The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 79 Revelation – 2

The Training Ground of the Temple

Usually, the paladins would spar or train in swordsmanship here, and the priests would heal their fatigue with prayer techniques, helping to integrate swordsmanship with holy arts.

In such a sacred training ground stood a mage—a man who had never even prayed to a god, let alone embraced divinity.

“Do you think you will be forgiven?!”

It wasn’t that, and he had said so more than ten times already, but the priest hadn’t even bothered to listen to him.

“A familiar with human form and intelligence…! Such blasphemy…!”

Those words were reserved for ancient, evil spirits that deserved to fall into hell.

Though, out of pity, he had allowed the priest to vent his frustration…

“Usually… aren’t those the kinds of things you say after winning?”

The priest and paladins were already lying defeated after losing in a sparring match against Leonardo. Since they couldn’t accept it, furiously claiming it was unfair, a duel had been decided.

“Silence…!! This is not about that…!”

“If it wasn’t about that, then why didn’t you resolve it more peacefully?”

At the sharp rebuke, the devout losers and clergy fell silent. For the record, it was the temple’s people who had suggested the duel and attacked in a group.

‘…I suppose it’s understandable.’

To be frank, he couldn’t entirely blame them for their reaction. A familiar with human form and intelligence was a being that sat precariously on the edge of an ethical gray zone.

‘…But it’s probably best not to bring that up in front of her.’

Even if she was a familiar, she was a child who had only gained intelligence less than a year ago. While she had expressed interest in hearing such remarks, deeming them fascinating, they were far too cruel and likely damaging to her development. So, he had sent her elsewhere for now.

He had assured her he would resolve things within five minutes and told her to explore casually, suggesting that if anyone asked about Ain, she could simply say they were related, like parent and child.

“Ain, where are you?”

In response to his call, a girl in a gray robe came walking from the temple’s outer corridor.

“I am here, Father.”

“That title again…”

At that moment, he felt his hair stand on end. A gaze filled with primal malice and killing intent pierced him. Leo rushed forward, quickly pushing Ain behind him.

“Father?”

“Are you alright!? You’re not hurt, are you?”

As much as he hated to imagine it, he hadn’t expected a priest to harbor true murderous intent toward Ain. Then again, maybe Ain had said something strange to provoke their hostility.

“…Already playing the father, huh?”

“…Ah…”

The source of that killing intent was someone he had longed to see. The person he had missed more than anyone, whom he had been suppressing his desire to visit.

“Congratulations. While some of us were training tirelessly at the temple to become heroes, all thanks to a certain knight’s words, it seems Leonardo was busy spreading his seed. Really impressive.”

It was Ariasphil Reinhardt.

There was no emotional reunion. Only terror enveloped him.

Her tone and words were at complete odds with each other, and her expression clashed with the murderous aura she was emitting. Seeing this, Leonardo could vividly picture his own death.

“It’s not like that…! Guh…!”

Before long, Leonardo’s collar and throat were caught in a tight grip. Ariasphil’s strength had multiplied several times since four years ago.

“Who is the woman?”

Leonardo couldn’t answer. It wasn’t because he wanted to hide the truth; he physically couldn’t speak as his vocal cords were being crushed.

“I asked, who is the woman?! Whose child is this…?! Answer me!”

“It’s yours.”

At those words, Ariasphil, startled, turned around. Ain, perhaps to help explain, had taken off her hood. The ash-gray hair beneath it flowed, revealing Ain’s gender as a girl.

“To be precise, I absorbed the genes from your hair, Ariasphil Reinhardt, and my body was formed using Father’s blood as a catalyst.”

“…Wait… hair… you mean…”

Ariasphil seemed to grasp something as she loosened her grip. Ain’s tied hair, swaying in the breeze, reminded her of an old memory from a promise long ago.

“…Cough… If I explain, it’ll be long… but simply put, Ain is a familiar preserved through the Sage’s Legacy.”

