Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 64: Before the Tournament Continues (Part II)…

-----Julius’s POV-----

“And so, after many great tribulations and a lot of effort, the building of this very academy was finally completed.” After about twenty minutes Ophelia’s husband, Raphael, had finally ended his speech.

“Dear gods, finally…” Felicia who was standing by my right whispered before letting out a huge sigh of relief.

“As much as I might like history, this was a little too much… It is just as I expected… The Vice Principal still lives up to his reputation…” Myria who was standing by my left just nodded weakly in response.

“What are you talking about? I think it was very educational. Sure, he might have gone off the rails for a little, but I definitely understood everything and I enjoyed his storytelling.” I said with a lot of satisfaction after learning some of the more obscure stories about the Blaise Academy.

“Did you really enjoy it?” Felicia looked at me with a baffled expression.

“I sure did.” I nodded. “I mean, who would have thought that the main building of the Blaise Academy was built by a hero.” I said while recalling what I just learned.

The others around me might disagree, but I had fun learning something new.

“I suppose it can be educational the first time one hears the story…” Myria said awkwardly. “After the third time, however…” She had a strained smile on her face.

“Are you done? All the participants are already here. They all have been here for a while now…” The sleep-deprived professor, Dante, said with a depressed look on his face.

“Oh… Would you look at that, you’re right.” Raphael had only noticed now the presence of the other 29 participants. “That’s good, I suppose. Can you prepare the brackets for the next phase, Dante?” Raphael asked without using his loudspeaker wind magic.

“They are already done… Had a lot of time considering that you were really into your storytelling.” Dante let out a big sigh.

“Really?” Raphael was a little stunned. “Ahem! Then let us proceed. I shall let you do the honors then, Dante.” The vice principal quickly composed himself and encouraged the professor.

“What a great pleasure…” Dante let out a huge sigh before looking at us and using the same spell Raphael and Ophelia had used before. “Alright, let’s get this over with. We all have places to be, we all want to witness some duels, and we all want to return to our investigations. I will explain the rules now and display the brackets for everyone to see. Are you okay with that? Good.” Dante quickly displayed that he wasn’t beating around the bush whether everyone liked it or not.

Well, better get ready… I wonder who I will be fighting next. I hope I can continue my duel with Felicia.

“The battles in this phase of the tournament will not take place in any of the arenas. What do I mean by this? Simple, since most of you are not aware of this fact, the magic that allowed you to watch what was happening in the other coliseums was all mine. As you can already guess, that means that I am a Spatial Magician. I intend to use my magic to create a separate dimension for our participants to fight at their heart’s content.” Dante explained with annoyance.

(A Spatial Magician… I assume that this is the guy you originally wanted me to meet to become my teacher, isn’t he?) I asked Lia.

(Correct. Although, I suppose it was way better to have Sarana teach you instead. I believe you can tell why after seeing Dante’s personality.) The goddess explained in a deadpan tone.

(He does seem a little hasty…) I nodded in agreement.

“The rules will be simple. All the battles from now on will be individual duels, in other words, 1 against 1. You have twenty minutes in that alternate dimension to defeat your opponent. 

As you may have guessed killing is strictly forbidden, but it is doubtful that you will be able to break that rule as you will still have to wear the bracelets we gave you to avoid casualties. If your bracelet is broken, you will be considered disqualified and then teleported to the infirmary, no questions asked. 

If both are still standing after twenty minutes, the one with the least damaged bracelet wins. You can surrender at any point during the battle too. Lastly, the scenario in which your battle will take place shall be discussed with your opponent, the vice principal, and me beforehand. The exact scenario will be decided with a coin. Those are all the important rules of this phase, everything else does not matter.” Dante looked like he was really in a rush to leave this place.

I see… So the rules are pretty much the same as the preliminaries, though I do wonder what these separate dimensions will look like.

While I was a little lost in thought, I heard how someone suddenly snapped their fingers, and subsequently then felt a strange vibration on the arm where I had my bracelet.

Pretty much all of the participants were looking at one another with expressions of mild discomfort. Myria looked a little dizzy and all. It was Dante the one responsible for the snap just moments ago…

“I have replaced all of your damaged bracelets. With this, we should be able to save a lot of time.” Dante said while tapping his foot with annoyance. 

I was quick to spot the differences between the old one that I was using until a few moments ago and the new one that had just replaced it. He really had replaced all of the bracelets with his magic…

“I don’t want to delay this any further, but you’re also supposed to have this…”He then proceeded to snap his fingers once more.

