I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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161st Chapter

“Damn, I can’t meet his eyes…”

I averted my gaze slightly from Reiner, staring into the empty space, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck. Maybe it was the increasingly hot summer weather, but I could feel a subtle heat rising within me.

“How have you been… all this time?”

I asked a bit awkwardly. It felt like the atmosphere between Reiner and me was precariously held together by a thin thread. I nervously fidgeted with the hilt of my sword, unsure of the reason.

His golden eyes gazed at me intently. They were a bit wavering, yet steadfast. It was certainly the same as always, but the intensity of his gaze from that night lingered in my mind so strongly that now, the perfectly restrained look felt oddly uncomfortable.

“Of course. I’ve been quite well.”

After a moment of silence, Reiner finally replied, and looking at his slightly smiling face, I felt my tension slowly ease.

“I heard you attended the Grand Noble Assembly while I was on probation.”

“Ah, yes. I testified during the Hunting Tournament.”

“If I had been there too, I could have helped with the testimony… I’m sorry.”

Reiner smoothly continued the conversation. I shook my head at him as he offered an apology with slightly drooping eyes.

“It was something I could have handled alone; it was my duty. You didn’t choose to be on probation, did you? There’s no need for you to apologize. Your probation period is over now, right?”

At my question, Reiner nodded.

“Yes, it’s been a little while since my probation ended, and yesterday I even received a medal from the Knights Order.”

“Congratulations! That’s wonderful news.”

I smiled gently, genuinely congratulating him. Although I hadn’t received it myself, I felt inexplicably proud and happy.

Reiner bit his lip. His expression darkened.

“Though it’s a good thing… I feel uncomfortable about it.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

My eyes widened. A medal was the highest honor. Nobles wouldn’t wear medals on their chest without reason. It was likely something quite significant, given that it was awarded for protecting the royal family.

“I don’t deserve it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Reiner’s firm words made my expression stiffen.

“If you don’t deserve it, then the very system of medals wouldn’t exist.”

Reiner was the bravest and most righteous person I knew. He had courageously thwarted the terror attack, and therefore he absolutely deserved to be awarded.

Reiner looked at me with a complicated expression as if my words had moved him, yet guilt flickered in his gaze.

When I frowned, trying to understand why he felt guilty, his red lips slowly parted.

“The one who deserves the medal isn’t me; it’s you. You uncovered the overall facts about the terrorism, found the location of the bomb, and saved the people—it was Kashmir.”

I blinked slowly.

If Reiner received a medal, then it would make sense for me to receive one too. After all, I had helped him stop the terrorism.

But there was no way I could summon Mir in the palace, and there was no way the nobles’ pride would allow a commoner mercenary of unknown identity to receive a medal. It was only natural that my existence was erased, and Reiner received the medal alone.

“I’m fine without a medal. And receiving one while hiding my identity would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?”

“I still hoped you would receive it. You would have been even happier that way.”

I spoke gently to comfort Reiner, but my low voice stubbornly countered. Seeing him get worked up over something trivial made me feel both grateful and amused.

I laughed heartily and patted his shoulder.

“Just because I didn’t receive it doesn’t mean your qualification disappears. You absolutely deserve it.”

His golden eyes shimmered slowly, like stars sparkling. I smiled back at the sadness and affection reflected within those eyes.

“I’m content knowing you received it. I’m happier for you than for myself.”

It was true. I preferred Reiner’s honor rising over my own. Those around me were my honor, after all.

“…Is that so? Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter then.”

The cloudiness that had lingered in his eyes lifted, replaced by a soft expression. The stern line of his lips curled into a gentle smile.

Reiner bent his upper body, casting a shadow over me.

Even though the sun was behind him, he shone brightly, illuminated from behind.

“Everything I have belongs to you, so my medal is your medal.”

I liked Reiner’s voice. His deep, low tone held a soft golden glow like a firefly. Even if ‘a shining voice’ sounded silly, it was true. His voice genuinely sparkled.

“I heard you’re participating in the Swordsmanship Tournament. You’ll be facing the finals today.”

“Ah, yes. I heard you are participating too.”

Maybe lingering on his kind words, he naturally shifted the conversation. In response to my question, Reiner nodded.

“Yes, as the Captain of the Knights, I’ve been participating since the semifinals. It seems I’ll meet Kashmir later.”

After all, if the Captain of the Royal Second Knights entered from the start and crushed all the capable fighters, it wouldn’t be ideal. Watching Reiner with such confidence, I quietly brightened up. My heart raced.

“This time, I’ll finally get to clash swords with Reiner.”

Reiner and I exchanged a brief glance. Any personal feelings between us faded for a moment as we shared a swordsman’s gaze.

It had been a long time since I’d trained my stamina and learned defense from Reiner, but I had never formally clashed swords with him.

“Sir Einhart, could you please have a spar with me just once?”

I admired Reiner’s swordsmanship. I wanted to face his strong and solid sword that mirrored his upright spirit. I had repeatedly requested a spar, but each time, he declined without any particular reason, leaving me feeling a bit down.

“Please wait a little longer. Once I reach a level where I can entertain Mir, then I’ll request a spar.”

It was when I had asked to duel on occasion. After hesitating for a while, Reiner said this almost regretfully. It was then that I understood why he had been avoiding our spar.

Reiner had always shown an obsession with his own strength. He wasn’t mad, but it was clear at times that he felt troubled by a lack of rapid growth in his abilities.

“I don’t want to keep being defenseless anymore.”

