Encounter with the Hero Leonhardt (1)

That day, Colette came flying in to me.

For the past few days, Colette's secretary team had been extraordinarily busy processing the enormous volume of messages directed at me from all around the world…

Congratulatory telegrams, requests for donations, all manner of petitions — a flood of them.

Mainly Colette and Libera handled it together, and thanks to Lyuka and the others helping out, they'd kept up steadily and finally had things in sight.

When particularly important messages arrived, she came in person to inform me, as now.

"… A message from S-Class 4th, Leonhardt-sama!"

And among important messages, what ranked highest? Messages from S-Class Masters would top the list.

In particular, when it was from that Hero Leonhardt — Suzanne's father — calling it paramount wouldn't be an exaggeration.

I read the message at once.

『S-Class 24th Akai Naoto-sama. Congratulations on your S-Class promotion. I am Aureia, secretarial officer to S-Class 4th Leonhardt.

On this occasion, Leonhardt would like to hold a modest celebration for Naoto-sama's S-Class promotion.

Whenever is convenient for you is fine, so please accept. We humbly request.』

… That was the content. It felt like a party invitation.

Sending the message at this timing, just as processing of the enormous volume of messages was coming under control — you could call it suitably tactful.

"Um… how should I take this? Good news? Bad news?"

By my common sense it wasn't bad, I'd think, but…

"… Well, basically not bad. Normally.

There've been a few times in history where a party invitation was followed by a killing incident, though…"

Yuria, saying scary things.

"My father would do no such thing!

… He recognizes Onii-sama's ability and wishes to speak with him at least once.

Now that Onii-sama has become S-Class, I too can openly return home.

By all means, please accept."

Suzanne recommended.

"In that case. I'd also thought I should pay my respects to Leonhardt-san once.

… He's Suzanne's father, after all. I have to formally ask him for his daughter's hand."

"… Onii-sama…"

Suzanne laughed happily.

And so we accepted at once. The party date, via coordination between Colette and Aureia-san, was set for the following day.

Colette and Libera were able to process all the congratulatory telegrams within the day and return to normal duties, so the timing was perfect.

Since it was "Everyone is welcome," we decided to bring along Griera and the rest — truly everyone.

… Our in-house victory celebration would be delayed further, though.

And the next day…

"… Phew."

Wearing an unfamiliar tuxedo made me nervous.

Ursula had prepared, in advance, dresses that wouldn't be embarrassing for meeting an S-Class Master.

Thanks to that, even at this last-minute pace, we managed.

The dresses everyone wore were the kind that, if worn on Earth, might have someone frowning at them as a little too sexy — slightly bare, beautiful dresses.

Chest widely open, navel-baring, sides slightly exposed — somewhat… erotic-feeling, beautiful dresses.

"The outfits Garumon wear — a little exposed, a touch erotic — are the standard in this world.

Clothing that hugs the skin and conceals too tightly without showing skin signals hostility, indicating you have not let your guard down with the other party.

That said, garments that expose the genitals are overly accommodating. When you want to flatter and fawn, those are appropriate.

This range is suitable — showing no hostility, not abasing yourself excessively, a reasonable middle.

Spirit Garb counts as formal attire, so it's never rude, but it's a little too exposed."

"I see…"

This world had its own rules and manners.

I'd need to learn this stuff too. Well, with Ursula around, I felt secure.

And so we visited the S-Class 4th's residence, Hanesburg Castle.

Stately and solemn. Far larger than Castle Ernest, exactly the picture of a castle, with severity and the weight of history.

It matched the image of Leonhardt I'd heard about…

Suzanne was gazing up at Hanesburg Castle.

I was about to ask "Feel nostalgic?" but stopped myself.

She hadn't lived here since infancy, after all.

"… Yes. I started living in this castle four years ago.

In my childhood I spent time at the 2nd-place Vilnoir Castle, then the 3rd-place Aingrast Castle… and then here at Hanesburg Castle, having moved several times.

But that's the lot of an S-Class Master. No need for particular concern."

Suzanne said with a laugh.

