The Tale of A Man Who Believed That His Reincarnation Had Granted Him A Japanese Sword And The Greatest Battle Sense, Only To Have The God Finally Inform Him "Huh, I Didn't Give You Any Combat Sense… That's Scary…" - Episode 25

Julian Black was taken away by the Owl Knights, and although the arena couldn’t be said to be completely peaceful, it regained a semblance of calm. After the incident involving the adventurer clan “Orders” taking over, the tournament organizers held discussions for about an hour and decided to proceed with the second round as originally scheduled.

Arthur’s declaration of forfeiture was successfully accepted by the tournament organizers, and I advanced to the semifinals with a bye in the second round.

After witnessing Black being taken away, I immediately asked the tournament staff where Lyra was and rushed to her side. She was resting in the arena’s first aid room, completely uninjured, and it seemed that, just as the Owl Knight had said, none of the debris in the room had hit her.

I brushed it off at the time, but what does it mean to crush a whole room with a magic spear? Is it a spear imbued with some amazing power like those from legends? Like Gae Bolg, the Spear of Longinus, or Gungnir… something like that.

Receiving the change of clothes from Ms. Utsuho, who had been called through someone else, Ms. Lyra changed into her usual outfit and then went outside the arena with me. After handing the clothes to Ms. Lyra, Ms. Utsuho hurriedly left the infirmary. I wonder if something happened.

“The battle just now… was an unexpected turn of events in many ways, wasn’t it?”

“Well, I never expected the adventurer clan to come after me either.”

“But you overcame it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. By the way, you won without even having to fight your second-round opponent, Mr. Northridge.”

“It feels less like we won without fighting and more like we avoided a fight thanks to Arthur-kun’s change in perspective.”

Dressed in her usual white dress, Lyra-san walks along the cobblestone streets of Edinburgh, which seem steeped in history, with her long chestnut hair flowing in the wind and a luxurious-looking purple handbag in one hand. With the Japanese sword sheathed in her belt swaying, I walk in step with her right beside her.

It’s still early in the afternoon, but the things I need to do today—namely, the second-round match—are already over, so I have plenty of free time left.

“Hey, Enri. Can I have a moment?”

“Yes, what happened, Lyra?”

In response to Lyra’s voice, I looked at her standing right next to me. Then, she continued speaking with words that seemed to hesitate, as if she were gauging the timing, rather than her usual decisive manner.

“Today, the second round is already over. My schedule is free… This isn’t a matter for the Grosvenor family, but a personal matter of mine, so you can decline if you want.”

“Ms. Lyra’s personal business… is it? I don’t mind whatever it is, what kind of business do you have?”

“I’m thinking of buying some clothes. No, to be precise, I want you to choose the clothes for me.”

She said this while slightly turning her face away, feeling embarrassed and somewhat apologetic. It was a completely different demeanor from her usual decisive and confident self, which could be described as self-righteous in a bad light.

“Okay, Lyra. I was also thinking about what to do today since the match is over.”

“I see, yes, I’m glad. … I never thought inviting you as Lyra, not as a member of the Grosvenor family, would make me this nervous.”

From a worried expression, Lyra’s face transformed into a calm, shy smile, and she snugly pressed herself against my side.

I’ve had quite a bit of experience with this kind of so-called skinship from her and thought I was getting used to it. However, even if I say I’m getting used to it, I’m not completely accustomed to it. If a beautiful woman comes this close, any man would get nervous.

Lyra, who had been holding a handbag in one hand, took out a small, worn notebook and read out the names of several stores.

“I’ve been to Edinburgh a few times, and during those visits, I recorded some boutiques in the Cloud District.”

“If you’re looking for stability, there’s ‘Dia Noir’ with its main store in the royal capital. If you want high-end leather products, there’s ‘Eilmace.’ If you’re seeking simplicity and luxury, there’s ‘Larada’… These are the notable boutiques in the Cloud District.”

Lyra-san, looking pleased, flipped through the pages of her notebook and read out the names of several clothing stores. Even though I didn’t understand what kind of stores they were just by hearing their names, since Lyra-san was taking notes, they must be what you’d call high-end stores.

Clothes, huh? Right, clothes it is. I used to just quickly pick clothes from online shopping sites, so honestly, I don’t really know what’s good or bad. I mean, I might not have ever properly bought anything other than loungewear and work clothes. It felt like fashion was just a fantasy that existed in the world of social media on the other side of the screen.

