Well, if I couldn't get close, I could attack from a distance. "Hah!" I filled my sword with mana and hurled it at Manuel with all my strength.

"Aagh!" Manuel saw the sword flying toward him and thrust out his hand.

CRACKLE!

Electricity burst from his hand and wrapped around the flying sword. To my astonishment, the sword slowed, then stopped right in front of his nose.

He stopped that? The sword was full of mana, and I'd thrown it with more than a knight's strength.

"You thought all my ability could do was make lightning? I can stop metal objects and move them, too!"

Oh, so he could use electricity to make an electromagnet? His ability was surprisingly versatile. I was impressed, but unfortunately for him, that was as far as my admiration went.

To stop the sword, he'd fired all the electricity surrounding his body at it. And the moment I threw the sword, I'd rushed to his side.

I'd thrown away my only weapon, but that didn't mean I couldn't attack. I clenched my fist and swung with all my might.

THWACK!

"Gah!"

To be safe, I'd aimed my punch at his jaw. He spun through the air in spectacular fashion and collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, he didn't lose consciousness on the spot.

"Ugh... Wh-what was that?"

But the electricity streaming from his hand was gone. He looked as though standing up would be hard enough, let alone producing more.

"Ugh! You coward!"

Oh, come on. You of all people don't get to say that. Besides, knights learn to fight unarmed in case they lose their swords. How do you know less about that than someone from another world?

I helped Manuel, who was struggling to rise, to his feet. "You should surrender," I said gently, every bit the younger brother concerned for his older brother's well-being.

"Like hell I will!" As I'd expected, my words seemed to have wounded his pride as a noble.

"I really think you should surrender." I stepped back from him as he finally got to his feet. This time, I let a little mockery into my voice.

"Never! You won't get me to surrender!"

He tried to summon electricity again, but not even a spark appeared above his hand. Abilities began in the mind, after all. With a blow to the jaw leaving him halfway to a concussion, he couldn't manifest his ability right away.

It didn't look as though he'd surrender easily. In that case, I just had to hit him until he did. I was controlling my strength as carefully as I could so he wouldn't be seriously injured; the knight commander wouldn't intervene before Manuel surrendered. This was exactly what I wanted.

THWACK!

"Surrender!"

THWACK!

"I'll even let you off if you fall over and pass out."

THWACK!

"Or you can raise your hand."

After that, I cheerfully beat the daylights out of my second-eldest brother. Fortunately, Manuel had considerable endurance. Thanks to that, I got all the satisfaction of landing punches that I'd missed out on in this life. I was also able to give him enough physical persuasion that he wouldn't be able to look down on me even in the capital. Fists really were an excellent means of communication.

* * *

Time passed after the sparring match. A new year began, I turned fifteen, and at last it was time to leave for the capital. All sorts of things happened in between, but only a few stayed with me: the Duchess summoning me privately after the match, and Lady Adria, Simon's fiancée, coming to visit.

Flora had been packing for me since the day before, wiping away tears in Mother's place all the while. "I can't believe you're going away to study in the capital, young master. They say it's such a dangerous place. How will you manage there when you're still so young?" She kept packing diligently as she went on saying things I didn't much enjoy hearing.

Well, she wasn't wrong. I'd awakened, but no one was likely to accept someone like me, only half a noble. Nor was His Grace the Duke likely to protect me. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the bleak reality was that I'd have to survive on my own. If I'd been an ordinary illegitimate son, I might have been too frightened to go and thrown a fit about it.

"I gave birth to you, and yet I find you so hard to understand." Mother had been quietly watching Flora pack. At the sight of my unchanged expression, she sighed. "I was grateful you'd grown up so well on your own, beyond anything I'd hoped for. But now even that makes me a little sad." My departure seemed to have brought all sorts of thoughts to her mind.

Then again, she'd be left alone when I went away. She might be lonely. Honestly, though, she was getting along well with the Duke, and I'd sent his second wife—who might have caused trouble—far away. I didn't see much reason to worry. The first Duchess was still here, but that wasn't a problem either.

I hugged my worried mother tightly. I still wasn't as tall as she was, but I could manage a hug. She seemed surprised by the unexpected gesture, then wrapped both arms around me and sighed. "That's right. You'll do well wherever you go. All my fretting won't change anything, will it? I'll trust you and wait for you here."

That was Mother for you. She worried about me before herself. She was nothing like that ice-cold Duke I called Father.

