The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 82 : Revelation – 5

The office of the Holy King was enveloped in a calm atmosphere.

However, it didn’t carry an air of solemnity or divinity.

If it weren’t for the absence of prayer tools like crosses or rosaries, it would have been difficult to think of it as the Holy King’s office.

“Would you like to take a seat somewhere comfortable?”

“Yes.”

Ain sat on the sofa directly in front of him.

“Is the sofa comfortable?”

“No. Whether it was the sofa or a wooden chair didn’t matter, but the sofa was closer, so I chose it.”

The explanation was long and complex, but logically speaking, the choice was entirely normal.

“…Was that a conscious decision?”

“Yes.”

Simply because he had thought through and recognized all of it before acting, the Holy King pondered deeply.

“May I speak informally?”

“You may, Your Holiness.”

The voice was not refined. It sounded as if a machine was replaying the words exactly as they were, devoid of any emotion or tone.

“Do you know why you were called here today?”

“Yes, I understand I was summoned so a decision could be made regarding my disposition.”

The Holy King, holding a teapot, smiled gently as he spoke.

“That’s the official reason.”

“Is there an internal or implicit reason that’s different?”

“It could vary depending on how you interpret it.”

“That sounds complicated.”

“It’s not a simple issue.”

The Holy King poured tea into two cups.

“Do you need sugar?”

“No, I’m fine.”

When the Holy King offered the teacup, Ain accepted it. Soon after, the Holy King took a sip of his tea, and Ain followed suit.

“How does it taste?”

“It tastes like black tea.”

“Hmm… If I were to ask whether it suits your taste?”

“I have no preferences when it comes to food. As long as I’m connected to Leonardo’s mana and receiving its supply, the act of eating itself is unnecessary.”

Normally, he would have referred to him as ‘Father,’ but due to Leonardo’s earlier caution, Ain deliberately paid attention to the form of address. Yet, this only ended up emphasizing that he was a mechanical being.

“And yet you drank it.”

“I apologize.”

“There’s no need to apologize, and I didn’t ask for one.”

The Holy King also drank his tea and set the cup down.

“Why did you drink the tea?”

According to Ain, he did not consume food for nutrition, nor even for its taste.

“Leonardo’s words came to mind.”

-‘If you don’t dislike it, it wouldn’t be bad to try.’

Leonardo had said this to Ain when he declined the meal Leonardo had prepared for him.

-‘Why is that?’

-‘The information you get from books and the experiences you feel directly are on different levels. It’s not always better or worse, but there’s definitely a difference.’

Ain found the reasoning and advice to be sound, so he accepted it and adjusted his behavior accordingly.

“That’s good advice. What kind of person is Leonardo?”

“He is a difficult person to summarize.”

“That’s true for everyone. Just start by sharing whatever comes to mind.”

For a moment, the second hand on the clock moved. After it ticked about ten times, Ain responded.

“…I think of him as my father.”

* * *

“Why did the conversation flow that way?”

Leo, who had been quietly listening to the explanation, interrupted at that point. Given that the direction of the conversation had been oddly twisted from the start, cutting it off didn’t seem like a problem.

“It ended up that way while answering the questions. I apologize.”

“It’s not good to crush the child’s spirit! Ain’s daddy!”

Ariasphil had gone beyond the concept of a doting parent and turned into a fool who only thought about her daughter. Leo, still not even in his twenties, felt the wrinkles on his brow deepen.

“Please, stop saying that. So, what happened after that?”

“As a result of the overall conversation, I concluded that His Holiness did not intend to eliminate me from the beginning.”

That was somewhat surprising. No matter how open-minded the Holy King was, Ain’s existence would hardly be a comfortable matter.

“Maybe… it’s because Ain is also connected to Lady Ariasphil?”

Lumine, who was barely maintaining her composure in this complex and difficult situation, shared her thoughts.

“The Holy King is the proxy chosen by the people for the deity, but the Hero is closer to the incarnation of the deity. So, for Ain, who carries the blood of the Hero, it would not be easy for His Holiness to issue a punishment.”

That wasn’t entirely incorrect. Before tarnishing the honor of the Hero, it was unlikely that the Holy King would view such a situation favorably.

In retrospect, it was a response that made sense, but given how suddenly everything had happened, it seemed his mind had tensed up and seized a bit under the pressure.

“So, all the conversations up to this point…”

“It’s just speculation, but I think His Holiness wanted to understand what kind of being Ain is. It would also help provide a reasonable explanation to other opposing clergy members.”

From that perspective, it became easier to understand. Trying to understand the other party and find a sense of humanity through conversation was a fundamental approach, not only for religious figures but for humans in general.

“So, what did His Holiness decide to do?”

“For now, he instructed me to rest at the temple. He said that leaving with Sister Aria would not be allowed until the Hero’s revelation arrives. So, the wedding and the officiation would be postponed until then…”

“So, to sum it up, it’s been decided that you’ll stay here for a few days, right?”

Feeling so embarrassed he could bite his own tongue, Leo quickly wrapped up the conversation.

“That seems to be the case. Then, after those few days, will we be returning to the mansion alone?”

At that question, both Leonardo and Ariasphil felt their minds freeze, their expressions growing tense.

‘…If they find out that Ain is connected to Aria…’

Regardless of the circumstances or the misunderstandings, if the connection between Ain and Aria was revealed, Leonardo would face immediate execution or summary castration on the spot. At the very least, Ariasphil would need to explain alongside him to ensure that Leo and his descendants would survive.

‘…If we can’t leave with Ain…’

She had no idea how many more years she would have to waste away in this temple. She couldn’t endure an indefinite separation, living the life of a “wild goose mother” without seeing her beloved daughter and her… husband(?).

