"..."
"..."
The atmosphere at the scene instantly fell silent.
After all, this was possibly the first knight in history to dare to challenge Ian.
And...
A female knight, at that.
"Does she not know how powerful Sir Ian is?"
"Not necessarily—look, she's already stomped two craters into the ground beneath her feet."
The knights began to whisper among themselves.
Only Mélusine sensed the true situation.
Something's not right.
This female knight named Barghest is very strange!
The last time I felt something was this off was when I first met Ian!
"You want to challenge me?"
Ian nodded.
"Very good."
"This is how it should be."
He said this and then walked forward.
"Come."
"..."
Barghest glanced back, as if searching for something.
Soon, she turned back again and asked:
"You're not drawing your sword?"
"No."
"Really not?"
"No."
"I hope you won't regret it later."
Barghest raised her greatsword.
The sunlight shone upon its sharp edge, creating a mysterious hue.
"Here I come!"
"Haa—"
With just that forward charge, everyone present could feel Barghest's momentum.
Everywhere she stepped, shocking craters were left behind.
"What kind of strength is this?"
Mélusine was stunned.
She simply couldn't believe what would happen if that greatsword, swung with such force, were to strike Ian's body.
He would be gravely injured, right!
But—
Faced with Barghest charging towards him like a monster, not only did Ian show no signs of fear, but he actually seemed to grow a little excited.
"Yes."
"Just like this."
"You must fight me with all your strength."
Shing.
The knights witnessed another surprising event.
Ian had drawn his sword!
That's right.
The man who could usually fight, and even crush, armed knights with his bare hands had now drawn his own blade.
Excalibur Morgan.
CLANG!
Excalibur Morgan clashed with the greatsword in Barghest's hands.
A dazzling light burst forth from the point of impact.
"Fall back!"
Mélusine reacted almost instantly.
These two were not playing around!
BOOM!
With the point where the blades crossed as its center, the plaza ground shattered in an instant. Countless fragments of stone flew through the air, creating a crater.
"As expected—"
"You taste very good."
Ian's breathing grew rapid.
"Again!"
"This time, a little harder!"
"..."
Barghest looked at him and nodded.
"Alright."
The greatsword and Excalibur Morgan separated for a moment, and then, an instant later, they began to clash once more.
Even the most obtuse person would have absolutely no desire to get any closer.
You must understand—
The ground near the two of them was collapsing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
If one could barely make out stones just a moment ago, now there was only dust-like debris.
"Can you go even harder?"
Ian was clearly excited now.
Barghest, on the other hand, showed a look of surprise.
Wielding her greatsword, she had never expected her opponent to once again ask her to strike with even more force.
"You're... still holding back?"
"The fight is never-ending."
"Barghest—"
"You should understand this, right?"
Hiss—
Ian's body temperature began to become abnormal.
The ice shackles that Mélusine had put on him to make him hold back began to melt.
And as the melting area grew larger, Barghest also sensed that something was wrong.
He...
Hasn't used his full strength yet.
The shackles melted completely, and the balance between the greatsword and Excalibur Morgan was broken in an instant.
Soon, the tide of battle began to turn in Ian's favor.
He gripped Excalibur Morgan tightly, his eyes turning a deep crimson.
Although Barghest was also resisting with all her might, she felt that it was completely futile.
Her opponent's blade pressed down with irresistible force.
The gleaming blade drew closer in Barghest's heterochromatic eyes.
But she found that she was getting excited, too.
That's right.
Although she was being suppressed, she was incomparably excited. Every muscle in her body, right down to her blood, was screaming in exhilaration.
Amazing!
He's so amazing!
How can there be such an amazing man!
The others could not sense the surging emotions in Barghest's heart at this moment, not even Mélusine.
Because from the others' perspective, Ian now looked as if he was about to deliver a killing blow to Barghest.
This could not be allowed—
This was a selection, not an opportunity for Ian to commit murder in the streets!
"Stop it!"
Mélusine, her wings unfurled, shot between the two of them.
"This is a spar, you're not supposed to take each other's lives!"
"..."
"What's with that look?"
Mélusine was a bit bewildered to find that the moment she finished speaking, Barghest and Ian were looking at her with almost identical expressions.
"We didn't say we were going to take the other's life, did we?"
Ian asked, confused.
"That's right."
Barghest chimed in.
"We were just... having a very exciting fight."
"Eh?"
Mélusine pinched herself.
"Ouch!"
"What kind of joke is this?"
"Your name is Barghest, right?! That sword was right in front of your face! Weren't you afraid?"
"Afraid?"
"Why should I be afraid?"
Barghest showed a look of confusion.
"When facing a battle, shouldn't one be excited?"
"Meeting an opponent you acknowledge is a very happy thing."
"Besides..."
Barghest looked at Ian.
The look in her eyes was completely off.
It was a scene that Mélusine found incredibly familiar.
That's right.
After Ian's first clash with me in the forest, he looked pretty much the same.
No!
It can't be said to be 'pretty much the same' anymore!
If she hadn't confirmed that the other person's gender was female, Mélusine would even think she was about to...
But an even more shocking event was yet to come.
After the fight was forcibly stopped by Mélusine, Barghest simply tossed her blade aside.
Under everyone's gaze, she dropped to one knee, striking a pose like a marriage proposal.
She grabbed Ian's hand and shouted excitedly:
"Please!"
"Will you marry me?!"