The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 50

Ariasphil Learns

Since the current situation didn’t make sense, she decided to slowly organize her thoughts.

She had undoubtedly given her all in the duel against Eilyn in the arena. However, her ultimate attack had failed, and she had been overpowered and defeated.

Yes, that must have been the case.

“Why are you just sitting there? Don’t you like black tea?”

But then why was she now sitting in a café, drinking black tea?

The question still remained unanswered.

[You suddenly teleported, don’t you remember?]

Come to think of it, as her consciousness was becoming hazy, Eilyn had embraced her and formed a teleportation magic circle.

<…And then we were transported here.>

[Indeed. Just in terms of casting speed, she’s on par with Kallen.]

<…Ah… I see…>

Although the Sage was praising the descendant of his old friend, the explanation Ariasphil had just heard left her feeling oddly sentimental. If only she hadn’t heard that, she wouldn’t have felt anything at all.

[But why is this tea house so empty?]

As the Sage mentioned, there was a sense of incongruity in the café. Even though it was an off-peak time, the place was eerily devoid of people.

“This place is a café I personally operate. You can think of it as a sort of hobby.”

She had seen people working in tea houses as a hobby, but this was the first time she’d seen someone running a café themselves. As expected of a wizard from a wealthy family.

[Now that you mention it, Kallen also had a hobby of tea. He used to bring all sorts of tea leaves, and I got to enjoy a lot of it.]

At this point, Ariasphil didn’t want to listen to the Sage anymore. Not because of anything the Sage did wrong, but because Leo himself felt a painful sting from knowing the hidden truth of the situation.

“So, what’s the reason for suddenly bringing me to this tea house?”

“Would the reason, ‘I wanted to have a relaxed conversation, just the two of us,’ be insufficient?”

Eilyn offered a relaxed smile as she handed over the teacup and sugar bowl. The buttons on the front of her dress were slightly undone, and as she leaned forward, her cleavage became visible.

“I suppose that wouldn’t be enough. If that were the case, we could have just walked to the tea house.”

“I’m deeply interested in you, you see.”

Then, in a rare gesture, she lightly covered her mouth with her hand and let out a small laugh. The Sage also seemed amused, observing Eilyn’s behavior with interest.

“I wanted to get to know you better, but there were too many interruptions in that place.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear, exuding a mature charm.

“Are you not going to drink your tea?”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll enjoy it once I understand the current situation.”

Seeing Leo’s wary expression, Eilyn found it endearing and brought the teacup back to her lips.

“As you can see, it’s not poisoned. It’s a deeply flavorful tea, so I hope you can enjoy it at ease.”

The rim of the teacup bore a deep imprint of her lipstick, a striking color that no man could ignore.

[She’s more of a fox than Kallen.]

Though the comparison was odd, Leo remained unflustered as he picked up the teacup.

“Then, I’ll gratefully partake.”

Leonardo lightly pulled out a paper napkin, wiped the lipstick mark from the rim, and gently sipped the black tea.

“Yes, you even added a recovery potion. Thank you.”

“…You’re quite particular about hygiene.”

At first glance, his actions might have seemed rude, but Leonardo was fully aware of this.

“Please consider it more of a ritual to remove emotions from our conversation, rather than a concern for hygiene.”

“That’s a rather disappointing response. Are you drawing a line?”

“You can take it as a statement that this approach won’t persuade me.”

Leonardo had faced countless temptations like this before, and he had already devised ways to respond to them with dignity.

***

“Ah…!!”

Having lost her man to her rival, Ariasphil swung her sword in the arena, venting her frustration.

Even the wizards who had been spectators began to search for the now-missing Eilyn and Leonardo with confused expressions.

“Th-this…!”

Ariasphil was so consumed by anger that she could hardly speak. The vile words that the vixen had whispered to Leonardo still echoed in Ariasphil’s ears.

It felt as if some additional words had been added, but Ariasphil was certain she had heard them that way.

“Where…! Where did they go?!”

She would never forgive that woman. She wouldn’t let her get away unscathed. Every woman who tried to seduce Leo would be cut down by her own hands.

[…This way…]

At that moment, the essence of mana resonated with her heart.

“Huh…?”

[Leo is over here…!]

The spirits floating around shared mana with her, indicating Leo’s location.

“…Thank you…!!”

Despite her words of gratitude, Ariasphil’s face was filled with burning hatred and jealousy as she rushed out of the arena.

***

Following the spirits, she arrived at a tea house on a quiet street. The spirits pointed towards the interior of the café.

Fortunately, the café’s windows were not covered by blinds, allowing her to see inside.

The problem was that if she moved closer to eavesdrop, she might be discovered.

“…In that case…”

Ariasphil employed an advanced technique Leonardo had taught her—focusing mana into a specific sensory organ. When mana was concentrated in one area, the organ’s abilities were amplified several times over.

