Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 75: The Stupidly Fortunate Meets Misfortune.

---

—Julius's POV— 

As time went on, we suddenly found ourselves in the quarter-finals already. The second round of the tournament had been far quicker than the first, but I am glad to say that everyone at our table had successfully won their respective matches, some with more issues than others, but we were still here and thriving.

Though, I also confirmed first hand the deep impact the charm of a succubus can have on a person… Well, I managed to confirm that with three people, actually.

I was hugged, my cheeks were pinched and kissed, and my head was patted an unbelievable amount of times. I won't say that the situation was unpleasant for me, on the contrary, It was difficult for me not to be happy in that sort of situation. It is just that… I think that the Succubi's Charm is complete bullshit and severely overpowered to the point that I'm beginning to be scared about using it.

Hell, my number of fiancées is almost reaching two digits! And that was just in a single day! How the hell am I supposed to explain this to Mia and Tiria!?

It does seem like a great power does require a great responsibility…

Sigh… Anyway, let's get back to the tournament. I'll briefly go over the details of the second round before we move on to the quarters.

Astraea Galoria vs Zoe Smotia: I personally didn’t witness this duel as I was busy with my own match. From what I heard, they fought in the at a beach and Astraea was immediately overwhelmed after Zoe dropped a huge wave on top of her. A win by tsunami, it seems.

Myria Estner vs Aurora Teralis: Compared to her first duel, Myria had a much easier fight this time. Whether it was from her feeling confident of herself or whether it was from her just feeling happy that we both had feelings for each other, Myria’s victory was swift and Aurora didn’t stand a chance. Throughout their match, Aurora was unable to shatter Myria’s barriers and ended up exhausting herself, giving Myria the opportunity to bind her and finish her off. As a result of her victory, she asked to be pampered by yours truly.

Elizabeth Ephrain vs Renard Caprasania: Renard was able to quickly put an end to Elizabeth's participation in this tournament with a bombardment of spells. Even when Elizabeth tried to imitate Myria and surround herself with barriers, her efforts proved futile as her barrier gave up before she realized what had happened. I was utterly amazed by the mana control and the firepower Renard seemed to have. 

Felicia: She advanced directly to the quarter-finals when the duel between the Oriana sisters ended in a draw after they disqualified each other at the same time. Let’s just say that Felicia was not particularly happy about not having anyone to fight, and that she couldn’t show off in front of me. It was a cute sight to see an annoyed Licia.

Tristana Rossai vs Alberis Nebandia: After a long wait, I finally had the opportunity to see Neris’s cousin in action. And I have to say, the rumors and the stories I was told about him were not exaggerated in the slightest… To say that this duel was one-sided was an understatement. The winner of the Lover’s Quarrel was unable to lay a single strike on Alberis. Alberis masterfully dodged everything in a way that almost made it seem like he had read his opponent’s mind. He never even used his weapon, he just broke Tristana’s bracelet with his bare hands after catching her off guard. After watching everything unfold, I began to see why he was considered the strongest in the academy.

Richard Garum vs Morgan Alunnae: This duel became the one of the shortest in the tournament after Richard tried to challenge Morgan to a rap battle, similar to the one he had Robert Ragrom during the previous round. Morgan was less than amused by his antics and basically buried Richard beneath a mountain of sand. The whole ordeal lasted about a full minute.

Malek Rudanom vs Neris Shtrel: It is obvious that my new fiancée would win. After seeing how excited she was to show off, I decided to give her some hints about learning to use The Blade of Tranquility, and well… She learned faster than expected. It was kinda shocking that she basically absorbed my tips like a sponge, and almost managed to successfully perform Sublime Heaven on her first try. I was not expecting Neris to be such a genius, and I won’t deny that I was a little jealous that she managed to do it on her first try, but it also motivated me quite a lot to continue to improve my own swordsmanship. Neris also asked to be pampered quite a lot after she easily proved herself victorious.

And that would finally lead us to now, right before the beginning of my third duel.

“Jeez… My cheeks hurt a little… Felicia really is way more affectionate than I thought.” I was rubbing my reddened cheeks while walking towards the center of the arena.

“Wow, the man who is drowning in affection complains in front of the one who is dying to have something like that. That's really nice of you.” Zoe said sarcastically while walking beside me.

“I’m not really complaining about it. On the contrary, I’m quite happy.” I shook my head in denial.

“As you should be.” Zoe spoke while looking a little annoyed. “Just a little warning, I only accepted that Felicia and Myria had feelings for you because Neris herself accepted that. If you dare to do something that would hurt my friend or make her feel sad, I will personally send you to the afterlife." She suddenly looked at me with a serious expression and gave me a warning.

"Believe me, that is the last thing I want. If it makes you feel better, I intend to do my best to make her the happiest she has ever been." I matched her seriousness and gave her an honest answer about my intentions.

"Hmph. You better do as you say." Once again, Zoe sounded somewhat annoyed by my answer.

Without saying a word, Zoe suddenly ran ahead towards the center of the arena, leaving me unable to ask her if she was alright.

"I wonder what's gotten to her all of a sudden… She was fine during the second round." I mumbled to myself.

