Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Growth-2
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Before the madness and obsession about to erupt from now on mix into a cauldron of chaos, let me rewind the time by about five minutes to explain the situation.
Gazing at the splendid scenery of the party hall, the old Sage marveled in admiration.
Well, calling him a caveman would be a huge insult to ancient folk. Nodding his head, Leo began enjoying the civilized festival.
He had no idea why the Sage was jumping to conclusions and cursing alone, but since he was less than a caveman, Leo decided to let it slide.
<Ariasfil's probably getting dressed in her gown. She can't have me there for something like that.>
No matter if he was her exclusive knight, there was no need to be present while she changed. He'd only be called insane for it.
<Guess I'll just eat some food and wait.>
When in doubt, eating was the way to go.
The party hall was stocked with fancy dishes that weren't usually available.
As Leo headed toward the brownies, the gazes of those around him turned his way.
Leo picked up a brownie from the tray. Perfectly, there was only one left.
"Ah..."
At that moment, another hand brushed against Leo's.
"...Uh..."
The person reaching from the opposite side was a petite girl. Judging by her ornate dress and hair accessories, she was no commoner—definitely not a servant.
"Sorry. Please, have it."
Leo yielded the treat to the noble lady.
"Ah, thank you."
The lady happily took the pastry and bit into it. There were plenty of other desserts anyway, and this kind of courtesy would score points with the onlookers.
"...Hmm..."
But something felt off. The girl's gaze kept drifting toward Leo.
"Ah...!!"
Before the Sage could finish, the old man's intuition had already become reality.
"You're the Joke Assassin!!"
The problem was that it was a negative premonition.
"...Pardon?"
"You are the Joke Assassin, right?!"
He hadn't even eaten the pastry, yet his throat felt choked and his insides burned. But in situations like this, staying calm was key.
Even if the mad old man beside him burst into maniacal laughter.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding. I'm..."
"That's right!! You're the Joke Assassin!!"
This time, another girl shouted. She even pulled out a newspaper photo as proof. His burning insides exploded with humiliation.
"The Joke Assassin?!"
"Yeah!! He looks exactly like the guy in the paper!!"
Like pouring coal on that humiliation, the girl's friends and acquaintances surrounded Leo.
All of them were cultured folk well-versed in current events.
"You made Head Butler Alfred faint, right?! With just one joke!"
"Teach me that joke too!! It'd make great self-defense!!"
"No!! They say it has a unique pronunciation like a spell, so it's not easy to learn!! Even that blood-shadow assassin got taken down in one shot!"
They were well-versed in the legends of the Joke Assassin.
The Sage wheezed out snorting laughter with shortness of breath.
The urge to rip off that old man's nostrils made Leo's face flush red.
"...Haha... Haha...!"
Let's just commit suicide with a joke.
And now.
"You're so close to Lady Ariasfil that you even have secret rendezvous with her, right!?"
"I heard you boldly told the Family Head you were going to make Lady Ariasfil yours!! Is it true!?"
"No! They say you declared to everyone in the entire estate that Lady Ariasfil was your goal...!!"
"And you even used the forbidden Joke Assassination Technique to protect the lady from assassins, right!?"
For some reason, the topic had shifted from 'Joke Assassin' to 'in that kind of relationship with Ariasfil,' but that was actually better.
'At least that hasn't made the papers...'
The Ariasfil rumors could be misunderstandings, just gossip level that could be smoothed over anytime.
The fire that needed extinguishing right now was that damned Joke Assassin nonsense.
The fake legend of the Joke Assassin had to end here. Otherwise, they'd say he joked a great demon or dragon to death next.
Leo maintained the brightest smile possible. Getting emotional here could backfire or create resentment.
"Um, I think there might be some misunderstanding..."
"...Ah, Lady Ariasfil!!"
In the midst of this hellish ordeal, just as he was about to painstakingly explain, a savior's name rang out.
Everyone turned their gazes toward the lady of the Hero Family.
The Sage was right. Though partially obscured by the surrounding girls, her blue eyes and silver hair were too striking to hide.
Even Leonardo, who had little interest in appearances, stared at her in genuine surprise.
Clack, clack.
The sharp, noble rhythm of her heels sounded beautiful.
Ariasfil approached Leonardo with the grace of a swan gliding over a lake.
The Sage sensed it rationally and instinctively. The current situation—or more precisely, the state of this girl named Ariasfil.
Clack, clack.
That sharpening heel sound confirmed the Sage's intuition.
But there was no time left to say more.
"...Leonardo."
Ariasfil was already dangerously close to Leonardo.
The dense crowd parted around Aria and Leo like a miracle.