"… How nostalgic. I set off from this castle.

Brimming with high spirits. Afterward, for a while, I was met with mostly disappointments…

But ultimately, you fulfilled the ideal I'd dreamed of for my first-year record, more than fully."

Suzanne narrowed her eyes.

"Not at all. I'm the one… if you hadn't been with me, Suzanne, I wouldn't have made it here so ideally.

Truly, thank you, Suzanne. That you chose me… I'm truly happy."

"Onii-sama…"

We embraced tightly.

"… Welcome home, Suzanne-sama."

A beautiful maid called out to her.

"! Aureia…! Y-you were here. Honestly. Say something…"

"So I did, just now."

Aureia-san smiled.

A black-haired, bespectacled maid — a gentle-looking, lovely woman.

Her breasts were a fine, ample size.

As expected of S-Class 4th Leonhardt. He'd assembled wonderful Garumon.

"This way, please."

Aureia-san guided us inside.

"Who is this person?"

I asked Suzanne about Aureia-san.

"My father's party is divided into my father's ace party and the sub-parties of Philip and Richard.

Aureia is my father's secretarial officer, but she's a member of Philip's sub-party."

Suzanne introduced her.

A Garumon this beautiful, in a sub-party! Which meant the main party was even more…

My anticipation rose.

Well, if it was Leonhardt's sub-party, they'd surely be quite strong.

We'd covered this in history class too.

Even Leonhardt's sub-party should be at a level capable of holding its own against Demon Gods.

… And then she guided us to the party venue in the courtyard, bathed in light.

There, multicolored beautiful flowers and wonderfully beautiful Garumon were arrayed.

Ooh… beautiful. Despite myself, I ended up focusing on the Garumon over the flowers — I had to focus on them.

Garumon at levels not inferior even to my finest comrades, lined up in droves…

Wonderful. A feast for the eyes.

Especially that girl with hair mixed gold and green, clad in armor.

The long-silver-haired girl asleep, for some reason, on a bed at the edge.

The elf-eared, refined blonde girl.

The sharp-eyed black-haired Dragon girl, eyes flickering red-black like flame, glaring at me.

The girl with sparkling rainbow hair, short and gentle-looking.

And then twins, perhaps? A pair of white-and-black contrasting beauties…

That bunny — I'd seen her somewhere. Amira's mother from Lasheid's, maybe?

Which would mean that black Dragon girl was Safa's mother… no, doesn't look like it. She's too young.

Ah, there was another dragon. The calmer, more mature one — she was probably Safa's mother.

Other notable Garumon as well…

… But I couldn't keep staring entranced at the Garumon.

Well, I did look at them pretty thoroughly.

Because among them, two stern-eyed old men were glaring at me.

They weren't Leonhardt. Neither of them resembled the face of Leonhardt I'd seen in the Garumon Yearbook.

"The slightly stout one is Sub-Master Philip.

The tall one is Sub-Master Richard."

Suzanne whispered.

When they saw me, they bowed.

I bowed back.

Their eyes looked somewhat dissatisfied, and they didn't seem in much of a welcoming mood.

Should I say something? I was wondering, when…

"Leonhardt is coming."

… So Aureia-san announced, and I turned my attention to the gate at the back of the courtyard.

From there, two figures appeared.

One was a Garumon so overwhelmingly beautiful you might call her the most beautiful in this world.

There was no mistaking her.

… Mercheada!

Suzanne's mother. Goddess Mercheada. The world's strongest Garumon.

Rich golden hair, and wonderfully ample breasts. Truly a goddess. Well, literally a goddess.

Too beautiful! The real Mercheada!

… Not that I could spend all my time hyped about it. I had to focus on the person beside her too.

The other was a person who exuded dignity.

It wasn't that he was particularly glaring, but his gaze was sharp, with palpable spirit.

He was unmistakably an old Western man, but at a glance, no ordinary one.

The nobility of royalty or aristocrats you only saw on TV could be felt about him.

Aged though he was, he was tall and a fine handsome man. A high nose and a stern face. He must have been quite handsome when young. He somewhat resembled Lasheid, maybe.

