?”

“Put my granddaughter down, won’t you?”

Leo tried to put down Aria, who he was carrying. Speaking would at least help extend his lifespan.

Crack...

For some reason, Aria's grip on his shoulder tightened. The pain even extended to his trapezius muscle.

“Hurry up.”

But life was more important than his trapezius muscle. Overcoming her grip, Leo put Aria down.

“...”

Once she was off his back, Aria lowered her head, looking dejected. Of course, she wouldn't be in a good mood, having to walk barefoot or in uncomfortable shoes.

“Aria, let your grandfather carry you. It would be better that way.”

The moment Marcken offered his back for a piggyback, Aria's eyes lost their vitality again.

“No, I'm fine.”

The cold and firm rejection seemed to crack the heart of a grandfather who loved his granddaughter. As if to prove it, the old man was looking at Leo with a cold, sharp gaze.

“Your mother is looking for you. You haven't even given her the gift yet, so hurry along.”

Thinking about it, she hadn't given the gift and had left the ballroom. It was a serious breach of etiquette.

“Can't a personal knight manage such a situation?”

The problem was that the rigid stick-in-the-mud had decided the cause was himself.

[But he's right, isn't he?]

Ignore the other stick-in-the-mud. One is enough to deal with right now.

***

The ballroom was relatively lively. While it was chaotic due to Aria's sudden entry and escape, it seemed to be treated as a lighthearted incident that livened up the social atmosphere.

The problem was...

“Oh, it's been a while. Father.”

The appearance of Marcken Reinhardt.

The atmosphere was too cold for the situation or gossip to spread.

“I'm sorry for coming without notice. Various circumstances led to this.”

“Ah...! No, Father!”

It wasn't a common sight for the head of the family to be so flustered, both in his past life and this one.

The only person who could make such a rare sight common was undoubtedly Marcken, his grandfather.

“I could only bring this as a gift. I'm sorry, I couldn't find anything appropriate.”

Marcken handed over a gift wrapped in a rough box. Sirika, the guest of honor, took the gift hesitantly.

“...This is a tooth...?”

To be precise, it was a beast's fang.

The fang had a hole drilled in the blunt part, with a chain threaded through it to make a necklace.

“It's a necklace made from the fang of a wolf leader I caught during an execution. It should serve as a good talisman.”

“Thank you very much. I will definitely wear it.”

While others looked quite surprised at the fang necklace, Sirika calmly put the fang around her neck.

Not just wolves, but crocodiles, sharks, bears, and even wyverns—she had received various tooth decorations as gifts, enough to fill a museum.

[He lacks creativity.]

<It's inevitable as one gets older.>

[What about me?]

<You're an example.>

Thus, starting with Marcken, others began to present their gifts, a bit early.

From precious jewels to ornaments made by masters, precious metals, and more, they began to fill the table, passing through Sirika's hands.

“Mother, this is mine!!”

The eldest son, Rios, offered a gift box with a squint and a raised corner of his mouth.

[Do you know what it is? I feel uneasy.]

<It'll be fine. Even if it looks strange...>

When the box was opened, something with a small handle was nestled in the cushion.

“This is...?”

Zzzz

Suddenly, a blade shot out from the handle.

The issue wasn't just that a blade shot out.

Why did it make a peculiar "zzzz" sound instead of a "click" or "clack" when the blade shot out?

The visual information provided the answer.

[...A lightsaber?]

<Yes, something like that happened in my past life too.>

Sirika swung the lightsaber a few times, looking bewildered. Reinhardt's darkness, nearby, was observing the lightsaber more closely, but she didn't pry into others' gifts as a shadow.

“...What is this... Rios...?”

“Yes! It's a bread knife!”

But it was just a bread knife.

“...What...?”

“Ha ha! Let me explain!”

Rios cut a pastry with the lightsaber bread knife. The bread crust crackled and was neatly sliced with a sizzling sound.

“Now, you can make toast just by cutting bread.”

The people around clapped at the revolution. It was hard to stay still seeing such revolutionary talent wasted.

[...Is he a genius or an idiot?]

<...I'll vote for genius.>

[I'll vote for idiot.]

Since it's a tie, let's compromise and say Rios is a genius idiot.

“...Leo...”

Aria grabbed Leo's sleeve. She was so deep in thought that she didn't even realize it was their turn.

“Mother, this is...”

Aria, with Leo standing beside her, presented the gift. Since it was a gift, it wasn't in a box but wrapped in fine fabric and ribbon.

