“Your Excellency.”

  Upon seeing Cédric, Elliot immediately straightened his posture, even more than it already was.

  Impressive.

  Cédric was the only person capable of having such an effect on Elliot. It wasn’t that the latter feared the former, despite the difference in status; Lucius assumed it was more a matter of respect and admiration. After all, Cédric was recognized throughout the Empire as a war hero. Elliot, who had fought alongside his father, must have been even more aware of that.

  “The children have just finished today’s training. I was about to dismiss them.”

  “Hmm. I thought I’d take a look at their progress, so I’ll keep them here a little longer. You may go.”

  “Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

  Elliot bowed and took his leave, but not before casting a sharp glance at the three of them, as if warning them not to embarrass themselves in front of the duke.

  “Let’s begin. Lucius, Alex, you first. Show me your skills.”

  “Yes, sir!” Alex replied enthusiastically.

  Lucius’s mood was the complete opposite, though he tried not to show it.

  Facing each other, they assumed combat stances while waiting for Cédric’s signal.

  “Begin!”

  Alex lunged at Lucius. In an instant, he covered the more than ten meters separating them, his fist aimed straight at Lucius’s face.

  He’s fast.

  In a hurry, Lucius stepped aside, striking the side of Alex’s arm with his palm and knocking the blow off its original trajectory.

  But Alex used the momentum of Lucius’s defense to twist his body and strike Lucius’s face with the back of his other hand.

  “Ugh…!”

  Lucius felt his vision blur instantly, his legs losing balance as he staggered backward awkwardly.

  But Alex didn’t allow him that space, quickly closing the distance Lucius desperately tried to create.

  “Agh…!”

  Grabbing both of Lucius’s arms to keep him from retreating, Alex drove one, two, three knees into his stomach.

  Damn…

  Lucius felt as though all his organs had been displaced, the air desperately fleeing his lungs.

  Like a marionette with its strings cut, his legs lost all strength.

  He only remained standing because Alex was still holding his arms, but that lasted only an instant, as Alex quickly released him before knocking him down with a punch to the face.

  “That’s enough.”

  Even while on the ground, Alex was already preparing to throw another blow, stopping only because of Cédric’s words.

  “Hehehe, it’s my win again,” Alex said with a laugh as he extended a hand to help him up.

  Damn it…!

  Seeing the triumphant smile on his younger brother’s face only irritated him further.

  Useless, useless, useless.

  Accepting the outstretched hand, he got back on his feet.

  “I’m next, I’m next!” Camille exclaimed excitedly.

  Cédric nodded, signaling for her to switch places with Lucius, who stood silently beside his father.

  “Begin.”

  The initial moment following Cédric’s command was exactly the same as the previous fight, with Alex immediately going on the offensive.

  The crucial difference was that, unlike Lucius, Camille skillfully defended herself against Alex’s attacks, even counterattacking whenever an opportunity arose.

  The two continued exchanging blows for dozens of movements, a display of skill that made Lucius clench his fists in frustration.

  But eventually, Alex began to gain the upper hand over his sister, and after a misstep on her part, he knocked her to the ground with a kick to the stomach before mounting her and pinning her arms.

  “Hahaha, I won again,” Alex laughed triumphantly.

  Camille struggled uselessly to free herself from his grip.

  “Ugh, let go already.”

  “Only when you admit that I won.”

  “Never!” Camille spat.

  “Then I’m not letting you go.”

  “That’s enough. Alex, release your sister,” Cédric said indifferently.

  “Tch, fine.”

  Since his father had spoken, Alex finally released Camille and stood up, though not before casting a mocking glance at her.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I won’t lose next time,” she said irritably.

  Alex accepted the challenge with an arrogant smile. By Lucius’s count, his two younger siblings had already fought fifty-seven times, thirty-five of which had ended in Alex’s victory.

  Well, he’s a year older than her, so that can be justified.

  What couldn’t be justified was the fact that Lucius and Alex had fought a total of one hundred and eighteen times, and out of all those matches, only nineteen had ended in Lucius’s victory. And all of them were from when Alex had just begun his training.

  Useless, useless, useless.

  Lucius glanced at his father, but Cédric’s attention was on Alex, who continued boasting about how much he had improved.

  “You are very aggressive when you fight. I’m not telling you to stand still like a coward, but you must be more cautious when attacking.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  For Alex, who had been expecting nothing but praise from his father, those words were like a bucket of cold water.

  Cédric’s gaze then shifted to Camille.

  “You are the opposite of your brother. You think too much and stay overly defensive while searching for the perfect opportunity, which in real combat almost never exists.”

  “Yes, sir…”

  Camille’s reaction was not much different from her brother’s.

  Lastly, Cédric’s gaze settled on Lucius.

  “In your case, there is nothing to say.”

  At Cédric’s seemingly indifferent response, he could only lower his head in shame.

  Indeed, there was nothing to say.

  “It’s getting late. Go bathe and have lunch to prepare for your afternoon classes.”

  “Ehh, do we really have to? Today’s training was way too intense, Dad. It’s almost like the instructor wants to kill us. Can’t we take the rest of the day off?” Camille pleaded.

  To make her point, she put on the cutest face she could manage, clinging to Cédric’s arm like an abandoned puppy.

  But her father’s expression remained as stoic as a statue, indifferent to his daughter’s emotional appeal.

  “Though secondary to the martial arts, as imperial nobles, academic study does have its importance. Stop complaining and go, or I’ll tell your mother.”