As soon as his fingers were snapped, several round tables and chairs appeared around Raphael and Dante. All tables were decorated with tablecloths, candles, fine plates, cutlery, and the whole shebang. The tables were also filled with all kinds of extravagant food and beverages as well as all types of potions, including the universally dreaded stamina potions…

“The participants will be allowed to have a meal, a drink, a potion, or just sit down if they wish to do so while they are not fighting. So please take a seat wherever you like, I don’t really care. When you do, I will announce the brackets and those who are going to fight first.” Dante pointed at the tables with a great sense of urgency.

Most of the participants, myself included, did not complain in the slightest about this arrangement. It didn’t take long for everyone to decide where they wanted to sit, which left me and my temporary team members to decide what to do…

“How about the three of us stick together? I mean, you knocked out everyone in my original group so it is only fair that you accept, Julius.” Felicia suddenly nudged me while teasing me a little. “What do you say, Myria? Do you want to join or are you going to sit with someone else?” Felicia asked the dwarven girl.

“I’m obviously going to sit with you two! In fact, I was going to suggest the same thing! We might as well stay together until the end!” Myria seemed very happy with that suggestion. She was so happy that she suddenly wrapped her arm around me.

“I mean, if it is fine with you two, I don’t really mind. The more the merrier, right?” I nodded in agreement.

“Then it is set! Let’s pick a good table only for the three of us!” Felicia seemed so excited that she looked like she was about to run off on her own.

“Aww… I suppose that means there won’t be any space for me, right?” A voice suddenly spoke to us from behind with disappointment. A voice I knew all too well.

“I was starting to wonder when you were going to decide to come and say hi, Neris.” I turned around and smiled at my friend.

The moment I turned around, I was met by the smiling face of the blue-haired squire who had become one of my closest friends in just a few short days. That squire was accompanied by a blonde-haired girl with purple eyes, a humongous witch hat, and a golden staff embedded with all kinds of jewels, that for some reason started frowning the moment I laid my eyes upon her…

“You seem to have made some friends. And here I thought to rush here to make you company but it was all for naught… Poor me, how quickly have I been replaced…” Neris crossed her arms and pouted in an exaggerated manner.

“So it would seem…” I laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of my head. “I was not expecting to make some friends out of some of my opponents, but you know how unexpected things can happen in life at times. Let me introduce them to you.” I said before looking at the ones who had become my teammates.

“There’s no need, Julius.” Neris stopped pouting and smiled at me. “I share a few classes with Felicia and I’ve spoken to Myria a few times in the library when she’s helping the teachers there.” Neris turned to the two girls accompanying me.

“It is a pleasure to be remembered by the famous [Angel of the Sword]. I’ve been dying to fight you since the moment I knew you were going to participate this year.” Felicia smiled from ear to ear after focusing her gaze on Neris.

“I can say the same thing about you, Felicia. It is really a pity that we’ve never truly had the chance to have a duel, not even a little spar.” Neris didn’t look afraid in the slightest. “But this is a great opportunity to change that, don’t you agree? She looked pretty fired up as she smiled back at Felicia.

“Yes, I can’t wait to face you in battle.” Felicia nodded in agreement.

“I’m quite surprised that you remember me… Most people don’t bother to remember my name or the name of my house.” Myria seemed a little surprised while looking at Neris.

“Of course, I’d remember, my dear Myria. You’re Myria Leona Estner, only daughter and heir to Baron Estner, a bannermen of Duchess Vauquelin. You have helped me plenty of times to search for very rare books in the library when no one else was up to the task. I would obviously remember the name of someone who’s greatly helped me in the past.” Neris spoke gently to the dwarven girl.

“Wow… You actually did remember my name and all… I’m glad. Not a bad change of pace, not gonna lie.” Myria seemed genuinely pleased that someone had remembered her.

It seems like even if you’re a noble, you might not be safe from discrimination… Truly, what a disgraceful thing. 

“Great, since you already know each thing won’t be awkward at all. Wanna sit with us, Neris?” I asked my dear friend.

“Gladly!” She replied almost instantly. She also seemed a tad bit too excited…

“Ah, of course… Before I forget…” Before our group could finally take a seat, there was still one thing left to do. “I’m sorry about my manners. My name is Julius Navar, it is a pleasure to meet one of Neris’s friends. I am pleased to become your acquaintance, my lady.” I bowed to Neris’s blonde friend after introducing myself to her.

