"Actually, my younger sister is an aspiring Knight. She holds deep admiration for you…"
This isn't actually a lie.
My sister knows of Sir Jerome Sirius, but only because he is the uncle of the Lady Beatrice, whom my sister admires so much.
The world can be so vast, yet so small at the same time.
"Oh? Really?!" My old Master's face lights up in pleasant surprise.
"Indeed!"
"A-ahem… anyway—" My father tries to break the conversation by introducing another topic, but why would I let him have his way so easily?
"She's brutish and unladylike, my sister. But the heavens are not unfair, so they've blessed her with immense talent in the sword. That explains her personality so well. In fact, her role model is your niece, Lady Beatrice."
"Haha! Are you serious? That rascal lady shouldn't be anyone's role model. She ran off from home and even fled to another Kingdom to make a name for herself until she became a Knight… what a daring girl!" Despite saying this, I can see the warm flicker of pride in my old Master's eyes.
He can try to hide it from everyone else, but he can't keep such things hidden from me. I know him too well for that, and that's why I recognize the soft spot he has for his niece.
Lady Beatrice of Dustinville… a woman who abandoned her arranged marriage to seek glory and honor as a Knight. My sister embodies a lot of the qualities of that woman, and if I can just draw his attention to her abilities, I'd be able to secure his interest.
"Exactly what my sister likes about her! She's brave and is unafraid to stick to what she believes in."
I continue to speak, and my old Master becomes even more engrossed in my tales.
Naturally, my father tries to stop or divert the conversation many times, but how can he be better than me in the art of speaking and sophistry? Despite being the sufficient intellect that comes from his age, and the maturity born from experience, Father is more a brute than anything else.
How can he compare to me, a weak, talentless person who had to rely on trickery and sophistry in my past life?
From the very beginning… he has stood no chance at all.
'In fact, I should be thanking him…' My thoughts trail as I smile and keep up my conversation with my old Master. 'After all, he brought Sir Jerome to me on a silver platter. I couldn't have gotten access to this man on my own.'
Despite how hard my father tries to foil my plan, I counter him perfectly.
The thing is, he holds a lot of advantages over me, but he has to be very conscious of Sir Jerome, which causes him to be restrained in most of his actions and speech. Besides, thanks to my age and the assumption of innocence I have been given, I am allowed to get away with far more than the Head of Household can.
My father doesn't want to offend his old acquaintance, and he also doesn't want to expose the conflicts of the family, since that would be shameful for him.
Thanks to all of these restrictions, I successfully entrap my old Master's attention for long enough.
Then—
"How about a duel, Sir Jerome?"
"A duel?" The old man's brow rises sharply. "You want your sister to duel with me, Young Javier?"
I laugh.
The irony of this man calling me young… when I am actually over sixty-six years old mentally.
But I don't hate it.
"My sister is certainly too unskilled to do that by herself, so I would like to lend her a hand. It will be a two-on-one exhibition." I smile calmly, explaining the details of the duel to him.
My sister and I will face off against Sir Jerome.
Due to the gap in skill, if we can land a solid hit on his neck, it will be our win. However, if he can disarm the two of us or knock us out, it will be his win.
It sounds fair enough, and he finds it to be an amusing venture… so he agrees to it.
'He actually agreed!' I mentally clench my fist in excitement.
This is it!
The opportunity I've been looking for.
I spot my father glaring at me with bloodshot eyes. If looks could kill, I would be dead a thousand times over already.
'You really shouldn't make such expressions at your children, Father.' I sigh and silently shake my head at him.
As for my mother, she looks rather conflicted.
Naturally, she does not want my sister to become a Knight. However, being stuck in this feud between me and my father must be wearing her out. Besides, I can clearly see that she still isn't on the best of terms with him.
All of these observations are made silently, and I show nothing on the surface.
We end up speaking for a while before I excuse myself and courteously make my leave. At this point, even if my father smears my name, I have made a deep impression on my old Master.
Besides, it would be unfavorable to my father and the Household if he sullies my reputation to the Master when he has such a high opinion of me already. As a result, my father—who always puts the family first—will be forced to toot my horns in order to protect our prestige.
After considering all this, I already know I no longer need to think about that matter.
More important things call my attention.
The first thing I do the moment I leave the reception area is to rush towards the Training Ground, where I am certain Selicia is. After seeing her, I explain the entire situation to her, causing her eyes to widen in shock—nearly popping out of their sockets.
"This is a great opportunity for you!" I explain to her, tightly gripping her by her shoulders, so she calms down from the shock and overwhelming nervousness that begins to take over her.
It's a lot of information to process all at once, but I make sure to simplify it:
This will be a two-on-one duel between us and Sir Jerome Sirius, a former Royal Knight.
It takes place in three days.
Within said time, I plan to train my sister thoroughly so she can capture his attention.
"I understand that this is a lot of pressure. But if this is something you want, then you will have to pass this hurdle. So… are you up for it?"
Despite shaking profusely, my sister shoots me a confident smile, flashing her sharp tooth with undeniable excitement, and gives me a thumbs up.
"I'm actually shaking from excitement… so don't worry, Javi!" Her grin broadens, and her jade eyes flash with deep resolve.
"I'm up for it!"
*************
Three days in the blink of an eye, and the day of the duel arrives in a flash.
I stand right next to my sister, the two of us wielding practice swords. My old Master also grabs a wooden blade, flicking his wrist as he gives the weapon a deep stare.
I notice this and smile.
'You're uncomfortable with the weight of the weapon, aren't you? I know you're used to wielding heavy weapons, and due to your absurd strength, that wooden sword feels as flimsy as paper to you…' My thoughts echo within me.
But this is actually a good thing.
Due to this situation, my old Master will be very conscious of his strength and will limit it to the extreme, allowing me and my sister to somewhat keep up with his strikes.
If he had a heavier weapon, doing that would be far more challenging.
'Weight plays a significant part in battle. Duel or not, it's advantageous that we have something like this on our side.'
Naturally, this isn't some pleasant surprise for me.
I already expected this.
Why else would I suggest such a situation?
My old Master already doesn't intend on taking us seriously, but now, due to the kind of blade he is wielding, he won't be able to—even if he wants to.
I wish I could hope for his actual combat skills to also be affected by this. After all, wielding a much lighter weapon than what one is used to, and having to hold back on so much strength, can affect a fighter's coordination.
Even the most skilled Knight should be affected by this, one way or the other.
But not my old Master.
This man is a monster—a beast even beyond the level of my father. Hoping for anything more than a mild inconvenience on his part will be too much optimism on my end.
My parents are also watching the match, with my father even serving as the referee. Naturally, they aren't doing this of their own volition, or because they condone what is happening here, but because of the respect they have for the retired Royal Knight. If it were just me facing Sir Jerome, my father might even be leaping for joy, but my sister is involved in this.
Our Aditi Household stands on strong traditions, and we've never had a female Knight.
My parents are unwilling to see that change.
But me? I do not care about things like customs or tradition. I simply want to see my sister happy, fulfilling her dreams.
If that means defying our old ways, I would gladly do so.