The maids carried my luggage out ahead of us, and I went with Mother toward the main entrance. As we passed through the corridors, the servants stepped aside and greeted the two of us. Some still offered awkward greetings or hurried out of the way, but it was a world of difference from when I was little.

Morning sunlight dazzled me as we stepped outside. The sky was exceptionally clear, as if blessing my departure. In front of the main entrance stood a family carriage bearing the ducal house's crest, a carriage for the servants, and a baggage wagon, all lined up side by side. Soldiers sat on horseback nearby. Among them was Juan, whom I knew all too well.

Perhaps because their son Manuel was leaving to study, the Duke's whole family had come out today: the Duke and Duchess, their eldest son Simon, and Lady Adria of House Hierro, Simon's fiancée. She looked pleased to see me, but with everyone around, she couldn't acknowledge me any more openly. It was a shame, remembering how close we'd become before she died in my previous life. Still, knowing she was alive and well was enough. I gave her a slight bow.

Once all the luggage was loaded, it was time for our final farewells. As always, I stepped aside by the carriage while Manuel went forward to address the ducal couple and everyone who had come to see us off. "I will do my utmost not to bring dishonor upon the name of the ducal house of Gresia while I am in the capital." Manuel delivered his farewell in a clear, polished voice. It sounded just like something the son of a high-ranking noble house would say. He was nothing like he'd been during our sparring match. The education drilled into him had done its work.

After him, I bowed politely. I couldn't afford to make a bad impression here and have Mother suffer for it. When Manuel finished, the Duke said, "Have a safe journey. You'll find both rivals and enemies there, so conduct yourself with caution at all times." Those were words worthy of the Duke. He was no different with his legitimate son than he was with me. Having spoken to Manuel, he turned his gaze on me. He didn't seem to expect me to say anything. Perhaps I should just bow again.

The Duke hadn't summoned me after my match with Manuel, either. I couldn't tell whether he hadn't cared or had expected the outcome all along. Not being summoned had been a relief, though I was a little disappointed too.

"Keep in touch when you reach the capital, and if you run into trouble, ask your mother's family for help. And..." After the Duke finished, the Duchess went over to Manuel and fussed over him, offering one piece of advice after another. It wasn't like her, but I could understand a mother behaving that way when sending her son away. Was it because he was her youngest? Unlike Simon, who'd grown into a proper noble, Manuel was still immature. Perhaps she was the reason.

As she spoke to Manuel, our eyes met for an instant. Her face stiffened slightly when she saw me. The sight reminded me of the Duchess I'd met in her drawing room the day after the sparring match. She'd been far colder than usual. The Duke hadn't summoned me afterward, but the Duchess had.

Perhaps Manuel's defeat hadn't sat well with her. She'd stared daggers at me as I entered the drawing room. When I bowed, she waved a hand. "No need for greetings. Sit across from me." Even with a look on her face that said she couldn't bear the sight of me, she maintained every inch of her noble composure.

I sat down. She closed her eyes briefly, then drank the tea that had gone cold. A little more time passed before she spoke. "I've often heard that you don't act your age. The things you've done certainly bear that out."

"Frankly, knowing Maria's nature, I didn't expect you to survive. Instead, Maria and her daughter Elena were driven out of the mansion. The inherited ability you gained isn't particularly impressive, yet at a young age you've shown enough skill to astonish knights. I don't know how you persuaded my husband, but you went along to the marquess's estate and apparently made quite a contribution there, too. And then you defeated my son Manuel. Perhaps you really are a genius. It's exceedingly rare for someone with a mother who has no ability to display such talent."

She spoke calmly, her words wavering between praise and mockery. "Whatever people may have said, you were outside my concerns. A half-noble like you could never inherit the ducal house of Gresia. At most, you'd become one more moderately useful piece to move about, like the illegitimate sons of other houses."

She lifted her teacup, then frowned, apparently realizing it was empty. A maid standing behind her quietly came forward and refilled it. The Duchess continued. "But now that you're leaving for the capital with Manuel—and you've beaten him—I can no longer ignore you."

I knew something like this would happen. I didn't regret defeating Manuel, but just as I'd expected, trouble seemed to be coming my way. I only hoped it wouldn't go as far as us killing each other.

As the thought passed through my mind, I noticed the Duchess giving me a curious look. "You're even stranger than I've heard. Your face looks frightened, but your eyes don't match it at all. If I judged by your eyes alone, I'd say you looked thoroughly bored."

Oh, had I let my guard down? No, that wasn't it. I hurriedly lowered my head. "Well, it's curious, but this isn't the time to discuss it." To my relief, she changed the subject at once.