The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 33

Three Weeks of Leave

“Ha… So, to summarize it simply…”

1. Leo explained everything that had happened so far and what occurred after he started working for the family in his letter.
2. But when introducing Aria, there were some phrases that could easily be misunderstood.
3. Because of that, the people of Doron Village ended up thinking that Leo and Aria were a couple.

“…That’s about right?”

“Yeah. Everyone in the village thinks that now.”

When he thought about it, the things people said a year ago did seem a bit odd. It must have been why Dean and the village chief had smirked in that peculiar way back then.

[You… Are you really that oblivious? Normally, you’d have realized it when you visited a year ago.]

<…Don’t just say it’s my fault. There were a lot of things to talk about back then.>

The misunderstanding about Aria was quite a hot topic, but even more so was the fact that he had returned to the village after several years. That alone was a topic that could be drawn out for about 10 years.

And since he had only stayed in the village for about two hours, there hadn’t been much time to catch up.

“Miss, could you say something too? This is awkward for you as well.”

Ariasphil had always maintained a neutral expression as her default. After the regression, she had become someone who smiled more often, but unless something genuinely happy occurred, her lips wouldn’t budge.

“Huh? What… did you say? Huh…”

But now, she was smiling way too much. She was even letting out little breaths of laughter between her words.

The expression “a smile reaching the ears” seemed to exist just for Aria at this moment.

Though she was stunningly beautiful, the gap from his past life made his skin crawl.

[…I don’t know. Maybe you used your Joke Assassin skill or something.]

[…Sigh…]

He didn’t understand why he was the one feeling embarrassed, but the Sage was the one letting out a frustrated sigh.

At this point, he couldn’t tell if the world had gone mad, or if he himself had gone crazy.

“…Anyway, I need to go and clarify this immediately.”

He needed to set the record straight before it was too late.

“But are you really not dating her?”

“No, I’m not. And how could I even date a lady like her?”

Leo’s status was that of a commoner.

Not even a wealthy farmer, just someone who had barely managed to become a knight after starting out as a mere mercenary.

The idea that he could be in a relationship with Ariasphil, a lady from a hero’s family, was absurd. If the head of the family, Marquen, or anyone else in the world heard about it, they wouldn’t leave him in peace.

“Yeah, that’s true. We didn’t even know the lady you serve was from a hero’s family.”

As even Dean seemed to accept that explanation, Aria’s face, which had been smiling brightly, suddenly darkened.

Even the Sage, who had seen many things in the world, had never seen someone’s emotions shift so visibly.

Of course, the two clueless brothers didn’t notice a thing.

“But what are you going to do? Won’t the chief collapse again when he hears this?”

“…Collapse again? Wasn’t it just a cold?”

Dean scratched his bushy, fur-covered cheek with his sharp claws.

“Well… On the day he wrote the letter, he was fine, but the next day, he overexerted himself asking Nimbus for a rain prayer because of the drought… and ended up getting struck by lightning after angering Inis.”

“Sigh… That stubborn old hag. I told her to rest when she caught a cold. So how is she now?”

“She was moaning in bed, but the moment she heard you were coming, she sprang up. She’s still pretty feeble, though.”

“That sounds like the chief.”

Aria couldn’t help but blink repeatedly in surprise. It wasn’t because someone had been struck by lightning and they had casually brushed it off.

It was already her first time meeting Dean, and now names like Nimbus and Inis—people she had never heard of—were popping up one after another.

And all of them…

‘…All of them are women’s names…’

Names like ‘Nimbus’ and ‘Inis’ were not likely to be used by men. Especially in a rural village like Doron, it seemed unlikely that such open-minded naming would be the norm.

“…So, who exactly are ‘Nimbus’ and ‘Inis’? What kind of ‘women’ are they?”

She emphasized the word ‘women’ on purpose. If she was wrong, they would laugh it off and correct her by saying they were men.

“Women? Leo, should we even consider them women?”

