It took courage to self-identify as the “Greatest Knight.”

There was a sense of pride in being recognized and praised by others in that regard.

However, I had never once claimed to be the “most” or “superior.”

I had a sense of accomplishment, having spent countless hours in tireless effort and diligent training.

Yet, surrounded by exceptionally skilled mentors, respected peers, and astonishing juniors, the feeling of inadequacy was inevitable.

Sometimes, I found it frustrating, while at other times, I considered it a blessing.

Being acknowledged by someone should be the fruit of perseverance and arduous effort.

Moreover, if one seeks recognition from everyone, that perseverance and effort must be tremendous—so remarkable that it leaves everyone in awe.

—Have I truly put in the effort deserving of such recognition?

Yes, I have certainly dedicated myself and spent countless hours in diligent training.

But have I surpassed my limits? Have I polished myself to the point of exhaustion? Have I sworn an oath of greater effort inspired by others’ diligence?

Let me answer this self-interrogation.

Julius Euclius was one who had made such efforts.

Surpassing his limits, polishing himself to exhaustion, and pledging for greater effort based on others’ diligence.

—Thus, in front of the pinnacle of “Sword,” he could stand proudly with his chest out.

“—I am the ‘Greatest Knight,’ Julius Euclius. I will cut you down, the sword of the Kingdom.”

“—”

Julius, having grasped the hem of his cloak and bowed, stood in front of the “Sword Saint,” who was silent.

His eye hidden beneath an eye patch was closed, and he did not look at Julius. Instead, he quietly crossed his thick, powerful arms, contemplating something.

But that contemplation didn’t last long. It was obvious from our brief acquaintance that he was naturally unsuited for heavy thinking.

Therefore—

“Ah, ah, aaah, ahhhhh—damn it!!!”

The “Sword Saint,” Reid, scratched his head vigorously and stomped his foot hard.

The two-layered white floor shook as if it had exploded. While Echidna, who was watching their confrontation, flinched, Julius stood upright without swaying.

Seeing that, Reid clicked his tongue.

“Show off, show off, show off… Ah, so it’s a show off. Just as I thought, you’re pulling a little follower act. You really get on my nerves, don’t you?”

“I regret to say I have no recollection, but I feel empathy for that little boy act.”

“Huh? Who said my little follower was a boy? First off, dragging a boy along isn’t interesting. The follower I’m talking about is a girl. She’s cute, but her logic is too noisy.”

“A girl… then what is our common ground?”

“Eh? Don’t make me repeat myself.”

With a snarl, Reid showed a shark-like ferocious grin.

Then, releasing his folded arms, he slapped his own cheek.

“The logic is obnoxious, and she’s cute, that’s all.”

“—”

“Tch, you don’t even get irritated. How unlikable. Well, that’s good.”

Reid snorted at Julius’s feeble reaction and cracked his neck loudly. Then, he observed Julius—not Julius himself, but rather the area around him.

The faint light swirling around Julius seemed to shine brighter than before.

Above all, this was the first time he was showcasing them in front of Reid.

“My buds… No, my lovely maidens, what about them?”

“Ha! There’s nothing there. Good women don’t discriminate by race. Unfortunately, I’m not interested in women I can’t have. —You could have been stronger if you broke your shell, huh?”

“If you’re saying so, that might have been a path I could have taken.”

Advice to juniors was something that seemed uncharacteristic of Reid’s personality.

It was most likely provoked by his moodiness and his realization that Julius, who had no choice but to cling to his sword, was wasting away.

If one were to cling to the sword, they should show no restraint. —This was the kind of attitude Reid desired from Julius, and it was indeed a potential path.

However—

“I have decided to walk this path. Perhaps, as you say, breaking my shell and exposing the true me would indeed make me stronger.”

Julius consciously considered the awareness that this transformation was possible only because he hadn’t made a strong commitment.

In critical moments, during nail-biting defenses, the true face of Julius would emerge.

But that was only if strong awareness were present. —Now, he was unwavering.

“I declare. I will delve into my identity as a knight. On that basis, I will become superior to any version of myself you attempted to guide me toward.”

“Hah, what makes you think you can do that?”

“It’s obvious. —What I believe a knight to be embodies ideals. It is pure and righteous, and above all, strong. Therefore, as one who claims the title of knight, I must embody that.”

“—Hah?”

My own reasoning is outrageous, absurd, worthy of ridicule.

But upon hearing it, Reid didn’t express anger, nor did he show disdain or contempt; he simply grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.

And then—

“I’ll make you cry.”

As he said that, Reid tossed aside the chopsticks he had been holding, leaping backward in front of the astonished Julius. Then, he slowly stretched out his hand sideways.

