Chapter 28

EP.28 Growth-5

There were no cheers, no gasps of admiration, not even jeers.

The stadium was filled only with silent gazes.

"...Ha..."

It was Aria who broke the silence.

"As expected, you're strong. Leo..."

Acknowledging her defeat, she collapsed.

Leo maintained his stance with his sword, not even turning around.

The referee, trembling, announced the result of the match.

"V-victor!! Leonardo!!"

With that definitive declaration, the tension in his body eased.

"Kuh...!"

A dry cough escaped him, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

[Are you okay?]

<No, it feels like I have an electric eel coiled inside my guts instead of my organs.>

It was as if he had a live, wriggling eel, radiating electricity, inside him, not a cooked one.

[It's not uncommon to use electric magic for physical enhancement, but you really went and slammed lightning into your body. It's too dangerous with just a simple 1st Circle spell.]

He didn't need an explanation; he could feel it in his body. Logically, using a refined buff spell instead of an attack spell would be the right choice.

[...But it was impressive. Zasha.]

"Thanks a lot... for that..."

His legs gave out, and Leo's knees bent, touching the ground.

[...Did you faint?]

"No, I... can't faint yet..."

Leo used his sword as a cane to stand up and approached the fallen Aria.

'She's just as exhausted.'

Aria had fainted, unable to withstand the mana from a 2-star core. Yet, she still clutched her sword tightly with her pitiful hand.

"If you sleep here, your face will freeze. Miss."

With his aching arms, Leo picked her up and started to move.

At the same time, he shouted to Marquen in the audience.

"...I'll gratefully accept the weapon!!"

Only then did the audience burst into cheers.

Ignoring the gaze of the Reinhardt family,

they showed their respect for the fierce battle the warrior had fought.

***

The process of entering the armory went smoother than expected. Although a few knights and retainers opposed it, Marquen, who had been the most hostile towards Leo, stubbornly pushed his opinion through.

As the owner of the personal armory, Marquen's stance was enough to quell the objections of the others.

Without time to be puzzled, Leo reached the entrance to the armory.

"...We've arrived."

When they reached the peak of one of the Reinhardt family's mountains, Marquen stopped in front of a cave.

The old man, with his massive frame, pushed open the heavy cave door with his bare hands.

The dull, stiff sound indicated that the door's security relied on sheer weight.

"Go in."

Following Marquen's instructions, Leo entered the weapon storage with the owner.

[...Wow... The old man has some charm.]

As the Sage marveled, the cave indeed had a certain charm.

It was more than just a natural cave; the ground and walls were neatly cut and polished, as if sculpted by an artist.

"This cave was made by me. I carved the mountain with my sword and hammer for training."

The Sage was quite impressed, but Leo only pretended to be amazed. He already knew this from his past life.

"I use it as my armory now, as it would be a waste to just use it for training. You are the first outsider, not a family retainer, to enter it."

This was somewhat unexpected, given that Marquen didn't seem to view Leonardo favorably.

"I sincerely thank you for this honor."

As if to contradict that thought, Marquen clicked his tongue and glared.

"Don't misunderstand. I don't recognize you."

[He's as stubborn as he looks.]

The Sage's words were harsh, but Leo didn't feel like defending him. Not nodding was enough to maintain propriety.

"The reason I let you in is purely as insurance."

Drawing a firm line, Marquen snapped his fingers. With a rhythmic response, the candles on the walls lit up one by one.

The flames illuminated the darkness inside the cave.

[...This is impressive.]

In the brightened cave, various weapons were neatly displayed. Not just high-quality, each one possessed unique abilities.

"Choose a weapon first. I'll explain afterward."

For Leo, this was a grateful command.

Without refusing, Leo ran to the adorable weapons waiting for him.

[But which one should I choose?]

<That's the question. Which one of these cuties should I pick?~>

[You do know which one is cute, don't you? I thought you didn't have a sense of beauty.]

The Sage's comment was a bit harsh, but the well-proportioned weapons in front of him were indeed tempting.

<Of course, for firepower, the lava sword... but considering body enhancement, the Fullgor... Hmm... Maybe I should choose armor instead?>

The pros and cons were so clear that it was not just difficult but painful to choose. If Marquen weren't there, he would have wanted to put all the weapons into his subspace glove.

[...Hmm...?]

While happily deliberating, the Sage's gaze fixed on one item.

<Why? What is it?>

Leo's gaze naturally aligned with the Sage's.

At the end of their gazes was a black pearl. It was strangely round and smooth, but the candlelight did not reflect off it at all.

"Are you going to choose that?"

As Leo's gaze lingered on the black pearl, Marquen asked in a low voice.

"Ah, that...?"

"If you choose it, I don't recommend it."

[Why ask if you're not going to listen?]

Leo thought this was something only people of the same kind could understand. He examined the black pearl in silence.