“I don’t know… They might look pretty, but their behavior is more like that of an orc. But does it even matter? Right, bro?”

“Exactly.”

It was nothing more than some petty gossip, almost akin to backbiting.

The implication was clear—they weren’t worth their looks.

Boom.

At that moment, a loud, thundering noise echoed as if something had just slammed down.

Neither Leo, Dean, nor even the Sage, who usually picked up on everything, noticed the noise.

Only Aria could hear the explosion, though she didn’t realize it was the sound of her own mental turmoil.

‘…I don’t know… They might look pretty…’

‘…They might look pretty…’

‘…Might look pretty…’

The phrase ‘might look pretty’ echoed in her mind alongside the booming sound. Her eyes lost their spark, and for some reason, her hand unconsciously moved towards the hilt of her sword.

“We’ve arrived.”

Just as a menacing aura was beginning to emanate from her, the village came into view between the trees.

“It’s been a while. This place too.”

The familiar smell of grass and the usual cursing greeted them.

He had returned to his hometown after a long time.

“Everyone!! Leo’s here!! Get out here, quick!!”

As a thick accent rang out, people started rushing out of their houses.

They looked almost like refugees fleeing a war zone.

“Leonardo!!”

No, correction.

Comparing them to fleeing refugees would be an understatement. The energy they exuded, enough to pierce the sky, made them look more like an elite militia.

“Why are you so late?!”

A burly man with a rugged face wielded a large axe. The blood-stained blade dripped ominously, making it appear quite threatening.

“There were some things that came up, Uncle Jeff.”

But Leo had seen Jeff’s excitement many times before. This was actually a more welcoming response than he expected.

“The food’s gone cold! You know you should eat it while it’s hot!!”

Given that his anger was over such a trivial reason, there was nothing to fear.

“Honey, the boy came back after a hard journey. Be a little kinder.”

Jeff’s wife, Susan, who was both a butcher and a cook, gently calmed her rough husband while flashing a bright smile.

“Welcome back, Leo. It’s been a year, right?”

“Yes, I should have come sooner, but I got caught up with work and ended up being late.”

“No need to worry about that between us~ But, did you bring what you promised?”

“Of course, ma’am. I’ve got it right here.”

Leo started rummaging through his bag like a black-market dealer looking for contraband.

“…Huh? Where is it?”

But soon, the expression of that “dealer” turned to one of confusion.

“Leo?”

“…Did I leave the chocolate set on the train…?”

He had definitely packed it when he was preparing for his leave. But in his rush to get off the train, it seemed he had left the prepared chocolate set behind.

“Honey~ You can bring it again later.”

Shing

Jeff, at his beloved wife’s request, lifted the bloodstained butcher knife. In that tense moment, something landed in Leo’s hand.

“I found it! It was tucked away in the inner pocket of the bag!”

A black box, luxuriously wrapped, was proudly pulled from the bag. At that, the blade naturally lowered.

“But what did you just say? Something very hurtful…”

“No~ Our Leo~! Thinking of me, aren’t you? So sweet!!”

Susan withdrew her command and welcomed him warmly. Worried that Leo might inquire about her previous command, she grabbed his cheeks, bringing a lively energy to the situation.

“What about the village chief?”

“The village chief is at the meeting hall. He’s not feeling well… and, you know, he’s not the most straightforward person.”

“He’s just a bit gruff.”

As they exchanged greetings that had been delayed for a year, some villagers who had finished their greetings directed their gaze towards a charming young girl.

“Who is that girl…?”

“Let me introduce her. She’s the lady I serve—”

“Leo’s girlfriend!!”

Leo’s grand first plan to correct this introduction was thwarted from the very start.

At the word “girlfriend,” the entire village gathered their attention on Aria and Leo.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding…”

“There it is! Leo’s girlfriend!!”

“Just like in the letter!”

“This calls for a celebration!! Jeff! Grab another chicken!”

Leo’s words were as meaningless as talking to a brick wall. Like overzealous relatives, the villagers started chatting away on their own.

