Chapter 50

EP.50 Aria Learns - 4

Not understanding the current situation, I will try to slowly sort it out.

I clearly fought Eilin with all my strength in the arena. And after my decisive attack failed and I was overpowered, I lost.

Yes, it must have been like that.

"Why are you just standing there? Is tea not to your taste?"

But why am I drinking tea in a café now?

That question still hasn't been resolved.

[You suddenly teleported, don't you remember?]

Come to think of it, while I was losing consciousness, Eilin held me and formed a teleportation magic circle.

<...And we ended up here.>

[In terms of activation speed, she's on par with Caren.]

<...A...Yes...>

Clearly, she's praising the descendant of her friend, but it feels strangely nostalgic because of the explanation I heard earlier.

If I hadn't heard that, I wouldn't have thought anything of it.

[But why is this teahouse completely empty?]

As the Sage said, there was a sense of unease in the café. No matter how quiet the time, this teahouse is unusually devoid of people.

"This shop is one I run personally. You can think of it as a hobby."

I've seen people work in teahouses as a hobby, but running a café is a first. She must be a noble magician.

[By the way, Caren also had a hobby in tea. She often brought various tea leaves and we would drink them together.]

I don't want to hear the Sage's words anymore. It's not because of the Sage's fault, but because Leo himself feels a painful sting from knowing the hidden secrets of this situation.

"So, why did you suddenly bring me to a teahouse?"

"Is it insufficient to say I want to have a leisurely conversation alone?"

She smiled leisurely, extending the teacup and sugar bowl. With the top button of her blouse slightly undone, her cleavage was visible when she leaned forward.

"Probably not. If that were the case, we could have walked to the teahouse normally."

"I find you very interesting."

Then she covered her mouth and laughed lightly. The Sage was also watching her actions with a certain amusement.

"I want to know more about you, but there were too many obstacles in that place."

She exuded a mature charm as she swept her hair behind her ear.

"Are you not drinking tea?"

"Please, if you understand the current situation, enjoy it."

Leo looked at her with a wary expression, and she found it cute, bringing the teacup back to her lips.

"As you can see, there's no poison. It's a tea with a deep flavor, so I hope you enjoy it."

The rim of the teacup was deeply stained with lipstick, a color that any man would notice.

[More seductive than Caren?]

The comparison was odd, but Leo picked up the teacup without flinching.

"Then I'll drink it gratefully."

Leonardo lightly pulled out a paper napkin and wiped the lipstick from the teacup before sipping the tea.

"Yes, you even mixed in a recovery potion. Thank you."

"...You're quite particular about hygiene."

It seemed like a rude action at first glance, but Leonardo was aware of it.

"Think of it as a ritual to reduce emotion in conversation."

"A somewhat disappointing answer. Are you drawing a line?"

"This is a statement of my position that such methods won't persuade me."

Leonardo has faced such temptations countless times and has prepared a dignified way to respond.

***

"...Ah...!!"

Ariasphiel, who had lost her man to her rival, swung her sword in the arena, expressing her frustration.

The magicians who were watching as spectators also began to look around, confused, searching for the missing Eilin and Leonardo.

"...I...I...!"

Her anger was so intense that she lost her ability to speak. The dirty words Eilin whispered to Leonardo echoed in Ariasphiel's ears.

<I like you. You're more than enough to be my companion.>

<I want you to be my man from now on. Since there are so many people here, let's move to a more private place first.>

It felt like she added things that weren't said, but Ariasphiel clearly heard it.

"...Where...! Where did they go...?!"

She can't forgive that woman. She won't let her off easily. She will cut off all the women who covet Leo with her own hands.

[...This way...]

At that moment, the essence of mana resonated with her heart.

"Wh...?"

[Leonardo is this way...!]

The spirits floating around shared mana and pointed to Leonardo's location.

"...Thank you...!!"

With a grateful word, Ariasphiel ran out of the arena with a face full of hatred and jealousy.

***

The place she arrived at, following the spirits, was a quiet street teahouse. The spirits pointed to the inside of the café.

Fortunately, the café windows were not covered by blinds, allowing a view inside.

The problem was that if she got too close to eavesdrop on the conversation, she would be noticed.

"...Then..."

Ariasphiel used a technique she learned from Leonardo. By concentrating the mana spread throughout her body into one sensory organ, the performance of that organ is amplified several times.