“…I have to receive the revelation somehow…!”

“…We have to find a way, no matter what…!”

“At last, the two of you are in agreement. That’s a relief.”

“…Is that really the case?”

Contrasting reactions followed, bringing the night to an end.

Finally, the time had come to call it a good morning. The problem was, only the time itself made it seem that way.

* * *

The gazes of the paladins and priests were rather piercing. It was as if they would have picked a fight if he hadn’t overwhelmingly subdued them when he had challenged them to a duel. Those glares were unrivaled in their intensity.

It was certainly because of Ain’s existence, but if you thought about it, magicians themselves didn’t have a good relationship with the clergy.

For the sake of advancing magic, magicians did not hesitate to bend morals and ethics.

For the sake of advancing religion, clerics did not consider it sinful to enforce morality and impose ethics.

Not all were like this, but the gulf between magicians and the clergy had deepened to the point where even recognizing and understanding the few exceptions was difficult.

‘…But if I think about it, isn’t it a bit ambiguous to call me a magician?’

Leo, the direct disciple of the Sage who single-handedly defeated the Blue Tower Master, thought so to himself.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

Ariasphil’s voice brought Leo out of his inner thoughts and back to the conversation.

“Huh? Oh… I was just wondering how you were doing while staying at the temple, my lady.”

“Hmm…”

In that moment, what flashed through Ariasphil’s mind were the sinful dreams she had experienced during her time at the temple. She even kept a diary to ensure she wouldn’t forget those dreams, which made it quite embarrassing to look Leo in the face.

“…I diligently prayed and practiced holy arts…! Haha…!”

“Your heartbeat just sped up all of a sudden. Are you alright?”

And this was something she absolutely couldn’t let Ain find out about. Otherwise, she would die of shame before she could even become a proper mother.

“Lady Ariasphil has truly trained diligently. She’s probably the strongest among the paladins. Even in terms of holy arts.”

Lumine’s praise wasn’t just empty flattery. In reality, Ariasphil’s combination of talent and the intensity of her experience was far superior to that of other paladins.

On top of that, with the bloodline of the Hero and the choice of the Holy Sword, Ariasphil had demonstrated remarkable prowess in holy power itself.

“Oh, it’s not that impressive.”

Though she said that, she felt a sense of pride and satisfaction from Lumine’s endorsement.

She was genuinely happy that she had mastered the holy arts well enough not to embarrass herself in front of Leonardo and that she could share this fact with her beloved daughter.

“I heard that holy arts are structured differently from magic. Are there significant differences?”

* * *

“Looks like it’s quite different.”

Simply put, the Holy Arts were closer to refining faith in a deity into mana and then elevating it into a technique.

In theory, just as dark magic could be fueled by negative emotions, positive emotions could also lead to magical effects.

However, positive emotions were difficult to draw out and even harder to sustain, making the concept of the Holy Arts naturally challenging.

At least by solidifying faith through forms like prayers and rituals, and gathering followers, they could collectively amass divine power, allowing Holy Power to maintain its current standing.

“It’s not easy, is it?”

“The direction is entirely different from magic. But there are several advantages.”

Against beings like demons, dark entities, or dark wizards who used dark energy, it could exert an extreme advantage.

Holy Power excelled in purification and healing arts in ways that regular magic could never match.

“If Holy Power reaches its peak, it can even make a severed arm grow back instantly. It’s incomparable to simple healing magic.”

Next to him, the priestess Lumine was the perfect example of this.

“Although it’s difficult to do it immediately, as Sir Leo said, it is possible.”

Thanks to Lumine’s healing abilities, which were akin to creating something from nothing, he had received much help even before his return.

“I see. In some ways, it sounds more difficult than magic or swordsmanship.”

“That’s right. It requires a lot of talent, and the extent of the effort needed is unclear.”

Thus, those who sought power or knowledge would naturally turn to martial arts or magic.

Only those who truly wanted to immerse themselves in prayer, serve society, or dedicate their body and soul to defeating demons would take up the Holy Arts.

“Then…”

“Excuse me…!! Sir Leonardo…!!”

At that moment, a priest came running towards Leonardo’s group.

“Is something wrong?”

Lumine quickly calmed the flustered priest and asked about the situation.

“Right now, there’s a magician causing a commotion at the temple entrance…!! They keep insisting we bring Sir Leonardo…!!”

“Me…?”

“Saying that you are the enemy who killed their parents…! We are quite troubled at the moment…!”

Hearing the words “enemy who killed their parents,” Leonardo let out a deep sigh. Over the past four years, he hadn’t killed a single person, let alone anyone’s parents, but he could guess who it might be.

“Hah… I’ll go see for myself. I’m terribly sorry for the trouble.”

Leonardo bowed to his companions, saying he would go alone.

“Enemy who killed their parents…? Did something happen at the Magic Tower?”

As Leonardo quickly rushed out, the group was left behind, unable to follow or stop him.

“It seems like it’s Platous Blanc.”

Ain spoke, making a guess based on the words “enemy who killed their parents.”

“…Platous Blanc? What does she have to do with Leo?”

“She is the daughter of the Master of the Blue Tower.”

And the Master of the Blue Tower had been utterly defeated by Leonardo in a duel.

“Two years ago, she publicly confessed her feelings to him and was rejected. Rios even advised us not to associate with her.”

“…Where is that woman?”

Although it was just mentioned that she was at the temple entrance, Ariasphil’s intelligence had momentarily dropped, blinded by jealousy and rage to the point of forgetting that fact.