236 – If I’m going to die anyway-3
I know that something is broken about me as a human being.
Even before I became a teenager, I may have realized that I was different as a human being.
It’s just that the reason wasn’t clear.
It was clear to me every time I fought with a sword and was called a genius.
Every time I hear that I have talent, I start to doubt my existence.
It was because I felt like I was moving away from people.
And it wasn’t until I met that kid when I was 13 that I was able to stop.
It was the first time.
I thought I was saved by someone.
* * *
[…So what is this situation?]
The wise man looked at the two people standing in the training hall in turn, as if he was truly not convinced.
Although we denied it was a date several times, it must have been a perfect date both in terms of atmosphere and content.
“…I guess we’re going to spar for the first time in a while…?”
[Who doesn’t know that?]
Both the wise man who asked the question and Lumine, who was answering the question, frowned in disbelief when they saw the Holy Sword Hero and the Demon King’s vessel standing in the training hall.
But if you think about it, it was something that happened all the time.
It obviously started as a date, but it was strange that it always ended in a couple’s duel.
The more passionately they fought, the more they were able to understand each other’s emotions.
But the weight of the current situation was different from previous duels.
{…The eyes of the two people… Were truly contradictory.}
Before we made eye contact, our gazes diverged.
Unlike usual, Aria Spiel was busy avoiding the other person’s gaze with his eyes on the ground.
If it were Ariasviel, she would have looked into Leo’s eyes in any situation, especially if it was a duel.
He even lowered his head like a commoner who couldn’t bear to make eye contact with the royal family.
[…If you look at it that way, I think even I would look down on it.]
Leo glared at her persistently enough to make sense of Aria’s avoidance of gaze.
There was no life. He just looked straight at Aria with empty, empty pupils.
Even though that was all, fear still existed. I had no idea what emotions lay beneath the surface of those eyes.
Leo’s eyes looked directly at Aria without a single movement.
It was the look in the eyes of a wild beast that wanted to blindly kill its enemy, not just an animal it wanted to hunt.
“…Definitely…”
Aria felt her gaze being pressured by her guilt.
Leo, who was enjoying her outing, treated her with a straight face, with his ghostly eyes, as if her personality had flipped at the suggestion of her aria.
I can understand.
If you notice the essence of your story, there is nothing you can say even if you beat it one-sidedly.
Leo sacrificed a lot of time to meet me.
His own suggestion was a deceptive insult to the sacrifice.
But
“Should we fight? Conversation…”
I didn’t want to fight. I couldn’t fight.
There was no way I could fight Leo.
Because he doesn’t deserve it.
“Uh. “You have to fight.”
It was a short answer.
It was a cold tone.
Rather than meaning as hard as ice,
A sharp chill like coldly forged metal.
Now Leo had it.
“As you said, if it is a problem that can only be solved when one party dies.”
The referee who controls the match has not been determined.
The reason I chose a training ground where people could gather is because Reinhardt’s training hall is a place where the two can at least withstand a fierce battle.
It was a fight that even the Reinhardt family would not have seen.
If Leo wins, he will fight until the end.
“Pull out the knife.”
“…That Raynald… I don’t know what’s going on, but why all of a sudden…”
This duel was an embarrassment to Rios and other family members.
I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when the person who had smiled before leaving and said he would listen to Aria’s situation and concerns changed his cool in an instant.
In particular, Silica’s worries as a mother doubled as she was not given a chance to properly rest her daughter, who had barely returned from her hardships.
“If you don’t know, don’t intervene. “I am giving this order with the authority of the head of the family.”
Let’s add the word ‘head of the family’ and the immediate family members present here, including the saints of the temple and the sages of the Magic Tower.
I realized that Leo was now approaching the duel more ruthlessly than any other time.
I get goosebumps.
“Take out the sword.”
At Leo’s urging, Aria holds her holy sword in her hand with her energy suppressed. The blade of her holy sword reflected the sunlight in a dull white color, as if representing Aria’s emotions.
“It begins.”
“Yes… I understand…!”
Kaaang!
The sound announcing the start rang out as sword blades clashed. Even though she was notified of the start and was aware of it, she cannot shake the feeling that it was a surprise attack.
Leo’s sword strikes run rampant like the swirling wind. The blade strikes at an angle that is difficult to predict, and the exquisitely restrained footwork twists Aria’s attack and defense in a complicated way.
Leonardo had already used the Holy Blood Fighting technique to increase his physical abilities.
