3 – Genius (2)

The Tristi family has six stars.

As the offspring of Patriarch Porto, born between his first wife, Justina, and his second wife, Pria.

The eldest daughter, Uriel, excels in martial arts.

The second daughter, Haniel, has a deep understanding of magic.

The Tristi’s beautiful daughters, like their sons, maintained strained expressions.

Porto is a true champion of gender equality in this era.

If they don’t have any skills, he enlists his daughters in the military as well. He’s a true man’s man.

Was this what they called a daughter-genius? Whatever the word, even Uriel, my sister, normally known for her perpetually pleasant smile, was rigid with tension.

“…”

Today was the day of the Heir Selection announcement.

This single problem wouldn’t determine the heir, of course, but a high score was vital to prepare for the countless trials to come.

To utterly botch this exam meant instant conscription into the military.

That was why my elder brothers looked so grim.

The eldest, Kenneth, blessed with strength like our eldest sister, swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Zephyr, the second-born, a master of political maneuvering and calculation, perpetually fiddled with his knees.

Our third brother, Felix, kept darting glances between me and Porto. His stares felt heavy; quite a bit unnerving.

People get hit in the head by their siblings sometimes, isn’t that right? Is there really a need to be so petty?

You hit me for 15 years, why is this suddenly such a problem. What do you think about that?!

“…”

As for me, my mind was a blank.

Having come this far, the only thing I could do was offer a prayer to the heavens.

*I already served in the military in my previous life.* Please, let me skip it this time around.

“Uriel.”

Porto called out to our eldest sister.

“Yes, Father.”

“You possess no magical aptitude.”

“That is indeed true.”

“Then, in these past two weeks, what efforts did you undertake to overcome this problem?”

Uriel blinked.

“As I just stated, I possess no magical aptitude. The first thing I did was recognize that the problem on the exam was one I could not solve.”

Her shoulders eased, and my sister began to speak freely.

“So, I asked the mages about it. They called it the Millennium Problem.”

What? This problem was *that* significant?

“It is a challenge that even the wisest of the Mage Towers cannot solve. I know the difference between bravery and recklessness. So, I chose an alternative.”

Uriel smiled.

“I enlisted the aid of magic criminals incarcerated in the prison.”

“In what manner, exactly?”

“If you fail to cooperate, I’ll make life, both for your family and behind bars, exceedingly… unpleasant. Like that.”

Wow, that was… spicy.

Considering any magical criminals in the vicinity would be hardened offenders – individuals practically heirs to relics, at the very least.

“Weren’t you afraid?”

“If I’m to lead the Tristi family, I’ll face far more terrifying things than this. I can’t afford to be cowed by mere criminals, can I?”

Porto nodded.

“Uriel, I hear you’ve managed to solve roughly 30% of the puzzle.”

“Is that so?”

“It seems there’s no need to make things difficult for their families or their incarceration.”

“A relief, then.”

Uriel wore a look of quiet satisfaction.

“Haniel.”

“Yes….”

“You’re at 20%. I’m aware of your magical aptitude and talent, but a head of house is not simply a mage. One must also know how to command when necessary.”

“I will keep that in mind….”

The sickly second sister coughed, nodding her head weakly.

Presumably, her poor health prevented her from utilizing the full fortnight as effectively as her siblings.

Even so.

“Kenneth.”

“Yes…….”

“I am truly disappointed in you.”

Porto pushed two examination papers forward.

One was Haniel’s, the other Kenneth’s.

The answers on both were identical.

Presumably, one had copied the other.

And in all likelihood, the one who had copied was…

“Was stealing your younger sister’s answers truly the best you could do?”

“…….”

“Emulate Uriel’s boldness. You are more than capable of it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…”

Porto sighed.

Then, he turned his gaze to his second eldest brother.

“Jefer.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve come up with a similarly impressive answer as Uriel. What methods did you employ?”

“I have some mages from the Pyromancy School whom I know. I received it from them.”

“That wouldn’t have been easy, considering it’s classified.”

Jefer offered a relaxed smile.

“I believe there are no problems in this world that money and power cannot solve. If there seems to be, it is simply because there is not enough of them.”

Porto nodded.

Truly, these were refreshingly original answers.

As my turn drew nearer, an unpleasant tension settled over me.

It felt like being chosen against my will to run relay in elementary school, standing there on the field…

“Esther.”

Porto called my name out of the blue.

It was Felix’s turn, why call me all of a sudden?

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

“Yes.”

“Frankly, I have never held any expectations for you.”

Up until now, I was the biggest liability in Tristy.

Blessed with pitiful talent, even the most incompetent Felix felt like an insurmountable wall among my other siblings.