Having barely escaped Ariasphil’s grasp, Leo finally summarized the situation, though his voice remained hoarse, likely from the choking.

* * *

In the quiet reception room of the temple, the silence wasn’t due to the solemn atmosphere but because of the complicated situation.

“May I explain, Father?”

As the silence stretched on, Ain spoke first, perhaps out of consideration.

“…No, I’ll do it. But could you stop calling me ‘Father’ for now?”

“But you said you didn’t like the usual titles familiars use, like ‘Master’ or ‘Lord,’ didn’t you?”

Of course, he didn’t like it. Hearing a young child call him ‘Master’ or ‘Lord’ would make him look like a lunatic.

“…First, I’ll explain why I ended up going to the Magic Tower.”

After Ariasphil left for the temple, Leo set off for the Magic Tower to pursue new training and growth.

In terms of physical ability and martial arts regarding the body and mana core, Leonardo had reached one of the highest peaks, so he didn’t feel the need to invest further.

While researching and training in magic at the tower,

“Ameri and Rios suggested searching for more of the Sage’s Legacy.”

Leonardo had already discovered and acquired parts of the Sage’s Legacy twice before. Considering his track record, it wasn’t difficult for him to find another piece, so he had no reason to refuse.

“We managed to successfully find various legacies…”

He found staves and magical artifacts one by one, but the remaining discovery was a familiar that the Sage had created and preserved.

“That’s how we found Ain.”

It was such a concise explanation that Lumine raised her hand in confusion.

“But then, why does Ain call Sir Leo ‘Father’? Normally, wouldn’t she consider the Sage her parent?”

That was indeed a reasonable question, but there was an even bigger mystery—where was the Sage? Normally, his spiritual form would manifest when they spoke of him, but it was nowhere to be seen.

“…Well…”

At that time, the familiar had been hidden in the Magic Tower’s library. Normally, entry to such a place wouldn’t be granted so easily, but due to Leo’s reputation and Rios’ family influence, the Masters of the Magic Tower had allowed him temporary access to the library for a set period.

‘Then how did you hide it?’

[The structure hasn’t changed? Then this’ll be easy.]

Leo used the Sage’s words like an answer key to uncover the hidden space in the library. There was a secret mechanism where placing magic books in a specific order would unlock a hidden door behind the bookshelf.

As he walked into the space behind the bookshelf, what he found was a massive, solid-looking iron chamber. In shape, it resembled a cylindrical tube.

“…Opening it wasn’t the problem…”

The issue came after it was opened. Inside the chamber wasn’t a familiar in human form like now, but a liquid-like creature that resembled slime.

“And then it suddenly latched onto my body, absorbing my blood and flesh…”

‘Get out now!! I’ll buy time while we call for backup!!’

‘Are you sure you’ll be okay?! At this rate…!’

‘It’s just like Leonardo said! If you use the map, you can move quickly!’

At those words, Ameri and Rios immediately left to call for reinforcements. Even if one of them stayed behind, getting stuck with this liquid monster would only cause more harm, so this was the best decision.

‘Damn it…! Get off of me…!!’

-[Hmm… It seems like its physical data is missing.]

While Leonardo was actively losing body fluids, the Sage nonchalantly analyzed the situation, which was maddening.

‘Then what do I do?!’

‘You just need to provide cells and mana components for its data. At this rate, both of you will just collapse in a mess.’

Just as Leo realized things might get a bit dangerous, the liquid familiar suddenly slithered into his clothes and consumed a lock of Ariasphil’s hair stored in a leather pouch.

“At the time, I reacted to strong life energy. I sensed intense mana and vitality from that hair.”

After consuming the lock of hair, the liquid familiar began to take on a human shape.

[…Absorption of genetic material complete. Initiating restoration of intelligence and physical form.]

Like clay being sculpted, the once-liquid creature gradually shaped itself into a human form, starting from the head down to the feet, and eventually opened its mouth.