  “Ehh, no need, no need.”

  At the mention of calling their mother, the siblings didn’t even consider pressing the matter further.

  Lucius followed closely behind the two of them. The return trip was a true ordeal, as his legs had long since lost contact with the rest of his body, but somehow he managed to make it back to his room without further embarrassment.

  Alone once more, he finally abandoned his mask of indifference, collapsing exhausted onto the floor. He dragged himself to the bathtub, letting the cold water wash away the pain that covered every inch of his body.

  After leaving the bathroom and drying himself, he applied the medicinal paste to his body.

  He had found it in an alchemy shop in the city and bought it only because the shop’s alchemist had insisted so strongly.

  At first, he had been skeptical of its effects, but after a few days of use, he could say with certainty that it was the real deal. Without it, he wouldn’t have been able to complete Elliot’s training at all.

  It’s almost gone. I should remember to buy more in the city.

  That alchemist’s personality was rather eccentric, but the quality of the paste made the trouble worthwhile.

  ….

  After lunch and a short break came academic instruction.

  Unlike physical training, the classes were not collective, largely due to the age difference between the siblings and their differing levels of study. In this field, Lucius wasn’t much worse than his siblings.

  The first part of the lessons was dedicated to the history of the continent: kingdoms that had fallen, kingdoms that had been founded, and the major events that had influenced both.

  Then came imperial history proper: administrative revolts, major uprisings, wars in which the Empire had taken part. From time to time, House Aster was mentioned, something that made Lucius feel strange.

  Mathematics also took up a large portion of the time. Revenue calculations, harvest projections, army maintenance, trade routes, and acceptable losses in prolonged campaigns.

  It was amusing—numbers, that is. They were predictable, they didn’t lie, and they followed clear rules. Two plus two would always equal four, but training twice as hard wouldn’t bring twice the results, or even the same results as those around him.

  Finally, strategy and logic. War games on boards, siege simulations, decisions in scenarios where there was no correct answer.

  “I think that’s enough for today,” said Johan, the instructor, as he closed the book.

  He was a young man, no older than thirty. Tall and thin, he had that fragile appearance characteristic of scholars and mages.

  But Lucius had nothing against him, as he truly was an excellent teacher, with a natural talent for making complicated subjects seem simple.

  I heard he was the top student of his class at the Imperial Academy.

  Besides being the place where young imperial elites gathered to compete, the Imperial Academy was also responsible for training the Empire’s high bureaucracy. Of course, academic achievement was considered inferior to martial achievement, but that didn’t diminish Johan’s accomplishments.

  “It’s still quite early,” Lucius said.

  Glancing at the window, it was still mid-afternoon.

  “Yes, and we’re already well ahead of my original syllabus. You’re very intelligent, young master,” Johan said with a satisfied nod.

  But his praise felt hollow. History and such things, as his father said, were merely secondary matters. What a son of House Aster—what he himself—should possess was talent for combat.

  Useless, useless, useless.

  “Then you are dismissed.”

  With Johan’s permission, Lucius returned to his room.

  There were still a few hours until dinner, so Lucius decided to use his free time to continue his training.

  Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  This time I’ll succeed.

  Forgetting his surroundings, casting away unnecessary thoughts, breathing properly—he followed every step he had been taught, every step he had repeated thousands of times.

  But the result was once again the same as before, which didn’t stop him from continuing to try, unsuccessfully, until dinner time.

  “How was your day, husband?” Helena asked after dabbing her lips with the napkin on the table.

  Every movement she made was filled with elegance and dignity, the ideal image of a lady of a Great House.

  “Normal,” Cédric said as he cut a piece of meat from his plate and brought it to his mouth.

  “And the children, how were they? Did you manage to observe their training?”

  “Yes. They’ve improved quite a bit.”

  Cédric’s words brought a small smile to Helena’s face. Alex and Camille were also quite pleased, quickly beginning to boast and eventually competing over which of the two was better.

  “And your day, how was it?” Cédric asked in return.

  “Oh, my day?”

  Helena was caught off guard by Cédric’s question, but it lasted only a moment before she quickly regained her composure, quieting her children and beginning to recount what she had done.

  Then it was Yuria’s turn to talk about her visit to the city, but Lucius didn’t pay much attention to the conversation.

  From time to time, his gaze settled on his youngest sister, Lilia. Clutching her stuffed bunny, she remained silent throughout the meal.

  Not much different from me. Well, at least she has talent.

  Not martial talent, but talent for magic. She was already receiving lessons from a mage her father had brought directly from the Magic Tower.

  For House Aster, a family of warriors, magic was certainly beneath the martial arts, but it was still considered a noble and important discipline. Lilia having talent in it was proof of her worth.

  Lucius himself had also been tested for magical talent, but he had none.

  As for Alex and Camille, they had never been tested. Once their talent for the martial arts became clear, the idea became absurd, as, once again, House Aster was a family of warriors.

  Dinner ended without incident, as it did every day.

  Afterward, Lucius returned to his room. Since there were still a few hours before sleep, he used that time to continue trying to sense his Aura.

  Elliot had instructed the three of them not to do this training without supervision, but if he followed the same pace as his siblings—true prodigies—he would die of old age before ever finding his Aura.

  “Agh! Damn it!”

  It was already dawn when he stopped. Today, once again, he had failed—so many times he couldn’t even count.

  So be it.

  He collapsed exhausted onto the bed as he closed his eyes. At least in his dreams, he was what he wished to be.

  One day less.