The large palm grasped the sword of the selection that had been thrust into the white floor—

Originally, Reid Astraea was supposed to just be an examiner of the tower.

By some twist of fate, he fiercely stripped away the framework of the tower and ended up virtually resurrecting the body of the Archbishop of Gluttony, Roy Alphard.

In such a state, he had reached the point where he no longer had to obey the tower’s “examinations,” and only now did Reid draw the sword of selection for its original purpose.

In other words—

“—Fool that has reached the heavenly sword, you have my permission.”

“That’s my line. …Well, I forgot because it slipped my mind.”

“As I thought, I said it in your place. —I shall challenge you.”

“As if I would allow that, you fool. I’ll make you scream.”

Before the knightly sword raised in front of Julius, Reid crudely pointed the drawn sword at him.

There was not a single gap. In his natural state, Reid was the ultimate swordsman who had perfected his technique—

—The pinnacle of all swords wielders, the “Sword Saint,” Reid Astraea.

“Here I come—”

“Just do it casually.”

“—Let’s go!!”

Believing in the chivalry that shaped him, Julius Euclius dove headfirst into battle against the “Sword Saint.”

▲▼▲▼▲

His body and soul felt light.

Not in a metaphorical sense, it was pure exhilaration that enveloped Julius as he swung his knightly sword.

In battle, the mental state significantly impacts the outcome, needless to say.

Considering it, since arriving at the Pleiades Watchtower—no, since losing his “name” in the water gate city, Julius had been in an unstable state.

Of course, Julius had restrained himself and kept self-control as much as possible, hiding that feeling.

His self-control could easily be described as steely rationality, but it wasn’t a commendable story.

By hiding his own malaise, deceiving his comrades and even himself, he had led to shameful defeats in consecutive battles since arriving at the tower.

Julius should have first believed in others.

Overcome by shock at being forgotten, lamenting how he had fallen out of the world of others, he had overlooked the very thing he needed to believe in most.

Were the important people to whom Julius had pledged loyalty and with whom he entrusted his back the kinds to despise Julius Euclius, who had fallen out of the world?

—Absolutely not.

Therefore, there was only one thing Julius ought to pursue.

He should have earnestly appealed and expressed love himself. —As he had managed to do with his buds.

“The severed bonds should have been re-tied. A nobody can become anybody… I myself am the living proof of that!”

A nobody, a commoner, could become the coolest knight in the world.

Even someone who had become a nobody, Julius could also have become anything.

And then—

“Regardless of the chances I get, I shall always aspire to challenge you, the one atop the ‘Sword,’ whom I have admired ever since that day when I was infatuated with that flaming boy and saw ideals in the back of the knight who proclaimed himself a knight!”

“Stop rambling, you annoying brat!!”

At Julius’ decisive slash, Reid roared as he met it with his own strike.

Struck by the force and pressure of their clash, Julius squinted his yellow eyes in astonishment.

This was his fourth match against Reid, if counting resets.

The first challenge ended in defeat shortly thereafter, then a chance to stall when the entire Watchtower was in jeopardy, and now the fourth time of recontracting with the buds.

Among these, it was the first time for Reid to wield anything other than chopsticks—whether one could call chopsticks a weapon was debatable, but nevertheless, he had finally stepped up with a proper sword.

Thinking this now, Reid, the “Sword Saint,” finally grasped the sword.

“The sword of selection wields more power than before…!”

“As I’ve told you, I’m strong not because I can swing a sword. The reason I’m strong is simply that I’m strong.”

Receiving the haphazardly swung blow overhead, his knees buckled in response just as Reid followed up from underneath. With great effort, Julius barely fended off the impact and leaped backward.

But Reid didn’t merely make strides to catch up; he merely stepped forth.

One might want to doubt his unusual movements, but there was nothing special about them.

As he caught up to the opponent retreating, simply thinking of that, Reid easily executed footwork that would take multiple generations in a martial arts school to master.

It was as Reid himself had said, he simply was an “out-of-the-ordinary being.”

“Do you feel like crying yet?”

“—No, I feel elated at the realization of challenging a legend!”

Julius answered, not trying to hide behind bravado; he was genuinely enthused.

Indeed, there he stood. Before him was Reid Astraea. Countless times, Julius had found his heart soaring and his eyes sparkling with admiration for his legend.

Having met the actual person and been surprised by his personality, his power was just as he had longed for.

Therefore, he couldn’t help but think of the many wasted opportunities.

With words exchanged, swords clashed, and ideologies shared, here he was—

“Hah.”

Engaging with the “real thing,” a sudden thought escaped Julius as he exhaled.

An absurdly out-of-place yet exhilarating thought swirled through his mind, bringing a delightful thrill.

