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The reason I know this is not only because I’m familiar with the original work but also because anyone who has had a few conversations with him would know that Reinhardt truly cherishes his younger sister.

This is assuming that the conversation lasts long enough, but anyway, discussions with this guy almost always end up revolving around his sister.

Looking back, most people I know are fond of their siblings as well. Orcus and Elteman are no exception. I feel the same way. Typically, you’d think children from prestigious families would have strained relationships, but it seems I’ve been lucky to have such people around me.

I’ve seen siblings fighting before, but it’s still a good thing that this doesn’t happen among my friends.

“I should go out early today.”

Suddenly, Reinhardt spoke to me. He was saying he’d skip the training session today.

When someone as determined as Reinhardt is cutting back on his training time, that speaks volumes. Since I was planning to meet Alphonse today, I nodded in agreement to Reinhardt’s statement.

“Sure. No, let’s just go together. I need to head out too. Cromel’s mansion is in the same area, after all.”

As far as I know, Reinhardt’s sister is the same age as Alphonse. I’m curious about what she looks like, so I decided to tag along. After all, she might become a new friend of Alphonse.

It seemed that Reinhardt was thinking something similar, as he agreed with me.

“Are you going to meet Alphonse? Count me in!”

As if she had been eavesdropping on our conversation, Hailey chimed in, having gotten closer.

Noel said she’d focus on her training a bit more, and it looked like the group was shaping up. Just as I was about to return to training, Reinhardt approached me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and quietly said,

“Lizorote is cute.”

What on earth is this all of a sudden? I looked at him in confusion, and Reinhardt was gazing at me with a somewhat wistful expression.

For a moment, I was puzzled, but soon I realized he wasn’t talking about me.

His gaze was directed at Alphonse, who wasn’t here.

‘Wait, is he seriously daydreaming about that?’

While he spoke somewhat nonsensically, the implication was that it wouldn’t be surprising if Alphonse fell for his own sister. I was taken aback by this reasoning and was about to say something when I noticed Hailey nearby and managed to hold my tongue.

“Ah, right…”

Regardless of my skeptical expression, Reinhardt continued to boast about his sister to me. I’d like to fight back with my own stories, but I knew it would just make me look silly, so I let him ramble on.

I’ll hold on to that for later.

*

Now that the Sacred Festival is approaching, the entrance to Ruden is bustling with crowds coming from various regions of the Empire.

For the Empire, which takes the gods as their rightful masters, this is a significant event. Not only important figures from all over come, but many people gather to purely enjoy the festivities in Ruden.

Especially the people arriving from all corners of the Empire are significantly influenced by the Academia, as Estellia is a place where talents from across the Empire congregate, and many come to see this year’s performers at the Sacred Festival.

Some are eager to witness the growth of their children who have been sent to the Academy, while many nobles are there to scout talents for their own households. In any case, being part of the Academy and participating in the Sacred Festival signifies a certain hopeful future.

With mortals capable of performing great deeds, talents are indeed a precious resource.

No matter how advanced magical engineering has become, allowing for improved Golems and the creation of Homunculi, they cannot replace people.

Given the vast territory of the Empire, there are countless institutions and their associated families, and possessing outstanding talents to sustain them is indispensable. If there was a lack of new talents, it would mean those institutions could no longer exist.

And no matter how famous a noble family may be, they aren’t free from this reality.

The reputation of a noble family is ultimately defined by the people that constitute it.

“The Dragon Crest… so they’re coming from the south? Faster than I expected.”

“I heard Count Kraus’s Lesser House would show up for the Sacred Festival. They say all the heads of the four noble families are gathering this time.”

Among the families currently entering Ruden, the ones drawing attention are the ones bearing the Dragon Crest, which symbolizes Kraus. They are the only family among the prominent ones arriving, being one of the Empire’s four pillars, which is why they are the center of attention.

While the martial family of Kraus has come for their own reasons, this year’s meaning is slightly different. Usually, the head and their direct lineage would not move from the south, but this time they had come for a different reason.

