Chapter 26: The Beginning of the Royal Battle ②

"I want to be with you—no one else but you."

Leaving those words behind, he headed toward the arena where the "Royal Battle" would take place. The only ones left behind were me… and, for some reason, Hikari-san.

Naturally, only the three of us had heard that conversation.

"Man… that guy’s really an idiot…"

Hikari-san muttered with a deep sigh. The weight in her voice made it clear this wasn’t the first time she had said something like that about him.

"I don’t know what you and Toma talked about. But there’s one thing I can say for sure—he always means what he says. That much, I’d bet on."

She smiled softly as she said it. Even from another woman’s perspective, it was an incredibly charming smile… and I could tell he was the one who brought it out of her.

Only then did I finally understand.

Toma-san hadn’t changed at all—neither before nor after becoming the Sword King.

"Toma’s already made up his mind, so I won’t say anything. Even if I did, he wouldn’t change—and he wouldn’t try to. But you’re different, Alicia."

She was right. I’m not as strong as Toma-san. I’m not strong enough to remain unwavering once I’ve made a decision… which is why I’ve continued living as the "Saint."

I don’t have the courage to keep being the Saint… nor the courage to stop. And yet, Toma-san told me he wanted to be with me. Whether I’m the Saint or not—he wants to be with me.

He probably doesn’t realize just how happy that made me.

Because those were the words I wanted most.

After pouring everything out, hearing that… there’s no way I wouldn’t be happy.

"Just so you know, he’s a pain to deal with—so watch out for that, okay?"

"…I don’t feel the way you think I do. I’m not that easy."

"Yeah, yeah. We’ll go with that, then… so? What are you going to do? Want to go watch?"

She’s right. My maiden heart shouldn’t be so cheap that it gets swayed this easily.

Even so… there are things I still haven’t said. I haven’t conveyed even a tenth of what he told me.

That’s why I have to go.

I can’t let him carry the outcome of this battle—one born from my own words—all by himself.

At last, the "Royal Battle" was about to begin.

There was no turning back now. The only option left was to fight. My heart pounded as if it might burst, and the hand gripping the Holy Sword ached from how tightly I held it.

One by one, I consciously loosened my fingers.

Slowly… reminding myself why I was fighting in the first place.

I’ve never liked overthinking things. Even so, this much is necessary. I learned in the Forest of Demonic Mist that when your reason for fighting is clear, you can push yourself further than you’d expect.

"Phew… alright."

I fight for my own selfish desires. Not for anyone else—for myself.

I won’t use someone else as my reason to fight.

I made a promise to Hikari—to keep smiling, so she can smile too. If I lose here, she’ll definitely cry. After all, she’d have to part with the friend she finally made.

I want to live up to the Knight Commander’s efforts. He has fought "Royal Battles" against kings from various countries—and lost, over and over again. A king is the strongest being in their nation; no matter how skilled he is, victory is rare. Kings even possess specialized magical tools.

I can imagine what people say about him after all those losses.

I’ll overturn that evaluation—no matter what.

And more than anything…

I want to stay with Alicia.

I still don’t know much about her. That’s why I want to keep learning—keep understanding her. I have to tell her that both versions of her—the Saint and the one who isn’t—are equally her, and both are wonderful.

There’s so much I want to say.

Until I say it all… there’s no way I’m losing.

"Yeah… I’ve got more reasons to fight than I thought."

If I have a reason, I can grip my sword.

I can swing it.

Without considering defeat—thinking only of victory.

≪Thank you for your patience!!!! The "Royal Battle" between the Kingdom of Swordria and the Kingdom of Yaranli will now begin!!!!!≫

A booming voice echoed through the arena via a sound-amplifying device. For the people of this world, the "Royal Battle" was a form of entertainment, and many had been eagerly waiting to see it.

Seriously, magical tools can even do this? They’re ridiculously versatile.

≪Representing the Kingdom of Swordria—the Sword King, Tomaaaaaaa!!!!≫

Following the announcer’s call, I stepped out from the waiting room and onto the stage. The crowd erupted in cheers—but what caught my attention more was the battlefield itself.

There was no ring-out rule. The entire arena served as the battlefield—essentially like a coliseum.

The most noticeable feature was the set of massive stone pillars positioned at the center, arranged like the four corners of a square when viewed from above. The arena was large enough that they weren’t much of an obstruction… but they might prove useful. I’d need to keep them in mind tactically.

"Sword King-samaaaaa!!!!"

