Our first victory in the Legion Arena.
We defeated three knights from the "Black Bear" Order, known as the gatekeepers of the Bronze Class.
This news quickly spread throughout the city, making our party known to everyone.
Now, as we sat in the pub on the first floor of the Adventurer's Hall, we could feel the stares of everyone around us.
-Hahaha!
Bichon danced around, massaging my shoulders.
"I knew you'd be strong because you're from Strange, but I never imagined you'd be this strong! How could you decapitate three men with a single stroke?"
He kept exclaiming in amazement.
He couldn't stop smiling, thrilled at the prospect of fighting alongside me in future matches.
"That's right, captain. I've never seen someone so strong in my life! You just went 'slash slash,' and they all fell down!"
"Cutting through steel and severing bodies in one strike. Wow! It's truly amazing."
Chihuahua and Collie chimed in, agreeing enthusiastically.
Indeed, the swordsmanship I displayed was far beyond what ordinary knights could compare to, so their reactions were understandable.
After training with Beth, the captain of the Strange Castle's guardians, there was no one in the Bronze Class who could match me.
'Of course.'
If there were someone hiding their skills like me and suddenly revealing them, it could be possible, but such a skilled person had yet to be born on this continent.
When I was seventeen, a few promising individuals did emerge, but they all died at Gunter's hands before they could fully bloom.
'…Wait?'
So, in this life, since Gunter disappeared before they did, they could grow without any hindrance.
'What were their names again?'
They were fifteen or sixteen when I was seventeen, so they must have been born by now.
"Everyone, a toast to Verdin!"
Bichon raised his glass filled with brown liquid over his head.
Chihuahua and Collie followed suit.
Clink!
"Sir Bichon."
"Hm? Speak, Verdin."
"Do you happen to have a divine relic?"
He was startled by my question and put his glass down.
Thud.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
"That's a secret…."
So he does have one.
I didn't need his answer; I could read it from his face, and he wasn't good at hiding his expressions.
"But since we're comrades for a while, I wanted to assess our party's strength."
"That makes sense. But I can't just tell you. Try to figure it out yourself."
Well, that's not difficult.
I focused on the area above Bichon's head. No matter how well he hid it, there would be traces.
With that thought, I let a bit of aura flow.
"Whoa! That aura just now…!"
"You have a divine relic."
"You can determine that with just a small flow of aura? It's incredibly delicate…!"
"It's nothing special. Just a technique we have in Strange."
At the mention of "Strange," Bichon pursed his lips.
"Really?"
So he does have one.
"Shall I also guess the ability of your divine relic?"
"You can figure that out with just aura manipulation?"
"Let's see… Sir Bichon's relic has healing powers. It's strong enough to save you from death once."
"...!"
Bichon's mouth hung open.
"How did you know?"
I repeated his earlier words back to him.
"It's a secret. You can try to figure it out yourself."
Bichon rubbed his forehead, then nodded.
"As expected of someone from Strange. You're even more impressive than I thought."
"Thank you. But as I understand it, healers are supposed to be gathered in the western region under the Emperor's order to deal with the plague, correct?"
"Well, I kind of hid my ability and fled."
"Excuse me?"
"Keep it a secret, will you?"
If what he said was true, Bichon could be executed immediately for defying the Emperor's command.
Even the infamous Hysteria never dared to do such a thing.
"Well, understood. But in exchange for keeping this secret, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"A favor?"
"You said you came from the west, correct?"
"Yes."
"I'm looking for a child in the western holy knights' order."
"A child in the holy knights' order…. That shouldn't be too hard. What's the name?"
I wrote down the details with a quill soaked in ink.
"I don't know the name, but the child is six or seven years old, has brown hair tied in a ponytail, a long horizontal scar on the forehead, and a prosthetic arm made by alchemy."
* * *
Lily, an arena employee, spoke with a terrified expression.
"He's from the Strange family. The cross pattern on the silver coins he brought was unmistakable."
Pereira of the Bourbon knights removed the dagger he had pressed against her neck and replied.
"Strange?"
He couldn't hide his astonishment.
A member of the Strange family, known as the greatest swordsmanship family on the continent, participating in something as trivial as an arena?
