The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 80: Revelation-3

“…What do you mean!?”

“Just as I said. Once married, most of the issues will be resolved.”

Who was at fault here? Was it his fault for coming along? Or was it the lunatic who designed the familiar’s intelligence to rival that of the guardian in the cave? Or perhaps, the idiot who went crazy for pure love, spouting nonsense about marriage, being submissive during the day and dominant at night, and even SM?

It was likely that all these factors combined had ruined the situation.

“Ain’s father, yelling at a child isn’t good for their upbringing.”

Ariasphil couldn’t contain the overwhelming happiness she felt from Ain’s unexpected retort.

“Who’s Ain’s father!? You shouldn’t go along with these jokes!”

Her reaction only seemed to amuse Ariasphil more, as she chuckled and sat beside Ain.

“Our dear Ain, it’s a little disappointing you don’t call me ‘Mom’ right away, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry. But Father instructed me to be careful with terms of address, so I had no choice.”

“Oh, really~! Our Ain has worked so hard…!”

As she said this, Ariasphil wrapped her arms around Ain and gently brushed his hair back.

“Still, calling me ‘Ariasphil-nim’ is a bit too formal, don’t you think? How about calling me ‘sister’ instead?”

Was it just an illusion, or could he actually hear the sound of their family tree being scrambled?

“Hmm… ‘Sister’ is certainly a term that can be used for an older woman, so it seems fine.”

“Exactly!! Then next time, let’s aim for you to call me ‘Mom’!”

“Yes, Arias-sister.”

At the sound of that title, Ariasphil’s face lit up with joy, and she rubbed her cheek against Ain’s emotionless face. The desires she once harbored for Leo when he was a child were now being fulfilled in an entirely different way, doubling the happiness she felt.

“Arias-sister, Father is trying to sneak away unnoticed due to the pressure. Should I stop him?”

Ain pointed to Leonardo, who was slowly inching his way toward the side of the sofa.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“…I was just… heading to the bathroom for a moment…”

“Hold it.”

Her tone was gentle yet firm.

“…Excuse me? But, no matter what, that’s…”

“Or, since we’re all family here, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about…”

“I’ll hold it.”

He saw her offering him a water bottle and decided he didn’t want to think any further.

“Our Ain, do you prefer a younger brother or a younger sister?”

Before anyone realized it, the conversation had already moved forward on the assumption of marriage.

“Considering the gender ratio, I think a younger brother would be better. But that’s something difficult to control, so it’s not something to worry about too much.”

“You’re thinking about me? How sweet! Our Ain is so thoughtful!!”

Ariasphil couldn’t help but feel good, not only because Ain’s wishes aligned with hers regarding wanting a younger brother, but also because his thoughtfulness touched her.

“Um… no matter how you look at it, marriage is…”

“Leo, I know this might be hard to hear, but… How did you feel when Father wasn’t around?”

At her sudden change in tone, Leo stammered as he answered.

“…It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling, was it…?”

It couldn’t even compare to how he felt when he lost his mother, but it still wasn’t a good feeling. It had made him mature earlier than expected, and he had deliberately suppressed any childish urges.

“Would you want Ain to grow up without a father!?”

Why was the conversation heading in that direction?

More importantly, how could Ain, who had been preserved for hundreds of years as part of the Sage’s Legacy, be referred to as a child? While not entirely wrong, wasn’t that too much of a convenient interpretation?

“Or could it be that Father enjoys watching someone else be with Mother, deriving pleasure from it…?”

“No!!”

He wasn’t that insane. While it might be right to let her be with a good man, that wasn’t something he enjoyed in such a twisted way.

“…Then, I’d like to hear the reason why you’re rejecting marriage.”

“That’s because…”

“Relationally, Father is the person with the deepest bond with Arias-sister.”

Well, that was true…

“But I’m not even a noble!”

“Considering your achievements—developing mana refinement techniques, defeating numerous dark wizards and demons, excavating all of the Sage’s Legacy, developing unique magic, and even defeating the Master of the Blue Tower—status seems meaningless. Plus, there’s always the option of being granted a title or being adopted into a noble family, so it’s worth considering.”

Why did he feel like he was being outmaneuvered by his own child? Was this what people meant when they said parents can’t win against their children?

“Also, marriage as a personal knight…”

“Historically, there are many such cases. Even those who accomplished less than you often married the daughters of local lords, noble families, or even royalty.”

“But they were all nobles…”

“That overlaps with what we discussed earlier. Should I repeat it for you?”

He should have asked for a lawyer to defend himself at this rate. Ain was better at making arguments than most of the Magic Tower Masters.

“…But… that…”

“For your information, based on the observations I made while briefly in the Magic Tower, Father doesn’t seem to have any abnormal sexual desires. You appear to dislike women who show interest in you or men who try to court you. The fact that you don’t show any lust even when looking at me is proof of that.”

Now, this was starting to get creepy. It seemed like Ain had dug into every aspect of his personal life, all just to figure out if he had any particular fetishes.

“And the way you tied my hair just now is similar to the knotted style Arias-sister used to give me. Was that entirely unintentional?”

“Isn’t it~? Why could that be~? It’s exactly the same!”

How did it come to this? All he wanted was to keep up with Ariasphil, but before he knew it, he had ended up with a sly young lady and a daughter. The problem was, he was still a virgin.

“That’s not the issue here. Above all, what do you think the Reinhardt family will say if they see this?”

“If that’s the concern, don’t worry.”

Ain rummaged through his gray robe and pulled out a small note.

“…What’s this?”

“It’s a telegram from Sir Rios. He sent it to me with instructions to show it to you if the conversation went this way.”