It looks like I’ll have some free time today, so instead of deciding on a place and going there, how about we just wander around the city and if we find a nice-looking place, we go in? The other day, I found a lovely bar with a drunk guy just by wandering around aimlessly.

“Ms. Lyra, if you don’t mind, how about wandering around the city without deciding on a store in advance and finding a place to buy clothes?”

“Huh? You mean to say you’re going to wander around the city and just walk into a boutique you find without deciding on a place beforehand…? That doesn’t sound very efficient, does it? You might end up wasting Enri’s time too.”

“Sure, I have plenty of free time. Plus, it sounds fun to walk around the city and chat with Lyra-san.”

I take Lyra’s hand, who looks uncertain. Just like when I held her hand before we left the hotel on the first day of the swordsmanship tournament. Lyra’s expression turned surprised when I took her hand, but then she showed a gentle smile, put her notebook into her handbag, and held my hand back.

In the gentle midday sunlight, Lyra and I, without deciding where to go, started to leisurely walk through the town hand in hand.

“This town of Edinburgh has so many magnificent buildings that look like part of a castle, doesn’t it?”

“The ancient city of Edinburgh was used as the capital for a while from the time of its founding. That’s why there are many prestigious buildings. Well, that’s a story from over a thousand years ago.”

Walking along the picturesque streets while listening to Lyra-san’s slightly smug expression as she explains the history of the town.

“Did Enri see a lot of towns like this in the world she was in before?”

“Well, due to efficiency, many towns and cities have become quite similar, so there aren’t many, but there are places with a lot of history, like Nara and Kyoto.”

“Nara, Kyoto… what strange names for cities.”

While looking at the site of the great pit known as the “Witch’s Mouth,” where women who were subjected to the Inquisition in ancient times jumped to escape, I talked to Lyra about the world that existed before.

“Oh! A kitty! Meow meow meow! Lyra-san, it’s a kitty! So cute~”

“Oh, a wild four-legged cat, how rare!”

“Whoa! Lyra-san, this one! It’s a black cat, and it’s a white-socked cat too! So cute!!”

“Socks? … Oh, I see. It means the pattern on the legs looks like they’re wearing socks. Enri, you have quite an interesting way of putting things.”

When I tried to play with the black cat in a forward-leaning position, crawling on the ground while calling “Neko-chan, Neko-chan,” I got a cat punch, and then Lyra-san gently stroked the spot where I got punched.

We wandered through the town together. We passed through quiet residential streets, overwhelmed by the number of laundry hanging on second-floor balconies, walked across the arched bridge over the stream that flows through the town, quietly strolled through the back streets lined with night shops preparing for business, and enjoyed our time together with Lyra.

When we reached a certain desolate, deserted street. In a place that couldn’t be called dark or bright, Lyra-san called out to me again. The afternoon sun, which was tilting towards the two of us, did not shine here.

“Enri”

That voice was trembling. When I looked at her face, which was holding my hand, it was so weak that it seemed like she would burst into tears at any moment.

“Enri, I have something I need to tell you.”

As if unable to endure the shade cast by the building, she continued to move her trembling lips in a manner completely different from her usual self, as if she might disappear at any moment.

“I… I’m just like that owner of the adventurer clan.”

“I saw you as a product. A golden egg that would bring profit to the Grosvenor family, nothing more, nothing less.”

For a moment, I hesitated to interject. However, she must have also steeled herself and begun to speak. It felt somehow inappropriate to stop her.

“I thought that was fine. Even having Northridge and Enri fight, I thought it would be good if we could use the winner as a swordsman for the Grosvenor family.”

“I thought all people who wield swords were rough and that anyone would be the same. I thought Enri was like that too, so I tried to use you conveniently and dispose of you.”

She released the hand she had been holding and staggered a few steps back.

“I’m sorry, Enri. The master you serve is that kind of person. He selfishly thinks he wants to spend time with you, not as a product but as a person, and struggles with it on his own… And here I am again, imposing my feelings on you without considering your circumstances.”

Muttering “This is the worst,” Lyra let the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes flow. From the street where distant light was streaming in, the voices of people passing by could be heard, but they felt as if they were coming from a different world.

“Why did you tell me that now?”

Tears streaming down her cheeks touch her chestnut-colored long hair. She speaks as if each word is being forced out.

“Before I left, helped by the Twilight Knight from the audience seats, I watched the battle between you and Julian Black… and the figure of him crouching on stage overlapped with my own.”

