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“Brother!”

As I opened the door, Alphonse rushed towards me.

Honestly, I was worried until I opened the door about whether he would come to me or go to Hailey, so it was a relief.

I can’t express how nervous I was…

“Wow, looks like you’ve been eating well. You’ve gotten quite heavy.”

I said this as I picked Alphonse up once and then set him down again.

Alphonse wasn’t exactly chubby, but overall, his body was solid for a child. That meant he had been training hard.

Since it had been months since I last saw him, I was excited to see how much Alphonse had grown, but of course, he wasn’t as tall as I had hoped.

Even though Alphonse was a child in his growth phase, people aren’t plants, so there’s no way he’d grow significantly in just two or three months. He was just a bit taller, maybe 2 cm? Still, after not seeing him for a while, I could confirm that he had been training well with our father, as his energy felt much stronger than before.

Speaking of which, noticing our father was absent, I asked Alphonse about him, and he told me that our father had some work in the south and would arrive at Ruden a few days late. It was disappointing news for Reinhardt, who had been looking forward to meeting him.

“Alphonse, how have you been?”

“Ah! Sister! Hailey is also…”

“Hello, Alphonse. Your cheeks are still so squishy~”

“Y-you guys are too much…”

While everyone was happily teasing Alphonse by squeezing his cheeks, Reinhardt stood there silently. Perhaps it was because it was their first meeting, but being a sword-obsessed guy, he seemed to notice that Alphonse had built up an aura and was assessing Alphonse’s level.

“Uh? Who are you…”

Alphonse, who hadn’t concealed his aura at all, finally noticed Reinhardt standing next to Hailey.

Moments later, Alphonse’s teal eyes met Reinhardt’s deep blue ones.

“…..”

“…..”

A moment of silence flowed as the two stared at each other.

It looked like they were having a staring contest, as both Alphonse and Reinhardt silently observed one another. The atmosphere was not conducive for conversation.

In fact, it was natural for anyone to feel flustered if a stranger was staring at them without saying a word.

Unfortunately, Reinhardt was quite clueless, so he continued sizing up Alphonse without letting up his aura. Suddenly aware that he was being scrutinized, Alphonse naturally began to feel cautious.

Given the mood, it wouldn’t have been surprising if either one drew a sword, but knowing that wouldn’t happen gave it a peculiar thrill. It was like watching a battle of wills between kids.

Though trembled by Reinhardt’s presence, Alphonse stubbornly stared back without avoiding his gaze. Even if Alphonse was gentle, he was not without a fighting spirit, and with Hailey observing, it seemed he had no intention of backing down.

‘Ah, no way.’

Thinking back, it seemed Alphonse’s wariness of Reinhardt wasn’t just due to his aura.

Certainly, it was partly because Reinhardt was a stranger, but I suspected that Alphonse was also influenced by Hailey being next to him. He was probably conscious of being with a girl he liked who seemed to be of the same age as him. That’s why he was currently in this state of confrontation when he would normally attempt to converse gently.

Of course, to Reinhardt, Hailey was just a fellow classmate from the Department of Knights—nothing more, nothing less.

It’s generally fun to eavesdrop on others’ family dramas, and while I could discreetly tease Alphonse, it was refreshing and cute to see the normally composed Alphonse on high alert, so I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

I wondered if I was the only one feeling this way or if it was the same for everyone else, as both Elena and Hailey stood just watching.

In that tense atmosphere, it was Reinhardt who first broke into a smile. Perhaps he had made his assessment of Alphonse; he turned his gaze towards me with a slight smirk and said,

“Impressive.”

“Really?”

“Eh?”

Alphonse looked flustered by the sudden compliment. Reinhardt’s words diffused the atmosphere rapidly.

Alphonse, with a bewildered face, looked at me, but I took the opportunity to gather Alphonse and the others to sit down. They had all been standing around watching, so some conversation was needed while seated.

