"I-It's over... just like that?"
Subaru stared in disbelief at Elsa lying in a pool of blood.
Someone who looked every bit like a boss character had just been instantly defeated???
And more importantly—
'Why is he so strong when we're both transmigrators?'
'Where the hell is my cheat ability?!'
While Subaru began questioning his entire existence, the silver-haired girl hesitantly approached Shiro.
"Um..."
She wanted to thank him.
Yet the words became stuck in her throat halfway out.
As a silver-haired half-elf, she had long since learned that her appearance brought fear to others.
Shiro was her benefactor.
Without him, facing Elsa alone would almost certainly have ended with her death.
No matter how she looked at it, she should thank him.
But—
'Would he really be happy to receive thanks from someone like me?'
That question appeared in the silver-haired girl's mind.
Her desire to express gratitude and her fear of troubling someone else became tangled together, leaving her unable to move forward.
While she was still hesitating, Shiro suddenly raised his head and called toward seemingly empty space.
"Hey."
"Seen enough yet?"
The instant he spoke, everyone snapped back into a combat-ready state.
They cautiously watched their surroundings, wary of another enemy suddenly appearing.
"Haha. My apologies."
"It's simply been far too long since I witnessed swordsmanship of such extraordinary refinement."
"I became a little too absorbed in watching."
A dignified male voice came from the roof of the Loot House.
Then—
A man appeared before them.
He possessed brilliant red hair that resembled burning flames.
His blue eyes radiated an unmistakable sense of integrity, and a knight's sword rested at his waist, its sheath engraved with a dragon claw.
"[Sword Saint] Reinhard van Astrea..."
Recognizing those conspicuous features, Old Man Rom spoke the man's name in disbelief.
Indeed.
The refreshing young man who seemed to radiate righteousness from head to toe was the strongest known living person in this world.
[Sword Saint] Reinhard van Astrea.
"Lady Emilia, I sincerely apologize for allowing you to be placed in danger."
"I am prepared to accept any punishment for my failure."
The instant Reinhard appeared, he respectfully approached the silver-haired girl and knelt on one knee before her.
Every movement displayed the bearing of a proper knight.
And judging from the name he used—
Emilia was probably the silver-haired girl's true name.
"No. I'm the one who should apologize."
"If I hadn't lost my insignia, so many people wouldn't have been dragged into this."
Even though Felt had been the one who stole the insignia from her, Emilia still took all the responsibility upon herself.
She knew that if the truth spread, it could seriously affect what she was trying to accomplish.
Yet her innate kindness still prevented her from exposing Felt.
"Lady Emilia...?"
Only after hearing Reinhard address her did Subaru finally realize that Emilia had lied to him about her name.
No wonder she had so often ignored him whenever he called her Satella earlier.
Shiro casually added another blow from the side.
"What kind of person casually gives their real name to a stranger who keeps following them around after being rescued?"
"If anything, the fact that you believed her immediately is the more unbelievable part."
"Eh? Wait."
Subaru scratched his head.
"Come to think of it, you never told me your name either, did you?"
Only now did Subaru realize that among everyone present, he barely knew anyone's actual name.
Even with Shiro, he had mostly called him things like "you," "hey," or "companion" since they first met.
Ironically, the only person who had honestly introduced herself to him from the beginning was Elsa—Who belonged to the enemy side.
"You never asked."
"But fine. I don't mind telling you."
"My name is Kurogane Ikki."
"Seriously?"
"I lied."
"My real name is Torajirou Shiro."
"Hey! Which one is actually real?!"
"Guess."
"Shiro-dono."
While Subaru was still struggling to decide whether "Kurogane Ikki" or "Torajirou Shiro" was the real name, Reinhard walked over and addressed him correctly without hesitation.
"Thank you very much for assisting Lady Emilia."
"If you ever require help in the future, please feel free to visit the Astrea family."
"There's no need."
"I only helped because Elsa was planning to kill me too."
"If two complete strangers started fighting beside me without involving me, I might have simply stood there and watched."
"No."
"Regardless of your reasons, the result remains that you helped that lady."
"So my promise stands."
"If you ever require assistance, please come to the Astrea family."
"I will offer whatever insignificant help I can."
Reinhard remained insistent.
Seeing that, Shiro could only nod.
Perhaps this was simply the chivalric spirit of the knights in this country.
Refusing too strongly might instead make Reinhard think Shiro was looking down on him.
At the same time—Throughout their conversation, Shiro's gaze never left Reinhard.
Not because he was interested in the handsome young man standing before him.
Rather—Something about Reinhard felt extremely strange.
His raw physical ability did not seem particularly overwhelming from Shiro's perspective.
The real problem was the fate surrounding him.
If becoming a Desperado required breaking free from the fate originally imposed upon you by the world—Then Reinhard might never be capable of reaching that state in Shiro's world.
That was not because Reinhard was too weak.
Quite the opposite.
The weight of fate resting upon Reinhard was terrifying beyond belief.
It almost felt as though a single person was carrying the fate of the entire world.
And even during this brief conversation—That weight was still increasing.
As far as Shiro knew, this world's special powers were known as [Divine Protections].
They were essentially blessings granted directly by the world itself.
So what kind of Divine Protection would Reinhard receive—A man carrying the fate of the entire world by himself?
Or perhaps—
'Does he simply possess every Divine Protection this world is capable of granting?'
Once the thought appeared, it became impossible to suppress.
There was almost certainly a direct connection between the fate Reinhard carried and the fact that countless people recognized him as the strongest in the world.
Shiro became increasingly convinced of it.
Then—
Hum—
The knight's sword at Reinhard's waist, the one with the dragon-claw engraving on its sheath, suddenly seemed to sense something.
It began trembling violently.
Humhumhumhumhumhum—!
…