Amidst the crowd’s focus, Alphonse, gazing from the carriage, asked Ken with a highly animated expression due to all the attention directed at him.

“Ken, there are so many people in Ruden. It feels like watching waves ebb and flow. Not that I’ve seen real waves before.”

“Given how close the Sacred Festival is, more people will be flocking here on the day itself. Still, it seems a bit busier than usual this year. I’ve heard this current Academy class is being called the Golden Class; perhaps that’s why.”

“Then does that mean all these people are here to see my brother and sister?”

“Haha, you could say that.”

Ken’s response made Alphonse’s eyes sparkle as he surveyed the surrounding crowd. After all, he had come out of the south for the first time and was excited that so many people were coming to see Damian and Elena.

To be precise, not just Damian and Elena are referred to as the Golden Class, but it wasn’t entirely incorrect either. Among the Golden Class, the presence of the two was indeed outstanding.

With the mention of the Academia, Alphonse looked at Louis. Among those currently in the carriage, Louis was the only one with firsthand experience at the Academia. Feeling Alphonse’s gaze, Louis met his eyes and kindly asked,

“Young master, do you have any questions about the Academia?”

“Sir Louis, you graduated from the Academia, right? With high marks too. People are calling this year’s class the Golden Class, so what was the level of the previous classes?”

“Basically, the Academia gathers talented people from various regions. In the Department of Knights, most students can already perform Qi Conditioning to some extent and handle Aura. To put it simply, meeting the minimum requirements for applying to the Black Dragon Knight Division would be feasible.”

“Ah…”

At Louis’s words, Alphonse wore a slightly disappointed expression. The standards were lower than he had expected, as he could do Qi Conditioning and Aura manifestation himself at this point.

Seeing Alphonse’s reaction, Louis couldn’t help but laugh.

For a boy who hasn’t yet turned ten, it might be a high standard to hold. Even though the position of a squire in Kraus requires talent, it seems it didn’t meet Alphonse’s expectations.

Is it because his own talent is too remarkable?

It seems being surrounded by exceptional individuals has raised his standards unconsciously. To comfort Alphonse, Louis added,

“That’s just the minimum requirement. Naturally, every year, more capable students enroll. Notable examples include the offspring of noble families. You must know well the advantages and talents passed down through generations from being a scion of a noble house.”

Alphonse nodded at Louis’s words, as he was not unaware that he enjoyed such privileges.

“There was the son of the Royal Knight Commander back when I was there. The reason this year is called the Golden Class is likely because so many children of illustrious families enrolled at once. The heirs of royalty and the four great houses gathered in one place, which is how such rumors began. Saying it’s the Golden Class isn’t entirely incorrect.”

“Because I have my brother and sister.”

“That’s right.”

Louis agreed, affirming Alphonse’s proud words about Damian and Elena.

“The abilities possessed by His Highness and Her Highness are extraordinary, and Damian mentioned that the Sword Saint’s grandson is truly a genius with a sword.”

“But my brother will win, right?”

“…Young Master? I understand your trust in Damian, but please don’t underestimate the children of other families too much. The world is large, and there may be those who have lived quietly like you.”

“Ah… yeah, I get it.”

Hearing Ken’s gentle admonition, Alphonse softened his stance momentarily. But Louis wasn’t confused by Alphonse’s behavior, as he himself agreed with Alphonse’s words.

The impressions left by Damian and Elena on Alphonse must have been spectacular.

How could one think that individuals capable of single-handedly defeating a horde of monsters or winning against knight-like masters would lose to their peers?

Both Louis and Ken understood that Alphonse made those remarks to highlight Damian and Elena, so they didn’t chide him any further. Upon deeper reflection, Ken’s advice was simply about being cautious with words in front of others, and it wasn’t a denial of Alphonse’s claims.

However, anywhere you go, there are some people who express themselves bluntly.

While sitting on the coachman’s seat, Robin, who had been listening to Alphonse and the others, nodded in agreement with Alphonse’s words.