(I think we both know what's really going on with her.) Catris spoke in my mind with a lot of amusement.

"Succubus charm, yes, yes… It seems like prolonged exposure to my presence, even while I am not actually using my charm, also affects other people. I might need to start training to control this dangerous ability of mine…" I let out a huge sigh of defeat.

(Huh? Who said anything about your charm? It is not like you particularly need something like that, you know? You're pretty charming without it too~) Catris couldn't help herself and decided to tease.

(Gotta agree with Catris this time around.) Thiasis showed her support to the Goddess of Love.

(Agreed.) Even Lia seemed to agree with Catris.

Even if it felt nice to be told something like that by the goddesses, I was still troubled with my current situation.

(I wonder what our young apostle will do? Will you try to steal Zoe's heart as well, because if so, I have a pleasant surprise for you!) Catris continued to tease me.

"No comment." I said with a deadpan tone.

Though, I am already neck deep after getting three new fiancées, so I might as well go all out before having to confront the inevitable… Mia and my sisters.

Speaking of which, Zoe actually is a very dangerous foe, so I also might as well go out with a bang if I lose this match. Not that I want to lose, obviously.

In any case, regardless of what might be happening between Zoe and me, it was finally time for our long awaited duel. It was time to settle the game she had suggested after we met.

Now, unlike the previous rounds of the tournament, instead of two matches happening at once, they will be doing it one by one from now since it is the quarter-finals. Of course, this all just to give some further entertainment to the masses and the nobles and to not end the tournament too quickly.

Before long, while thinking about what to do about Zoe’s strange behavior, I reached the center of the arena where Dante, Raphael, and Zoe herself were standing at.

“Well, well, well… I’ve been certainly looking forward to this particular match.” Dante said as soon as I arrived. “Don’t you agree with me, Vice-Principal?” He seemed more playful and less depressed than before.

“Indeed. This match will be one to remember if we are to judge by the previous matches of both of these participants. The son of the Skull Crusher and the magical prodigy of House Smotia… This match will definitely go down as one of the greatest duels in our academy’s long history.” Raphael, Ophelia’s husband said with glee while rubbing his chin.

“Your words honor me. I hope to be up to the challenge. After all, my opponent is a real force to be reckoned with.” I said politely as I stood beside Zoe. For some reason, she was averting her gaze from me.

“You’re not wrong about that.” Dante suddenly grinned before looking at Zoe. “My niece here is the most talented mage from her generation in our family. She worked really hard day and night to achieve her current level, so you are very wise to not underestimate her.” Dante seemed like he was teasing Zoe.

Niece…? Ah, right… He was introduced as a Smotia before by Ophelia. Didn’t expect them to be related, to be honest, but they do seem to be rather close.

“Dear uncle, I am afraid that flattery will take you nowhere. Of course, the things that you’ve said are certainly true, but I would like to correct you on one thing… I am most definitely the greatest mage of this century, and I am more than willing to prove it! HOHOHOHOHOHO!” Zoe said while standing proudly. She was holding her mighty golden staff above her head. She also laughed in that particular way of hers, but there was something bothering me about her laugh, for some reason.

“Oh? Then it appears that your duel will be more exciting than I thought.” Dante smiled before shifting his gaze to me. “Have you heard that, Skull Kid? My niece seems more than willing to face you now. I really hope that you won’t try to back down now of all times.” He asked with a raised eyebrow. He seemed to be trying his best to tease us both.

“For many reasons, there’s simply no way I would do that. Now is when I need to show off the most.” I said to him with a serious expression. “My pride is also on the line in this duel, after all.” I shifted my gaze toward Zoe.

“That’s just perfect then!” Dante seemed pleased while looking at us both. “I hope that you have some fun this time, Zoe. You are finally fighting someone that is on your level of skill, so why don’t you show him and everyone the skills that you’re so proud of by defeating the rising star of this tournament?” He smiled while shooting some glances at me.

Well, I guess that I am living up to the expectations of being the champion of the two princesses, since I am the rising star of the event. 

Also…

“N-Naturally! I suppose that you’re prepared to taste the dirt, because I will blast you with a single swing of my staff before you realize what happened to you!” There was a small pause on Zoe’s words. “I hope that you haven’t forgotten our little game too, so you be better prepared to be out of a lot of money to take us all out for a date!” She shouted while looking in my direction, but while also avoiding direct eye contact with me.

“Of course, I haven’t forgotten of our game, Zoe. In fact, I am looking forward to ordering around a proud member House Smotia such as yourself. You said that I could order you to do whatever I wanted, right? I hope that you’re prepared for what I have in store for you.” I looked at her and showed her a malicious smile. “I definitely intend to win, so I will use everything I got to take you down, especially now that you have put my pride on the line.” I couldn’t deny that Zoe’s words had gotten me really fired up about the match.  

“Ehh? Y-Y-You are? Oh, yeah! Of course, you are! It would be an insult to me if you were to hold back! Do your best little one! You will have to give your all just to not get disqualified within the first few seconds of our match!” Zoe had made that awkward pause again at the start of her sentence. Though, this time, there was a more glaring detail that further proved my suspicions. “In fact, as a little gift to you, I will allow you to choose the place in which we will clash. Choose wisely, as this will be the last handicap I will give you.” She spoke with more confidence than before, however, that glaring detail I mentioned didn’t help her in the slightest. 

