I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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177th Chapter

Bang! Bang!

The swords clashed, again and again. The ground shook violently, and the air vibrated fiercely. It wouldn’t be surprising if the arena flipped over like a ship facing a storm at any moment.

‘This is fun.’

With my eyes blazing, I swung my sword toward Reiner’s legs. He nimbly leaned back to avoid it and charged at my head.

Bang!

The sound of metal scraping echoed again.

Life clashed with life. I could read Reiner through his sword.

Reiner’s sword was straight. Strong and unwavering. The glimpses of his instincts during the battle spoke volumes about his considerable combat experience.

Boom!

I drove my sword down without hesitation—

“Ouch! The ground is shaking! It seems the Princess has caused a disturbance with her mana!”

As if throwing a huge rock into a calm lake, I shook the mana with the tip of my embedded sword. The ground began to tremble like an earthquake.

Amidst the growing murmurs from the crowd, Reiner swayed slightly.

Swoosh!

I seized that moment and leaped into the air to charge at him.

Similarly, Reiner created a foothold with mana and narrowly dodged my sword. With each swing, a massive gust of wind erupted, causing our hair to flutter wildly.

“You have good combat sense, Reiner.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Landing in the arena, I exchanged cheerful words while wedging my sword into the ground, using it as a brace to spin and kick. Reiner hunched down to evade my kick.

Reiner raised his sword, glowing with golden mana high above his head. His mana was as warm as his personality.

“I can’t express how hard I’ve worked to stand on the same ground as you.”

Whispered softly, Reiner swung his raised sword down with all his might.

Crash!

The mana sliced through the ground, spreading like a lightning bolt. I backpedaled at full speed to the edge of the arena, avoiding it and sprang off the wall.

Bang!

“Eek!”

The mana crashed against the wall, shaking the area where the audience stood. A piercing scream erupted from the crowd due to the powerful tremor.

Despite having avoided it, the overwhelming wave of mana grazed my cheek. Wiping my cheek with the back of my hand, I found it stained with red.

This scouting match was enough for now.

It was time to really get into the fight.

“Reiner… you bring me joy.”

As droplets of blood ran down my palm, wetting the ground, I smiled brightly.

In this moment of bleeding and my heart racing wildly, I felt the most alive.

“Now, let’s raise the stakes.”

I raised one hand upward. Mana spheres began to form in the air, one by one.

Handling multiple mana spheres at once was quite difficult. The number of mana spheres one could manage was a scale of a strong mage’s capability.

Since preparing for war, I had devoted my all to training. I worked hard on stamina training, defense, mana manipulation, speed enhancement—leaving nothing out, but the most effort I put into was undoubtedly area attacks.

‘In war, you have to face many at once.’

I tirelessly worked to create multiple mana spheres. The mana inside me was as infinite as a spring, but accurately manipulating that overflowing mana was not only unfamiliar but also inherently complicated.

But through grueling training, nothing was impossible.

‘If I create a new mana sphere, the old ones will disappear! Focus more! Think of your mana as clay. Take your overflowing mana and break it into several pieces gradually.’

‘Your mana manipulation is too rough. It seems you keep making cannons. Try being more precise. Picture snapping a pencil to a uniform size.’

This training greatly benefited from the help of Kal and Aria. Perhaps driven by their eagerness to teach me, they’d end up arguing over who taught better, and I had to roll with it, but it allowed me to rapidly learn precise mana manipulation.

Zeeeng.

And this was the fruit of my labor.

—How many are those? The mana spheres… they’re so many I can’t count them…!

The shocked voice of the announcer struck my ears, almost simultaneously with a tremendous roar from the crowd.

I briefly looked up at the sky.

The sky, filled with ominously flickering gray spheres, seemed like the impending end of days. The blackness, akin to a transcendent being’s eyes or a black hole, slowly revolved, heightening the sense of foreboding.

‘I’ve kept my promise of a dazzling spectacle.’

I grinned, thinking of some nameless observer watching from somewhere.

“…I definitely thought you reached the tip of your toes.”

Reiner looked up at the calamity I had created with pure awe in his eyes, resembling a child seeing stars for the first time.

“The star that is you seems still far away. I am still so far behind.”

His voice sounded oddly mournful. His tone carried a sense of nostalgia.

Though it seemed negative, Reiner’s expression contradicted that.

He smiled brightly, looking as if he’d confirmed the existence of his ideal. His beloved golden eyes continued to sparkle like the Big Dipper.

“You seem to see something far away even while standing right next to me.”

I gazed at him, a hint of warmth rising in my voice. He flinched as he stared blankly at the mana spheres filling the air. It was a penetrating gaze.

Swoosh!

One of the many gray spheres sped toward Reiner.

In the blink of an eye, it swiftly grazed his cheek and disappeared. A droplet of blood ran down his pale cheek, precisely where my wound was.

Reiner slowly wiped the blood away and stared at me in a daze.

I knew Reiner admired me. I didn’t dislike it. How could I? I was grateful. I was pleased that he looked up to someone as lacking as me, and it fueled my effort to develop further.

But when he gazed at me like I was something precious, an emotional surge akin to rebellion swelled within me.

I was right in front of him, yet he gazed skyward.

“Look at me, standing right in front of you. I’m not the sky; I’m right here.”

I stated it firmly, gazing directly into his eyes. I was in a reality where it hurt to be stabbed and where blood flowed.