‘…Me too…’
Aria, whose motivation was depleted, also counterattacked her and used her s*x fighting skills as a counterattack. She couldn’t be half-hearted in her duel with Leo.
I should not have insulted Leo’s feelings any further than this.
Taang!! Wow!!
After two more matches, I was able to understand that even such a thought was arrogant. Leo’s sword maintained a graceful curve while sharply hitting Aria’s weak points.
As if attacking a castle whose internal structure is already known, the attack is thorough and brutal, breaking through the defenses.
It had been a long time since Leo had thoroughly read Aria’s swordsmanship, martial arts, and body as information.
She analyzed her changed fighting style and even her personality to teach her the s*x fighting technique she created herself.
From Noble mtl dot com
‘…I feel like I’m getting a glimpse of my thoughts.’
As soon as the next move is made, the worst sword attack is thrown at Aria and the best sword attack at Leo.
The black stone that Leo wields changes shape frequently, giving Aria no time to get used to it.
When he tried to counterattack with swordsmanship, all sword strikes were avoided with his long sword.
If they wanted to compete with speed, they stabbed them continuously with the rapier.
If you tried to push him back with force, he would counter with a large sword and push you away.
If you push her to her full amount of mana, she raises her shield and wastes her health.
When he took a defensive stance, the heavy hammer and ax struck Aria’s holy sword.
But the fundamental problem was not external.
“This is the most disappointing duel I have ever had with you. Ariaspil.”
Aria Spiel’s spirit was already cracked before she became a warrior.
Guilt rusted the blade of the mind, and disgust softened and dulled the blade of emotion.
Leo could see the inside of such a complete mess.
“I am truly disgusted by you for not fighting sincerely.”
I truly despised the hero’s weakness.
Leo’s sword strikes straight at her, bringing Aria to her knees. Her holy sword was an invincible weapon that could withstand her impact and weight, but Aria’s legs were different.
No matter how strong she is, when her joints are overworked and she has lost her balance, she has no choice but to be pushed around by her helpless strength.
‘Counterattack…’
“You have no intention of defeating me!!”
The ax of explosions is raised from below as if reprimanding a belated counterattack, and the ax made of a bomb that suddenly appears in subspace explodes.
“aaah!!”
A sharp, painful scream, she instinctively gathers her aurors to protect her shoulder, but she has no talent to avoid the blade flying beyond the explosion.
“Aria!!”
That blow is fatal. If it is not treated quickly, it is sure to be a serious injury that will have lasting aftereffects even if it heals.
Let her family shout Aria’s name in unison.
“I told you to f*ck off.”
Leonardo shows contempt for them and suppresses them with just words. Although their eyes were not visible to them, their indifference made them feel overwhelmed.
“…Haa…Cough…”
Even when fighting a berserker, I never felt so confused and weak. At that time, all she could think about was destroying her enemy, so she was able to focus with all her nerves.
But it is different now.
She herself cannot fight Leo.
She couldn’t fight.
I wanted to be cut to death like this.
If Leo wants to kill, he can die as much as he wants.
He said that if he dies, Leo will also be able to live as a hero.
Wow!
“That’s enough.”
Leo’s kick kicks Aria in the face. Arya tumbles to the floor as she is, soiling her body with a pit of dirt.
“Because I will finish you. Even before the devil.”
Aria Spiel could only look at Leo approaching without properly holding his holy sword.
You can’t even show the intention to run away.
Why don’t you say you’re going to die?
For Leo.
“It’s no longer worth remembering.”
Saying that, Leo raises his sword again.
Okay, it might be better not to remember.
Leo will take me… Forever…
“If I had known this would happen, it would have been better not to go back.”
Kaang!
It is like a flash of light.
At the moment of blinking, I saw it.
“…Uh…?”
Ariasviel blocked Leo’s sword with the hand holding the holy sword.
Was it instinct?
It was a coincidence, or she did it reflexively, but Aria’s hand was rubbing against Leo’s sword, blocking her attack.
The strength of his arms was strong enough to withstand Leo’s aura and body weight.
“What’s wrong? “You wanted to die.”
I could make an excuse that I blocked it because it was clearly instinct.
There was no discomfort even when I said that it was a habit I had developed after wielding a sword for over 10 years.
“…Ray…Nald…”
But Ariasviel was slowly pulling herself up with strength. Standing up even while clashing swords was a voluntary act that could not be called a habit.
