Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 66: The “Real” Zoe Smotia.

-----Julius's POV-----

I was able to secure my first victory in the main tournament. After 8 minutes of dueling against the archer Rodrigue Shenia, I emerged victorious from the alternate dimension which served as our battlefield.

As I abandoned the alternate dimension and returned to the arena, I was suddenly met by the loud cheers of the masses…

"Skull Kid! Skull Kid! Skull Kid!" The smallfolk were shouting my new title with delight.

Sigh… I suppose that title will stick as my nickname until the end of time. I bet Dad must be delighted to hear this.

Thanks to my previous opponent, I gained the title of [Skull Kid] during the last moments of our duel.

I was already sorta expecting to get a weird title during the tournament, but I didn't expect to get one so soon, especially one in honor of my dad.

(I think the title suits you! Well done!) Catris said happily.

(You can bet that your father is proud and happy about you getting a nickname similar to his. You probably can't hear it, but he's laughing like crazy right now.) Lia said in her usual cold tone. (Also, you did really well back there. A little bit flashy at the end, but you were great.) Despite her cold demeanor, I could yell that there was some warmness in her voice.

Yeah, I think things ended in quite a flashy manner as well… That was mostly due to the fact I still can't properly control Remillia's power.

At the end of my duel with Rodrigue just mere moments ago, I intended to just shoot an arrow at his bracelet and end it all, however, I kinda got a bit too excited there and made a full-powered arrow causing a huge explosion as soon as it hit the ground along with Rodrigue.

I mean, it is only natural that something like that would happen as I became Dying Scarlet's wielder just a few days ago.

<Don't sell yourself short, Master. While your technique might be a little sloppy in some places, you're one of the few who has managed to be able to draw out so much of my power in just a short time. We just need a little bit more time to get acquainted with each other and then we'll become unstoppable together.> Remillia spoke in my mind in a very excited manner despite her usual somber voice.

(Thanks, Remi. I suppose you're right about that. Practice makes perfect, after all.) I agreed with Remillia.

Still, I can't say that using such a move didn't affect me as well, though… After using Dying Scarlet power to transform into Verdant Destruction and all the traps I set up for the duel, about 45% of my total mana remains now… This only means that I’m in urgent need of drinking a mana potion and I am not looking forward to it in the slightest.

Sigh… Abyssal weapons can really take a whole lot out of you when you're not used to using them in combat…

(You know? I don't think it was that flashy! In fact, I genuinely think that it was amazing! I'm a firm believer that everything that ends with an explosion is definitely cool!) Thiasis, on the other hand, was acting excited just as usual.

(Is that so? Then I believe that you and a certain famous movie director would get along, Thiasis.) I said jokingly. (But thank you for supporting me, all of you.) I didn't forget to thank the three goddesses.

After that small interaction with the three deities, I was quickly approached by Dante and Raphael.

"Congratulations on your victory." Dante said to me with a barely noticeable smirk.

"It was a marvelous display of skill. As expected of someone raised by the Skull Crusher and the Crimson Witch." Raphael, on the other hand, looked very excited.

"Thank you very much." I bowed respectfully to the two, just like Professor Tian had taught me.

“I was also impressed by the quality of your weapon. I would have never imagined that it was actually a bow when you summoned it.” Raphael got closer to me trying to appraise Dying Scarlet. “I hope not to come across as rude, but would you be willing to tell me about the origins of your weapon? A weapon with such power capable of besting the bow that House Shenia has possessed for generations is certainly an object of interest for all of us, Julius.” Raphael asked while looking at me with an intense gaze.

“No comment.” I shook my head and smiled politely as I made Remillia disappear and return to my soul.

It is simply for the better not to spread any information about Dying Scarlet to anyone other than my family and those I’m close to. I’m sure that no one would actually believe that Remillia was actually an Abyssal Weapon made by the original Demon King during the Thousand-Year War, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

There’s also the fact that one of the Laurent thugs had Dying Scarlet before I was its wielder, so if someone actually believed me about the origin of the weapon, it would just cause unnecessary uproar when they are told that about that fact.

“I see… That’s a real shame actually…” Raphael looked immensely dejected. He looked like he was about to start sulking in a corner.

“Now, now… We can’t have our special participant divulge all of his secrets here where all of his potential opponents could hear. Save that for later, okay gramps?” Dante said to Raphael while having a playful smirk on his face. He didn’t look as depressed as he did before…

“Rude! I told you not to call me that again!” Raphael naturally got angry thanks to Dante.