Zoe’s legs were trembling like crazy, almost as if she was deeply afraid of having to face me in battle. No one seemed to be pointing that out, so perhaps they assumed she was really excited to fight me? That thought somehow didn’t sit right with me…

Just as I thought… It is possible that Zoe has been faking her whole personality this whole time…

I’ve had my suspicions ever since she proposed that game of hers. I know that I can be a little dense at times and that I am also pretty good at playing dense, but even for a dense person like me, it is impossible to ignore all those small shifts in her seemingly overconfident and proud personality.

Those sudden bouts of nervousness whenever I showed excitement or confidence about our duel… I am certain that she didn’t fake that. If anything, those might be just a small glimpse toward her true personality.

But why would she fake her whole personality? Why would she create a completely fake persona? I cannot understand her motives yet…

(I’m surprised that you figured that out within just an hour of meeting her. She’s been doing this for years since she was little, and not even Neris has figured this out, even though they’ve been together for so long.) Thiasis suddenly chimed in and confirmed my suspicions. (Sorry for not saying anything, but I figured out that you’d rather find out by yourself, since you seem to enjoy playing detective. I hope that you don’t consider this a lie or that I was actively hiding something from you…) She seemed a little worried.

(You definitely know me well. Don’t worry, you get a pass this time.) I said to the goddess. (As for Zoe… I don’t know how to explain this, but I’ve been getting the feeling that there was something off about her ever since Neris introduced her to me. I’m glad to know it is nothing bad, though.) I was relieved, but also a bit curious about Zoe’s motives.

(What will you do about this now? She was feeling jealous about the other girls getting all your attention before, you know what this means, right?) Lia asked in her usual cold tone.

(I’ll figure something out. I definitely would like to hear why she’s been pretending to be someone else this whole time. I suppose I could take responsibility for abusing my charm while I am at it.) I replied before falling in thought about my next course of action.

“No coin toss again? That’s fine by me, my little niece. If you’re sure about your decision, then I will not stop you.” Dante said. “Then? What is your choice, Skull Kid?” Dante asked with a smirk on his face.

“If it is up to me, then I choose the plains near the main highway to the north.” I did not hesitate to give my answer.

“Oh? A completely open space? Against my niece and her powerful spells? You really have guts, kid. Very well, I shall create your desired battleground.” Dante said before charging his wand with his mana.

“Thank you very much.” I said while taking a look at Zoe. All I could focus on were how much her legs were trembling and how she was gulping repeatedly. She was really nervous beyond belief. 

It was finally time for the quarter-finals to truly begin. It was time for me to discover who the real Zoe Smotia truly was. It was time for her to come out of the shell of a persona she had created.

---

—Zoe’s POV—

As soon as everything around me stopped shaking, I opened my eyes only to find myself in the middle of the vast plains near the capital. I had been teleported to a faithful copy of the real place by my uncle in order to face Julius in a duel.

Okay… It is finally happening… I just need to keep calm and everything will be alright…

As I laid my eyes upon the small brown-haired child a few meters away from me, my heart couldn't help but beat wildly, for a wide variety of reasons… 

As soon as I saw that strange azure blade appear in Julius's hand completely out of nowhere, I became certain of something…

Ah… Today, I'm going to die. I'm certain that this is where I will meet my end… Zoe Emiliana Smotia… Why the fuck did you decide to challenge the son of the freaking Skull Crusher out of all the people in this tournament!?  He looks so fired up that I'm certain that he won't show any mercy towards me.

I couldn't stop my legs and arms from shaking uncontrollably. I was, without a doubt, very afraid of what was to come. I have been able to bullshit my way out of many duels thanks to some dumb luck or just by using my superior firepower to blast everything away. 

But this time, however, it is very different… This time, I am facing an opponent that will simply not fall to dumb luck and is not guaranteed to be defeated with one or two spells.

This was the realization that made me afraid beyond belief. But… For the sake of Neris and the fake persona I had created for myself, I just couldn't allow myself to show my opponent that I was scared. I had to do what I did best, to act as obnoxiously and as proudly as I could in order to deceive him.

"I've been looking forward to this! If you expect me to be gentle with you just because you're cute and engaged with my friend, you're in for a rough awakening!" I said proudly while raising my staff with great difficulties. "Prepare yourself to face oblivion!" I smiled confidently even though I was scared shitless.

That should be enough to fool him… Please back down. Please back down. Please back down and surrender now…

"I wouldn't have it any other way! I've been looking forward to this as well." He said confidently while grasping his blade.

Dammit! Dammit all! I need to be quick and scare him out of his mind before he decides to attack me!

"That is perfect. Let us begin, then." I paused before grinning at him. "Though, I believe that I should give you a warning… You won't be able to even touch me with that sword. I'll turn you to ashes before you even manage to get close." I pointed my golden staff at Julius.