"That black pearl is an artifact I obtained from an ancient ruin. I brought it back because it seemed rare, but every attempt to appraise or process it failed."

"Is it something like a firestone?"

Sometimes, high-purity firestones were difficult to process. This pearl might be a similar material.

However, Marquen shook his head firmly.

"The blacksmiths didn't seem particularly interested either. If it were a firestone, it could have been appraised."

He had a point. Leo was about to turn his attention to other weapons.

[Choose that one.]

But another stubborn voice stopped him.

<What? Why?>

[No questions. That one is good.]

The Sage's eyes were unwavering.

It was a performance too good to waste on a mere joke.

<Alright.>

"I'll choose that one."

So Leo decided to trust the Sage once.

A student couldn't learn anything if he couldn't trust his teacher.

"I warned you. I'm not generous enough to give you multiple chances."

"I'll trust my instincts."

Leo walked towards the black pearl and picked it up with a steady hand.

<What do I do now?>

[Leave it to me.]

The Sage, in his ethereal form, inserted his arm into the black stone. At the same time, he chanted solemnly.

[Password input, Memento Mori.]

...

......

.........

<Did it work?>

The Sage's eyes slowly rolled. Please, let it not be...

[...No...?]

What was not supposed to be? Currently, the most likely scenario was that the human was not the Sage.

[Wait, I remember. Let me try again.]

Saying this unconvincingly, the Sage recited the spell again.

[Password input, Magus Memento Mori.]

...

......

This time, he didn't even expect it to work.

<Of course not...>

《Recognition complete. Initiating activation of [Black Stone].》

A voice echoed, and the black stone began to emit a blue light, far more brilliant than the candles.

[Now, touch it.]

<I trusted you.>

[Don't lie. Bastard.]

Confirming their strong bond, Leo placed his hand on the black stone.

《Life form with mana detected. Initiating imprinting.》

The black stone attached itself to Leo's arm, forming a thick bracelet.

"...Wh... How...!?"

"I... I don't know either!"

Leo, now the owner, was equally surprised. He shook his arm, bewildered by the bracelet.

[Now, imagine a sword. The most robust sword you can think of.]

<...A sword...?>

Leo, despite his confusion, clearly visualized a sword in his mind.

Then,

"...What...?"

Like a black slime, the bracelet changed shape, forming a sharp sword.

[How's that? Impressive, right? It's one of the more complete creations I've made.]

<Did you make this, Sage?>

[Yeah, it sort of popped out while I was making the Sage's Stone. I thought it looked decent, so I processed it.]

From the tone, it sounded like tofu curds that accidentally formed while making tofu.

[The Black Stone will grow by consuming your mana. It's already harder than steel, but with proper use, it could become better than the weapons here. Plus, it's a transformable weapon, so you can use it freely.]

Leo touched the black sword several times. It felt like a woman who had been hiding behind a mask and sunglasses suddenly revealed herself, and he was instantly smitten.

"...Wh... How...!? And how do you know how to use it?!"

[...Just bluff. Like the third-rate martial arts novel we discussed last time. Got it?]

That was Leo's specialty.

"...I... I don't know. My hand just touched the stone, and when I realized it... it was already like this..."

"Could it be... a holy sword?"

Marquen, hearing Leo's short explanation, immediately jumped to conclusions and imagined the situation. Of course, he didn't think of the fact that the Sage in his heart had given him the method.

"Is it... not allowed to keep it?"

"No. A promise is a promise. It would be difficult to recover it in this form anyway."

Marquen accepted this and turned towards the exit of the armory.

"Let's go. I'll talk while we walk."

"Understood."

Following Marquen, Leo also walked towards the exit of the armory.

"...I told you. The weapons in the armory are for insurance."

"Yes, you said you didn't recognize me."

"...Jehad is already dead."

At this answer, Leo's hand went limp. If the bracelet hadn't attached itself, he might have dropped the weapon.

"Really?"

"Not just Jehad, but the entire Dainonos family was killed by someone."

When he testified that it was Jehad's doing, he thought it would be resolved without much suspicion.

It was a strange ambush, but he believed the Executioner Knights' information and skills could handle it.

"...Was it the Blood Shadow?"

"I'm not sure. The Blood Shadow has been destroyed, but they might not be the only ones."

Speaking calmly about the destruction of a high-level assassination guild, he handed over a few letters.

"A secret letter from Jehad. Read it."

"This is..."

Leo examined the torn envelope. His eyes widened.

"...Yes. Their goal was..."

The Mana Body Cultivation Technique, to uncover the methods and information about it. The seal and stamp on the letter provided solid evidence.

"The name of the Mana Body Cultivation Technique has already been spread to various information sources and assassination guilds. It wouldn't be surprising if it reached the ears of other countries and knight orders."

[...Then...]

To put it bluntly,

"I'm a living secret manual."

One that currently possessed the optimal method for mana and physical training.

Being chosen as a kidnapping target was a natural consequence of its value.

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