“Right, right… Anyway, you can go back and take a seat again. It will take a bit for your next match to begin so feel free to have a meal, drink a potion, and enjoy the show.” Dante seemed to act more friendly with me for some reason. “I have to admit that I also feel some curiosity about you. More specifically about the way you used your magic during your duel. I hope we can have a chat when the tournament is over. Now move along, we only have a few moments left before your next opponent is decided.” He said before motioning me to go back to my table.

Just as he had said, there were no traces of the Human or the Dwarven students around. The moment I looked above to the magical sphere was when I noticed that the two of them were still engaging in a fierce battle. The two of them were evenly matched in pure skill and raw power, both struggling to get past the defenses of the other, but it was only a matter of time before the winner of their duel was decided.

“Very well, I suppose that I shall take you up on your offer.” I said to Dante before bowing at him and the vice principal again.

After that, I accepted Dante’s suggestion and decided to return to the table I was sitting at before my duel started. Naturally, the friends I made during this event were still all sitting there.

Even as I walked to the table and took a seat, the smallfolk continued to cheer and clap for me while everyone at the table just looked at me silently with blank expressions. It was only when the crowds finally got tired and grew quiet that someone at my table decided to speak again.

Oh, before I forget… During that time, my next opponent was announced. The winner of the other duel had been the dwarf with the battle axe. A guy named Matthew Asha.

“I have to admit that that was quite an extraordinary duel.” Zoe suddenly leaned closer to me and smiled. “I suppose we couldn’t have expected less from the son of the mighty Skull Crusher and the fearsome Crimson Witch. Congratulations on your victory, I was certainly at the edge of my seat while watching such a spectacle unfold.” She said with excitement.

While Zoe spoke, Felicia, Myria, and Neris just looked at the two of us with interest.

“Thank you very much. That is good to hear, but I think that you might be overestimating me a bit this time around.” I smiled back at Zoe as I tried to remind her of what she said before my duel started.

I really hope that she forgot about the game she suggested earlier… It is not like I will lose on purpose, but it feels a bit annoying to be tested like that.

(About that…) Catris suddenly spoke in my mind in a very awkward manner.

Sigh… I guess we’re doing that either way… Might as well accept her little game to let her find out what she wants to know about me and be done with it. I do admit that I have an interest in what she’s planning to give me as a gift if I manage to win though… I do hope it is some tasty food.

(You could always ask me if you want to know, but I can assure you that it is not food…) Lia also spoke in my mind in an awkward manner. 

(It is not food? A shame… Also, I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Not knowing what you’re going to win sometimes helps with motivation, you know? Thank you anyway, Lia.) I was a little disappointed but I still thanked the goddess. 

“I’m certain that I’m not overestimating anyone. I’m quite talented when it comes to determining the strength of other people, you know? Not that I need to use this particular talent this time, however, as it is pretty much clear to everyone here what you’re capable of.” Zoe said casually while pointing at the participants at the other tables.

Oh…

Just as my gaze followed to look at what Zoe was pointing at, I realized that the gazes of pretty much all the other participants were fixated on our table. For the first time since the tournament began, I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward all of a sudden.

Jeez… They could try to act casually or at the very least try to hide those intense looks they have on their faces… Well, I can’t say that I am not getting fired up now thanks to those gazes.

“Now, I know that you might be a bit tired from your duel, but I would like to hear your answer to my proposal before my duel begins.” Zoe got so close to me that it almost appeared that she was about to hug me… “What do you say? I’ll even throw in a hug as a freebie if you accept.” She winked and smiled playfully.

Yep… As I thought, this girl is rather dangerous…

“Zoe! Stop! Didn’t we talk about this when Julius left? Stop with the bet nonsense already!” Neris shouted at her friend causing more attention to fall on our table. She had finally broken her silence.

“You only said that I should stop not that I had to stop. You weren’t particularly putting a lot of effort into opposing me either, so please stay quiet on this, Neris. You asked for my help and now you have to see this through to the end, alright?” Zoe handled Neris with a supposedly kind smile on her face. “Otherwise, I might have to tell Julius your little secret right now.” For a moment, I was certain that I saw a glimpse of malicious intent in Zoe’s eyes…

“Oh, I forgot to congratulate you, Julius! It was a spectacular fight!” Just like before my duel, Neris had once again turned very pale while trying to act excited. She nervously changed the topic.

