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The sparring among the knights continued even after Noel left her seat. It was merely a brief interruption in her daily routine, so there was no reason to halt the sparring.

Looking at the clothing of some members, I noticed they were often covered in dirt, suggesting they had rolled on the ground here and there.

Well, rolling on the ground during a sparring match wasn’t unusual, but considering who they’d been facing until now, it was truly astonishing.

I turned my head to glance at Noel. The outfit she wore was more akin to a knight’s uniform than the elegant dresses typically donned by noblewomen. It was a very pure white.

The embellishments were kept to a minimum, yet it was designed to clearly identify the wearer. The outfit focused solely on allowing the wearer to move comfortably, giving me a glimpse into her character just by seeing her attire.

Surely, an ordinary person wouldn’t be participating in a sparring match with knights like this.

Even if she’d been sparring with relatively inexperienced members of the Knights Order, they were still knights raised in Kraus. The mere fact of that proved their skills.

Yet, despite her royal status, to make those knights roll on the ground was clearly not something an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl could achieve.

If you asked whether any of my contemporaries had been ordinary, I would say no. However, witnessing this firsthand was a first for me. Perhaps that’s why it felt somewhat shocking.

Although I possessed memories from my previous life due to a peculiar circumstance called reincarnation, she was different. That meant she was truly a genius with remarkable sword skills.

“Wow!”

Noel, sitting beside me, was continuously exclaiming in excitement.

Right now, that is, Alphonse and I—along with Noel—were seated a little ways away, observing the knights spar.

The order of our seating was Noel, me, and Alphonse. I wanted to change my position since she was sitting right next to me, but I couldn’t exactly put the young Alphonse beside her, and given that I was already seated, moving would disrupt the arrangement.

Before long, the sparring amongst the regular members concluded, and the matches began for those leading each group. From this point, the skill level was definitely beyond that of typical knights, and even in sparring, the atmosphere was sharp, as if they could genuinely take each other’s heads off.

Seeing their fierce exchanges, Noel seemed eager to join in, like an arrow poised to shoot. However, she glanced at me for a moment and decided not to leave her seat.

If she’s not going to leave, then she might as well just go…

Just moments ago, she had been joyously sparring with the knights in front of Alphonse, so I couldn’t fathom why she was suddenly looking to me, but one thing was certain.

“I’m sorry, Alphonse. Let’s postpone our promise for a little later.”

“Yeees…”

It meant I could no longer fulfill my promise with Alphonse right now.

This swordsmanship belonged to my family, so I couldn’t show it to others, and leaving the Imperial Princess unattended while heading to the training grounds was out of the question.

Most importantly, right now, Noel was repeatedly looking between the sparring knights and me. If she’s going to watch the sparring, why is she constantly glancing my way instead?

However, when she looked at me, her gaze was so intense that it seemed like some bizarre sound effect could accompany it.

It felt like she wanted to say something yet was holding back. In truth, besides marveling at the sparring knights, she hardly spoke at all. But people have an innate sense, and though she didn’t verbally express it, I felt she was trying to engage me.

Bang!

The clash of swords echoed loudly in the air.

Yet, Noel’s eyes were still fixed on me.

Now she was completely ignoring the sparring knights, staring solely at me in silence. At this point, it was a bit exhausting to keep pretending I didn’t notice her.

Our eyes met—her bright blue ones sparkling as if they could shoot beams. It was undeniably an intimidating gaze.

As the sparring matches came to a close, I cautiously asked her, “Your Highness, do you enjoy swords?”

“Yes!”

“You certainly look like you do.”

Noel responded confidently as if waiting for my question. I nodded and briefly replied. Upon finishing my sentence, she looked puzzled, as if my answer was unexpected.

I stood up and walked towards the area where the knights were sparring. The outcome between the two knights whose swords had just clashed was already decided. I caught one of them returning to his seat and extended my hand to him.

“Sir Carmen.”

“Oh, Lesser House Lord. But what’s with this hand…?”

“Mind lending me a sword?”

“Huh? Oh… Here you go.”

Carmen handed me the sword he had been holding without hesitation. It was a training sword. Though it wasn’t sharp, it was made to weigh the same as a real sword, giving off that satisfying heft characteristic of swords.

Before I arrived here, I had already sparred with the Knights of Edelweiss. So, I thought there wouldn’t be another opportunity to wield a sword today, but here I was, grasping it again.

As soon as I took the sword, Noel hurried over. Her face was brimming with anticipation like never before. But what I had to tell her was not to stand beside me with the sword but to return to her seat.

“Your Highness, could you please return to your seat for a moment?”

“Huh?”

She looked at me with a confused expression. I just smiled and continued, “I need to warm up too, after all.”

