The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 74

The Saint

After a period of sobbing and tears passed, and everyone had calmed down to some extent.

“Uh… um…”

Leo, the one who had quietly observed the scene, slowly opened his mouth.

“…Ah… I see. Rely on me anytime.”

Though appreciated, that wasn’t the reason he spoke up.

“Actually, I wanted to ask about the sword Aria held at the end…”

Finally, the others shifted the conversation, wiping away their teary expressions. It struck Leo anew that these crybabies were the descendants of the hero Reinhardt.

“That sword… you probably guessed it, but it’s the Holy Sword.”

As expected. There was no other sword that possessed such powerful and divine energy aside from the Holy Sword.

[But the Holy Sword flew to her during the duel? Did that happen before too?]

In her previous life, Aria had drawn the Holy Sword in a completely traditional manner, just like the heroes of the past.

When she turned exactly twenty, a priest who had received a divine revelation came to appoint her as the hero, accompanied by a Holy Knight.

After a year of training at the temple, Aria drew the sword from the place where it was enshrined in Reinhardt.

[The fact that she finished temple training in just one year already isn’t exactly normal.]

[Ah, then I’ll allow it.]

An explanation involving Ariasphil was always convincing.

However, to Leonardo, this current situation was an unexpected twist.

It was hard to understand why Aria, who hadn’t undergone any training, had been chosen by the Holy Sword five years earlier than in the original timeline.

What made it even stranger was that she hadn’t drawn the sword herself—rather, the Holy Sword had flown into her hand on its own.

[Just accept it because it’s Aria.]

In this all-encompassing way, Leo and the Sage seemed to come to an understanding. Above all else, it was because it was Aria.

“Then… was there some kind of oracle or prophecy?”

In response to Leo’s question, Family Head Gladio nodded.

“The temple contacted us. Strictly speaking, they reached out right after the Holy Sword was drawn.”

[…Right after the Holy Sword was drawn? Is the god losing it? Coming in after the fact.]

A certain invisible spirit made a blasphemous remark, but no one reacted. It was just the rambling of a spirit on the verge of death, after all.

“So, is a priest from the temple coming as well?”

“…Yes. The temple has already sent someone.”

There was only one person that came to mind who could receive a revelation about the Holy Sword.

“The Saint…”

“Yes, to be precise, the saint candidate, Lumine Angelus, is coming.”

Lumine Angelus.

The current saint candidate and, in the previous life, the priest who eventually became the true saint.

“Do you know them, Leo?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard rumors.”

Rumors were an understatement. After Aria’s death, Lumine was the one who provided the most help.

[Do you know them well?]

Even when Leo was gravely injured, they treated him without a word of complaint. They never revealed their position or information, and at times, they even ventured into dangerous areas to assist.

[“Didn’t you receive help from the family?”]

<“More like, I couldn’t.”>

In that situation, receiving help from the Reinhardt family was simply impossible.

[“Why? Were you doing things on your own again because of guilt…”]

<“Because I slaughtered the entire Council of Elders.”>

[“…Huh… What?”]

When Leo saw Aria’s death, he was so consumed by rage that he began killing everyone involved one by one.

The old men of the Council of Elders were among them.

<“…I don’t think it was the right thing to do, but… I paid the price for it.”>

Not only was he unable to receive help from the Reinhardt family, but Leo also became the subject of a nationwide manhunt, pursued by knights and bounty hunters.

[“…So, you kneel in front of the people you killed and offer them water, just like that?”]

<“If I did that, I’d have to prostrate myself to every passerby… And honestly, I don’t feel that guilty when I think of those old men from the Council.”>

To be honest, if guilt were the issue, he’d feel it more towards his family members. Those old men holed up in the backroom of the Council deserved worse than what they got.

[“You’re terrifying…!”]

<“Since when have I ever been obedient and docile?”>

[“That’s true.”]

Leo had no intention of forgetting his sins, but he also had no desire to be shackled to the past. After all, forgetting one’s sins would only bind you, and clinging to the past would force you to turn a blind eye to fear.

“…So, what kind of person is this Saint?”

Perhaps curious, Aria cautiously asked. The Sage, also intrigued, listened attentively.

“…Hmm… They say she’s like an angel. In many ways.”

