◇39 Rival
"My name is Alberto Ludra Staccato, father of Gene. I serve as the Commander of the Imperial Knight Order."
"I am well aware. There is no one in this imperial capital who does not know of the 'Tiger of the Empire.'"
The commander greeted me courteously. It was likely an attitude directed more toward someone connected to the imperial family, rather than just a duke’s daughter.
It’s said that in his youth, the commander served as an aide to my uncle, His Majesty the Emperor, so this demeanor makes sense.
I took an immediate liking to this commander, who exuded the very essence of a knight. Indeed, a knight must be a gentleman to ladies. Gene, you should take notes.
The commander, Gene’s father, doesn’t appear in the game. I believe he was away on an expedition and not in the capital at the time. That’s precisely why that incident occurred in Gene’s route.
To give a rough rundown of Gene’s route: a series of slashing attacks breaks out in the imperial capital.
Gene steps up to resolve it but ends up getting overwhelmed. Shockingly, the culprit turns out to be a knight Gene knows from the order.
I’ll skip the finer details, but with Estelle and the knight order’s help, Gene defeats the rogue slasher knight in an intense battle, leading to a happy ending. That’s the gist of it.
The event where I—facing a doom flag—get cornered by Bianca, Gene, and Estelle is just a part of this main route.
In a way, my event is merely a sub-event meant to deepen the bond between Estelle and Gene. For now, it doesn’t seem like Estelle has any romantic feelings for Gene, so I think I’m safe.
While I was lost in such thoughts, ignoring the commander politely greeting Estelle, my eyes suddenly caught sight of knights sparring in the training grounds.
Huh? Are they fighting with real swords? Is that safe?
"Oh, that? That area is covered by a special barrier that prevents injuries. Training with real swords is essential for us."
The commander answered my unspoken question. Apparently, it’s a field barrier that applies a skin-like shield to living beings. Within this barrier, physical damage is significantly reduced thanks to that shield.
That said, since it’s a skin barrier that only reacts to living things, clothes still get torn, and armor gets dented. It’s a bit of a mixed bag.
Plus, it only reduces damage—it doesn’t eliminate pain entirely. They say if there’s no pain, people neglect their defense. Perhaps there’s something to be gained only through experiencing pain.
It seems there are several similar barrier zones, with a few other people training with real swords as well. I was surprised to see some kids around our age among them.
Are they already training with real combat in mind? Meanwhile, I’m still working on building stamina. The swords they’re using all look like short swords, though.
I suppose long swords might be too much for kids.
"Sakuraile-sama, sorry to keep you waiting!"
While I was watching the squire kids training, Bianca came over from the headquarters. It seems she’d finished arranging the joint match.
"Oh, Commander! It’s been a while!"
When Bianca reached the commander, she snapped a crisp salute in greeting.
"Bianca, huh? Are you working hard as Sakuraile-sama’s aide?"
"Yes! I’m living fulfilling days!"
"I see. Then it was worth recommending you to His Highness the Imperial Brother."
So the commander was the one who recommended Bianca! Thanks to that, I’ve had all sorts of worries piled on me!
Well, complaining about it now won’t help… and since I’ve gotten along with Bianca, maybe it’s all worked out for the best.
"Bianca! Let’s spar, it’s been a while!"
"Hmm. But I’m Sakuraile-sama’s aide, so…"
Bianca tried to decline Gene’s invitation, but I could tell at a glance her eyes were itching to test the results of her daily training.
"Why don’t you go? Tanya’s here with me, so I’ll be fine."
"Y-Yes! Then, excuse me!"
Bianca hurriedly dashed off toward the training grounds with Gene.
Glancing over, I noticed Estelle staring at the sword on the commander’s hip. Since when was Estelle interested in swords?
The commander seemed to notice her gaze too.
"Young lady, something the matter?"
"Oh, no, um… I just sensed a strange magic leaking from that sword, so I got curious…"
"Hoh. To pick up on that, you’ve got quite a sharp sense. Most people wouldn’t notice."
Saying that, the commander smoothly drew the broad sword from his hip.
The wide blade shimmered with a reddish gold. A black hilt with ornate decorations on the guard held a red gem embedded in it.
Even I, a novice with swords, could tell. This was an extraordinary blade.
"The magic sword ‘Pezante.’ Forged by the dwarven master smith Guildrain from hihiirokane."
A magic sword. A supreme blade said to be born from a combination of an enhancement-type ‘Gift’ and a master smith’s skill. As expected of the ‘Tiger of the Empire,’ even his sword is top-tier.
"It’s not just any sword, is it? Does it have some special effect?"
"No, no, it’s not that impressive. It just gets heavier with every swing, that’s all."
The commander grinned as he answered my question. Isn’t that a big deal? Doesn’t that mean each strike gains more force the more you swing it?
"But wouldn’t it get too heavy to swing after a while…?"
"I’ve been granted the ‘Gift’ of [Strength Doubling] by the God of Might, Power-sama. It’s the perfect sword for me."
I see. A perfect synergy between the magic sword and his ‘Gift.’
Of course, without the skill to wield it, you’d just be flailing around helplessly.
"It’s still no match for your [Holy Sword], Lady Sakuraile. If they clashed, my sword would surely snap in two."
