Before me,
Sue, taking advantage of her small build, launched a surprise attack from low — but Clevea deflected her blade with ease.
Even after that, Sue kept pressing in boldly, only to be blocked by Clevea's precise defenses every time.
Where Sue's swordsmanship gave the impression of brute force befitting her small frame, Clevea's technique — every bit as muscular as he was — evoked the image of a clear, flowing stream.
Their appearances and the impression of their movements were complete opposites.
Sue shouldn't be weak by any stretch, but against an opponent with as much real combat experience as Clevea, she inevitably looked green.
And with good reason — Clevea had taken the higher-tier Skill of "Sword Talent" all the way to "Sword Genius," leveling it to 7.
Sue's "Sword Talent" was at Level 6.
There was a gap there that simply couldn't be bridged.
Still, the fact that the match wasn't decided instantly came down largely to raw Stats.
Sue was activating both Madōhō and Kidōhō simultaneously.
These were Skills that consumed MP and SP respectively to boost your Stats, and when Sue — who had an enormous pool of MP — used Madōhō, the resulting stat boost was absurd.
These days, her physical-ability Stats had climbed considerably too, so on a pure numbers basis, Sue had the edge.
That said, Clevea wasn't using Kidōhō due to the handicap, so when Sue fired both off, the balance of the fight tipped sharply in her favor.
Even so, Clevea would probably win without it.
The stat advantage Sue held was slim, and their foundational skill levels were worlds apart.
There was no path to a reversal for Sue.
Just as I'd predicted, Sue overextended and ate a counter that finished the fight.
The flat of Clevea's blade slammed into her body, and she crumpled to the ground.
Ana, who had been standing by nearby, immediately rushed over to Sue and cast a healing spell.
Once healed, Sue brushed the dirt off her clothes and stood up with a frustrated expression.
"I lost."
"At your age, moving like that — you'll overtake me before long. Your talent really is something, Your Highness."
"Don't flatter me."
I started walking over to the pouting Sue, when clapping rang out from right beside me.
"No, I think he was being sincere. That really was some impressive footwork."
Everyone present — myself included — froze in shock.
Me and Sue, sure — but even Clevea and Ana hadn't noticed his arrival.
And despite the fact that he'd been standing right next to me, I hadn't sensed a thing.
"
"Well, did I surprise you?"
The man — the Second Prince, and my own blood brother, Julius-niisama — laughed cheerfully, looking rather pleased with himself for pulling off the little ambush.
"When did you return to the country?"
"Just yesterday, actually. I wanted to at least pop in and say hello yesterday, but Father and our brother were around and I couldn't find the time."
Julius-niisama was considerably older than me and had already been active abroad for some time.
So him coming back to the kingdom was a rare occurrence.
"Sue, you've grown up nicely again since the last time I saw you. Every time I visit, I'm amazed at how much you've improved."
He spoke to her gently.
But Sue, the one being addressed, just pouted and didn't answer.
Sue apparently had some kind of hang-up about Julius-niisama.
Personally, I found him far more approachable than my other two brothers — I actually liked him.
More than anything, I respected Julius-niisama.
Having a brother I admired and a little sister I doted on not get along was honestly something I couldn't stand.
"Sue. That's no way to treat your brother, is it?"
"Haha. It's fine. Sue's at a difficult age, you know."
Julius-niisama seemed to sense something, as if he understood more than he let on.
Even counting my previous life, I should technically be older — and yet I had a feeling I couldn't beat him in mental age either.
"Now then — how about you, Shun? It's been a while. Want me to put you through your paces?"
"You'd do that!? Please!"
Having Julius-niisama spar with me?
That was something I'd been dreaming of.
"All right then — I'll borrow this."
"Y-yes."
Julius-niisama took the practice sword from Clevea, who had gone visibly stiff.
It was rare to see Clevea so nervous around someone.
Well, when it was Julius-niisama, it couldn't really be helped.
"Good. Whenever you're ready. Come at me from any angle."
"Right!"
I immediately activated both Madōhō and Kidōhō.
No holding back against Julius-niisama.
I poured everything I had into it.
I lunged forward sharply and cut upward from a low angle.
He caught the strike with one hand, effortlessly.
A full-power blow — stopped cold by a single-handed block.
But I'd expected as much.
There was no way he couldn't deflect a sword strike like that.
I immediately pulled my blade back and launched my next attack.
That was stopped too.
This was fun.
Even going all-out, I couldn't reach him at all.
No matter how fast I swung, no matter how much power I put behind it, no matter how much technique I tried to weave in — not a single thing got through to Julius-niisama.
I couldn't even imagine how to surpass that sword of his.
The chance to cross blades with someone standing at such an incredible height.
It was exhilarating.
But, the opposite of my desire to keep going forever, the end came whether I liked it or not.
My Madōhō and Kidōhō ran out.
Gasping, I dropped to one knee.
"Mm. Shun's sword is very straightforward — it feels good. It's just like your talent, stretching ever further forward."
"Th-thank... you very... much..."
I managed a broken bow of gratitude.
I was completely winded, but Julius-niisama hadn't even broken a sweat.
Incredible.
Truly incredible.
The Hero.
The strongest human in the world.
Would there ever come a day when I could stand beside him?
One of my dreams in this world — to stand at his side.
I was nowhere near there yet, but someday, I would definitely be strong enough to watch his back.
That was my goal.