The Long Winter Passes (5)
"...I can't believe you were actually here."
"Brother?"
The man who appeared before Seraphina Serion as she swung her sword in confusion was her second older brother, Rinaldo Serion.
It had been a while since they last met, back when he had suddenly come to see their father, and she felt a small wave of relief at his presence.
"Yes, it's me, Seraphina. I've been busy, and the news reached me late, but I came as soon as I heard.
...I hear you're dueling for the succession of the family."
"...That is how it turned out."
"Your opponent... Marc Visus, was it? He seems to be quite famous at the academy already. I heard rumors that he personally subdued the ringleader of the terror incident during the entrance ceremony.
But to think he even resolved the academy's dungeon outbreak...
...He must be strong indeed."
"Yes, he is strong. I have crossed swords with him countless times, but by the midterm, I reached a point where I could no longer defeat him."
"I suppose... Father wouldn't name someone without Serion blood as his successor for no reason. When I first heard the news, I doubted my own ears, thinking it was some absurd rumor.
So... what do you plan to do?"
"...I have no intention of giving up."
"Good. That's the answer I expected from you.
I came to find you today because I wanted to hear those words."
"But Brother, how did you find this place...?"
In truth, this was Seraphina's greatest question. Her brother, whom she only exchanged letters with occasionally and rarely saw in person, had somehow located her.
This was the place where she came to swing her greatsword alone, at hours either too early or too late for anyone to be at the training grounds.
It was her private sanctuary—a secret spot where she would clear her head whenever she had deep thoughts to sort through, even when she wasn't training.
How had he found it?
"...A certain man told me."
"...? What? A man...?"
"Rofel Teufel, I believe his name was.
I met him before coming here. I heard that before the duel between you and Marc was decided, this Rofel fellow had challenged Marc to a duel under the guise of an exam.
I had never heard the name Rofel, nor the name Teufel.
If my guess is correct, he probably didn't have much of a connection to you either.
So I was deeply curious about what kind of person would stand up for you, and why.
In the end, I visited the infirmary where he was resting from his injuries. Honestly, I wanted to speak with you first, but I couldn't find you anywhere."
"Rofel did...?"
It made no sense. She had never told Rofel that she trained in this secret place either.
How could he possibly know?
"I was skeptical at first too.
Well, since he was reckless enough to challenge someone to a duel for your sake, I thought you two might be close. But what he said at the end sounded incredibly unreliable.
He said you would definitely be training here, yet he couldn't even explain how he knew that.
'I don't know why, but I just feel like she is,' he said.
I thought it was a terribly irresponsible answer.
And yet, he was right."
"What did you talk about with him?"
"We didn't talk for long. I only saw him briefly during the day, so I just exchanged light pleasantries and thanked him for fighting on your behalf.
His opponent, Marc, must have been exceptionally strong. Rofel's physical condition was in terrible shape. Even I felt he needed to rest, so I didn't press him.
I've seen my share of wounds back when I was with the family, on various battlefields, and while traveling with mercenary groups and dungeon raiders, but I've never seen injuries quite like his."
"Did you ask him... that?
Why he reached out to me when everyone else pointed fingers and turned their backs? Why on earth he helped someone like me?"
"Of course I did.
If he was just some opportunist chasing the crumbs of the Serion name, I was prepared to weed him out myself, even if I've left the family.
But he simply replied, 'I just wanted to save her.'
It explains nothing, yet I had no choice but to believe him. There wasn't a single shred of malice or deceit in his words. Just pure sincerity.
He is a foolishly upright and recklessly stubborn man."
"Rofel..."
"...To be honest, I was a bit surprised.
I never expected to feel the trace of our late eldest brother in a complete stranger."
"...What? Rofel and... Eldest Brother?"
It made no sense.
Before his death, her eldest brother was highly renowned as the undisputed first-in-line successor.
His talent must have been outstanding, likely equal to or greater than her own.
Yet he compared that brilliant brother to Rofel, an ordinary man among ordinary men—someone who possessed almost no talent at all?
"Ah, I see. You were always tagging along behind Lord Sargas back then, so you wouldn't know.
Seraphina, how much do you actually know about our eldest brother?"
