chapter 18
Friends-7
Silence passed.
Only quiet and quiet times filled the room.
The silence continued to the extent that it felt as if there was still silence in the room.
“…why are you still?”
Those were the words that flowed and flowed and spread the deep silence.
“Yes?”
Gaju approached Ariaspil and said,
“Aren’t you going to lay me down on the bed? Do you think it will break if you keep holding it?”
Leo was rather embarrassed by the so accurate and sober analysis. Come to think of it, maybe that was a common idea.
It was far beyond common sense that a 13-year-old boy attacked a daughter of his age in a mansion in Gaju.
[Twitter, it’s no longer fun…]
<If you want to see something interesting, look in the mirror.>
If you have such a face, wouldn’t it be so easy to find something to laugh about? Just look in the mirror and your day will be filled with laughter.
[I am a ghost.]
Alas, then I had no choice but to see my own face.
Expressing his condolences that he would not be able to experience such a comedy again, Leo focused on Gaju again.
“Oh, right.”
Leo gently put Ariaspil, who was in his arms, on the bed. It was a natural consideration as a servant to cover it with a blanket.
“Thank you. I have something to talk to you for a moment, can you please come out? If it’s too loud, it might wake you up.”
Leo followed those words, but instead of answering, he nodded and went out of the room. Gladio walked around the mansion with Leo with a thin smile at the action.
“Good night. The weather is cooler than the season.”
Going out of the mansion, Gladio looked around the garden and said:
“okay. I’m sure you’ll regret it if you miss out on a night like this.”
Perhaps he was once again entertained by Leo’s words, this time with a big smile on his face.
“You are a very rare person. Oh, of course, in a positive way.”
“I hear a lot of people say I’m weird.”
“Is this a positive direction?”
“I will leave it to your imagination.”
Imagination was free, Lord, but it was not difficult without thinking deeply about what kind of conjecture it would lead.
“You are splendidly humble for a mercenary, but you are remarkably feral to be called a noble. Although my life was short compared to my predecessors, I have never seen anyone like you.”
It was a completely different evaluation from when I first saw Gaju-nim, that is, in my previous life. In my previous life, I was just like, ‘You’re an exciting boy.’ It was only rated to some degree.
“Is that so? It’s a bit embarrassing because I gave it too high a rating.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. It’s my sincerity.”
The promenade in the garden was only modest compared to the size of the mansion.
Although it was ‘compared to the size of the mansion’, this garden showed a different atmosphere from the atmosphere of other mansions.
“When I first saw this trail, I was puzzled. It seemed a little far from the dignity of Reinhardt.”
The Lord walked along the path between the bushes.
“It seems more difficult to find something without dignity in Reinhardt.”
“hahahaha, that’s right. But the good thing about this promenade lies right there.”
As he walked along the promenade, he brought out his theory.
“As you know, dignity sets standards. To make people polite and to create dignity.”
Leo agreed to that. The first thing the boy learned while living as a servant was not swordsmanship or mana breathing, but manners.
“But that majesty sometimes makes people lie. Create hypocrisy, create flattery.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”
“okay. So this garden looks good. At least in this place, there will be less dignity, so wouldn’t it be less stressful?”
“I always admire Reinhardt’s insight.”
Showing off the manners learned at Reinhardt, Leonardo answered.
[Speak with saliva on your lips.]
It was always admirable because it was an education enough to make him persevere not to respond to such provocations.
“…I enjoyed today’s duel and speech.”
“I’m sorry if I caused trouble.”
“No, there is nothing to apologize for. You were just faithful to your goals and tasks. If you really want to hear an apple, you have to listen to the person who raised the plate.”
He was the eldest son and taller of the Reinhardt family, and it could be assumed that he had a very promising future.
“But it’s very likely that others don’t think so.”
“That’s what we have in mind.”
“If that’s the case, I’m happy, but I had no choice but to worry. I was thinking about how I should treat you.”
He might have been worried if he had been concerned about ‘processing’, but Leo tilted his head a little at the term ‘Daewoo’.
“What do you mean by that…”
“If you stay like this, no one will understand. Because the stronger the character, the more legitimate it is to give him a higher rank.”
It wasn’t wrong. Allocating seats in order of ability is the basic principle of the right place.
“However, I felt it was difficult to get a backlash when I was given a rank. It was uncertain whether others would recognize that position.”
It was also a legitimate objection. Leo had nothing to show off other than his skills. It also meant that it was easy to attack.
“It’s also the right point.”
“So the trouble is deep. No matter which one you choose, there are definitely downsides.”
And the Lord’s footsteps stopped.
“So there is a compromise.”
“Can I ask what… or not?”
The headmaster looked into Leo’s eyes and said the way.
“Leonardo-kun, please become Arya’s knight.”
“…you mean the escort?”