-‘I ask you, are you the one who awakened me?’

When reinforcements arrived, all they found was a naked girl and Leonardo staring at her.

“…So that’s how Sir Leo became the father and Lady Ariasphil became the mother.”

Since the familiar’s body was created by combining both of their biological materials, such a conclusion made sense.

“I was formed from the combination of both of their components.”

“And that’s when things got complicated.”

Even when they questioned the Sage, his response was a carefree “I don’t know” attitude, completely shattering their patience. He hadn’t anticipated things turning out this way either.

Unlike the Sage’s era, the current times had strict regulations regarding familiars, especially intelligent artificial lifeforms.

“So… you came to the temple to get approval?”

“That’s right. We also needed to conduct a full physical examination.”

The Magic Tower was indeed the best institution for studying the body with magic, but when it came to life and ethics, the temple held more authority than the tower.

“…And there was also the need to report this to Lady Arias.”

For now, they had tightly sworn Rios and Ameri to secrecy. Since Ain inherited part of the Reinhardt bloodline, her existence couldn’t be thought of separately from the family.

“…Sorry…”

“…Cute. So, she really is our child?”

Just as Leonardo was about to apologize for the situation, Ariasphil broke into a mischievous smile, beginning to enjoy the circumstances.

And how could she not? After all, Ain was a daughter biologically connected to both Leo and Arias—a child with their very own blood.

With this revelation, Ariasphil realized that her plans for their future as a couple might have just gotten easier.

“Should I have her call me ‘Mom’ then? What do you think, Ain?”

With a playful glint in her eye, Ariasphil asked. Seeing Leo’s embarrassed, reddened face reassured her that her knight was still the same as ever.

“No, I refuse.”

Ain’s response was immediate, her words sharp and clear, like a machine making a precise cut.

“…What… you refuse?”

The atmosphere turned chilly, and even Ariasphil, who had thrown out the joke, seemed taken aback.

“Yes, I refuse.”

“…But earlier, didn’t you call me ‘Mom’…?”

“Biologically speaking, you are in the position of my mother. I do not intend to deny that. However, as far as a bond is concerned, I do not consider you my mother.”

In short, Ain was saying, You may have birthed me, but you don’t deserve to call yourself my parent. Ariasphil, now slightly irritated, forced a smile and asked again.

“Could you… tell me why?”

“Yes, I’ll explain,” Ain replied, cutting her off, as if she had been waiting for the opportunity.

“I’ll start by contrasting why I consider Sir Leonardo my father.”

Even Leonardo looked thoroughly perplexed at this point.

“I am not, by nature, Leonardo’s child. If the mere mixture of blood and genetics were enough to establish and maintain familial ties, then the concept of orphans wouldn’t exist.”

That statement seemed to hit close to home for Leo, and even Lumine, who stood nearby, couldn’t help but agree with Ain’s logic.

“However, Sir Leonardo took responsibility for me.”

“Responsibility? That’s… not such a big deal…”

“As my father, you faced the Masters of the Magic Tower, spent several days discussing my fate, and when the vote ended in a tie, you dueled the Blue Tower Master to guarantee my safety. While that may seem trivial to you, to me, it was a significant risk and an act of devotion, whether or not you wish to downplay it.”

Lumine, Ariasphil, and even the angels present blinked, looking back and forth between Leonardo and Ain.

“…You had discussions? For days?”

“…Well… it wasn’t exactly a simple matter.”

“If the opposing side had won the debate, I would have been bound to the Magic Tower, subjected to countless experiments—being broken down, reconstructed, and analyzed—until my existence was revealed to the temple. Even I thought their argument had merit to some degree.”

While Leonardo tried to brush the issue aside, Ain was not shy about revealing the uncomfortable truth beneath the surface.

“But Sir Leonardo spoke to me before going into those debates.”