In response, instead of introducing herself back, she just stared at me as if she was analyzing me from head to toe. Almost as if she was looking for something specific.

“So this is the one… I see…” The girl nodded to herself before smiling at Neris. “I think I can understand your motives now.” She said to her friend while having a smug look on her face.

“Motives?” I couldn’t help but look at Neris, who in turn was averting her gaze and looking a little embarrassed.

“Heed no mind to that. It is just some silly talk Neris and I had on the way here.” That smug look on the girl’s face soon turned into a polite smile. “I have to say that I am very impressed by your performance in the preliminaries, son of the Skull Crusher. To think that such a young boy would be capable of such demonstration of skill and might. It was an astonishing spectacle!” The girl didn’t hesitate in the slightest to praise me.

“I thank you for your compliments, my lady.” I bowed and then smiled at the girl. “If it is not much trouble, may you tell me your name?” I asked the blonde girl.

“But of course! Where are my manners?” The girl laughed before nodding. “As a proud member of the honorable House Smotia and heir of my household, I am pleased to meet you, Julius son of the Skull Crusher. My name is Zoe Alluriana Marcela Emiliana Therese Sofia Marie Smotia. Since Neris seems to hold you in such high regard as a friend of hers, please feel free to call me Zoe.” The girl, or rather, Zoe smiled proudly as she introduced herself to me.

Holy crap, that is a long name… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to remember it all… I’ll make sure to write it down as soon as I can. It is a good thing that I had Lia to help with this if I forget…

But I see… So she’s the daughter of the Marquis Smotia. Now it makes sense why she and Neris were together. House Smotia and House Shtrel have been allies for centuries since their territories border one another.

If I remember correctly, there’s also a saying about both houses… I believe it was: “If there’s a Smotia, there always must be a Shtrel close by.”

“That is a great honor, my lady. You have my infinite gratitude.” I thanked Zoe.

“Just call me Zoe and please drop the formalities. You’re Neris’s friend which in turn also makes you my friend. I hope that you don’t mind if I just call you Julius from now on.” Zoe leaned more closely and winked at me.

“Very well, I shall do just that Zoe. I’m happy that we have become friends.” I smiled at the noble girl while wondering what was wink for…

(Oh, you clearly know what that was about!) Thiasis said with annoyance.

(If any of you guys is shipping me with this girl, stop it now.) I replied, completely unamused.

“Oh, believe me! I am just as happy as you are, Julius.” She replied while smiling playfully.

(There’s no need. The ships are pretty much making themselves at this point!) Catris was very amused by the current situation.

(Just to confirm, you’re not using your powers to make everyone suddenly have a crush on me or something… Right?) I asked with a great amount of concern.

(Of course not! I made a promise to you and I’m intending to keep it! Who knows what kind of cruel punishment I would be subjected to by you if tried to set you up with a girl as I did with Tiria) Catris hastily tried to ease my concerns. It was clear that she had learned her lesson.

“But I’m afraid we know too little of each other to be considered actual friends… Do you mind if I join you and the others at your table so we can chat over some tea while we wait for our matches?” Zoe asked politely, interrupting my thoughts before I could say anything back to the voices in my head.

“Of course, Zoe. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I replied with a polite smile while wondering what had I done wrong in both of my lives to be constantly teased by the two goddesses.

“Great! Then let us begin! We have no time to waste, the duels will begin soon!” Zoe did not waste any time as she said. She quickly grabbed me by the hand and started dragging me toward an empty table.

As I was being dragged, I could see both Myria and Felicia laughing to themselves while following us and Neris looking at either me or Zoe with a blank expression. I couldn’t tell what was going through her mind, but I had the feeling that it was nothing good… After a few moments of standing and looking at us blankly, Neris decided to follow us.

It didn’t take long for Zoe and me to reach the table she had picked and Felicia, Neris, and Myria decided to join us and we decided to take a seat. Most of the tables in the arena only had one or two people, and besides ours with five people, the largest only had three participants sitting at that table. Our table was the only one that was full.

The food looked really appetizing, all the beverages seemed to have been cooled off with magic, and even the potions seemed top-grade... It was clear that they wanted us to relax and to be at our best during our future duels, so they went out of their way for our comfort.