Leo asked with an uneven voice, seeming to be a little perplexed by the unexpected offer.
“As an escort… Of course, you have to escort, but that’s not the only thing I want to ask you.”
He looked towards the mansion. From an angle, it was the window in the room where Arya was sleeping.
“Arya, Ariaspil is my daughter… but she was very different from everyone else. To the extent that I can’t end with the word ‘special’.”
“You are a person with an irresistible charm.”
“hahahaha, thank you for looking at me like that.”
He was smiling, but his eyes were dark.
“But other people simply didn’t think so. The degree of simple evil, such as envy or jealousy, is cute enough…”
Of course, there were those who were jealous and jealous of Ariaspil. Leo was once that kind of human. But her jealousy and envy caused a senseless wonder.
“…are you in awe?”
“I don’t think so. Even as a father, I am afraid of such a talent.”
“No parent wins over their children.”
“…hahahaha, you’re always relaxed.”
Seeing Leo, his dark eyes lit up with vitality.
“If you think about it, Arya changed after I met you.”
“…I used to watch swordsmanship, but…”
“It doesn’t mean that.”
It didn’t take too long or much thought to come up with a different meaning.
“Aria’s eyes were full of boredom. The time we were living… the density of life itself was different. Maybe even I don’t fully understand.”
Was it because of his father, or was it because of him?
Gladio could have realized the heterogeneity of his daughter more than anyone else. It took years for even Leo to understand her boredom.
“But there were the first words Arya said after meeting you.”
The girl’s father had a slightly bitter but bright smile.
“I said it was fun.”
“…are you having fun?”
“I said water lilies are fun. I said it was really fun.”
It was awkward to compare, but even Leo had heard it very rarely. It was probably a rare word for Arya to say that it was the first time.
“Then, for the first time in my life, I was jealous of someone. The emotions I’ve felt so far are just to the point of being dismissed as a joke.”
Leo couldn’t open his mouth.
“Who was it that entertained my daughter before me, and how did I please her? A lot of thoughts filled my head with those words.”
Because the father’s words were too sincere for that
“And when I dined with you, I had to convince myself.”
Leo had to keep his mouth shut.
“You’re the kind of person you deserve, jealous, but you were a worthy child.”
“It’s overrated. I just…”
“You’re doing too much. If I am humble there, what am I to be jealous of?”
It wasn’t wrong either. Leo couldn’t take the compliment as it was. Because he used the shortcut of regression.
“So I want to ask you.”
So that rating is…
“Stay by Arya’s side.”
“…”
“You don’t have to just say nice things and understand them. Sometimes, if you think it’s wrong, point it out, and if you feel it’s wrong, stop it. You’ll be the best fit for that.”
“…that…”
Being able to do such a thing was possible in a variety of relationships. Parents or teachers, or brothers… But there was only one word that came to Leo’s head.
“You want me to be your friend…?”
It could have been a cheeky expression. A mercenary of a commoner is a young-ae and a friend of the heroic family, and it was a story that had long since disappeared because even in the novel, it felt vain.
“I wish I did. That’s what it meant to be a knight. It would be more convenient if I could become Arya’s knight.”
“…okay.”
nevertheless
“Of course you felt uncomfortable…”
“I’ll do it.”
That was no reason to hesitate.
“…Thank you, but you agreed to it sooner than I thought.”
“…Do you remember what I said when I first met the Lord?”
Isn’t it natural
“Ariaspil-sama is my goal.”
Because that’s Leo’s goal.
“..huh hahahaha…!”
The goal made him laugh a little. As if the string of tension that had been tightly tied was loosened, a meaningless smile.
“I’m sorry for this. I should have declared it in the gym, but I forgot.”
“it’s okay. It will be engraved over and over again in the future.”
“I feel safe. My mind is at ease.”
Gaju sighed in relief and looked up at the sky.
“It is getting very dark. You called me until it was too late. It’s good to go in.”
“It was an honor to be late. Good night. Lord.”
Leo said so, went out of the garden and returned to the guesthouse in the annex.
“…after…”
Leo entered the room and wiped his face. His face was drenched in sweat, so he was caught with water.
“…uh?”
Still, it was strange. Subtle moisture remained on his face, and he could feel the dampness around his eyes.
It was as if a fog had formed in front of my eyes, blurring my vision.
Only then did I know
[Are you crying?]
he was crying
I couldn’t find any reason to cry.
Not because there weren’t, but because there were too many.
I couldn’t find the reason.
“…eww…”
It seemed that my previous life was meaningless.
Efforts to defeat her
life devoted to it,
It was recognized for its value for the first time.
A little water in my eyes at that feeling…
[Hey? cry? Whoa, bastard?]
Before he could even stand, that yangban shattered his sentiments like a glass.
what is my life