Reiner’s expanded pupils, filled with me, suddenly let out a laugh.

“…That’s true. I made a mistake.”

His golden eyes still sparkled.

This time, they were no longer those of a child staring at stars but of an adult facing another person.

“Our seasons have been so misaligned for so long that I momentarily lost sight of it.”

Zeeeng.

Mana rapidly concentrated above Reiner’s head, shimmering like countless stars in the Milky Way.

Now, the boy—no, the young man, possessing his own Milky Way, smiled at me.

“Now I understand that you are within reach.”

His hawk-like eyes glinted with desire.

Reiner wanted me.

The calm before the storm thickly enveloped us. A strange sensation coiled around my body like a serpent.

‘I want to be someone like you.’

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, a small boy surfaced in my mind. With blue eyes, a weak body, and small build, he reminded me of Reiner in no place at all, yet he always seemed to overlap with him.

‘I want to be someone who can protect others. I never want to… be a burden to you again.’

The boy, far too mature for his age, spoke decisively. In those awakening blue eyes, too quickly understanding the world, I saw Aria and my own reflection.

‘You weren’t a burden. I enjoyed being with you. It’s only natural for people to help each other. If there’s strength, even more so. And…

I still remember how soft that boy’s hair was when my fingers brushed through it. Also, the gentle smile I gave to those dimmed blue eyes.

‘You could be a better person than me. I truly believe that.’

It may sound like empty words, but it was sincere. I believed in that boy’s potential. I earnestly thought he could become someone far more remarkable than I could ever be.

‘See, I was right, Reiner. You’ve become a better person than me.’

I murmured to myself, grinning.

Reiner, as he watched me, also adored me.

He longed for kindness.

I wanted to walk a path together as equals with his integrity and kindness.

This fight was a time to prove that we both lived without shame in one another’s absence.

I intended to tell him that even after parting ways with him, I fought relentlessly with my convictions. My strength was the evidence of that struggle.

“I am here.”

I held my sword steady. Both of us were now releasing mana to its utmost. This was clearly going to be the decisive moment.

Beyond the long, metallic blade, I stared into his golden eyes. The glint filled with competitiveness, vigor, and desire felt unusual for Reiner, yet thus, it was human.

I liked that look in his eyes.

“So, why don’t you try to catch me?”

I grinned and leaped, charging at Reiner with all my might. The round mana spheres transformed into sharp daggers, viciously rushing toward him. As Reiner charged toward me, his own mana spheres rained down like a meteor shower.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Swords collided, and numerous mana spheres clashed.

“Ahhh!”

“Damn it! Reinforce the shield quickly!”

The aftermath of the battle thrummed throughout the area.

The earthen ground flipped, and the collisions of mana left dents in the arena walls. The mages guarding the arena quickly stepped forward to reinforce the shields.

Spheres of mana collided and reformed repeatedly. Despite having fewer mana spheres to create at once, Reiner quickly made more, enduring tenaciously.

Bang! Bang!

—Incredible! The swords clash at an unseen speed!

To the ordinary eye, we moved with an untraceable speed. Reiner fiercely pursued me, gritting his teeth at the sharply increasing pace. My muscles started to ache, but I didn’t stop.

Then, in that moment when Reiner could no longer keep up with the extreme speed and hesitated by a step.

Bang!

I seized that opening and swung my sword with all my might.

His sword flew through the air, crashing into the wall of the arena. Perhaps because of the sheer force I put into it, his long blade pierced the wall entirely.

Thud.

Reiner fell heavily to the ground. He seemed exhausted from the overuse of mana. While catching his breath on the ground, he suddenly broke into a wide grin.

“Ha, hahaha!”

It was the first time I’d seen Reiner laugh out loud. He laughed so genuinely, he didn’t appear to be a loser at all.

After a hearty laugh, Reiner slowly raised himself into a seated position. His golden eyes warmly gazed at me.

“If it were this simple, I should have done it sooner. I should have surrendered to you and faced you much earlier. I stubbornly insisted on becoming as strong as you.”

Sweat drops rolling down his forehead sparkled in the sunlight. Reiner, who seemed completely relieved, extended his hand toward me.

“Since I lost, will you still be willing to catch me if I try to grab you?”

I chuckled and took his hand without hesitation. His rough hand carried warmth.

“I’ll catch you.”

I tugged him up with all my strength.

Thump!

Reiner, now standing because of me, wobbled and nearly fell forward.

“Be careful!”

I quickly rushed to support his swaying body with mine. As he almost toppled, he rested his face on my shoulder. After pausing for a moment, Reiner soon let out a gentle smile.

“…You say I’m kind, but I’m just mimicking your kindness. The true kindness lies with you, doesn’t it?”

His low voice whispered softly. A much deeper and richer scent of rosewood tickled my nose.

“Just a moment, I’ll lean on you.”

Reiner lightly draped his right arm around my waist. This time, I froze slightly.

Was I holding him up without difficulty?

Reiner raised his left arm high and extended his index and middle fingers.

“I give up.”

A sign of surrender.

The previously noisy crowd fell momentarily silent.

In a moment that felt like time had stopped, the announcer opened his mouth.

—…Lord Reiner Einhart’s declaration of surrender… and this time, the victor of the swordsmanship tournament is… Lady of the Kashmir Crisis.

A brief pause.

Waaaaah!

And then a roar erupted that threatened to burst my eardrums.

A slow smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

I had won the swordsmanship tournament.