"...Ah... Yes...?"
Her dull eyes held no spark of life. That shade was something you wouldn't see without trauma worse than losing family or friends.
"...Come with me."
"...Pardon? Suddenly...? What's wrong..."
"I said come."
In the end, he followed without asking why.
Of course, it was because of his deep loyalty. Following his lady was the duty of a knight.
Absolutely not because he was scared. No way.
"..."
"...Ah... Um..."
Aria turned her head and glared.
Best to just shut up and walk.
Speaking would get his knighthood—and his head—chopped off.
This was no metaphor.
"...Leonardo."
Outside the social hall, at an unopened terrace, Aria stopped.
"...Yes...? My lady...?"
"...How's the party?"
What was the intent behind this question?
One wrong word, and his life was over.
"Answer."
No, his life was literally at stake.
"Very...! It was amazing!! The food was delicious!! The hall was splendid!! So cool!!"
Leo knew it.
That's why he was doing this.
Life was irreplaceable.
"...Really? You liked it?"
"Yes!! I loved it!! So much!! Everyone was kind!! So gentle!!"
Terror made the hairs on his skin stand on end. He'd never felt this during fights with manticores... no, even dragons.
"...You liked it that much?"
Was this right? She was asking again, so probably.
"Yes!! I loved it!!"
"Liked it?"
Was it... right...?
"Yes...?"
Cold sweat dripped.
"I asked if you liked it."
No. The Sage's gaze, like watching a lamb led to slaughter, confirmed it.
"...Actually... I hated..."
"Hated it?"
"Yes...?"
"Did you hate it?"
This wasn't it either.
Killing intent flared in her eyes instead of life.
He thought it was multiple choice, but it was an essay question.
"...Are you lying right now? Reading the room?"
"No, that's not... I'm sorry."
First, throw out apology as the third option.
Smack!
Suddenly, the Sage smacked his forehead. What? Wrong again?
"What for?"
"Pardon?"
"What are you sorry for?"
He's dead. If he couldn't explain properly, execution.
"...Apologizing without even knowing what for?"
Jokes or not, those eyes could kill instantly.
"...Well, you see..."
Rev up the brain circuits full throttle. Recall every visual, auditory, tactile detail. Every second late felt like losing a year of life.
"...Right now..."
"Your feet hurt from the heels, and I made you walk in a hurry!!"
He's dead. What kind of answer was that? True, but no way it was what she wanted...
"...Wha...? You knew...?"
...What? His head was still attached? Still in the land of the living? He could've sworn he glimpsed his late mother in hell...
"Pardon? Doesn't everyone know?"
Anyone could tell from the heel sounds, right?
They all noticed when the rhythm shifted from clack to sharp clack midway.
True, but no need to say it like that.
It'd make him sound like a total creep.
"...I thought it must hurt..."
"...R-Really...? I see..."
The killing intent faded from her eyes, life returning. Leo felt life return to his own neck.
"...If it hurts, could you show me your feet?"
"...My feet...?"
At Leo's request, Aria sat and extended her feet.
"...The heels are too high. They're a bit swollen."
Thanks to her superhuman body, it wasn't severe, but he still didn't quite get it.
"If they hurt this much, why not wear something else?"
"The person who gave me the dress said these were pretty..."
That made even less sense.
"Why? You're pretty enough as is."
"...Pardon...?"
Why the formal speech?
"Pretty...?"
"Yes? Yes, you are pretty."
Unless your eyes were as squinty as the Sage's, denying her beauty would be the weird thing.
"You're pretty to begin with. Your hair's neatly combed and perfumed, and the dress suits you better than anyone else's."
What was so novel about that?
"...R-Really...! Th-Thank... you...!"
Leo had never seen a person vibrate that fast. Resonance or something?
What? Idiot or moron?
"...Anyway, walking in those heels is impossible."
"...Then?"
"I'll carry you. Hop on."
Leo offered his back. Get on quick.
"...Th-That's... a bit..."
"...Why? Don't like it?"
"N-No...! I'd get on, but... it's just..."
Aria cautiously gripped Leo's back. Leaning against his broad back, a comfortable warmth spread. Same age thirteen, yet this boy's back felt so reliable.
"Here we go..."
Leo couldn't say a word.
A back several times larger than his own,
A gaze that paralyzed just by looking.
"Seem pretty close with my granddaughter?"
Marken Reinhardt, captain of the House of Reinhardt's Execution Knights.
"...G-Grandpa...?"
Aria's grandfather was there.
For reference, in his previous life, Marken had crushed one side of a knight's manhood for making indecent remarks about Aria.
Leonardo greatly feared that might be his future in about twenty seconds.