The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 47

Arias Learns – 1

Now, all that remained was to wait for the trash to self-destruct on its own.

[So, what are you going to do now?]

“Joke Assassin.”

Leonardo turned around with an irritated expression at the jarring remark.

Squeeze

“…Miss?”

Behind him stood Arias, wearing a mischievous smile. The way she gently pressed her finger against her cheek only added to her playful allure.

“How cute. My Joke Assassin.”

“Th-That’s going too far.”

Leo turned his head to hide his blushing face, embarrassed by the teasing.

[What really happened in that dream?]

Since the nightmare incident, something had changed in Ariasphil. It wasn’t exactly trauma or PTSD… It was more like she had become… precocious, or perhaps more mature.

[…Why has she become so mischievous?]

Though it was a crude way to put it, it was also the most fitting.

“Why? Are you embarrassed?”

Arias slowly brought her face closer to see more of that embarrassed expression. Each time she did, Leo turned his head further to hide his reddening face.

“Are you hot? Your face is really red.”

“Y-Yes…! That must be it!”

Her chuckling and satisfied smile indicated that she was pleased with his response.

“…So, what brings you here?”

“I was wondering if you knew the person that Chief Anus introduced.”

Ariasphil handed over a note she had received from Anus. Come to think of it, before leaving the village, the Chief had given Arias a note.

“Physis Nattra… It’s a name I haven’t heard before…”

Yet, it somehow felt familiar. As if she had heard a similar name before the regression…

[There’s no need to overthink it. You’ll know when you meet them.]

The Sage was right. This was someone the Chief had introduced, and it wasn’t like they were going to ask for something unreasonable, so there was no reason to hesitate.

“Let’s go and see. I might remember when I see them.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

At that moment, Arias took Leo’s hand and started walking ahead.

“Ah…! Miss?!”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Arias’ expression was nonchalant yet annoyingly sly. Seeing that face, Leonardo couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

[…]

[I didn’t say anything yet.]

It didn’t matter since she had already said it in her mind. Besides, it was better to silence him beforehand since he’d probably say something annoying.

“This seems to be the place.”

They arrived at a location that looked like a forest with lots of grass and trees planted around. Considering the glass walls surrounding it, it was fair to call it a greenhouse.

“Ameri mentioned last time that this person spends a lot of time here.”

“Really? Are they researching plants or something…?”

To resolve her curiosity, Arias opened the door to the greenhouse and stepped inside. Even then, she didn’t let go of Leo’s tightly held hand.
“…But… it seems like no one’s here.”

The greenhouse was filled with plants and trees, but there was no sign of any people, nor even birds or other animals.

“…Strange…”

Suddenly, Leonardo pulled Arias close, gripping her hand tightly. He wrapped one arm around her and held her close to his body.

“Le…! Leo?!”

“Come out. If you don’t, I’ll consider you an enemy.”

As he spoke, Leo’s sword tilted in a certain direction, and a laugh echoed from that spot.

“You’ve become quite sharp since the last time I saw you, Leonardo.”

The voice came from within the forest, but it wasn’t coming from between the trees. To be precise, it seemed as if the tree itself was speaking.

“Or should I say you’ve become bolder?”

The voice was clear and had a distinct ring to it—likely belonging to a woman.

The branches of an acacia tree trembled, then slowly transformed into the shape of a human arm. Not just the branches, but the trunk and leaves also gradually morphed into a human form.

“…Ah, it’s been a while. My body feels stiff.”

The woman, now fully in human form, waved at Leonardo with a cheerful expression.

“Long time no see, Leonardo.”

“…Do you know her?”

Arias asked, slightly narrowing her eyes as she looked at Leo. The instinctive wariness she felt toward the sensual woman made her expression harden.

“Well… I’m not sure…”

His response wasn’t an attempt to dodge the question or ignore it—he was genuinely uncertain. In truth, he had no clue who she was. Neither before the regression nor now could he recall anyone like her from the Magic Tower.

“This is disappointing. It’s been a few years, sure, but how could you forget your older sister? Do you need me to jog your memory?”

With a relaxed smile, the woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a photograph.

“Does this ring a bell? I took this back then.”