“Enri is kind, so even someone like me can follow along with a smile. But if we continue this relationship as it is, and if your feelings change even a little, I won’t be able to stop you either, and I’ll end up curled up like him…”

The usual resolute figure of hers is nowhere to be seen. Instead, what stands before me is the frail and unreliable figure of a woman who can no longer bear the weight of her own self-made sins.

“I couldn’t hold it in any longer— I want to be with you, now and forever. But I thought I couldn’t be with you while hiding everything. I wanted to apologize, I wanted to hide it, and I ended up so confused that I didn’t even understand my own feelings anymore. It all became a mess.”

Selfish. If I were to describe her now, that would be the most appropriate word.

She thought of me as a high-interest investment.

However, as we spent more time together, that thought changed, and I came to want the relationship that I initially thought was fine as a relationship between things and people to be one between people.

She, who had been thinking that way, saw Arthur-kun leaving Julian Black’s side today and feared that I and Lyra-san might eventually end up like that.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Enri. I don’t want to be apart from you, but I couldn’t bear the thought of lying to you, the person I fell in love with, and being hated for it. So, before it becomes irreparable, even though I don’t know what will happen, I just wanted to at least apologize.”

Collapsing onto the filthy street, she hung her head. She didn’t care that her expensive clothes were getting dirty, nor that the mask of Lyra Grosvenor she had worn until now was shattering. She cried out loud, tears streaming down her face.

“Ms. Lyra”

I approached her as she walked away, kneeling down to meet her gaze. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her pupils were red and bloodshot. The usual beautiful, strong, and serene version of her was nowhere to be found.

“Indeed, honestly, there were times when I thought, ‘Am I being treated casually?’ while spending time with Lyra-san.”

“The moment I was like, ‘Seriously?’ was when Arthur’s duel got interrupted. I was like, ‘You’re stopping here? Seriously?’ If I hadn’t been able to hold myself back a bit more, I probably would have cut you down.”

There’s no point in telling a kind lie here. If she has revealed her true feelings, then I also need to let her hear my true words.

“Honestly, when I heard this story just now, I was like, ‘Wow, Lyra-san, seriously?’ It made me sad. She’s a benefactor, but she’s selfish and doesn’t consider our circumstances.”

“………………”

“But, amidst that sadness, there was certainly happiness as well.”

“……..Happiness?”

Ms. Lyra turns her tear-streaked, sobbing face towards me.

“Because Lyra-san didn’t want to end up like Arthur-kun, she braced herself to be disliked and confessed, right?”

“Th-that is… because, I was shown such a vivid scene of what might happen someday, I couldn’t bear it anymore… and then…”

“I’m really glad that Lyra-san was honest and opened up without trying to deceive me. Even if there were lies in the beginning of our relationship, we can definitely start over and make things right.”

She looked down on me. Like a product with a good profit margin, like a stock certificate I was planning to sell once the price went up. But even so, no matter what anyone says, the fact that “I, who was alone, am no longer alone” is thanks to Ms. Lyra.

Humans can only live within society. Having reincarnated from a past life into this world, I was alone and on the verge of dying as a human. If I hadn’t met her, I might have still been wandering in the forest. Or perhaps I would have become a bandit who kidnapped Lyra.

Because she gave me a place to live, I came to know the warmth of civilization in this world. If I hadn’t met her, I wouldn’t have met Mr. Utsuho, Ms. Sophia, Arthur-kun, Ms. Luise, Mr. Dantsu, and the other couples I met in this town.

The katana that the deity gifted me, along with Shihime and my combat sense, might have led to a different path. However, the path I followed is this one, the one where I met her.

“…This voice of mine, these tears, they might just be an act to elicit your sympathy.”

“Well, if this confession that moved me was an act, then after being moved, I’ll cut down Lyra-san and then cut my own stomach.”

“……..I’m sorry, Enri. I’m really sorry… it feels like I’m taking advantage of your kindness.”

The soft afternoon sunlight had gradually transformed into a fiery red sunset. The shadows on this street, with only the two of us, were growing deeper. There was no longer any need to stay here.

“Well then, from now on, let’s walk together as equals, Miss Lyra. …But just so you know, there won’t be any more do-overs.”

“Yes, of course. Really… really, thank you. Enri.”

She wiped her own tears and took my hand. I held her hand too.

“It’s already evening, I wonder if any places are still open where I can buy clothes for Lyra.”

“It’s okay. If it’s not open, we can just go out together again. There’s no need to rush anymore; I’ll always keep my schedule open for you, Enri.”

Holding hands, we step out from the back street into the main street bathed in the evening sun. It seems we’ll be wandering the town together for a while longer to find a gift for Lyra.