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“No one with greater talent than you will exist in the past or the future.”

This was what Maximilian, Reinhardt’s grandfather, said to him when Reinhardt had only been wielding a sword for three months.

It was a wildly extravagant statement to give to a child who had just turned ten and was barely a beginner with a sword. However, Maximilian’s eyes shone with certainty as he spoke those words.

If someone else had said this, it could have been dismissed as mere grandfatherly affection, but he was the Sword Saint. For someone hailed as the Empire’s number one swordsman, love could not be graded on a score sheet regarding martial ability. His evaluations were precise and cold, carrying as much weight as his reputation.

That esteemed figure declared his grandson to be a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

If that was the case, then it must be true.

As if to prove him right, five years later, at the age of fifteen, Reinhardt reached the same level as his father.

Though Ludwig Cromel’s innate personality meant he couldn’t claim the title of Sword Saint from Maximilian, his skill was on a level far beyond what an adolescent swordsman should be capable of. The sword, honed through tremendous innate talent and years of accumulated experience, was not something that could be easily crafted.

But Reinhardt made it possible. The Sword Saint’s words were factual. He was already a completed sword; while others needed to go through the process of creating a sword, he only needed practice to draw that completed sword from the sheath.

What seemed like a vague path to others appeared remarkably clear and distinct to him. It was certain that with a little more time, Reinhardt would reach the summit. Perhaps that was why he had no sense of urgency.

This was before the personal issues of arrogance and humility. With no deficiencies, Reinhardt felt no need to exert effort. He wasn’t devoid of the competitive spirit; however, the problem lay in the absence of worthy opponents.

The summit was not so far off, and he felt instinctively that he could reach his grandfather’s level before he became an adult. Looking up at the summit from an early age, he was a unique being, and figures capable of igniting his competitive drive were rare.

This lack of competitors was stifling Reinhardt’s fighting spirit.

A rival who would look him in the eye and stand beside him—could such a person truly exist? To ask him to find a competitor meant searching for another Reinhardt with the same talent.

The absence of competitors posed no issue for his growth. Even without such rivals, the summit was near. No matter how much competitive spirit could act as a catalyst for growth, it was unnecessary for Reinhardt.

The summit he could climb whenever was not an end but a new starting point; if he wished to fulfill that competitive spirit, he could simply share swords with the seniors who reached the end first. Whether close or far, the mere existence of a summit still in his sight allowed Reinhardt to endure.

Seeing other prodigies intoxicated by their talent and becoming arrogant from a young age, it was quite fortunate that he possessed such patience.

Though he might have forsaken the expectations of potential competitors due to his overwhelming talent, it was an awareness of his own position, not disdain for others. He could not throw away his expectations for others while they still occupied the summit ahead of him.

Of course, if he were to reach the summit and then become unique among them, who knows what might happen then?

Yet, the gods did not leave him alone to worry about such things.

*

The stamina I had thought was depleted quickly replenished. Perhaps due to the recovery ability of a body beyond human, my speed of recovering from fatigue was incredibly fast.

Standing up, I headed toward the stands where Elena and the children were sitting. I couldn’t lie on the ground forever, after all. To my surprise, Noel was already there, and as soon as we spotted each other, we laughed for no particular reason.

“Isn’t everyone a bit late? I was so bored all alone.”

Awkwardness was a word that didn’t fit Noel at all.

Her appearance reminded me that the conflict between us had already ended, reverting to the state before I met Altair. In fact, nothing had changed in our relationship; she was still my friend and Elena’s friend. Elena sat beside Noel, and I followed suit.

Looking around, I noticed the other children were missing. Now that I think about it, wasn’t it Reinhardt and Richard’s turn next? Even so, it seemed one person was missing; I wondered who it was. I soon realized Orcus was nowhere to be seen. The last I saw of him was after the duel with Elena when he collapsed in the venue.

“Noel. Where’s Orcus?”

At my question, Noel shook her head with a look that said she didn’t know. It seemed that she hadn’t seen Orcus either.

Could he still be lying down?

I wasn’t looking for Orcus out of concern; it just seemed odd that he hadn’t shown up yet.

The divine nature that nobles naturally possess grants them a healthy body and formidable recovery power. Just looking at Noel, it was clear that while I had won the duel, she was the first to finish recovering. Of course, you shouldn’t compare Noel and Orcus; while Noel had barely lost to me, Orcus had simply been wiped out.

It had been quite some time since Orcus’s duel finished, but his continued absence suggested he was still out cold. But he wasn’t the type to hide away out of shame for losing… It looked like the duel with Elena had worn him out more than usual.

‘Should I check up on him?’

Well, I didn’t think he would be down for long.

Elena had probably moderated her strength, so I figured he would wake up before the Sacred Festival was over.

With many duels having been held, only a few remained. The finals weren’t far off, and the Sacred Festival was drawing to a close.

Shoving aside my pointless worries about Orcus, I looked down at the venue. The cheers from the audience signaled that the duel was about to begin. After getting through a tough spot, my tense mind found stability, but it demanded my focus on the duel ahead.

In the venue, Richard and Reinhardt stood facing each other. The extraordinary presence of both made it seem fitting for either to be the protagonist of the story. No, under the cheers of the crowd, those two had already become the main characters on that stage.

The winner of this duel would likely be my opponent.

I didn’t feel a particular urge to cheer for anyone. Since they were both friends, it wasn’t that I couldn’t support them; rather, no matter which one came out on top, it wouldn’t change the fact that I would face the stronger of the two. It was going to be a tough time for me, regardless of who emerged victorious. So, cheering for my opponent was out of the question.

I had relaxed considerably, but I had not abandoned thoughts of victory. The promise with Elena still stood, and I had no desire to lose to others.

This duel would surely help me in my forthcoming battles, regardless of who won. If their opponents had underperformed, this duel, with one another as challengers, would give them both a fair chance to showcase their true strengths.

My own capabilities were already revealed during the duel with Noel, so I couldn’t afford to sit idle; I had to analyze the situation to gain the upper hand.

“Damian, who do you think will win?”

As I meticulously watched the two standing in the venue, Elena asked me. I might have answered easily if it were a duel between two warriors. However, I hesitated since it was a duel between a mage and a warrior. Was the future grand mage stronger, or was the next Sword Saint more formidable? That was nearly a fundamental question.

If it were against Elena, I could assert without hesitation that the mage was the strongest. But with Richard, my response was ambiguous. I was ignorant of the mage’s level, and anyhow, my most frequent clashes had been with Reinhardt, which could bias my perspective.

I considered what it would look like if I were to duel Richard instead of Reinhardt and took a moment to ponder. It was a hypothetical situation, but my answer came to me more easily than expected.

“Reinhardt.”

As soon as the answer formed in my head, I said his name without hesitation. It might have been heavily influenced by my personal opinion, but even so, it was the only answer I could come up with.

Elena didn’t ask me for a reason for my answer. She simply nodded in agreement.

With a declaration, the duel began.

And there were no surprises in the outcome.

 

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