Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Three Weeks of Vacation - 1
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Time flies, doesn't it.
That was my immediate impression upon looking in the mirror.
[My height has grown quite a bit, hasn't it?]
Leo's height had already reached that of a young man. It was easily over 180 cm. His physique had grown sturdy as well, to the point where he wouldn't be outmatched in raw strength even against an adult knight.
[Well, it's been two years, so of course.]
Though he said that, even Leo was astonished by his own remarkable growth. He had never grown this rapidly, even in his previous life.
[The power of a growth spurt is impressive. Share some of your secrets with me.]
[Don't even say 'growth spurt.' It gives me trauma.]
Even now, just hearing the words made goosebumps rise all over his body, and the faint scar on his torso ached.
[That was two years ago. Time to let it go.]
[One guy uprooted a tree and swung it like a club, while the other smashed down with a boulder like a hammer. Yeah, that'll be easy to forget.]
It was probably a memory that would flash before his eyes in a near-death life review. In fact, he'd been plagued by nightmares for that entire month afterward.
"Guess it's time to head out."
[Yeah, go on. And hold back on the growth spurt jokes.]
[You hold back on the bullshit, Sage. You'll choke on it.]
Exchanging their heartwarmingly hellish concerns, Leo stepped out of the room.
The place Leo headed to was the training grounds, alive with drills and shouts.
"Sorry I'm late, Senior Alphonse."
"No problem. Skipping every early morning must be tougher than it seems."
Though it was alive with drills and shouts, Alphonse was the only one there right now. With Leo's arrival, it was two.
"It's a junior's duty to come running when his senior calls."
"Senior, huh. It's a title that makes me feel ashamed of myself in so many ways."
Leo's official position on paper was Ariasfil's exclusive knight, but the family members valued him highly, tacitly if not openly.
As proof, Leo's Mana Physical Training had been incorporated into the Reinhardt's official training methods, becoming the mainstream for the family's upper knights within two years.
'Of course, they had to hide that I created it as much as possible.'
Recalling that fact, Leo picked up a spear.
"Spear today."
"Felt like spear arts today."
"Then I'll stick to what I was doing."
Alphonse Armstrong, boasting a massive build, gripped his oversized greatsword. It was wooden, but a solid hit would probably break bones.
"Let's begin."
Leo and Alphonse charged at each other.
Shockwaves followed, as rapid strikes too fast for the eye clashed together. It wasn't just speed—the sheer power was astonishing.
Each clash sent sword auras whipping around the training grounds.
"...Hup...!"
The greatsword came down vertically. Blocking with the spear would snap it and let the blade crash into his body.
Thus,
Bang!
Leo slammed the spear downward vertically, using the recoil like a spring to leap into the air. It dodged the greatsword while creating an opening for a counterattack.
"...Into the air...?!"
In response to the shock, Leo thrust the spear repeatedly from midair, batting away Alphonse's greatsword.
"Ugh...!"
Landing smoothly, Leo aimed the spearhead at Alphonse.
"My win."
"...Yeah, I lose again this time."
Once the concession was made, Leo pulled back the spearhead and set down the spear.
"Still can't beat you. How do you make those moves?"
"It's partly muscle, but mostly from training flexibility. It enhances the application of trained muscles."
"Hm... Flexibility, huh. Definitely something I'm lacking."
Male bodies naturally lose flexibility compared to females. Realizing this from Ariasfil, Leo compensated with gymnastics and stretching, turning it into a strength.
"Still, your muscles are superior, Senior. That vertical slash earlier was impossible to block."
"Thanks for the praise. Since we're on the topic, how about we work on legs together today?"
Flexing his glossy muscles, Alphonse politely suggested exercise.
"Well... Not today, Senior. Today is..."
At Leo's refusal, Alphonse realized and withdrew the offer.
"Ah, magic training today. Sorry, I forgot."
"No problem. See you."
Leo gave a light nod and moved from the physical training area to the magic one.
"Ooh~ Am I too late?"
Rios Reinhardt, the proud eldest son of House Reinhardt, came running into the garden eight minutes past the appointed time.
"You are late."
"Not too late, though. Good enough~"
[Arriving exactly at that awkwardly late time is a skill in itself.]
[Tell me about it. A guy who can even teleport.]
With teleportation, he could check the time and arrive instantly.
And this magic training hall was right next to Rios's room anyway. It was practically made for him from the start.
"Haha, don't look at me like that! Bro!"
"Haha, that title is too much, Rios."
"Too much? We're supposed to be casual."
For the two years Rios taught Leo magic, he'd always called him "bro."
Since that cheeky title was a condition for the lessons, Leo couldn't rebel further.
"So? Did you do your homework?"
In response, Leo spread his hands, forming circular mana. Two spells of different attributes deployed in orbs, sequentially spewing fire and ice.
"Bravo! Perfect score!"
"Thanks to your teaching."
"Right~? It's all thanks to me, just like I thought!"
The godfather of magic nearby shot a withering glare, but Leo averted his eyes for now.
It was true the Sage enabled rapid growth, but Rios's help was substantial too. It filled in the Sage's gaps in modern magic knowledge.
"Still... I never imagined you'd do this well. Reaching 2nd circle in two years, plus dual casting. Even among advanced mages, that's rare."
The Sage with the dry gaze nodded too. Leo's growth outstripped others by far.