“Yeah, I thought that would be the case.” Julius laughed in response. “Which is all the more reason to not use it this time around.” Even with my warning, he didn’t seem particularly discouraged, which was definitely bad news for me. 

“Oh? Are you planning to use that white bow from before? You may be able to get the chance to shot at me at least once, but again, I will blast you off before you realize what happened. The same would apply if you try to use martial arts against me, so why don’t you just give up now and spare yourself from the fate of having to receive one of my spells head on?” I had to take my acting up a notch. I tried my damnedest to scare Julius away from our inevitable confrontation.

“I see… It appears that you’re underestimating me again. I am very glad that you’re confident in your abilities, Zoe. This duel will be really something to look forward to.” However, despite my efforts, Julius became even more fired up than before. His fiery gaze was completely focused on me. “And to answer your question, I am not going to use my bow or my fists either. Instead, I am going to use this…” Julius said in an ominous tone.

A pale purple light suddenly enveloped the azure sword in his hand before the weapon started morphing. The blade suddenly started to thin itself out and to become enlarged, and within seconds, the weapon had completely lost its original shape. What remained in its place was a large wooden staff with a large violet crystal at the top serving as its core. The dark brown wooden staff seemed ancient and was covered in cracks and imperfections all over its body, yet the astounding amounts of power and mana it possessed were astounding.

As soon as I laid my eyes on Julius’s staff, I knew that I was screwed… No… Doomed would be a more appropriate word. 

A single look was all I needed to know that Julius’s weapon was around the same level as my family’s treasured staff, [Vanity], an ancient relic of the Thousand-Year War. Only the most wise and powerful as well as the most boisterous of our family can wield the power of [Vanity], which right now, is currently in my possession.

“I thought I could try my luck with some magic instead. This is a good opportunity for me to test out [Violet Restoration].” Julius said as he grasped the staff and filled it with his mana.

“Oh? You seem to be quite confident in yourself now? Think you can best me in a duel of magic! You better think twice!” I shouted with all the fake confidence I could muster. In reality, my legs were about to give out from the fear I was feeling. “This will end in a heartbeat, so you should surrender while you can!” I tried to intimidate him further.

“May the best spellcaster win this match, Zoe.” Julius smiled as he brandished his staff.

Oh, fuck! Oh, shit! Oh, gods! I fucked up! This is actually happening! I need to do something and I have to do it quick before he sends me to meet the Goddess of Death!

It was needless to say that I was already panicking internally after I realized that all of my efforts to stop the duel had been meaningless. If anything, Julius was even more fired up than before and rearing to fight… 

I wanted to give up the match so badly, but I knew that would also completely shatter my fake persona in the eyes of everyone, so my hands were tied. Whether I want it or not, I had to fight. 

If I cannot convince him to back down, then I just need to use everything I got and blast him away the moment he lowers his guard… Please don’t fail me now, dumb luck of mine! I need you more than ever!

After I reluctantly (forcefully) accepted my current fate, I raised [Vanity] and charged it with my mana. Soon, several fireballs appeared all around me, hovering ominously over the ground. The purpose of this spell was to get a measure of Julius’s skills.

“Let’s see how you fare against this! [Hellfire Bombard]!” I immediately lowered my staff and pointed at my opponent. Without delay, all the fireballs were soon shot at Julius. Though, despite my somewhat confident voice, I was getting increasingly nauseous due to my nerves.

“Bring it on.” Julius smiled confidently as the fireballs approached him. As soon as he was within reach of my spell, he hurriedly started to swing his staff around to deflect my fireballs.

My spell had basically no effect on him as all the fireballs were sent flying in several other directions. They all ended up crashing against the ground somewhere in the vast plains we were in.

Shit… This is not good at all! I can’t believe he just slapped one of my more reliable spells just like that!

“Alright, my turn. [Rock Bullet].” Julius said as he hit the ground with his staff. Just as he did that, several stone shards were shot at me at incredible speeds.

OH, SHIT! A BARRIER! I NEED A BARRIER!

Despite me basically having an internal panic attack, I was quick enough to raise a stone wall to block the stone shards Julius had shot. With a loud crashing sound, said stone shards soon became dust upon contact with my wall.

“Not bad, but how about this!?” I pointed my staff forward. A fireball was created right in front of me before the stone wall I had previously used was shot in Julius’s direction. The fireball was following the stone wall closely and hidden behind it, so there was no way for my opponent to know what was coming.

Please fall for it. Please fall for it. Please fall for it!

“Not a bad start! But you’ll have to do more than that to take me down!” Julius said right after demolishing and deflecting my attack with his own power.

The stone wall had been suddenly reduced to dust after it was pierced by a thin stone pillar charged with his mana and the fireball was miserably extinguished by an even smaller ball of water before it could even do anything. He didn’t even move at all from his initial position.

Right after my attack was neutralized, the small ball of water Julius had previously used suddenly grew in sized and transformed into several spears made out of pure ice. He was smiling with joy while looking at me.

Oi! Stop escalating the situation! Fuck!

“I won’t let you!” I shouted as I raised my staff to attack again. My nerves were slowly but surely turning into desperation. Julius was countering each of my moves, so I was unsure if I could make him lower his guard.