The rings of experience he'd accumulated, polished through countless battles, had given him a certain dignity, a weighty solidity.

He, too, was unmistakable. I'd seen photos in the Garumon Yearbook.

… The Hero Leonhardt.

Maybe because I'd heard the legendary stories, I felt a tremendous dignity, an aura.

A feeling of my own smallness, of being shrunk.

In my original world too, if I'd stood before a great man, would I have felt this way? I'd never had such an opportunity.

… Of course, he was the very man called the legendary Master, the Hero Leonhardt.

Respect was fine.

But I couldn't be intimidated or feel inferior. I was an S-Class Master, the same as him.

… I let out a small breath, drew my chest up as much as I could, looked straight ahead, and met his eyes.

… I wanted more and more to see Mercheada beside him, I really did. But I endured.

"… Akai Naoto-kun. Good of you to come today."

In a well-carrying, weighty voice, Leonhardt addressed me.

"Yes. Leonhardt-sama. Thank you for inviting me today."

I bowed.

I'd spoken without faltering oddly, with proper composure, I think.

The other party was a legendary hero. -sama was normal.

"Father, it's been a while."

So Suzanne gracefully lowered her head.

"It has been long. Leonhardt-dono."

So Ursula said, and bowed.

Ursula also knew him. Well, fellow S-Class Master, of course.

"That is not all. Mother Esta Belzebute had Leonhardt-sama as her guardian, so…

By that connection, Ursula-sama has had ties with Leonhardt-sama since her youth as well."

Libera added.

"My debut was a year earlier and I was kept in another Master's charge — I told you that story, yes?

The Master who kept me was Leonhardt-sama."

Saria told me too.

Hee… I see. So the connection to Leonhardt wasn't just his sons and Suzanne.

Ursula and her comrades, beyond being merely fellow S-Class, had been on intimate terms with him.

"Mn."

Leonhardt returned bows to Suzanne and Ursula as well.

… As I'd hoped, he was apparently a person kind to Garumon too, and that pleased me.

In this world there were quite a few rude types who all but said, "Don't speak to me like that, lowly Garumon"…

… Now, in this place there were no Masters besides Richard and Philip. No knights of Leonhardt had come either.

… At the very least, it didn't seem to be an occasion where his sons were lying in wait to vent their grudges at me.

"For hosting such a lavish party today…"

The arrayed feast. The beautiful flowers. The even more beautiful Garumon.

Truly splendid. Good taste, too.

The Garumon's dresses were the world's slightly-exposed, somewhat erotic style, but not vulgar.

Well, I didn't mind vulgar either.

Especially when it was top-tier beautiful girls like Leonhardt's Garumon…

Wonderfully beautiful and alluring Garumon lined up, distracting my eye.

But in front of Leonhardt, I couldn't blatantly stare at them, so I quickly turned back.

"Truly, thank you. I will be most honored to partake."

I bowed and urged everyone to take their food.

I partook too.

… Delicious. Dishes that all looked very expensive were arrayed.

Well, the soul food I cared most about was Leone's home cooking, but this kind of court cuisine had its own appeal too.

"Mn… The rise of talented youth is a joy.

Today may be dull for you, but I would be grateful if you would keep this old body company."

Leonhardt said magnanimously.

… He seemed to be welcoming me.

But, on my end, there were things about him I cared about.

"And so, um…"

"About my sons, is it?"

Oh, he was a step ahead, naming what I'd been minding.

"That you defeated Reichhardt and Lasheid and came this far — I have heard.

But the outcomes of Garumon Battles are the way of things. Not something for a parent to step in over.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, become stronger yourself and win next time.

… But if you are satisfied, there is no issue.

After this, walk at your own pace, slowly."

Leonhardt's tone was kind, his attitude conveying clear affection for his own sons.

But as he'd said, he didn't seem to hold a grudge against me. A relief.

"Reichhardt has entered the knight order to retrain himself, it seems.

Lasheid intends to challenge the next B-Class promotion match."

He told me.

