Third Person Perspective
The Zirahar family had a long history of producing knights, and had been growing in strength especially recently.
This was because the current head of the family's sons were all very successful and successful.
The eldest son, Zectwalris, was known as a genius from an early age, and even after becoming a regular knight, his talent showed no signs of fading, rising to become the youngest Captain of the Royal Capital's Eighth Knight Order.
The second son, Exarga, showed no less talent, progressing through everything from military academy to knight academy at the top of his class and being knighted with much fanfare. He was expected to achieve the same success as his older brother.
These two brothers were the two most notable knights at present. It was said that they would be the ones to lead the Royal Knight Order in the future.
The person who is most proud of the bravery of these young men is their father, Harpunck Zirahar. He was once a knight himself, but retired to take over as his family's successor, but he was blessed with the achievements of his children rather than his own, and was now able to hold his head high in the world.
In high society he was praised as "The source of a talented bloodline" and "The father of geniuses," and wielded considerable influence.
But many people didn't know. In the Zirahar family, there was a third son who was overshadowed by his genius eldest brother and his brilliant second brother and was criticized for being talentless.
That day, Exarga, the second son of the Zirahar family, was the last to arrive at dinner.
It was a sudden call from his father. After becoming an official knight, Exarga graduated from Knight Academy and left the student dormitory, and began living and sleeping in the dorms for single knights.
He only went back to his parents' house a few times a year. At various milestones, they were required to gather together, but otherwise, he tried to stay away as much as possible.
Exarga didn't like his parents' home very much. The atmosphere at home was oppressive, with suffocating expectations and pressure.
"Exarga has arrived. I apologize for being late." (Exarga)
"Well well. I'm sure you're busy now that you've officially started your duties as a knight. Have you been assigned to a position yet? You're an excellent person, so I'm sure you'll be entrusted with important work, like reporting directly to the Crown Prince or being the King's guard." (Father)
Exarga really couldn't stand the selfish expectations of his father.
The whole family was already seated at the dinner table.
His father sat at the head of the table, and next to him was his eldest brother, Zectwalris. He was the big name representing the current Zirahar family. After becoming a full knight, he achieved countless military feats in the few years that followed, and as a result, he was selected as the Knight Captain at the young age of 24. He was put in charge of one of the 12th Knight Order in the royal capital, but he believed he would eventually be able to become the commander-in-chief of the entire order.
Exarga disliked his older brother even more than he disliked his father. Since he was born, he had been compared so many times to his extremely talented older brother...
Next to them sat their quiet mother, with a younger sister and a younger brother. It was said that with this, the entire family was gathered, but... —he immediately noticed something was off.
"It seems that Idhir hasn't arrived yet?" (Exarga)
Exarga had two younger brothers. Idhir was the third son and Exarga's younger brother. For Exarga, the presence of his younger brother was more complicated than that of his father or older brother, and it was difficult to put into words.
There was no doubt that he was a clumsy kid. He had a bad memory, but that didn't mean he couldn't remember things. It might take him longer than others, but he could eventually master anything.
Perhaps it was a late bloomer. Exarga had always believed that his younger brother's abilities would eventually surpass his own. However, his father's judgment seemed to be different, and he had seen him on many occasions berating my younger brother for not being able to learn something immediately, calling him "incompetent" and "failure."
That's why he didn't want to come back here.
He was sure that at dinner again, his father would continue to make nasty remarks about Idhir. All he could do was watch it without being able to say a single thing to complain. He had never once thought the dinner I had in this house was delicious.
"By the way, I have good news to report." (Father)
His father said with a pleased look on his face. Apparently, that was the reason for his good mood.
"Idhir has been disowned." (Father)
"Huh?" (Exarga)
For a moment he couldn't believe his ears.
"I had finally had enough of his uselessness. It was a mistake to have such an incompetent person born into our family. He is a disgrace to our family. That's why I have officially gotten rid of him!" (Father)
The father spoke proudly of his own achievements. As if responding to the voice, the mother, who was sitting at the side, brought a handkerchief to her eyes to wipe away the tears that were welling up.
With that, he knew it wasn't a joke or nonsense. I understood now.
"I have been blessed with the most wonderful children! I'm talking about you two! You will work hard and get good grades in school, and you will become knights and excel! Thanks to you, I have become very proud of myself! I can show off in high society!" (Father)
Meanwhile, a horrible feeling was swirling around in Exarga's brain.
Idhir was disowned. He was kicked out of this house.
From a young age, he was insulted and beaten... and was subjected to humiliating comparisons that his older brother was far more talented, yet the younger brother continued to work hard, and in the end his efforts were not recognized and he was cast out?
