2nd Rank Has Returned - 2nd Rank Has Returned chapter 291

291 – Belated-4

“…Are you talking about prophecy?”

Leo sipped the lemon juice he received and looked at Lewis Edmond closely.

There was no curse or poison in the juice, and no hostility was felt towards Lewis Edmond himself. He wasn’t even detected in the Red Sanctuary in the first place, so he probably wasn’t a demon.

I was just a little concerned about the word prophecy.

“I’m half joking. “It’s because I don’t really believe in prophecies.”

Perhaps he was paying attention to Leo’s expression, and with a wry smile on his face, Lewis expressed it as a joke.

It wasn’t something I believed in, but I didn’t have the strength to dig into every single detail right now.

It was hard work for Leo, who was already overloaded with the upcoming meeting.

“…Then what does it mean to say thank you?”

“Well, I don’t know. “There are so many things to it.”

Saying that, Lewis drank the juice he brought. Smirking arouses unnecessary suspicion.

“For example, what if the imperial knights accidentally received help from Leonardo?”

[…That’s definitely worth saying.]

Even as he entered Leo’s body and hid, the wise man nodded his head.

Eodukshini’s second name was made public after it was announced that he could wield the holy sword. There was no reason to hide the notoriety of the shadowy area as the battle with the demons was brought to the sunny area.

[Because among the guys you saved, there will be some imperial guys.]

And while he was working under the pseudonym of the executioner, Eo-duk Sini, he was able to save lives regardless of his location.

Among them, the names of the imperial family definitely existed, and they had been recorded in writing through Eileen.

I was planning to use that as a card at this meeting, but I had no idea that the imperial family would bring up the story first.

“…Using an example doesn’t go well with saying thank you.”

However, Leo continued to persistently ask questions as if his guard had not yet been relaxed.

“Maybe it looked a little stuffy. Sorry. “I think I made a mistake without realizing it when I met in person a person I have always greatly admired.”

Even with his eyes narrowed, Lewis changed his expression dramatically and repeatedly lowered his head.

I felt suspicious as I watched the imperial guard bend down until his back became sickle-shaped.

“I may call it compensation for rudeness, but may I tell you some good news?”

Lewis kept his back bent at a right angle, as if he needed permission to raise his head.

“…I understand, so raise your face.”

If I were to meet a member of the royal family at this location, it would be difficult to explain, even if the story was true.

Louis raises his head as if waiting for permission.

“The good news is that the imperial family is friendly to Reinhardt, and even more so to Leonardo.”

It’s a sudden and questionable explanation, but if it’s really true, it’s good news.

Even if there was a reasonable opinion, Leo himself was wondering whether it would have been too unreasonable to demand that he go to war right then and there.

“We are trusting and showing good intentions to the extent that it is okay to go on a mission right away.”

It was natural to feel relieved that people would cooperate without hesitation even though the banquet was ruined like that.

“Why are you saying that?”

Apart from that, I was curious about Lewis’s intentions in being so cooperative with me.

Regardless of the relationship between the imperial family and Reinhardt, he could not understand why a genius knight recognized by the prince would give such information to him.

“Because I am grateful. “Didn’t you still protect my life and the lives of my colleagues?”

“But it’s awkward to tell it like this behind my back.”

Even if it was true that everyone was grateful, it was still strange to come here and explain in secret.

“…It may be a vulgar expression, but I would say it’s because I wanted to welcome someone I personally respect on my own.”

[To put it simply, is it riding the line?]

Although it was an extremely cheap expression, the wise man’s guess was the most reasonable.

Although this was all he saw in a short period of time, his observation was at the same level as his own.

If you recall the indecent behavior the imperial family unintentionally displayed at the banquet, it would not be strange to think of it as flattery for a job change.

“In fact, many people respect Leonardo and are grateful to him. But.”

Lewis opened his eyes slightly and glared in the direction where Leo was.

“Those people are just afraid.”

“…There aren’t many people who aren’t afraid of the devil’s most suitable vessel.”

Reinhardt’s characters are different, and ordinary people have no choice but to harbor such fear, regardless of whether they are grateful or not.

There will not be many people who can feel at ease by relying solely on the moral sense and mental power of a monster of a different rank.

“It seems like a different problem than that.”

“…You know that?”

Perhaps it’s because he’s already exhausted, but Leo’s eyes turn nervous.

It was a murderous act reminiscent of the devil.

The personality’s unconsciousness has long since been assimilated into the devil.

“It’s more of an intuition used in sniping rather than knowledge.”

In the face of suspicious eyes, Lewis never lost his smile.

Now Leo finally realized the identity of the sense of discomfort he was feeling.

Because I thought this smile was somehow familiar.

The starting point of announcing his return in the red-light district of Aleo now overlaps with that genius knight.

“Because you don’t want anything from them.”

“…Amazing. “I never thought the world would be this small.”

“I was grateful for my grandmother’s funeral. “My mother actually said she wouldn’t mind just composting it.”

The prophet’s grandson came to offer advice in return for gratitude.

Prophet was originally an advisor to heroes.

Because Ouroboros’ two-headed sword was now on the verge of becoming only one.

*

The brilliance of the holy sword disappears and time returns to its original speed.

After saying a short word, Black Aria entered her holy sword again.

After Black Arya disappeared, all that remained was silence.

There was no room for discussion.

Aria was opposed to suicide, and Leo helped in a different way to overthrow the Demon King.

Because the direction of my thoughts is no different from before.

But

“…Is that all true?”

Ain was the first to open his mouth.

Although her expression remained calm, the shaking of her hand, which she raised to allow her to ask questions, expressed how agitated the daughter’s dull emotions were.

“…Could it have been the father?”

It was an unreasonable question, but I had no choice but to ask it.

