Disqualified as an Older Brother
Hah, so this is the life of nobility.
The immense wealth I had never experienced in my previous life was something I felt constantly after regaining my memories. Even the ducal estate had marble floors and gold ornaments. We received luxurious meals, quality education, and training every day. The room I used now was larger than the entire house I had lived in during my past life.
But a massive ship slicing through the lake? It was a scene straight out of a movie. Though unlike the films, there were no cutting-edge yachts or blonde beauties. The deck was far too wide for a family of four, with food and drinks laid out as if for a party. If this was extravagance, it was the height of it.
Whatever. Let's enjoy it.
Ester and I sat facing each other with fishing rods set before us. Across from us, our parents sipped wine while enjoying the scenery, fishing rods in front of them as well.
“It would be nice if I caught the fish we eat for dinner today.”
“You’re sure to catch something big and magnificent. Just like you.”
“Oh, my love. If possible, I hope it’s a fish as beautiful as you.”
“Hehe, the children can hear you, dear.”
They said things like that every day and still got embarrassed. Their relationship was truly enviable. I almost wished they would give me another sibling. It would be good for Ester to have a cute little brother or sister too.
“Hehe—”
Ester’s small hand wriggled as it grasped mine. As expected, scenes like that must still embarrass her. I gently stroked her head. Staring at the water still made my stomach churn, so I needed something to steady my mind and body. Ester’s hair made for an excellent sedative.
While I happily ran my hand through it, the fishing rod jerked.
Twitch—
“Huh? Leon oppa! The rod moved!!”
“I’ll catch a big one for you, Ester.”
The timing of the bite was crucial. I withdrew the hand that had been stroking her so I could focus.
“Hing…”
Lately Ester grew disappointed whenever I stopped petting her head. What an adorable child. As expected, ten of her would be just right.
I yanked the vigorously twitching rod upward. A solid tug. It was hooked.
“Tonight’s dinner is grilled fish, Ester!”
I shouted boldly and hauled on the line.
Splash—
“Waaah!! It’s a fish, Leon oppa!! It’s huge!!”
A giant pink fish sliced through the air and landed on the deck.
Heh.
I swallowed my smugness. Grabbing the flopping fish, I placed it in the storage box. When I turned my head, my eyes met Father’s.
“Ahem—”
He looked disappointed. He had probably wanted to catch one first and show off. In moments like these, it was my duty to lift his spirits. Wasn’t that part of being the eldest son?
“I’m sure Father will catch something even bigger than mine. You caught that enormous golden fish last time, after all. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Khm, that’s right. That one was quite large. Look forward to it. I’ll be sure to show you.”
Father’s eyes sparkled. He focused with a far more serious expression than before. He really was an amusing man.
When I looked back, Ester was concentrating hard, as if she wanted to catch a fish too.
Ah, that’s not quite how you do it.
The urge to offer advice twitched inside me, but it was just my previous life’s meme instinct. Fishing was seventy percent luck anyway. I should teach my cute little sister how to remove the hook. Even if she caught one, taking the hook out of a fish’s mouth would be difficult. Would she be scared of them? If so, I would do it for her.
“Es—”
A man suddenly burst out and snatched Ester, who had been sitting alone.
“Don’t move!!”
He held a kitchen knife in his hand. It was definitely one of the men who had been working on the yacht earlier.
“If you don’t want to see this bitch die!!”
His face was covered in freckles.
“You!! You insolent noble brat!!”
It was the guy I had slapped before regaining my memories.
“This is all your fault! Understand? Because you told them not to pay me, my gambling debts grew!! If you want to save this bitch, bring the money right now!!”
My head grew hot. Before I regained my memories, why hadn’t I fired him? Had he realized that working without pay was even more miserable?
I had to calm him first.
“L…Leo…on oppa…”
Ester’s face had gone deathly pale. The bastard had the audacity to press the knife against her throat.
“Calm down. I’ll give you as much money as you want. Release Ester immediately.”
My head grew cold instead. If I provoked him, Ester could get hurt. I must not approach recklessly.
“Leon is right. Release my precious daughter right now. If you don’t…”
“Dear, calm yourself. You—your name is Hans, yes? We won’t harm you, so please release my daughter quickly—”
Our parents, having grasped the situation, stood beside me. It was fortunate Mother was restraining Father. The two of them were a Sword Master and a 6th Circle mage. If they chose, they could subdue him instantly.
But the dagger was pressed far too close to Ester’s neck. One wrong move and her throat would be cut.
“Kuk… kukuk… Puhahahaha!! That’s right!! You noble bastards… So even you have something precious. What’s the point of being a ducal house? You’re all groveling because of one little brat. Hey, you insolent brat.”
Pleased by our submissive attitude, the man pointed at me.
“Get on your knees right now and say, ‘I’m sorry, Lord Hans.’”
Hans? What a pathetic name.
“You bastard!!! How dare you try to tarnish the honor of our ducal house!!”
“Dear!! You must stay calm. Your name is Hans, correct? The fact that we won’t harm you means that if you safely—”
The man had clearly lost his mind. A noble kneeling to a commoner? In this world, that was humiliation worthy of suicide. The first lesson every noble received was the difference between themselves and commoners. Nobles were the sky, commoners the earth. It was an utterly outdated culture. That was why I had acted so recklessly at a young age—I had been a child who never learned moderation.