“Thank you…” I couldn’t help but look at Zoe with a raised eyebrow. All the while Neris looked at me with an apologetic expression.

As a response to my glare, Zoe simply giggled and smiled at me and her nervous friend while giving Neris the thumbs up.

“Fine… I’ll accept your little game, Zoe.” I said while letting out a sigh. “I suppose it will be a good way to pass the time until the finals. I hope that you don’t regret having to fight with a handicap and then having to follow my orders.” I said with absolute confidence.

“Oh, daring today, aren’t we?” Zoe looked delighted. “I’m glad that you decided to accept! It will be very entertaining to see the outcome of this bet.” She smiled at me before giving me a hug.

It looks like she was not lying about giving me a hug as a freebie…

“I shouldn’t have to say this, but just for the record, I am not going to lose on purpose.” I tried to make things clear.

“Aww… Really? And here I was hoping to be taken on a date and all…” Zoe muttered with fake disappointment.

“Yep, I’m certainly not going to lose. You’re gonna regret making a bet with me, Zoe.” I smirked at the girl who was still hugging me very tightly.

“That’s what I like to hear! Things will be way more interesting that way, don’t you think?” The blonde-haired girl quickly recovered and smiled from ear to ear. “I won’t hold back either, so you better be preparing your little pouch and some coin to take us all out. Fair warning, my tastes are quite expensive, so I hope you got enough coins for that.” Zoe said in a playful manner.

As a fiery rivalry was created between me and Zoe, I was able to notice that someone else on the table was looking quite dissatisfied…

“Is there something on your mind, Felicia? This is the first time I’ve seen you so quiet.” I asked one of my new friends with concern.

“You held back against me before, didn’t you?” Felicia frowned in response. She looked really pissed off all of a sudden.

“I mean, you were holding back some of your strength too…” I replied a bit awkwardly.

“Yes, I was holding back a bit of my strength but I was fighting with my bare hands like I always do, but you, on the other hand, held back much more than you said you were and were trying to match me without using that strange bow of yours! Why didn’t you use your weapon against me!? I feel so disrespected right now!” Felicia crossed her arms and snapped at me. Her tail was completely stiff which was a clear sign of her displeasure.

"I didn't really mean to disrespect you or to make you feel like that, Felicia. Trust me, I was not holding back as much as you think. Sure, there were several occasions where thought that I would need to use my weapon or my magic, at least in the worst-case scenario… But as you said before, I really wanted to measure myself as a martial artist against you. I think it would have been much more disrespectful if I had suddenly pulled a bow and used it on you if that makes any sense." I tried to calm down Felicia.

"Hmm… I suppose I would have been much angrier if you had done that in the first place…" Felicia was able to calm down a little. "Sorry… I just got a little carried away because I thought you were way stronger than me for a moment…" She apologized while averting her gaze and generally looking a little embarrassed. Her tail was now being wagged in a much happier manner.

Sheesh… She's really a simple and honest girl, isn't she? 

"We won't know who's the strongest between the two of us for sure until we finish our duel. Whether it is in the tournament or not, we still have a score to settle, Felicia." I smiled at the embarrassed wolfkin girl.

All of a sudden Felicia's whole body suddenly tensed up and her face became a little red. All the while she continued to avert her gaze from mine.

"Never thought I would live to see the day to find someone that could easily make the wild daughter of House Gradisia blush like a fair maiden and act so meekly.” Zoe giggled in response, still not letting go of me…

“Smotia… Are you perchance looking for a fight? Because I can give you one right now if that’s what you desire.” Felicia was not amused by Zoe’s words. She looked quite ready to run hands now.

“Ooh! I would very certainly enjoy that! I’ve always wanted to have a duel against you!” Instead of backing down a little, Zoe doubled down and decided to bring me closer to her.

“Oh my, is that so? I guess the feeling is mutual then. What wouldn’t I give to shatter that precious prideful smile of yours.” Felicia said as she used her claws to scratch the table…

Sigh… I guess I should meddle in before things get ugly between them…

“Please calm down, you two… This is hardly the place or the time to fight over something like this.” After all this time, Myria finally decided to speak up. She looked far calmer than she did when we were in the preliminaries. “I know it is not my place to intervene, but Julius just made it back from his duel. It would be very inconsiderate of us to cause trouble while he recovers his strength, especially after the phenomenal spectacle we just witnessed. So can you please not provoke each other for the time being?” She decided to meddle in their small argument before I could.