*

After sorting things out a bit, we sat down for some light conversation. Since we usually hung out together, our talks revolved around Alphonse.

“Ugh…”

Despite having cleared up misunderstandings, it seemed Alphonse was still nervous about Reinhardt, frequently glancing his way, as if frustrated by his earlier defeat in their silent showdown. At this age, attempting to stand up to Reinhardt was no small feat, but gentle as Alphonse was, he still had a resemblance to his father, Kraus.

Noticing this endearing side of Alphonse, Reinhardt made it a point to maintain eye contact whenever it happened. Most of the time, Alphonse would turn his head away first, but Reinhardt seemed to be toying with him in his own way.

“How old is your younger sibling?”

“Nine years old.”

“Right. You mentioned she’s the same age as Lizorote…”

Reinhardt, who had asked about Alphonse’s age, confirmed it and flashed an expectant smile.

This signaled his excitement at discovering young talent.

Both of them were still young, but Reinhardt’s skill level gave rise to an arrogant belief that he was in a superior position. Perhaps feeling pleased at finding someone who could follow in his footsteps, it was obvious he took a liking to Alphonse to such an extent that it was evident to me.

Seeing Reinhardt react this way, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

Though it wasn’t yet, Reinhardt was destined to be known as the greatest swordsman on the continent one day. Therefore, it was impossible not to be overjoyed that Alphonse gained recognition from someone like him. Even though I was already aware of my brother’s extraordinary potential, it felt good to see it acknowledged. That’s what validation from an authority figure is all about.

Once Alphonse noticed I was pleased with Reinhardt’s reaction, he widened his eyes in surprise and looked back at Reinhardt.

After a moment, Alphonse asked me,

“Brother. Um… I might be overstepping, but is it okay if I ask something?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Between the two of you, who is stronger?”

“Pfft-!”

Alphonse’s question made Hailey, who was listening to the conversation, spit out her tea. I was equally startled; I hadn’t expected him to ask so bluntly.

The fact that Alphonse asked this shows he couldn’t tell who was stronger between Reinhardt and me.

It’s understandable that someone at Alphonse’s level would find it difficult to distinguish, but still, Reinhardt had a certain extraordinary presence like Elena, so even though he had faith in me, it seemed he found it challenging to pick who might emerge stronger.

Hailey also seemed to be curious about the topic, quickly wiping her mouth and leaning forward like Alphonse. It was a topic as interesting as a power balance.

As for Elena… perhaps she already knew the answer, as she merely watched the two of us with an amused look.

Reinhardt and I momentarily turned our heads to meet each other’s eyes and both smiled as we simultaneously spoke,

“I don’t know.” “I have no idea.”

Alphonse sat there in apparent shock after hearing our responses, but eventually, he nodded as if he accepted it. What surprised me was Hailey’s reaction; it seemed she hadn’t expected that both of us would say we didn’t know.

If Hailey thought about it, given that she had seen most of our sparring sessions where I often held the upper hand, she might have assumed I would be stronger. However, what Hailey didn’t realize was that, while Reinhardt hadn’t found a way to take the upper hand, he had never been beaten by me either.

The sparring usually ended reasonably, and we always had our share of composure afterward.

Though I took the lead at the beginning, that was mostly because Reinhardt tended to initiate exploratory strikes; he was someone who could respond to all my incoming attacks, even when it looked like he was falling behind.

He was truly a genius.

When I was confident I’d win during our practical exams at the Department of Knights, it had now become uncertain, just as the Sword Saint had remarked, because Reinhardt was growing rapidly. Unless we really fought with full strength, we likely wouldn’t give Alphonse a definitive answer to his question.

Reinhardt’s anticipation for the Sacred Festival might stem from this.

The only time when we could truly fight without restraint would probably be during the Sacred Festival, aside from life-or-death situations.

Feeling that my thoughts were correct, Reinhardt added this to Alphonse.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

 

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