“This is... truly beautiful.”

The flower, glowing in five colors, seemed to have been gently enchanted with a small rainbow on each petal.

“...Where did you get this flower? I've never seen one like it...”

“I didn't get it; I made it. Leo told me how.”

As she said this, Aria grabbed Leonardo's sleeve. People's gazes alternated between Leo and the rainbow flower.

“Leonardo.”

Sirika smiled at Leo, holding the colorful bouquet.

“Yes, happy birthday, Lady.”

Leonardo knelt on one knee and congratulated the lady of the house. She smiled kindly, pleased with the etiquette.

“Thank you, Leonardo.”

“No, it's nothing compared to the kindness the family has shown me.”

Compared to what the family had given him, the flower was just a simple gesture.

Leo bowed his head halfway and expressed his gratitude again.

“Huh, I can see why Aria favors you. I'm grateful to have you by her side.”

Showing her hospitality, Sirika smelled the bouquet. Leo, who had raised his head, looked relieved and turned to Aria.

“...Favor, ugh... why say such things...”

For some reason, her face was slightly flushed. But before she could pay attention to the blush, the crowd began to gather around Sirika.

It was to leave a good impression on the family as much as possible, now that the gift-giving was over.

Of course, Leo and Aria's group were also part of the crowd.

“Was it Leonardo, right?”

In the crowd, Marcken walked back to Leo. The cold air cut through the festive ballroom, creating an implicit space for Marcken and Leo alone.

“Yes, Mr. Marcken.”

“I heard your meeting with Aria was an unofficial duel. Is that correct?”

The emphasis on "unofficial" suggested that the answer wouldn't be positive.

“Yes, it is.”

But it wasn't something he could deny. It was a fact that Leo acknowledged, so he had to accept it.

“It was just the overconfidence of a young and inexperienced mercenary.”

“It's fortunate that you recognize it.”

Marcken's eyes were cold. The focus in his eyes felt as sensitive as the thin ice on a lake's surface.

“So, who won?”

“It was a draw. It was an unofficial and unfair duel.”

His frown deepened slightly at the answer.

It didn't seem to be a response he liked.

Without breaking his frown, he continued his questions.

“I also heard you had a second duel. How did that go?”

“...That match was interrupted. A Balrog appeared in the village, so it wasn't a situation to finish the duel.”

Despite his logical answer, his frown didn't ease. Instead, it deepened.

“So, you've never beaten Aria, not even once.”

The air around them was so cold it could have frozen. If he exhaled, steam would surely rise.

“Father, why say such things suddenly...”

“This is an issue that needs to be clarified, so don't interfere.”

[That kid is really a stick-in-the-mud.]

<I agree.>

Currently, Marcken was in the lead by a significant margin. It was truly a pity that he was the only one witnessing this century's great comeback.

“Ultimately, you didn't win, did you?”

“Father! That's not why you rushed here!”

Even Chris, who had been watching from a distance, couldn't stand by and tried to calm the situation.

“This is a necessary question, even if it's just to address that.”

“But...!”

“Christina Reinhardt, don't make me repeat myself.”

At his command, the crowd, despite the cold atmosphere, began to murmur. The reason was found in the name "Christina."

[Her name is Christina? I thought it was Chris?]

<Everyone has something they want to keep hidden.>

Thanks to Marcken's stubbornness, everything was revealed, but it's only right to respect privacy in some way.

“So, what do you propose?”

“It's simple. Have a rematch with Aria.”

“A rematch?”

“To confirm if you have the qualifications as a personal knight. Do you have any objections?”

Leonardo briefly turned his head to check Aria's expression.

“I'm fine, but I think Aria's opinion is also important.”

“I'm fine!”

It was an immediate response. So quick that checking her expression was almost meaningless.

“...I also want to settle this properly.”

It wasn't an unreasonable reaction if you thought about it.

The duel with Leo was significant to Aria as well.

“...”

Leo hesitated for a moment. He was considering whether to use magic and whether it was right to continue letting her win.

“...I...”

Just as he was about to agree, Marcken spoke first.

“If it's too difficult, how about this: if you beat Aria, I'll personally let you have a weapon from my armory...”

“I'll do it.”

It seemed somewhat materialistic, but he felt no guilt.

He was planning to fight anyway.

To reiterate, the armory wasn't the important part.

He had no ulterior motives for a sword that could unleash flames or a spear that could shoot lightning.

He would approach the match with a clean heart.

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