“You’re right… Sorry about that.” Felicia looked at me for a moment with a difficult-to-read expression before averting her gaze again.

“A pity. I suppose we can leave having a duel for another time.” Zoe just nodded with a smile on her face. It didn’t seem like she was planning to let me go any time soon…

“Good… I already have enough on my plate trying to prevent myself from becoming a nervous mess before my match…” Myria said before letting out a heavy sigh. She appeared to be nervous once more.

I see… So she’s confident enough to be considerate towards others (that being me in this case) and intervene in arguments, but not confident enough to believe in herself… I guess I know who I’ll be rooting for soon.

“Don’t worry, Myria. I’m certain that you will do well in your match.” I said to Myria in an attempt to reassure her. “I’ll offer you all of my support, how does that sound?” I smiled at her.

“Thank you… That does help a little.” Myria smiled back and nodded shyly.

(That’s actually something Yraura loves to do.) Lia spoke to me after reading my mind, mentioning the name of the Goddess of Virtue. The goddess that Myria worshipped and served. 

(She usually chooses kind people who lack confidence as her apostles and then spends much of their time nurturing them and helping them build their self-confidence by giving them an important role.) Thiasis explained.

(Yeah, I am not particularly surprised she chose Myria. She pretty much fits all of usual her requisites.) Catris added.

(You somehow made it sound as if the Goddess of Virtue is actually a lunatic villain who preys and capitalizes on people with a clear lack of confidence to do her bidding…) I said wryly to the goddesses.

(Actually, when you put it that way… It does seem like that when you don’t know the full context.) Catris fell deep in thought.

(Don’t tell Yraura about this when you meet her, okay? You’ll probably break her fragile little heart if she were to hear something like this… Just so we are clear, she actually does this kind of thing without any kind of malicious intentions. Her only desire is to help out her followers that need her help the most. She’s the Goddess of Virtue after all. A person with a kind bleeding heart who usually puts others before herself.) Thiasis sounded really worried all of a sudden.

(Okay, I’ll be careful. I was just joking obviously, but I’ll make sure to forget about this conversation by the time I meet her.) I reassured the worried goddess.

(What’s up with that difference in treatment!? Why are you always punching me and calling me dumb, but then you treat Yraura so nicely!? You’re playing favorites! It is not fair!) Catris vehemently complained.

(I believe that I've told you in the past that this is called roughhousing.) Lia said dryly as a response to Catris’s complaints. (Also, it is not like you don’t participate either… Aren’t you always trying to play wrestling with Thiasis and Leif? Aren’t you the one who is always trying to get them to play rough with you?) The goddess asked, almost unamused.

Oh…

(Ugh… I guess you got me there…) Catris replied in a timid manner but didn’t deny the accusations.

(Also, it is kinda funny to mess with you and annoy you as much as possible while with Yraura it just makes me feel like a bad person.) Thiasis said confidently.

(That does not make me feel any better in the slightest…) Even though I couldn’t see her, I was certain that Catris was frowning.

(Let’s just put it this way, you’re far more durable and resistant than Yraura. Hence it is safer to play rough with you instead.) Lia explained.

(For the record, that still doesn’t make it better!) Catris shouted angrily.

(Really? To me, it just seems that you’re really best friends. I mean, in my past life, my friend Chris and I used to beat and annoy the crap out of each other all the time.) I decided to meddle in and help Lia and Thiasis a bit. (I never did that with my other friends because I knew that it wouldn’t be the same and that they wouldn’t be alright with that.) I explained to the goddess.

(Oh, is that so!?) Catris suddenly got excited. (I suppose that we really are the bestest of friends, aren’t we, Lia?) She said gleefully.

(Sigh… What are you saying after so long… I thought it was clear from the start…) Thiasis spoke in a very awkward and bashful manner.

(I agree…) Even the usually cold Lia seemed a little self-conscious.

(Hehehe! I’m making some friendship bracelets after this!) Catris was over the moon after listening to the other two admitting that Catris was their best friend.

Crisis successfully averted… I don’t know why, but people are more likely to get into arguments due to my presence… I really hope this is just a coincidence.

