Chapter 73

EP.73 Holy Sword - 5

Leaning against each other, Leo wept for a few minutes before a doubt crept into his mind. Although it was certainly a fortunate situation for him, it was one that inevitably raised questions.

"...Where did that guy really go?"

The disappearance of the sage, who had clung to him like a parasitic tumor, was something he couldn't help but be curious about.

"Ah... but... Miss..."

"Hmm?"

"Where are the others...?"

It was also a bit strange that the other companions were not around. If there was a reason, he needed to report that he had woken up as soon as possible.

Crack

Was it an illusion, or did Aria's arms tighten even more when he mentioned the others?

"Others?"

"...Yes? Yes, Miss..."

Crack

It wasn't an illusion. The strength in her arms increased, starting to constrict his breathing. Perhaps due to the scars, he could even feel a bit of pain.

"I can only see you, Leo. Are you worried about others?"

That wasn't the direction he was thinking. Rather...

"I need to give you a little punishment, don't I?"

Crack

She pinched Leo's flesh slightly. Given his body, which was mostly muscle with no fat, it shouldn't have been very painful, but...

"Aaaah...!"

With the scars scattered across his body, Leo couldn't help but feel pain.

"You should only look at me now, right?"

"I understand...! I understand, so...! Please, stop...!"

She released her hands and looked at Leo's face. His puffy eyes and tears from his recent sobbing revealed another vulnerable side of the young boy.

"...Maybe it's good..."

And that expression was enough to stimulate Aria's sadistic tendencies.

"...What...?"

Aria pushed Leo down onto the bed. Normally, he would have been able to resist, but the exhausted boy, who had taken a mana stabilizer and pulled out the Holy Sword, couldn't match the strength of the Second Hero.

"You shouldn't make a loud noise, right?"

She was anxious. Aria's expression was more seductive than a succubus.

Snap

Her delicate yet rough touch.

Sliding her hand down the hospital gown, the buttons came undone with just her fingertips.

"No, wait...! This is...!"

The exposed skin, though scarred and muscular, was appetizing to Aria.

Swoosh...

"Hah...!"

Her touch soon began to caress the boy's scars seductively. Normally, this would have been the end, but as she touched the scarred areas, a mix of mild pain and intense tickling sensation spread through his body.

"You said you wouldn't. If you make a loud noise, others will hear."

Despite this, she seemed to want even more noise, and her touch on the scars became even rougher.

"Haa... Now... stop..."

His face flushed red, and sweat beaded on his body.

"You need to properly receive your punishment, right?"

Aria's touch began to familiarize itself with Leo's body.

Not just rough handling,

"Stop...! Please...! Now...!"

She learned which parts were sensitive and which parts hurt when touched.

Gradually, sweat began to seep into Aria's hands, and when she paused for a moment, the man beneath her was panting heavily.

"...Now... is it enough...? Please stop...! No more..."

The boy who could easily slice through giant hands with a sword was now gasping and pleading beneath her.

This sadistic act gave Aria a strange sense of dominance. A perverse desire to make him submit further overflowed.

"I told you, this is a punishment. What should you say when you want to stop receiving it~?"

With a playful expression, Aria moved from his fully conquered chest to his unexplored abdomen, gradually pushing his waist back.

Leo's expression changed drastically.

"Miss! I was wrong, so please get off now...!!"

As he shouted and tried to force his body up, Leo's lower half, which was beneath her, also rose.

"Kyaa...!"

And Aria's waist was precisely seated on his lower half.

"Aah..."

Their most sensitive and delicate parts inevitably touched, and they were both in a highly aroused state.

"...Mi..."

Aria quickly recalled the sensation of the 'object' she had felt just now.

It was a bit soft to be a bone and too hard to be flesh.

A long, thick object like a club.

"...I'm sorry!!!"

She shouted loudly and hastily apologized for touching Leo's object, then quickly left the room.

Fortunately, no one was around the room because it was late.

'...Did I touch...?'

She could feel the softness of that part, so it wasn't impossible that it was Aria.

"...No one...?"

The treatment room where Leonardo was located was in the most secluded part of the mansion, a considerate arrangement by the Reinhardt family for Leo.

Once he confirmed that no one was around, Leo began to release the pent-up desire he had been holding back.

It was a personal and intimate desire that he couldn't release in the presence of the sage. The built-up frustration gradually subsided.

The pleasure finally allowed Leonardo to fall into a peaceful sleep.

It was a good night.

***

The next morning, the Reinhardt family members came again. The news of his awakening caused them to rush over, surprising even Leo in the room.

What surprised him even more was that:

"Are you okay?"

"...You survived somehow."

"How is your body? Are you okay?"

"Hey, how's your body?"

