When the four arrived at the training ground, the battle was already over.
It had ended swiftly, laying bare just how weak Subaru was.
Three moves were all it took to bring him down.
The Knights in the crowd roared with excitement at this display of dominance, as if they themselves had defeated the hapless butler.
Julius, however, stood with perfect composure. His breathing remained steady, and his white Knight uniform was spotless — not a speck of dust marred its pristine surface.
Only the slight trembling of his wooden sword betrayed that he had just been in combat.
With the referee Knight's proclamation, this mockery of a duel concluded.
Subaru's defeat was absolute.
Adam watched expressionless from the periphery, emanating such an intense chill that Reinhard and his two companions raised their eyebrows and stepped back.
He was putting on an act. Though ignorant of the duel's cause, he knew its purpose had been achieved — using a stronger opponent to demonstrate to Subaru his own weakness.
In an instant, Adam materialized beside the unconscious Subaru.
Looking at the youth's bruised, pitiful face, he felt no sympathy — in fact, he had to suppress a laugh.
Julius had truly lived up to his reputation for magnanimity. Despite facing such absurd and nauseating provocation, he had shown restraint.
Though Subaru looked miserable, his wounds were merely superficial.
"The duel is over, isn't it?" He asked the ramrod-straight Julius, "His injuries are severe and need immediate treatment."
"I apologize. Though he's your companion, I struck hard. Please treat him." Julius said, gesturing for immediate attention to Subaru's injuries.
Adam nodded to the victorious Knight, then crouched beside the fallen butler.
Green light enveloped Subaru's body as his bruises and swelling began to fade.
"Hmm?" Julius watched with surprise, intrigued by the scene before him.
But he remained silent, carefully studying Adam.
"May I ask the reason for this conflict?" While treating Subaru, Adam asked the Knight behind him.
"He insulted us! He trampled on the meaning of Knighthood and the honor we've always taken pride in." Julius explained, "He claimed to be Lady Emilia's Knight, but his actions weren't befitting of a Knight at all — he acted like a ridiculous clown."
"I see, a ridiculous clown... thank you for showing restraint."
"No, I wouldn't call it restraint — this was simply all the strength I needed to use."
Though his words were harsh, Julius had clearly held back. He avoided saying this directly to prevent other Knights from seeking revenge against Subaru.
This was his subtle way of protecting the weak youth.
"What, do you want to stand up for him? I'll accept your challenge."
"No, I'll pass. Defeating you is something he'll do in the future — it's his goal." Shaking his head, Adam declined the Knight's challenge and focused on treating the injured.
Julius departed like a gentleman, without further provocation.
Within minutes, Subaru regained consciousness.
"Hey, Subaru, how did you get beaten up?"
"Well, I know all the details." Adam patted his forehead, cutting off any excuses, "You called yourself Emilia's Knight, but your weakness and arrogance weren't accepted by others, so that led to conflict, right?"
"...Yes. Wanting to become someone but finding it impossible — in the end, it was just failed imitation." Subaru lay on his back, staring at the sky with lifeless eyes, his expression desolate and tone bleak, as if he'd lost all hope.
Despair loomed over his heart.
"Fool!" Adam angrily smacked his head with a painful thump.
"Ouch! Adam, what are you doing?!" Subaru shouted, "Even if it's punishment, you shouldn't do it in public! Isn't this embarrassing?"
"You're already embarrassing enough, idiot!" Adam shouted back, then lowered his voice, "Have you ever really thought about why people laugh at your desire to become Emilia's Knight?"
"You know... sometimes whether you can do something isn't important — what matters is making people believe you can do it!"
He stared into the youth's eyes, as if revealing the secret to success.
"In the Royal Capital Assembly Hall, when you tried to stand up for Emilia, everything betrayed your insecurity — your wavering voice, your trembling body, your shifting eyes. They all showed how afraid and timid you were. With that kind of attitude, how could anyone acknowledge you?"
After this guidance, Subaru finally grasped the stark difference between himself and Adam's earlier performance.
The overwhelming confidence and authority Adam had shown on stage stood worlds apart from Subaru's self-proclaimed 『 Knight 』 — a title he could only whisper in secret.
Adam's mere presence had exuded such powerful confidence that everyone present had bowed their heads in submission.
"I see—it was my lack of confidence." Subaru said thoughtfully, "Because I had no backbone, I revealed my pretense in other ways. I thought I was hiding it, but to others, my flaws were obvious... is that what you mean?"
"Yes, that's right. You catch on quickly." Adam nodded with satisfaction.
Subaru was an open book who expressed everything. Even without words, his expressions, eyes, and body language revealed all his inner thoughts.
This was his weakness.
But if he could recognize and overcome this weakness, then this trip to the Royal Capital wouldn't be wasted!
"Thank you, Adam, I understand now." Subaru's spirit rekindled, but deflated as he added quietly, "But doesn't all this depend on having real strength? I can't be as strong as you."
Adam burst out laughing, "Strong? Me, strong? Hahaha, sorry, that's the funniest joke I've heard."
"I'm not strong, not at all!"
"But you're much stronger than me..."
"That's only relative strength! ...Compared to truly strong people, I'm incredibly weak."
Seeing Subaru's disbelief, Adam remembered that the youth hadn't witnessed Reinhard in battle and didn't understand just how incredibly powerful the title of 『 Sword Saint 』 truly was.
"Well... perfect timing. Let me show you just how strong the world's strongest man really is."
"Huh?" Subaru's face showed confusion, not understanding why Adam suddenly radiated such intense fighting spirit.
He remained bewildered even as he was led off the field.
But when he saw Adam stand before Reinhard, he understood.
"Reinhard, consider this an ally's request — duel with me."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, just like Julius, this madman here needs someone to beat the pride out of him."
"...I understand. Alright, I'll have a match with you, Adam."
"Yes, let's consider it testing an ally's strength and have an enjoyable exchange of swords."
The two men strode to the center of the training ground, taking their positions opposite one another.
The Knights who had begun to leave rushed back to their seats at the sight of that crimson flash on the field.
A duel even more thrilling than the last was about to unfold!
Adam Carter versus Reinhard van Astrea!
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