“Julius, are you still here with us?” Someone suddenly whispered in my ear. It was Zoe… She had finally let go of me, but she remained awfully close…

“Yeah… I just got a little lost in thought, sorry.” I apologized while shifting my focus from the goddesses in my head to the real world.

“I was saying that it is time for my match.” The girl said with a smile. “I’m certain that I will emerge victorious, but having a little bit of luck has never harmed anyone. Do you mind wishing me good luck?” Zoe winked as her smile turned very playful…

Because of Zoe’s playful attitude, I was able to notice that Neris was looking quite annoyed at her…

If I learned something from the time I was traveling alongside Neris and the rest of the knights, that is the exact face Neris and her companions made whenever Ophelia was trying to hog my attention… Better get this over with quickly before another argument begins in my presence…

“Sure. Good luck and have fun while you’re at it.” I said to Zoe while also trying to put some distance between us.

“Thank you! I will certainly try to have fun!” She said. “But what about a good luck kiss on the cheek? I think it will be far more effective like that…” Zoe asked while pointing at her cheek and clearly ignoring my attempts to maintain the distance between us.

Gods, Zoe is just like Ophelia when it comes to things like this… I don’t know if I should be happy or if I should regret that we became this close so soon…

“There’s no such thing as that… Don’t push it.” I got a bit annoyed by her sudden pushiness. I couldn't help but frown as well.

“A shame then… Oh, well! You will still have to go on a date with me after this is over, so we can leave it for later.” Zoe with absolute confidence before turning her back.

“We’ll see about that, Zoe…” I got annoyed by Zoe underestimating me. “I genuinely hope that you will not regret having to follow my orders later.” I had made up my mind… My thirst for battle had reached a new peak as I decided that I was going to use all I had against Zoe.

“Me? Regret it?” Zoe soon turned her head to face me and smiled more confidently than ever before. “I am Zoe Alluriana Marcela Emiliana Therese Julianne Sofia Marie Smotia, there’s simply no way for me to lose. Prepare yourself to bite the dust, Skull Kid.” Zoe winked at me one last time before hurrying toward Dante and Raphael.

Again with that nickname… I had almost forgotten about it… Also, did she just give herself another middle name? I’m not really sure…

-----Zoe’s POV-----

I, Zoe Emiliana of House Smotia, might have majorly fucked up…

Gods… Why did I have to propose such a stupid game to the son of the Skull Crusher of all people!? I know that I did for Neris’s sake, but in the name of all that is sacred, I think I might be actually stupid…

In case it isn’t clear, my usually boisterous and prideful personality is pretty much fake. A persona I created, a shell of my real self… Something I carefully crafted to be more in line with my family’s personalities and in order to protect my dear and only friend, Neris.

My family is known all over the Empire because each of our members has a loud, excitable, proud, and boisterous personality. To some, it might appear that I am just like that, but as I previously stated, it is all a fabricated farce I made in order to protect my friend.

Ever since we were little, Neris has never been good at socializing, especially when it comes to those with higher social standing than her. She was always shy and pretty reserved, only interacting with others when it was absolutely necessary.

I was her only friend and she was my only one as well. We didn’t need anyone else as we had each other. Our parents were delighted that we were pretty much best friends ever since we were born, a clear sign that the relationship between our houses was stronger than ever. Obviously, we didn’t care about that at the time as we were mere children.

Back then, I was happy with how things were. Back then, we only cared about having fun with one another… At least, that’s how things were until Neris started learning how to wield a sword.

It soon became clear that she was very talented, much to her family’s delight. “The most talented Shtrel in centuries” was what her father said about Neris that day. 

As you can imagine, such were the heavy expectations that were placed on her after her father had said that… 

Adding the fact that she had an absolute genius as a cousin, she no longer had any time to worry about playing around. In fact, she had to work twice as hard because her relatives besides her parents and her aunt Ophelia would always try to compare her progress with her cousin’s progress. 

Even other noble kids our age also started to compare her with Alberis and mock her about her not being at the same level as him and for being terribly shy… In other words, she was being bullied by morons who didn’t know a thing or two.

That is when I started pretending to be the loudest, most excitable, most proud, and most boisterous Smotia who had ever lived in all of creation. A person who could get the attention of everybody in a room without fail. That is when the loud and excitable Zoe Smotia that everyone barely manages to tolerate was born.

