Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Personal Knight - 1
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The moment Aria opened her eyes in bed, she gasped.
"...Tsk..."
A deep fragrance wafted into her nose and lungs along with her breath.
"Ha..."
An inexplicable sense of comfort washed over her. A familiar scent she hadn't smelled often enough to satisfy her longing, one that was...
"Leonardo...?"
Her half-open eyes snapped fully awake.
Because she realized who owned this scent.
"...Me...! Why am I here...?!"
Aria threw back the covers and got out of bed. She had clearly been watching Leonardo beside her until he woke up.
And... after that, she couldn't remember.
"...What happened..."
Knock knock.
In her daze, someone knocked on the door.
"It's Lina. May I come in?"
"...Huh?"
It wasn't exactly consent, but the lingering sleepiness in her body made it ambiguous enough.
"You seemed to oversleep last time, so I came to wake you... Did I disturb you?"
In response to Lina's words, she replied with a slightly stiff mouth.
"Ah, no. Just not fully awake yet."
"I see. That's a relief."
"Um, where's Leonardo...?"
Lina glanced toward the annex outside the window and replied.
"Well, Squire Leonardo is in the annex, I believe."
"I see...?"
Hiding her disappointment behind a blank expression, Aria got up from her seat.
"Miss, may I brush your hair? It's quite tousled."
"Ah, thanks."
Lina moved behind Aria and began brushing her hair.
"Yesterday... where did Leonardo go?"
Aria asked Lina, who was brushing her hair from behind.
"Well... He left the room and went for a walk in the garden with the Family Head."
At the word "Family Head," Aria's body twitched.
"...With Father...?"
"Yes, they were walking in the garden together. They seemed to be talking..."
"Talking?"
That night, there had only been one topic worth carving out time to discuss.
She couldn't imagine any other matter for a mere squire to discuss face-to-face with the head of the house.
"...What did they talk about...?"
"I don't know. I only saw them from afar. But..."
Lina hesitated for a moment. She worried it might be unnecessary gossip.
"...Squire Leonardo looked like he was crying. I saw his face on the way to the annex."
At that moment.
"...Crying?"
At that point, Aria's face hardened.
It wasn't from seeing her expression; even Lina behind her could tell she was serious.
"...Pardon?"
"Leonardo was crying?"
Her tone, posture, and the very air around her brimmed with solemn intensity—anyone could tell Aria was deadly serious.
"...Well, I'm not entirely sure..."
"Where is Leonardo right now?"
Cutting off the flustered Lina, Aria asked firmly. The cold ring of anger in her voice made even the innocent Lina feel a chill.
"...Probably in the annex..."
"I'll be right back."
It wasn't a request for permission. More like a declaration. With that, she rose from her chair.
Her hair wasn't fully groomed, but it didn't diminish her appearance in the slightest.
With urgent speed that felt almost mechanical in its precision, she changed into her outdoor attire.
"Tell them I'm skipping breakfast."
"Ah, yes, Miss."
There was no time for a leisurely breakfast. She didn't know what her father had said, but it was enough to bring tears to Leonardo's eyes. Whatever it was, it was weighty—hardly something light.
...He didn't get chased out, did he...?
That absolutely could not happen. No matter what, she had to stop that.
Even if it meant clashing with her father, she could not tolerate Leonardo leaving...
"Will you be skipping breakfast?"
"Yeah, right now..."
At that moment, she couldn't help but freeze.
There were two reasons.
First, it wasn't Lina who had replied. Neither the voice nor the direction fit Lina responding.
And the second reason was...
"Good morning, Lady Ariasfil."
The owner of that voice was the very person she had been about to go see.
"...Leonardo?"
"Yes, did you call for me?"
Leonardo smiled with polite composure.
"...You... weren't you gone?"
"Gone where?"
"I mean... after talking with Father..."
"Ah, regarding that matter, I have something to tell you."
To the flustered Ariasfil, Leonardo knelt on one knee and addressed her formally.
"Squire Leonardo, by order of Family Head Gladio Reinhardt, has become Lady Ariasfil's personal knight."
"...Huh?"
Her already flustered expression twisted into even greater confusion. But somehow, that crooked look seemed almost like a smile.
"...So it was decided like that during the walk."
"Yes. Since it's a decision between the Family Head and me, if Lady Ariasfil refuses..."
"No way!"
A firm yet emotional shout.
Even the ever-natural smiler Leo was startled into widening his eyes.
"...I-I'm fine with it! Be my personal knight! Yeah!"
There was no reason to refuse.
Wasn't this exactly what she'd hoped for since Leonardo first came to the family?
She could welcome him with open arms and it still wouldn't be enough.
"Thank you."
"So... what do we do now?"
She gazed at Leo with eyes tinged just a little with expectation. Of course, it was only a 'little,' so Leo's oblivious nature didn't pick up on it.
"Basically, it follows Lady Ariasfil's schedule and routine. I'll accompany you nearby. Of course, if you want personal time, I won't."
In truth, she wasn't really asking about that so much as hinting at what she wanted to do, but Leo's dull intuition couldn't uncover it.