"But then there's Idhir! He was born as my son, but he's a useless, unfilial son! If he was my only child, I would have to reluctantly keep him so that he could inherit the glorious Zirahar family, but I have you two that I love! I can easily throw away a useless person like that!" (Father)
"...!" (Exarga)
"The two elder ones are of course growing up healthy, and the youngest brother, Aghiach, is also doing well, and apparently came in at the top of his class at the junior school this year!" (Father)
It was his other brother sitting at the dinner table. He was a young boy who always had a look on his face that looked condescending towards people, and it was easy to see that he was a small-minded person who was proud of his intelligence. He probably looked down on his older brother who was treated so roughly, and his smug, contemptuous expression was quite irritating.
The younger, youngest sister, looked around anxiously at her brothers and parents. Even though she was still young, she was probably worried about her brother who wasn't here. Idhir would often return to this house, which must have been an uncomfortable place, to play with his sister.
Exarga was too busy with his knightly duties to do so.
Idhir was a kind man. Even if he found himself in an unfortunate situation, he couldn't help but be mindful of those around them.
When Exarga remembered that again, a click rang in his head. At the same time, his vision began to turn bright red.
"I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such filial sons! Only Idhir was an unfilial fool! With Idhir gone, our home is finally perfect! Today is the day to celebrate! Let's all pledge to bring prosperity to our Zirahar family!" (Father)
"...Don't mess with me...!" (Exarga)
"Hah?" (Father)
"Don't mess with me you old fool!!" (Exarga)
Exarga's shaking hand sweeps the food off the table, splattering it onto the walls and floor. Some people might express their irrational anger at the waste of food. But that didn't matter to Exarga at the moment. It was already disgusting and inedible when it was served at a foul-smelling dinner. It was already a dish that had been wasted, so throwing it around didn't make much difference.
"Exarga!? What are you doing...?!" (Father)
"You ugly, fat pig! Why should we have to suffer because of your vanity? Both Idhir and I have been tormented by you for so long!" (Exarga)
Exarga's gaze turned to the other person. Even with all the fuss going on, the eldest brother, Zectwalris, remained silent and didn't seem to care about anything.
"Big brother, because of you... you took first place so easily that this pig got the wrong idea! That it's easy to win a brutal competition and reach the top!" (Exarga)
It was also Exarga's own complaint.
He was constantly compared to his overly talented older brother and never had a moment of peace. Even if he ran desperately and gave it his all, his father would never be satisfied unless he came in first, just like his eldest brother.
If he got the second place, his father would scold him, saying, "Why can't you get first place like your brother?"
The same was true for his younger brother, Idhir. For his younger brother, who learned things slowly, this must have been a torture with no way out. He was a foolish father who only valued the number one. There was no way he had any patience.
"Moreover, do you know what the year Idhir is in is called?! It's the 'Golden 139th Class'!? Have you ever thought about how tough it must be to be surrounded by classmates who are far more formidable than my generation or my eldest brother's, yet still be expected to remain number one?!" (Exarga)
"But Zectwalris and you did you actually get first place...?!" (Father)
"I'm telling you, you pig, don't you have the intelligence to even imagine how difficult that is!!" (Exarga)
He repeatedly called his real father a "pig" as he no longer had any consideration left for this foolish father.
Even though he was his father's son, he was no longer a child. He was now a full-fledged knight and an independent adult. His confidence ignited a rebellious spirit against his biological father, something he had never been able to defy until now.
"Do you think I’ll remain a child who knows nothing… forever? The other day at a gathering, I met a gentleman of your generation who loved to talk. What he taught me, father?" (Exarga)
"Wh, what...?" (Father)
"When you were a student, at your best you were ranked around fortieth." (Exarga)
How dare a guy like that demand his sons to always come first as if that were a given. His blood boiling from his yelling began to return to normal. Exarga took a steadying breath and said:
"If you have disowned Idhir, this is a good opportunity. I will also cut ties with you, Father. I have always felt suffocated by your carefree pressure. I want to be free of it." (Exarga)
"What are you saying, you're my proud son...?!" (Father)
"Big Brother, you have no complaints?" (Exarga)
Ignoring his flustered father, Exarga turned his attention to his brother. In the end, it was clear that the person who needed the most attention in this household was the eldest brother, who had already achieved dozens of times more than his father, the current head of the family, at a young age.
"...I don't want to be bothered with trivial matters other than my mission." (Zectwalris)
"Then, may I do as I please?" (Exarga)
"That's what you said." (Zectwalris)
Feeling that he had wasted his time, the eldest brother stood up and left the room. It seemed as if he truly didn't care about anything other than his duties as a knight.
"I'll excuse myself. This is someone else's house and I'll never have anything to do with it again." (Exarga)
Exarga also left without any hesitation. The only thing on his mind was his younger brother, Idhir. His most urgent task was to find and protect his younger brother, who had been banished from home.
From this day onwards, the collapse of the prestigious Zirahar family began.
Author's Note
This is the end of the first day posts.
I plan to continue updating once a day for a while.
Thank you very much.
Translation Note
Thanks to Otaku Hikikomori for proof-reading and corrections