However, despite just having taken a seat, I wouldn’t be able to experience such comfort for long…

“This is much better!” Said Zoe after adjusting her seat and getting comfortable. She had taken a seat to my left… “Tell me, Julius, do you have a girlfriend? If not, do you have someone that you might like right now?” Zoe asked without any shame whatsoever. She seemed very eager to learn about this topic…

As I looked around the table, it was clear that not only Zoe but also Felicia and Myria seemed very interested in the topic. Even Neris who was seated to my right was also showing a lot of interest in it even though she had already met one of my fiancées…

Well, I suppose honesty is the best policy in this situation… 

I have a rabbit girl who has been crazy about me since the first moment we met, my adoptive sisters who quite possibly see me in a romantic light, my adoptive aunt/mentor that I definitely have a huge crush on, the Dark Goddess that told me that I’m the most important person to her, the Goddess of Love who says that her heart and soul are mine forever, that valkyrie that says she’s an old dear friend of my childhood on Earth who for some reason I cannot remember yet, and maybe the two reincarnators that are also my adoptive mother’s little sisters… Am I missing anyone else?

Ah, but of course! There’s also my old lover from my previous life that I’m trying to bring here from my former world! All perfectly normal!

So yeah, it appears that I have a lot going on for me in this life… Gods, please have mercy on me for when I reach puberty…

(I wonder… Will we grant you such mercy?) Thiasis said playfully before giggling.

I’m doomed… That is painfully clear.

“Well, it is a bit of a long story… A little complicated and a bit embarrassing as well…” I laughed awkwardly while trying to think of a way to change the topic.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m all ears!” Zoe smiled warmly. “But if it makes you feel more comfortable, you can ask me any question you want after this, and I will answer gladly.” She had a mischievous glint in her eyes while saying that.

I suppose I could simply take this opportunity to brag a little about my cute fiancées instead of dodging the question. It is not like I’m doing anything bad.

“I’ll take you up on that offer then.” I said playfully to Zoe and smiled. “Where should I start? I guess I should first tell you about my two…-” Unfortunately for me, before I even got the chance to brag someone decided to interrupt me and quite loudly for that matter.

“Everyone is seated now? Good. Drink your potions, drink some water, maybe eat a snack, shut your mouths, and look above. I will be presenting the brackets now. After that, you’ll be coming to the vice principal and me when I call your names, understood?” Dante spoke bluntly to us participants. 

“A pity… I suppose we can continue this conversation later.” Zoe was not particularly amused that our talk had been cut short.

“Here it goes. Make sure you pay close attention…” He then pointed at the huge magical sphere up above.

The sphere that was previously showing images of the other coliseums was now displaying the names of the thirty-two people who had managed to qualify for the main tournament, all shuffled in the most random manner.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that my duel was going to be the first. Most of the other participants seemed to be deep in thought searching for and analyzing their future opponents while the public was finally cheering once more since the action was about to be resumed.

“Really!? I’m on the other side of the bracket! The only way for us to continue our duel would be to reach the finals and I would have to face Midnight Starlight for that to happen!” Felicia crossed her arms and sank into her seat, looking quite furious. She was obviously disappointed that we couldn’t resume our battle.

Midnight Starlight… If I remember correctly, that should be Ophelia's son, Alberis. From what I’ve been told by Ophelia and Neris, he is the strongest student in the academy. 

I wonder how strong he actually is… I guess that I’ll find out when his match begins.

Though, I have to admit that the thought of facing the strongest person this academy has to offer excites me beyond belief… 

“The same could be said about me. We would need to face each other in the semifinals and that would only be if any of us manage to defeat my cousin. I didn’t really want to think about it too much, but I was sort of expecting something like this to happen...” Neris nodded and let out a sigh.

“You two are talking as if you have already accepted defeat! What happened with all that courage you had before Neris while coming here? Didn’t you say you were going to show your cousin who’s boss!?” Zoe said fearlessly, trying to cheer up Neris.

“I’m not going to give up! I obviously have to get back at Alberis for what happened in the finals last year!” Felicia shook her head in denial. She was already ready to go.

"I share that sentiment. I recognize that for some time, I had shamefully already accepted defeat without even trying to challenge him.” Neris looked above at the magical sphere displaying the brackets. “But this time I have something that I want to accomplish. And believe when I say that I will not hesitate to face anyone who gets in my way, even my own cousin.” Her voice was filled with determination.

Something that Neris wants to accomplish huh…

“I’m not sure what you guys think, but I would be grateful if I even made it past the first round.” Myria seemed to be lacking a bit of confidence in herself.

“I don’t know what you want to achieve, but you know that you have all of my support no matter what you do.” I smiled at Neris, trying to encourage her. “Also, you shouldn’t speak like that Myria. You eliminated a guy with one hit and you protected both Felicia and me with your magic. If anything, I would say that you’re one of the most dangerous participants in this tournament.” I expressed my honest admiration for the dwarven girl.

