Chapter 9

EP.9 Reinhardt-4

"...Hmm... This should be enough."

Leonardo looked at the packed luggage and said.

[It really doesn’t look like much. What, only three sets of clothes?]

Leo’s luggage looked not just modest but almost desolate. It contained only some simple dried rations, three sets of clothes, a chainmail and a leather armor, and a few coins.

<That’s because I’m just a wandering mercenary now. Too much luggage would only be a burden.>

[But why is there so little money?]

“I bought some meat to supplement my nutrition, but some crazy guy made me throw it all up. The food expenses were high.”

What was his name... Sage? Bastard? They both ended with the same character, so it’s confusing. Ah, it’s the same person anyway.

[If you eat too quickly, you’ll get indigestion. It was a deep consideration for you.]

Without even moistening his lips, Leo spouted nonsense, which made him laugh bitterly.

“I don’t want that kind of consideration, so please tuck it away and stuff it into your chest.”

[Is that how you talk to your teacher?]

“Then are you going to show your intestines to your student?”

While they were exchanging warm-hearted insults, the luggage was completely packed. Leo slung the bag over his shoulder and looked at the door.

“Well, now...”

“Is something wrong? Leonardo boy? I’ve been hearing voices for a while.”

“Nothing at all! I’m leaving right away!”

Perhaps his monologue had gone on too long, and Chris called out to Leo, looking puzzled. Ignoring the sage’s nonsense, Leo left the inn with his luggage.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

“It’s fine. I was just worried because you were talking to yourself a lot.”

“It’s fine. I tend to talk a lot... hahaha...”

He intended to keep the sage’s existence a secret. There was no benefit in revealing it, and he had to consider the possibility that someone might target the sage’s stone or the sage himself.

<It’s especially important that it doesn’t get revealed to Chris-sama.>

[Why?]

The sage would know why, but the reason was so profound and pure that it couldn’t be grasped intuitively.

<That person is secretly drawn to such things.>

Chris Reinhardt, a woman who, even in her thirties, still admired the mysterious powers of the past, like the “Black Flame Dragon, the Evil Eye, and the Curse of the Right Arm.”

<That includes the background spirit.>

He had heard this when they were on a mission together in his previous life, about the setting where his soul assisted her from the background.

<But what if that person is the sage? What would happen then?>

[Another fan of this sage would be added. Hehe...]

Not understanding the gravity of the situation, the sage answered frivolously.

<If you’re okay with a fan who spouts such nonsense as easily as breathing, I’ll tell you.>

Without hesitation, Leo tightened his throat.

“Chris-sama!”

[Sorry, I won’t say that again.]

Indeed, nothing beats fear for a quick change of attitude.

If it stimulated a deep-seated and rational aversion, it was even more effective.

“What’s wrong?”

He had no intention of revealing the sage. The reason he called her was something else.

“Where did the guard knight go?”

“’Former’ guard knight, Jerad, you mean?”

It seemed he was indeed dismissed.

“...Yes, he’s now a ‘former’ knight.”

“...I should apologize to Jerad. I’m sorry.”

Leo’s words stopped at the sudden apology. He didn’t understand the context of the apology.

“I heard about the insult he made to Aria. He was arrogant and insulting, and even drew his sword.”

Now that he thought about it, that had happened.

It was such a trivial matter that he had long forgotten it.

“It’s fine. If you think about it, Aria also provoked the fight.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

While they were talking, Leo looked around curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“But Aria isn’t here. Where did she go?”

Aria, who should have been at the center of this conversation, was nowhere to be seen.

“Aria is sleeping at the inn. She must have exhausted herself dealing with Balrog and Jerad.”

Even a genius like Aria has her physical limits. If she were an ordinary person, she would have collapsed from exhaustion after dealing with Balrog.

“I didn’t wake her up. She needs a good rest. At her age, sleeping is also a form of training.”

“That’s true.”

“And there’s another reason.”

Chris’s eyes became serious, a different kind of weight from just putting on airs.

“...Can I ask what that reason is?”

“I wanted to entrust Aria to you.”

“...Aria?”

Entrusting Aria was a request that had taken a different turn from when he first met Chris.

