"Thank you, Emilia Ojousama. I only need to confirm one thing, and I will return it soon."
"It's fine. I trust the reputation of Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint among knights."
Emilia waved her hand generously, causing Reinhard's expression to stiffen. What he was about to do next was far from knightly behavior.
But he couldn't worry about that now. He had to confirm the identity of the fifth royal candidate!
When Felt held the insignia earlier, the light it emitted couldn't have been an illusion!
"Hey, little girl, take this."
"Huh?" Felt was startled, but under the pressure of Reinhard's overwhelming presence, she had no choice but to take the insignia and hold it in her hand.
A dazzling light immediately radiated from the insignia, confirming Reinhard's suspicions!
Without a second thought, he reached out to grab Felt, intending to take her away...
*Snap!*
"Reinhard, what are you trying to do to her? This doesn't seem very knightly of you."
"Huh?" The red-haired Sword Saint was taken aback.
The fact that someone could break through his defenses and grab his hand was no small feat!
"Yeah, what do you think you're doing? Don't think I'll be scared just because you're the Sword Saint!" Seeing this, Felt quickly darted behind Graham, peeking out with a small head and glaring at Reinhard with dissatisfaction.
"Apologies, but this child's identity is special. I urgently need to take her back for confirmation. Please allow me to take her!"
"Hah? What nonsense are you spouting? That's completely unconvincing. Even if you want to take Felt, you should at least get her consent. What's with the sudden grab?"
Graham coldly stared at him, still firmly shielding the petite girl behind him.
This gave Felt a strange feeling. Looking at Graham's steadfast back, she felt an overwhelming sense of security. Her small hand instinctively grabbed the hem of his clothes, and she grew nervous.
'Could Graham-sama really win against him?'
After all, the person in front of them was the Sword Saint.
Hearing this, Reinhard's expression stiffened, and he quickly explained, "I can't go into details, but please believe me, I mean no harm to this child..."
"Reinhard, this is not the way of a knight! Although this child stole my insignia, she apologized sincerely and returned it. I've already forgiven her and don't intend to pursue the matter further. Please, for my sake, let her go!"
Emilia spread her arms, standing in front of Graham, her expression resolute as she stared at the conflicted red-haired Sword Saint.
The silver-haired half-elf believed that Reinhard wanted to punish Felt, so she naturally wouldn't stand by and allow it. Although the insignia was important, it didn't justify punishing a child who had simply strayed down the wrong path!
"Uh... you misunderstand, Emilia Ojousama. I absolutely do not intend to punish her. There's something extremely important that I need to confirm with her. Please forgive my rudeness. I will explain everything afterward!"
Reinhard addressed Emilia, then turned his determined gaze to Felt, 'That golden hair, those red eyes, they were unmistakably the traits of the kidnapped former royal family! The insignia glowing only further confirmed it!'
Graham raised an eyebrow, his deep eyes glowing with a blue-purple light, "Hey, are you ignoring me? Don't think just because you're the Sword Saint that you can act so arrogantly! Watch out, or I'll punch you..."
*Hum~!*
'The Dragon Sword Reid?!' Reinhard was shocked.
The Dragon Sword was reacting, which meant the person before him was an incredibly powerful opponent.
"My apologies for my rudeness. May I ask who you are?" Sighing, the Sword Saint, unwilling to complicate matters further could only humbly bow his head and apologize.
But to Graham, this felt like an afterthought... 'Damn it, just because you're the Sword Saint, you think you can act so arrogantly? It's really infuriating!'
Graham sneered, slowly drawing his dagger, "I'm Graham M. Mathers... Let's fight, Reinhard. If you win, I won't interfere in this matter. After all, if I lose, it means I can't resist you, right?"
Although the saying goes 'an inch longer, an inch stronger', against a cheat-like opponent like the Sword Saint, a dagger would allow him to better utilize his 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'.
Reinhard sighed, "Apologies, I have no intention of fighting you..."
If the Dragon Sword was wary of this person, then he must be a formidable opponent. Fighting over such a misunderstanding wasn't worth it.
Moreover, the other party was only concerned about Felt, the Royal Princess.
Thinking this, Reinhard compromised. Although it wasn't ideal to discuss this in front of Emilia, he had no choice now.
"It's like this, Emilia Ojousama. You should know that there are five Royal Candidates prophesied, right? When a chosen Dragon Maiden holds the insignia, it emits a red light... Which means this child might be one of the Royal Candidates..."
Emilia was shocked, and then puzzled, 'Why didn't you just say that earlier? Why go so far as to tarnish your knightly image to forcibly take her away? Are you out of your mind?'
"So, you were afraid that Emilia-san, as one of the Royal Candidates, might pose a threat to Felt, another Candidate, which is why you didn't reveal the truth, right?" Graham glanced at Reinhard, voicing his speculation.
"I only wish to ensure the Royal Selection proceeds smoothly. Delaying further would be detrimental to the kingdom. Since you know Emilia Ojousama is also a Royal Candidate, you should also be aware that the selection can only proceed once all five Dragon Maidens are present," Reinhard's response was reasonable.
But what he truly thought, only he knew.
Perhaps, as the Sword Saint and a member of the Astrea family, he held some bias against Emilia, who resembled the Witch of Envy.
Otherwise, why would he secretly watch from the rooftop instead of coming down to help?
Emilia clearly understood this as well, feeling a bit disheartened. But noticing Graham's concerned gaze, her heart warmed.
A strange emotion began to take root in her heart...