Humhumhumhumhumhum—
Shiro looked curiously at the sword trembling nonstop at Reinhard's waist.
Whether it was the consciousness dwelling within the weapon or the razor-sharp presence it radiated before even leaving its sheath, everything about it proclaimed that this was no ordinary sword.
And that was indeed the case.
Despite being Reinhard's personal weapon, almost no one in the kingdom had ever seen the sword known as Reid leave its sheath.
The reason was simple.
It looked down on its opponents.
Yes.
The sword simply considered them unworthy, so it refused to be drawn.
Two conditions had to be fulfilled before the Dragon Sword Reid could be unsheathed in battle.
First, its wielder had to possess the [Divine Protection of the Sword Saint], inherited through generations of the Astrea family.
Second—
The opponent had to be strong enough.
Thanks to that troublesome requirement, Reinhard usually had to grab some random knight's sword nearby whenever he was arresting criminals.
At this moment, Reinhard pressed a hand against the sword at his waist and smiled helplessly.
"My apologies. It seems to be a little too excited."
"The sword's consciousness doesn't obey you?"
"Or are the two of you more like partners?"
Shiro asked with genuine curiosity.
The sword he used was his own Device, effectively a part of his body.
Because of that, the path he followed in swordsmanship naturally leaned toward complete unity between man and sword.
For Shiro, the idea of his own sword refusing to obey him was almost unimaginable.
This was his first time seeing a situation where both swordsman and sword possessed completely independent wills.
"I suppose partner would be the right word."
"Though its temperament is rather troublesome."
"Normally, no matter how much I ask, it refuses to come out."
"This is actually the first time I've seen it react this strongly."
Reinhard gave an apologetic smile.
"So this sword wants to spar with me?"
Shiro withdrew his gaze from the Dragon Sword Reid and looked directly at Reinhard.
Then, without the slightest warning, he said—
"In that case, want to fight here?"
Despite the sudden invitation, Reinhard looked completely unsurprised.
His expression did not even change as he answered as casually as though discussing the weather.
"Would that really be alright?"
"Today happens to be one of my rare days off."
"Look, I didn't even come out wearing my Royal Guard uniform."
"What does that matter?"
"Your partner is practically overflowing with fighting spirit."
Humhumhumhumhumhumhumhumhum—
As though agreeing with Shiro, the Dragon Sword Reid began trembling even more violently.
Looking down at the sword radiating an unmistakable aura of—
'Fight him or I'm going to annoy you to death.'
Reinhard could only surrender with a helpless smile.
"Then I'll gladly accept."
"A spar is fine, but we should choose somewhere farther away."
"There are still several households around here. It would be unfortunate if we disturbed them."
While the two casually arranged their match, Old Man Rom was already staring at them in utter disbelief.
"Challenging Reinhard..."
"Am I dreaming?"
"Felt, slap me."
Smack—!
The instant Old Man Rom made the strange request, Felt slapped him across the forehead without hesitation.
"Guh! That hurts!"
"Who told you to hit me that hard?!"
Old Man Rom rubbed his now bright-red bald head with one enormous hand.
Perhaps it was merely his imagination, but Felt's slap had felt suspiciously like revenge.
She might even have used her full strength.
"You only told me to slap you."
"You never said how hard."
Felt shook her equally reddened right hand.
"You did that on purpose just to make this old man angry!"
"Who told you to stand there looking senile since earlier?"
"Of course I'm shocked!"
"That man is Reinhard!"
"Someone actually has the nerve to boldly ask him for a spar these days?!"
"Where in the world did you dig up this brat you brought here?!"
"Wait, wait, wait! Time out!"
Subaru waved both arms wildly, trying to get their attention.
"What's with this whole 'It's actually that legendary person!' atmosphere?!"
"Am I seriously the only one here who doesn't know this Reinhard guy?!"
Unfortunately, Felt and Old Man Rom were too busy arguing to pay Subaru any attention.
Thankfully, Emilia had recovered from her disappointment over missing the perfect chance to thank Shiro.
She patiently explained.
"Reinhard is the current Sword Saint of the Astrea family."
"People throughout the kingdom also call him the knight among knights."
"He's someone who, from nearly every perspective, seems to have no flaws."
"He has titles that impressive, but he still smiles that refreshingly..."
Subaru stared at Reinhard.
"That guy isn't even human anymore, is he?"
"Eh?"
Emilia tilted her head in confusion.
"Reinhard isn't human?"
Apparently, this girl also possessed a surprisingly airheaded side.
...
"How about we hold our spar here?"
Reinhard led Shiro to an open area nearby.
Dense trees surrounded the clearing in the distance, and Emilia and the others had followed behind them.
Even if the two fought here, it should not affect anyone in the royal capital.
Without realizing it, Reinhard had already begun treating Shiro as an opponent who could not be defeated casually.
Even when choosing the battlefield, he deliberately selected somewhere as far from the capital as reasonably possible.
"Anywhere is fine with me."
"As long as you don't mind dealing with whatever happens afterward."
Standing a short distance away, Shiro reached forward.
His Device materialized in his hand.
"Then... please excuse me."
Reinhard placed a hand on the sword that had been trembling nonstop ever since meeting Shiro.
The Dragon Sword Reid was a weapon shrouded in countless mysteries.
No one knew where it had originally come from.
Even the historical records of the Astrea family contained only a legend—The [First Sword Saint], Reid, once wielded this sword to defeat the Divine Dragon Volcanica.
There were also folk tales claiming that long ago, when dragons invaded the kingdom, this legendary sword defeated every last one of them.
Countless similar stories existed among the people.
However, most lacked any concrete evidence proving their authenticity.
There was only one fact no one could deny.
The Dragon Sword Reid was the strongest sword.
It surpassed every treasured blade, magic sword, and legendary weapon.
If a sword represented the ultimate result of steel being forged and refined countless times—Then no steel in this world surpassed Reid.
Shing—
The instant Reinhard drew the Dragon Sword—Emilia and the others seemed to hear the faint roar of a dragon beside their ears.
A razor-sharp presence pierced their skin and seized their vision.
The pressure released by the world's strongest sword merely leaving its sheath—Was already enough to crush the spirit of most people.
…