I didn’t have a choice but to answer in kind. Right before Julius’s spears were shot at me, I created my own spears of ice and shot them at him before he could launch his attack.

As soon as the spears of ice collided against one another, fine particles of ice were shot all across the battlefield. I didn’t let the opportunity I had created to go to waste. I quickly channelled my mana and gave the fine particles of ice a more robust form once more. There were now several dozens of icicles hovering over the battlefield.

Those dozens of icicles immediately rained upon Julius from every direction, as I didn’t want to give him the opportunity to launch more attacks against me. In response to my incoming rain of icicles, Julius decided to envelop his body with a barrier with much haste. It was unfortunate that his barrier proved to be stronger than my icicles, however, I was successful in keeping him in one place and unable to counterattack.

In other words, I had created the opportunity that I wanted. I just needed to use my powerful spell and blast him into oblivion.

This is my chance! It is now or never! Dumb luck for the win!

“Let’s see how you handle this!” I shouted as I gathered as much mana as I could in my staff. I didn’t have a lot of time before the icicles could no longer hold Julius in place. “You better come up with a lot of money, because I will make sure you spend each and every penny you have when you take us all on a date!” My nerves had somewhat calmed down now that I had the upper hand. I couldn’t help but smile with relief as I finished my preparations.

I immediately lowered my staff and pointed it at my opponent once I confirmed that he was still stuck in place. My staff started to shine with a bright yellow light as I prepared myself to blast Julius into oblivion.

“This is the end for you! [Infernal Catastrophe]!” I yelled as a gigantic wave of flames was shot from the tip of my staff, threatening to engulf everything in front of me.

My view of the battlefield was then fully blocked by the towering mountain of flames. On top of the blinding light made by the flames, I was also struggling to keep control of the spell due to its overwhelming power as well as the heat generated by the spell… As my staff shook while I tried to control the spell, the world around me was painted with a bright orange light that wanted to consume everything just like the flames that generated said light… 

This magic was my trump card, a Grade 6 spell capable of destroying everything it comes across with.

And the spell did exactly what it was intended to do. Everything in Julius’s general direction was utterly erased from existence due to the infernal heat. What was previously emerald green grass was turned into pure blackness, making the vast plains a truly ominous place which only knew of destruction.

The spell itself was already powerful on its own to cause such effect, but with my staff’s enhancing capabilities on top of me also using half of my mana to fuel the spell, Julius and his barrier never stood a chance in surviving my attack. 

“It should be over with that… Phew… It is nothing personal, and I do like him a lot, but dear gods that is young boy terrifying… I almost had a heart attack when he started deflecting everything just like that…” I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as I looked at the empty and ruined landscape in front of me. I was glad that I was alone.

And that’s the end of that! I swear to the gods that I am not proposing any more stupid games in my life, even if it is for Neris’s sake! I’ve definitely learned my lesson!

I do have to say, that I do very much like how victory feels. I really hope this kind of thing never happens again.

As I was already celebrating my victory (in my head) with much relief, the gods decided that it would be a good time to give me a long-lasting lesson about celebrating too early…

“Hmm… So you do like me as well. Neat.” I heard the childish voice of someone who should no longer be here in these plains. Said voice sounded amused.

As I turned around, I became pale as I saw the owner of the amused voice… Julius was standing directly in front of me, with his usual warm smile on his face and completely unharmed

Ehh…? What’s the meaning of this…? I used my strongest spell, yet he is still standing here… Why is he here? WHY IS HE HERE!? HE SHOULD’VE BEEN IN THE INFIRMARY BY NOW!

Naturally, after finding out that I had not defeated my opponent, I was panicking internally once more.

“Though, I must admit that I am a little pissed that you suddenly launched a 6th Grade spell at me just like that… I thought we were having fun while warming up! That was very mean, Zoe!” Julius frowned and pouted while looking at me, almost as if he was trying to give me a stern look.

Warming up…? Did he seriously think we were warming up? What kind of monster is he?

As much as I wanted to ask him that, I was paralyzed by fear. But, there was also something more besides that fear. I couldn’t help but feel weird whenever I looked at his cute face… I was afraid of him, but I still find him cute… I couldn’t understand why…

“Umm… H-How did you survive that? I made sure to put a great amount of my mana into that spell, enough to level a small town to the ground…” I nervously asked the boy while trying to maintain my entire act together. 

“Oh, that? I just used [Shadow Step] to appear behind you.” Julius said casually, seemingly brushing aside my attack as if it never happened. 

Ah… Right… I forgot he could that spell… DAMMIT!

“Speaking of which, I have to say that I am deeply impressed… That was so cool!” Julius showed me a beaming smile as he got excited all of a sudden.

“Errm… Y-Y-Yeah! Of course, it was cool! It was a spell cast by yours truly! Any less wouldn’t be acceptable for someone like me!” I replied while trying to still appear as my usual fake proud self.

“If I hadn’t gotten out of there, I would have been toast by now! It was amazing! You’re truly something else, Zoe!” For some reason, the young boy also decided to praise me.

“Thank you?” I was confused about the sudden compliment.