If it were a mere lower-ranking knight, it might be possible, but did Strange even have "lower-ranking knights"?
Or was it just someone with the name "Strange," but from a distant branch?
If he was a distant branch with diluted blood and lacking talent, it would make sense.
Pereira concluded his doubts with this thought.
'He's not from the main line.'
It must be that the branch family members joined the arena to earn some trust from the main family.
"So, that guy's name is Verdin?"
"Yes."
"When did he arrive here?"
"The day Sir Pereira was searching for the item…."
"And what is their purpose for being here?"
"I heard they came to get a Gold Class badge to enter the dungeon."
"A dungeon?"
"Yes, but since joining the Gold Class requires going through the proper procedures, they asked for at least a preliminary match."
"Are you out of your mind?"
"…Excuse me?"
"Did you say such a thing knowing they are from Strange?"
Lily tilted her head in confusion.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Of course! You should be grateful that it was just a kid who showed up. If it had been another member of Strange's bloodline and they heard such words…."
Pereira made a gesture of slicing his throat with his thumb.
"You'd be dead."
"D-dead?"
"Yes, you fool. You should be grateful your head is still attached. How can you work in the arena and not know how dangerous Strange is?"
"...."
Their conversation ended there.
Pereira clicked his tongue and left the room.
He went straight back to the Gold Class waiting room and reported Verdin's information.
"Their goal is just the Gold Class badge, so we don't need to worry about them running into us."
As Pereira finished his report, a large man slapped him across the face.
Slap!
"You idiot."
"…Why did you do that?"
"If their goal was truly the dungeon, they would have entered the academy under Strange's name or requested an imperial passage permit from the head of their family. Why would they waste time coming here?"
"Th-that's-"
"Investigate further. There's no way he's a real Strange."
"...."
"Until the next match begins, stick to that Verdin kid and monitor his every move. Report back with certainty."
"…Yes, captain."
* * *
There were three days left until the next match.
During this time, I decided to stay at the Strange estate within the Legion Castle.
It was better to train with my master away from prying eyes, in the most discreet location possible.
Clang!
I sparred with an apprentice knight of Strange.
"You're too slow. When facing smaller opponents like me, you should use not just your sword but also your feet to keep them in check."
"Y-yes, Young Master Verdin! It's an honor to be taught by you!"
"Honor, my foot."
They didn't care about my age.
Although they were at least 3-star knights, they wanted to learn better swordsmanship from me.
The training and education here were of a different quality compared to the Strange Castle, so they wanted to cross swords with me even once.
Siegfried looked down at me with a satisfied expression.
"Your fundamentals are solid. I think it's time to start revealing my secret techniques."
I moved to the shade under a tree and replied.
"Really?"
In my past life, he used to nag me endlessly about mastering the basics.
"Starting tomorrow, I will begin teaching you the first form of Siegfried's techniques."
"Understood. No backing out tomorrow, okay?"
"Of course!"
Brunhilde approached gracefully and laid her head on my lap.
"Dean's thighs are the best, nyan. Pillows are too soft and uncomfortable."
"Lady Brunhilde."
"Hm?"
"When will you teach me the spell I need?"
She rubbed her face against my pants and answered.
"Not yet, nyan. Once you've mastered that sword, I'll teach you."
"Sword?"
"Yes, that one. The one you brought this time."
"You mean Misteltein?"
"That's right."
The cursed sword, Misteltein.
I still hadn't figured out why the blade changed color when the match started at the arena.
Siegfried and Brunhilde also didn't know. They said the sword was made after their time.
Siegfried flew right up to my face and asked.
"So, the blade turns black, and you feel dizzy?"
"Yes."
"You didn't use aura in the arena."
"Yes, that's correct."
"And there was no other interference while using the sword…. But it didn't turn black when you drew it elsewhere?"
"Yes."
"Then there's only one answer."
"An answer?"
"Yes, draw the sword again."
I did as Siegfried instructed and drew the sword.
But the blade remained its usual silver-white with a bluish hue.
"Now, imagine killing that guy."
"Who?"
"That guy. The one hiding behind the wall, watching you since earlier. The one from the arena."