"Leader, make sure to fulfill the dreams of all us duelists from Somerset!"
"Our leader is definitely going to win!"
"You absolutely can’t lose to anyone else!"

Thwack!

Ada raised her fist in response to the cheers of the neighborhood kids rallying behind her.

“There it is! The victory pose!”

At some point, raising a clenched fist had become Ada’s habit whenever she was confident of her victory. The children, now accustomed to the gesture, erupted in even louder cheers, thrilled to see her signature pose.

“Alain, it won’t be easy, but ensure that Ada doesn’t cause any trouble while she’s away,” said Marquess Bradley Somerset.

“Yes, my lord. I still have the strength to handle such a task,” Alain replied calmly.

Although sending his still-young daughter to the capital made him uneasy, Bradley couldn’t bring himself to ask Ada, who was so excited about qualifying for the finals, to withdraw.

Initially, the Marquess had planned to accompany her himself.

"My lord, your responsibilities have grown too numerous to leave unattended."

Thanks to Rupert, the Somerset family had flourished so much that they were elevated to a marquessate. With the family’s increased prestige came a significant expansion of duties, leaving Bradley no choice but to stay behind.

While Bradley hadn’t fully adjusted to his new status, the reality was that as a Marquess, he now stood among the upper echelons of nobility.

He could appoint a count and two barons as vassals, and even grant the rank of quasi-baron to a commoner.

"Thank you for staying by my side during the hard times."

To show gratitude to those who remained loyal when the family was on the brink of ruin, Bradley elevated Baron Klein to a Viscount and entrusted him with the management of a portion of their newly acquired lands.

He also bestowed the title of quasi-baron on Mullus, a loyal knight who had steadfastly served the family, opening a path for him to join the nobility.

With Somerset not only recovering its former glory but soaring to unprecedented heights, it was inevitable that opportunists would begin to swarm.

"My lord... no, Marquess! For old times’ sake, just one more chance...!"

Some former vassals, who had abandoned the family during its decline, shamelessly returned, begging for positions.

Others were even more brazen.

"I have served the Somerset family since the days of your predecessor! How could I stand idly by and watch this estate run into the ground?"

They went so far as to harass the workshop staff, behaving as though they owned the place.

"Those lunatics..."
"Unbelievable."

Rupert, of course, had no intention of letting such behavior slide.

Even Bradley, known for his generosity, refused to forgive them. These audacious individuals quickly found themselves beaten and expelled by Somerset’s elite guards and knights.

“Marquess, with so many outsiders coming into the territory lately, public safety has become an issue. We’ve also apprehended thieves targeting the Somerset goods store and punished them accordingly…”

“A date has been set for the meeting with neighboring lords to delineate the exact boundaries of the new fiefs we were granted. I’ll need to prepare the relevant documents in advance…”

Though Somerset had dealt with the opportunists decisively, there was no denying that they were short on manpower.

To address this, Somerset replaced its former retainers with talented individuals, allowing the estate to run smoothly without Rupert’s constant oversight.

"Can’t I... can’t I just have some time to rest?"

However, Bradley, still the head of the family, was being crushed under the weight of his responsibilities.

"Richard! I’m willing to forgive your wandering ways—just come back and..."
"Apologies, Father. Sifris seems to be pregnant, so I can’t leave her side right now."
"Why is he only quick about things like that?!"

Desperate, Bradley tried to summon his eldest son Richard to help, but even that proved futile.

"Work is good for your health, Father. A little effort won’t hurt you."

Bradley knew better than to complain to Rupert, the heir. Rupert, far from sympathizing, seemed determined to "restore the dignity of the head of the family," piling on even more tasks.

Watching Rupert’s relentless work ethic, Bradley finally understood why the workshop employees used to have such haunted looks.

Unable to leave his post, Bradley assigned Alain and Owen as Ada’s escorts to the capital.

The decision came with confidence.

Owen was a knight of Expert level, and Alain, though discreet about his abilities, was an even stronger combatant. Together, they could handle almost any threat.

"Today’s technique is a bit unusual, young lady," Alain said with a slight smile.

