Reinhard van Astrea stopped walking.
The street around him continued as normal—citizens chatting, guards patrolling, the distant sound of steel—but his instincts screamed with such force that ignoring them was impossible.
Every Divine Protection he possessed reacted at once.
Not in alarm.
In confusion.
"This… isn't danger," Reinhard murmured. "It's… displacement."
He placed a hand over his chest. His heartbeat was steady, yet the blessings layered upon his soul were no longer in agreement. Some urged caution. Others fell silent entirely, as if refusing to evaluate what they sensed.
Something had entered the world that did not fit any category.
Reinhard turned toward the center of the capital.
"That direction," he said.
Anos Voldigoad walked openly now.
People noticed him—not because he demanded attention, but because the world had finally decided it could no longer ignore him. Conversations died as he passed. Eyes followed him instinctively, then quickly looked away.
Subaru walked a step behind, tense.
"Uh… people are staring," Subaru muttered.
"They are adjusting," Anos replied. "Predators stare at storms the same way."
Ahead, the street parted.
A red-haired knight stood waiting, sword at his side, posture relaxed but absolute. The air around him felt dense, reinforced by countless invisible blessings.
Reinhard van Astrea met Anos's gaze.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the world held its breath.
"So it's you," Reinhard said gently. "You're the reason everything feels… wrong."
Anos studied him.
"A human elevated by accumulated permissions," he said. "Sword Saint."
Reinhard smiled faintly. "I don't know what you are. But the world reacts to you like a foreign law."
"That is accurate."
Reinhard's hand rested on the hilt of the Dragon Sword Reid.
It did not respond.
His smile faded slightly.
"…It won't draw," Reinhard said quietly.
"It has not judged me worthy of opposition," Anos replied. "Or it has judged you unqualified to challenge me."
Silence stretched between them.
Reinhard exhaled slowly. "Then I can't fight you."
"No," Anos agreed. "You cannot."
Not yet.
The knight lowered his hand.
"But I have to ask," Reinhard continued. "Are you an enemy of this world?"
Anos met his eyes.
"I am its correction," he said calmly.
Reinhard closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them.
"…Then I will watch," he said. "Until I understand."
Anos turned away.
"That is wise."
As they walked past, Subaru glanced back, heart pounding.
"That guy… he's the strongest, right?"
"Yes," Anos said. "Among those still permitted to be so."
Behind them, Reinhard stood motionless, every blessing whispering the same unfamiliar word:
Wait.