Now, I wasn’t as talented as Neris when it came to my own family’s talents… Those talents are dominion over magic and being the loudest people in a room. I was told that I would be a mediocre mage. And my personality was also that of a normal kid, a bit spoiled, but still a normal kid.

For the sake of my friend, I worked my butt off studying magic and learning how to mimic how all of my relatives acted, especially my own mother. All with the purpose of getting all the negative attention that Neris was receiving to be completely focused on me.

Thanks to all the hard work I put into learning magic, I was able to catch up with Neris’s talent despite being told that I would grow up to be a mediocre magician. And also, I was able to fully embrace that new boisterous persona of mine, making my plan to protect my friend a success.

Most of the people that used to compare Neris with Alberis or the kids our age who used to mock her for being shy quickly shifted their attention toward me, the loud annoying kid that always managed to piss off everybody.

And that plan has continued to be a success for years. Focusing all the negative attention on me, giving my friend the space she needed to grow and improve her ability with the sword without the judgment of others.

Even if it was hard for me to continue at times, the sight of my dearest and only friend who I love so much smiling was enough for me to go on with that farce for years. In my humble opinion, it was all more than worth it…

“Niece. I see that you’ve decided to participate this time around. I wonder what made you change your mind.” My uncle Dante, my mother’s little youngest brother, asked with his usual depressive demeanor.

I was standing in front of the vice principal and my uncle in the center of the arena. There were also three other people besides me, including my opponent but I didn’t pay any mind to them as I was stressed out of my mind and because my uncle had decided to approach me.

“What are you talking about, dear uncle? It is obvious I would participate! How else would I show the world my wonderful abilities and the glory of our beloved house?” I said to him, going back to play pretend…

Dear gods, keeping up this act can get so unbelievably tiring sometimes… I still can’t believe that it has been so easy to deceive so many people for so long.

“I assume that it is because of the Shtrel girl as usual, isn’t it?” My uncle smiled. “I figured it would be something like that. My beloved niece really worries a whole lot about her friend, doesn’t she?” Uncle Dante tried to pat my head but I immediately dodged his hand…

“Dear uncle, please don’t treat me like a kid.” I made clear my displeasure to my relative. “Also, just because Neris decided to participate, it doesn’t mean that I also did because of her. I just felt that it was a good chance to show the results of my training and studies.” I also tried to deny his suspicions, even though I knew he was completely right.

“Right, right… Whatever you say, missy. I totally believe you.” My uncle just shook his head while keeping a smirk on his face.

As you can see, my Uncle Dante and I are pretty close. He has been pretty much my favorite uncle ever since I had the ability to walk and talk. Despite his somewhat depressive and moody personality, he’s really an amazing, kind, and successful man who has always gone out of his way to spoil me.

He’s also pretty much the only one who knows the whole truth about why I act as I do in public instead of just being myself…

“So? What are you going to choose as a battlefield? Name anything that comes to mind.” Uncle Dante asked, almost seeming like he wanted to tease me about my answer.

“I’m fine with whatever my opponent decides.” I replied while brushing my hair aside.

“Straight to the point. Good.” Uncle Dante nodded with satisfaction. “I guess you and the son of the Skull Crusher had a lot in common. That would make sense because I have never seen you become so close with a boy before… Should I tell my older sister about this?” He suddenly smirked again. He was clearly enjoying himself while teasing me.

This bastard uncle of mine… Why did he have to remind me of the whole reason for my monologue!? Why did he feel the need to remind me of something that is currently making me feel the worst stomachache of my life!? Why did he make me remember that I made a stupid bet and that I will have to fight the overpowered son of the Skull Crusher!?

Even if I am confident in my skills as a mage, there’s no way I can win against someone like him!

“Why would you tell her anything about this? He was friends with Neris and she introduced us, so it was natural that we would become friends as well.” I replied, a bit confused about why he was mentioning my mother.

“I mean, you were hugging him quite tightly for a while. And you also winked at him a lot too.” My uncle said while rubbing his chin. “I don’t know about you, but I was kinda hoping that you finally entered the spring of your youth and got an engagement going for you. I wouldn’t mind getting some more little nieces and nephews running around in our family’s manor a decade from now.” My uncle was really having the time of his life teasing me, while I was mortified.

“You saw that…?” I asked him while my soul was about to leave my body.

