For the past week, Bruno had been staying in the Sword Tower's residential district rather than the cadet dormitories in Hilt, Gladiheim's lower district.

Normally, that would not have been allowed, but Varkas had the power to make exceptions. When an oh-so-illustrious Alastor pureblood announced that he would personally instruct his disappointing son, the cadets' instructors had no choice but to agree.

And so Bruno returned to the Sword Tower to receive Varkas's "instruction." His fundamentals were lacking. He had no grit. His skills were pathetic. What the hell had he been learning all this time?

His father's orders were also why Bruno was now running through the fourth-floor residential district, gasping for breath. He had already spent three hours running across the vast fields.

Nor was he simply running. The bracelets on his arms obstructed the flow of mana. On top of that, he wore a heavy vest and even heavier pouches strapped to his legs. With all that on, he had to concentrate on his mana and run until it was exhausted.

"Hah, hah... haaah..."

He could barely breathe. His heart pounded madly, and his lungs burned as though they were tearing apart. His legs felt as if lead weights were hanging from them—well, he actually was carrying that much weight, but regardless, they were far too heavy.

Still, he could not stop. If he did, his father would thunder at him.

More frightening than the shouting was his father's cold gaze. A gaze that regarded him like worthless garbage. A gaze that said he was disappointed in his son.

'Fuck... fuuuck...!'

Bruno ran with foam gathering at his mouth.

The memory of his crushing defeat by Kyle a week ago clung to his mind like a nightmare. This miserable feeling would only go away if he paid Kyle back... but Bruno could not muster any confidence that he could.

"Working hard, aren't you?"

He was trying to drive away his dark thoughts by concentrating on his pumping legs when a voice suddenly interrupted him. It belonged to someone insufferable—and as frightening as his father's gaze. Bruno's legs tangled, sending him pitching forward.

"Whoops."

Bruno stopped mid-fall, tilted at an awkward angle.

"You're practically dripping broth..."

Looking disgusted, Kyle released Bruno's sweat-soaked wrist. Bruno barely regained his balance and stood panting as he glared at Kyle.

"You... you..."

Or tried to glare, at least.

He could not quite put any force into his eyes. The result was a look that was neither a glare nor an ordinary stare. With his eyebrows twisted at that bizarre angle, he almost looked ready to cry.

"Why... haaah... hah..."

He wanted to ask why Kyle had spoken to him, but he could not catch his breath. Crunching on a thunderbolt fruit, Kyle looked him up and down.

"Pig. Trying to lose weight?"

Bruno's face crumpled at the taunting question. Naturally, he hated being called "Pig." He was enormous, true, but he was no pig. His body was packed with muscle, not lumps of fat.

"You..."

He wanted to shout, but he could not. Kyle's smiling eyes brought back the terror of a week ago. Nothing went the way he wanted in front of this bastard.

"Shut... up. If you're here to laugh at me, piss off..."

In the end, all Bruno could manage was a timid retort.

"Laugh at you? I saw my friend working hard and thought I'd cheer him on."

"If you really... want to cheer me on, stop talking to me and keep walking."

His breathing had finally settled a little. Bruno spat the words out as he wiped the sweat pouring down his face.

"Does running yourself stupid make you a better swordsman?"

"What do you know...?! Showing off because you're a genius? Stop trying to piss me off and get—"

"I am a genius. And I am showing off. But I'm not making things up just to get under your skin."

Kyle nudged one of the pouches strapped to Bruno's legs with his foot.

"A solid foundation makes for solid swordsmanship. More muscle means more power behind your sword, too. Though I don't think you need to get any bigger."

"..."

"But what's with the bracelets?"

"These... interfere with my circuits and obstruct the flow of mana."

"Aha. To improve your mana control?"

Kyle's eyes lit up. He found it fascinating and amusing that one could train that way. Since techniques for controlling mana were an essential part of modern swordsmanship, apparently training methods like this existed as well.

"It doesn't really address the root problem, though."

"My father prescribed this training...! What do you know, spouting off like that?"

"You think all swordsmanship is the same? It differs from person to person. Just because you're Uncle Varkas's son, why should you train exactly the same way he does?"

"Are you saying my father is wrong—"

"I wouldn't go that far. I'm saying this training isn't tailored to you."

Varkas might be an accomplished swordsman, but personal skill was no guarantee of teaching ability. And frankly, he was not obsessed enough with the sword to tailor his instruction to Bruno.

Parents also tended to project themselves onto their children and hope they would carry on their legacy. But Kyle was not Bruno's father. He had no reason to immerse himself in Varkas's warped paternal feelings.

"Follow me."

"What...?"

"I said follow me, Pig. Are you deaf?"

"Wh-what are you talking about? I'm doing the training Father ordered—"

"Uncle Varkas promised me last time. He said we could be friends. That I could invite you over to play sometimes."

"..."

"Would he refuse when I want to invite my friend over? Of course not. Not after he promised."

"B-but..."

"You're built like a mountain. Why are you such a coward? That's your problem. Look, is my uncle going to kill you for following me? He'll glare at you, say a few words, and that'll be that."

