The mock battle was over. Rest stood as the victor.
Basking in the cheers of the crowd, Rest let out a long, weary breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Good grief... that was a close one," he muttered to himself.
Toya Catreia had been a genuinely formidable opponent. Had Rest simply opted to blow him away with high-output magic from a distance, the match would have ended easily. However, in close quarters, the man was a force to be reckoned with. In the chaos of a real battlefield, where allies and enemies were mixed together, things might not have gone so smoothly.
"I am impressed. To think you actually managed to defeat Toya."
"Indeed. It is quite the surprise. Even if Toya is the weakest among us, seeing him fall to a sixteen-year-old boy is quite a shock."
A sudden, overwhelming pressure radiated from behind him. Rest spun around to find Toya’s two elder brothers, Bareia and Karyus Catreia, looming over him.
"...Forgive me, Brother," Toya muttered, his voice thick with regret as he remained on one knee.
Bareia glanced at his younger sibling for only a moment before raising his right hand high. Rest braced himself for a blow, but it never came. Instead, Bareia brought his hand down firmly on Rest’s shoulder in a gesture of respect.
"Well done, Count Clover! You fought magnificently to defeat my brother!" Bareia’s voice boomed as he offered his commendations. "I see now why Marquis Rosemary recognized you as his future son-in-law! I never imagined a teenager could possess such skill in close combat. Truly, it was a sight to behold!"
"Indeed," Karyus added, offering his own praise. "It is heartening to have a mage of your caliber on our side. We shall be relying on you during the coming campaign."
The mysterious tension that had gripped Rest finally dissipated, and he felt the strength leave his limbs in relief.
"T-Thank you. I am honored," Rest replied.
"It was an intense struggle. You must be exhausted," Bareia said. "Go on and rest ahead of us."
"A room has been prepared," Karyus noted. "I shall have an attendant guide you at once."
Rest had prepared himself for the possibility of having to fight Bareia and Karyus as well, but the confrontation had reached a surprisingly peaceful conclusion.
"Now then, everyone! Strive just as hard as Count Clover did!" Bareia shouted, using Rest’s performance to rouse the remaining soldiers.
Guided by a soldier from the fortress, Rest finally made his way out of the square.
"I see... So that is the man who subjugated the Subnock. Count Rest Clover."
Back in the square, while the knights and soldiers continued to test their mettle, the brothers of the Marquis Catreia House spoke in low tones.
"To be a mage and yet possess the power to fight us Catreias head-on... He is not a man to be underestimated," Bareia said, crossing his arms with a grunt.
"If anything, I am relieved to see he possesses at least a minimum level of competence," Karyus remarked. "It means our beloved sister’s judgment wasn't clouded after all."
The four brothers of the Marquis Catreia House shared a common trait: an obsessive devotion to their younger sister, Yuri. Through this duel, they had confirmed that the man Yuri had chosen was not some shallow dandy who relied on sweet-talk, but a man of substance.
While that was a comforting discovery, they still felt a deep sense of frustration.
"I’m truly sorry..." Toya said, clenching his jaw. "If I had won, I could have officially opposed the match. I could have told her that I refuse to hand our Princess over to such a weakling."
The elder brothers shared his sentiment. They loved their sister with a passion that bordered on the irrational. To them, Yuri—the memento of their late mother and the only girl among the five siblings—was an angel, a princess, a delicate butterfly, and a fragile flower. If they had their way, they would have kept her sheltered by their side for many years to come.
Instead, their little princess had flown the nest of her own volition. Had she simply run away, it would have been one thing, but she was living with a man. When the brothers first learned of this, they had nearly abandoned their duties and social standing to launch a military-style raid to take her back. Had the mansion she was staying in not been under the protection of the Marquis Rosemary House, their interference might have sparked an actual war.
"Since Father has already approved our angel’s marriage, we cannot take her back by force—not without a legitimate reason. That is why I wanted a justification to publicly forbid the union," Bareia admitted.
"My apologies..." Toya whispered again.
"There is no need to keep apologizing," Karyus said. "It simply means our Princess had a good eye for men. For now, we shall watch and wait."
The three brothers looked at each other and let out a collective, heavy sigh. Though they harbored a grudge against Rest, they were warriors first. They would not stab him in the back during the chaos of the coming war, no matter how much they secretly wished to.
"However... if he shows even a hint of cowardice during this conflict, I will take Yuri back, even if it means defying our father’s orders!" Bareia declared.
"Of course," Karyus agreed. "We shall protect our Princess."
"I won't lose next time," Toya vowed. "I promise you that."
The brothers stood united in their oath. If Rest ever proved himself unworthy of being Yuri’s spouse, they would fall upon him without mercy.
Rest had successfully cleared the first hurdle, but the Catreia brothers' Son-in-law Trial was far from over. In truth, the real test was only just beginning.