“What are you laughing at?”

“No, just a thought. —Once I’ve fulfilled my purpose here and made my return, I intend to challenge my friend, Reinhardt.”

Julius voiced his thought in reply to Reid’s question.

Not once had Julius ever competed in swordsmanship with Reinhardt; in fact, until their opposing sides in the Royal Selection, he had not contemplated any competition.

—Regretting that he had never stood alongside him.

That had been one of the reasons Julius had served Anastasia and faced the Royal Selection.

But even if such a feeling had not existed, having been captivated by Anastasia’s talents, Julius would still have desired to share her dreams and would have wanted to stand in the same place.

Therefore, pointless excuses or indirect evasions had never been necessary.

He should have approached Reinhardt with two wooden swords from the beginning.

Once in the past, Julius witnessed Reinhardt dueling the strongest swordsman of the Volakia Empire.

On that day, all thrilled by the swords’ energy, Julius’s heart had burned wildly.

That was the answer—.

“Hah, sounds like a name I don’t know. Who the hell is that, some horse’s bone?”

“Your descendant. The current ‘Sword Saint’ and my friend.”

“Hah! The kid of a kid is already a stranger. I wouldn’t recognize them if I bumped into them on the street.”

Interspersing swordplay with kicks, Reid snorted dismissively.

If Julius were to raise a slight retort, he opened his mouth to respond while parrying Reid’s sword,

“I’m getting tired of discussing someone else. You want to chat with me?”

“—Well, I wouldn’t say I won’t but isn’t that a denial?”

“—”

“If the timing is right, I’d love to exchange words with you for two or three nights. But right now, I don’t have time for that. I’m being urged to hurry, so—”

With some distance established, Reid smirked at Julius. In Reid’s blue eyes was Julius’ figure, glowing ever brighter.

The swirling six-colored radiance merged, forming soft auroras and eventually a rainbow.

And then—

“—Al Clauseria!!”

—The emitted rainbow brilliance surged forth against the white world, flooding toward Reid.

▲▼▲▼▲

Julius himself was taken aback by the power and scope of the unleashed auroras.

It transformed into an overwhelmingly massive spirit art that should no longer be treated as the same as before—

“———”

The buds—no, the talented ones who had literally blossomed from their sheltered state could no longer be referred to as buds.

They had achieved growth so beautifully, gracefully, robustly, nobly, vibrantly, and almost divinely.

To monopolize all six of them alone might make him more sinful than even the Archbishop of Gluttony.

However—

“Even if you forget me, I still love you.”

As he leaped forward, Julius aimed to catch up to the unleashed auroras.

The radiant light, haloed by six attributes, smashed through all defenses targeting its opponent. Thus, before that multicolored shine, the only responses available to his adversary were two—either to take it head-on or dodge it.

“—Hah.”

And so, by nature, Reid Astraea didn’t sidestep the rainbow light.

Against the rushing brilliance, Reid swung his powerful arms, deftly slashing at the very tips of the light with the sword of selection.

A pure act of violence, the swordplay that didn’t rely on special magic or blessings—was enough to nullify the full force of Julius’s massive spell in a single stroke.

However, Julius, who was stepping forward, had anticipated this as well.

Launching from behind the dissipated auroras, he tapped into the sword and the maidens’ power.

“Ia! Aro!”

In an instant, responding to the call, the red and green spirits amplified each other’s abilities, weaving blazing flames, as a searing whirlwind erupted from beneath Reid’s feet.

Feeling the heatwave on the soles of his sandals, Reid leaped upwards even before he could be scorched.

However, the spirit knights’ coordination—the teamwork of the “Greatest Knight”—was merely getting started.

“Kua! Ik!”

The yellow spirit created an uplift on the white floor, propelling Julius upward. Simultaneously, the blue spirit’s radiance froze the moisture in the air, impeding Reid’s ascent.

Tch, Reid forced himself into an unnatural move, kicking off midair to reverse his position, affixing his feet inverted to the icy ceiling where he glared down at Julius.

With a pronounced tension in his knee, Reid prepared to strike downward against the ascending Julius—.

“In! Ness!”

Just as the “Sword Saint’s” counterattack approached, the black and white spirits intervened with their respective powers.

The white light infused strength into Julius’s entire being, whereas the black light slightly diminished Reid’s power. The tiny difference born in that moment was instrumental to the results that followed.

“———”

The icy ceiling serving as a foothold shattered, and Reid burst forth, obscured by the speed.

The hasty posture of his sword held without care represented a sort of ultimate form—his movements incarnated a threat as Julius opposed him instead of feeling pressed down.

As iron would clash against iron, it was only logical that stronger blows would send lesser ones flying.

