The one who appeared atop the gate was Toya Cattleya.
The third son of House Cattleya, and Yuri's elder brother.
He bore a striking resemblance to his father—that rock-faced man—with a tall, powerfully built physique rippling with muscle.
A master of the spear, he was a commander entrusted with a battalion despite his youth.
"Nobody gave you permission to go strolling without an escort! Get back to your room this instant! What if some random vagabond laid eyes on that pretty little face of yours—softer than an angel's wings!"
Toya's tone was rough, but the deep affection he held for his sister was unmistakable.
That said, the fact that he would call his sister "pretty little face" to her face did lend the whole thing an oddly unsettling quality.
"Toya-niisama, I have to go to the academy. Let me pass."
"There's no way I can let you—ah, there's no way in hell I can let you!"
Toya jabbed the tip of his spear down from atop the gate with a sharp thud.
"I can't let a gorgeous beauty like you walk around outside! Suitors would come swarming like maggots on a corpse!"
"…Toya-dono, that's not really the issue here."
The male head servant, who had been listening to the siblings' exchange, shook his head with a pained expression.
"Indeed, young lady Yuri's loveliness and beauty are beyond compare—fit only to be likened to the Goddess of Beauty herself… but now is not the time for such observations. The lord has ordered that you are not to leave the estate."
"Ah… that's right. Yuri, Father has not granted you leave to go outside. Get back inside at once!"
"I have gone through all the proper procedures to attend the academy! There is no reason for me to be cooped up in this estate!"
Yuri scowled and shook her fist furiously.
"If you're going to stand in my way… then even if you are my brother Toya, I won't let it slide! I'll defeat you and make my way back to the royal capital!"
"My little sister… going through a rebellious phase, huh. Feels like being nipped at by a puppy."
Toya shrugged and leaped down from atop the gate.
"Fine then… I suppose I'll have to discipline you a little. So you'll never leave this estate on your own again… and so you never end up somewhere dangerous like a battlefield! Got it!"
"Hmph…!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
As Toya roared, stone plates began adhering to his entire body.
This was his signature magic:[Stone Armor]. By wrapping his body in stone like this and layering[Hardening]magic on top, Toya achieved an ironclad defense.
In this fully armed state, even if he took a high-level magic attack head-on, he would not fall.
"I win, Yuri."
"…You've already decided you've beaten me, Toya-niisama?"
"Of course."
A muffled voice echoed from within the stone armor.
"You're our Yuri. I'm your brother. There's no way an older brother could be weaker than his little sister. Besides… you must already be exhausted from fighting those other soldiers. There's no way you can beat me in your current state."
That was simply a fact.
Toya was, without question, among the elite of the elite—even within the knight order. There were fewer warriors who could fight him on equal footing than he had fingers on both hands.
Yuri, on the other hand, was just a student.
Her physical abilities were superior to those of an ordinary person only because of the Demon Blood Disorder.
To stress it once more… her physical abilities were superior to those of an ordinary person. That was all.
"Discipline sometimes requires corporal punishment, I suppose… but I don't want to do that to you. Please, just go back to your room quietly."
"…………No."
"What did you say?"
"I said no. Toya-niisama… I will never again be a bird in a cage!"
Yuri had already tasted freedom.
She had seen how vast the world truly was—beyond these estate walls.
How could a bird that had known the joy of soaring through the open sky ever return to a life spent cowering in a cage?
"Even if you try to stop me, I'm going! To the royal capital, where my friends are waiting!"
"…Fine. No choice but to subdue you by force!"
Toya, clad in his stone armor, gripped his spear in one hand and lunged at Yuri.
His speed was staggering—completely at odds with the weight of the stone. It wasn't just his physical ability; some magic must have been lightening the armor's load.
Toya was no mere martial artist. He was a seasoned warrior who had mastered even magic to a high degree.
"You're right… I am tired, Toya-niisama."
Facing her charging brother… Yuri murmured softly.
"I'm tired from fighting off the soldiers who tried to stop me from leaving… yes, very tired."
She said this with a weary look… and then kicked off the ground.
"I'm tired from holding back so I don't kill you."
"Gohaa!?"
Yuri slammed her bare foot into Toya's stomach. A crack like a thunderclap rang out.
The stone armor shattered into pieces. It should have been reinforced to near-steel strength through magic, yet Yuri's single kick had destroyed it in one blow.
"Yur… i…"
"Ah, as expected of Toya-niisama. You didn't die even though I kicked you for real."
Yuri said this with evident relief.
She seemed genuinely happy that she hadn't killed her brother.
The remnants of the stone armor peeled away, and Toya collapsed onto the debris.
A large bruise marked his abdomen, but he appeared to be in no life-threatening danger.
"I'm free now. I'm leaving Father and brother behind, so everyone else—please celebrate your sister's independence."
"Wai… t… Yuri…"
"Oh, and one more thing."
Yuri looked down at her fallen brother and gave him a bright smile.
"The next time I come back here of my own free will, I'll bring along a wonderful boyfriend. I already have candidates. Look forward to it."
"…………!"
Toya's mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
Having said everything she came to say, Yuri turned her back on her fallen brother.
"Well then—take care!"
Yuri vaulted over the gate and fled from the Cattleya estate.
The head servant and the soldiers were still there, but… none of them could chase after her. They simply stood there, dumbstruck, watching her retreating figure disappear into the distance.