The photo she held out showed Leonardo himself, alongside the woman who had handed him the picture. The only notable thing about the photo was that the Leonardo in it was much smaller and cuter, looking more like a child than a teenager.

“…This is… definitely me, but…”

“…Haa… I see… Haa…!”

Suddenly, rough breaths filled the air as she panted and stared intently at the photo. The sight of her reddened face and the sweat dripping down it gave off an almost unsettling vibe.

‘…To think such an adorable creature could exist in this world…! Even more innocent and cute than when he was thirteen. Those cheeks must be incredibly soft if you squeeze them, like tender bread that stretches easily…! While his scarred body is charming too, he was even more lovable back then. If I could hug him and rub against him right now, it would feel amazing… Why didn’t I meet Leo at that time…!!’

Just from her internal monologue and imagination, Arias felt a wave of immense happiness. A bit of drool even started to form at the corner of her mouth.

“Uh… Miss?”

“Huh… Heh… Whaaat…?”

“I’m not sure what got you so excited, but… take a deep breath first. You should continue the conversation.”

At those words, Arias swallowed, finally tearing her gaze away from the photograph and turning to face Physis.

[Just checking… Arias, you don’t have those kinds of preferences, right?]

[…Never mind. I must be out of my mind. Forget it.]

There was something about his comment that left an itch in her mind, but the woman in front of her didn’t give her time to dwell on it.

“Still, I’m surprised. I never thought that little kid would grow up this much.”

“Uh… I’m really sorry, I can see that it’s me in the photo… but I still don’t remember you.”

At those words, the woman’s energy grew even more vibrant as she tried to help him recall the past.

“Remember about… ten years ago? I begged Master Anus on my knees to teach me. After that, I stayed with him for a couple of months, learning from him. During that time, I played with you a lot.”

“…Ah… Ahhh…!!”

It finally clicked. That’s who she was.

“It was you? The one who was learning Spirit Magic back then?”

“Yep! Seems like you finally remember.”

It was no wonder it took him so long to recall…

“But… seriously, it’s not my fault! You changed both your first and last names!”

“Yeah, there were some circumstances. Besides, the name ‘Pisoon’ wasn’t exactly… elegant.”

That much was true. The name had left such a strong impression that the new name, “Physis,” didn’t stick in his memory as well.

[Honestly, the old name was much better.]

<…Uh… well… okay…>

It reminded him once again just how old the Sage really was. In his era, that name might have been considered stylish.

“We used to play hide-and-seek together, and I’d read you books. Ah, now it’s all coming back.”

“You remember? I even gave you piggyback rides, and you’d follow me around, calling me ‘big sister.’ You were so cute back then.”

The memories of his old village started to come back to him. Now that he thought about it, after Anus, Physis—or rather, Pisoon—was the person Leonardo had been most attached to.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I’m finally starting to remember now.”

At some point, Arias had cooled down, her previously excited expression now replaced by crossed arms and a piercing glare aimed at Leo, making him feel as though invisible daggers were pricking at his skin.

“So, you used to play hide-and-seek together, read books, give piggyback rides, and he’d follow you around, calling you ‘big sister,’ huh?”

Leo found himself adopting the demeanor of a criminal at some point. He wasn’t sure of the charges against him or even what crime he might have committed, but under that cold gaze, his head bowed involuntarily.

“Oh, I see. Got it. So, that person in the photo… You’re saying they spent a happy childhood with you when you were young, right?”

While that was true, something about the conversation felt… incredibly off-track.

And that suspicion was indeed correct.

‘…How dare they… monopolize little Leo like that…?’

For the record, since they were with the other villagers, it wasn’t really monopolizing.

‘And playing together, rubbing bodies…’

Playing simply meant reading fairy tales or playing hide-and-seek, and as for rubbing bodies, that was just the inevitable result of giving him piggyback rides. After all, Leo was only five years old at the time.

‘Besides…’

But what really infuriated Aria wasn’t that.

‘Sister… calling them sister?! How dare they…?! I haven’t even heard him say that…!!’

For the record, Aria and Leo were the same age. Both Ariasphil and Leonardo were well aware of this fact.

“Um… excuse me, do you have the letter? Mr. Anus said I should check it for the details.”

