Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Holy Sword - 1
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The elders had aimed to diminish Leonardo's achievements, dredge up his sins, and tarnish his self-esteem and honor.
They believed that would allow them to comfortably manipulate a talented individual.
Thus, their true goal was simply to exploit Leonardo himself—the reprimand for his sins was merely a superficial excuse.
Therefore.
[Oh ho, they used their heads for once.]
This outcome was something they absolutely never desired.
"...What... What do you...!"
"The council hearing has solidified my conviction. It seems this position was more than I deserved."
Both Chris and Marken wore shocked expressions.
They had ample arguments to defend him against any punishment, but they never anticipated he would voluntarily announce his resignation like this.
"I will submit my resignation through the Family Head later. It has been an honor to share in the Elder Council's invaluable wisdom and time."
"Wait...! Do you think a knighthood can be abandoned so casually?!"
[That's rich coming from you retirees holed up in your back rooms.]
It was a blunt truth, but for now, it needed to be tactfully packaged.
"I was never fit to be a knight in the first place. Perhaps this was inevitable."
Leonardo said this as he gazed at the elders.
"The position of upholding the Hero Family's knighthood and convictions was simply beyond my reach, no matter my efforts."
A touch of self-mockery and sad eyes would double the effect.
"Then...! Your exclusive knight duties...!! What about those?!"
Of all things, that's what they came up with? For old men, it was endearingly pathetic.
"If needed, I'll continue until a successor arrives. I must inform the young lady as well."
"Even so...! Have you considered the fallout from leaving?! Do you think a knighthood is so easily obtained...!!"
Excited and agitated, the elders continued shouting in raised tones. The dignity and decorum they had cultivated in their advanced age crumbled at the mere resignation of a boy.
"I've never once thought it was easily obtained."
From his past life to now, such a thought had never crossed his mind.
"I'm sorry for failing to achieve greater results due to my shortcomings... but I truly strived not to be a burden."
In truth, considering only Leonardo's accomplishments over the past two years, they weren't far inferior to the elders' legacies.
"But as the elders say, I had many unforeseen sins and mistakes."
Finally, turn the arrow back on the council. They must realize it now.
[They ruined everything themselves.]
[They always have.]
Ariasfil's solitary death, and the elders' foolish inaction in watching it happen—Leonardo had never forgiven them for it.
Their sins were a rot too deep to be cleansed even by death.
"...Do you think resigning like this will preserve your honor!? Honor, money...!"
"It's fine. That's my karma, after all—I must accept it gladly."
These words were the final period.
[No matter what you offer to sway me, I won't follow.]
A concluding period laden with that meaning.
He was not some knight of the elders—he was the Hero's, Ariasfil's one and only knight.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
With that, Leonardo exited through the grand doors. Afterward, the council devolved into a cauldron of chaos and fury as they held an emergency meeting.
Chris Reinhardt was struck by a shock so immense that the earlier shattering of innocence felt trivial.
She hadn't expected the elders to positively influence Leonardo, but she never imagined they would drive him to abandon his knighthood voluntarily.
In haste, she dashed toward the open gates. What she saw was the boy walking down the corridor; grabbing his shoulder, Chris shouted.
"Don't make a rash judgment...! There's still a chance...!"
"Even that opportunity is more than I deserve."
The boy turned, offering a faint smile. It looked like a forced grin, resignation and sorrow tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"I'll defend you somehow...! If you resign voluntarily, it ends as your fault alone...! No one will accept...!"
"Thank you, but I'm fine."
Leonardo turned fully to face Chris. For some reason, his eyes lacked focus and vitality.
"Truth be told, I've been wrestling with it myself. Whether I belong by Lady Ariasfil's side."
At those words, Chris's grip slackened momentarily. Leonardo had always exuded confidence in his words and matched it with prowess. He had overcome every crisis.
That's why they had let their guard down, deluded themselves.
That Leonardo had no such doubts.
"Whether I'm fulfilling my role as her escort knight, or if someone else—like Black Rock or the Execution Knight Commander—could provide better experiences."
But no one lives without doubts. Especially not a boy who hadn't even lived twenty years.
"And hearing the elders' words convinced me. I was insufficient to aid Lady Ariasfil."
No. In Chris's eyes, Leonardo was the only one who could help Ariasfil, the only one who could keep up with her.
"I merely leaned on the family and Lady Ariasfil. I indulged in childish whims and grew weak."
Of course. He had arrived at the family at just thirteen, and now at fifteen... still a boy not even worthy of being called a young man.
There was no reason such a boy deserved scorn for what he leaned on.
"Truth be told... I've lived a remarkably fortunate life. Picking a fight with Lady Aria was the greatest luck of my existence."
Luck doesn't last forever, and happiness drowns in pain.
"She was my entire world, everything to me."
And that day, his world shattered once more.
Suddenly, without warning.
With the light gone, there was nothing left to see.
"Then stay...! Try harder to remain...!!"
"Enough."
The one who appeared behind was Marken.
"Commander...!!"
Whoosh.
What was tossed was a white scroll. Leonardo alternated glances between it and Marken as he opened it.
"It's a return scroll. If you're done with knighthood, quit whining and get lost."
"Thank you for the consideration."
Leonardo activated instant teleportation while dodging.