"So that’s the second Sword King after 500 years, huh?! Let’s see what he’s got!!!"

"Isn’t he barely an adult?"

"Doesn’t matter!!! He’s the Sword King—he’s gotta be strong!!!"

"I saw a Royal Battle between kings before—man, it was insane!!!"

Curious about the voices, I glanced upward and saw countless eyes fixed on me, filled with excitement.

Even with magical tools making life easier, a lack of entertainment must be tough.

Personally, I can spend an entire day just watching a couple of cats and dogs interact, so I’d say my hobbies are more peaceful than theirs.

Still, being watched like this is exhausting… but as a king, I can’t show that.

As a bit of fan service, I drew the Holy Sword and raised it toward the sky.

The roar of the crowd grew even louder—my ears actually hurt.

≪Next, representing the Kingdom of Yaranli—the top candidate for the next Spear King, Shion Ace!!!!≫

Shion appeared from the opposite side of the arena, already in a battle stance, his entire body tensed and ready to move at any moment.

"You seem quite at ease. I envy you—having nothing to lose even in defeat."

"You’re conveniently leaving something out. If I lose, Alicia gets taken, right? You do realize that’d wreck me mentally?"

Even after leaving the Forest of Demonic Mist, I’ve been put through intense daily training—mostly fundamentals, but at a density five times that of a normal knight.

And every time, she heals me.

Physically and mentally… I stay whole because of her.

"You do not understand. The title of ‘Saint’ is not given lightly. Even within Swordria alone, her healing ability is extraordinary. She can heal not only injuries, but illness itself. Do you grasp how valuable that is? How much it could be worth in dealings between nations?"

Alicia is a Saint only within the Church of the Sword King—within Swordria.

I had hoped that outside the country, she wouldn’t be treated as one… but that was naïve.

If I lose, she will become a political tool.

Because of her innate power, everything about her life would be decided by others.

Can that even be called living?

"This battle serves to measure your strength—and to secure the Saint. If you surrender her willingly, even if you ultimately lose—"

"So you’re telling me to sell someone precious to me? If you understand that, then that’s a perfect provocation. If you don’t… then your brain must be as empty as a sponge."

Maybe I should shave off that annoying long hair of yours. Let some sunlight hit your head—maybe then your brain will finally get some nutrients.

"You really think no one can hear you over the crowd? That alone shows how little you respect people. And that ‘deal’ assumes I can’t beat you. But what pisses me off most is that you’re treating someone important to me—my friend—like an object."

It was utterly infuriating.

Why does he keep pushing my anger higher?

Does he really think I’m not scary when I’m mad?

Even Hikari wouldn’t try to provoke me like this.

"Whatever. Let’s just start already. Dragging this out is a waste of time."

"…I thought you were smarter than this. I overestimated you."

"It’s like turning away a merchant trying to sell scarves in the middle of summer. Why would I pay for something that stupid?"

In other words—you’re that idiot selling scarves in summer.

Shion’s already grim expression twisted even further as he realized it.

Meanwhile, I knew my face looked calm—but inside, I was boiling.

I stopped trying to analyze the situation.

At times like this, it’s better to trust instinct.

≪Both fighters are ready!!! The "Royal Battle"… begins now!!!!≫

"Here I go!!!!"

"—!?"

The moment the signal rang out, I poured magic into the Holy Sword and hurled it at Shion’s face with everything I had.

He clearly hadn’t expected me to throw my only weapon. Shock flashed across his face—but his trained body reacted in time to dodge it.

But he couldn’t dodge my fist, which arrived almost simultaneously.

"Guh!?"

By wrapping the Holy Sword in "Dark Star," I activated its gravitational pull—drawing myself toward it. Combined with my full leg strength, I accelerated instantly and caught him off guard, landing the first strike.

Even so, as expected of a future Spear King—he couldn’t block with his spear in time, but he still shifted enough that my blow missed its intended target.

I had aimed for his jaw—to rattle his brain in one hit.

He refused to let that happen.

Still, the impact slowed him down.

I caught up to the thrown sword, grabbed it, and released its power. With my enhanced physical abilities, I ran up one of the central stone pillars.

Reaching the top, I immediately spotted Shion searching for me—and leapt down, bringing the Holy Sword crashing down.

He noticed just in time, raising his spear in a panic to block.

"Are you some kind of monkey…?!"

"Back home, they used to call me a wild child…!!"

I took the initiative at the start.

Now I’ll seize the momentum—and finish this in one go…!!