"He was... a once-in-a-century genius who surpassed me. A man destined to be the next patriarch just by holding a sword... The first-in-line successor.
His talent was equal to, if not greater than, mine..."
"You are wrong. None of that is true. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite."
"...?"
Seraphina tilted her head in confusion.
Richar Serion, the eldest brother who had died before she was old enough to understand the world, still had his achievements and fame recorded in the main house.
In her memories, whenever she saw him, he was always swinging his sword day in and day out, or heading out of the mansion.
The family elders had spoken of him only in praise, so she had naturally assumed he possessed a level of talent similar to her own.
"Our eldest brother, Richar Serion... was a man devoid of talent, to a degree unprecedented in the history of the Serion family."
"...What?!"
"Father opposed it, but the family elders wanted to hide the truth. Eventually, Father had no choice but to go along with it."
"...Then, are you saying all his achievements and fame were lies? Even the stories of him hunting high-grade magic beasts and clearing numerous dungeons from a young age?"
"No, those are real."
Seraphina's confusion only deepened.
The legendary achievements of her eldest brother, which she had heard of until her ears were sore, had actually been accomplished by someone with absolutely no talent.
"Brother was incredibly reckless. Father advised him not to push himself since he lacked talent, even offering to find him a path as a scholar or in politics, but he refused.
Instead, he stubbornly swung his greatsword alone, slowly and steadily building his strength.
He also said the strangest things every single day. What was it again? 'Strength isn't determined by absolute height. Focus on what you have built, not where you stand.'
And whenever he hit a wall in his growth, he would suddenly ride out, claiming he was going to subjugate an Advanced-grade magic beast or clear a dungeon.
As a result, he achieved the great deeds and fame you know of today. Well, only his successes were recorded. He failed quite a few times too."
Rinaldo Serion gave a bitter smile.
"But Father's opposition only grew fiercer by the day. He kept telling him not to walk such a dangerous path when he had no talent.
Believe it or not, Father actually cherished him deeply. Though Brother never listened to a word he said..."
"...Father did...?"
"Then one day, disaster struck. It was the day Brother set off to enter the academy.
Because Father adamantly refused to let him enter the Knight Academy, Brother had stubbornly departed on his own to submit the application in person.
But he never made it to the academy, let alone enrolled. The Serion carriage he rode was found overturned by the roadside.
Scattered around it were the corpses of men in black robes... and the body of our brother, Richar Serion."
"...Father investigated the scene in silence. It wasn't under his jurisdiction, but he pulled some strings to secure the authority.
However, the corpses in black robes had already decayed to bones, making identification impossible, and there were no traces left around them.
It was clear that magic had been used to clean up the crime scene, but beyond that, nothing could be discovered."
Rinaldo let out a deep sigh.
"...Come to think of it, that was when Father started becoming exceptionally strict. He constantly emphasized talent and made our training brutal.
Eventually, I grew sick of his behavior and left the family."
"...So that is what happened between Eldest Brother and Father..."
"Well, that's how it went. Ah, look at the time. I should head back soon. I don't have much time before my next commission.
Give my regards to that Rofel fellow."
"Yes... I will let Rofel know."
"...Actually, maybe I should meet Rofel one more time before I leave."
"What do you mean by that?"
"...You know what happens to those who walk the path of the Serions. The family's harsh training eventually freezes one's emotions.
Father, you, and I—at some point, we all lost the ability to show expression.
I never expected to see you smile again."
"Ah...!"
"Have you only just realized? The corners of your mouth lift whenever you talk about that Rofel guy.
Since I've left the family, I have no right to meddle. But if you win the duel against Marc and inherit the family, don't let that man go.
From what I saw when I met him earlier, he seems to have quite a few competitors."
"...! I-It's not like that...!"
"Anyway, I'll be off.
And Seraphina, take these words to heart.
'Focus on what you have built.'
I'm just mimicking our brother, but I think it's exactly what you need to hear right now."
Leaving behind a blushing Seraphina, Rinaldo quietly departed.
"...But..."
'Focus on what you have built.'
Her eldest brother had said it, and Rofel had done the same.
...Perhaps there really was a clue hidden in those words.
...
Though she did not fully understand it yet, Seraphina was slowly beginning to grasp something new.