"Farewell."
With those words, Leonardo vanished in a burst of light.
"Father...!! What do you think you're doing!?"
"He needs a scroll to return, so I gave him one."
"That's not what I mean!"
Chris shouted unprecedentedly agitated—even against her father Marken, whom she rarely defied.
"...Christina, what were you doing at thirteen, and at fifteen?"
"...That's..."
She recalled. At thirteen, wasting half-days crafting cool epithets was routine. At fifteen, wearing eyepatches or bandages as accessories and naming techniques was her fun.
Thinking back now, they were embarrassing black history moments that flushed her cheeks.
"I received training as Family Head. Back then, I complained a lot and rebelled occasionally."
And then, one boy came to mind.
"But what about that child?"
That question silenced her. Seeing the boy made even her taken-for-granted life feel shameful.
"Parents dead, fighting amid blood and blades nonstop since age ten."
The boy's pain,
"Discriminated against in the family for being a commoner, despised solely for being an orphan."
His endless, heavy anguish.
"Yet that child never complained once. Never cried, never raged."
The will of that boy, who silently endured and fought on,
"We took it all for granted. That's why we failed to become someone he could rely on."
Because we never truly saw him, never acknowledged him.
"Admit it. We betrayed that boy's world, and we have no right to hold onto him."
Her words choked with shame.
At that moment, Leo was,
[How was my acting?]
[It was obvious, but switching gears like this gives me chills.]
Grinning at the peak of his performance, anticipation filled him for the fallout to come. If it were a play, it would be as shocking as the most trusted ally's betrayal.
[Does it matter? Those geezers can handle it.]
The Elder Council was just a nursing home of backroom fossils demanding respect, led by the Sage.
The pensions they devoured alone could raise all Reinhardt knights' salaries by 2.2 times,
And they didn't stop there—parasites interfering in family affairs under the guise of solidifying their positions.
[So why do you think that nursing home persists?]
[What else? Their 'wisdom of age'—just seniority disguised as insight.]
As he said, they were in the council solely because they brought glory to Reinhardt—ostensibly to share wisdom.
[But what if they drove an active young knight to resign? What becomes of that wisdom?]
[Harsh to say it myself, but they'd plummet to rock bottom. Even those who tolerated their boomer nonsense would turn and bite.]
A clear answer, predicting the aftermath perfectly. As expected, a wise man for such devious schemes.
[The council is one of the culprits who effectively killed Aria.]
Hero Ariasfil suffered endless battles and demon hunts.
Issues that could have been smoothly handled by wisely distributing tasks were all dumped on her simply because she was the Hero.
[...Old bastards.]
[If only that were it, they'd have gotten off with a beating.]
What Leonardo could never forgive most was their suppression of media reports on Aria's condition. The excuse? It might shake Reinhardt's faith and terrify the masses.
[...You... don't tell me...]
It was too late, in the past. The chance to change existed only in the present; the past left only scars.
[Truth is, I was the one most at fault for being absent. Maybe I should've just verbally resigned instead.]
It was a joke, but impossible to brush off. The guilt and self-mockery stabbed like bone-deep wounds, twisting soul and flesh.
[...Not your fault.]
[Did you witness it, oh Sage?]
[Did you witness my life?]
A sharp retort drew a smirk from him.
[Not particularly interested.]
[Same here, kid.]
Trading barbs felt oddly affectionate now—perhaps adaptation.
[You did your best. Lived diligently enough to be loved without shame.]
The boy's shoulders trembled slightly, then surely. No sound escaped—likely the man's last shred of pride.
[So live a bit for yourself. Honestly, if a person isn't embarrassed, they're either a god or a corpse—not human.]
"Ha..."
A hollow laugh erupted like a sigh—not a sob, not a cry. One sage's advice.
[Is that supposed to be comfort?]
[Comfort?]
[...Yeah, it is.]
He felt a bit invigorated. Who knew living would bring consolation from the origin of magic.
[Save the cringey stuff, but can I ask one thing?]
[As long as it's not bullshit.]
[What'll you tell Aria?]
A tense silence lingered.
"...I'll kowtow and apologize later or whatever."
Truthfully, no plan.
[That's your answer? Better strip naked and bow. Higher survival odds.]
The man demonstrated the miraculous exchange rate of halving goodwill scores.
And Ariasfil wasn't that heartless; she wouldn't make a fuss over a non-departure.
"Just in case, I'll camp out here tonight."
[Yeah, life's precious after all.]
Absolutely not because he feared Aria. Merely the weather was mild, and the mansion's mood would be chaotic—best to give space.
At that hour, in the Reinhardt mansion.
"Leo!! Leonardo!!"
Ariasfil had been searching for her exclusive knight, missing since morning.
Only the Family Head and involved parties knew of Leo's council summons—it had been kept secret from Aria.
[Found him?]
[Nope, not anywhere nearby.]
Even the spirits consistently replied 'absent'.
"Where on earth... did he go without a word...?"
More worry than anger. Leo always got tangled in strange or dangerous messes at times like this.
"Ariaaaaa!!!"
At that instant, her idiot brother came charging, yelling her name.
"...What? Be quiet. I'm looking for Leo right now..."
"What does it mean Leo's quitting knighthood?!"
That day, cracks formed in Aria's world.