The Speed of Regret
"Um, Leonor... You don't think of me as an embarrassing father to show your juniors, do you?" Leon Lionil asked cautiously, walking on eggshells around his daughter.
Leonor let out a sigh at his thoroughly deflated figure and replied, "...It's one of your rare days off. You worked so hard and came here to rest, so I just wanted you to relax without any distractions."
"Oh, so that was it... Right, of course my sweet daughter wouldn't feel that way. Ahaha, Daddy was just worrying over nothing again..." Leon's face brightened instantly at Leonor's words.
Seeing him swing from despair to joy at his daughter's every word made him look like any ordinary middle-aged dad you could find in any household.
Anyone expecting a charismatic figure befitting one of the strongest Heroes might have been disappointed by this sight, but strip away their strength, and Heroes were just ordinary people. No matter how powerful a Hero might be, a father was a creature destined to become utterly powerless before his daughter. I accepted it as only natural.
"By the way... so the juniors you mentioned were these young ladies. I believe we've met once before?" As I watched the father-daughter duo with these thoughts in mind, Leon eventually turned his gaze toward May and me.
"Yes. I'm May, and I'm in the same club as Senior Leonor. Things were so chaotic back then that I couldn't even thank you properly, but thank you so much."
"I'm Scarlet Evande. I should have sought you out sooner to express my gratitude, but I'm only greeting you properly now. Thanks to your timely intervention back then, I was able to survive."
If he hadn't appeared in the gymnasium right at that moment, neither May nor I might be standing here today. As we bowed to our savior, introducing ourselves and offering our thanks, Leon replied in an embarrassed tone.
"...I didn't even make it in time properly, so receiving such thanks makes me feel quite embarrassed. Please, both of you, raise your heads..." Looking up at his words, I saw a bitter expression on Leon's face. His gaze was fixed on my left arm. After staring at it for a moment, he spoke to me in a heavy, complicated voice.
"...To be honest, I wanted to apologize to you. Despite being called the 'Fastest Hero,' I failed to protect you properly. Both you... and back then... If only I had been faster, I could have protected them. A guy like me is always too late..."
Leon spoke with eyes brimming with sorrow. Was he feeling guilty over me losing my arm? It didn't seem to be just that. The way he blamed himself for always being late carried the weight of a deep, lingering trauma. He looked like someone who had lost something precious because he hadn't been fast enough.
Seeing Leonor look at him with such pity, I could guess the real reason why she had practically begged him not to show his face today. Watching them, I deliberately thrust out my left arm—the metallic prosthetic—toward Leon and spoke.
"Pretty cool, isn't it? A friend made it just for me, and I absolutely love it. To the point where I don't regret losing my arm at all."
It wasn't empty talk. Without this arm, I wouldn't have been able to shoot flames into the sky to call Sylvia for help, nor would I have been able to snap out of it by looking at the name engraved on my arm when I was on the verge of being swallowed by the Witch. Because I lost my arm to save people, I gained a new one that allowed me to keep saving them. So how could I possibly regret it?
Of course, I had another motive for saying that, and perhaps sensing it, Leon let out a faint smile. "...Thank you for saying that. My daughter has made a truly wonderful junior."
"Right? She's so adorable I could just die!" Leonor cried out, her face flushed with emotion, before wrapping her arms tightly around me from behind. Wait, because of our height difference, something big and soft keeps pressing against the back of my head! Startled, I struggled to escape Leonor's agonizingly comfortable embrace, but she had no intention of letting go, so I decided to just give up. It's so soft... Is this what heaven feels like...?
Meanwhile, Leon, who had been watching us with a warm smile, spoke up. "So, what did you call me out here for?"
"Ah, right. She asked me how to get stronger, and there aren't many people stronger than you, Dad. I know it's your day off and I'm sorry, but I was wondering if you could help her out a bit."
Hearing Leonor's words, I worried that we might be asking for too much. It didn't feel right to steal the precious free time of a family man who had just returned to rest after working straight for days, so I spoke up cautiously. "Um, I'm really fine, so you don't have to go out of your way..."
"It's fine, it's fine. No need to decline. Before being my daughter's junior, you're a student of Aegis Academy, which makes you my junior as well. Helping out a junior is the least I can do."
"...Thank you." Since he accepted so readily, it would be awkward to keep refusing, so I quietly accepted his help. Leon nodded and began to walk, saying,
"There's a good place to move around nearby, so follow me. I can tell the young lady next to you is interested too, so don't worry, I'll look over both of you."
At those words, May's face lit up instantly. "I'm... I'm getting private lessons from Lord Leon Lionil..." she muttered in a small, trembling voice. Seeing her so deeply moved, she must have admired him for a long time.
"Fufu, you should thank your lucky stars for having such a great senior." "Thank you, Senior... Ah, past self who joined the Cooking Club... you did so well..." May nodded vigorously and muttered in response to Leonor, who still showed no signs of letting go of me.
Then again, since he was one of the top five Heroes, it was completely understandable why May, who always placed great importance on heroism, was this ecstatic. This was probably an opportunity she would have paid a fortune for.
Anyway, as we all followed Leon through the spacious house, I noticed family photos hanging here and there. In them was a pure, beautiful woman with black hair and fair skin, standing alongside Leon and Leonor. She was likely Leonor's mother, who had passed away a few years ago.