Everyone did not want to believe that the ‘disaster’ was actually Leo.

A beast of disaster that emits darkness that covers the world in black.

At the same time, I recognized the scream of a monster that desperately wanted a hero to kill it.

{…No.}

The only one who was unclean was one angel.

Is this comforting, or is it bad news?

At that borderline, Angela gave her own answer.

{Then he was Leonardo, not your father.}

“…Yes?”

Ain, who could not easily control his heightened emotions, asked back as if he were dumbfounded.

{I think the Leonardo of now and the Leonardo of back then are different.}

It wasn’t wrong.

Your past self and your future self may be basically the same, but they are bound to be different in detail.

From Noble mtl dot com

For these people, it was a future tragedy that they learned about today, but for Leo, it was nothing more than a past tragedy that he had already experienced.

For Leo, the past and future are mixed up, and it’s just difficult to distinguish between them.

It was unreasonable to say that Leo back then and now are completely the same.

{What we need to do first is trust Leonardo and understand his feelings.}

The saint’s speech was a reasonable opinion.

Even Black Arya did not show cynicism.

Because it was the right thing to do to remind others of the fundamental actions to atone and heal their wounds that had been forgotten in a global story.

“…What Leo wants…”

＜…What Leo wants…＞

Around the time when the two Aria were thinking about Leo’s desire.

“Sorry for being late.”

Leo came in through the awkward silence.

Even though he came in with a more relaxed expression, the people who greeted him had no choice but to greet him with a dark look on their faces.

The achievement was too great to sympathize with and too tragic to praise, so they were conflicted about how to react.

I couldn’t imagine in their territory how they would be treated from now on.

[…You guys got it.]

Unlike other times, the wise man understood the cause of this air with insight. He coldly revealed his appearance as a wise man, as if his usual appearance was a joke.

“…I’m sorry for finding out without asking.”

Although an honorific was used in the apology, Aria’s gaze was directed at Leo.

It was a heavy feeling for her now, even though she had to atone for her whole life.

The only thing she could properly apologize for now was the act of arbitrarily investigating the past.

Other than that, sins have become a thing of the past, too late to atone for them with an apology.

“It’s okay. “It was a problem that should have been explained in advance from the beginning.”

Leo, who had actually experienced this, did not care. He actually went so far as to add, ‘I find honorifics awkward.’

“…Is it okay to pass it up like that?”

It wasn’t a question I was trying to ask.

As a person before becoming an adult, Lumine had to worry about Leo’s condition.

“Because thinking about it now doesn’t make me feel better. “I tried to say it was my fault or your fault, but it only made things more complicated.”

I wanted to add something more, but Leo himself rarely expressed that he was displeased, so I couldn’t.

“Anyway, there’s nothing more to hide after it’s been revealed.”

With that said, Leo slowly approached Aria.

“Excuse me for a moment. Aria.”

“…Huh!?”

Her holy sword, along with her scabbard, was pulled out from Aria’s waist, as if she was being pushed against the wall.

＜…!!＞

Although Black Aria did not force herself to hold on, Leo pulled out the hero’s holy sword as naturally as White Aria.

“…Before the meeting, I would like to ask you something about the Four Spirits King.”

＜…Leo…＞

Not only Black Aria, who grabbed her handle, but also other people were quite embarrassed.

She may have expected to explain by saying she had nothing to hide, but she probably didn’t expect that she would be in a position to ask questions.

“If you truly care about me, you’d better answer.”

＜…Okay.＞

In any other time, Black Aria would have declared her right to remain silent, using the prison of her holy sword as a shield.

At this point, Black Arya could neither hide nor have the shame.

She didn’t want Leo to know, but she had no right to refuse.

“You were possessed by me, right? “Since the co-annihilation of the Demon King.”

＜…!＞

Black Aria stiffened for an instant.

The others also froze at that remark and looked blankly at Leo and Aria (Holy Sword) alternately.

She implicitly thought that Black Aria knew too much about Leo’s past, but she became rigid at the expression of possession.

[Hey…! Leo, that’s…!]

Even the serious wise man became frivolous again.

She was told not to suffer alone and to vent, but she was venting in front of the person she should not vent to the most, so she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Do you mean possession?”

If we are not careful, there could be a crisis that could lead to the destruction of the world.

As if reminding her of her crisis, Aria smiled and continued her question.

“You could say it’s a connection. “I would also have the qualifications to be a warrior.”

“I see. “That’s how you connected.”

“To be exact, the opportunity to connect came about right after I touched the Holy Sword in my 20s. “It’s a little different from Hyeonja’s, but if you look at the texture itself…”

Leo, who was still in a daze as a demon lord, realized the seriousness of the atmosphere, albeit belatedly.

“I see. “You’ve been with Leo for 70 years.”

Baek Aria smiled and listened to her explanation.

She thoroughly understood the story’s sub-explanations, to the point where it felt much better to be jealous while spewing out murderous energy.

“I see. So that’s it.”

“…Uh…Aria? “What’s the problem…”

“No. No. “There can be no problem!”

Leo couldn’t bear to say anything to Aria.

Although she was awkward, Aria made an effort to suppress her jealousy without directly getting angry.

“It’s not really a problem. Yes?”

“That’s right! If you think about it, it’s just a dream, and in a crisis situation, it’s often just a fantasy or a voice that tells you how to fight! “Nothing like that happened!”

＜…!＞

Leo hurriedly protested, but the holy sword trembled uneasily for a moment.

“…Right…Right?”

＜…＞

Black Aria paused.

Now that she had promised to answer, she couldn’t remain silent as usual.

＜… That’s right… I don’t think something like that would have happened…＞

Afterwards, the atmosphere of the meeting became a mess.

Lumine, who took control of the situation, recalled that this situation was probably the biggest crisis right before the battle with the Demon King.