“Shut up!!! If you don’t kneel, I’ll slit this bitch’s throat!!”
Ester was terrified. That small child. She stared at me with tears welling in her eyes. What did my stiff knees matter? In my previous life, I had never hesitated to kneel. My body, rejecting my thoughts, trembled with rage.
Don’t resist.
I couldn’t bear to see Ester hurt. Suppressing my rebellious body, I slowly lowered myself to my knees.
“L…eon, o…oppa—”
Ester’s tear-choked voice reached me. How frightened she must be right now. If bowing could save her, this level of humiliation meant nothing.
The bastard’s disgusting freckles seemed to wriggle. His face was filled with ecstasy. I let out a small sigh and opened my mouth.
“I’m sor—”
I couldn’t finish. An intense light exploded from Ester’s body.
“Don’t insult Leon oppa!!!”
“Urghhh—!!!”
The man’s back arched like a bow. He staggered, then his entire body began to stiffen.
“Is that… lightning magic…?”
Mother muttered in astonishment. Had Ester unconsciously used electric magic? As expected of my sister.
“Urgh— d…die…”
Forcing his rigid arm upward, the man hurled Ester into the lake.
This crazy bastard.
“Ester!!!”
Thanks to already kneeling, my leap was swift. Without hesitation, I dove into the lake.
“Leon!!!”
My parents’ voices rang out behind me.
“You never learned how to swim!! Don’t!!”
Ah, that’s right.
Splash—
Separate from the realization of my own stupidity, the moment water touched my body, terror flooded in. Memories of flailing horribly before dying in my previous life filled my mind. The temperature and pressure of the water enveloping me made my consciousness grow distant. Wet clothes clung to my body. Fear blurred everything around me.
Why did I jump in here? I need to get out—how do I get back up? I have to escape this place right now—
Leon oppa.
A cute voice echoed in my head. I had to regain my senses. I needed to find my sister. Besides, I knew how to swim. I had learned in my previous life. The reason I had drowned was because I got a cramp in my leg.
I wrapped aura around my blurry vision to brighten it. Aura goggles, one might call them. The lake was deep; the bottom was dark. Though I wasn’t skilled at swimming, I flailed downward. Gradually, my small, precious sister came into view. She was struggling, clearly out of breath and in pain.
I couldn’t waste even a second. I circulated aura throughout my body. Movement became far easier. I quickly reached Ester and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her yellow eyes, which had opened in surprise, grew calm. But they seemed too calm. Her eyelids slowly began to close.
Performing artificial respiration from above might break her fragile bones. I urgently pressed my mouth to hers and breathed air into her. I felt the softness of Ester’s lips. Slowly, her eyes opened and met mine.
To think I had taken Ester’s first kiss—I was disqualified as an older brother. Well, didn’t young daughters usually kiss their fathers too? And didn’t parents sometimes make them kiss their older brothers? Or was that wrong? In any case, carrying the pleasant feeling of having kissed my niece, I swam upward. I felt Ester’s small hand gripping my clothes tightly. She hadn’t fainted. How admirable. As expected of my sister.
“Puha!!”
I broke the surface quickly. Aura truly was versatile. It moved a person like a machine.
“Leon!! Ester!!!”
With Mother’s cry, I felt my body lift into the air. Looking around, I saw Father had already bound the man named Hans and was preparing to jump in. If I had stayed still, he would have saved her. It was obvious in hindsight, yet my body had moved first.
Mother hugged us tightly, tears streaming down her face.
“Hic… hic— I’m sorry, my children. I was too… too startled, so my magic…”
Mages could only cast spells in a stable state. That was why they stayed in the rear on battlefields, launching powerful attacks before retreating. So it was strange that Ester had managed to use lightning magic in that situation. But that wasn’t important right now.
“It’s all right, Mother. Thank you for lifting us. Are you okay too, Ester?”
“Y-yes… I’m okay… Leon oppa… Mama…”
I patted Mother’s trembling shoulder to soothe her. Father soon approached and embraced both of us.
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I was disqualified as a father. Never again. I will never let something like this happen again.”
No, Father had done his best. I could feel his hands shaking. Even a Sword Master was not omnipotent. He could not stop time. Father had lived as the blood of a ducal house without ever bowing his head. The fact that he hadn’t charged forward in rage earlier was already remarkable.
“It’s all right, Father.”
Perhaps the tension had finally released. I felt strangely dizzy. I should have slapped that Hans bastard earlier. My body trembled. Was it from the drop in body temperature? The wet clothes clinging to me felt unpleasant. The cold seemed especially sharp. The fear of death from my previous life wrapped around me once more. My vision blurred. It felt as if my insides were twisting.
“Cough—”
“…Leon oppa?”
Something hot rose in my throat and spilled out. Red liquid splattered across the deck.
Huh… Is this my blood?
Wet hair stuck to my forehead unpleasantly. My head spun. For some reason it felt heavy.
“Leon! Leon! Come back to us!!”
“He overused his aura!! No!! Quickly, get him to the boat—”
Ah, I had overused my aura. It moved a person like a machine. Likewise, if the output didn’t match, the machine broke down. Therefore, I suppose I was broken.
“Leon oppa!!!”
With Ester’s cry as the last thing I heard, my consciousness cut off like a blown fuse.