Upon hearing this, Noel beamed and obediently returned to her place.

I wondered if she found it that delightful—it seemed a touch excessive. Sadly, right now, I wasn’t in the mood to mix swords with her; I was still on my way back from sparring in Merohim, and my joints felt well-oiled and flexible.

What was clear to me from her gaze was just one thing.

How strong is the man in front of her, Damian Kraus?

While there was surely curiosity regarding Kraus’s swordsmanship, the strongest impression I felt from her was not about Kraus but about my strength as the Mysterious Knight, who was of the same age as her.

It was apparent that Noel Estellia was a genius.

Knights are superhumans standing in a realm inaccessible to ordinary people. Of course, Noel was no ordinary person. As a princess of the Empire with divine lineage, she obviously fell into the category of superhumans.

However, defeating a knight was another matter entirely. Knights have honed their martial skills over a long time to enter the realm of superhumans. Therefore, their greatest weapon isn’t their exceptional physique but the skills they’ve painstakingly developed.

Divine Power and Aura. If she couldn’t use those two, all Noel had left was technique. Simply put, in a physical comparison, the knights, with their already developed physiques, held an advantage over sixteen-year-old Noel.

Yet, she had triumphed in the spar.

No matter how much they were against a princess, if their skills had surpassed hers, they wouldn’t have lost.

Someone capable of nullifying the years of effort others had put into their training. That’s why Noel was a genius.

Typically, martial artists become curious about their standing regardless of age. This curiosity isn’t affected by one’s character or nature; it’s a given.

Thus, Noel too must have been wondering.

Just how strong is the son of Arthur Kraus? What difference is there between them?

In the future, things would change slightly, but until now, if one were to select the greatest genius in swordsmanship, people would choose Arthur Kraus among the five Sword Masters. That’s because he reached the status of Sword Master at the youngest age.

Born as the son of a great father is indeed a burden.

I couldn’t say for certain whether I was a genius, but I had lived my life being told I was exceptionally talented, and now, having reincarnated, I could mimic that genius-like appearance for others.

So, avoiding a spar with Noel was actually quite simple. I merely needed to prove that I was above her. The attention she was giving me stemmed from her curiosity about the extent of my abilities.

There was no need to deliberately act weaker. It would actually be better for her to have even a slight favorable impression of Kraus as I thought ahead. I only needed to demonstrate a level of difference sufficient to make her step back.

However, I wasn’t completely sure that simply demonstrating such a difference would indeed cause her to retreat.

Even having read about her from a book, she wasn’t a main character like Elena or Richard, who appear throughout the later parts of the narrative, but rather a supporting character who comes and goes early on. And that too comprised merely fragmented aspects of her character, so I could only speculate and act accordingly.

For now, I didn’t think so. If that were the case, Noel shouldn’t be here watching the Knights Order; instead, she would be receiving one-on-one tutoring from her father.

“Sir Gwen.”

“Yes, Lesser House Lord.”

At my call, a knight who had been quietly observing the spar in the surrounding area stepped forward. The sleeves of his Knights Order uniform bore four golden stripes, unlike the others, signifying him as the commander of the Black Dragon Knights.

Without my saying anything, he already held a training sword in his hands. After all, we had spent years together—it would be odd if it wasn’t a habit by now.

“I hear you wish to warm up. How may I assist you?”

He spoke with a polite demeanor, contrasting with his casual words. I smirked at his comment, then adjusted my grasp on the sword I held and replied.

“As usual.”

“Understood.”

Sir Gwen positioned himself in a stance typical of the Black Dragon Knights.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the area began to shift. The playful mood that had been present while others exchanged blows seemed to fade as a chilling aura that didn’t suit a warm spring day descended upon us.

A look of shock appeared on Noel’s face, who had been closely watching the scene, but she was the only one reacting that way among those present.

Even the youngest, Alphonse, observed us with a calm expression.

Seeing her surprised demeanor felt refreshing. It was indeed a normal reaction. Everyone here had become so accustomed that such expressions were rarely seen.

Elena.

When she first witnessed this scene, she seemed slightly startled but soon regained her composure. Both of them had likely grown up without exposure to this environment, yet maybe because she was the protagonist, her adaptation was quicker.

Well, what does it matter? It might seem as though she was more surprised than I anticipated, but oddly enough, this fits better into the image I had in mind.

As always, I held the sword and took my stance.

Maybe sensing the change in energy, Sir Gwen, who had always dueled without uttering a word, slightly parted his lips amidst his own stance.

“You’ve grown.”

I nodded in response to his remark.

That was all.

We took that as a signal and simultaneously struck the ground.

 

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