Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Friend-2
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Friend
Commonly refers to someone you've been close to for a long time. Other words for it include 'comrade,' 'companion,' or 'bosom friend.'
But one thing was certain.
<Why is she acting like that? Did she eat something bad today? Why is she calling me her friend...>
Ariasfil wasn't the type to casually use the word "friend." Not even with her past life's self, whom she'd spent years alongside.
[......]
Silence stretched on, second by excruciating second. The Sage said nothing, merely glaring repeatedly.
<Sage? Why are you looking at me like that...?>
[.........]
His eyes held something beyond mere human disgust—a gaze steeped in contempt and rejection.
[Do whatever.]
A curt tone.
<Pardon?>
Her momentary confusion stemmed from that tone.
[Do whatever. Unless you want to die.]
A command one might use on a beast or lowly creature. Leonardo's eyes naturally turned forward at the phrasing.
"Why use honorifics...? Why...?"
The girl before him didn't seem like the cold, doll-like knight he knew.
It felt so dissonant from the Ariasfil Leonardo remembered that it was hard to reconcile.
"See...? I'm not your friend..."
"No! No! Wait a second!"
"Honorifics again! You really do hate...!"
He took a deep breath. He had to speak slower than a machine gun but faster than the wind.
"Hate...!"
"Calm down for a sec! Ariasfil!"
The most urgent issue was the honorifics. He didn't know why they were a problem, but they needed fixing first.
"...Okay."
She calmed as he suddenly dropped them.
What? Had the Reinhardt family's honorific system changed that drastically while she was in the interrogation room?
"...Let's calm down first and talk slowly. Got it?"
"...Got it."
Communication was possible now. All that remained was explaining step by step.
"First off, the reason I use honorifics with you is because my rank is squire."
"...Squire means no casual speech?"
"Of course not! Look at all the squires you've met so far. Has any acted casually or without respect?"
The answer was obviously no.
Any lunatic squire like that would be expelled from their rank—or from life itself.
This should convince Ariasfil...
"So?"
"...Huh?"
"So what does that matter?"
"What do you mean...? As a squire, casual speech is..."
She shook her head firmly and declared.
"You're different."
"...Pardon? No, what?"
Honorifics slipped out at the abrupt declaration. Good thing he corrected quickly, or she'd have exploded again.
"You're different."
"No, what makes me so different..."
"You're not like those guys. You're stronger. Cooler. More special."
Blind conviction shone in her eyes.
If he'd heard that in his past life, it might've touched him. But from a young girl like this... it was hard to describe.
"So you can use casual speech. At least with me, no honorifics."
In the end, the conversation circled back. He truly didn't get it. Shouldn't she like the respect?
<Sage...?>
The Sage seemed to sigh, then rummaged in his pocket. Annoying as his words were, he was still helping...
A rude hand gesture emerged from the pocket—a sign language for "mountain."
Why hadn't a guy like that fallen into hell yet?
Even as a demon, he'd risk his life to keep such an old man out. What sin had hell's residents committed to deserve that?
'Guess I have to handle this alone.'
He gathered his thoughts. He clearly separated what he shouldn't do here from what Ariasfil wanted.
With his mind sorted, Leonardo spoke again.
"...Alright. I'll respect your opinion."
He yielded first.
"Then...!"
"But I want my position respected too."
He stated his own stance.
"...Your position...?"
"Casual speech is comfortable for me too. It's natural with peers. But if I do that, I can't exist as a squire."
"That's fine. I'll make sure..."
"That's what I hate."
This wasn't rehearsed—it was sincere.
"If you say the word... sure, I could snag a higher rank than squire. But what's the point? Who would acknowledge me at your side then?"
It meant nothing. Like when he'd gained the upper hand in their first duel after regression.
"...Th-that..."
"...So wait a little. Until I reach a position where casual speech with you is fine."
"...Huh?"
But leaving some leeway like this should be okay.
"I'm still a squire. But I won't settle for that."
That was his lifelong goal.
"I'll keep climbing. Until I can face you as an equal."
Undeniable sincerity.
"So please. Wait for me."
He could say it without hesitation.
"...I-I see...!"
Whether his sincerity worked or not, Ariasfil seemed to understand.
"...B-but...! So...! Leo...!"
...She got it, right? Why couldn't she speak properly? Why was her face so red?
"Ugh...! S-sorry!! I have to go—something came up!"
"Ah... Yes, take care. Lady Ariasfil."
The negotiation succeeded anyway. Leonardo bowed politely to the fleeing Ariasfil.
"Whew... It worked out."
[...Leonardo.]
The old man, who'd only watched until now, rubbed his temples as if his head ached.
[...What's wrong with you? Your head? Or your lower half? Huh?! Which is it?!]
<Ah, that...>
It was in his pocket, but buried deep... Ah, there it was.
Return what you receive—courtesy between priest and parishioner.
Her body burned hot. She'd never felt this way before.
【So wait a little. Until I reach a position where casual speech with you is fine.】
Her heart wasn't just pounding. It thrummed like a pump forcing blood through her veins.
【I'm still a squire. But I won't settle for that.】
Each hot, passionate word echoed in her ears, shaped her expression,
【So please.】
and shook her heart.
【Wait for me.】
What did her face look like now?
No mirror, but one thing was sure.
'...This expression, this one...! No one can see...!'
She didn't want anyone—especially Leonardo—seeing this face.
This blazing, trembling visage, struck by lightning,
would make her heart race faster and burst if shown.
Clutching her chest, she bolted down the mansion corridor.
Thud.
"Eek?!"
"Huh...?!"
At the corridor's bend, she collided with a man.
"No way...!"
The man eyed the girl he'd bumped into with interest. With luck, this could spark a fateful encounter.