I remembered what Reiner had said in front of Harabana. Thinking of how weak he was as a child made his obsession with strength quite understandable.

“I know someone similar to Reiner. I cannot truly understand how painful it is to depend on others to survive, born from weakness, but I do know what it means.”

The strong spirits that try to break free from their protection and soar on their own are truly splendid.

“…I see. I’ll wait until then. But please know this.”

Since I supported those who sought strength, I complied with his request. At the same time, I added a remark.

“What I’m looking forward to isn’t sheer power but the very sword of respect itself.”

I wished to clash swords with Reiner not simply because he was strong. Of course, that made it better, but fundamentally, I wanted to share swords with him.

A duel felt like peering into each other’s souls, blade to blade. Watching the patterns our swords weaved in the air, I often imagined the life he had lived.

I was curious about Reiner. I wanted to learn about his spirit, about the life he had lived. I continued to long for that moment of discovery.

“Will you genuinely share swords with me this time?”

I playfully asked. His warm golden eyes carefully sketched me as if drawing with a pencil, and soon his eyes curved downward in a smile.

“…Yes. I won’t avoid it anymore. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Reiner bowed slightly, rubbing his head against mine. Our hair, one black and one silver, mingled. The strands brushing my forehead felt soft and ticklish. Following such a loyal command, resembling a large dog waiting, I couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll be up shortly. Just so you know, I won’t go easy on you.”

I promised for the day when I would clash swords with Reiner.

“Isn’t that the lady of the Crisis?”

“Huh… I heard she’d be participating, but I didn’t expect her to come alone without any escort.”

“Well, it’s merely a brief amusement for a noble young lady. Her swordsmanship can’t be that great.”

I calmly adjusted my sword ornaments while listening to the whispers around me.

“I’ve gotten used to this while living as Mir.”

The gazes and whispers of the people were merely part of my daily life.

I stood there, waiting for my turn, pretending not to hear the chatter they thought I was oblivious to.

“My body should be fine to loosen up before the first match.”

Not feeling the need to warm up particularly, I lounged back in my chair, yawning. I watched boredly as the Communication Sorcerer showed the preliminary matches.

The swordsmanship tournament was held in a tournament format, with the first preliminaries taking place over two days. I was sitting in the waiting room as a participant, waiting for my upcoming match.

“I was quite surprised when looking at the matchups.”

Recalling my first opponent from the bracket I saw a few days ago, I chuckled softly.

“Not someone to get knocked out here, but… it can’t be helped. I got unlucky with the draw.”

It’s only natural my opponent would be the one to lose, as I definitely wouldn’t. I sighed as I felt a bit bad for even thinking of crushing him. I felt like a withered old tree intruding upon a vibrant patch of young sprouts, sucking the vitality from the soil.

“Noah and Caesar aren’t participating out of courtesy, yet here I am, tarnishing the reputation of the Empire’s Sword Master.”

I pressed down the guilt that rose even more. Still, it would be quite the sight if they were to interfere while being middle-aged, but my outer appearance was still that of a teenager, so I rationalized it might mitigate things a bit.

“The next contestant is Princess Kashmir Doramata of the Caesar Crisis!”

“It’s my turn.”

I stood up as my name rang out, long and grand compared to the peasant names I’d heard so far. Stretching my arms lightly, I turned to step into the combat arena, glancing back over my shoulder.

“Ah, just so you know.”

I quietly brightened my eyes.

“The blood is quite rich, you know.”

“Wha-what? Are you serious?”

The guy who met my eyes looked utterly startled. He had been fervently talking down about me just moments ago. I couldn’t help but smile snake-like at his bewildered expression.

“The blood of Crisis, which has produced countless sword demons over its long history, is as richly red as their eyes.”

I strapped my sword to my waist.

“My eyes aren’t as red, but that doesn’t mean the blood of the sword demons has diluted.”

Indeed, my eyes weren’t red. Occasionally, I would be surprised by the bright pink they reflected in the dark.

There was a time I disliked how my eyes weren’t as red as Caesar’s or Kal’s. But not anymore.

Though they weren’t the crimson eyes of a black dragon, they were the proud pink eyes of Kashmir Crisis, the princess herself.

Noticing he realized I had caught his whispers, the man’s face turned as pale as a white sheet. With a light shrug, I walked off. I had no intention of holding a grudge.

Waaaah—!

As I entered the dueling arena, bright light poured down upon me. Ignoring the deafening chorus of cheers, I walked confidently to stand in the center of the arena.

I directed my gaze solely at the opposite entrance, where my opponent would appear, dismissing the crowd as mere white noise. I already felt laughter bubbling up at the thought of seeing his face.

My opponent was someone I was quite familiar with.

“That opponent is Prince Serenon Odysseydi Helios Solratine!”

My pupil, Serenon.

Step by step.

Although Serenon was the Second Prince, he drew significant popularity with his different charm than Diego’s. As if to prove that popularity, an overwhelming roar erupted the moment Serenon’s name was called.

Yet among all the noise, I could distinctly hear the sound of his small footsteps approaching me through the sandy ground.

“Princess Kashmir Crisis greets the Second Prince!”

I smiled slightly and bowed.

“It’s refreshing to see you.”

Slowly lifting his head, Serenon met my gaze. His light lilac hair sparkled transparently in the sunlight. His droopy eyes curved elegantly, and the blue irises embedded in his gaze shone like jewels. His divine face, resembling a fairy more than a swordsman, was absolutely beautiful.

“I’ve missed you, Master.”

My first duel opponent was my pupil.