“She’s a genius, even by historical standards. Even I, her blood relative, find it hard to describe her.”

Leo understood this better than anyone. Not just in the past and present, but even in the future, over ten years from now, no one would surpass Aria’s genius.

“That’s why she has always been lonely. Like the fate of a great person, she had to endure the loneliness of a noble wolf.”

“...I see.”

Indeed, that might be true. Being outstanding means being different from most people.

“But after meeting you, Aria has changed.”

“...”

“I didn’t even know she could express her emotions so much. Beyond her skill development, this emotional growth is probably a significant human development.”

Thinking back, Aria in his previous life always had a blank expression, looking at the world with a sense of boredom and disinterest.

“That’s why I’m asking you to take care of her. Please don’t leave this lonely wolf alone.”

His fingers twitched a bit, but it was a meaningful conversation.

“I understand. Even without your request, I would have tried to be by her side.”

“You’re also a lonely wolf. Meeting a worthy rival and a kindred spirit must be a joy.”

His fingers completely twitched at the last words. The cruel auditory torture made Leo’s lips and tongue twitch.

“...But there’s one thing I want to correct.”

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

The barbed words were already loaded.

“Wolves are pack animals. Most animals like dogs live in packs. So a lonely wolf...”

Chris smiled deeply in response to this fact.

“Huh, that’s only because your knowledge is limited. I’ve seen wolves walking alone...”

“That’s a wolf that has been driven out of the pack.”

“...What?”

But reality was still a mess.

“Lonely wolves are mostly of two types. Young wolves that leave the pack to form their own, and old wolves that have been expelled from the pack.”

Her eyebrows trembled as if in an earthquake. Her dignified expression was also severely distorted.

“T...That’s...! I was talking about a young wolf! Yes!! A young wolf!!”

“But if a young wolf is lonely, it’s a failed wolf. It’s too weak to form a pack or join one.”

As always, reality is a mess.

“...T...That’s...”

Chris couldn’t say anything again. She had always admired noble lions and lonely wolves.

‘Noble lions... are one thing... but wolves... lonely wolves...!!’

But nature doesn’t work that way.

[You seem eager to shatter people’s innocence.]

<Isn’t this person too old to have such innocence?>

[Cruel.]

<Nature is always cruel.>

What kind of nature is this?

“Leonardo?”

While a woman was deeply lost in the destruction of her innocence, another girl approached with a bright expression.

“Ariasphil?”

Ariasphil was behind her.

She seemed to have fully recovered from her rest, and she was showing off her beautiful appearance.

Her clear blue eyes sparkled, and her long white hair was lustrous.

Her skin was as smooth and moist as fresh snow.

[She’s even prettier. Did she put on makeup?]

<She doesn’t know how to do that. She’s naturally beautiful.>

Ariasphil showed no interest in beautiful makeup or clothing. Instead, she was interested in swords that cut well and armor that protected well.

Yet, she was called a beauty who could topple a nation just by her appearance.

<I think the nation was toppled more because of her talent than her appearance.>

[You either insult or praise. It’s hard to say.]

He didn’t intend to praise or insult. It was just a fact.

“Sorry for being late. I woke up late...”

“It’s fine. It would be stranger to wake up early after what you went through.”

She was exchanging greetings with Leo when she noticed her aunt, who was deeply contemplating her pain.

“Lions... no, wolves... wolves...”

Her admiration had collapsed, and her mind was also breaking down.

“...Aunt, or Chris-sama, why is she like that?”

This could be summarized in one sentence.

“She’s growing up.”

***

The journey to the Reinhardt main house was long, both in distance and time. They had to ride horses to the city for a whole day, and then pay a fee to use the warp gate.

“I’ll pay for the warp gate fee.”

“Is that okay? I know it’s not cheap...”

“It’s fine. The Reinhardts aren’t so weak that a sum like that would shake us.”

[They seem weak when it comes to shattering innocence.]

<That’s only for Chris-sama.>

While thinking this, Leonardo looked at Chris and said,

“I’ll make sure to repay that amount and more.”

“I expect it.”

The group then boarded the warp gate and moved.

The place they arrived at was

“Welcome to the Reinhardt main house, boy.”