“…Like an angel?”

“That’s quite an accurate summary. When I first saw her, I thought an angel had descended.”

“Oh, right! There was that time when my aunt threw a fit at the temple, demanding why she couldn’t wield the Holy Sword…”

Crack.

Running his mouth carelessly came with the price of getting his airway crushed momentarily. Leo thought he should offer his condolences to Rios later.

“…If she’s like an angel… then she must be beautiful, right?”

Ariasphil muttered “angel” a few times under her breath before subtly asking about the Saint’s appearance. Was Ariasphil, after all, still a woman with such interests?

“Yes, I’ve seen her in the newspaper once… She’s truly beautiful.”

“She really is like an angel. I’ve heard she’s kind-hearted and has an admirable character.”

“…I see. So, she’s beautiful and kind-hearted, huh…?”

What is this? Why does it feel so chilly?

There seemed to be a faint trace of malice and resentment in Aria’s smile.

[“She’s jealous.”]

<“…Jealous? Of what?”>

Why would she suddenly be jealous? Of Lumine, no less?

[“If you understood that, none of this would be happening. In many ways.”]

I still didn’t understand what she was talking about.

I didn’t know why she would feel jealousy, let alone over the Saint.

<“If you meet her, I’m sure your thoughts will change. Lumine is truly a good person.”>

[“Well, I just hope there’s no swordplay with the Holy Sword when you do.”]

It was a laughable statement. How could one kill a Saint with a Holy Sword?

‘No way… that can’t be true…’

But why did this lingering sense of unease remain?

He wanted to believe that it was just because he was exhausted from his injuries. He had to think that way.

* * *

Time passed, and word came that the Saint had arrived nearby.

Unlike the people from the family who always showed up unexpectedly, the fact that he gave them time to prepare seemed to show a small part of his consideration.

Given who the guest was, they had to wait in the front garden of the mansion to receive him properly.

[Is he really that kind? I swear, these so-called priests and righteous types always act like hypocrites, putting on airs.]

The Sage, still unable to form a proper body, sent his voice telepathically, echoing in his head, trying to engage in conversation.

Leo thought to himself how nice it would have been if the Sage was always like this, but he decided to answer the question first.

For Leo, whose heart had become twisted from his mercenary life and many hardships, typical talk about ethics and morality seemed like nothing but empty nonsense.

He realized this not long after they first met and had a meal together at a restaurant.

The hot soup poured all over her, causing minor burns, and the broken shards flew and cut her skin.

Even in a situation where it wouldn’t have been strange for her to get angry, Lumine…

That much was common courtesy, but what came next went beyond kindness and was astonishing.

All while maintaining a gentle, saintly expression, without a single frown.

[That’s not just kindness, that’s creepy.]

On their way back after finishing the meal, Leo overheard the waiter and his group talking. Despite Lumine’s mercy, they showed no sign of remorse and continued spewing nonsense.

– Ah… because of that woman earlier, I got scolded by the manager. My paycheck’s going to be docked…

– Hey, that’s how priests are, right? A couple of nice words and everyone worships them.

– And she’s rich, but didn’t even leave a tip… unbelievable…

– Still, didn’t she look kinda hot? Maybe we should ask her out later…

-‘Oh, wow. Just the kind of thing you deserve to get smacked for.’

And they got smacked, hard.

While Leo was busy “reshaping” their faces as payment for their nonsense, Lumine came over to the alley after hearing the commotion.

[And then, did he say something like, ‘I’m such a saint’?]

[…What…?]

To be precise, he treated them after the beating. He understood their anger and desire for punishment, so he told Leo to go ahead and hit them as much as he wanted. Since he would heal them anyway, there was no need to worry about them reporting it later, so they could comfortably enjoy the process.

[…Wow, for a priest, he’s quite something.]

Leo could understand, though, since Lumine was in a religious position. Sometimes, he even said he received revelations that way.

[So, opposites really do attract, huh?]

The Sage was clearly being sarcastic, but it didn’t bother Leo. In fact, Leo agreed to a certain extent.

If Leo had learned manners and dignity from Alfred, he could say he learned humanity and ethics from Lumine.

[…Wait, are you into him? Is that why Arias treats you coldly?]

