Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Friend-7
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Silence flowed.
Only quiet, serene time filled the room.
The silence continued to the point where it felt like the stillness had pooled inside the room.
"...Why are you just standing there?"
That was the remark that broke through the deeply settled silence.
"Pardon?"
The Family Head approached Ariasfil and spoke.
"Weren't you planning to lay her down on the bed? If you keep holding her like that, she might break."
Leonardo was flustered by the precise and cold analysis instead. Come to think of it, that might have been the normal line of thinking.
A 13-year-old boy assaulting a girl his age inside the Family Head's mansion far exceeded common sense.
[Tch, this got boring...]
<재밌는 걸 보고 싶으면 거울이나 보세요.>
With a face like that, how easy would it be to find something funny? Just looking in the mirror would fill his days with laughter.
[I'm a ghost.]
Oh right, then he couldn't see his own face.
Offering condolences for never experiencing such comedy again, Leonardo refocused on the Family Head.
"Ah, you're right."
Leonardo gently laid Ariasfil, whom he held in his arms, down on the bed. Covering her with the blanket was natural consideration as her squire.
"Thank you. I have something to discuss—would you come with me? She might wake up if it's too noisy."
Leonardo nodded instead of replying, as if complying, and stepped out of the room. Gladio flashed a faint smile at the action and walked through the mansion with Leonardo.
"It's a fine night. The weather is cooler than the season suggests."
Once outside the mansion, Gladio said while looking around the garden.
"Indeed. You'd regret missing a night like this."
Amused by Leonardo's words once more, Gladio grinned broadly this time.
"You're a rare one. Ah, of course, in a positive way."
"I've heard I'm unusual plenty of times."
"In a positive way?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination."
The Family Head was free to imagine, but it wasn't hard to guess what conclusions that might lead to without much thought.
"For a mercenary, you're remarkably disciplined, yet too feral to call a noble. Though my life is short compared to past Family Heads, I've never met anyone like you."
It was a far different evaluation from when he first met the Family Head—in his previous life, it had only been something like, "What a spirited young boy."
"Is that so? I'm a bit embarrassed by the high praise."
"Don't sell yourself short. I mean it."
The garden path was modest in scale compared to the mansion's size.
'Compared to the mansion's size'—but this garden exuded a different atmosphere from other estates.
"The first time I saw this path, I felt puzzled. It seemed a bit distant from House Reinhardt's dignity."
The Family Head walked along the path between the bushes.
"Finding something without dignity in House Reinhardt seems harder."
"Haha, true enough. But the charm of this path lies right there."
As he walked the path, he shared his philosophy.
"As you know, dignity creates hierarchy. It demands courtesy from people and instills elegance."
Leonardo agreed. As a squire, the first thing the boy had learned wasn't swordsmanship or mana breathing—it was etiquette.
"But that dignity can sometimes breed falsehoods in people. Hypocrisy and flattery."
"Unfortunately, that's spot on."
"Exactly. That's why I like this garden. At least here, with less dignity, people can relax more, don't you think?"
"I'm always in awe of House Reinhardt's wisdom."
Leonardo replied, demonstrating the etiquette he'd learned in House Reinhardt.
[Put some spit on your lips before saying that.]
It was training that built the patience not to respond to such provocations—well worth the awe.
"...I watched today's duel and speech."
"I'm sorry if I caused a scene."
"No need to apologize. You were simply true to your goals and duties. If apologies are due, demand them from those who escalated it."
That person was the eldest son of House Reinhardt, a fool with a very promising future, one could speculate.
"But others might not see it that way."
"I've kept that in mind."
"Good, but I had to ponder. How to treat you."
If it had been about 'dealing with' him, he might have worried, but the term 'treat' made Leonardo tilt his head slightly.
"What do you mean by..."
"If you remain a squire as is, no one would accept it. The stronger you are, the higher the rank you deserve."
It wasn't wrong. Assigning positions by ability was the basic principle of placing the right people in the right places.
"But granting you a rank would invite backlash that feels hard to handle. Whether others would even acknowledge it is uncertain."
That was a valid counterargument too. Leonardo had nothing to boast about beyond his skills, making him easy to attack.
"A fair point."
"That's why I agonized. Both options had clear downsides."
And the Family Head's steps halted.
"So I came up with a compromise."
"May I ask what... it is?"
The Family Head met Leonardo's eyes and stated his solution.