"Ah, is that so."

Hearing news of old acquaintances, I relaxed too.

Not that I particularly liked them, but hearing that someone you've met even once is doing well is a little gladdening.

"… Hm."

Leonhardt was watching me as he said it.

What was that. Was he sizing me up?

In this veteran hero's eyes, how did I appear?

I tensed but met his gaze.

… I'd like to be told "Good eyes" or some such, but…

"… At first glance, one doesn't receive an impression of cleverness.

In that sense, perhaps you resemble Satoru."

Leonhardt said with a slightly joking laugh.

It was joking in form, but I was, after all, being called unimpressive…

Well, that was fine. It was fact…

I understood that comparing me to S-Class 1st was him being maximally considerate.

Now then, what to talk about with this hero…

Surprisingly, there were plenty of things I wanted to ask.

"Um, you watched our battle with Ursula, right?

… From Leonhardt-sama's eyes, how was it?

My fighting style, and so on.

Any advice…?"

As a junior, humbly seeking instruction should be correct. And I did want to hear it.

"… Hm. Even to this old skeleton's eyes, your fighting style had few faults to address.

Even at present, you have ample skill befitting an S-Class Master."

Oh, that meant he was praising me, right?

"Garumon raising is still wanting — that is unavoidable. You came to this world only a year ago.

For a single year, you've trained them remarkably well, in fact.

The path of Garumon training is long and arduous.

Ten years, twenty years… or a hundred, two hundred. Even then, no end is in sight.

… Do you know Mercheada's reputation?"

At his prompt, I turned my gaze openly toward Suzanne's mother, the Goddess Mercheada.

… She resembled Suzanne extremely closely.

But she looked 3-4 years older than Suzanne. Not enough to pass as twins — clearly an elder sister.

… Correspondingly, her breasts were larger and more erotic than Suzanne's.

The waves of her golden hair were slightly stronger than Suzanne's. Her large red eyes wavered like flame.

She wore a gentle motherly smile that softened her impression, but her firm, strong-willed, slightly upturned eyes resembled Suzanne's.

This beauty, this allure — truly a goddess.

I was repeating myself. But she literally was a goddess.

The dress she wore was an evening dress cut like ones you might see on Earth, large enough that her nipples were properly hidden but her side-boob, cleavage, and the swell of her chest couldn't be contained.

… Sexy, and extremely erotic.

Ahh… beautiful.

I'd meant to only glance, but I ended up gazing for several seconds.

"Ah, p-pardon me."

"… Fufufu."

"Fufu."

Both Leonhardt and Mercheada laughed at my reaction.

In this world there wasn't much of a "How dare you look at my Garumon erotically" stigma.

Masters flaunted the eroticism and beauty of their Garumon, and being entranced by them was a form of praise.

… So there was no problem, probably.

Aside from my embarrassment.

"Um… Goddess Mercheada. I've heard she's a world-strongest Garumon, equal to or beyond Great Hero Arianrhod."

"Mn… that's right.

That I am hailed as a hero is all thanks to this Mercheada.

And even Mercheada has not exhausted the limits of strength. Still very much in the process of growing.

The more time you spend training her, the stronger she grows.

That's a Garumon.

You've trained your Garumon remarkably well in this short span. That is most admirable, but…

If you spend several more years training, they'll grow far stronger than now.

The S-Class top-tier Garumon are the result of that long training.

… Don't forget that."

Leonhardt advised me.

… Mn, in other words…

"Um… that means, against Garumon trained for a long time, I'm not yet able to match them?"

"… Right. Your judgment, calculation, instantaneous wit, technique… all are superb.

You'd be able to bridge a fair portion of the experience gap.

But there are gaps that even then cannot be bridged sometimes.

… Don't be impatient.

You're strong already, but spending time, you'll grow stronger yet."

… So he appraised me.

How should I take this? Content-wise, it could be heard as a mounting "you have talent but you can't beat me," but it didn't sound that way.

Just stating fact.

Praising me to the skies, then saying "but there are those above you, so don't be impatient about losing, don't lose heart."