“My beloved niece, everyone saw it all.” Uncle Dante said almost on the verge of laughter.

“Oh…” That was the last sound I made before my soul left for the afterlife to meet my ancestors.

Welp… I believe another one of my plans has gone south for yours truly… The gods must really love seeing me getting stressed…

To be completely honest, the game I suggested to Julius and the way I was acting around him was all part of a plan of mine to figure out what kind of person he is. I wanted to see if he was truly worthy of my friend, Neris.

After Neris revealed to me that she was in love with Julius, a ten-year-old boy, a boy younger than us by four years, and how exactly she started to develop feelings for him, I was pretty gobsmacked… I couldn’t believe that my friend, who had only ever cared about swinging a sword and playing around since I met her, was suddenly a maiden in love.

At first, she was reluctant to tell me anything about the one she fancied, but after I started pressing her a little after the preliminaries ended, every single detail came out from her mouth like a flood.

She said that her aunt, the Headmistress was friends with the boy’s mother and that they had both drunkenly agreed to an engagement between them after the Skull Crusher and the boy had managed to singlehandedly apprehend a group of notorious bandits on their own.

Neris told me about how she was against the engagement idea at first since she hates when someone decides for her, but little by little the boy was able to tear down her defenses and make her fall in love with him while they traveled together toward the capital. 

She told me about all the little cute and adorable things he did for her and whatnot while having such an intense sparkle in her eyes that for a moment I almost thought that I was about to become blind…

“Zoe, your duel is about to start. Please make sure to focus on it instead of whatever is going through that little head of yours, okay?” My uncle said with amusement.

“Yeah, sure… Whatever you say, dear uncle.” I absentmindedly nodded as I was still lost in thought.

Where was I… Ah, right. Neris also told me that the boy was completely oblivious to the engagement talks between her aunt and his mother. Judging from that fact, it was clear to me that he was an honest kid who was just being friendly to my friend.

I could tell that, at the very least, the kid didn’t have any gold-digging shenanigans in mind. His parents are both famous and also pretty wealthy considering the treasures the Skull Crusher was rumored to have found in the many dungeons he explored and the materials he sold from slaying an unknown number of dragons.

Still, I still had a lot of worries about this new potential future husband of my friend… I only ever wanted Neris to have someone to cherish her, respect her, and protect her as I did for years. Any less than that is completely unacceptable.

I mean, I was told that the boy already had two fiancées already and several other girls that liked him quite a lot despite being younger than us… It wasn’t a completely outrageous thing considering who his parents are and the fact that Neris didn’t seem against sharing a partner, but at the very least I wanted to make sure the guy was not a complete playboy this early on.

So, when I finally meet the little guy, I could tell that Neris was trying her hardest to hide her feelings from him, but was failing miserably. She was lucky that the boy was more focused on other things.

Anyway, when it came to looks and strength, I had no complaints at first. I had seen some of his moves during the preliminaries and he seemed neither weak nor super strong, at a first glance at least. He did seem a little skillful judging by the way he was handling his opponents using martial arts and the way he was using his magic, but that was all.

Of course, my initial evaluation of him was soon shattered after we were told how many people he had managed to eliminate from the preliminaries… And after witnessing his first match, that’s when I realized that I was screwed…

I was certain from the moment that his first duel ended that I would be no match for him even if I gave my all… There would be no possible way for me to win even if I used all my mana to cause a rain of spells to fall upon him. He just needed to use that weird bow and it would be my end…

Because of all that, now I do have some complaints and I am scared shitless of our upcoming match.

Back to his looks, I can’t really complain. The boy is pretty cute despite how terrifyingly strong he is… I very much adore the way he smiles and his cute little cheeks! They look so squishy! What an absolute and scary cutie! Just with that alone, I can see why Neris liked him in the first place!

Still, it wasn’t enough for me…

That takes us back to the plan I was talking about earlier. I wanted to be one hundred percent sure that the boy was not a precocious playboy who was just going to play with my friend’s feelings and break her heart.

So, I purposely started to act flirty with him to see how he would react to my advances and even offered him the little game that I am regretting a lot right now. Well, my plan worked perfectly and I was able to more or less learn what kind of person he is, and it only took my self-confidence as a woman to be shattered for it to work!

