"...To measure me? Me?"
"That is right. Just because you command a few monsters, you dare call yourself the ruler of this great forest without even inheriting the [Storm Dragon]. I am saying that I shall judge you myself, by the sword."
Shing...
After answering Rimuru's question, Gazel drew his beloved blade.
It was one of the two longswords said to have been wielded by Gran Dwargo, the first king of [Dwargo], and a national treasure of [Dwargo]—a [Legend-grade] weapon.
"If you do not wish to make Lord Adelio's recognition seem false, then you would do well to draw your own sword as well."
Gazel's way was to never draw his sword in a fight if he felt his opponent was beneath him, no matter what. But having sensed a faint spark of enjoyment from Rimuru, he chose to cross blades with her himself.
"Your Majesty. Surely you don't mean..."
"...to step in personally?"
Dorph and Burn, who knew Gazel's temperament well, were naturally horrified to see him draw his sword and tried to stop him. But Gazel shook his head.
"If you wish to grasp an opponent's true intentions, the fastest way is to fight them yourself. I will not permit interference."
Since their king had spoken, Dorph and Burn had no choice but to obey. They pressed a hand to their foreheads and sighed.
Though Gazel was now widely known as a wise and dignified ruler, the two men knew very well that in his youth he had been a hot-blooded [Dwarf] who loved battle. That was why they accepted it so quickly, without further complaint.
And Rimuru, who had been watching all this, realized the other knights had no intention of joining in. So she accepted Gazel's proposal and placed a hand on her scabbard.
"...Fine. I accept."
Then Rimuru's sword slid free from its sheath.
More like an Eastern saber than a Western longsword, her blade was a [Unique Skill]-class weapon forged for her by Kurobe, a master craftsman.
It could not compare to Gazel's sword, one of the finest among [Legend-grade] arms, but it had absorbed a great deal of Rimuru's aura and would not break easily. Reflecting the blazing sunlight, it gleamed with a sharp light.
"......"
"Then I'll serve as the witness."
Just as the two swordsmen widened the distance between them and waited for the right moment, Adelio stepped to the exact center between them and raised one hand.
To be honest, Adelio would have preferred to simply sit back and enjoy watching the duel between Rimuru and Gazel. But wanting a quicker and simpler ending than in the novel, he stepped forward as witness before Treyni could.
"This isn't a fight to the death, just a normal spar, so we'll make it a single-strike match. If Rimuru deflects or blocks Gazel's sword, Rimuru wins. If she fails to stop it, Gazel wins. That's fair enough for both of you, right?"
Unlike Gazel, Rimuru did not even need to deflect the blow—merely blocking it would count as victory. But that much handicap was only appropriate.
After all, Rimuru had only just reached the level of a [Demon Lord], while Gazel was already a mighty warrior who had stepped into the realm of an [Awakened Demon Lord].
"Mm."
"Got it."
Once Rimuru and Gazel both gave their consent, Adelio gave a short nod and raised his arm higher.
"......"
And when the eyes of knights and monsters alike gathered in one place to watch the spar, he—
"Begin."
—quietly announced the start of the match.
"Hah!"
"—!!"
The instant the spar began, both swordsmen wrapped their blades in magic.
Fwoosh!
Rimuru imbued hers with the black flames that had dealt a heavy blow even to the [Orc Disaster],
Crackle...!!
while Gazel unleashed [Lightning Flash], one of the secret sword techniques of the [Oboro Style].
"......"
A flaming blade and a lightning sword, both fierce enough to tear the air apart.
Rimuru held the advantage in perception.
Gazel held the advantage in level of skill.
And the amount of magic power each swordsman used was evenly matched.
What remained was technique and...
BOOOOM!!!
...pure luck.
**
Whoooosh...!
"Ghk...!"
"Which one won?!"
The moment Rimuru's and Gazel's swords collided, the ground gave way under the impact, and the rising cloud of dust blocked the view of both monsters and knights.
"...I still can't see."
A few of the more impatient onlookers swept the dust away with magic power, frowning, while the calmer ones quietly waited for Adelio to announce the result.
"......"
After several seconds passed like that—
"That's enough."
Adelio's voice rang out softly, just as it had at the start of the spar, declaring the result.
"The winner is Rimuru Tempest."
Fwooo...
As the dust finally cleared, the sight revealed to the monsters and knights was—
"Hwahahaha! You stopped my sword!"
"...Whew..."
—Gazel laughing heartily, and Rimuru wearing a face of deep relief after barely managing to receive his blade.
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