“…Let me see.”

[Brother, I’m currently brainstorming ways to pin you down so you don’t resign from the family again. I’ve come up with an idea—I’m pushing to get you and Arias engaged, so don’t worry and just go through with it…]

The sound of crackling fire magic filled the air as the absurdity and nonsense of the message were reduced to ashes.

“I have spare copies. It seems he prepared plenty of them just in case.”

“…Ha…”

He felt like he was going to lose his mind. He had barely managed to deal with the Sage, and now even the Sage’s familiar was tormenting him.

“I don’t understand. Why are you so opposed to this? Please explain your reasons.”

“…Give me a moment to think. And Ain, don’t forget the real reason you’re here. Depending on the decision of the temple, your fate will be determined.”

Leo grabbed Ain’s hand and walked out of the room.

“I’ll head out first.”

“Alright. Think it over. Ain’s da—”

Bang!

Whether from anger or embarrassment, Leonardo slammed the door shut as he stepped outside.

“Are you angry, by any chance?”

“Where did that optimistic assumption come from?”

“I learned it from you, Father.”

Suddenly, Leo began to understand, even just a little, why his mother had never returned home. The moment he saw this child, who had figuratively (and maybe literally) drained the life out of him, he felt like he finally understood.

“…Ha… You heard my situation, right? The Sage vouched for me too.”

At least the silver lining was that the Sage couldn’t hear this conversation. If he had been here, Leo would have been roasted for over a year.

“I’m aware.”

“Ain… if you know, then…! Try to understand a little… I’m in a difficult spot here.”

“I can’t understand, which is why I’m doing this.”

Ain explained his thoughts with an expressionless face.

“The things that happened before the regression weren’t your fault, Father.”

“…”

Leo was momentarily speechless. He couldn’t tell whether it was because he had been scolded by someone who shared his blood or because Ain looked exactly like Ariasphil when he said it, offering comfort in the same way.

“…It’s not like I want to be like this. But…”

He had never had nightmares.

When he dreamed, everything from those days resurfaced one by one. He scattered the blood-soaked remains across a hill devoid of light, using blades as gravestones.

Good or evil didn’t matter—he killed everything.

Anything that could be a threat to the world was cut down without question.

Whether they were enemies or allies, it didn’t matter.

Whether they were victims or perpetrators, it was meaningless.

He didn’t seek understanding because he had abandoned any desire to be understood.

Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, he thought that if he could maintain the world’s existence, it would be worthwhile.

That’s what he wanted to believe.

But the battle never ended, and maintaining the world’s existence was merely a stalling tactic.

Some called him a demon, a butcher, a dark lord.

Others called him a hero, a savior, a champion.

It made no difference.

People conveniently separated good and evil, but crossing that boundary was simple.

He couldn’t choose to die.

She wanted him to live, and he knew it.

All he could do was wander aimlessly in search of a place to die.

That contradiction was no different from the tantrums of a ten-year-old mercenary.

* * *

“…Anyway, let’s focus on the goal for now… Thinking about what comes after… isn’t really a lie…”

[You’re being utterly ridiculous.]

A familiar voice interrupted him, one he hadn’t heard in years. It belonged to the one who used to spout nonsense, his words seeping into Leo’s mind almost permanently.

[You bastard…! If you do this again…?!]

“Is it already worn out?”

“Father, should we start today as well?”

“We’re busy right now, so let’s wrap it up quickly.”

“Understood.”

Ain threw a punch straight at the Sage.

[Ugh!! Stop it…! You ungrateful brat…!! I created you…!!]

“And then you locked me in an iron coffin for hundreds of years.”

The Sage’s nose bent.

[Guh…!!]

His cheekbones shattered.

[Ack…!]

“And you also took away the guardian, Keter.”

The Sage’s teeth flew out.

[Agh…!!]

“And, I hold no personal grudge.”

Ain landed a few more punches on the Sage’s spirit form, until it turned into smoke and flowed back into Leo’s chest.

Ain hadn’t gone too hard. The Sage would recover his spirit form in a few hours at most.

“I’m sorry for being so half-hearted about it. I was uncertain about how quickly I should handle things.”

“No, thank you as always.”

Ain had grown into a dutiful child. She was great at exorcising troublesome spirits like this, and he was very proud of her.

“…Uh, Leonardo…?”

Had Lumine really just returned from the bathroom? She dried her wet hands with a handkerchief while watching the scene of the beatdown unfold.

{How could they…!}

“How did you do that?!”

Both the former Saint and the current Saint looked equally shocked by the exorcism, though whether their shock came from the same place was unclear.

“It’s simple. I referenced the time when the Sage couldn’t maintain his spirit form after being struck by the Holy Sword and the time when he fought the Saint in close combat to develop a banishing technique.”

As a result, Ain had discovered that if you hit the spirit with a specific frequency of mana, it could interfere with even a unique spiritual entity like the Sage. Once the spirit was severely damaged, it would automatically restore itself with the Sage’s Stone.

Of course, the frequency had to be adjusted depending on the circumstances, and it was too difficult for Leonardo to calculate and fire the necessary waves continuously. That’s why Ain, whose consciousness was linked to his, took care of the calculations and fired off the frequencies.

The important thing was that the restoration process took a considerable amount of time.

{…Why are you looking at me like that, Brother Lumine…?}

Lumine alternated her gaze between Ain and Angela.

“Father, for research purposes, I think we need to verify if this technique works not only on spirit forms but also on entities formed from divine power.”

“Oh, I agree. What do you think, Brother Lumine?”

At that, Lumine smiled sweetly.

And that night, for the first time in years, Lumine slept peacefully.

Ain had grown into such a good child.