"Leonardo, become Ariasfil's knight."
"...An Escort Knight?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected proposal, Leonardo asked in a slightly unsteady voice.
"Escort Knight... Yes, you'll need to escort her, but that's not all I'm asking."
He turned his gaze toward the mansion. From the angle, it was the window of the room where Ariasfil slept.
"Ariasfil is my daughter, but... she's very different from others. Not just 'special'—far beyond that."
"She does have an untouchable charm."
"Haha, I'm grateful you see it that way."
He laughed, but his eyes were dark.
"But others didn't think so simply. Envy or jealousy—those petty evils seem almost endearing..."
Of course, there were those who envied and jealoused Ariasfil. Leonardo had once been one of them. But she inspired awe that rendered such envy meaningless.
"...Awe?"
"Perhaps. Even I, her father, find her talent frightening."
"Parents never lose to their children, after all."
"...Haha, you're always so composed."
Looking at Leonardo brought life to his darkened eyes.
"Come to think of it, Ariasfil changed after meeting you."
"...I did check her swordsmanship..."
"Not in that sense."
It didn't take long or much thought to realize the other meaning.
"Ariasfil's eyes were full of boredom. The density of her life itself was different. Even I probably can't fully understand it."
Was it because he was her father, or thanks to it?
Gladio had realized his daughter's otherworldliness more than anyone. Even Leonardo had needed years to understand her boredom.
"But after meeting you, she said something for the first time."
The father of the girl wore a bittersweet yet bright smile.
"She said she was happy."
"...Happy?"
"She said training was fun. Truly fun."
It was improper to compare, but even for Leonardo, it was a rare phrase. For Ariasfil, it was probably unprecedented.
"That made me jealous of someone for the first time in my life. What I'd felt before was mere child's play."
Leonardo couldn't open his mouth.
"Who made my daughter happy before me? How? That one word filled my head with every thought."
Because the family head's words were so sincere.
"And when we dined together, I had no choice but to accept it."
Leonardo had no choice but to close his mouth.
"You're worthy of it—qualified, even if it makes me jealous."
"You're too kind. I just..."
"Don't be modest. What does that make me, the jealous one?"
It wasn't wrong, but Leonardo couldn't fully accept the praise. He'd used the cheat of regression, after all.
"So I'm asking you."
That's why that evaluation...
"Stay by Ariasfil's side."
"..."
"You don't have to just say nice things or understand everything. Point out when she's wrong, hold her back if something feels off. You're the most suited for that."
"...That's..."
Such things were possible in various relationships: parent, teacher, sibling... But only one word came to Leonardo's mind.
"Become her... friend?"
It might be presumptuous. A mere commoner mercenary as friends with the lady of the Hero Family—even novels would shelve that as too far-fetched long ago.
"I'd like that. That's what I meant by becoming her knight too. It'd be more convenient if you're her knight."
"...I see."
Even so.
"If it makes you uncomfortable..."
"I'll do it."
It wasn't a reason to hesitate.
"...Thank you, but you're accepting faster than I thought."
"...Do you remember what I said when we first met?"
Of course.
"Lady Ariasfil is my goal."
That was Leonardo's goal.
"...Hahaha...!"
That goal made him burst into laughter. Like the tightly wound string of tension unraveling into silly chuckles.
"Sorry. You declared it at the training grounds too, and I forgot."
"It's fine. I'll etch it in your mind a few more times."
"That's reassuring. I feel relieved."
The Family Head exhaled in relief and looked up at the sky.
"It's gotten quite dark. I kept you too late. You may go."
"It was an honor. Good night, Family Head."
With that, Leonardo left the garden and returned to his annex quarters.
"...Hoo..."
Once inside, Leonardo wiped his face. It was slick with sweat.
"...Huh?"
But something felt off. A subtle dampness lingered on his face, and his eyes felt moist.
His vision blurred, like mist before his eyes.
Then he realized.
[Are you crying?]
He was crying.
He couldn't pinpoint why.
Not because there was none—because there were too many.
He couldn't find the reason.
"...Ugh..."
His previous life's efforts didn't feel meaningless.
The life devoted to defeating her,
had its value acknowledged for the first time.
That sentiment brought tears to his eyes...
[Hey, are you crying? Crying, you punk?]
Before he could savor it, that guy shattered the moment like smashing a glass.
My life, huh.