The Headless Horseman returned the head in his right hand to its original place.
If Charlotte had seen me adjusting my direction, I thought she might have died of a heart attack.
The bald knight got off his horse, knelt down on one knee, and looked at me blankly.
"Tugann Knight Ilina ómós don Apostle."
I didn't know what it meant, but I felt like I instinctively knew how to act.
I slowly put my hand on his shoulder. He seemed to be showing the courtesy of a knight, so I did what was appropriate.
But he showed no reaction.
'Isn't this…?'
He suddenly stood up, slowly drew his sword, and looked at me.
I didn't feel any hostility in his gaze, but I couldn't figure out the meaning of his actions.
"Bhí mé ag fanacht anseo le mo thiarna. Ba mhaith liom a thástáil an fiú tú a bheith i mo thiarna."
The language barrier was high and difficult. It seemed like he was saying something, but I couldn't understand it, so it was just frustrating.
At that time, I heard Asmodeus' voice in my head.
Unlike his usual cheerful tone, it was a serious voice with no hint of playfulness.
— That's interesting. That knight says he wants to compete with you.
'With me?'
Even though only the tone changed, I once again felt that he was an out-of-this-world being who could not even be compared to a human like me.
— Okay. To be precise, he wants to find out whether you are worthy to be his master. It seems like he was a fairly prestigious knight during his lifetime… For some reason, it seems to be like this now, waiting for someone to become his owner. You may be the first to enter this space in the first place.
I was embarrassed. It was true that I coveted the Dullahan, but I never expected it to turn out this way…
— What are you worried about? Have you forgotten whose contractor you are?
'But… but I don't know how to use a weapon. Should I do it with my bare hands like last time? Isn't he going to be angry because it violates chivalry? I think he's asking if I'm looking down on him for fighting without a weapon.'
— How about the spear?
'Spear?'
— Okay. It's the same if you can't use any weapon, so use a spear that's easy to handle. Coincidentally, the only weapon you have is a spear.
'It doesn't matter, but where is the spear?'
— You don't know it yet?
'…What?'
— …?
For some reason, I felt like the conversation was not continuing.
— Right. Was it because you didn't know about it that you didn't use it until now?
'What is it? Why are you talking about something that only you know? Please let me know too. We're business partners.'
— He's a business partner… haha. Even if I searched all of hell, you would be the only one who would say this to me. Try injecting mana into your family seal.
I took out the family seal from my pocket and injected mana into it. Then, the air began to stir, and a black spear popped out from the seal.
"…Crazy. What's this?"
The exterior looked ugly even at a glance.
A purple haze slowly rose from the black spear shaft and the sharp blade.
— The name of the spear is the magic spear, Axion. This is the beloved weapon used by Sion Sieghart, the first head of the Sieghart family. It's a spear made from the bone of Fafnir, the evil dragon that the human killed himself. At that level, there will be no problem using it.
I, who had been absentmindedly admiring the beautiful appearance of the spear, came to my senses and asked,
'No. Was that evil dragon real? Is it true that the first head of Sieghart killed it single-handedly? It's not just an exaggerated rumor or something?'
— Yes.
In fact, I was subconsciously thinking that the story about the Sieghart family was somewhat exaggerated.
It had abnormal strength for a human being, and even at a cursory glance, it gave off the feel of a fairy tale created to attract the interest of children.
'How do you know all that? Honestly, I don't even care about what happens in the human world.'
— You're right. However, a person named Sion Sieghart was quite famous even in hell. And from the beginning, he was my apostle.
'…What? So far, only one person has signed a contract as an apostle! That's a demon too! In the first place, Sieghart…'
— I guess you don't know everything. I have never told you a lie. Look ahead, instead.
At that moment, a black blade quickly approached my face.
Embarrassed, I instinctively leaned back. If my reaction had been even a little slower, my head would have been separated.
"No, how can a gentleman called a knight be so cowardly and attack first! Isn't there such a thing as knighthood?"
The man laughed as if he understood what I was saying.
"Uh? Do you understand me? Did you just laugh at me?"
However, before the next words could be said, the man quickly approached.
A ferocious sword strike cut through the air while the blue light in his eyes flashed eerily.
The speed was so fast that, despite using all kinds of auxiliary magic, all I could do was follow it with my eyes.
'If I lose here, will I fail the test?'
That was just an afterthought.
'Aim for one shot.'
I did my best to avoid the constant barrage of sword strikes.
Since I didn't feel any pain, I couldn't tell how much I was hurt, but it was probably a lot of damage.
Nevertheless, I did not fight back and endured silently, waiting for the best moment to strike.
'Just a little more, just a little more…'
No matter how perfect one's swordsmanship is, there are bound to be a few loopholes.
No, it had to be that way. For a split second, I could see a tiny gap between his next movements.
I placed both feet on the ground and strengthened both arms.
The muscles expanded as if torn, and the cells of my entire body screamed.
'Just now!'
Since I didn't know how to use an aura, I wrapped mana around the spear I was holding, as if strengthening my body with auxiliary magic.
'Sting!'
I didn't know anything about spearmanship. I just thrust with all my might toward the target.
That was all I could do now.
— Quaang!
A sound that seemed to tear the eardrums rang out.
The tip of the spear cut through the air and pierced his chest.
No, more precisely, it pierced through his sword that was blocking his chest and went straight through.
His form, which had a large hole in his chest, began to blur and soon dissipated like smoke.
I muttered as I stared at the shocking sight in a daze.
"Crazy. What's this…?"
— What could it be? It's something you know very wel.