She’s also the apostle of the Goddess of Virtue. There’s no way for her to be weak. The guy she knocked out cold with just her wooden staff is just a tiny proof of that.

“If you put it that way, it makes me feel a little motivated to win...” Myria nodded shyly while averting her gaze.

“Well said!” Zoe looked at me and nodded in approval. “Did you hear that Neris? You have all of his support, so you really need to give your all in this tournament.” Zoe spoke to her friend with increasing amusement.

“S-S-Shut up! I-I-I was already planning to do that!” Neris got embarrassed after Zoe decided to tease her.

“Alright, alright. You already know what you have to do anyway.” Zoe giggled in response before suddenly looking at me. Her gaze became very sharp and confident all of a sudden. “Back to the topic, it appears that you and I will have to face each other in the quarterfinals… I believe that I should tell you that even if we are friends now, I don’t plan to hold back. I will face you will all I have.” The blonde-haired girl said with a grin.

“That is fine by me, Zoe. I would be very offended if you were to hold back.” I smiled back at Zoe. “Of course, I’m going to extend to you the same courtesy. So let us both do our best and make sure to not get disqualified before our match.” I said confidently to the girl sitting by my side.

“Very well! That’s what I like to hear!” Zoe looked very pleased by my words. “Then how about this? Let’s play a little game! The winner of our match will have the right to give the loser a single order that they are not allowed to refuse. What do you think, Julius? Do you feel brave enough to accept?” A very malicious expression suddenly appeared on Zoe’s face.

Hmm… I don’t know about this, chief… This seems like a typical situation that will clearly backfire on the two of us. Sounds fun. I hope you notice the sarcasm there.

“Zoe, what do you…-” Neris tried to intervene, but she was rapidly interrupted by her friend.

“Neris, this is between Julius and me. We will only play such a game if he agrees to play, so don’t worry. It is not like I’m going to order him to do something outrageous if I win, you know?” Zoe explained to Neris. “If you say anything else, I will tell him your secret right now, so please remain cute and quiet, my dear friend.” She winked at her friend from ear to ear before looking back at me.

In response to that clear threat, Neris became pale. She looked so pale that it was almost as if she had seen a ghost. She looked a little terrified. Still, she did what she was told.

“So, let’s say that I might consider accepting… If I win, I can order you to do whatever I want without any kind of limitations?” I asked the blonde-haired girl with increasing curiosity.

“Now you’re making me wonder what kind of order you’re thinking to make me follow…” Zoe acted like she was suddenly deeply afraid of me. “Just kidding! But yes, as long as it is not a crime or something impossible to achieve, then you can order whatever you want.” Zoe smiled fearlessly while looking at me.

“Hmm… I don’t know… It sounds too good to be true and a little suspicious.” I looked at Zoe with a lot of doubt.

“Jeez… Not convinced? Then how about this? I’ll tell you what I will order you to do if I win.” Zoe looked a little bothered before suddenly looking at the other girls at the table. Besides Neris who seemed apologetic toward me, Felicia and Myria were watching me and Zoe with interest. “If I win, you’ll have to take Neris and the rest of us here present on a date. How does that sound?” Zoe suddenly smiled from ear to ear while wrapping her arm around me.

(See? What did I tell you? Things are getting interesting now!) Catris appeared to be very amused by this situation.

“Oi! Why are you getting me involved in this!?” Felicia complained while slamming her fists on the table.

“Umm… That’s a bit…” Myria looked a little troubled by Zoe’s proposal.

“Oh my, I could’ve sworn that the two of you would have liked to have an opportunity to spend some time alone with Julius.” Zoe looked at Felicia and Myria with a bit of confusion before turning back to me. “I mean, I very much intend to spend some time alone to get to know him better. After all, I believe that he will be getting invitations and letters from pretty much all noble girls our age after the tournament is over. He might not even have the time for a small chit-chat later, do you understand what I mean?” Zoe spoke as if she was certain of what was going to happen.

Well… Judging by my luck until now, I wouldn’t discard the possibility of something like that happening… And considering that I became the apostle of the Goddess of Love… Well… Let’s just say that I’m not looking forward to that.

“Hmm…” For a moment, Felicia’s anger disappeared completely. She was simply looking at me while lost in thought.

“That’s also a bit… Well, maybe if it wouldn’t be so bad considering that…-” Myria suddenly started muttering something to herself.