“I feel like I’m going to die, so you’ve come to me now? “It’s uglier than I thought.”
Leonardo said this and kicked Ariaspil in the stomach. It feels quite different from when I kicked him in the face.
I know that Aria’s abs are well-trained, but the feeling of this hit was clearly infused with aura and divinity.
“…It’s true that it’s ugly.”
Ariasviel’s eyes sparkled slightly.
Is it because he was really driven to death?
Did the hot blood flowing between her neck and shoulder irritate Aria’s body?
I cannot explain why.
No, maybe it was understandable.
‘If I had known this would happen, it would have been better not to go back.’
I only do things for Leo, but I hear Leo say he regrets it.
Just hearing those words broke his heart.
Her body moved without realizing it because of her pain.
Soon,
“…But I… Raynald, I think it’s right for a man named Leonardo to become a hero…!”
Aria Spiel expressed his thoughts without hiding anything. He opens up about the worries he has been keeping to himself.
Leo, who is right in front of him, and other family members who are far away, their eyes change when they hear that story.
The current worry was difficult and heavy to solve alone.
“Why?”
Leonardo asked why.
It was a different feeling from what I was asking for.
That facial expression, that tone of voice, even the content of the words.
It wasn’t a sarcastic tone, but he was genuinely questioning the reason.
As the tone became lighter without warning, Aria was also a little embarrassed.
But her will was not weak enough to be shaken by such embarrassment.
“Raynald… Has more experience than me…”
“What’s the point of having a lot of experience?”
“You are stronger than me in spirit…”
“What are you saying because I might be mentally strong?”
It was a sarcastic tone, but for some reason, Leo’s sincerity seemed like a question rather than a mockery.
“…No one is as close to a warrior as Leonardo…”
“That can’t be possible!”
Leonardo spoke briefly in disgust.
Warrior, hero
I remember being revered as such a person.
“A hero? “Do you really think I’m a heroic idiot?”
The essence of the word is a bundle of contradictions so ugly that it makes you vomit.
“…But…You actually saved someone…”
“Saving someone? I?”
Leo was truly shocked.
A good man or a hero.
I didn’t want to hear that word or be called that.
“…Have you ever thought about what I did for a living when I was a mercenary?”
“…That…”
I couldn’t answer. She couldn’t answer because she only vaguely knew.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t answer because I didn’t know.
If this prejudiced thought were true, it would have touched Leo’s deepest wound.
“As a ten-year-old child, I cannot easily kill a monster. “It’s even more difficult to be a big beast if you’re a kid who hasn’t even mastered mana properly.”
I know.
It was after Leo joined Reinhardt that he realized mana.
Then there isn’t much a mercenary can do.
If you are a young child, it is difficult to receive proper recognition.
“…I killed someone. “They killed people to get information, to eat, and to buy equipment.”
Even though there were many mercenaries and bandits among the target.
Can we really say that there is not a single innocent person there?
Even I was nominally the child of a mercenary.
“…But that can’t be helped…”
“There is nothing we can do? Do you really think so? Even after seeing my hometown?”
There was almost no one in Leo’s hometown who rejected him. Even if there were signs of ostracism, most of them accepted the older boy, who was alone and without friends in the village, benign.
“I killed people with my own will, my own choice, and my greed.”
Killed and killed.
They cut down people no matter what happened to them.
The weight of life was laughed at with cynicism.
Because that’s how I was able to hold on for a little while.
“There was a time when I thought something was strange and sought counseling from the mercenary guild leader.”
When about 100 people were killed through direct combat, poison, arson, alienation, traps, etc.
Then he said.
‘If you really did that, you must be a genius.’
It was easier to understand that it wasn’t meant to be sarcastic because I was a young child.
That’s how I learned.
In his adventure to find his family, he cut down people who might be someone else’s family.
Everyone thought highly of my talent.
It’s amazing that a young child can do something like that.
“But a girl in a village said.”
The girl who could be mistaken for Taeyang has not been forgotten even now.
‘You, stand there.’
I still remember it.
‘That is unacceptable.’
It doesn’t matter if it’s the 1st or 2nd time.
‘I know you shouldn’t do something like that carelessly.’
It was the moment when a girl named Ariaspil first met a boy named Leonardo.
The first meeting that was not separated by regression.
“…And for the first time, someone stopped me. “I scolded him for saying that was wrong.”
It was the first time I saw light.
“Very straight forward for a crazy man who is no better than a murderer.”
It reminded me that there is a right path.