Kyle left the Hall of Sword Pinnacles utterly exhausted. He would have loved to play with Julius some more, but far too much had happened today for him to indulge that desire. His five-year-old body had already reached its limit.

He blinked his tired, gritty eyes. Each blink seemed to make his eyelids heavier. Yawning widely, he shook his head from side to side.

“Hey.”

Someone was waiting for Kyle when he reached the assembly hall at the end of the corridor.

It was a green-eyed girl whose bright hair was closer to pink than red: Erika Alastor, Julius’s youngest daughter. His youngest aunt, only thirteen herself, was glaring fiercely at him.

“Hello, Aunt Erika.”

Kyle forced his sleepy eyes open and bowed. They might not be all that far apart in age, but an aunt was still an aunt. He had greeted her quite politely, yet Erika stood askew with her arms crossed, looking him up and down with unmistakable displeasure.

“Where have you been?”

“At the Hall of Sword Pinnacles.”

“Do you think the Hall of Sword Pinnacles is somewhere a little kid like you can come and go as he pleases?”

He had wondered what excuse she would use to pick a fight. So it was that, after all. Erika was trying to be intimidating, but compared with Julius’s presence, which Kyle had faced until just a short while ago, hers felt no different from a little puppy growling.

“But Grandfather took me there.”

“You pestered the h-head of the house to take you!”

“Grandfather enjoyed it too.”

“H-how do you know whether he enjoyed it?”

“He laughed a lot while we were playing.”

Erika’s eyes trembled at his answer. Her lips moved as she struggled to say something. Then she clenched her fists and strode toward him.

“You ill-mannered little brat! Who said you could talk back to your aunt?!”

“I wasn’t talking back. I was only answering your questions.”

“That! Is talking back!”

“Then should I not answer when you ask me something?”

Kyle looked up at her with wide, round eyes. Unable to answer at once, Erika stood with her fists trembling before scowling and snapping at him.

“From now on, only answer when I tell you to! Understand?”

“...”

“Why aren’t you answering?!”

“Because you haven’t told me to answer.”

“You’re supposed to answer now!”

“Yes, Aunt Erika.”

Erika let out a long breath, tilted her head back toward the ceiling, and took several breaths to steady herself.

“Don’t pester the head of the house to take you to the Hall of Sword Pinnacles again. Understand? No, not just that! Don’t bother him at all.”

“...”

“Answer me!”

“No.”

“Wh-what? Did you just say no?”

“Yes.”

“Why?!”

“I want to play with Grandfather, and he wants to play with me. He doesn’t think playing with me is a bother.”

“How... how would you know?”

“Then how would you know, Aunt Erika?”

The question, delivered with an innocent little smile, finally exhausted Erika’s patience. She raised her clenched fist to give him a light rap on the head, but Kyle easily dodged her knuckles.

“Why did you dodge?!”

“Violence is bad.”

“V-violence? This isn’t violence. It’s discipline.”

“Why are you disciplining me?”

“Because I’m your aunt! Y-you’re terribly impudent. Always talking back and refusing to listen to me.”

“Do you think Grandfather finds me a bother?”

“Of course!”

“Then let’s go ask him together.”

Beaming, Kyle tugged on Erika’s sleeve. Horrified, she planted her feet and shook her head rapidly.

“N-no.”

“Why not?”

“We can’t bother the head of the house...!”

“But you don’t know whether Grandfather would find it a bother either. Maybe he’d be happy if you went to play with him.”

“There’s no way...”

He was tired and sleepy enough to drop, and he had talked far too much. Kyle blinked his heavy eyelids, yawned widely, then plopped down where he stood. Startled by his sudden seat on the floor, Erika asked,

“Wh-what’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

“I’m so sleepy... I can’t move...”

A five-year-old body was this inconvenient. Willpower alone could do nothing about it. Looking up at Erika through half-closed eyes, Kyle mumbled,

“Good night...”

He simply couldn’t hold out any longer. Kyle shut his eyes completely and surrendered to sleep. The ill-mannered boy who had been answering her back at every turn just moments ago went limp like a puppet with its strings cut and fell asleep, leaving Erika utterly flustered.

“Wh-what kind of kid does that...?”

He was insolent and shameless. And, absurdly, he spoke far too well for a five-year-old. Even her youngest other nephew hadn’t been able to speak like that at Kyle’s age, nor had Erika herself when she was five.

“...”