She concentrated aura in her eyes to enhance her vision, and in her ears to heighten her hearing. Originally, Leo had taught her this technique to prepare for situations involving poison or ambushes, but Ariasphil had no qualms about using it now.

After all, she was doing this to protect her knight.

With her vision enhanced, she could clearly see the dimly lit interior of the café. Inside, Eilyn and her beloved Leo were sitting across from each other, having tea together.

“That… that vixen…!!”

Just look at those lust-filled eyes. That vixen was desperately trying to seduce the pure-hearted Leo.

It was infuriating to see her deliberately exposing her cleavage like that, flashing coquettish smiles, and pretending to be kind as she offered him tea.

Leonardo, who was flustered, wasn’t even touching the tea.

Even now, if he took him away, he could rescue Leonardo from that vixen.

Just as he thought that and was about to run towards them—

“As you can see, there’s no poison. It’s a tea with a deep flavor, so I hope you can enjoy it comfortably.”

That vixen was arrogantly crossing the line. The kiss he had barely managed to attempt was something she was casually trying to achieve through the trickery of a teacup.

The saliva from those filthy lips was vividly imprinted on the edge of the cup.

‘…Don’t pick it up…! Don’t drink it…!! Leo…!!’

Shattering his hopes, his knight grabbed the handle of the teacup.

“Then I shall drink it with thanks.”

A deep sense of betrayal seeped into his body.

Right now, Leonardo probably didn’t remember the kiss from that dream.

Then, allowing that teacup meant permitting an indirect first kiss with that woman.

If his knight put that cup to his lips, he would have to cover those corrupted lips with his own over and over again…

“Ah, you’ve even mixed in a healing potion. Thank you.”

Leonardo lightly sipped the tea. However, Ariasphil felt neither anger nor jealousy. This was because her Leo, showing his integrity, wiped the cup with a napkin before savoring the tea.

‘…I’m sorry I doubted you…!! I love you…!! Leonardo!!’

Ariasphil’s love overflowed even more at his wise response. If she could advance any further, she wanted to embrace him with both arms and continuously whisper praises.

“…You’re quite concerned with hygiene.”

The vixen’s face twisted slightly. Surely, it was a punishment for arrogantly coveting what wasn’t hers.

“Rather than hygiene, consider it a gesture to reduce emotions during conversation.”

“That’s a rather disappointing response. Are you drawing a line?”

“Think of it as a statement that this method won’t convince me.”

With an impenetrable wall, Leonardo elegantly emptied the cup.

“Is that so? I thought it was a rather decent strategy.”

Eilyn, on the contrary, seemed to find Leo’s reaction amusing, as her twisted expression relaxed.

“To be honest, it’s only natural when you think about it. After all, you’re an ambitious person.”

Even though he defined her with a single word—ambitious—Eilyn didn’t deny it at all.

It was something even she acknowledged.

“An ambitious person would even use love as a stepping stone toward their goals. Relationships formed through love are easier to exploit.”

Marriage or engagement was a political strategy often used not just among nobility but even between kingdoms. Forming connections under the pretext of love and gaining advantages was what love meant to Eilyn.

“No matter how much you permit, unless it’s a baron’s title or exceptional wealth or bloodline from a family of magicians, you wouldn’t form a bond with anyone, would you?”

Though he spoke with certainty, giving her every opportunity to deny it, Eilyn simply smiled and listened to his words.

“…Impressive. I thought you were just a young boy, but it seems an old sage slumbers within you.”

[How did she know? As expected of Kallen’s descendant.]

In this delicate situation, Leonardo felt the pain as if salt and sand were being rubbed into a wound, but he barely managed to maintain his composure.

“But if I persuade you in a different way, the story might change.”

As she said this, she handed him a large envelope. At first, he thought it was money, but to his surprise, the envelope contained various photos and documents.

“This is…”

“The Tempeius family should never be affiliated with the Magic Tower. If magic goes astray, the Magic Tower can correct it. But if the Magic Tower becomes corrupt, no one but our family can keep it in check.”

Her words were reasonable. In fact, when scandals or accidents occurred within the Magic Tower, the only entity capable of truly influencing it was the Tempeius family.

“I see. A commendable sense of duty and responsibility befitting your status.”

“Those documents also contain issues that our family must take responsibility for.”

As Leonardo examined the documents and photos, he carefully placed them back in the envelope and asked.

“Is it alright for you to show me this?”

“Well… it’s a gamble, but I don’t think I have anything to lose.”

The photos depicted various wizards, and the documents detailed the personal information of those wizards. To elaborate, the crimes and corrupt activities of those individuals were meticulously recorded.

“Are such activities really taking place within the Magic Tower?”

[…You’re a natural-born swindler. How can you lie so effortlessly?]

Since you’re an accomplice, Sage, you should stay quiet.

“That’s the reason I came to the Magic Tower. Within about a week, the Masters of the Magic Tower and wizards connected to various families contacted me. Then they reported these corrupt activities and crimes.”

“…On such a large scale? How…?”

