Chapter 52: I Am Willing to Have a Fight With Her
Time flew by quickly, and several hours passed.
After the exhibition match in the arena concluded, the setting sun had already begun to dye the edge of the sky a reddish-orange hue.
Reinhard led Yumesaki through most of the city area, eventually arriving at a narrow street that stretched upward along a gentle slope.
"At dusk," Reinhard said, "the scenery here is very much worth seeing."
The end of the narrow street opened up to a small observation deck built atop the peak of the naturally formed slope, with several leafy old trees casting dappled shadows around the deck.
Looking out from here, the entire lower city area of the royal capital could be seen perfectly.
The layers upon layers of rooftops were coated in a thin layer of gold by the setting sun, and the pointed spires of the royal palace in the distance formed sharp silhouettes against the reddish-orange sky.
Beautiful, grand, and unforgettable at first glance.
Yumesaki leaned against the wooden railing of the observation deck, quietly taking in the view.
"I used to come here alone occasionally."
Reinhard leaned against the railing next to him, the evening breeze lifting the red hair in front of his forehead, revealing a clean and handsome forehead line. "Doing nothing, just watching this city transform from dusk into night."
"Coming alone?" Yumesaki was somewhat surprised.
"Yes."
Reinhard turned his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the lights in the distance that were starting to turn on one after another.
"Because I love this city. I love every corner of it, and every person who lives here. This kind of affection is not very easy to share with others."
Yumesaki turned sideways to look at him, the setting sun casting a warm layer of light onto the profile of Reinhard's face.
"Then, your action of bringing me here today," Yumesaki asked, "is it considered sharing it with me?"
Reinhard fell silent for two seconds, then smiled softly.
"You could consider it so."
When night had fallen completely, Reinhard brought him to a bustling riverside night market.
Paper lanterns lined up in two rows along the riverbank, their warm yellow light reflecting on the water's surface, breaking into thousands of thin golden shards along the ripples.
The smoky aroma of grilled fish, the sweet fragrance of fried dough, the rising steam of mulled red wine mixed with spices, and the voices of merchants shouting and laughing in unison transformed the entire riverbank into a flowing river brimming with vibrant life.
At the edge of the night market was an open-air tavern. Tables and chairs were set up directly on the grass by the riverbank, and above each table burned a small lamp, casting a warm halo that wasn't glaring to the eyes.
Reinhard led him to sit down, listed several dish names to the waiter, and then leaned back against the chair, raising his head to look at the starry sky.
A moment later, Yumesaki noticed that he had closed his eyes.
"Are you tired?"
It shouldn't be the case; with his strength, even if he fought for several days and nights, he wouldn't feel fatigued.
After all, he was a purely overpowered individual.
"A little." There was a rare hint of relaxation in Reinhard's voice. "I walked quite a bit today."
Yumesaki couldn't help but burst into laughter. This was the funniest joke he had ever heard.
But thinking about it carefully, this Sword Saint had been his free guide since early morning, running around the city with him.
Along the way, he had used a steady, unhurried tone to recount the story of every shop, the history of every street, meticulously avoiding dense crowds, and arranging all the details perfectly and maturely.
So it was only natural that he would feel tired.
"Thank you," Yumesaki said.
Reinhard opened his eyes, the deep blue night sky reflected within that pair of sky-blue eyes, making his entire being look as if he were melting into the night.
"You're welcome. It has been a long time since I walked around the royal capital in such a relaxed manner as well."
Right at this moment, the dishes were served.
A stewing dish sent up plumes of hot steam as it boiled inside a clay pot, and the river fish grilled to perfection had a crispy skin that made a distinct crunching sound the moment it was touched with a knife and fork.
There was also a basket of freshly baked herb bread. When torn apart, hot steam immediately billowed out. Dipping it into the savory broth of the stew and putting it into the mouth caused a wave of warmth to spread from the tip of the tongue all the way down to the stomach.
Yumesaki took a bite of the stew, his eyes lighting up. "This is incredibly good."
"This stew uses eight types of spices and is simmered over low heat for more than four hours."
Reinhard lifted his own portion, elegantly blowing away the hot steam. "The owner of this tavern used to be a royal palace chef. After retiring, she opened this small tavern. Not many people know about it, so it can be considered a..."
"Your personal secret?"
"Yes," Reinhard responded softly while taking a bite of bread.
The river water flowed quietly just a few steps away, the warm light from the magic lamp breaking into countless dancing spots of light on the water's surface, while the noise of the night market in the distance was filtered by the evening breeze into a soft background track.
Yumesaki drank the hot soup, watching the person across from him—who was considered the strongest by the entire kingdom—carefully bowing his head to separate fish bones.
His movements were exceptionally smooth, and then, very naturally, he pushed the deboned fish meat in front of Yumesaki.
"There are quite a few bones here, be careful."
Yumesaki was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but comment, "Don't do this, I'm scared."
"Scared? Why?" Reinhard's face was full of incomprehension.
"Naturally, I'm scared I'll fall for you."
Cough! Reinhard sprayed the water he had just taken into his mouth, coughing violently.