Therefore, Julius kept his eyes peeled. —Since he had always kept vigilance against those above him.

“———”

Silencing concepts of sound and light, a single stroke from Reid cleaved the very space apart.

To declare it so, whether it was the sword of selection or just chopsticks, anything in the path of that stroke was ruthlessly obliterated.

Because this was the embodiment of the very concept of a “sword.”

The “Sword” exists to cut things apart.

Thus, swordsmanship is the sum of techniques for cutting with that sword.

Therefore, a single slash capable of cleaving all things in this world is nothing short of the essence of the sword and the skill behind it.

Those cut down would never forget the truth of their cutting.

Therefore, the scar beneath Julius’ left eye would never vanish.

It was the cost he paid for narrowly dodging the “Sword Saint’s” slash.

“———”

Abandoning any defensive stance, he gauged the opponent’s sword in a fleeting exchange.

Blood burst from the gash in his eye. Yet he did not close his eyes. With focused intent, he swung his arm.

A decisive strike that blew away defense in favor of a full-throttle offense—

“—Al Clarista!”

Julius Euclius unleashed the pinnacle of his swordsmanship, painting a rainbow arc.

And that arc caught Reid Astraea’s ferocious shark-like grin—

—The eyepatch that had covered the “Sword Saint’s” left eye was pierced by the knight’s blow, flying through the air.

▲▼▲▼▲

“———”

When I landed on the white floor from the tip of my toes, the sound of footsteps felt oddly loud.

The moment I became aware of it, the heart that had been forgotten in the depths of my chest began to race in a panic. Propelled by that flow, I exhaled deeply.

Then I turned back to see the robust back facing me.

“———”

The wild red hair swayed—the back stood still.

The great man gripped the sword of selection tightly in his right hand while his left pressed against his face. The position his left hand was probing was where the eyepatch had originally been, yet it was no longer there.

The eyepatch that had covered the “Sword Saint’s” left eye now lay at Julius’s feet.

“…Did it reach?”

Gaze lowering to the patch on the white floor and the knightly sword in my hand, my voice trembled.

As if muttering to confirm the incident, it felt far too surreal, slipping through my fingers like a fleeting dream, threatening to vanish without a trace.

However—

“———”

There were no concepts of words—six lights praised Julius for achieving this feat.

A warm flower of affection sought to fill the emptiness born in Julius’s heart.

And with the applause of those blooming maidens—

“—Julius”

A faint voice called out, and Julius’s gaze turned toward it.

The muscular man with his back turned, the maidens showering him with praise, and standing in a different position above all was a woman with pale lavender hair.

She wore a white outfit that seemed out of place in the sand dune, and at her feet was a white fox, whose dark eyes trembled with anxiety.

The meaning of her presence, which had long been disguised as a scarf, was now apparent.

Aware of this again, Julius shut his eyes.

And—

“—It’s an honor to meet you.”

He recited the lines delivered as a challenger to the “Sword Saint” once more.

But this time, the emotion rising from the depths of his heart was different from the thrill of challenging.

Yet, some things remained unchanged.

It was the adventurous spirit of a boy who admired the knight, akin to turning the pages of a new adventure tale.

“I am—”

Kneeling, Julius uttered his first words.

He would wait for the response patiently. He believed he could wait indefinitely.

The capacity to believe he would hear their words was an overwhelming blessing.

“—I am Anastasia Hoshin.”

“———”

“I want everything this world has to offer. …So, mighty, cool older brother, what’s your name?”

It was crystal clear how she smiled and tilted her head.

Kneeling, head bowed, Julius responded with a short breath of “Hah,” and then—

“I am Julius Euclius. —Your knight.”

“———”

“You might have forgotten, but I am bound to serve you, having pledged my sword. I will devote my power to support your aspirations.”

In the deepest bow, laying his knightly sword down, Julius finally raised his head.

Whatever looked down upon him would not be regretted.

Bewilderment, hesitation, and looking down—were not knightly traits.

To pose with ostentation and to act appropriately—were the very ideals Julius longed for.

And, looking down at Julius, she narrowed her round eyes.

“Really? I don’t recall, but… Okay.”

“———”

“From the moment I laid eyes on you, I thought—this older brother must become mine.”

Up close, the twinkling eyes that wanted nothing and would never let go reflected everything.

To the sister of “Greed,” Julius Euclius once again offered his sword.

Just like a tale of a king and his knight, this was a divine moment—

The reunion of the stolen “master and servant” bond took place at the second layer, “Electra.”

This was the accomplishment of eliminating one of the five obstacles presented by Natsuki Subaru.

The Great Library Pleiades, the second “trial”—the curtain falls.