The silver formed a line, closing in on my side. The dust was swept away as if it had twisted its body to avoid touching the blade itself. As if in response to the silver flash, the purple lightning ripped through the sunlight.

　--Gee, ding!

　An unpleasant, ear-splitting sound rang out as the steel bit into each other.

　In an instant, the pressure on my wrist was so great that I thought it would break my bones. There was an unmistakable feeling of a muscle about to snap.

　I forced my body to twist and kick my opponent upside down, and then quickly stepped back to get some distance. My throat instantly dried up and frustration shook my heart. He grabbed his treasured sword and checked again to make sure his wrist was still intact. I could still feel the numbness in my fingertips.

　It wasn't heavy at all.

　It reminded me of the time when I had caught the white blade of Heldt-Stanley with my left hand. That time, it had broken my bones so badly. I felt something close to a cold sweat slide down my throat. I had a hunch.

　A feeling of dread ran through my hair that if I had just caught the sword and compared forces, I would have ended up reenacting it. Through my fingertips, my wrists, my elbows, my shoulders, I was beginning to understand. He, Kalia...

"Fine, I'll leave nothing to chance. Lugis, you said you were a pebble. Then you may test me to your heart's content.

　I mean it. Those are words of unmistakable truth. There was no hesitation in his words.

　The silver sword wielded lightly at the tip of Kalia's hand proved its sharpness by splitting the sound. The sharpness of the sword seemed to indicate that Kalia's morale had risen like a flame. I, on the other hand, was still reeling from the turmoil in my heart.

　I understand that I made a wrong choice. I want to scream at the top of my lungs, "What a foolish thing I've done! I am filled with shame at my ineptitude. But still, I didn't expect Kalia to slash at me without hesitation.

　Oh, no, no. That's a lie. That's definitely a lie.

　Somewhere in the back of my mind, I imagined that this day would come. That the day would come when I would be abandoned by Kalia and she would hold a blade to my back.

　But still, I had a faint hope that such a day would never come. That's why I'm pretending to be so bewildered right now, shaking my skull and brain marrow with unacceptability. What a shameful thing.

　On the other hand, my body seemed to know how to prepare for the clear threat in front of me. The fingers of both hands naturally gripped the treasured sword. The glow of the purple lightning shines as if it were shining back at the sun. The grand name "Hero Killer" seemed to come to life. He moved his lips, avoiding eye contact with Kalia.

What's the point of trying? Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury to do so.

　I let those words slip out, hoping that Kalia's feelings would change, even if only a little. I was painfully aware of the fact that these words were spoken out of weakness.

　As if to dismiss my feeble words, Kalia said, "It's so easy. It's so easy.

"Try to defeat me, Lugis. "Try to beat me, Lugis. Jump off this sword. If you can do that, you're no longer an ordinary man or a pebble. Your flesh and blood will turn to gold.

　The words were strangely unpleasant, yet they stuck in my ear and wouldn't leave. Kalia's silver hair swayed in the wind.

"And what, don't worry. Even if you're nothing but a pebble. "And what, rest assured, even if you are nothing more than a pebble, I will protect you and shield you from everything. Nothing to worry about.

　It was a voice that said he was sure of his victory.

　It was as if he was not even aware of the possibility. It was as if he was asserting that it was impossible for him to be defeated. Such a tone of voice.

　Oh, yes, I suppose that's true. I still can't see a way to win. Instead, deep inside my heart, I'm shouting at each other whether I should really fight or not, and why not.

　He clicks his right shoulder slightly. He squinted at Kalia, and as if everything was already in place, he held the tip of his sword out in front of him. What a selfish man who doesn't know the feelings of others.

　My body responded to Kalia's, and I held the treasure sword in front of my shoulder.

"You're very passionate, knight. Stop it, you're making me fall in love with you.

"No, I don't mind. I'll make love to you as much as I can.

　That was the signal. The sound of the blade swallowing space touched my ear.

　The first move was a stab to my shoulder. It was an arrogant thrust, as if to say, "If you can prevent it, you can prevent it. But what was put into the thrust was so sharp that it more than made up for the arrogance. Kalia stepped through a situation that no ordinary person could have reached, as if it were a matter of course.



　But I can see the picture.

　I was sure that if I held you close to my shoulder, you would aim for that part of your body as if you were being provoked, and I was sure that your character would make you do it.

　The thrust was indeed sharp and undeniably quick. It was a martial art that I could never replicate. But still, if I could see. If I knew what I was seeing, I could reach it.

　Eyes twinkling. I could see the thrust striking off the top and the blade returning to plunge the sword into Caria's neck.

　And then it's over. I felt a strange heat rising in my eyes. I'll put my fingers around your neck, Caria.

　But heroes... They're always a step beyond the thinking of the ordinary man.

　--Gah-gi-gi-!

　The silver light and the purple light overlapped, as if they were intertwined.

　Instantly, I felt the pain of having the flesh of my shoulder cut off. The blood splatter mixed with the dust and turned into a blood plume that wavered in the sky. I almost muttered, "You're lying.

　Kalia's silver sword easily bounced off the sword that was swung down to intercept it, and then devoured my right shoulder as it was originally intended. I had swung with all my might. But I could only slightly shift the trajectory of Kalia's sword, instead of striking it down. A crawling pain spread from my shoulder and throughout my body. The sensation of pulsating blood was strangely vivid.

　Oh, how hopelessly clear the difference in strength is. Naturally, my natural talent is no match for my opponent, and at long last, he is in a situation where it is difficult to even close the gap with minor techniques.

　And yet... And yet, I was just thinking about how lucky I was that this was not a barroom duel.

　And then I realized. Just a moment ago, I was thinking about why I had to fight Caria, and now I'm shaking my brain, thinking about how I can make Caria reach and defeat the hero in front of me. And so, his organs began to heat up and his heart began to burn for the duel right here and now.

　I almost smiled in disgust. Oh, my God. This is crazy. I'm not even thinking straight. The first thing I should be doing is convincing Kalia to leave Belle Fain as soon as possible. And yet...

　The people around me were surprisingly quiet as they watched the duel between me and Kalia. As if that's the way of the battlefield. Ah, the utter triviality of it all. The lord's private army must think that Caria is on their side, and the mercenaries must think that I'm a relief for protecting Vestaline.

　But it's not. It's not like that, me and Kalia are only wielding our swords for ourselves.

　Here and now, we both want to settle the duel in the tavern that ended in a draw that day. That's all.