He put down the water glass, saying to Yumesaki with a serious expression, "My apologies, I am not interested in men."
Yumesaki couldn't help but laugh out loud and said, "What a coincidence, I'm not interested in men either."
Reinhard blanked for a second, instantly realizing that he had apparently been played.
However, he didn't get angry. Instead, he shook his head, gave a bitter smile, and said, "You are truly quite wicked, aren't you?"
"Wicked? Not really. At most, it's just a bit of bad sense of humor."
Yumesaki picked up a piece of fish meat and put it into his mouth. The fish meat was fresh and sweet, carrying a characteristic charred aroma after being grilled over charcoal fire, melting right on the tip of his tongue.
"By the way, Reinhard, there is one thing I want to ask you."
"Please speak!"
Seeing Reinhard's incredibly solemn demeanor, Yumesaki waved his hand. "Don't be so serious, just treat it as casual banter."
"I am very curious—as the strongest in this world, have you ever had an evenly matched battle with someone?"
"Or rather, a battle where you exerted your full capabilities."
"The strongest in the world is too much of an exaggeration," Reinhard said humbly. "The world is vast. Perhaps in a place unknown to me, there is someone capable of fighting me, or even defeating me."
Yumesaki pulled a speechless face. As far as he knew, that person most likely didn't exist.
However, he didn't argue with Reinhard on this aspect.
Humble is as humble does; this was simply the character of the man.
"The strongest in the world can be set aside for now, but the strongest in the kingdom is at least you, right?"
This time, Reinhard did not object.
Because in his view, the strongest in the kingdom was indeed himself; at least he had not yet met anyone in this kingdom capable of defeating him.
No, it should be said he hadn't met anyone capable of receiving a single full strike from his sword.
Seeing Reinhard accept this silently, Yumesaki smiled and said, "What a coincidence. Actually, I also know someone who is the strongest in an empire."
"And this strongest person in the empire is a complete battle maniac. Her absolute favorite thing to do is fight strong enemies."
"Then defeat them openly, capture the opposing party, torture them day and night, abusing them until they become like a dog that can only stick its tongue out."
Hearing up to this point, Reinhard couldn't help but furrow his brows. "Such methods seem a bit too cruel."
To be honest, as a knight, he really couldn't look kindly upon these kinds of methods.
Defeating an enemy was not an issue, but abusing an enemy violated the very style of a knight.
However, considering that the opposing party was most likely not a knight, Reinhard didn't pass heavy judgment on the opposing party's actions either.
Yumesaki shrugged and said, "There's no choice in that. This person comes from a hunting tribe that enforces the law of the jungle."
"Since childhood, the education received was about the law of the jungle—the winner is king, the winner gets everything, and can do whatever they want to the losing party."
Reinhard instantly understood. If that was the case, then there was nothing to be surprised about.
A distorted upbringing would naturally raise a distorted human being.
This was perhaps the opposing party's way of survival.
Although he disliked it, he wouldn't interfere with this way of survival either.
Because he didn't live in the environment and upbringing of the opposing party.
However, he was very curious as to why Yumesaki was telling him these things?
Yumesaki said calmly, "Actually, I want to get you to have a fight with her."
"Huh?" Reinhard asked in confusion, "Why?"
Yumesaki said, "This person can currently be considered my personal subordinate. I once promised her that if I encountered a strong opponent, I would recommend them to her so she could properly experience what it feels like to fight, and even the taste of defeat."
Reinhard shook his head, opening his mouth intending to decline.
Yumesaki raised a hand to stop Reinhard. "Of course, I also don't intend to make you act just like that. I recall you saying that this country is currently holding a Royal Selection, correct? I possess a type of magic that can predict the future, and I know who the fifth candidate is."
Reinhard's gaze instantly turned sharp. "Is what you say true?"
"Absolutely genuine," Yumesaki said. "And the fifth candidate is actually a descendant of the royal family."
Reinhard was suddenly shocked. "How could that be possible?"
Why Lugnica had to hold a Royal Selection was, of course, because all members of the royal family had passed away.
Therefore, they were forced to use the Royal Selection to choose a king in order to lead this country forward.
Yet now, Yumesaki was telling him that the royal family actually still had a descendant. This was truly hard to believe.
But right at this moment, Reinhard suddenly thought of something. "Could it be..."
"Correct, it is exactly that 'could it be'."
Yumesaki snapped his fingers, saying with a smile, "The fifth Royal Selection candidate is a descendant of the previous royal family who was kidnapped as a child. Currently stranded in the slum area of the royal capital, her name is Felt."
Reinhard was rather startled, completely not expecting that Yumesaki would actually state the other party's location and name so bluntly.
Slum area, Felt.
Based on these conditions, even without Yumesaki's help, Reinhard would be able to find the other party.
"What, very surprised?"
"A little."
Yumesaki burst into laughter and said, "If it were anyone else, I might exploit the other party's position, but you don't need to be exploited. You are Reinhard, the knight among knights. Giving you a massive favor like this, you will definitely return the favor."
Reinhard couldn't stop smiling bitterly. He had clearly just met the man today, yet it felt as if he had been completely read through.
"I understand. I am willing to have a fight with that person."
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