Faced with Hayashi Maki's introduction, the silver-haired girl hurriedly replied, "Ah, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Emilia, um… I'm a half-elf…"
As she spoke, she nervously snuck a glance at his expression.
But she didn't see any disgust or prejudice there. She finally let out a small breath of relief—and at the same time, a strange warmth quietly bloomed in her chest.
"What about being a half-elf? You're very pretty, Emilia-san," Hayashi Maki said with an easy smile, his tone full of sincerity.
"And me, I'm Aqua. Hayashi Maki's right, you really are quite pretty—and a half-elf too. Very promising," Aqua chimed in, openly appraising the silver-haired girl with an approving look.
By "promising," of course, she meant: perfect material to become a member of the Axis Church.
Their friendly words and appreciative gazes made Emilia's cheeks go pink, leaving her a bit at a loss.
Because she shared silver hair and a half-elf heritage with the Witch of Envy, people rarely treated her kindly. Many even called her a "half-devil" behind her back.
To have two complete strangers look at her without a hint of hatred or fear… it moved her more than she could say.
She ducked her head shyly. "P-Pretty… I'm really not…"
"Ahem, let me cut in for a second," Felt said, unable to stand the atmosphere any longer.
"I'm sorry, Emilia-san. I was in the wrong for stealing your stuff. Here—this belongs to you."
She held out the glowing insignia.
Emilia blinked, surprised, then glanced anxiously at Hayashi Maki's face.
"Is… is that alright? Didn't you want this too, Hayashi-san?"
Hayashi Maki waved his hand. "I never wanted it. I only came here to see if I could take Felt on as a maid, and to remind her to return what she stole."
"Now that the item's back with its owner, everyone's happy. Isn't that better?"
Relief washed over Emilia's face. "I see… then I'll accept it. Thank you, Hayashi Maki. This is a very important item to me—I absolutely cannot lose it!"
Felt kept sneaking looks at Hayashi Maki, torn between guilt and suspicion, trying to decide whether to say something more.
Before she could speak, a red-haired man in white armor appeared at the entrance and grabbed Felt firmly by the wrist.
"What's your name? Your family name?" he asked sharply.
"Ow! That hurts! And I'm just a commoner—how could I possibly have a family name? Let go of me!"
Felt struggled angrily.
"You are Reinhard, aren't you? That's hardly knightly behavior," Emilia said sternly.
"My apologies, Emilia-sama," Reinhard answered with a troubled look. "This girl is… very important. I must take her back to confirm something. I give you my word she won't be harmed. This insignia, please keep it safe."
He clearly intended to leave with Felt.
But the very next instant, his body went stiff under a sudden, crushing pressure.
His hand came up empty.
By the time his instincts caught up, Felt had already been pulled behind Hayashi Maki.
"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" Hayashi Maki asked coldly. "Ever heard of 'first come, first served'? I discovered Felt first and decided to hire her as my maid. You just show up and try to snatch her away without so much as a 'may I'? Isn't that a little much?"
Reinhard's expression darkened. "A… maid? How dare you."
He'd seen the insignia glow in Felt's hand. Barring some bizarre mistake, that meant she was genuine royal blood—a Dragon Priestess, and very likely the candidate he would one day swear himself to.
And this man wanted to turn his liege into a maid?
"Why wouldn't I dare? That's exactly why I came," Hayashi Maki said flatly.
"Yeah! Who do you think you are?" Felt snapped. "You come out of nowhere and grab me—pretty sure I've never done anything to you!"
Old Man Rom tightened his grip on his club, staring at Reinhard with mounting dread.
"Sir Reinhard, I know the kid's got sticky fingers," Rom rumbled, "but I've already decided to forgive her. There's no need for a knight of your status to step in personally, is there?"
Emilia stepped to Aqua's side and added in a clear voice, "Reinhard, Knight of Lugnica… you may be famous, but that doesn't give you the right to bully a poor common girl. Unless you give us a proper explanation, I won't let you take her either!"
Even though she knew she probably couldn't win a fight against him, her kind heart simply wouldn't let her ignore Felt's situation.
Even if she had stolen from her, Emilia still wanted to protect this little girl—that was just the kind of person she was.
The gentle, pure-hearted, silver-haired half-elf.
Reinhard drew a deep breath, his features growing grave.
He knew that if words wouldn't convince them, he'd have to rely on force. As Sword Saint, he had that privilege.
It pained him to go against his own code, but he was acting for the kingdom's sake. Emilia would understand someday—or so he told himself.
The air grew tense.
Reinhard leveled his gaze at Hayashi Maki and Aqua.
"I don't wish to draw my blade… but today I must. Young man, let us cross swords. If you lose, you will withdraw. I swear on the name of House Astrea that I will not harm Felt-san. As for her… special circumstances—they are too important to discuss openly."
"Enough talk. You want a fight? Then fight. I've been meaning to see just how strong a 'Sword Saint' really is," Hayashi Maki said, a cold smile tugging at his lips.
The truth was, at his current level, he had no real idea how strong he'd become.
And this world's golden child, the Sword Saint Reinhard, was an excellent benchmark.
Besides, as a "special" kind of demon, even if he died here, Aqua's magic and his contracted status with her meant he'd just revive back in his original world.
So really, what was there to be afraid of?
Aqua was his contracted follower now. As long as she existed, he could revive indefinitely.
A mere Sword Saint?
Nothing to fear.