And it wasn’t just his speech. She had heard he had beaten Lucia in a spar... Could a five-year-old really wield a wooden sword that well? Letting out one exasperated sigh after another, Erika carefully lifted Kyle into her arms.

“Annoying little brat...”

She hated how he answered back at every turn. She also disliked how, from his very first day, he acted so familiar with the head of the house, whom even Erika found difficult to approach.

But if she set those things aside, her little nephew was cute enough that even she couldn’t help staring. Especially with that red hair gleaming like rubies and those golden eyes.

They were colors Erika did not possess, colors she had always longed for. They were also the colors of her beloved older sister, Arian.

'I haven’t even had a chance to say hello properly...'

Arian had married and left the Sword Tower six years ago, when Erika was only seven. Back then, Erika had sobbed into her pillow until it was soaked with tears at the thought of the sister she adored leaving. Her dislike of Kyle stemmed not only from jealousy over her father, the head of the house, but also, in no small measure, from jealousy over Arian.

“Ugh...”

Yet despite finally seeing Arian again today, she hadn’t even managed a proper conversation with her. Her older brothers had made the atmosphere far too hostile.

But surely she had no choice now. After some hesitation, Erika headed toward the Sword Tower’s elevator with Kyle in her arms. They would be living together in the tower from now on anyway.

There was only so long she could keep awkwardly avoiding her sister. She wanted to use bringing Kyle home as a chance to greet Arian and talk about all sorts of things.

“Erika?”

On the Sword Tower’s fourth floor, she knocked on the door of Rose Manor, newly settled on the grassland. Arian came out with Seril, the head maid. Erika hesitated, then lifted Kyle slightly to show her.

“H-he suddenly fell asleep.”

“You brought him home?”

Arian smiled brightly and took Kyle into her arms. Erika wanted to say more, but now that she was face-to-face with her sister, her voice wouldn’t come out properly.

She was a little worried too. Earlier, she had tried to rap Kyle on the head, called him impudent, and told him not to talk back. She feared that all the scolding she had heaped on her little nephew might eventually reach her sister’s ears.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“H-huh?”

“Come inside! We didn’t get to talk properly earlier, with Varkas glaring like that the whole time.”

Erika couldn’t help letting out a little laugh.

“Come on in! I’m happy to see my baby sister after so long too. Didn’t you miss me?”

“Did you miss me? I suppose not. That’s why you never came to Gladiheim even after returning to Vigrid.”

“That—well, that couldn’t be helped. If I’d come home with a newborn in my arms, Father and our brothers would have given me so much grief I wouldn’t have been able to breathe. I wanted to raise my child in peace, without all that stress.”

With a deep sigh, Arian took Erika by the wrist and pulled her toward the door.

“My baby sister’s really upset with me, isn’t she? All right, all right. I’m sorry. Now come inside and have a cup of tea.”

In the end, Erika let Arian pull her into Rose Manor, pretending to give in reluctantly.

* * *

The next morning, Erika was sitting beside Kyle’s bed when he opened his eyes. She had been waiting for him to wake with her arms crossed, and blurted out her words before he could say anything.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“...”

“But you did do things that deserved a scolding from your aunt. Losing my temper and trying to rap you on the head was—anyway, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you here?”

Kyle blinked his still-drowsy eyes as he asked. Erika cleared her throat and shrugged.

“Your mother asked me to stay the night.”

The purebloods on the Sword Tower’s fourth floor each lived in their own manor, and Erika was no exception. She lived with her servants near Rose Manor, in a mansion far too large for one person.

“Anyway, I said I’m sorry about yesterday. Understand?”

“...”

“Why aren’t you answering ag... Oh, honestly. Answer me. I’m telling you to answer.”

“I don’t understand the ‘understand’ part,” Kyle replied, rousing himself.

“If you’re sorry, you’re sorry. Why ask whether I understand?”

Erika’s jaw dropped at the brazen question.

“You little shit...”

“I’m telling Mother. I’ll tell her you tried to hit me yesterday and kept scolding me.”

“Wh-when did I scold you? I was only disciplining...”

“Then I’ll tell her you disciplined me.”

Kyle sat up in bed and spoke with a perfectly composed expression. Erika’s fist trembled as she fought down the urge to give his head a hard rap.

“I’m. Sorry. I was wrong. I won’t do it... No, I’ll keep the discipline reasonable!”

Erika forced out the words, stressing every syllable.

“So. You. Shouldn’t misbehave too much either.”

“What did I do that deserved a scolding?”

