Chapter 31

EP.31 3 Weeks of Vacation - 2

Sage

A kind, wise, and a person second only to a sage.

The origin of all magic, the founder of modern magic circles.

Apart from this representative achievement, the sage has calmly accomplished feats that humans cannot achieve.

The reason why such a person became a sage (賢者) and then a recluse (隱者) is,

[The world should be dirty to some extent, but I felt so disgusted that I quit.]

It was because he saw the pessimism of the world.

<That makes sense.>

Leo, who also had a cynical view, nodded his head.

[...You accept it so easily? Don't you want to ask more?]

<The world is corrupt, after all.>

Leo, who had lived alone without his family since he was 10, could not have an optimistic view of the secular world, especially as a mercenary who felt the law of the jungle firsthand.

[...Since you brought it up, ask more. It's been a while since I've had a good chat.]

<...Then, what was the most disgusting thing you've seen so far?>

[Well...]

It had been a while since he could talk about old stories, and the sage, with a slick tongue, began to tell the story quickly.

Of course, it was not a beautiful adventure or fantasy, but a heavy and cruel tragedy, which made Leo more engrossed in the story.

[...There was that. I developed an explosion magic for mining, but they used it for terrorism and rebellion. It was a real end of the world back then.]

<It's still a mess. Now they even put magic bombs into golems and remotely detonate them.>

[Ha... Bastards, what are the mages of the tower doing? They stormed in with foam at the mouth when it was just a 1st circle.]

It was an incident from two years ago, but the tyranny of those two mages was still vividly remembered. He was going to get a permit now to prevent such a situation from happening again.

<It's simple. I'm easy to bully, and those bomb mages are too scary to touch. That's how the law works.>

[If I go to the tower, I'll knock it down and restore order. What have they been up to for 300 years?]

<Let's start with the newspaper first. They've been barking since this morning.>

Currently, the top priority for Leo to destroy was the newspaper, by a margin of one sheet of paper. And especially, the creator of the term 'joke assassin' must be eliminated.

That's the way of nature and justice.

[Anyway, after seeing such corruption for hundreds of years, my eyes started to rot. That's why I retreated to the mountains and died.]

Summarizing his death in just two lines was also a kind of wisdom.

However, there was something peculiar about it when he explained it that way.

<Then, why did you leave the Sage's Stone behind?>

[...]

It was highly suspicious why he, who despised the secular world, left something like an inheritance.

<There's no reason to leave something in such a despicable world.>

[...I wanted to believe. That someone would change this despicable world. That's why I left it. Even if I had to become a ghost.]

Hearing this, Leo did not think of himself.

The ancestor of the family he served.

The savior who protected humanity.

'...Rubein Reinhardt.'

The first hero must have been the last hope of the sage.

[...Don't take it too seriously. I don't expect anyone to be like Rubein.]

<Then... why did you choose me?>

[I already told you.]

The sage spoke briefly. There was no pretense or hypocrisy in his words.

[You're a genius.]

It was a simple truth to the sage of wisdom.

<...Ugh...>

But it was a bit embarrassing.

[Why do you get so worked up when I compliment you?]

<Sorry, I'll go to the tower as you asked.>

[You brat.]

Yes, that's the sage.

It was a satisfying conversation.

***

[But how are you going to the tower? Through a warp gate?]

<That's not possible with my salary.>

Considering the distance between the tower and the mansion, the cost would be considerable. If he took the risk and calculated, he would have to survive on tree bark for a month.

<I have to take the train.>

[...Train? What is that? Is it something to eat?]

It was a statement beyond Leo's current intelligence, something he could not comprehend.

Thinking about it, the sage had gone into seclusion more than 300 years ago, so he could not have known about modern culture.

<I'll explain it to you when you see it. So...>

“Leo!!”

Suddenly, someone called Leo's name loudly. It was a close form of address that was rare even within the family.

“Miss Aria?”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Aria was the only one who used it.

“Today...! You said you're taking a vacation...?!”

The place he had just left was the butler's office, where Alfred was conducting his business.

The reason for coming to see Alfred was to inform him of the vacation.

“Yes, I was going to tell you, Miss.”

It was natural to inform the master he served. However, he thought it would be more efficient to inform the butler first to get the vacation approved.

“...Why...?! Why...! A three-week vacation?!”

Aria was taken aback because Leo was using all the accumulated leave from the past two years.

“It's just... I have a lot of places to visit when I go out. There's quite a bit to do at this time of year.”

Choosing the train over the warp gate was not just to save money.

If the destination was one place, the warp gate would be several times more comfortable, but since he had to visit multiple places, the train was much more efficient.

“...But...! Isn't this too sudden?!”

“...Is it? But it's true that I have a lot to do, and I can't just disappear suddenly.”

The tower's permit could be delayed. Since there was no deadline, he could afford to wait a week or two.

However,

“I have to visit the graves, so I don't have much time. I need to go to my hometown within a week.”

“...Visit the graves? Going to Doron?”

Although he didn't often mention it, she somehow remembered the name of that small town.

Indeed, a genius.

“I have to visit my parents' graves. I went last year too.”

“Last year...?”

Of course, Aria wouldn't know.

“Last year, I used a warp gate to go and come back. It emptied my wallet, though.”