Umm… Why isn’t he attacking me? Why didn’t he take me down when he had the chance? Why does he want to talk now, all of a sudden!?

Now, calm down Zoe… I still have half of my mana, so the match is not entirely lost yet… I just need to catch him by surprise again and blast him off before he can use [Shadow Step]...

While my mind was busy coming up with potential scenarios where I would result victorious, Julius decided to say something that would catch me completely off guard.

“Say… If you don’t mind me asking, Zoe… Why are you acting as if you were someone else?” Julius’s smile soon faded and was replaced with a very serious expression.

“Huh?” Since I was not expecting to be asked that kind of question, I couldn’t help but be stunned. 

My mind had stopped trying to come up with ways to defeat him, but instead it was now trying to find out how he knew about what I was doing…

How? How could he possibly know that I am acting? No one has ever suspected a thing about it! Not even my family! Not even Neris who has been by my side ever since we were born! How does he know!? Why!? How could he find out within an hour after we met!?

“Okay, allow me to rephrase my question, Zoe… Why are you trying to pretend to be something that you’re not? I mean, I don’t judge you or anything, but I am genuinely curious about it.” Julius said with difficult to read expression. “I know that I could be wrong and that this could be kind of a long shot, but I want to know why you are not being yourself. Why are you trying to appear strong in front of me, even when you’re clearly afraid?” He asked before taking a few steps before me.

At that moment, I didn’t know what to do. My mind was a mess due to the suddenness of Julius’s unexpected questions and how concerned he seemed to be about it… And then, it was all blank…

I wish I could say with certainty what had gotten over me at that moment, but I can’t… If I had to say what happened, I would say that desperation got over me or that I fell prey to my panic.

But before I knew, I found myself brandishing my staff and casting countless spells of  all elements all around me, and Julius was running around dodging them all or deflecting them.

“Zoe! Calm down! Stop trying to blow everything up! It was just a question!” Julius said with a troubled tone.

“Never! I am going to destroy you for good! I don’t know why you’re asking me such strange things all of a sudden! Quit talking and fight!” I replied in a panic, still launching spells left and right. 

Even while I was doing my best to eliminate Julius, I was utterly unable to take him down, even as I showered him with a rain of spells. Water, wind, fire, earth, light, dark… No matter what I tried, Julius nimbly dodged everything from small spells to the bigger ones.

From an outsider's perspective, it must have looked like a game of cat and mouse, only with more explosions mixed in. And also the vast plains in which this game took place were now a barren wasteland…

Still, no matter how many powerful spells I hurled at him, Julius never decided to retaliate. He never launched a single attack, which only frustrated me even more in my strange mental state, which only caused me to launch even more spells at him.

It was a vicious cycle. A cycle would soon come to an end, and we both knew it. Julius perhaps realized that earlier than I did.

“Just stand still and lose already! Stop asking questions that make no sense!” I shouted at the boy before I swung my staff once more, only to realize that couldn’t cast a spell anymore. 

It was only then that I realized that I was getting dizzier and dizzier. I was becoming nauseous, and it was getting increasingly difficult to stand still.

Before I realized, I was falling to the ground due to mana exhaustion. But before I could reach the ground, I was caught by a pair of small arms.

“Jeez… You’re just hopeless, aren’t you? You really went berserk because I asked you something?” Julius said to me the moment he caught me.

“Sigh… This duel didn’t go as I envisioned it… Can you just defeat me already? I no longer have any mana, so I don’t think I can do anything to you in this state… So, congrats…” I said in a somewhat ashamed manner while trying to dodge his question.

“After everything you made me do to survive your onslaught? I rather get some answers before that, thank you very much.” Julius said with annoyance.

Before I could say anything against it, Julius suddenly grabbed my legs and decided to give a princess carry. I was in an embarrassing position that only made me feel even more defeated than before.

“How shameless… You got engaged to my friend, yet you’re carrying me like this? As I thought, you’re a bad kid… I knew that you were a helpless womanizer! Were you playing with her feelings since the beginning!?” I was still trying my damnedest to avoid his questions.

“You know damn well that I would never do that to Neris.” Julius said while looking my straight in the eye. I couldn’t see a single bit of malice or dishonesty in those brown eyes of his. “Now, would you please answer my question, Zoe?” The look he gave me made my heart skip a beat.

Ahh… There’s that look again… It is so unfair… I just can’t look at his cute face and not feel weird about it! What a mean boy!

“Alright! Fine! You win!” I said with frustration while blushing. “You want to know why I act like the most annoying person in the room all the time? I’ll tell you why! When we were little, Neris was always very shy and reserved. Her family had placed some very heavy expectations because of her talents, and because of said talents, people would often have their focus on her, causing her to always be extremely awkward and clumsy. Because of the attention, I remember that she was not able to practice and develop her swordsmanship properly…” I explained while looking at Julius with a bit of annoyance.

Seriously, this weird feeling is so annoying! Stop looking at me like that!

Despite my wishes, Julius didn’t look away. He made sure to listen to each and every word without fail.

