Chapter 72

EP.72 Holy Sword - 4

The Council of Elders, in form, was temporarily frozen, but in reality, it had disintegrated.

There were various reasons for this, but the decisive blow was due to the wildcard, Leonardo.

The content of the questioning at the hearing was recorded by the scribe and kept as a document, which was then forcibly seized by the head of the family from the Council of Elders.

Due to the head of the family's swift action, the Council of Elders had no time to play games, and the presence of Marquen and Chris, who vouched for the reliability, made the situation even more credible.

Upon learning the content of the hearing, all members of the Reinhardt family showed two consistent reactions:

1. The Council of Elders must have all gone senile.

Or

2. If I had been in that hearing, I would have gone out too.

In essence, the actions of the Council of Elders were no different from diminishing the merit of a loyal and righteous knight and even trying to find faults where none existed to impose penalties.

Leonardo did not fail to defend or explain himself, and his arguments were so logical and reasonable that even those who had no goodwill or animosity towards him had to acknowledge them.

Even if they were reluctant to acknowledge his merit, trying to impose penalties was an act that the public could not tolerate.

As a result, fueled by the angry public opinion, the senior members of the Reinhardt family, including the head of the family, decided to freeze all activities of the Council of Elders.

Even then, the Council of Elders tried to resist and sow discord, but the head of the family, Gladio Reinhardt, dismissed the situation with a single sentence:

- "How many young people must sacrifice themselves for your retirement to be satisfying?"

Moreover, Jiron Reinhardt, who was the head of the Council of Elders, played a significant role because he offered no resistance.

It was as if he had anticipated this outcome, as he had already prepared for the freeze.

Thus, the Council of Elders was officially frozen, tacitly dissolved, and internally buried.

***

Meanwhile, a busy meeting began at the mansion.

Preventing information about the Council of Elders from leaking to the media and organizing a system to lead the family without the Council of Elders was not a task that could be completed easily.

The most shocking fact was the treatment of Leonardo's injuries.

"...That... There is no abnormality."

Given the current situation, it was impossible to call a healing priest or a holy knight, so they opted for a healing mage, but no one expected such an answer.

"...What do you mean by that?"

"He fainted, but his pulse, blood pressure, and both internal and external injuries are non-existent. Only the scars on his chest and abdomen from the sudden exertion cannot be removed..."

Just moments ago, Leonardo had fought as if he were on the brink of death. The battle was so intense that even a paladin would have been terrified. The fact that he had no injuries at all was simply unbelievable.

"...As a mage, I hesitate to say this... but unless it's a miracle..."

The mention of a miracle elicited various reactions. The power of the Holy Sword that Ariasfil had shown was truly like a divine miracle.

'...Even the first dragon knight, Ruben Reinhardt, pulled the Holy Sword himself...'

In Ariasfil's case, the Holy Sword flew to her and placed itself in her hand.

To the extent that it was not just continuing the legend of the hero but rewriting it would not be an exaggeration.

"Understood. You've done well, you can go now."

With Gladio's words, the healing mage left with a look that suggested no serious concern, gathering his bag.

"The medication is just a mana stabilizer and a nutrient. He will wake up as soon as his strength is restored. If there are any issues after he wakes up, please contact me. I'll come immediately."

As the healing mage left, the entire Reinhardt family finally began to feel the chaos and confusion of the situation.

"...What is all this...?"

Rios was the first to speak, his face unusually and rarely burdened with fatigue and stress, asking a tense question.

"My granddaughter became a hero and defeated that unpleasant fellow with the Holy Sword... To summarize it briefly, that's about it."

Perhaps because Marquen was the oldest in the room, the old knight succinctly summarized the complex and difficult situation.

"...Clearly... It was an iron sword at first..."

Even Ariasfil, the one who caused this, seemed to be at a loss. It was not a conscious action, nor could it be described as instinctive or intuitive.

It was as if a typhoon was blowing from the sky, a tsunami was coming from the sea, and an earthquake was happening from the ground.

Just like how nature cannot be controlled by a single human.

"Yes, at some point, the Holy Sword flew and took its place."

A sensation like the beginning of a sunrise was etched in his hand.

"...Can you handle the Holy Sword? Arias?"

Chris looked at the Holy Sword Arias was holding and asked. To keep the secret, it was wrapped in cloth, but even so, the holy aura, like the sun, could be felt through the fabric.

"...That's..."

Arias unwrapped the cloth to reveal the Holy Sword. Then, she thrust it strongly towards her hand.

"What are you doing...!"

No one could speak. Regardless of what it was, it was the legend of the Reinhardt family, a divine artifact that saved the world from the Demon King, and a sword that could not be compared to any other in the world.

Such a Holy Sword...

"The blade is dead."

It couldn't even scratch a palm, let alone the Demon King.

"...It seems you haven't fully earned its recognition."

Perhaps it was obvious without deep thought. She hadn't formally pulled the Holy Sword from the Reinhardt family's vault, and no divine revelation had come from the temple.