Zoe… This girl might be a little more dangerous than I thought… I don’t know if I should be glad that she is Neris’s friend or not…

“I mean, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I haven’t agreed to it either.” I tried to reassure Felicia and Myria…

“Really? Then how about I add a little incentive for you?” Zoe suddenly decided to rest her chin on my shoulder. “If you manage to win against me, besides the order you will be able to give me, I will also be giving you a wonderful gift! I can’t say what it is because it would spoil the surprise, but how does it sound? I can assure you that it is something of great value! It is a win-win for you if you think about it! If you win, you get to order around a cute girl like me and a gift. If you lose, you get to date four cute noble girls. Most boys I know would probably kill to have such an opportunity. Some of them would even lose deliberately just to go on a date with four different girls, you know?” An innocent smile appeared on her face while trying to convince me.

Ah… I see what this is about. She’s trying to test me, isn’t she? After all, what would she gain from all of this? Why would she offer things that would only benefit me? Whether I win or lose, it doesn’t matter…

(Ding Ding ding! You hit right in the nail!) Thiasis quickly confirmed my suspicions.

(This is just an attempt to ascertain what kind of person you are and judge your character.) Lia agreed with her other half.

(So? Should I accept? Do you think it is safe?) I asked the goddesses.

(Yes! And then you must fake a sudden illness during your duel and lose on purpose so you can get the dates with…- OWWIE! Why do you have to hit me, Lia!? I was clearly just joking!) Catris let out a helpless yelp because of Lia…

(Sorry, I heard something really dumb coming out of your mouth so I couldn’t hold back.) Lia said coldly. (I believe you should accept her little game. I think it is needless to say that you have to do your best to win… Absolutely do not lose on purpose you hear me?) Lia said firmly.

(Umm… Why would I lose on purpose? I’m not that dumb. You know that my objective is to win the tournament.) I said to Lia, a little annoyed and offended.

(Let’s just say that your ancestors are prone to screwing things up while being horny, so… I know you wouldn’t do such a thing, but I just wanted to make sure, okay?) Lia sounded a little disappointed in my family for some reason.

(Now I can’t help but wonder about what you mean by that…) I said to Lia before focusing on Zoe.

“Okay, it does sound a little tempting now. But what do you get out of all this? The conditions are good for me but they aren’t really that great for you.” I asked Zoe while pretending to be a little interested now.

“Nothing, really. Truth be told, I just get bored very quickly and I thought this would be a great game and a way to pass the time until the finals.” Zoe answered my question truthfully. “I also like to have a few handicaps so things are fair for my opponents.” Zoe immediately grinned from ear to ear.

It appears that she’s also underestimating me… That’s a little annoying…

“Hmm…” I just looked at Zoe with a blank expression, pretending that I was thinking hard about accepting her game. “The offer is fine and all, but are you really fine with going out with me or being ordered around by me? I am a commoner after all.” I asked Zoe.

“Why would I mind that? You’re already mingling here with us in the tournament, are you not?” Zoe answered my question with another question. “While I do believe that social standing and prestige are important, I believe that a person should only be judged by their skills and their personalities. The gods made us all the same, didn’t they?” She showed me a coy smile.

“I see…” I nodded in understanding.

Unfortunately, before I could give her my answer after pretending to ponder about it all some more, Dante decided that it was time for the show to continue.

“Alright! I believe you had enough time to recover and memorize the brackets.” Dante’s voice echoed through the arena once more. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will resume the tournament now. Julius Navar, Rodrigue Shenia, Arnault Fugrad, and Matthew Asha… Please come to the center of the arena right this instant before I lose my patience and teleport you all here.” Dante immediately called my name and others from my half of the bracket. He really seemed to be in a hurry this time around…

“Sheesh… Just when things were getting interesting…” Zoe pouted and looked quite annoyed. “It can’t be helped… I suppose I can let you take your time while you go for your first duel. You can tell me your answer after you win, okay? Good luck!” Zoe winked at me once more before finally releasing me from her embrace.

“Pfft! Like he would need it! He kept up with me back in the preliminaries. There’s no way he would lose in the first round.” Felicia looked at me and gave me a confident nod.

It seems she has quite a bit of faith in me… It would be all good if she hadn’t suddenly raised such an unfortunate flag this early on…

“I think so too! Your magic back there was incredible and you were casting so quickly! You obviously got this in the bag!” For the first time since I met her, I was able to see Myria acting very confidently.