“Bothering the head of the house...”

“I’ll ask Grandfather. I’ll tell him Aunt Erika said not to bother him, and ask whether he finds me a bother.”

“Don’t ask him!”

Erika spoke hastily. How had she ended up begging like this? Somewhere along the way, Kyle had gained the upper hand. After hesitating, she let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t... ask him. All right?”

“Are you afraid of Grandfather?”

“I-I’m not afraid. I... respect him.”

Erika’s voice dwindled to a mumble. For all the talk of theirs being the continent’s foremost martial house, she was only thirteen, and the youngest in the family. Judging by her behavior, she hadn’t simply been doted on; it seemed she had felt considerable pressure from those above her.

“Come to the Hall of Sword Pinnacles with me next time.”

Kyle had only met Julius yesterday, but he hadn’t struck him as a completely rigid, overbearing old fossil.

Of course, Julius probably bestowed his favor only on those who deserved it. Still, Kyle doubted he would be entirely coldhearted toward his young daughter.

“The Hall of Sword Pinnacles isn’t somewhere you can enter whenever you like. None of my brothers or sisters can come and go freely.”

“Grandfather gave me permission. Next time, I’ll ask him if I can bring you.”

“Y-you! If you say anything unnecessary to the head of the house, you’ll be in trouble with me!”

This little child clearly didn’t yet understand how great and unapproachable the head of House Alastor was, how weighty the doors of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles were, or how solemn a place lay beyond them. Erika sprang to her feet and snapped,

“You mustn’t go in and out of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles whenever you like either. I admit the head of the house seems quite fond of you! But he isn’t a man with time to spare. And he’ll definitely tire of you soon.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean, you don’t think so? You impudent little brat.”

Erika had yet to see for herself just how extraordinary Kyle’s talent was. She had only heard that he had beaten Lucia in a spar.

That was why she was so certain. There was no such thing as an untalented Alastor pureblood.

She acknowledged that the head of the house liked talented children. But how remarkable could a five-year-old’s talent be when he had yet to awaken his spiritual root or properly learn anything?

For now, the boldness of the young grandson he had just met had prompted him to spare time he didn’t have to play with the boy. Before long, however, he would distance himself, just as he had with his other grandchildren—and with Erika.

“I’m not saying this for no reason. I’m saying it for your sake. Don’t expect too much from the head of the house, and don’t bother him. Underst—”

The bedroom door burst open, and Arian entered with a radiant smile.

“Kyle! Are you awake?”

Erika promptly shut her mouth. She had gotten so worked up that she had briefly forgotten where she was. She worried Arian would call her out for the fuss she had just made, but instead, her sister called out with a bright smile.

“Kyle, come downstairs! Your grandfather sent you a whole pile of presents!”

“P-presents?”

Erika’s mouth hung open, but Kyle climbed calmly out of bed without the slightest look of surprise.

“I’ll brush my teeth first.”

Erika turned to stare at him in disbelief. Her father. The head of the house. He had sent presents—a whole pile of them—to a grandson he had met only yesterday. That alone was hard enough to believe, but her five-year-old nephew’s insistence on brushing his teeth first, rather than getting excited over the gifts, left her head spinning.

Regardless of Erika’s astonishment, Kyle thoroughly brushed his teeth with the toothbrush a servant brought him, then washed his face.

In his previous life, while roughing it with a mercenary company, he could have counted on one hand the times he had dutifully brushed his teeth first thing in the morning. But after his wholly unexpected reincarnation into a distinguished family and five years of living there, he no longer felt properly refreshed unless he brushed his teeth as soon as he woke.

Once his teeth and face were clean, Kyle took Arian’s hand and went downstairs. Still unable to recover from her astonishment, Erika followed with her mouth hanging open.

On the first floor stood the knight in the black uniform he had seen yesterday. A member of the Funeral Knights—the personal guard serving directly under the head of House Alastor, and reputedly the strongest knightly order in Gladiheim—set down the large box they were carrying and bowed to Kyle.

“These are gifts from the head of the house, Young Master Kyle.”

“Where is Grandfather?”

“He is performing his morning meditation.”

“Then I’ll go thank him in person later.”

The Funeral Knight nodded with a faint smile at Kyle’s mature response.

“I shall let him know.”

With everyone watching, Kyle approached the closed box.

'I wonder what he sent.'

If he was pleased with the contents, Kyle was even willing to let Julius hear the babyish voice he had previously reserved for Arian alone.