“Yes.”

Aria handed over the letter with a slight smile. The veins bulging on her forehead gave a subtle hint of her true emotions.

“Uh… um…”

“What is it?”

Aria’s smile deepened slightly as she relaxed the tension in her throbbing veins.

“Your grip strength is no joke, huh?”

Physis barely managed to take the letter from her and unfolded the note.

“Mm… I see. Got it.”

“What does it say? Who’s…”

“Haha, Leo. From now on, it’s ladies’ time, so you’ll have to step outside.”

Was it just his imagination, or did this feel exactly like the time with Mr. Anus? Probably not.

“What do you mean… we haven’t seen each other in a while, can’t we talk a bit more…”

“Come on, hurry up and leave. You’ll bring bad luck if you stay.”

Without understanding what was happening, Leo was pushed out of the greenhouse. Soon after, the glass fogged up, obscuring the view of what was happening inside.

“Well then, shall we have a little chat?”

“About what?”

With Leo gone, Aria showed no hesitation in revealing her hostility. Finding this hostility rather cute, Physis couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“It’s a cute jealousy~ but keep it among your peers. This isn’t a situation for an ‘aunt’ to step in, is it?”

“If you know that, then why are you leaving out only Leo when you speak?”

Despite the barbed comment, Physis didn’t lose her composure.

“Well, I thought this kind of conversation would be better handled one-on-one.”

With that, Physis snapped her fingers, deploying her magic.

[“What is it? Physis?”]

A spirit emerged from the tree and approached her. Aria flinched at its sudden appearance.

“Ah, so you can see it after all?”

“See it? Isn’t it only natural that I can?”

[“It really does seem like she can see. Her gaze is steady.”]

Even the spirit, surprised, was now looking at Aria. The hatred-filled jealousy in Aria’s eyes gradually turned into doubt.

“It’s not so natural. Seeing spirits is a rare ability, even among mages.”

A Spirit Summoner’s result was similar to that of a mage, but the process and principles were fundamentally different.

“A Spirit Summoner is someone blessed by mana. They can converse with and even form contracts with spirits, the essence of mana.”

“But Leo also saw the spirits.”

Otherwise, there was no way he could have known what Chief Anus’s spirits looked like.

[“That’s because the Chief materialized them directly. That boy is closer to lacking talent in Spirit Arts.”]

In fact, even in his past life, Leonardo had attempted to learn Spirit Arts from Anus but failed repeatedly.

“Unlike magic, Spirit Arts rely 80% on talent. Mages can become Spirit Summoners, but without talent, it’s nearly useless, so they don’t bother.”

“But I…”

Aria looked at the spirit of the tree before her. It was as clear as an actual person, and its voice was crystal clear.

[“That’s proof that you have talent.”]

“Spirit Arts can be used even without knowledge of magic. In fact, you might use them more efficiently precisely because you lack that knowledge.”

Aria, as a swordswoman who excelled in close combat, had certain disadvantages at medium or long range, unlike Leonardo, who was a Magic Swordsman.

“It seems that’s why your teacher sent you to me. I’ve done a few lectures before, after all.”

[“Judging by the looks of it, you’re a swordswoman. Learning Spirit Arts would definitely be helpful. I’d recommend it even as a spirit.”]

From her perspective, it was certainly a good opportunity and offer. However, there was something she still didn’t understand.

“I’m grateful, but… what exactly did Lord Anus write in his note…?”

What could he have written that allowed her to receive direct instruction from a Spirit Summoner of the Magic Tower? She couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Oh, it’s nothing special.”

Physis handed over the letter she was holding.

[“She’s going to be my granddaughter-in-law. She has talent in Spirit Arts, but she lacks sexual education, so keep that in mind while teaching her.”]

Her face turned completely red.

“Uh… ah…”

Seeing her blushing ears, Physis whispered softly. The ring on her finger subtly hinted at the nature of her household.

“I’ll teach you how to seduce Leo in an adult way too~. My husband couldn’t resist my skills and made the first move. What do you think?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Aria immediately stamped her seal upon hearing that she would be given pictures of a young Leo.

It was too great of a temptation to refuse.