Reinhardt awoke to the smell of dust and sweat.
His head throbbed.
For a moment, he thought he was still on the training grounds. Then the ceiling came into focus—stone, unfamiliar. The infirmary.
"…General!"
A knight rushed to his side. "You're awake!"
Reinhardt pushed himself up despite the pain. His jaw screamed in protest.
"I lost," he said immediately.
The knight froze.
Reinhardt clenched his teeth. "Don't lie to me. I lost."
Silence confirmed it.
His memory ended with Leon standing in front of him—calm, bored—and then darkness.
"…How?" Reinhardt demanded. "What happened?"
The knights exchanged glances.
One of them stepped forward, hesitating. "We… we all saw it, General."
"Then explain it," Reinhardt growled. "Every detail."
The knight swallowed.
"Lord Leon charged first. A straight thrust. Fast—far faster than it looked."
Reinhardt's brow furrowed. "I parried it."
"Yes," the knight said. "You did."
Reinhardt stiffened. "Then why—"
"Because it wasn't the real attack."
The knight took a breath.
"Lord Leon pulled the thrust back halfway. Not enough for you to notice. At the same time, he stepped inside your guard and dropped his posture."
Reinhardt's eyes widened slightly.
"You lost sight of him for less than a second," the knight continued. "Your focus followed the sword… not the man."
Another knight spoke quietly.
"He wasn't retreating," he said. "He was lowering himself."
Reinhardt's fingers trembled.
"From below your vision," the knight finished, "he struck your jaw upward. A perfect angle. You never saw it."
Reinhardt went silent.
No wasted motion.
No strength contest.
No honor.
Just understanding.
"…So I was already defeated," he muttered.
The knights said nothing.
For the first time in decades, Reinhardt felt something cold settle in his chest.
Fear.
Leon walked along the stone corridor outside the training grounds, hands in his pockets, expression indifferent.
Aurelia sat nearby, wrapped in a light cloak, watching him approach.
"It's not like you," she said calmly, "to start a duel out of nowhere."
Leon stopped in front of her.
"If I didn't," he replied coldly, "they would have bothered me more."
Aurelia smiled faintly.
"You humiliated a Knight General."
"He raised his voice at you," Leon said. "That was annoying."
She studied him for a moment.
"You could have ended it without making an enemy."
Leon shrugged.
"I don't mind enemies," he said. "I mind noise."
Aurelia's smile softened.
"…You really are hopeless."
Leon glanced at her.
"And you favor me anyway."
"Of course," Aurelia replied without hesitation. "You're my youngest brother."
Leon looked away.
"Then keep them away from me," he said. "I'm tired."
Aurelia's eyes followed him as he left.
She already knew.
This was only the beginning.
The training grounds were still buzzing with whispers when Aurelia returned to the estate.
She did not go to her chambers.
She went straight to her father.
Baron Augurt Valierous stood by the tall window of his study, hands clasped behind his back, gazing over the land he had protected for decades.
"You intend to act," he said without turning.
"Yes," Aurelia replied calmly.
Baron turned his head slightly. "Because of Leon."
"He crossed a line today," Aurelia said. "Not by drawing his sword—but by being seen."
Augurt exhaled slowly.
"They will talk."
"They already are," Aurelia answered. "Some will envy him. Some will fear him. And others…"
Her eyes hardened.
"…will try to use him."
Baron was silent.
"Reinhardt will not speak," Aurelia continued. "His pride won't allow it. But the knights saw enough. Rumors will distort the truth. That is acceptable."
"What is not acceptable," she added, "is Leon being forced to step forward."
Augurt turned fully now.
"You would hide him."
"I would protect him," Aurelia corrected. "By keeping him irrelevant."
Baron considered her words.
"If he becomes known," Aurelia said, "the military will demand him. Nobles will covet him. The Crown will watch him."
"And Leon," Augurt said quietly, "will resent it."
"Yes," Aurelia replied without hesitation.
She stepped closer, her frail frame steady despite the weight of her intent.
"Leon is not someone you use, Father. He is someone you avoid provoking."
Baron's lips curved faintly.
"You sound as though you are speaking of a calamity."
"I am," Aurelia said calmly.
They stood in silence.
"Then what will you do?" Augurt asked.
Aurelia's gaze sharpened.
"I will ensure this duel is recorded as nothing more than an overconfident general losing his temper against an untrained noble."
"That will not satisfy everyone."
"It doesn't need to," she said. "Only enough."
She began listing her moves without hesitation.
"The Knight General will be reprimanded for disorderly conduct."
"Witnesses will be divided—some praised, some reassigned."
"The narrative will be confusion, not clarity."
Baron listened carefully.
"And Leon?" he asked.
Aurelia's voice softened.
"He will be removed from attention. Assigned insignificant duties. Sent away when needed. Forgotten."
Augurt studied his daughter.
"You favor him greatly."
Aurelia met his gaze.
"He is my youngest brother."
She did not apologize.
"He does not want power," she continued. "He wants peace. If the world insists on disturbing him, then I will move the world instead."
Baron looked back out the window.
"…Very well," he said. "House Valierous will hide its sword."
Aurelia inclined her head.
Leon would never know how many enemies were erased before they ever reached him.
And that was exactly how she intended it.