I never thought the day would come when I would be able to cut off Eldora and my former comrades.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
Their dexterity has been increased, and their sword muscles are sharp.

　Above all, there is a strength in Eldora that cannot be described by level, status or skill.
　I've been thinking about this since I was in a party.
　Is it a guessworker's hunch?
　He has an excellent sense of smell to slash into areas where the opponent's defensive awareness is momentarily neglected.

　When we were allies, he was reliable, but now that he's an enemy, it's just annoying.
　I've been hit in the shoulders, arms, thighs, and shins more than once.
　It's a training sword with a drawn blade, so it's not fatal, but it hurts anyway!　I want to cry!

　The young knights in the bleachers are ready for the occasion.

'Well done, Lord Eldora!　Let's just settle this matter with a clean slate!
What, they're both Warriors of Light, but there's a big difference in strength between them?
'Hahahaha!　The villagers from the countryside after all, and Sir Eldora, whose father was also a fine knight, are different in terms of their foundation!
'Come on, Lord Eldora!　The final blow for that one!

　And - yada yada yada cheers to Eldora, and continued to send unheard curses to me.

　With the loud cheers behind me, Eldora also attacked me on the bulk.

"The only thing that was good was your bluster, Ray?　You've improved your skills a little bit, but is it just a tacked-on thing?"

　I withstand and surpass the onslaught.
　Taking advantage of my light armor and not stopping my feet, I repeat, trying to be hit and away.
　In fact, my aim was to move the battleground like that, inch by inch - to keep Eldora away from Berry.

　Anyway, I'm not in the mood for fighting while protecting Berry from Eldora.
　It's not a matter of handicap or any other such practicality, but I don't want her to suffer even a scratchy injury. It's absolutely unbearable.

　That's why, when I'm far enough away from Berry, I'll attack, too!
　The Falcon Blade is a counter move that strikes back with an unmistakable swordspeed.
　The Dance of Death, a coordinated offensive and defensive move with a light, dancing motion.
　Thanks to Magnus and Lawrence's help, I was able to learn a number of powerful skills, and I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to them.
　My sword will also be able to enter Eldora, many shots.

"Ho......... So you weren't serious before?"

　Eldora narrowed her eyes.
　However, the voice was not the same as the voice.
　This is because Eldora was clad in heavy armor. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of it.
　It's not that I'm not a fan of it, but I'm not a fan of it. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time.

　The iron breastplate is a mass-produced product for everyday use.
　I've been told by Magnus that if you learn to rely on equipment to fight while you're still in the level 10s, you'll be in for a bad time later on. After Ray turned 20, let's get them all together at once," he advised, and left it at that.

"Kukuku, if I had fought with an actual sword, I wonder if you would have won the fight unexpectedly?"

　Eldora chuckled, as if to say good riddance.

"Do you understand?　The rules of this duel are double or triple in my favor."
"Eldora!　You coward!"
"Don't blame my character for your being too shallow."
"What?!"
"Kukukuk. Kukukukukuk!　Ray, you think you've managed to get me away from the princess, don't you?"

　He can read my inner thoughts and I cringe for a moment.
　Seeing the expression on my face, Eldora raises the corners of her mouth as if it were the best thing to see.
　Then she says.

"Baaaaaka!　I know all about your shallow thinking!　I'm actually the one who ripped the princess out of my life!"
"What?!"

　By the time I asked back what that meant, Eldora's trap was already in effect.
　The woman who Eldora had accompanied in the dueling rules suddenly moved.
　She pulled out the dagger she had hidden under her skirt and threw it at Berry.

'That's not possible!'
Each of you must protect your own lady, and as soon as you get even a scratch on her, you've lost. The knight is the one who has to defend his lady, and that's what I said in the beginning.

　Even the knight who played the role of judge gave a grin and a lowly smile.

　Meanwhile, a thrown dagger ran through the air towards Berry.
　It wasn't just any dagger. It was emitting some kind of evil aura.
　Probably a magical armament or a cursed armament. So even if the woman, who seemed to be an amateur in battle, threw it away, it aimed at Berry with tremendous accuracy and sharpness and flew away.