“On the contrary, when I was a child I had no talent and I couldn’t even cast a fireball properly out of all things! I was called talentless and mediocre amongst many more things just because I was a normal child in a family of magical geniuses! My personality was also very normal and unlike everything you’ve seen from me so far!” The more I looked into Julius’s brown eyes, the more pissed I got while telling him about my past. “But I knew that my problems with my family were nothing compared to what was Neris was going through. She had what I lacked, a talent for something great. I simply couldn’t allow it to go to waste while everyone pressured her.” I couldn’t help but be a little saddened while reminiscing the past.

At that moment, I was able to see it clearly… How everything had clicked for Julius after I told him a little about myself.

“So you decided to become the focus of that attention.” Julius said while looking saddened too.

Now why are you looking me like that…? If you look at me like that, then I…-

“I became the most boisterous, annoying, and proud Smotia to have ever lived. The kind of person that is easily able to get the attention of everyone without fail.” I nodded to confirm what he said. “I also worked my butt off in order to catch up to Neris and take all the bad attention away from her, just so that she could finally flourish to become the sword master she was supposed to be.” I finished my explanation.

“I see…” Julius replied before he closed his eyes to think about something.

“So? Are you gonna laugh at me now that you discovered the truth? Are you gonna jest that you defeated a weak and innocent girl? You truly are despicable, you know?” For some reason, I was pissed off that I couldn’t stare into his eyes some more.

“As I thought, you’re a kind person, Zoe. Not everyone would do something like that for the sake of a friend. You really have my respect.” Julius suddenly smiled warmly at me.

“Ehh?” The moment I saw that smile again, I ended up blushing a lot… My heart was not prepared to see it.

“I am glad that you decided to share this with me. And I am sorry if I was too nosy…” He said while still smiling, this time a bit more awkwardly.

“How could I not say anything when you were so insistent?” I replied with annoyance while I stared at him with my arms crossed.

What an annoying guy… He wasn’t this annoying when we were sitting with everyone… I mean, I think it was even more annoying to see him deal with the other girls at our table, Neris included, but he wasn’t this annoying before, was he?

“But you know, I am glad that I was able to meet the actual Zoe Emiliana Smotia. Nice to meet you.” He smiled at me once more, this time his smile almost seemed brighter than the stars.

“Are you disappointed? Also, how do you know my real middle name?” I replied with a self-deprecating tone. I couldn’t take my eyes off him no matter how hard I tried…

“Not in the slightest. I am happy that I could meet the real you. And also, I have my methods.” He said with a smirk.

“I see…” I could feel my face flush at that moment. “Then, what are you going to do with this information? Are you going to tell everyone that I am a fake? Are you going to tell Neris?” I asked before letting out a sigh. I was feeling completely defeated at that point.

“I won’t do such a thing. That is a decision that is yours and yours alone.” He shook his head in denial.

“Then… Why were you so insistent to ask me about this?” I was a little skeptical of his motives.

“I just noticed how weird and out of character you would act whenever anyone mentioned our duel. There was also the fact that you were trembling before the match started, so let’s just say that I got curious about it. Nothing more, nothing less.” He answered honestly.

“I see… That’s it… That’s your whole motive? It feels a little underwhelming…” I was disappointed somehow.

“But now that I know the truth, there’s something that I want to tell you.” Julius looked me in the eyes once more. His face was filled with determination. “No matter who or how many times you were told you were talentless, you never were. The fact that you and I met each other here for a duel is the proof of that.” Julius was completely serious, almost as if he could relate to me in some way.

“But I still lost against you, you know?” I shook my head in denial. I was also a little flustered.

“Yeah, but you weren’t precisely easy to defeat, you know?” He raised his bracelet only to reveal that it was on the verge of shattering. “The reason you lost today was that you weren’t being true to yourself, to who you are. It was a beautiful thing what you did for Neris and I admire you for that, but it is because of that same reason that you are yet to bloom as a person. As the person you are supposed to become.” Even though it almost seemed like he was scolding me, his kind voice made my heart beat like crazy.

“Hmm…” I was left a bit speechless by what he had told me.

“As I said, I am not the one to make this choice for you. But as your friend, I can only be there to support you and hope that you decide to tell everyone the truth someday. I hope that you can tell Neris the full truth.” He said with a soft smile on his face.

“Even if she gets mad at me for what I’ve done? Knowing Neris as well as I do, she will most certainly slap me, she will feel guilty, and will cry about how I didn’t need to do such a thing.” For some reason, I suddenly started giggling uncontrollably as soon as I thought of my best friend. 

“I can see her doing that, yeah. But you’ll have to endure it.” Julius giggled a little, too. “You helped her a lot, and she became a very skilled and wonderful girl. But I think that it is time that you allow yourself to stop pretending and be yourself. Neris no longer needs to be protected, so you can finally rest and just be Zoe.” He said to me with that same kind smile from before.

“You think? It will be really hard to drop this act all of a sudden…” I said to Julius after a malevolent idea came to my mind all of a sudden. “What if I need some extra help with that?” I tried to surprise him by wrapping my arms around his neck.

“I’ll be there to help you if that’s what you need.” Julius didn’t seem particularly ashamed, if anything he kept his composure and smiled at me like usual.