The grand mansion of the Reinhardt family.

‘This place is always amazing.’

There were countless things to be amazed at. The size of the mansion was grand, a warp gate, which a small city could barely afford, was installed on private property, and the garden was so vast it could be called a small forest.

[Looks like Ruben made some money.]

<If even heroes can’t make money, no one would enjoy life.>

[...That’s true.]

For some reason, the sage’s expression looked a bit dark. A complex expression that was hard to describe, but before he could ask, a crowd gathered at the main gate.

Noisy sounds echoed, and servants gathered to form a line at the entrance.

[It’s like a royal procession.]

<That’s right. With Ariasphil and Chris-sama.>

With two direct descendants of the family appearing, it was expected to receive such treatment.

“Noisy, Chris-sama.”

“Indeed. I didn’t say I didn’t want to come because of this, but it seems it was pointless.”

They didn’t like such welcome ceremonies.

“Have you arrived, Miss?”

The elderly butler, Alfred Sebastian, walked towards the two young ladies of the Reinhardt family.

“It’s been a while, Alfred.”

“It hasn’t been long. If you think about the last adventure to find your ‘self,’ it was a very short time...”

The shadow supporting the Reinhardt family silenced the old man to hide his dark history.

“...I apologize, Miss. I spoke without realizing you had a guest.”

“Even without a guest, you should avoid such talk, Alfred.”

Alfred looked at Leo with a dignified expression. The grace and etiquette made Leo momentarily remember the prestige of the Reinhardt family.

“Hello, I am Alfred Sebastian, the butler of the Reinhardt family.”

The etiquette between knights and nobles was already known, but to leave a good impression on Butler Alfred, it couldn’t end there.

“Hello, Butler. I am Leonardo, a wandering mercenary. I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal my surname.”

The polite greeting was accompanied by a look at Alfred. While the etiquette was impressive, Alfred’s concern was elsewhere.

“...Why is that, Mr. Leonardo?”

“Because I’m not a noble.”

The air turned cold, and the gaze became icy.

It was a moment when even the joking Leo felt embarrassed.

[...You should have mentioned that earlier. If you did, I wouldn’t have given you the sage’s stone.]

“Bwahahaahaha!!”

Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed.

“Aha!! Ahahaha...! Hahaha...!!”

There was no old butler or old man.

Only an old man writhing in laughter.

“I’m sorry...! I’m sorry...! Haha...!”

“What’s wrong?! Alfred!”

After several deep breaths and coughs, Alfred suppressed his laughter.

“Ahem, um... I apologize. I behaved improperly...”

“It’s fine. But do you have any oranges? I’d like to eat some after so long.”

“Pwahahaha...!! Ah!! Ah! Haha!!”

[What’s wrong? Why is he like that? Does he have a condition where he laughs at anything?]

<Yes.>

Alfred Sebastian

He was the longest-serving and most prestigious butler in the Reinhardt family.

His dignified demeanor, speech, and etiquette earned him respect from men and affection from women.

Leo also admired and respected him as a man and a human.

But one day,

‘What’s wrong, Mr. Leonardo?’

‘Oh, I’m looking for something. I lost the spoils from a fight with a skeleton knight.’

‘Is that so? I have some free time, so I’ll help you look.’

‘Ah! Thank you. I was just getting frustrated because of the skeleton knight.’

There was no intention to be funny. It was just that, as a mercenary, he spoke without formality, with no intention to be humorous.

‘Pfft!’

And Leo realized that humans are not perfect.

[...So even a newborn would frown at a joke, but this old man would laugh?]

<He’s not laughing at the joke, he’s laughing because he likes it. In fact, we became much closer after that.>

After that, Alfred and Leo became more than just professional colleagues; they would occasionally exchange jokes.

“Hahaha!!”

[But...]

“Hahahaha!!”

[Isn’t he laughing too much? Is he going to die laughing?]

Come on, no matter how much he laughs, Alfred wouldn’t...

Thud

Alfred collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

“...Alfred!!!”

Leonardo, age 13.

“Alfred!!”

13 minutes after arriving at the house

“Butler!!”

Fainted the butler.

<+--|-|--+>