As I stole glances at the photos, Leon, who was leading the way, must have noticed my gaze. He quietly murmured in a voice filled with nostalgia, "That's my wife. Doesn't she look just like Leonor?"
May's expression turned slightly complicated at that. It was understandable why she looked that way. Honestly speaking, aside from, well... their chest size, they didn't resemble each other at all. Leonor's skin and hair color were a carbon copy of Leon's, and unlike her thoroughly pure-looking mother, Leonor had a somewhat fierce impression—the type who looked like she knew how to party, so to speak. A stranger would probably never guess that woman was Leonor's mother.
Yet, Leon continued with a doting father's smile. "They're identical. Especially in how kind and thoughtful they are. She grew up so well. Leonor is my absolute pride and joy."
"Agh! What are you saying such embarrassing things in front of them for?!" Flustered, Leonor's face turned beet red as she dashed forward and smacked Leon on the back. Even as he was being hit by his daughter, Leon just laughed brightly. Watching them, a gentle smile played on May's lips. The scene radiated a warmth and deep parental love that could make anyone smile.
Having lost his wife, Leonor was the only family he had left in this world. To Leon, Leonor was undoubtedly his entire universe. That was why I, of all people, couldn't smile easily at this sight. I remembered the original novel. When Leonor died fighting the beasts, he had wailed in grief, slaughtering beasts until his very last breath without even caring about the Magi poisoning him, before finally collapsing.
Those who fail to protect what they truly cherish end up forgetting how to protect even themselves. In the original story, most Heroes died that way. I didn't want that to happen here. I didn't want those who became Heroes to protect people to ever regret the path they chose. That was why I wanted to become stronger, even if only a little.
Once we arrived at the backyard of Leonor's house—a fairly spacious open lot—Leon walked over to a weapon rack set up on one side. He pulled out a long wooden staff meant for training and spoke.
"First, I need to see where you stand, so we'll do a simple test."
It was roughly a distance of ten meters. Standing far away from me, he kept one hand behind his back while casually twirling the staff with his other hand. Eventually, he slowly raised the staff toward me and murmured,
"So, try to dodge as much as you can."
The moment his words reached me, a sharp prickling sensation shot through my senses. I jerked my head to the left with all my might. A split second later, the staff thrust forward like a beam of light, piercing the exact spot where my head had been just moments ago.
"Oh, you dodged that? You're pretty good, young lady." Leon's voice, sounding slightly surprised as if he hadn't expected me to dodge, rang out right in front of me. Yet, the man who had just launched that surprise thrust was already back in his original stance ten meters away, as if nothing had happened.
With a slight smirk, he took a step forward and said, "Then I'll go a bit faster than before."
I quickly bent my knees and ducked. A moment later, I felt the tips of my fluttering hair get pierced along with the air where I had just been standing.
But before I could even recover my posture, Leon, who had already returned to his spot, took another step forward. "Well done. Here it comes again."
Gritting my teeth, I threw myself to the side from my ducked position. With a sharp tearing sound of wind, the downward strike of the staff narrowly missed my body and slammed into the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leon taking his stance yet another step closer than before.
"Again."
Since I was still in midair, I desperately extended my arm and pushed off the ground to force my body to change direction and dodge the incoming attack. But my instincts screamed at me. Shit, I can't dodge this. I caught a faint glimpse of the staff swinging toward me like a flash of lightning.
And then—"Ouch..." Thump. A mild impact tapped my forehead. Are you crazy? I could barely even see it, and he had enough leeway to hold back his strength that much? Stunned, I looked up to see Leon grinning playfully, his fingers still formed in a flicking gesture.
...It felt a bit wrong to say this about a friend's father, but his expression was incredibly provoking.
"Wow, to think you'd dodge that many. You're no ordinary girl, young lady."
"...Is that so?" I muttered, picking myself up as Leon spoke.
From my perspective, it felt like being a toddler who just took their first steps while adults cooed and showered them with praise, which made me feel incredibly awkward. When I glared at him in annoyance, Leon spoke, his playful grin still intact.
"And you've got a competitive streak too. Now, let's switch. Since I attacked, it's your turn to attack, young lady."
"...It's not like my attacks will hit you anyway..."
How was I supposed to hit someone that fast? When I grumbled petulantly, Leon burst into hearty laughter.
"Bwahaha! Don't worry, don't worry. I told you it's a test, right? I won't dodge; I'll only block. So strike me with everything you've got."
"...So you won't dodge, huh?"
Hearing that, I unbuttoned and tossed aside my outer coat.
Well, it's not like I'm an exhibitionist, so I didn't strip completely. I was wearing a sleeveless undershirt beneath it. When fighting, long sleeves are annoying because you have to worry about not burning your clothes. Lately, I've made it a habit to wear sleeveless shirts underneath just in case.
Leon stood there, still grinning with absurd ease, holding the staff with one hand while keeping the other behind his back. I growled at him.
"...Then I'm going all out."
The moment the words left my mouth, I lunged at him. Free from the clutter of my coat, I unleashed a fierce torrent of flames around my fist and swung with everything I had.
Leon showed a hint of surprise at the sudden, violent blaze erupting from my fist. But elder or not, my fist knows no mercy! Take this! Sure-Kill Drop-Dead Fire Punch! An orphan's super fire-attribute punch exploded right toward my friend's father.