With that, the commander sheathed ‘Pezante.’
Well, that’s unavoidable. Comparing a sword forged on this earth to one bestowed by divine favor is unfair. They serve entirely different purposes.
The [Holy Sword] is specialized for dispelling evil and vanquishing magic. It’s overwhelmingly effective against monsters, magical beasts, and evil spirits.
And that’s not all—it’s also strong against anything infused with magic. Or rather, it negates it.
So if the commander’s magic sword clashed with my holy sword, the magic sword would lose its properties and become just a lump of metal.
And the blade of the holy sword, said to cut through anything in this world, would undoubtedly cleave the magic sword in half.
But if I actually fought the commander in holy sword mode, I’m not sure who’d win. He’s superior in skill, while I have the edge in weapon and physical enhancement.
It’d come down to whether he’d even let me land a proper hit. In the end, I’d probably lose from stamina depletion. I really need to work on my endurance.
As I mulled over such concerns, I noticed some commotion from Bianca’s direction.
It seemed she was arguing with someone. What’s going on?
"Hmph, again? Can’t those two get along for once…?"
The commander beside me let out a deep sigh.
The girl arguing with Bianca looked about our age.
Her flashy blonde hair, styled in dramatic vertical curls, stood in contrast to Bianca’s silver locks. The light armor she wore also looked expensive.
Her slightly upturned eyes brimmed with confidence, and she smirked mockingly at Bianca.
Who’s this girl, straight out of the ‘villainess’ playbook…? Is she a rival from another love interest’s route? …No, I don’t recognize her. She’s not a game character.
"Who’s that?"
"Gloria Grim Barcarola. The third daughter of Viscount Barcarola, the Second Knight Order’s commander. For some reason, she and Bianca don’t get along, and they bicker every time they meet. It might have something to do with their fathers being the commanders of the First and Second Orders…"
The daughter of the Second Knight Order’s commander, huh. Yeah, I don’t know her. With such a distinctive character, they should’ve put her in the game. A scrapped character, maybe?
The game is from Estelle’s perspective, after all. Characters with no connection to her wouldn’t appear. Even my dad, His Highness the Imperial Brother, only gets a name drop.
"Take back what you said!"
"I merely stated the truth!"
As their argument heated up, the commander headed toward them. We followed along casually.
"What’s all this commotion? I taught you knights to always remain calm and composed."
"Gloria insulted me!"
"I didn’t insult her… I just stated facts."
Even after the commander’s words, the two kept glaring at each other. Both daughters of knight commanders—rivals, I suppose.
The commander sighed again.
"What did Gloria say to you?"
"She said I’m not skilled enough to be Sakuraile-sama’s aide…"
Oh? This involves me?
"Because it’s true, isn’t it? In the last joint match, I placed third, while Bianca was fifth. By skill, I’m clearly superior, so it’s ridiculous that Bianca is Sakuraile-sama’s aide."
"That’s because I faced Gene early on due to the matchups! You lost to Gene too, didn’t you?!"
Bianca retorted to Gloria’s claim. From what I heard, in last month’s squire tournament, Gene’s sister Cecil took first place, and Gene came in second.
The tournament is mixed-gender and uses a bracket system. Bianca, who faced Gene early on, ended up ranking below Gloria.
Hmm, like Bianca said, this format doesn’t prove Gloria’s stronger than her. It’d be different if Gloria had beaten Gene, who beat Bianca.
"I did lose to Gene-sama, but I don’t feel like I’d lose to you. I’ve gotten much stronger since then. Want to test it? If you don’t mind embarrassing yourself, that is."
"You little…! Fine, I’ll take you on!"
Bianca barked back, caught up in the heat of the taunt. What’s with that girl? It’s like she provoked her on purpose… Does she have absolute confidence in winning?
Bianca’s been training hard with Yuria every day and has gotten pretty strong herself, I think.
With a smug look, Gloria made a suggestion to the commander.
"Commander, may we have a barrier match?"
"If you’re both in agreement, I don’t mind…"
The commander glanced at Bianca. A barrier match is that real-sword sparring thing, right? Isn’t that scary, even with the skin barrier…?
"I’m fine with it. I think it’ll show our true skill."
Bianca nodded firmly. The two walked to the barrier-enclosed training area, faced each other, and bowed. A young knight stepped up to referee.
"If there are no objections, draw your swords."
Both drew their real swords from their waists. They were both short swords. Bianca’s was a rugged, dull-colored blade, well-worn and carrying the aura of a seasoned warrior.
Gloria’s, on the other hand, was a rare single-edged short sword. Slightly wider, it wasn’t a straight blade but had a slight curve—closer to a Japanese katana… no, a cutlass, maybe. The dark-tinged blade gave off an eerie vibe. A ruby adorning the hilt glinted ominously.
…Wait, haven’t I seen that sword somewhere?
"Begin!"
At the referee’s signal, the two charged and clashed immediately. Their swords sparked off each other as they stepped back.
Yeah, Gloria’s black blade—I’ve definitely seen it before. In the game? If so…!
I remember now! That’s the magic sword ‘Discord’!
It’s the man-slaying magic sword wielded by the slasher knight in Gene’s route in the game!
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