Last year, thanks to the warp gate, a trip that would have taken more than a day was shortened to about two hours.

[Oh, when you went to your hometown last time?]

The sage, who had no choice but to follow, would have remembered it. Of course, it was annoying to have him chatter constantly, but it wasn't all bad.

“So are you going to use the warp gate this time...!”

“That's not possible. I don't have the money...”

Leo's expression turned a bit gloomy.

“The village chief is ill. I received a telegram a few days ago.”

“...Ah...”

[Isn't this too much of a coincidence?]

Visiting the graves, a friend's illness.

Stopping him from going would be impossible without a considerable amount of malice.

And stopping him in the first place would be inhumane.

“...Well... Well... Have a good trip...”

Leo didn't notice, but Aria was barely holding back her tears with aura.

For Ariasfil, having Leonardo, who had not been away for two years, disappear for three weeks was a cruel punishment.

“Ah! How about going together?”

“Going... together?”

The tears that were about to fall were suddenly held back.

“I have to take the train, so going alone would be boring. I want to introduce you to the villagers... Is that okay?”

At that moment, Aria's mind was already filled with the image of taking the train.

***

The train station was even more crowded than the warp gate. As a means of transportation designed for the middle and lower classes who could not use the warp gate, it was inevitable that there would be a proportional influx of people.

[...Oh, this is the train?]

The train looked like a giant and long cylinder cut and connected several times. If you only looked at the shadow, it resembled the dragon, a creature from the East.

[...Hmm...]

The ancient man, seeing the train for the first time, looked at the majestic body with a surprisingly calm expression.

<Why?>

[This is similar to something I devised a long time ago.]

<...Really?>

Normally, he would have scolded him to stop barking, but the achievements he heard last time were so impressive that a bit of belief sprouted.

[Back then, there was no equipment to set up stations or the funds to lay tracks nationwide, so it was rejected. Times have certainly changed.]

<But isn't this a case of someone using your invention?>

[Hey, it's been over 300 years. It's too petty to say anything about it now...]

<The mage who made this earned over 30 billion gold through patents and business. He's now married to a 25-year-old beauty...>

[Can I kill him?]

Please refrain until you get the permit from the tower.

“Leo! This way!”

Aria was waving her hand on the platform. As a noble lady, she didn't have many experiences like this, so she was naturally excited.

“First, we need to buy tickets at the ticket office! Follow me!”

When Leo shouted, Aria blushed and ran to the ticket office.

“...S-Sorry.”

“It's okay. I'll buy two tickets.”

Leo said this and ordered the tickets from the ticket office staff. Seeing the heavy purse, the staff readily handed over two first-class tickets.

“Keep them safe. The staff will check tickets during the trip.”

“...I... I know that much...”

The lack of confidence in his voice made him more suspicious, but Leo didn't press the issue.

Sometimes, it's a knight's duty to cover for his master's shortcomings.

“Let's board. The train will leave soon.”

The station staff began guiding passengers to the entrance of the train. Following this, Leo and his party entered the train.

[It feels different from a carriage. It's much wider and more comfortable.]

As the sage said, the train was much more comfortable than a carriage, especially since they had purchased the expensive first-class tickets.

Of course, the price would reflect the quality of the seats.

[Then, I'll be back in a moment.]

<What? Where to?>

[Just exploring the inside of the train. I need to understand the structure to determine if this is a copy or a mere imitation.]

Could it be that he still had a grudge about what he said earlier? Without waiting for a response, the sage flew off.

<But this consumes a lot of mana.>

Leo grumbled while calmly communicating with the sage, who was far away.

[Just bear with it. This is to get you used to it.]

When he discovered that his mana core and circle had doubled, he found that the distance he could be from the sage increased as his mana core and circle grew.

Now, the distance had roughly doubled from the original.

‘It’s fine. I’m a bit sleepy... It wouldn’t be bad to rest quietly for a while...’

Perhaps due to the recent lack of rest, Leonardo's eyelids gradually drooped. Normally, he couldn't sleep properly even during his sleep time because of the sage's presence.

Was it the comfort of the first-class seat, or the relaxation brought by the vacation?

Leonardo eventually fell asleep.

“Leo, the snack cart will come through in the middle of the trip, do you want...”

As Aria was about to explore the train with interest,

Thump

Something landed on Aria's shoulder.

It was heavy but warm,

Itchy but soft.

“...Huh...? Oh...!?”

Leo's head was softly leaning on her.

‘...Should I wake him...?!’

Just as Aria was about to touch Leo's cheek,

‘...Wait...’

Did she really need to wake him up in this situation?

Leo, her personal knight, did not have a comfortable day.

He performed strength training, weapon training, and mana training without fail every day.

At the same time, he continuously studied magic.

The fact that he was now heading to the tower to get a 3rd circle magic permit was proof of this.

Was it right to wake up such a precious knight of hers?

Absolutely, not!

It was such a selfish act that even if Aria didn't do it, anyone would shake their head!

‘...So...’

Only out of ‘goodwill’ and ‘consideration’ as a friend,

Ariasfil decided to sacrifice her shoulder.

She firmly stated that there was no ulterior motive.

She did not expect to smell Leo's scent or to lose her balance and have Leo bury his face in her chest.

So, Aria focused on her reverie.

A very happy reverie continued with the scent of the boy.

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