An extremely rare, slim chance, perhaps.
"...Ah... ah..."
Ariasfil ducked her head to hide her face. One glimpse, and it'd be blackmail material for life.
"Aria? Why hide your face~? That hurt so bad you can't even show it to your big bro~?"
That creepy tone, calling himself 'big bro' in third person—that mad idea only one person embodied.
That person was...
"...Big bro."
Her brother, Rios Reinhardt.
"Ooh~ That face, like a girl smitten with pure love..."
Her heated heart cooled. Her fluttering chest sank into deep annoyance.
Those sleazy half-lidded eyes, smug upturned lips, sleazy speech—her face hardened.
"...Why does your face sour instantly?"
"...Guess whose fault."
"Yeah, too young for pure love. Good big bro understands."
'Shut up' nearly escaped, but she held her tongue for minimal decorum.
"...Why are you here?"
"Do I need a reason to come home~?"
Shut up... No, endure.
"You usually come next week at earliest. Why so early?"
Her curt question darkened Rios's face. Shadows formed, deepening under his eyes.
"Actually... Heard Alfred collapsed, got worried... If Alfred dies... I'd..."
"Don't lie. Telegram said he's healthy. You even replied."
His act fell flat.
Dropping it, Rios grinned again.
"Busted~"
Then, deep in her heart, Ariasfil felt murderous rage rising.
"What I'm really curious about..."
Rios pulled a newspaper from his pocket.
【13-Year-Old Boy Becomes Joke Killer.】
The paper featured a photo of Leonardo's eternal humiliation.
"This joke killer here~! Ran to see him quick."
"...Leonardo?!"
Her icy face flushed again.
"...Huh?"
Rios, the eldest Reinhardt son, wouldn't miss that reaction.
"...Hmm..."
He held up the newspaper.
"Eh?! Wha?!"
Ariasfil craned to look too.
Then he slowly rotated the arm holding it.
"Wha...?! Ah...!?"
Her gaze followed the paper.
He lowered it.
Her spirits dropped with it.
"Got it."
"...Suddenly what?"
"This pure love vibe... Not bad. Kinda good maybe..."
Ariasfil's face soured again.
"Shut up."
"...Reacting like that to pure love hurts big bro's feelings."
"If you're gonna spout nonsense..."
"Hey, Leonardo over there!"
"Where!?"
Her head snapped. But odd—Leonardo trained at the grounds, opposite direction.
"Bro, where's Leon..."
By the time she turned, her brother had vanished.
No—'fled' fit better.
She reflected then.
Her brother was a bastard worth killing.
[Joke Killer, pissed? Try cracking jokes then.]
'...'
Ignore. No thoughts, no problems.
[Show that one state-approved murder technique. Huh?]
"..."
Endure. He'd tire eventually.
[Heh... My name is Joke...]
Kill him. Whatever it takes.
"Joke Killer! You are the Joke Killer...!"
"You wanna die for real?!"
Leonardo swung at the Sage. But as a ghost, the blade missed, slicing air.
"Uwak!!"
"...Huh?!"
Beyond the ghost stood a man. White hair, pale eyes—clearly Reinhardt blood.
"...Too much. If you're killing, stick to the bit and joke me to death."
That bullshit content, that syrupy voice twisting his ears—only one person Leonardo knew fit.
"...Master Rios Reinhardt?"
"Yup. Joke Killer knows me—guess I didn't waste my life."
'Joke Killer' sparked an urge to kill him now and ruin his life. But he held back.
"...My apologies. I've been gravely rude to you, Master Rios."
"No worries~ Nearly died, but not quite death-worthy."
...Hah...
A quiet sigh escaped inwardly.
[Are all these era's people insane? Or am I too outdated?]
Two faces flashed by. Both Reinhardt blood.
<...It's hard, so let's say we're all crazy together.>
[Better crazy than obsolete.]
Leonardo sheathed his swung sword and faced Rios.
"Truly sorry, Master Rios."
"...Hmm, you are sorry."
Ah, that trash-milling smile.
Rios's face when plotting something weird.
"...So tell me the joke that knocked Alfred out~"
"Yes, gladly."
"For real~?!"
Luckily, an easy request.
[Hey, you cool? Actually gonna kill the old man?]
<It's fine.>
Leonardo whispered the joke technique's secret into Rios's ear without hesitation.
"For real...? That made someone faint?"
Rios eyed Leonardo suspiciously through narrowed eyes.
"...I couldn't believe it either, but yes."
Leonardo's eyes held no lie. Rios bought it.
"...I see."
"Young Master Rios."
Like a proverb come to life, Alfred approached.
"Oh, perfect timing!! Alfred!!"
"Good timing indeed. Glad, Young Master."
Rios cleared his throat, then spoke.
"Mosquito here, there, everywhere~?"
"..."
Stoic face.
"...Huh? Alfred?"
He'd gone stoic.
"...Why? Why that face..."
The old butler wore an unprecedented stern expression.
"...Forgive me. I... was wrong."
"Good you've reflected, Young Master."
"...Why though...?"
"Silence is the best reprimand for self-realization of shame, Young Master."
The observing Joke Killer and Sage conversed.
[Why no laugh? Old timer?]
<Not funny.>
[I know. But last time he laughed and died. Same joke to anyone.]
When the first joke succeeded, surprised family members tried their own versions.
<All failed.>
[No need to go that stone-faced though. Didn't seem that cold.]
<It's 'cause the joker was that guy.>
Rios Reinhardt.
The Reinhardt family's...
[Looks like a wastrel?]
<No.>
Just an idiot.
Eldest son and idiot.
Promising idiot future.
"Wait..."
But the eldest son (idiot) being here meant...
"The Family Head... is back."
The Family Head—her father, Gladio Reinhardt—had returned too.