‘If you’re scared but admit it, I’ll think about it. But if you don’t understand what’s scary and just agree, that’s plain foolish. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.’

“And after that, my father used every means at his disposal to protect my life and existence. He managed information carefully to avoid bringing harm to the family, meaning he had to solve most of the problems on his own.”

Leonardo thoroughly read all the historical facts and research papers on familiars, reviewing legal precedents, writings, records, and legends about familiars by the Sage. He was looking for ways to turn the situation to his advantage, and in fact, he succeeded.

“I asked because I couldn’t understand the emotion.”

‘Why did you claim ownership of me?’

‘You have to survive first to think about various things.’

‘But I’m not alive.’

‘Alive… Do you know? Just a few years ago, spirits weren’t considered sentient beings, and if you go back a few decades, neither slaves nor beastkin were even treated as humans.’

‘Yes, I am aware.’

‘Then perhaps, one day, you too might be regarded as a living being.’

‘That’s a logical, but overly optimistic conclusion. And it’s not a direct reason to protect me.’

‘…You weren’t formed solely from my blood. I can’t make the decision on my own.’

‘Ah, it was someone else who gave the cells, then. That makes this behavior understandable. Who might it be?’

– ‘…The most special person to me. Thanks to them, I came to understand what it means to barely be alive.’

At that moment, both of their faces flushed red. The innocence of a child had embarrassed both a newly adult young man and a maiden.

“…Then wouldn’t it be okay if I called Lady Ariasphil ‘Mother’?”

Lumine, who had been listening to this awkward and somewhat embarrassing conversation with a serious demeanor, cautiously asked.

“Before coming here, I absorbed the knowledge of this era through the library of the Magic Tower and conversations with the people in our group.”

Leonardo knew that too. They had fine-tuned it through discussions with Ameri, himself, and Rios, based on the common sense learned from books.

Thanks to that, at least the minimum level of social skills had been established.

“As a result, I found that Lady Ariasphil is not yet qualified to be called ‘Mother.’”

“…Not yet…?”

The word “yet”… in other words…

“From what I’ve gathered, an ideal couple loves each other. Based on the conversations I’ve heard so far, it seems that the two of you love each other quite enough. The only problem is that there’s a bit of obsessive attachment due to an excess of affection, but that seems like a light issue compared to neglect or abuse. In fact, I concluded it could be seen as more of a personality trait.”

With her face turning red, Lumine suddenly made an excuse that she urgently needed to use the restroom and quickly left the room.

“And I’ve also heard that there are occasional instances of violence between Lady Ariasphil and Sir Leonardo.”

That was indeed true. Although neither had intended to kill or seriously harm the other, their actions carried their own reasons and significance.

“But from what I’ve found, this isn’t out of hatred or some self-justifying form of love. In fact, when Lady Ariasphil thought Sir Leonardo had irresponsibly fathered a child and had a partner, she only stopped at choking him.”

Choking someone is still quite extreme, but considering their strength, it hadn’t been particularly dangerous.

“Summing up all the information so far, breaking his neck wouldn’t have been difficult. Based on what Sir Rios mentioned, I believe this is a form of the ‘submissive during the day, dominant at night’ or ‘SM’ relationship. That’s probably why Sir Leonardo didn’t retaliate.”

For some reason, the murderous intent toward Rios from the two soon-to-be parents escalated. It was an entirely natural reaction.

“The main issue here is that despite this relationship, the two of you are not lovers, nor are you married. In that case, I can be considered Sir Leonardo’s adopted daughter, but I cannot be Lady Ariasphil’s daughter.”

Leonardo wasn’t the only one who felt that the flow of the conversation had taken a strange turn.

“So, in order for us to be mother and daughter, the two of you must get married. According to common knowledge, marriage is the usual culmination of love. I’d also appreciate it if you’d consider having a sibling for me in the future.”

At that moment, Ariasphil thought to herself.

This must be what filial piety feels like.