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“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… I thought my heart would drop.”

Richard responded with a wry smile to Reinhardt’s question. There seemed to be a lingering disappointment over the fact that he had lost, but he still smiled as he held Reinhardt’s hand. Yet, the strength of his grip conveyed his regret over the defeat.

This was an emotion I wouldn’t have noticed before. Reinhardt had always been poor at reading others’ feelings, but now he could at least grasp such simple emotions.

Perhaps having become more aware of others’ feelings, he had also developed a richer emotional state himself. It seemed now he could empathize with others in ways he previously couldn’t.

“At least you didn’t faint like Orcus.”

When Richard said this with a grin, Reinhardt was once again struck by the changes that had occurred between them. In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to casually mention Orcus’s name considering his status, but now both Richard and Reinhardt were at ease discussing it without a care.

He understood that this ease was possible because of their friendship, but then he thought back and realized just how distant such matters had been for him. Before coming here, he had never shown interest or curiosity toward anyone apart from his family.

Originally, he would never have extended a hand toward Richard, the loser.

“…..”

“Uh, my hand is starting to hurt, you know? Next time, I won’t give you that much strength just because you’re being stubborn, so can you let go already?”

Considering he had always focused solely on martial prowess and strength.

Looking back, there was no one quite as simple and dull as Richard. Now he understood why the vassals had feared him and why they couldn’t get close. He had acted with only martial principles guiding him, nothing else.

At least with family, and being a warrior, he had received some understanding; had his family been ordinary, he might have become a loner even within that household.

“Ugh… I really surrender!”

Reinhardt found himself pleased with who he was now.

It felt like he had finally become more human.

If that meant he hadn’t been human before, then so be it; it was a truth he couldn’t deny. His zeal for martial prowess and interest in strength had not disappeared; those were fundamental elements that made up Reinhardt. But now he was sure he wasn’t completely consumed by just that.

Seeing Richard’s hand turn increasingly red, Reinhardt finally loosened his grip and let him go.

“Ugh….”

“Stop being dramatic. Your hand is too weak. It looks like you need some training, Richard.”

“I’m not being dramatic! This isn’t weakness; it’s just that I’m exhausted… I’m heading down first…”

Having sent the now limp Richard on his way, Reinhardt turned his gaze to the audience stands.

There lay the reason for the changes in himself. The sight of his friends watching him from their seats caught his eye. Initially, he had been drawn to their strength, but the more they spent time together, the less that goal mattered to him.

In fact, the reasons and goals that had kept him by their side had merged seamlessly along the way. It wasn’t a deliberate decision; he simply found himself there naturally.

What kind of life would he have lived had those kids not been there? He thought that he would not have been able to play around with friends like he could now.

‘What are you doing over there?’

Did Damian feel his gaze? Their eyes met, and Damian’s were filled with a question of why he was still standing there. Even without a sound, just seeing his look replayed a voice in his head. This was proof of how much better he had become at picking up on others’ intentions.

‘It’s something only they can do…’

Hearing his friend’s voice resonate in his mind, Reinhardt chuckled softly and looked back at him.

He was already planning to descend, but receiving such a question sparked a mischievous urge in him, so he focused hard and stared at Damian.

This was a provocation since he knew Damian would be his next opponent. Damian didn’t back down either and fixed his glare on him, with both of them refusing to blink, naturally turning it into a showdown of wills.

The staring contest continued until Damian finally raised his hand, signaling for a pause.

Perhaps it was because he had been standing alone in the empty venue for too long. It felt like Damian’s urging him to hurry and go down. Even though he knew he should descend, he couldn’t help but think that if he just stayed a moment longer, he could land a victory in their contest, making him feel a bit childish, though his mood didn’t sour.

Well, he could resolve those feelings once they returned to the venue.

*

When I answered, Reinhardt gave a small smile and turned away. Even if the mood always seemed serious, he was someone who could take jokes as jokes. As Reinhardt departed the venue, I waved my hand, urging him to speed up.

“I thought things would get easier now…”

Watching Reinhardt leave, I leaned back in my chair like a deflated balloon. It wasn’t that I had relaxed; I simply felt really worn out.

However, I wasn’t feeling bad. It was more like a pleasant fatigue. Who doesn’t enjoy being recognized by others? For me, at least, that wasn’t the case. Being acknowledged by Reinhardt, who could be called a genius among geniuses, was definitely something to be proud of, not something to weigh heavily on my mind.

“That aside, it seems he’s completely comfortable now.”

He joked with Richard, provoked me to a staring contest—things I could never have imagined him doing when he was the old Reinhardt. In the original story, he was someone who was cold as winter to others year-round, yet it seemed he had melted considerably while spending time with us. That relaxed him.

I already knew Reinhardt was looking forward to our duel. Did any of our friends not know that? Even before the Sacred Festival started, we had frequently sparred and hidden none of our desires to clash with full force.

So while I had thought he was burning with competitive spirit to defeat me, that didn’t seem to be the case just now.

He simply seemed to be having fun. Pure excitement at the thought of me being his next opponent. Like a child enjoying a game. Although the desire to win was always present, it seemed to come from a surprisingly pure heart, making me feel a bit embarrassed.

Should I call it play? They say geniuses can’t beat those who work hard, and those who enjoy what they do can beat the hard workers; Reinhardt now appeared to be that person who simply enjoyed what was before him.

While I had promised to treat the Sacred Festival like a festival and a game, I didn’t think I could approach our duel with such unreserved enjoyment as he seemed to.

‘There’s no way I can’t be motivated now.’

Taking a deep breath, I reinvigorated my slackened limbs. The motivation to win was already plenty from my promise to Elena, but seeing Reinhardt pumped me up as if someone had tossed a log onto a fire deep within me.

Usually, it was Reinhardt who burned with motivation against me, but this time it was the other way around.

“Ooh! Damian! Your eyes are full of determination!!”

As I adjusted my posture after slumping for too long, Noel, who had been watching from the side, said with a face brimming with excitement. Although she wasn’t the one actually fighting, just the thought of me clashing with Reinhardt thrilled her.

While I had claimed victory over Noel in our duel, seeing her overflowing energy now made it seem like she was the winner instead. She looked lively enough that she could fight in my place. Did she inherit some sort of indefatigable stamina? I had never felt lacking in my stamina, but seeing Noel made me wonder if I needed more training.

Well, perhaps it was because her Divine Power contained healing abilities.

After all, the reason I felt drained now was probably thanks to Noel. Winning the duel made me feel good, but seeing Noel lively in front of me gave me a strange feeling.

“Hey, why are you looking at me like that, Damian?”

“I just think Noel always seems so overflowing with energy. Hmm, it’s nice to see.”

As I gazed at her enviously, Noel tilted her head, seemingly unable to comprehend.

 

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