“Then, what if decided that what I need to be myself is to have you? What would you feel about that?” I said while getting close to his face. My aim was to steal a quick peck on the cheek from him to get him embarrassed.

However, my evil plans were frustrated once more by the boy holding me in his arms. Before I could get any closer, he gave my a flick in the forehead. It hurt like hell…

“What the hell are you doing!? You totally ruined what we had going on!” I complained while rubbing my forehead. I couldn’t help but get teary-eyed because of the pain.

“While I have no particular issues seeing you in that kind of way, after all, I do like you quite a bit. But, I would rather be safe than sorry, so you better talk things out with Neris first.” He said without any remorse whatsoever.

“Wait, I was just kidding! You actually like me!? Me!? The annoying Zoe Smotia out of all people!? The HOHOHOHOHOHO girl out of all people!?” I was both shocked and happy by the sudden revelation.

“I do.” Again, he replied without any hesitation.

“I see… I see… Good to know… A bit of an awkward bombshell to drop right now, but… It is alright. I can understand why you would fall in love with me… Ah! Don’t get me wrong, I think that I do like as well, it is just that it was really sudden to hear something like that… Gods, please strike me now before I say something stupid…” I was acting extremely awkward due to the shame I was feeling.

“Anyway, since you’ve lost the duel, I suppose that I win our little game. Which means that I will get to order you around for a little.” Julius suddenly smirked while looking at me.

“I suppose you can…” I couldn’t help but be flustered as soon as those words came out of his mouth. “So… What are you going to have me do?” I sheepishly asked.

“I don't know yet. Maybe I could take you and the others on a date. So, let’s say that in the end, our game was actually a draw.” He said with a playful look on his face.

“Huh… I guess you’re going to have to take us all on a date after all… So it really is a draw…” I nodded after I was hit by that realization.

“Still, as for our match, victory is mine this time around.” He said with pride. “I didn’t almost get blown up several times by your crazy spells for nothing, after all.” He looked tired all of a sudden.

“Naturally.” I agreed with him. “Though, if you don’t mind… I have a request… Could we stay like this for a little? You can break my bracelet whenever you want, but I would like to spend some time with you… To process things and… Be myself, you know.” I asked Julius.

“I don’t see why not.” He agreed with me. “If it makes things easier for you, then go for it."

“Thank you…” I wrapped my arms around his neck once again. The difference in height between us made things a bit awkward, but I was enjoying myself. “You do know that I could try to break your bracelet at any point, right?” I playfully asked.

“Zoe…” Julius looked at me with a deadpan expression.

“Just kidding! I wanted to see how you would react to a little prank!” I stuck out my tongue while trying to tease Julius.

And thus, my duel against Julius ended with my defeat. Although, it was a defeat in all accounts, it didn’t really feel like one for me. In the end, Julius broke my bracelet seconds before the time limit, but even then I felt as if I had gained something wonderful out of all this. After I was teleported to the infirmary, the only things I could think of were Julius and when I would meet Neris again…

---

Chapter 75: The Stupidly Fortunate Meets Misfortune.

END

---

EXTRA: Zoe’s Status

Name: Zoe Emiliana Smotia

Race: Human

Age: 14 years old 

Ability Points: 670 points

Titles: Deceitful Noble / Magical Prodigy / Heir of Smotia / Hard Worker / Superb Actress / Kindhearted / Wielder of Vanity (Staff) / Fake Vanity (Personality) / Calamitous Magician / Witch of Destruction / Stupidly Fortunate

Jobs: Expert Magician Lv.10 / Elemental Magician Lv.6 / Master Actress Lv.3 / Proud Noble Lv.4 / Protector Lv.2

Level: 31

EXP: 17,240 / 37,498  

Attributes

HP: 1,504

MP: 13,201

DEX: 680

STR: 201

VIT: 800

DEF: 120

RES: 425

LUCK: 675

SPD: 250

INT: 182

---

 Common Skills 

Cooking / Level 1

Enhance Mind / Level 9

Hunting / Level 2

Riding / Level 5 

Stealth / Level 1

Dancing / Level 8

Singing / Level 6

---

Combat

Archery / Level 2

Armed Combat: Daggers / Level 1

Fighting Spirit / Level 9

Spearmanship / Level 1

Swordsmanship / Level 1

Throwing Weapons: Knives / Level 3

Unarmed Combat / Level 2

Second Wind / Level 3

---

Magic

Mana Manipulation / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL! 

Mana Perception / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Earth Element / Level 9

Magic: Fire Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Wind Element / Level 8

Magic: Water Element / Level 9

Magic: Light Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Dark Element / Level 7

Magical Aura: Protection / Level 4

Magical Aura: Intimidation / Level 1

---

Resistances

Charm Resist / Level 2

Elemental Resistance: Earth / Level 8

Elemental Resistance: Fire / Level 9

Elemental Resistance: Wind / Level 9

Elemental Resistance: Water / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL! 

Elemental Resistance: Light / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Elemental Resistance: Dark / Level 6

Pain Resist / Level 2

Paralysis Resist / Level 5

Poison Resist / Level 2

---