Just considerate advice from an elder.

"… Leonhardt-dono. That… is it a statement conscious of Satoru, Aqueria, Sairas… and yourselves, the S-Class top 4?"

Ursula asked.

"… Yes, that's how it is. About myself I don't know, but.

The top 3 in particular.

Naoto-dono's talent is truly outstanding.

Eventually, he'll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the S-Class topmost — Satoru, Aqueria, Sairas. With those types. Not at all surprising.

… But this year is too soon.

So that, faced with an overwhelming gap, his heart wouldn't break — old-busybody concern.

When a genius learns frustration, sometimes their heart simply breaks.

I've seen many talented Masters crushed that way.

Of course, the ones who can rise back from there might be the truly talented."

Leonhardt narrowed his eyes nostalgically, distantly.

He must have seen many Masters indeed.

"… I myself wasn't a talented Master.

There's no other Master who has lost as many times as I have.

… I too lost, again and again, my heart broken. Even so, I rose again, walking to where I am.

… No matter how old I get, no matter how many times I lose, defeat is painful and hard. I never want to taste it.

With that single desire, I trained myself, trained my comrades, and kept fighting. That's about all of it."

Leonhardt laughed.

… Hmm, this felt deep.

The words of Leonhardt, who'd spent most of 200 years of life in battle, felt loaded with substance. Heavy and deep.

I nodded and nodded.

… Somehow, this was good.

The legendary hero had turned out to be someone I could properly respect.

What a difference from the other legend. That one was incredibly cute too, though.

In this brief exchange, I'd come to like this old gentleman.

… Well, a legendary hero showing no airs, praising me, evaluating me.

That alone was tear-inducingly grateful.

"I've gotten to know Wallace's daughter too. A young woman named Ruria… do you know her?"

"Oh… I see. Wallace's… she's that age now.

… Wallace and I were among few friends.

When Tomoe and Nisa bore Ruria and Meifa, that fellow was overjoyed…

I too was overjoyed when Suzanne was born.

I'd had children before, but children born of my most beloved Garumon, whom I might call my wife, are an unparalleled delight.

… Oops, do keep this from my other daughters and sons."

Leonhardt showed a playful side, and I laughed too.

Suzanne seemed to have much to catch up on, and was enjoying lively conversation with Leonhardt's Garumon.

With Mercheada in particular she was being indulgent — softer than usual…

Whoa… s-so cute…

It was the conversation of look-alike sisters, the sort of scene you'd want to cut out and frame as a picture.

I wanted to join in, but talking with Leonhardt was fun too, so I endured for the moment.

"… Suzanne is a wonderful Garumon. I've been helped enormously by her, truly.

Combat technique is high, her tactical eye is reliable, her swordsmanship is truly splendid.

And she's beautiful and cute and…

… Receiving Suzanne like this — truly, do you not object?"

So I asked.

"… In an ideal world, were Reichhardt to have your talent and be here in this scene alongside Suzanne…

I'd be lying to say I never thought it.

But everyone has the gifts they're born with.

There are those with great gifts, and those without.

… Even I, who now act self-important, was originally nothing much.

If I hadn't been blessed with the unexpected fortune of obtaining Mercheada, I'd never have risen above Wallace in my lifetime.

… But if there's one thing I can boast of over others, it's stubbornness alone.

For the first 50 years of my life, I had practically no memory of being praised by anyone.

To become a Garumon Master — everyone told me it was impossible for me.

… But I didn't give up. That's all.

That tenacity, I still think, may be what drew Mercheada to me."

Hoooo…

Mn, full of substance. Deep…

Respectable…

I mean, since arriving in this world I'd met a lot of weird Masters… well, Reichhardt was among them.

So I'd thought Masters in this world were hopeless aside from cute futanari girls, but…

There really were wonderful, fine people too…!

Lorent-san and Karino-san were good people too, there really were plenty of good Masters.

… Well, calling a man hailed as a world hero "a good person" felt too casual, I suppose.

Conversation with Leonhardt was more enjoyable than I'd expected.