"Then let's head to the training grounds."
"Won't you have breakfast?"
"Nah, not hungry."
She was far more excited for training with Leo.
The training grounds were as quiet as a barren plain. Leo vaguely sensed that he was the reason.
"Then let's begin."
Leo started swinging his sword. It was the usual Mana Physical Training, but refined to a higher level of technical finesse.
"Got it!"
She gripped her sword and began her training as well. Aria, too, demonstrated an even more polished Mana Physical Training.
The mana particles floating around were swirling straight toward Aria. Without Leo's level of skill, training beside her would be pointless and overwhelming.
[But who the hell killed a girl like that?]
At those words, Leo's expression hardened.
It was just an offhand comment. Oblivious at best, rude at worst—nothing more.
But Leo's face was stiffer than ever before.
[...That...]
"Leonardo?"
Noticing his mood, Aria approached Leonardo.
"What's wrong? You look pale."
"...I'm fine. Just a bit off condition."
"Want to take a break?"
"No. Training clears my head better."
Agreeing with that, Aria gripped her sword again and resumed training.
Leo relaxed his expression and swung his sword again.
"But, Leonardo."
Aria, swinging her sword as well, asked.
"Who taught you weapon techniques?"
"Weapon techniques?"
"It's the first time I've seen someone handle so many weapons. No one in the family is like that."
Leo slashed downward from overhead in response.
"No particular teacher. I just used whatever came to hand, and it turned out like this."
Learning all those weapon techniques wasn't solely to beat Aria.
There were plenty of times he had no money for weapons, or he snatched the opponent's and used it, or improvised with nearby objects.
"So naturally, the weapons I could use grew in number."
Of course, developing to this level was largely thanks to Aria, but he couldn't say that yet.
"...Still impressive. You learned it all alone."
"Is it? Actually, my mother being a mercenary played a big part."
Leo's mother had made a name for herself as a somewhat famous mercenary. The villagers might not remember his hometown, but they all knew her name.
"She must have been amazing. I didn't know."
"No surprise. She wasn't famous nationwide."
"So where is she? Far from here?"
To that, Leo replied calmly.
"She died."
"...Died...?"
His delivery was so matter-of-fact that Aria's expression shifted.
"Around when I was ten, I think. Mom didn't come home for about three months."
Leo's mother often traveled far as a mercenary.
She hadn't when Leo was a baby, but once he could talk and walk well, she sometimes stayed away for weeks at a time.
But three months without a word? It was reasonable to suspect the worst.
"Still, you never know. Maybe she had reasons..."
"Ah, but she told me to think that way."
"Hm...?"
"She said for mercenaries, no news for three months means you're as good as dead. So if that happened, to just assume she was gone."
Reactions varied. Aria's pupils trembled violently as if shaken by a tremor, while the Sage seemed stunned by this foreign custom, unable to continue.
What happened after was straightforward.
They built her grave, he thanked the villagers, and left the village.
And now here he was.
"...I... I see."
"Pretty much."
"...Sorry, shouldn't have pried..."
"It's fine. That's life. And it didn't bring only bad things."
"Then... there were good things too?"
Leonardo smiled as he said,
"I met Lady Ariasfil. And we became friends."
It was a bit embarrassing to say, but it needed clarifying. Thinking back to their past debate over friends and honorifics, it felt especially important.
Of course, the Sage nearby was glaring at him like he was worse than trash... but he was senile anyway, so Leo ignored it.
"...Y-yeah...!"
Ariasfil turned her head away, mumbling "friends" over and over. Her turned face was surely flushed red, but Leo remained admirably oblivious.
"...Um... maybe..."
After hesitating, Aria opened her mouth again.
"Can you call me... Aria?"
"...Aria?"
She hadn't even hoped he'd drop the honorifics. But this seemed feasible, so she'd mustered her courage.
"...That might be difficult."
That was Leo's response to her courage.
The heat drained rapidly from her face, and the upward tug of her lips slackened.
As expected, Leonardo didn't see her as anything special...
"But if you wish, I could call you 'Miss Aria'... What do you think?"
Whoosh—she felt the heat surge. She covered her face as best she could, but the blush spread across her skin like red ink in water.
For Leo, it was merely a compromise, but for Aria, it was an onslaught of affectionate address.
Like a boy too shy to call an older woman just "sis," tacking "sis" onto her name instead.
Even better than a reward, really.
"...Y-yeah...! That's perfect...!!"
"I'm glad. Miss Aria."
"...Ugh..."
Her face burned. How could he say such a title so casually?
She'd asked for it herself, which only made it harder to endure.
"...Miss Aria?"
Not seeing her face, Leonardo couldn't help but worry. As her personal knight, his duty was to satisfy her to the utmost.
"It's not much in exchange, but... how about you call me 'Leo'?"
"...Huh...?"
"Leonardo feels too long. People often shorten it to Leo... What do you think?"
She slowly turned her head toward Leo. It wasn't without embarrassment. But for this 'title,' it had to be face-to-face to carry meaning.
"...Okay... Leo..."
"...Yes, thank you, Miss."
And so, they became friends.
And
a month passed.