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Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

It’s not that I was surprised at the fact that I won the duel against Noel. She was undoubtedly a genius, but she wasn’t so great as to surpass my time.

The gap in skill was clear, and I knew I would win the duel against her. Perhaps, Noel was aware of that fact and still challenged me to a duel.

What surprised me was the process of the duel between Noel and me.

I saw the sword that Noel had dropped. It was exactly split in half, not even resembling a proper sword. It was an outcome I had created, yet it still felt absurd.

I would never have thought that a practice sword would break. Was it of poor quality? With my father involved in the supplies delivered to Kraus from the workshop, such a thing shouldn’t happen. Moreover, if the condition of the sword had been poor, Noel would never have used it from the start.

In the end, it means I made it that way. Does that even make sense?

I clearly swung the sword with intention. I didn’t have any delusions of grandeur. I simply did it because I could. However, after reflecting on the duel, I found that it didn’t quite add up.

It was true that there had been progress with the sword in Merohim.

I could perfectly grasp that through my duel with Sir Gwen. So I can say this with certainty now that I know where I stand. Her sword shouldn’t have broken on the first blow.

A sword is as vital as life itself to a knight. Hence, minimizing damage to the sword directly correlates to a knight’s skill.

It’s not that difficult to break a practice sword, but if I were to hand any knight here a sword and ask them to do the same thing I just did, it’s likely they would find it difficult to replicate it in one exchange.

If I had accurately assessed her skills, she should have been able to deflect the sword without breaking it. If there was truly nothing wrong with the sword, then it must have been her choice to let it break. But why did Noel allow her sword to break?

Numerous questions continued to swarm my mind, but upon seeing Noel standing in front of me with a bright smile, I quickly realized that regardless of the reasons, my actions in breaking the sword were precisely what she had wanted.

Noel’s blue eyes sparkled.

The fierce determination reflected in her gaze was a side of her I had never seen before. I had wondered if she was going to ask for another duel, but contrary to my thoughts, what Noel said to me was a simple expression of gratitude.

“Thank you, Prince Damian.”

Those few short words rang gently in my ears, carrying a nobility befitting her status as a princess. Everything about her gaze, her tone — it felt like the Noel Estellia I knew had transformed completely.

“This was the most fun duel I’ve ever had.”

What kind of fun could there be in that brief exchange?

Yet, I could tell that Noel’s words weren’t just a formal greeting. Her words contained the answer to what she wanted and what I had fulfilled for her.

I looked at the small girl facing me. She was the princess of the Empire, but the eyes meeting mine were those of a knight.

I never thought I would say such a thing…

I called out to Noel, who was about to leave the training grounds.

“If you had fun, would you like to do it again?”

Noel stared at me blankly for a moment before taking a step forward, looking up at me slightly and breaking into a quiet smile.

It wasn’t the bright smile she usually wore for everyone to see, but this small smile was the most beautiful I had ever seen. In a fleeting moment, her face transformed into that of the Noel Estellia known to all.

Noel turned away from me and said with a mischievous smile.

“Hehe… I’ll do it later. I want to practice just a bit more before I challenge you again!”

“Are you worried you’ll break your sword again?”

“Hmm? Heheh. But next time I challenge you, I won’t back down so easily!! I might just keep challenging you until I win!”

“Well then, it would never end.”

At my remark, Noel energetically replied, “Maybe that could happen!” and continued on her way. I also handed the broken practice sword to a knight who was tidying up and followed after her.

Thinking back, I had considered Elena and Noel’s meeting, but I had never truly thought about my own meeting with Noel. In the context of the story, for Damian and Noel, they were supposed rivals. Perhaps there wouldn’t be a fated one for Damian, but…

Still, for me now, my encounter with Noel seems to have made a rather good start. It feels like I’ve sewn the first button well, so I hope this leads to a positive fate.

“Hmm?”

An odd voice escaped from Noel ahead of me. As she suddenly stopped walking, I halted as well and looked forward.

There was a familiar white light shining down.

How long had she been watching?

Elena. Her presence, always welcoming, caught my eye. She was sitting next to Alphonse, quietly watching as Noel and I returned. Noel seemed pleased to see a familiar face and sent a bright look toward Elena, but Elena wasn’t looking at her.

She was looking at me.

I wondered why. Her lovely purple eyes, which were always warm, seemed cold today.

*

Experiencing regression sometimes leads to moments where you encounter similar, albeit different, experiences.

Now, Noel and our encounter was just that. They were supposed to meet for the first time during the placement test of the Department of Knights at Estellia Academy. While I wasn’t present there as a member of the Department of Magic, I had heard many stories from Noel about it.

The test for the Department of Knights involved simple dueling among the students.

Surely, fate must have vanished, leaving me puzzled as to why such a thing was happening.

Upon arriving at the training grounds, I spotted Noel. Despite being twins, she radiated an aura completely opposite to Orcus. Seeing her bright smile made me feel happy to see a long-lost friend once again.

But perhaps because it was my second time reversing time, I didn’t feel the same emotions I did during our first reunion. Of course, I knew this would be the case. There is a clear difference between farewells in the first life and farewells in the second.

Above the training grounds stood him and Noel, swords crossed. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but bring up my past memories. Despite knowing better than anyone that many things had changed, I still couldn’t completely break free from the past.

“Ah, sister!”

“Hello! Alphonse. It’s been a while.”

Alphonse greeted me with enthusiasm, but I just briefly replied and took a seat, gazing at the training grounds. I didn’t even really know what emotion I held while watching the training grounds.

Fear. No, it wasn’t fear. If anything, it was more of a curiosity. Just as in the previous life, their first meeting would be a duel, and I wondered if the result would be the same this time.

Of course, it wouldn’t change anything, but it was merely within the realm of curiosity.

However, while observing the two as they struck their stances, I noticed something strange. It was not a change in their demeanor but rather a change in his attire. He was wearing the same clothes as this morning, but there were noticeable cuts scattered throughout, as if he had been slashed by a sword. In stark contrast, Noel stood across from him in pristine clothing. Feeling the oddity, I asked Alphonse, who was watching the duel closely.

“Alphonse, has Damian dueled anyone before?”

“Yes! With Sir Gwen. Ah, sister, did you know? Finally, my brother completely defeated Sir Gwen!!”

Alphonse answered excitedly, but hearing that only cast a shadow over my face.

I knew very well who Sir Gwen was without needing an explanation. He was the captain of the Crimson Dragon Knights, a significant force for Kraus, and one of the excellent knights often spoken of alongside Sir Wilhelm, except for the Sword Master. His skills were something I had seen firsthand before the regression, having sparred with him countless times here.

Until now, the record of their duels was zero wins and zero losses. Thus, finding out that he had won should have naturally made me happy, but instead, I felt a rising anger.

“I advised him not to fight with Sir Wilhelm this morning, and now the moment we return to Sarham, he…”

“S-sister?”

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just his clothes that were in disarray. It was not unusual for him to have minor injuries every time he faced Sir Gwen, but this time it was different. After having fallen from his duel with Sir Wilhelm just three days prior, he shouldn’t have fought today.

That’s why I had cautioned him this morning to not push himself too hard.

As I continued to ponder, my focus shifted completely from the duel’s outcome. What did it matter? What now felt like a far more pressing issue.

 

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