In truth, the answer was a secret that everyone present knew.

“It’s thanks to the Sage’s Legacy, the Pendant of Truth and Fact, which you found.”

That was Leo’s plan. Although he hadn’t expected things to spiral out of control so quickly, this situation wasn’t unfavorable to him at all.

“By publicly displaying the pendant in the exhibition hall, I was able to supplement the insufficient evidence. It’s quite a remarkable coincidence.”

“…This is… overwhelming. I simply wanted to make the Sage’s Legacy known to the world…”

The Sage’s gaze from the side felt cold and piercing, but Leonardo continued the conversation calmly.

“Is that so? I thought you were the mastermind behind this situation.”

If he thought her deduction was accurate, he would be falling into her trap.

“I understand your suspicion, but I’d like to know why you’re so certain. Why is that?”

It was because Leo had both the confidence and the time to spare.

“First, the timing of your arrival coincides with the gathering of evidence, and the fact that you installed the pendant in the exhibition hall as a public facility is suspicious.”

Indeed, it was a valid point to consider. It wouldn’t be strange if he became a suspect.

“However… gathering this evidence would require a significant investigation. Even the Tempeius family and the Magic Tower missed these corrupt activities.”

The logic was still lacking.

“Moreover, if I were truly the mastermind behind this plan, there’s one thing I would need to consider.”

Leo had a decisive alibi.

“To undertake this risk and orchestrate such an incident, there must be something I stand to gain.”

A lack of motive.

“I have no motive.”

The reason she still only considered Leo within the scope of speculation wasn’t due to his ability to gather evidence or how he obtained the Sage’s Legacy.

The purpose and benefit Leonardo would gain from this calculated and complex act were unclear, and it was for this reason that Eilyn sought to confirm her suspicion in this way.

“…As expected, such a light trick won’t work.”

“It sounds as if you’re saying I’m the true culprit.”

The reason Leo acted like this was purely because he had seen the future as a regressor and was taking these actions accordingly.

From her perspective, as someone living in the present, it was an area she couldn’t understand or even speculate about.

“…In truth, the terms ‘culprit’ and ‘criminal’ don’t sit well with me. After all, it’s ambiguous to even call this an act of crime.”

In fact, he had uncovered and helped investigate crimes in the surrounding area, so from the perspective of the Magic Tower and the families, it was something they were grateful for.

“But impressive. To think you’d be able to so quickly dismantle the flaws in my reasoning.”

“Understanding each other’s positions is the foundation of communication and reasoning.”

Ariasphil, who had been listening to this conversation from afar, appeared bewildered.

‘…What are they talking about…?’

The flow of the situation was so complex that, having suddenly intruded, she couldn’t fully grasp the high-level conversation.

Unaware of Ariasphil’s confusion, Leo wiped the moisture off his hands with a napkin.

“Thank you for the kind evaluation. I’ve learned something from this beneficial duel and conversation.”

Just as he was about to leave,

Thud

“That’s why you’re even more of a loss to me.”

Eilyn grabbed Leo’s wrist.

“If you were a noble, even if from a fallen family, we would have found a way to establish ties with our family. Marriage? That would be trivial.”

A young girl observing from a distance was expressing all sorts of resentment at such boldness, but since she was too far away, no one noticed.

“But unfortunately, you’re not.”

With a slight exertion of force, she had him sit back down.

“So, let me make you a proposal. What if I could make you a noble?”

Leonardo seemed taken aback by the proposal, his words slightly trembling.

“…Are you suggesting conferring a title? No matter how influential the Tempeius family is, that would be difficult to achieve and could result in significant backlash.”

“How quaint of you.”

She said this as she handed him another set of documents. Leo examined them to clear up his doubts.

“…These people are…”

“Inheriting a title is closer to passing down a family relationship than pure bloodline.”

The documents contained details about unmarried wizards and those who had lost their children or were unable to have any due to accidents.

“If a noble family, especially a wizarding family, were to adopt you, what would your status become?”

It wasn’t a difficult question.

Even Ariasphil, who couldn’t follow the conversation, could answer that much.

“But I already have parents. Though there are circumstances…”

“I’ve thought of a way around that as well. It may seem rude to you, but I’m prepared to say it.”

She gently sipped her tea before continuing.

“If you accept the adoption proposal, the full intelligence and technological power of the Tempeius family will be mobilized to find your parents.”

The magic of the Tempeius family was on par with that of the Magic Tower, especially in the realm of investigations, where they were nearly unmatched in tracking and searching.

Leonardo felt a slight tremor in his hands.

Was it because he hadn’t been able to find his mother’s body even in his past life? Or was it because, deep down, he wanted to believe in his mother’s survival?

Leo himself didn’t want to delve into the reason.

“Even if you choose not to establish ties with our family.”

Arias couldn’t feel jealousy or even anger at those words.

Eilyn’s proposal was so weighty that the act of her own love became utterly insignificant.

Ariasphil could only remain in despairing silence.