“May the Goddess of Victory smile upon you, my dear friend.” Neris said to me almost as if she was praying. She still looked a little pale still. “I would wish you good luck, but after all I have seen so far, I don’t think that you will need it, Julius.” She smiled warmly before giving me the thumbs up.

“Thank you very much!” I smiled at the four girls after getting up from my seat. “I’ll see you all later then.” I said before walking towards the center of the arena, all under the heavy gazes of the other participants.

It didn’t take long for me to reach the vice principal and the professor that were now serving as the hosts of the tournament. As soon as I arrived, I was able to meet the other participants who had also been called.

All three of the other participants were men. 

One of them was a human boy who had short dirty blonde hair, with blue eyes, and who appeared to be around 1.70 meters tall. He was wearing a piece of leather armor on his chest over his uniform. He was carrying a glaive on his back. He seemed to be around 15 years of age. He stood there with an obnoxiously proud expression.

Another one of them was a dwarven boy with long braided brown hair, and blue eyes, who appeared to be around 1.47 meters tall. He was wearing an iron helmet with horns on the side and instead of full plate armor, he was wearing only a few pieces of armor all covering strategic areas of his body without restricting his movements. He was holding a mighty battle axe in his hands, intimidating enough to match his lush dwarven beard. Without taking that same beard into account, he appeared to be 14 years old. I couldn’t be completely sure of it due to his race… He appeared to be a little annoyed by the attitude of the human boy.

And the final one was an elven boy who had light brown hair which was arranged into a short ponytail and long bangs that covered one side of his face, he seemed to have green eyes and seemed to be around 1.80 meters tall. He was not wearing any armor at all, just like me. But contrary to me, he was covering most of his face with a cloak. As for his choice of weapon, he was carrying a bow in his hands and had a quiver full of arrows on his back. He looked at the three of us rather coldly.

(That elven boy is Rodrigue. In other words, he’s going to be your first opponent. Don’t take him lightly.) Lia spoke in an encouraging manner despite her usual cold tone.

Soon, all four of us lined up in front of vice principal Raphael and Professor Dante, waiting for their instruction. Before they could say anything at all, the masses did what they do best and they cheered on for us, clearly impatient for the battles to begin once again.

Once the cheers finally died down after a few moments, Raphael was the one to break the silence while looking at me.

“Julius, isn’t it? May I ask where’s your weapon? Are you planning to participate using only martial arts as you did in the preliminaries?” Raphael asked me.

“If you didn’t bring any weapon with you for the tournament, I can provide you one without issue.” Dante said while looking a little annoyed.

“Thank you for asking, but there’s no need. I do have my own weapon that I’m planning on using.” I replied before closing my eyes and focusing.

<It is finally time, Master?> Dying Scarlet’s voice echoed in my mind.

(Yes. I already had a chance to see how much my martial arts had improved, not it is time that I put my new companion to proper use.) I said to the scarlet scythe which resided deep within my soul. (I just have one request. Can you turn yourself into a bow like you did the other day? I want to see if I can measure myself against my opponent who is an actual archer.) I asked Remillia.

<That will not be an issue, Master. I can take the shape of [Verdant Destruction] at will whenever I like. Although, I can only imitate its abilities to a limited extent. So do not expect me to always hit the mark, because only [Verdant Destruction] will never fail.> Remillia warned me about what my request entailed.

(That is fine by me. Just leave the aiming to me.) I agreed. (I will summon you now then.) I said to the scythe before extending my right hand forward.

As soon as I did that, I started to feel a fuzzy warmness gathering in my chest, almost as if my mana was naturally gathering there. Immediately after that, I felt as if a small drop of that warm mana came out of my chest and was placed in my hand.

When I opened my eyes, I was met with a majestic white bow the same color as ivory. The body of the bow itself was filled with carvings of powerful combinations of runes that I couldn’t even begin to decipher at all. Such a bow was now resting upon my right hand. Though, It was just the bow… I had no arrows and the bow itself lacked a string. But that was not a problem, at least it wasn’t thanks to Remillia.

“I see… I didn’t expect you to be a Spatial Magician as well.” Dante look unfazed by the way I had summoned my weapon. “Though I must admit that I had never seen someone pull an object out of their [Item Box] in that kind of manner.” He looked at me for a bit with interest before looking away with a serious expression on his face.

“I learned recently that I was able to use this kind of magic, so [Item Box] is one of the spells I’m trying to master.” I lied to him as naturally as I was breathing.