“Well, what the young master says isn’t wrong. No matter how good others are, they surely can’t surpass the Lesser House master and lady, right? Honestly, I’m more excited about the semifinal than the finals of this Sacred Festival. After all, if the lady and the Lesser House master meet in the finals, they’d probably just forfeit against each other…”

“Sir Robin.”

At Louis’s cold glare, Robin promptly sealed his lips.

“Ah, yes. That’s just my thought.”

Robin, slightly shrinking back, still had a grin on his face because he noticed that Alphonse’s expression brightened again after hearing his words.

Louis also seemed to notice this, placing a hand to his forehead and gazing at Robin incredulously.

Once the atmosphere calmed down a bit, Alphonse resumed his sightseeing in Ruden. He leaned against the window, mentally jotting down the places he wanted to visit, while Ken struggled to keep his eyes open as the sun warmed his face, repeatedly blinking.

As time passed, the interior of the carriage grew quieter. Alphonse’s focus was completely outside, and eventually, Ken could no longer resist the sleepiness and dozed off.

Perhaps because he had no interest in the scenery outside, Robin, feeling bored in the quiet atmosphere, turned to Louis, who sat behind him.

“What do you think, Sir? Is there anything different around here?”

“With just a year, it’s hard to tell. There are definitely more people now. Back then, it didn’t get this crowded.”

“Oh, Sir Louis also participated in the Sacred Festival. If I remember correctly, you made it to the semifinals…”

“Did you, uh, see that?”

At Robin’s trembling question, Louis raised the corner of his mouth as he replied.

“No, I just heard about it. Both the Lesser House master and Sir Louis are famous down south, after all. I’ve heard tales of your exploits every year. Truly impressive. My memory of that time when you and the Lesser House master fell off that mountain remains vivid.”

“That, that was a while ago. If someone overheard, they’d think I’m some old geezer… we’re not that far apart in age.”

“What? An old man?”

“Forget it!”

Feeling embarrassed by Robin’s words, Louis bowed his head. Fortunately, Robin was looking ahead and didn’t see her expression. As Louis’s face turned hot, Robin innocently continued speaking.

“In any case, now that you’ve come to the imperial capital after so long, do you have any acquaintances or friends to meet? If you do, I can inform the Lesser House master later, so if there’s anywhere you want to go, feel free to do so. We do need to arrive at the mansion first, though.”

“Well… I do have someone to meet. A f-friend? Hmm, I guess it’s a friend.”

“Your answer sounds a bit vague?”

“Um, it’s a peer from the Academia, but we never really talked much when we were enrolled. We exchanged letters often after graduation, and they mentioned wanting to chat when I came to Ruden. I was postponing it because of that, but with the Sacred Festival happening and it seems Damian got a bit of help, I thought I’d stop by to say hello.”

“Your explanation sounds a little off-putting… Is this person involved in business or something like that?”

“No, they’re not that kind of person. They were also a peer from the Department of Knights. Their swordsmanship is exceptional. They’ve since become a knight in the royal guard.”

“A knight in the royal guard? They must be someone impressive.”

“Yes, they were the top graduate in my class.”

“Oh.”

Upon hearing Louis’s words, Robin finally realized who this peer was.

The person named during Alphonse’s earlier conversation.

They were referring to Zion Leonhart, a member of the Leonhart family, one of the three great warrior families of the Empire, and a longstanding commander of the royal guards.

At one time, while Louis was known as the greatest warrior in the south, Zion was hailed as the best swordsman in the Empire. It was no wonder Louis always ended up as second place, as Zion continuously took first place.

As Robin grasped that Zion was the peer in question, a pleased smile emerged on her face as she spoke to her.

“Wow, Sir Louis. I never expected someone so focused on swordsmanship to have connections like that, but that’s fantastic!”

“What? What do you mean by that…”

“Ahh, no comment. Just let me know when you’re going later. Don’t worry about time; just feel free to go.”

“Ah, sure…”

Caught off guard by Robin’s sudden change in reaction, Louis replied with a puzzled expression.

Listening quietly from the window, Alphonse shook his head in dismay and sighed softly, reflecting on Robin’s behavior.

 

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