Bruno was probably holding out precisely because he hated that glare and those few words, but Kyle would not relent.

"If you don't follow me now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"R-regret it?"

Bruno looked at Kyle uncertainly.

"That's right. You want to be good with a sword, don't you?"

Kyle took another crunchy bite of the thunderbolt fruit and swallowed.

"I'm good with a sword."

At that, Bruno hesitated for a moment before asking,

"Where are we going...?"

"The cultivation room at my house."

Kyle spun around and headed toward Rose Manor.

"We built it a few days ago. It's really nice."

* * *

Inside Rose Manor's cultivation room, Bruno looked around awkwardly. It was a private cultivation room built solely for Kyle, but its size did not particularly surprise him. He, too, had enjoyed the full benefits of Alastor's overflowing wealth since childhood.

'Nothing but wooden swords...'

Now that Kyle had formally begun his martial training, he could have had a real sword made, but Bruno saw only wooden swords in the corner.

What was unusual was that the wooden swords all differed slightly in shape. Bruno blinked, thinking they all looked familiar, before realizing where he had seen those shapes.

The most common design resembled Fenris, which had stood embedded in the floor of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles for the past five years. The others resembled swords in the Sword Garden.

Of course, they were not exact copies; their lengths had been reduced to suit Kyle's build. Still, Bruno could not fathom what Kyle was up to. The head of the house had promised him Fenris, but why collect so many wooden replicas of swords from the Sword Garden?

'Where did that bastard go after dragging me here?'

Bruno glanced at the firmly shut door. Kyle had hauled him away from his run, left him waiting in the cultivation room, then gone outside and still not returned.

'Did Father come looking for me...?'

Sitting there doing nothing allowed anxiety and impatience to creep in. Just then, the door flew open.

Bruno flinched and awkwardly started to rise. His fear came from the father he had imagined outside, but it was not his father who entered.

It was Kyle.

"...?"

Kyle was not alone. Lucia followed him as he strode into the cultivation room. Looking deeply uncomfortable, she bowed her head to Bruno.

"Good day, Lord Bruno."

"Lu... Lucia? Why are you here?"

The knight cadets should have been receiving their morning instruction now. Bruno himself was in the Sword Tower rather than following the training grounds' schedule, but that was because he was an Alastor pureblood.

"I invited her."

Kyle answered boldly.

"More precisely, I asked my mother to invite her."

Favored by Julius though he was, Kyle was still a child. He could not disregard the training grounds' regulations and pull Lucia out himself.

"It's not your first time at my house. How long are you going to keep acting so awkward?"

"I've acted awkward every time you've invited me."

Lucia answered hesitantly. Kyle had invited her to dine at Rose Manor several times before, but she still felt uncomfortable visiting the purebloods' residential floor.

"Besides, this is your private space, Lord Kyle. Someone as lowly as me shouldn't—"

"Then it's a shared space starting today. And another thing. I told you I don't like it when you talk about yourself like that."

Kyle stopped on his way toward Bruno and shot Lucia a look.

"Lowly? What's wrong with you?"

"I'll be more careful."

After a brief hesitation, Lucia answered with a faint smile. Bruno's mouth fell open. He had never seen her smile like that.

"Hey. Got a sword?"

Kyle came closer and nudged Bruno's knee with his foot. Judging by his behavior, he seemed more like a back-alley thug than the youngest grandson of the great House Alastor.

"A... a sword?"

"Yeah, a sword. Lucia told me you have one of your own. Take it out."

"Why do you want my sword..."

"When I tell you to take it out, take it out, Pig."

As Kyle's brows drew together, Bruno swallowed and rose awkwardly.

POP!

The space beside his right hand rippled, and a large greatsword appeared.

'Even carrying a sword is convenient for people these days.'

Kyle suppressed the incredulous laugh that nearly escaped him. The greatsword was normally stored in the subspace created by Bruno's necklace, but he could summon it that easily whenever he needed it.

"Lucia, draw yours too."

"Yes."

Lucia nodded calmly and drew the sword at her waist. Its smooth, straight blade was ordinary in shape, with nothing particularly remarkable about it.

"Now face each other."

"Wh-what are we doing?"

Bruno sounded flustered, but Lucia's expression remained composed. Kyle had already explained things to her.

"What else would two people holding swords do? Fight."

"What...?"

"Why? Not confident?"

Bruno hesitated, unable to answer immediately. He glanced at Lucia, then back at Kyle.

"L-look at me. How am I supposed to swing a sword like this?"

He still wore the bracelets that obstructed his mana flow, with heavy weights on his torso and legs.

"Take off the weights. Leave the bracelets on."

"But Father—"

"Did you get my uncle's permission to come here? No. You've already disobeyed him. Is he going to kill you for disobeying one more order?"

After a moment's inner struggle, Bruno did as Kyle instructed, removing his vest and the pouches on his legs.

"Why... do I have to leave the bracelets on?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Sparring with real swords is... dangerous. We should use wooden ones—"

"Even at full strength, you couldn't possibly put Lucia in danger. Don't worry about something so pointless."

Bruno's eyebrow twitched.

