Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Reinhardt-3
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Having taken a slap to the face, Jehard trembled as he spoke.
"Wha...! Why?!"
I had no idea why he was raising his voice when he was the one in the wrong.
"The very fact that you don't know means you're already unqualified."
"...What...?!"
Clutching his swollen face, Jehard glared with bulging eyes. It seemed he truly saw nothing wrong now.
[Is that guy shameless? Or does his brain just not work?]
[My opinion? Both.]
[Yeah. No one could be that much of an idiot with just one of those traits.]
For the first time, Leonardo found himself in agreement with the Sage. It was enough to make him understand why people enjoyed gossiping.
No, since it was happening right in front of him, was it front-talking?
"You evacuated the civilians?"
"Yes!! As a knight...!!"
"Are you the village guard? Or an escort knight protecting Lady Reinhardt?"
"That's..."
A knight protects the weak.
That was the natural code of knighthood.
But only after fulfilling one's own duties.
"Fine, let's say you really meant to protect the civilians, even giving you the benefit of the doubt a hundred times. Even then, you're unqualified as an escort knight."
An escort knight of the house naturally prioritizes the house's members. If one had any common sense, that is.
"I clearly saw it. That boy could have slain the Balrog but threw himself to protect those two. What were you doing in the meantime?"
Stabbed right in the heart, Jehard fell silent.
In truth, evacuating civilians was just an excuse.
The moment he saw the Balrog, Jehard's instinct told him: staying there meant certain death.
He was afraid. That's why he ran.
He had no pride as a knight to grasp how great a disgrace that was.
"Get out. And never come back. Your existence is nothing but a disgrace to House Reinhardt."
"...Ha...! But then who will teach the young lady?!"
Up until now, Jehard had been laboring under countless delusions. But that question was his biggest one yet.
"Teach her? You're thoroughly mistaken about something."
"...Pardon?"
"Does that mean you're claiming to be superior to Ariasfil right now?"
Impaled by the direct question, he couldn't utter another word.
Leonardo's spar had already reconfirmed Ariasfil's skill.
He had even realized her growth had surpassed mere speed.
"But...! That's because I taught her...!"
That ridiculous claim left even Leonardo, Black Rock, the Sage, and Ariasfil herself dumbfounded.
[Still, his low intelligence seems worse than his shamelessness.]
[Isn't his shamelessness a result of his low intelligence?]
[Oh, could be.]
It felt like their chemistry had never meshed this well before. He had to admire the wondrous bond forged by gossip.
"...Do you really believe that?"
"Yes! So..."
"If you think that, then spar with Ariasfil."
"...Pardon?"
Chris looked at Ariasfil and asked.
"You can handle it, right?"
"Pardon? Yes."
Ariasfil answered without hesitation.
"...But..."
"Oh, a so-called teacher afraid to spar with his own student. If that was a joke, even the palace jester would weep."
Jehard glanced at Ariasfil, gauging her. When she fought Leonardo, she had displayed astonishing swordsmanship.
Not just talent, but skill—she clearly outmatched him.
But...
'She's tired from the Balrog fight now. If it's right now...'
Her wounds were healed by magic, but her depleted mana and stamina likely weren't fully recovered. So if they fought now...
"...I'll do it!"
"Good. Both of you, follow me."
Jehard and Ariasfil followed Chris out.
Leonardo, sitting on the bed, simply waved to the departing group and rested.
[You okay with this?]
"With what?"
[Well... Ariasfil's strong, sure, but she's worn out from the Balrog. That idiot, meanwhile, rested up and is full of energy.]
"Exactly."
[Exactly what? Hurry and stop her, move on to the next—!]
KWAAAAANG!!
The Sage's words cut off at the air-splitting roar.
It's over. Took longer than expected.
[...Huh?]
As the explosion faded, two white-haired knights walked in.
"All good?"
"Yeah."
The boy and girl calmly confirmed their victory, facing each other.
[She won?]
[Would she have lost?]
Of course, purely by conditions, Ariasfil had been at a disadvantage. In experience and stamina.
But that's what genius does—it overrides all that.
"Impressive work, Ariasfil. Your Mana Core's quality has improved greatly, and your swordsmanship has deepened another layer."
"Thanks to Leonardo."
Hearing praise from Ariasfil out of the blue felt oddly satisfying.
Her usual words always seemed unlucky, making him think his squire life was just cursed.
"As expected. This too is the pull of fellow martial artists, fate itself."
"Haha..."
An awkward laugh escaped his lips. Her casual delivery made words fail him.
"Oh, right. I have a question."