As my uncle said, I hugged Julius, winked at him a lot, grabbed him by the hand, and I tried to be as playful as possible to catch his attention. Hell, I even tried to get him to kiss me on the cheek only to be miserably rejected.

In summary, my confidence as a girl is currently in shambles as he responded to none of my advances. Which is good for Neris, but not so good for my self-esteem… 

As for his personality, he seems to be a serious thinker. Since the moment I proposed that little game, he showed apprehension to participate knowing how little I gained from it. He also seems very outgoing contrary to Neris, as he was able to quickly become friends with the menacing and usually hostile Felicia and the timid Myria. He also seems to be a little proud and competitive, but not in a bad way, he got really fired up whenever I underestimated him, which is not good news for me in our duel!

All in all, I kinda like him… I think I might be able to accept him for Neris. In fact, I might try to give them a little push for their engagement to be formalized when this tournament is over… I mean, if Neris really likes him so much, what can I do other than help my friend out, right?

That is only if I manage to survive our battle though…

Still… It felt kinda good to ramble in my mind for a bit… I feel way more relaxed despite the fact I might die soon at the hands of a scary and cute boy.

“Well, I guess I can only give my best in the next match!” I absentmindedly said while stretching.

“Congratulations on your victory, dear niece.” My Uncle Dante said to me.

“Yes, it was only natural for me to…-” I stopped myself mid-sentence as I realized that something was out of the ordinary.

Wait… Victory? I thought that the match was about to begin just now…

As I looked around the coliseum, I could hear the people cheering on me, chanting my name as if it was a spell…

Ummm… What just happened? There’s no way in hell that I won while being really deep in thought, right? I mean, I am confident in my skills and in my magic but there’s no way that I could win just like that, could I?

“Let me guess, you weren’t paying attention and you still managed to win… As expected of my dear niece, even now you still manage to surprise me with your antics.” My Uncle looked so unbelievably amused.

Oh… So I actually did manage to win while being deep in thought… Damn. I guess I am just that lucky for this kind of thing huh… I don’t even remember my opponent's face, but I’ll take it! The gods really have some twisted sense of humor!

“O-O-Of course not! Zoe Smotia would never do something as shameless as that! I always give my all no matter what I do, dear uncle!” I said to him with my fake personality after trying to compose myself. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to my table as my friends are waiting for me! HOHOHOHOHO.” I decided to escape from my uncle while imitating my mother’s laughter.

I have no clue how I managed to win while I was distracted, but I’m sure as hell that I am going to roll with it and no one is going to stop me! Stupid luck for the win!

Now I just need to figure out how to survive my battle against Julius… Things are looking kinda grim on that end…

Chapter 66: The “Real” Zoe Smotia.

END

GodlyKamui

Heya! New chapter! How are y'all doing? I'm great at the moment. I went to see the finals of the world cup with my family and now my throat is a little sore because of all the screaming and whatnot during the game... I also had to go to work today, so I'm absolutely tired... So, let's jump into the chapter before I fall asleep lol.

There are a lot of interesting things in this chapter... For example, the amount of mana that it took for Julius to use Dying Scarlet (He didn't drink a mana potion before his first match, so it wasn't that much), the things that the Goddess of Virtue looks in for an apostle, the fact that Lia and Thiasis do consider Catris their bestie and quite obviously cherish her a lot, and finally the fact that Zoe is not actually as obnoxious as I portraying her since she first appeared, something which suddenly became the main focus of the chapter when I was writing it.

Normally, I would have used this chapter to fully display Zoe's abilities during her duel, but since we already got more than a taste of what she can do during one of Neris's POVs, I decided to skip it and focus on what was happening inside her head and to explain why she acts as she does. Still, I thought that the prospect of her winning even while distracted is incredibly hilarious, which also confirms two things about Zoe, 1) that she is immensely lucky and 2) she's also immensely overpowered, just like our dear MC.

I will obviously not skip Zoe's next fight, but please be warned that it might be really short (that's what she said) in comparison to the next fights like Neris's, Myria's, or Felicia's.

All in all, I am satisfied that I took a bit of time to at least explore her character a bit. Who knows, I might include the real boisterous and loud Smotia family (her parents) further down the line lmao. I really liked this chapter.

Zoe's opponent as soon as the match started:

Zoe when she realized that she had actually won without trying (she managed to successfully bullshit her way through life once more):

The public after the duel (they had no idea what happened either):

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!