Focusing mana in her eyes enhanced her vision, and in her ears, her hearing. Originally, Leonardo taught her this technique to prepare for situations like poison or ambush, but Ariasphiel used it without hesitation.

She was protecting her knight, after all.

With enhanced vision, the blurry interior of the café became clear. Inside the café, Eilin and her Leonardo were facing each other, drinking tea.

"...That...that fox...!!"

Look at those lustful eyes. That fox is trying to seduce the innocent Leonardo with all her might.

Not only does she deliberately expose her cleavage, but she also gives a silly smile and pretends to be kind by offering the teacup. It's all despicable.

Leo, in his confusion, hasn't even touched the tea.

If she takes him out now, she can save him from that fox.

Just as she was about to run over,

"As you can see, there's no poison. It's a tea with a deep flavor, so I hope you enjoy it."

That fox crossed the line. She tried to use the teacup as a trick to kiss him, something she barely managed to do.

The saliva from her dirty lips was thickly left on the teacup.

'...Don't...! Don't drink it...!! Leo...!!'

Despite her plea, her knight grabbed the handle of the teacup.

"Then I'll drink it gratefully."

A sense of betrayal deeply seeped into her body.

This Leonardo now probably doesn't remember the kiss in the dream.

By allowing that teacup, he's indirectly allowing his first kiss with that woman.

If her knight puts that cup to his lips, she will have to cover his tainted lips with hers again and again...

"Yes, you even mixed in a recovery potion. Thank you."

Leonardo sipped the tea lightly. But Ariasphiel wasn't angry or jealous. Her knight wiped the teacup with a napkin and savored the tea with dignity.

'...I'm sorry for doubting you...!! I love you...!! Leonardo!!'

The wise response made Ariasphiel's love overflow even more. If she could only progress further, she would want to embrace him with both arms and whisper praises continuously.

"...You're quite particular about hygiene."

The fox's face slightly twisted. It was surely a punishment for her arrogance in coveting others.

"Think of it as a ritual to reduce emotion in conversation."

"A somewhat disappointing answer. Are you drawing a line?"

"This is a statement of my position that such methods won't persuade me."

With a solid defense, Leonardo elegantly emptied the teacup.

"Is that so? I thought it was a decent strategy."

Eilin, finding Leonardo's reaction amusing, twisted her face.

"Actually, it's obvious when you think about it. You are an ambitious person."

Ambitious, a single word to define her, but Eilin didn't deny it.

It was a fact she herself acknowledged.

"Ambitious people use love as a foundation for their goals. Relationships formed by love are also easy to exploit."

Marriage and engagement are political strategies used not only among nobles but also between kingdoms. Using love as an excuse to form connections and gain benefits is a political tool, and to Eilin, love is such a thing.

"No matter how much you allow it, you won't form a relationship with anyone below the rank of a baron, or a magician family without outstanding wealth or lineage, right?"

A decisive tone, but Eilin listened with a smile, ready to deny if necessary.

"...Impressive. I thought you were just a young boy, but there's a wise old man inside you."

[How did you know? You are indeed Caren's descendant.]

In this delicate relationship, Leonardo felt the pain of salt and sand being sprinkled on a wound, but he managed to keep his composure.

"But if I can persuade you in a different way, the story might change."

Saying that, she extended a large envelope. Initially, he thought it was money, but surprisingly, it contained various photos and documents.

"This is..."

"Originally, the Temperius family should not be part of the Magic Tower. If magic goes astray, the Magic Tower can control it, but if the Magic Tower itself corrupts, only our family can stop it."

It was a reasonable statement. In reality, when corruption or misfortune occurred in the Magic Tower, the Temperius family was the only one that could influence it the most.

"I see. A noble spirit and sense of responsibility fitting for your position."

"The documents also contain issues that our family must address."

Looking through the documents and photos, Leonardo carefully put them back in the envelope and asked.

"Is it okay to show me this?"

"Well... It's a gamble, but it doesn't seem like I'll lose anything."

The photos showed various magicians, and the documents contained their personal information, detailing their crimes and corrupt actions.

"Is this really happening within the Magic Tower?"

[...You're a natural liar. How can you lie so naturally?]

The Sage, being an accomplice, should remain quiet.

"That's why I came to the Magic Tower. In about a week, I received contact from the heads of the Magic Tower and magicians with ties to our family. Then I reported these corrupt and criminal actions."

"...On such a large scale? How...?"