"What is it?"
To escape the topic, Leo voiced his doubt from the battle.
"Why didn't you help us?"
It might sound accusatory, but it was a necessary question.
By some interpretations, it meant she had stood by while 13-year-olds nearly died.
"Heh, good question."
[I've lived over 300 years, and this is the first time I've heard someone actually say 'heh' out loud. Am I weird?]
Leo felt the same, but now wasn't the time. Better to understand it.
[Let's chalk it up to a dry throat making her breath rasp. Easier on the mental health.]
That was the insight gained from over five years as a squire.
"Is there a reason?"
"Lions drop their cubs off cliffs and raise only those that climb back up. I thought it a necessary step for young warriors' growth."
For a 'necessary step,' his broken ribs throbbed fiercely, but he held back his anger.
Times like this called for gentlemanly, cultured words.
"I understand the meaning."
"Good. I knew a warrior like you would."
"One correction, though: lions don't drop their own cubs off cliffs."
Chris's solemn expression changed.
"...What did you say?"
"Not just lions—all fierce beasts avoid dropping their young off cliffs. In fact, the more predatory, the deeper the maternal instinct."
During Reinhardt training, when he couldn't read, he read books.
The Family Head permitted it, and as a prestigious house's squire, he needed basic knowledge.
'I didn't enjoy reading much, but I remember every bit of this.'
To counter Chris Reinhardt's nonsense one day.
"...Th-that's... just a proverb. I... I know it's not literal."
[Sounds like a kid who just learned Santa's fake.]
Exactly. Kids these days don't believe in Santa anyway.
"Oh, wait—there are cases where they do drop them."
At those Christmas-gift-like words, Chris, losing her innocence, brightened.
"Really?! As expected! How noble, like a li—!"
"Male lions sometimes toss rival cubs off cliffs to eliminate competition early. The rumor got twisted into that proverb."
But reality is a sewer.
"...Is... is that true?"
"Yes."
Now it wasn't just losing innocence—it felt like dragging out nonexistent purity and pulverizing it with a hammer.
[Why crush a pure soul's dreams like that?]
[She's over 20 years older than me—what innocence?]
[To me, she's a kid even at 100.]
True enough. It hit him anew: what an amazing person.
'To reach that age without ever dating... no wonder...'
[Zip it.]
[...I haven't said anything.]
[You thought I was a eunuch in your head, you bastard.]
She knows. Anyway, not the point now.
"Lady Chris?"
"........."
His earlier words must have shocked her deeply; she stared blankly into space.
"Lady Chris?"
"...Ah, sorry. What were we talking about?"
"Male lions and cliffs..."
[Stop. Her innocence is already dust.]
Valid point. She might not sleep tonight, kicking off her blankets.
"...Never mind that. Could you tell us why you're in this village, Lady Chris?"
Though mulling despair, she wasn't fragile enough to dodge a question.
Just her innocence overly pure.
"...I came here to meet Ariasfil."
"Me?"
Ariasfil turned to look at Chris.
"I had a mission nearby, and when I heard you'd come out for training, I was curious about your growth."
Come to think of it, Ariasfil had met Chris in a village on her way home.
'...So Chris took down that Balrog back then. It fits now.'
Piecing together past and present like a puzzle, Chris spoke again.
"And I was astounded by your growth."
It had to be.
Thanks to Leonardo's advice and training, she'd achieved a year's worth in her past life—in shortened time.
"And seeing the boy who felled the Balrog with you, I thought: he must be key to your growth."
Chris Reinhardt extended her hand to the boy and said.
"So, I have a proposal."
For some reason, Leonardo knew what it was without hearing.
"Won't you become a squire of House Reinhardt, the ancient house flowing with the hero's blood and soul?"
"Auntie!"
Ariasfil couldn't help but shout. Chris looked flustered at the cry.
Not because of the casual "auntie."
'Ariasfil yelling excitedly like that?'
His niece was always coldly composed. Yet here she was, eyes alight, staring at him.
"Wha... why call me?"
"Leonardo's too good to be just a squire! Now... ah, right! With Jehard gone...!"
"I'll do it."
...Silence fell briefly.
"...What?"
"...What?"
[...What?]
The same word echoed thrice. As if it were no surprise, Leonardo replied flatly.
"Squire sounds good. I'll take it."
No hesitation.
Because...
「Your eyes burn with will and passion. Even if victory isn't immediate, you'll greatly aid Ariasfil ahead.」
「Won't you become our house's squire?」
Even a person like her had given him a chance in life.
If he could serve such a house and knight, squire was fine.