"I'm sorry for being late. The meeting ran late... Leonardo, are you okay?"

They didn't scold or lecture him as he had expected.

Thud!

"Ouch...!"

Of course, not everyone was like that.

"Commander!!"

Marken lightly hit Leo's head, exacting a penalty.

"Checking your head."

Considering Marken's usual behavior, this was a very light punishment.

"Is that an excuse?"

"Checking if your head is functioning properly, given that you hit the lady you serve."

Marken remembered that Leo had beaten Aria.

"That's fine. You didn't cause serious injuries like Leo did..."

In fact, the injuries Leo had inflicted were mostly from blunt force or shock, making movement difficult during the battle, but the treatment was easy, and he didn't even have scars like Leo.

"Even considering that, it's a fitting punishment. So..."

Marken also knew this.

"It's better that you didn't think of quitting and running away."

"...Grandpa, overall, it's more embarrassing, so at least give a proper blessing..."

Thud

Rios also had his head checked more firmly and strongly.

Meanwhile, the head of the family, Gladio, spoke again.

"...Actually, we should be the ones to apologize."

Everyone, centered around the head of the family, bowed their heads.

"We are truly sorry for causing trouble."

It was an apology.

A noble, and even the descendants of the Hero family, were simultaneously bowing to a commoner knight.

Historically, and even before the regression, such an event would have been unprecedented.

The head of the family raised his head and explained the reason for the apology.

"We've given you too much of a burden. Having abilities and being given responsibilities are two different things."

To them, Leo was a fifteen-year-old child, and the tasks and responsibilities he had taken on were far too heavy for someone his age.

"I'm really sorry. Feeling resentment or disillusionment is understandable."

At first, Leo wasn't angry, but it felt like the burden he had been carrying was lifted.

"No, I've never blamed the family."

Expressing such feelings immediately would have been more meaningful.

"In fact, when I was about to give up on finding my mother, this place became my goal. I'm grateful for the burden you gave me. It made me feel trusted."

Everyone's eyes were trembling. From the head of the family to the lady of the house, everyone's pupils were wide.

Why were they like that?

"...You found your mother...?"

"Then, did you become a mercenary for that reason...?"

It was a look of shock. The fragment of the story Leo told had a significant narrative.

"...What? You didn't know? Didn't I say...?"

Thinking about it, before the regression, he had immediately told Chris the story when they met, but in this life, he had become a knight purely based on his abilities and achievements, so there was no proper opportunity to explain.

Aria also seemed to know a bit, so Leonardo had subconsciously thought he had already mentioned it.

"Explain. What happened?"

"...Ah, right, so... about three years... no, five years ago now..."

The story's plot was exactly the same as when he told Chris, word for word.

It was definitely like that.

"...Sniff..."

"...Sniff... We didn't know... that..."

But the atmosphere now felt like a funeral.

Without being able to pinpoint any one thing, the interlocking causes and situations magnified the sadness and regret of this story.

"...First... please stop crying..."

"I'm not crying...! This is... sweat from my heart...!"

Chris's metaphor made sense that day. The amount of sweat pouring down his body felt like it was all coming out through his eyes at once.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...! I didn't know...! I was just spouting nonsense...!"

Rios continued to sob, tears streaming from his squinted eyes. Actually, he was more curious about whether it was physically possible to cry from squinted eyes.

"...You've been strong."

Marken looked at the ceiling and stroked Leonardo's head. It was a sorry statement, but he wished Marken would either look at the ceiling or stroke his head, not both.

The part he was touching now was the bump from the hit earlier.

"...I'm sorry... You should be the one crying..."

The head of the family also shed a few tears. But since it was a story that had been buried for decades, he didn't shed fresh tears.

"...We are not your parents, but... please lean on us. You're old enough to do so."

Lady Sirika embraced him and stroked his body. It was a kind offer, but the memory of the betrayal from the previous night made his expression a bit awkward.

"...Leo, if you're having a hard time, speak up. We'll be with you, always."

Aria, surprisingly, didn't cry and maintained her composure. Her warm words were appreciated, but her constant glances at his crotch were very distracting.

'...I don't want to be aware of it either...'

[...Why does it feel like a funeral?]

At that moment, the sage's voice was heard, and the excited sensation he had been aware of immediately subsided.

<Sage?>

But he couldn't see the sage anywhere.

[Right now, I can't maintain a physical form. The Holy Sword's holy power is disrupting my internal mana.]

Now the mystery was solved. It made sense that he hadn't seen the sage since the Holy Sword's impact.

[But why does it feel like a funeral? Did someone die?]

<What do you mean? I was just telling an old story...>

[Then leave it at that.]

It's honestly something to cry about.