Rishe's voice trembled not only from the relief of seeing Arnold's face. She understood that he had come to help. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but worry about the injury she had caused him a few days ago, and she inadvertently voiced her concerns.
"Your Highness, I asked you not to come...!"
"And I said I cannot accept that." Arnold said as he pulled Rishe towards him.
Immediately after, they were hit by a strong tremor, and Rishe braced herself to not burden Arnold too much. Arnold handed her something. It was a bow and arrow and a sword for Rishe.
There were two swords, and one was likely for Yoel. In a fight on the open deck like this, swords with a wider range of attack were advantageous over daggers.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Arnold understood what Rishe wanted at times like this.
The sailors, taken aback by Arnold's sudden appearance, glared at him and prepared to attack.
"Damn it! Who the hell are you—...!?"
The angry voice was cut off when the speaker collapsed. After giving the enemies a cold glare, Arnold glanced at Yoel.
Yoel, struggling to stand, gripped his sword tightly as he repeated shallow breaths, lowering his center of gravity. The enemy swung a sword at Yoel, but he immediately dodged it and struck back.
(Despite the circumstances, Yoel's swordplay has improved...!?)
Watching Yoel's movements, Arnold narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
"Yoel, catch!"
"..."
As Yoel caught the sword Rishe threw, swaying unsteadily, it was clear it wasn't just his imagination.
"Your Highness! Yoel helped me. He probably needs medical attention and can't fight for long."
"When the ship stops rocking, I'll drop the palace guards."
Rishe nodded and strung her bow, unable to aim directly at the men steering the ship due to the mast obstructing her view, but she could assist Yoel and Arnold.
(Why?)
Seeing Arnold and Rishe, Yoel was filled with disbelief.
His head throbbed from the earlier collision, his vision blurred, and he felt nauseous. Even though he already felt terrible, the ship rocked violently, exacerbating his condition. Yet, Yoel's limbs moved instinctively in response to the approaching rage and hostility, acting without his conscious direction.
Amidst this, his gaze inevitably turned not towards the enemies about to attack, but towards the figures standing together.
(Prince Arnold is protecting her... That should weaken him, shouldn't it?)
***
"Yoel, you're truly a genius with the sword."
When Yoel was still a child, the knight who was his instructor at a place where noble children learned swordsmanship said so.
His elder brother was the one who first taught him swordsmanship. From childhood, Yoel, who found everything bothersome and spent most of his time sleeping, considered this his first "fun" activity.
He constantly thought about swordplay when awake and clung to his brother, not relenting until his brother agreed to spar with him. His brother patiently accompanied him, but when the time for serious study to inherit the family estate approached, he said something like this.
"Want to join the swordsmanship lessons I used to take? Everyone around you is older, but you'll surely keep up, Yoel."
Yoel was sent away by his sister and learned the sword alongside his "seniors" who were five or six years older.
Yet, by the third day of training, he defeated every single one of his older peers.
"Yoel! You're amazing!"
His seniors praised him and ruffled Yoel's hair.
He felt genuinely proud at that time.
"I hope Yoel becomes a knight of this country and becomes our junior."
"I feel more confident thinking I can fight alongside you."
"To fight alongside you..."
Yoel looked forward to that, and he became even more engrossed in his training.
Even when his seniors rested, he swung his wooden sword earnestly.
He drank the milk he hated hearing it might make him grow taller, and ran around to build his stamina. He spent days that are unimaginable now.
"That training is something only you can do, Yoel."
"Yeah, yeah. We have other methods that suit us better."
He believed those words sincerely, but the sense of achievement from sparring never changed.
On the contrary, as Yoel grew stronger, those around him seemed to become weaker.
And when Yoel turned nine, he understood.
It was about the 'sword on the ship' necessary to become a knight of this country, something he was taken out to learn, about life on the sea.
"Help me...!!"
The ship that set out to sea was attacked by pirates.
Though they had no battlefield experience, they were children aiming to become future knights through sword training. But the scene Yoel imagined didn't unfold, and he stood dumbfounded in that place.
"Yoel, hurry!"
"..."
The older boys were screaming at Yoel in tears.
"Hey, what's wrong, Yoel...!?"
The retired knight who was their instructor was the first to be stabbed and lost consciousness.
Instead of helping him up, the "seniors" handed a sword to Yoel, the youngest among them, and pushed him forward in front of the pirates.
"Aren't you a genius?! Can't you defeat pirates alone!?"
It should have been reassuring if they could fight together.
But right now, they were pushing Yoel alone in front of the enemy, shouting with anger even evident in their voices.
"Hurry up and help us...!!"
(...Oh dear...)
Yoel wasn't saddened by being told to fight alone.
(It's because of me that I've become weak.)
He learned that clearly.
(When a strong person protects a weak person, both become weak. — Both the protector and the protected.)
The pirates were defeated by Yoel alone, and the instructor was also treated.
Even though they praised him when they returned to land and hugged him, Yoel couldn't accept it anymore.
(...I made those people weak...)
If Yoel hadn't been here, they would surely have died.
So Yoel decided.
(When fighting, it's alone. Those who rely on others unnecessarily will easily die when they face a real battlefield.)
You should only fight alongside someone stronger than yourself.
Otherwise, you'll end up relying on Yoel and die.
(I don't need any more praise from others for my swordsmanship. I won't train where others can see me anymore. ...It's better to be thought of as someone who can't be trusted or relied on.)
Since deciding to stop fighting with others, Yoel's swordsmanship has become even more precise.
The "proper swordsmanship" that knights require, such as cooperation and formation movements, probably didn't suit him from the start.
(Strong people make weak people weaker by dragging them down. Weak people also become weaker by relying on strong people.)
That's how it was supposed to be.
***
But now, Arnold Hein and Rishe fighting on the ship were completely different from Yoel's thoughts.
(How is Prince Arnold so strong even though he's fighting while protecting?)
While trembling with unbelievable thoughts, Yoel also slayed the enemies in front of him.
It wasn't just Arnold. Even Rishe, who had just been fighting, was standing taller than before, shooting arrows with stable movements and defeating pirates.
(Even she. She's much stronger than when she fights alone.)
Suppressing the nausea from hitting his head, Yoel squinted his eyes.
(And... She's much stronger than when she was fighting with me.)
Even when fighting alongside Arnold, Rishe was clearly enveloped in a dignified strength.