"Nothing left for me to teach at 2nd circle."
"Then 3rd circle now?"
"No."
Rios declared firmly, unusually so.
"...Pardon?"
"I can't teach you anymore, bro."
"...Why... why not?"
He had to be flustered. He'd only just dipped his toes into magic principles, and stopping lessons here would eliminate any excuse to learn 3rd circle.
"Don't misunderstand. I'd love to keep teaching you..."
Rios pulled a white document from a drawer and handed it over.
...was the title, followed by detailed explanations in list form.
"Without official permission from the Magic Tower, you can't learn intermediate magic like 3rd circle. Do it, and you'll end up in jail doing speed dating like a few years ago."
Only then did Leo understand Rios.
"So, to learn intermediate magic, I need permission from the Magic Tower."
"Pretty much. With a formal teacher or instructor certification, you could skip it, but I'm a hack without that."
"Why not?"
"Why do you think?"
Leo eyed Rios up and down, then nodded.
"Ah, I see."
"Understanding so quick hurts a bit."
Rios smirked and handed over a folder with the documents.
"Anyway, good luck. Plenty of old fogeys, but just as many fun things."
"Aren't you coming too, Rios?"
"Pass. I'd just be a liability, not an asset."
Leo eyed him again.
"Ah, yeah."
"...That kind of understanding hurts."
Rios picked up his staff as he said it.
"Still, it was fun. Reinhardts are martial-focused, so not many to talk magic with. Fun having someone~ bro~"
They'd talked about that in his past life too.
Rios had even offered to teach magic a few times back then.
[But why didn't you learn?]
[Why do you think?]
[Ah, right.]
The Sage glanced at Rios for a second and nodded in understanding.
A wounding pace of comprehension.
"But why did you choose magic over martial arts, Rios?"
Rios had talent in martial arts, if not as much as Ariasfil. He knew enough swordplay finesse, so his aptitude wasn't bad.
"Hm... Magic looked fun, for one..."
Scratching his head lightly, Rios pulled a book from the shelf.
"Ever heard of this Sage guy?"
"Pardon?"
As if he wouldn't know.
The floating lump right beside him was the culprit.
"Figures you'd have. Everyone's heard Sage tales in folktales, rumors, fairy tales."
Even in his past life, he'd "heard" the name. Legends and folktales about him rivaled the Hero's.
"But honestly, no one believes the Sage really existed."
Thus, most dismissed the Sage's existence.
"Too absurd. Lifespan, deeds, all of it."
Too fantastical for human feats.
"Starting with inventing magic and circle magic. Or soloing dragons with pure magic... Forming an army of spirits to purify an undead-infested island... Stuff like that. All too far-fetched."
Leo glanced at the mythic figure beyond those tales.
[...Oh yeah, that happened. Old age dulled my memory.]
The hero of wisdom picked his nose and ears, admitting it dumbly.
What on earth had happened back then?
Volcanoes? Meteors? Cataclysms?
"But I believe the Sage existed."
Leo felt the same. A severe culture shock, but he was being forcibly converted in real time.
"...Why?"
"This book."
Rios held out the book from the shelf.
"This is..."
A worn cover and pages; too thin for a novel or dictionary.
"Fairy tale from the family archive. I found it first."
First time hearing this. Even unknown in his past life.
"Nothing special. Like other myths, but the first Hero, Ruben Reinhardt's master was the Sage."
He'd heard that in passing. From the Sage himself.
"Others didn't buy it. Hero was martial-focused, scant records on the Sage."
"...You believe it, though."
"...Half-believe, half-doubt. But the evidence holds up."
Rios placed the book on the table and explained.
"First, it was in the family archive. If fabricated nonsense, they'd have burned it as blasphemy back then."
Valid counter. Prestigious families prize legitimacy. Inventing a nonexistent master would be irreverent.
"And this."
Rios opened the fairy tale to the last page.
"...This is..."
The Sage's portrait. Not cartoonish, but a hyper-realistic match at the book's end.
"This portrait."
"But that could just be coincidence."
The real thing was right there, but play dumb.
"Could be. But only an identical one is in the Magic Tower's normal floors."
That boosted credibility.
Not some bard or painter's prank.
"So I think the Sage existed."
"Is that why you study magic? To prove it?"
"Sort of. Fun's 80%, Sage 20%. But proving it would glorify the family, right?"
Leo currently had a family-glorifying human right beside him.
[...What? Why?]
Sometimes truth is shameful, Leo felt to his marrow.
"Anyway. Check it out at the Tower sometime. Might show you if you're lucky."
"Ah... Sure..."
Leo made a face smeared with white lies and barely extricated himself from Rios.
Once at a distance, Leo spoke.
"Sage."
[Yeah? What?]
[What the hell did you do 300 years ago?]
[...What? Slay dragons?]
[All of it. That's all real?]
[Bit late to ask now, huh?]
Leo admitted it. But the Sage subtly avoided such topics.
[All true. I had passion back then.]
[Not that. Why'd you vanish like this?]
In the end, people barely remembered the Sage, relegating him to myth.
Recluse fit better than Sage.
Late or angry aside, he had to ask now.
[Nothing much. Reality hit. Hard. To the world. Fucking sick of it.]
Vulgar speech, but that vulgarity seemed like spice to mask bitter aftertaste.