　Berry, on the other hand, remained standing there with his arms folded even as he watched the murderous action.
　Can't you dodge?
　...or do you not want to dodge?
　If she doesn't, she will get hurt.
　It won't kill you. But it could leave a scar on a girl's skin that won't go away.

'Beriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!'

　I exclaimed.
　I was already reflexively running towards Berry.

"You idiot!　Who would have the enemy's back!"

　Eldora aims at my back and throws a big move when the moment arrives.
The Rainbow Rush.
　This is Eldora's unique skill that grants the weapon seven different attributes and attacks seven times.
　When I was still in the party, I had seen this special move many times.

　I took a decent shot at it from behind. I took a lot of damage.
　Even if it was a drawn sword, it could have knocked me down.

　But I never fell.

　I didn't fall, I ran to Berry.
　And that speed was far beyond the limit of what I could do.

　I did it to protect her.
　To protect the girl I loved!

　Now--I finally understand why I couldn't master the skills of the knights, no matter how much I practiced the way they were taught.
　The reason why I couldn't learn the skills of the knights, no matter how much I practiced their skills by example.
　There was no point in just imitating the surface.
　No matter how much you think about it, anticipate and aim for the perfect form, it's still incomplete.
　Because it was only a "form".
　What's important in a knight's skill is the "soul".
　The desire to absolutely protect, the will to protect, and the ability to embody the skill of a knight is only possible when you have those things.

　I absolutely want to protect Berry!
　I will not let Berry go down without a fight!

　So I finally succeeded in my knights' skills.
　It's a fool's errand of the fireplace, or rather, a twist of speed and toughness that cannot normally be pulled off, and I force myself to enter the space between the dagger and the belly that was thrown at me.
　The dagger is used as a substitute, and the damage is taken by the bodyguard.
　The Iron Wall is to defend the princess and defend yourself at the same time by knocking out the dagger.
　The former can be learned at Knight Level 1, and the latter is an advanced move that can be learned at 11th level.
　And even though I couldn't do the former before, I was able to master the latter in a flash!

Ray. I've always had faith that you would protect me.

　In the end, Berry, who hadn't moved an inch from the spot until the end, told me so.
　I was so happy that I burst into tears.

　And yet, as if Eldora was watering down.

"What are you blaming me for the emotional scene?　It's only a dagger and you look like an idiot for holding them off. I'm telling you, there's not a trap or two that I've prepared for you."

　He smiled and said in his mind's eye with a smirk.
　Right beside him, the knight who played judge had the same expression on his face.
　He was still playing neutral, but I already knew he was on Eldora's side.

"First, Ray?　You can't beat me, can you?　You can't beat me down with that Namakra sword, with its self-enhancement and recovery magic, can you?"

　Instead of answering the taunt, I chanted the incantation.

'A un rena.'

　Using the Internal Qi Gong that Magnus had taught him, he first recovered about half of the damage he had received earlier.
　Secondly, since Eldora was not attacking, I focused on the "training qigong" to increase my self-status.

''It's true that I can't use magic, but I've been able to self-strengthen and recover.
......................

　Eldora's grinning face freezes as it is.
　I say as if to fold it up.

"And thanks to Eldora, there are a few skills that I've just learned to use,

　I readied my sword.
　And then the blade of the blade - slowly, the blade pulled back - lit up seven (...) colors (...) of light (...) in sequence.

"Oh, hey......... That's.........no way.......that's my.......
'When I was partying, I was just looking at them in a blur, so I didn't get to meet them. It's interesting. I just experienced its power for myself, and it only took me one shot to get the feeling.
No, no!　Don't go stealing!　You're going to spit on the princess before I do, and on top of that, you're going to take my trump card as well, Ray!
I can understand your desire to protest, but... well... what kind of a trap could it be? Let's let them decide on the matter, shall we?

　Also.
　Your cowardice. For trying to hurt Belly.
　I'm pretty angry, too.