Porto’s gaze was always frigid, a fact I still remember even having awakened memories of my previous life.

“You were weak. I always thought you were a person who, although my child, simply did not belong in the Tristy family.”

“……”

“When you submitted your answer in just two days, it was the worst. I thought you were a fool who had fallen into the swamp of inferiority, having even lost your diligence.”

But.

The emotion Porto now held towards me was distinctly different.

He had always been a cold father who kept our conversations brief, but now.

“Son, what magic have you worked?”

They watched me with gazes mixed with anticipation, envy, and joy – a positive regard all the same.

“The Millennium Problems are conundrums that even the Master Mages, hailed as geniuses, couldn’t unravel. And you haven’t even mastered the basic spells.”

Ester Tristi was inept.

He hadn’t inherited the magical aptitude of the eldest daughter, Uriel.

“You were weak. Even after wielding a sword for years, you never truly bested even a novice.”

Ester Tristi was feeble.

He’d inherited the weak constitution of the second daughter, Haniel.

He didn’t possess the craftiness of the second son, Zephyr.

Nor was he blessed with the brazen nature of the third son, Felix.

“You were a waste.”

Amongst the gathered Tristi blood, I was the most utterly useless.

Yet.

“My incapable son, a hundred percent correct.”

A silence hung, thick and heavy.

“The answer you presented was flawless.”

A buzz rippled through the Patriarch’s Hall.

Within that tide of shifting currents, Porto’s eyes met mine with unwavering directness.

My siblings stared at me, disbelief etched on their faces.

The youngest son, furthest from inheriting the title, had wrought this…they were stunned.

“One bearing the name Tristi has solved one of the seven riddles of the magical world that have remained unsolved for centuries.”

It was the first time I’d ever heard such a gentle tone from Porto.

“Explain to me this miracle you’ve performed.”

“What in blazes are you saying, Father?!”

Felix’s voice boomed.

“Ester Tristi! The most degenerate, the weakest star amongst us! Are you claiming he solved a problem that Uriel sister and Kenneth brother couldn’t?!”

Unable to contain his emotions, perhaps unable to believe he’d been surpassed by a sibling he’d always looked down on,

He barked on, gracelessly.

“He must have cheated somehow! I refuse to accept it—”

What came from Porto’s mouth was no longer a human voice.

“Felix.”

It was a cry, much like a predator would utter to its prey.

Felix clamped his mouth shut.

Ugh.

I am truly grateful Porto took my side.

Honestly, it wasn’t bad, it felt like recognition, I was happy.

Even whales dance to praise, my shoulders rose on their own accord.

But, this is a disaster.

‘I never imagined he’d ask for the detailed explanation!’

From the start, I didn’t even know this was such a big deal.

I only copied down the answer that Nob AI provided!!

Truly, there’s only one being I can rely on.

Nob AI, help me!!

『Artificial Intelligence Service. Nob AI.』

『What can I help with?』

Explain the detailed solution to me as well!!

*

Porto Tristi gazed upon his son.

His youngest son, who had always been outside of his interest.

The last child born of his deceased second wife, but Porto was not a good enough parent to love his children without any reason.

In noble houses, familial love is poison.

Siblings are nothing more than potential rivals, and parents are merely walls to be overcome someday.

Considering Porto’s life, which was spent enduring succession struggles stained with blood and relentlessly eliminating threats that constantly lurked around the Tristi family, it was perhaps a natural way to survive.

Emotions are dulled by understanding and reason.

Porto’s siblings, who were willing to kill their own family for the sake of succession, were proof of that.

Porto found it terribly horrifying.

That’s why he tried to clearly establish the order of his children.

To prevent any more unnecessary bloodshed.

If he sent everyone outside the mansion, except for the heir, through the succession test, then a succession battle wouldn’t happen, right?

Ester Tristi was weak.

I suspect he thought he’d be the first to be culled.

But.

-I wish to meet the Honorable Esther.

-Why is such talent only coming to light now… Please, couldn’t we take him to our Red Magic Tower? He is a genius who will change the history of the kingdom’s magical circles.

A miracle occurred.

‘What change on earth has come over Esther?’

Defect, discarded princeling, trash.

Except for Haniel, his siblings called Esther by nicknames brimming with derision.

His only talent was perhaps sitting in a chair longer than others.

‘No.’

Porto sat in his study, recalling Esther reading books that were the very essence of complex knowledge.

‘Esther has been hiding his talent.’

The precise reason was unknown.

Originally, these toxic geniuses were prone to concealing their sharpest weapons.

Now, waiting for Esther to open his mouth and deliver the grandest reversal from this very spot.

Porto held a small ball in his hand and slowly rolled it.