<…Pardon? I do like him, yes.>

Leo liked Lumine in a human sense, but not in a romantic or sexual way. After all, he couldn’t imagine that sort of relationship with someone who was a dedicated priest. He didn’t even know if such a thing was possible.

[…Is he a man?]

The Sage, thoroughly misunderstanding the explanation so far, asked again, flustered.

Despite his saintly title and appearance that often caused confusion, Lumine Angelus was, without a doubt, a man.

[…What the…? Usually, isn’t it a Saintess, not a Saint?]

Of course, even among the Saints, Lumine was particularly exceptional.

Come to think of it, there must have been temples and thus Saints or Saintesses even during the Sage’s era. Maybe he had some interesting connections or stories…

[She was crazy.]

Right. Leo hadn’t expected much.

[I’m not just insulting her. She was truly insane. A fanatical masochist…]

At that moment, the sound of a trumpet echoed. As it played in the background, the gates of the mansion opened, and a modest carriage entered.

As the simple carriage entered, everyone slightly relaxed their guard. After a Holy Knight stepped down from the carriage and opened the door, someone inside began to emerge.

“…Wings?”

One of the knights muttered in surprise as he saw wings protruding from the carriage. The white feathers and light gleam made it clear they were wings, not arms.

Soon, the owner of those wings fully stepped out of the carriage.

“Welcome, Saint Lumine Angelus.”

He had long golden hair that reached down to his neck, eyes that sparkled like emeralds, and, most notably, wings that extended naturally from his back.

“Ah, hello, Lord Gladio. Since I am still just a candidate, you don’t need to use such a heavy title for me.”

Despite the stares directed at his wings, Lumine smiled politely and greeted the head of the Reinhardt family and the knights with a composed demeanor.

“Is he… really an angel…?”

Even Ariasphil seemed surprised, looking back and forth between Lumine and his wings.

“He appears to be an avian beastman.”

“Avian… you mean, like a bird beastman?”

“Yes, it’s similar to what happened with Dean.”

While wolf beastmen like Dean were the most well-known, there were also rarer types of beastmen, such as reptilian or avian ones, like lizardmen or harpies.

Lumine had been born as a beastman due to atavism—a rare case where the traits of a distant ancestor reappeared in him.

[…What is this… why…]

The Sage looked shocked, as if he’d seen an impossible contradiction.

In fact, Leo had also been shocked when he first learned Lumine was a man. He only found out because they had gone to the bathroom together.

[Why is she here…!]

<…What?>

Leonardo looked around. There was no one in the mansion that the Sage hadn’t seen, so the person who had shocked him must have been one of the outsiders with the carriage.

It didn’t seem like Lumine was the one causing the reaction, so the only other person left was the Holy Knight accompanying him. It must be that Holy Knight…

[No, not him! The one with wings!!]

<…You know Lumine? How…?>

[Not him! I’m talking about the other one…!! The one with a terrible personality!!]

How could someone be identified by having a “terrible personality”? More importantly, the only person with wings here was Lumine.

[Close your eyes. You probably can’t see her, so I’ll show you.]

<…What? Uh, okay…>

Leo obediently closed his eyes and waited for the Sage to give the signal.

[Open them.]

Poke.

What he saw when he opened his eyes were two ghostly fingers.

Even though it was normally impossible to touch a spirit, Leo could definitely feel something poking his eyes. Then, a sharp pain accompanied the sensation of his eyes being squished.

“Aaaaagh!! My eyes…!! My eyes…!! Aaaah…!!”

That crazy old Sage…!!

“Leo?!”

“Are you alright?! Did your injuries flare up?!”

Hearing Leo’s screams, the members of the family rushed over, and Lumine, also a priest, hurried to his side.

“Are you okay? Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

Lumine pried open Leo’s eyelids and examined them.

“N-no, it’s just, all of a sudden…”

In that moment, despite the pain, something else came into Leo’s view.

Not only wings but, unlike Lumine, this figure also had a golden halo hovering above their head, as if…

[…That’s a Saintess. The one I met over 300 years ago.]

<…A Saintess?>

How could a Saintess, who had died hundreds of years ago, be here?

[Angela Lucipher. The crazy woman I mentioned earlier.]

Standing next to Lumine was the Saintess who had become an angel.