The reality is that I cannot use [Item Box] just yet. I’ve only had a few days to learn the basic principles of Spatial Magic under Sarana. The only spell I’ve been able to pull off was [Teleport] and even then, that was kind of an accident.

“A lot more people capable of using Spatial Magic have been appearing all over the Empire in the last few years. We can only thank the Gods for such a wonderful occurrence!” Raphael said while brushing his beard with his hand.

“Yes, yes, good luck in the process of learning or whatever… Let us proceed then.” Dante said after letting out a tired sigh. “Julius and Rodrigue, please choose the scenario in which you will battle. As I explained before, we will decide with a coin. Make it quick.” Dante said as he pulled a gold coin out of his pocket.

Sheesh… He really must be in a hurry. He seems like he doesn’t want to be here, but doesn’t have a choice on the matter. I kinda pity him a bit.

While I was having those thoughts about the professor, my opponent the young elf with the hood took a step forward.

“Professor, are you familiar with my family’s territory?” Rodrigue asked Dante.

“Of course. I’ve been all over the Empire and I know each and every corner of our nation.” He nodded. “In summary, you want to fight in the infamous Field of Illusions right at the feet of the Riltza Mountain Range in the small Barony of Shenia, correct?” Dante asked for confirmation.

“That is correct professor, yes.” The elven young man just nodded to confirm his decision.

“What about you, son of the Skull Crusher? Any place in particular that you have in mind?” Dante turned to me and asked.

“No, I’m fine with Rodrigue’s decision. I’ll roll with it.” I said to the professor with a smile.

“Really? That might be a huge mistake, you know? You might be defeated by your enemy just by giving him the terrain advantage.” Dante asked me again for confirmation.

“I agree with Professor Dante… Are you certain of your decision?” Raphael asked with a concerned expression.

“I’m certain. If I needed to depend on a particular place to win, I wouldn’t be here participating in this tournament, you know?” I nodded in response.

I need to follow my dad’s advice. I must use this opportunity to learn not only from my opponents but also from myself... My limitations and theirs, their greatest strengths and weaknesses as well as my own, and most importantly, the only way to know how to overcome a disadvantageous situation is through experience.

Yeah, I could tell Dante that I want to choose to fight in the Forest of Falgren, my home terrain, but this is a great opportunity to experience how to fight in other environments and it would be a waste not to use it.

I also believe that I am strong enough to overcome whatever challenge my opponent might throw at me. After all, I also have Dying Scarlet with me.

(I’m counting on you, Remi.) I said to the bow in my hands.

<Leave it to me, Master.> The scythe replied, eager to show off its power.

“Straight to the point huh?” Dante suddenly looked to the ground. A smile quickly formed on his face. “I think I might take a liking to you.” He looked at me while keeping that same genuine smile.

It was the first time that I had seen Dante show another emotion other than annoyance.

“We won’t be needing the coin for these two it seems.” Dante then raised his hand and pointed at Rodrigue and Me. “I will send the two of you to your desired battlefield. You will be on opposite ends of your small battle arena and the battle will begin as soon as I announce it, am I clear?” He asked for confirmation one final time.

“Aye.” Both my opponent and I spoke in unison.

“Off you go then. May the boldest of the two of you win this battle.” Dante said just he activated his magic.

Just like in my previous practices with Sarana, I could feel how my field of view suddenly became blurry and my whole body started to vibrate uncontrollably… A few moments after that phenomenon began, I was teleported away from the coliseum.

Chapter 64: Before the Tournament Continues (Part II)…

END

GodlyKamui

Heya! A new chapter is finally here! How are y'all doing? I've been well myself, but haven't had much time lately thanks to the whole Christmas season sales back at my job and watching the World Cup with my family (not that much of a fan of soccer tho), but I managed to push through and finish this one.

I have not much to say about this chapter other than I had a lot of fun writing it, Neris made a huge mistake by spilling the beans to Zoe, and also, it was quite funny when Julius thought how screwed he was thanks to his somewhat tempestuous future romantic life. Boy, Zoe's match against Julius will be fun to write! 

Zoe as she basically proposes more or less the same bet that Gael did in the previous chapters:

Julius as he realizes the trouble he will face when he grows a little older:

Dante's expression throughout the whole event:

As usual, I do hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please don't forget to comment and leave some hearts since that motivates me to continue writing the story! Also, join the discord to talk about the story and see the new picrew/NovelAI character illustrations I'm working on! Here's the link: https://discord.gg/uH6APbzrFR

Buh-bye!