So...

"By the way, have we not heard from the temple?"

"...That's the problem."

The temple, specifically the largest religious organization in the kingdom that worships the God of Light as the sole deity.

And the Reinhardt family, descendants of the hero who received the Holy Sword from the God of Light.

These two groups were inseparably linked.

"Perhaps the temple has already taken action. They must have felt the holy power, so it won't be long before they come."

Originally, receiving divine revelations and speaking prophecies were the duties of the clergy, and it would be even more difficult for them to ignore matters related to the Holy Sword.

"...Then, about the hero's duties..."

"We need to discuss that. Arias, for now..."

"Ah, that's..."

Arias was staring intently at the unconscious Leonardo. Seeing her face and gaze, Rios could sense the meaning behind it.

"Come on, let's go out and talk among ourselves. Arias must be very tired, so she needs to rest."

"Then, let's go out..."

Rios sent a silent message with a strong look to Chris, who had a keen sense of the situation.

"Then, let's go out... and we'll contact the temple first."

"...Understood."

Perhaps Marquen also sensed the intention, as he nodded in agreement.

"Rios has a point. I'll go first, so if Leonardo wakes up, tell him."

Gladio, who seemed to understand Leonardo's intentions, left the room without showing any signs of understanding the underlying situation.

"Yes, I understand."

Arias replied dryly and waved lightly to her family as they left.

As their footsteps gradually faded, the vitality in Arias' eyes also began to wane.

Thud, click.

When the sound completely stopped, Arias walked to the door and locked it.

"...I know you're awake."

"..."

Leonardo continued to breathe calmly, not moving a muscle.

The current silence of the wise one was unusual, but to survive, he had to act as naturally unconscious as possible.

"If you get up now, I'll be less angry."

The element of negotiation was not present. To get a promise of absolute non-anger rather than relative "less" anger, Leonardo mustered the courage to...

"Dad! That tower... with Leo...!"

"I have committed a mortal sin. Miss, please save me."

He couldn't die immediately.

"You lied again? Is it a hobby? Or a special skill?"

"...That's... because..."

Crack!

A sharp sound, a red bruise appeared on Leonardo's cheek.

"I'll let this slide because you're injured."

Arias, who slapped him, considered it a very cheap and humane punishment compared to Leonardo's actions.

"...Yes... thank you..."

Crack

He was slapped again. It was almost better if she had hit him somewhere else, as she hit the same spot with precision.

"Thank you? Is that what you should say now?"

She was right. Now was not the time to express comfortable emotions like gratitude, but to confess one's sins.

"...I'm sorry."

Her mood was still unpleasant. What Leonardo had done was not something that could be forgiven so easily.

"What did you do wrong?"

There were countless wrongdoings.

Leaving the family without permission, quitting as a knight, continuously insulting and attacking in the duel, even if it was intentional.

Continuously attracting women like a dog in heat and being insensitive to her feelings were also major sins.

"...I betrayed Miss's trust..."

With that one sentence, Leonardo pierced through her unpleasant feelings.

"...I know."

Perhaps her anger had subsided somewhat, as Arias stopped her hand. But there was still something unresolved.

"...Then, why did you betray me?"

The question was about the reason. The suspicion of betrayal was not specific, so the answer might be in an unexpected place.

"..."

"Answer me. Why?"

After a moment of hesitation, Leonardo spoke.

"...I was afraid."

Arias was momentarily speechless.

Was Leonardo afraid now?

The Leonardo who had always been confident in every battle?

"...I have nightmares every time."

Leonardo revealed his weakness for the first time. It must have been his deepest scar, something he never wanted to show to anyone, Arias thought.

"Without any warning... Miss... disappears... and the world is decided by that misfortune..."

For some reason, the story felt like it had existed in the past.

"Every time I have that nightmare, time seems to freeze."

Each time, Leonardo's mind was forced to relive the frozen moment endlessly, even if he didn't want to.

"During those times, all the food in the world tastes like heated iron filings, and the water and air feel like sulfuric acid... It's so painful that I feel like vomiting..."

Why didn't she know this?

"The touch of human skin feels like sandpaper scraping the skin, and even whispered happiness seems to foreshadow the next misfortune... I couldn't answer..."

Leonardo was always scared and struggling.

Why did she think he was strong?

"...So I was afraid... If it really happened... what would I do..."

Suddenly...

Arias was hugging Leonardo.

There was no particular reason.

She just thought it was difficult for this boy to hold back his tears.

"...Can you hear me?"

Their hearts beat together as their chests touched. The heartbeat was a sign of life.

"If you're scared, I'll keep hugging you."

She wanted this boy to be happy.

"I'll keep telling you that you're alive."

She wanted him to take his happiness for granted.

"So don't go."

The boy's shoulders occasionally trembled. The tears were the last bit of dignity he had left.

"Stay with me forever."

She whispered this softly.

The warmth lingered in their bodies for a long time.