The answer was a secret known to everyone present.

"It's thanks to the Sage's legacy you found, the truth and fact of the magic."

This was Leonardo's plan. Although he didn't expect them to self-destruct so quickly, this situation was not at all disadvantageous to him.

"The magic was publicly displayed in the exhibition hall, which supplemented the insufficient evidence. It's quite a coincidence."

"...It's... confusing. I just wanted to reveal the Sage's legacy to the world..."

The Sage's gaze from the side felt cold and sharp, but Leonardo calmly continued the conversation.

"Is that so? I think you are the mastermind behind the unfolding situation."

If you think it's a correct deduction, it's a trap.

"I understand your suspicion, but I want to know the reason for your certainty. Why?"

Because Leonardo had the leisure and confidence.

"First, the period you were here overlaps with the time the evidence was gathered, and the fact that you installed the magic in the exhibition hall after obtaining it is suspicious."

Indeed, it's a reasonable point to consider. It wouldn't be strange to be a suspect.

"But... To gather this evidence, a significant investigation would be required. Even the Temperius family and the Magic Tower had overlooked these corruptions."

The logic was still lacking.

"Moreover, if I were the mastermind, there's one thing I would need to consider."

Leonardo had a decisive alibi.

"The benefit I would gain from taking this risk."

Lack of motive.

"There is no motive."

The reason she still places Leonardo within the realm of suspicion is not because of his ability to gather evidence or the method of obtaining the Sage's legacy.

It's because the purpose and benefit Leonardo would gain from this planned and complex act are unclear. Eilin is trying to confirm her suspicions through this method.

"...Indeed, such a light move doesn't work."

"It sounds like you're calling me the culprit."

The reason Leonardo acts this way is because, as a future regressive, he has seen the future.

It's a realm that she, living in the present, cannot understand or speculate.

"...Actually, I don't like the terms 'culprit' or 'criminal.' The act itself is ambiguous and could be considered a crime."

Rather, by exposing the surrounding crimes and assisting in the investigation, it's a beneficial act for the Magic Tower and the family.

"But impressive. You immediately pointed out the flaw in my deduction."

"Understanding each other's positions is the foundation of communication and deduction."

Ariasphiel, eavesdropping from a distance, was confused.

'...What are they talking about...?'

The flow of the situation was too complex, and she couldn't grasp the high-level conversation that suddenly started.

Unaware of Ariasphiel's confusion, Leo wiped the moisture from his hands with a napkin.

"Thank you for the good evaluation. I learned a lot from the beneficial duel and conversation."

Just as he was about to leave,

Thump

"That's why you are more regrettable."

Eilin grabbed Leonardo's wrist.

"If you were a noble, even a fallen family, I would have tried to form a connection with our family. Marriage? That's trivial."

A girl standing at a distance expressed all her hatred at this boldness, but no one noticed it from that distance.

"But unfortunately, you're not."

She gently pressed, making Leonardo sit back down.

"So, let me make a proposal. What if I could make you a noble?"

Leonardo, surprised by the proposal, stuttered a bit.

"...Are you offering a noble title? Even the Temperius family would find it difficult to implement, and the impact would be significant."

"Your thinking is cute."

She said that and handed him another document. Leonardo looked at it to resolve his confusion.

"...These people..."

"The inheritance of a noble title is closer to the succession of family relations than bloodline."

The document was filled with unmarried magicians and those who lost their children due to accidents or couldn't have them.

"If a noble family, especially a magician family, adopted you, what would your position be?"

It wasn't a difficult question.

Even Ariasphiel, who couldn't follow the conversation, could answer it.

"But I have parents. There are circumstances, but..."

"I've thought about that too. It might be a significant rudeness to you, but I'll say it with the proper resolve."

She took a sip of tea and continued.

"If you accept the proposal of adoption, I will use all the information and technical resources of the Temperius family to find your parents."

The magic of the Temperius family is on par with the Magic Tower, especially in investigative and tracking magic, where they are nearly at the pinnacle.

Leonardo felt a slight tremor in his hands.

Perhaps because he couldn't find his mother's body in his previous life, or because he wanted to believe she was still alive. Leonardo himself didn't want to delve into the reason.

"Even if we don't form a connection with our family."

At those words, Ariasphiel couldn't express jealousy or anger.

Eilin's proposal was so heavy that her act of love felt infinitely light.

Ariasphiel could only fall into a silent despair.

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