"Unusual? Tell me more!" Ada’s excitement at learning something new was palpable, and Alain couldn’t hide his joy as he watched her enthusiasm.

"My life hasn’t been in vain!"

Having dedicated himself to protecting the Somerset family, Alain was overjoyed to see the family emerging from its former hardships into prosperity.

As the last leader of Somerset’s secret organization, the Acrobats, Alain had followed the former head’s command to disband the group.

The Acrobats had protected the family through shadowy means, often involving bloodshed, and the former head didn’t want his descendants to bear such burdens. Alain understood and respected this decision, though he felt some regrets.

One was his failure to prevent reckless wartime investments that had nearly ruined the family—a problem Rupert later solved.

The other was the inability to pass on the secret techniques of Somerset Style, the pinnacle of the Acrobats’ skills.

Passing on Somerset Style wasn’t easy. The techniques were meant only for members of the Somerset family and the Acrobats. With the Acrobats disbanded, only the Somersets themselves were eligible.

However, Bradley, the current head, had neither the talent for martial arts nor the inclination for conflict.

Alain had once hoped to train Richard, the eldest son, but Richard’s decision to leave the family dashed that hope.

That left only Rupert, though Alain had serious doubts.

"Huff... huff... how long have I been running? About thirty minutes?"
"Three minutes, young master."
"What?! You’re lying!!!"

Unfortunately, Rupert’s physical prowess mirrored his father’s lack of it, leaving Alain convinced that Somerset Style was doomed to fade away.

Just when he had resigned himself to this fate, Ada entered his life.

"Make me strong enough to beat Owen!"

Alain had always known Ada had exceptional talent for physical activity, but he dismissed her as a candidate due to her status as the family’s young lady.

However, Ada’s blooming potential was undeniable—her abilities were nothing short of divine. Alain couldn’t turn a blind eye to her natural gifts and began teaching her the basics of Somerset Style.

Somerset Style was designed to be accessible even to children with physical talent, and Ada absorbed the techniques as easily as a sponge soaks up water.

Now, she was learning one of the style’s ultimate techniques.

"This technique, known as Third Eye, relies on vision—specifically, reading and predicting an opponent’s movements while even copying their techniques," Alain explained.

"Wow! Alain, your eyes are spinning!" Ada cheered as she watched Alain demonstrate. She immediately began trying to mimic him.

"The key is channeling the mana flow within your body toward your eyes by opening a new pathway through your nervous system," Alain continued, his tone instructional.

Owen, observing the lesson from his seat in the carriage as they traveled toward the teleportation circle, couldn’t hide his shock.

"What?! That’s insane…"

Channeling mana through the nervous system was a technique mastered only by expert-level knights proficient in mana breathing. For a child like Ada, it should have been a dangerous, nearly impossible feat.

Yet—

"Got it!"

"Excellent work, young lady!" Alain praised as Ada successfully executed the technique.

Owen chastised himself for underestimating her.

"I was foolish to judge her by normal standards."

Ever since Ada defeated him in a duel, Owen had come to accept her as an anomaly—a being beyond conventional limits. Watching her effortlessly master the advanced Third Eye technique made him want to look away from reality altogether.

While Ada’s abilities had inspired Owen to push past his limits and develop his own skills, her progress still left him uneasy.

Oblivious to Owen’s internal struggles, Alain and Ada excitedly practiced the Third Eye together.

"Using her love for manga to spark her interest was a great idea," Alain thought.

To motivate Ada, who was often distracted by her obsession with The King of Cards, Alain had cleverly incorporated the series into his lessons.

"Alain, how do the characters pull things out of thin air like that?"

He adapted Somerset Style techniques to resemble abilities used by the manga’s characters, teaching them in ways that captured her imagination.

"This technique is similar to the Thousand Eye ability used by Flyinghorse in The King of Cards," Alain had said while introducing the Third Eye, sparking Ada’s determination to learn it.

Her excitement and joy as she mastered each technique filled Alain with pride.

"Rasshu, I got even stronger today!" Ada announced triumphantly to her wolf companion.

"Woof!" Rasshu barked in approval.

As Ada beamed, Alain couldn’t help but feel immense satisfaction as her teacher, marveling at her potential and relentless spirit.