“That’s not it..!!

“We can’t just stand here! Let’s take them to the village chief!!”

“Right!! Let’s do that!!”

Forget about correcting anything, the villagers had already grabbed Leo and Aria and began rushing them toward the meeting hall.

In their minds, the idea that Leo and Aria were a couple had been solidified as absolute truth.

“Seriously…! Can someone listen to me…!”

There wasn’t even a chance to point out the misunderstanding.

The knight and the lady, now confirmed as a couple, were shoved into the meeting hall. The villagers decided to wait outside, leaving them to talk quietly with the village chief.

Leo was nearly bursting with frustration at this unwanted courtesy.

[They’re so stubborn, aren’t they?]

Compared to the stubbornness of his hometown folks, the Sage he often criticized now seemed like a saint. It was like seeing a rat after encountering a cockroach—it suddenly seemed a bit cute in comparison.

“Is that you, Leo…?”

Inside the slightly dark meeting hall, an old woman sat at a round table. With her hair streaked with gray, the village chief asked in a raspy voice.

“Your voice has gotten quite hoarse, Chief Anus.”

Anus coughed repeatedly as she glared at Leo, who had returned after such a long time.

“The fact that you’re not answering my question and instead making irrelevant comments means it really is Leo.”

“And judging by the way you’re swearing at me after all my concern, you seem to be in good health.”

Exchanging warm insults, the village chief and Leo confirmed each other’s presence.

Perhaps the reason Leo never lost an argument with the Sage, who had lived over 300 years, was largely due to the chief’s influence.

“Do you think this old man could be healthy after being struck by lightning?”

“This isn’t the first time Inis has gone through something like this. That’s why you need to rest when you’re unwell.”

At the mention of the name “Inis,” Aria’s eyes grew fierce again. Noticing the change in atmosphere, Chief Anus pointed a finger at Aria and asked.

“So? Is that unfortunate girl over there the one who chose an idiot like you as her lover?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say…! That’s not…”

“Leo is not an idiot.”

This time, Aria cut Leo off.

Without realizing it, Aria glared at the chief with a firm tone. It was undoubtedly a disrespectful action towards an elder, especially the village chief.

However, the old woman of the village, perhaps liking Aria’s spirit, narrowed her eyes and stared back at Ariasphil.

“Huh… And what makes the delicate flower of a hero’s family think that way?”

Aria’s eyes wavered slightly. She hadn’t even mentioned her surname, yet the chief immediately recognized her as belonging to the hero’s family.

“Leo trains in magic and swordsmanship every day. He’s the strongest among the family knights, and right now, he’s preparing to get a mid-level magic certification from the Magic Tower…”

“In the end, all he knows is how to fight. That magic? He probably stumbled upon it by sheer luck.”

At those words, the Sage nodded in agreement from the side. If she could, Aria would have slapped that nodding head right off.

“And he’s taught me many things…”

“The knowledge a mercenary gains can’t be trusted. They’ll just be trapped in their own experiences.”

Aria’s eyes grew sharper with venom. She wanted desperately to refute the old woman’s words.

“At the very least, I know as much as you do. Probably even more.”

She couldn’t argue with that.

The chief had spent far more time by Leo’s side than she had.

“So let me ask you, what does Leonardo mean to you?”

“That… is…”

Ariasphil couldn’t immediately respond.

Even she wasn’t certain.

He was too close to be merely her knight.

Too distant to be called a friend.

And as for being her lover, neither she nor Leo could say for sure.

“See? Even if you call him your lover, it’s just a childish girl clinging to some fleeting memory. Do you really think you’ll even get married…?”

But she couldn’t remain silent in the face of such an insult.

“We will get married!!”

There wasn’t even a moment for silence to settle.

“When I turn twenty, we’ll get married right away!! And we’ll have two kids—a boy and a girl!! I’ve even picked out their names!!”

Her daydreams from the train had already raced ahead to their married life.