"What did you just—"

"What? You disagree? Do you honestly think otherwise?"

He was not teasing. As they had a week ago, Kyle's eyes held an eerie menace that intimidated Bruno. Bruno opened his mouth to answer, but ultimately closed it without arguing.

Humiliating as it was, it was true. Thirteen-year-old Lucia had become a knight cadet this year, yet the only cadets at the training grounds who could confidently be called stronger than her were the seniors on the verge of knighthood. Even they were no match for her in pure swordsmanship.

"You go all out. Lucia, hold back as much as you think appropriate. Is that asking too much?"

"It's no trouble."

Lucia answered calmly. The sight made Bruno seethe. He accepted, to some extent, that he was weaker than Lucia, but fury rose at the thought that a mere Demon crossbreed dared look down on him.

"Begin."

Kyle clasped his hands behind his back and stepped away.

Staying true to the swordsmanship he had learned, Bruno studied Lucia rather than immediately charging. There were no openings. None that he could see. That was the same as Kyle a week ago, but her stance was not as relaxed as his had been. She kept her sword point firmly trained on Bruno.

Bruno's impression was different from when he had faced Kyle, too. She had no openings, but he did not feel that chilling terror.

Lucia did not seem likely to move first. Then he would close in. Crush her with strength.

"Raaah!"

With a battle cry, Bruno raised his greatsword. The bracelets made his mana sluggish, but his body felt light now that he had removed the heavy vest and pouches.

He kicked off the ground and charged. His simple, devastating overhead strike came crashing down, but Lucia did not dodge. Her sword traced a graceful arc, diverting his greatsword.

CLANG!

With the metallic ring, Bruno lost his balance. He had thrown his weight into the blow, only to cut through empty air, leaving him no choice but to pitch forward.

"Ugh...!"

Lucia did not miss the opening. Her sword point stopped just short of his neck.

"It's over."

Her voice was flat. Bruno lowered his head, his face scarlet. One exchange. He had lost in a single exchange. Nothing could have been more humiliating.

"Pig."

Kyle approached, clicking his tongue.

"Why did you stop?"

"Wh-what?"

"If your sword gets deflected, recover your stance and swing again. Why stand there like an idiot and offer her your neck?"

"Because... I lost my balance..."

"Then regain it. What did you build all that muscle for? Why have you been eating all those elixirs?"

Kyle clicked his tongue again and nudged Bruno's foot.

"If you'd grown up normally, fine. Lose your balance and fall flat like a moron. But you didn't grow up normally. The instant you lost your balance, you knew you'd messed up, didn't you? You knew you were tipping forward. Why didn't you brace yourself?"

Bruno bit his lip.

"You think I don't know that? I just..."

"Thought it was too late to swing again?"

"Huh...?"

"Thought you couldn't win even if you kept going? You're a funny one. You'll sweat buckets and work your ass off doing what my uncle tells you, but the moment you pick up a sword, why do you give up so easily?"

Bruno could only stare at Kyle, speechless.

"Why did you attack Lucia?"

"Y-you told me to fight—"

"That's not what I'm asking. When you faced her, you knew she had no openings. So why did you attack?"

"B-because if there isn't an opening, I can make one."

"Then why didn't you attack me last time?"

"I did...!"

"Because my uncle was giving you shit. Let's be honest, Pig. If he hadn't been giving you shit, you'd have stood there forever. Am I wrong?"

"..."

"You didn't attack Lucia just now because you were confident your precious size and strength could create an opening. You got worked up listening to us talk. Am I wrong?"

Struck squarely where it hurt, Bruno's mouth fell open. It was as though Kyle had read his mind.

"If you're angry, stay angry. Instead, you get stopped once and give up immediately. What the hell are you doing? Why are you even holding a sword?"

"..."

"Are you going to do nothing but spar your whole life? Only fight people you can beat? Sure, you could do that. Who likes losing?"

Kyle snorted and tapped Bruno's greatsword.

"But here's the thing. If you only pick fights you can win, your swordsmanship won't improve. You challenge someone you can't beat, lose, grit your teeth and swear you'll win next time, then challenge them again. That's how you improve."

"If you don't think you can win, you can train until you can, then challenge them...!"

"That's true too."

Kyle nodded at Bruno's heated outburst.

"But if you haven't fought them, how do you know whether you'll win or lose? Can you be sure your judgment is always right?"

"If I lose..."

"Then it fucking sucks. Say, 'I lost,' and promise yourself you'll win next time. If it's a real fight instead of a spar, look for your chance and run."

"R-run?"

"Why? Giving up immediately is fine, but running is shameful? Isn't it better than dying?"

Though sometimes, there were fights one could not run from, did not want to run from, or must not run from.

"E-easy for you to say..."

Bruno stammered.

"I know it's not easy to actually do. You'll have to put in time and effort to fix this. If you don't want to, spend the rest of your life swaggering around people weaker than you. Is that what you want?"

After hesitating, Bruno shook his head.

Only then did Kyle soften his gaze.

"You should be grateful to me, Pig."

"Wh-what?"

"You're lucky."

Kyle patted Bruno's shoulder twice and grinned.