Chapter 77: A Natural Result…
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Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 77: A Natural Result…


—Alberis’s POV—

“Welcome back.” I said as I opened my eyes only to see that Renard had already returned to his seat.

“I’m back.” He replied before adjusting his glasses. “And I have secured my participation in the semi-finals.” He said in a somewhat prideful tone.

“You did.” I nodded in agreement. “Much quicker than I thought you would.” I said while looking at the only person I considered a friend in the academy.

“Well, my match, if you even want to call it that, wasn’t particularly noteworthy, so it was not that difficult to end it quickly.” Renard said while serving himself a cup of tea. “Though, I won’t deny the fact that the Estner girl’s abilities were above average compared to people in her year or even ours, but she was still an amateur when it comes to dueling. That would be one of the reasons why I decided to end it all as quickly as I did.” He said before taking a sip of his tea.

“And as a result, you’ve gained the enmity of the son of the Skull Crusher.” I said before turning my head to look at the remaining participants.

Besides our table, only two more tables remained here in the arena. One was close to us, with a lonely magician girl sitting by herself. And the other, near the edge of the arena, there were three participants glaring at Renard. Even from here, I could see the hate and the burning rage those three had on their faces.

No… Not only the rage and the hate, I could also feel the fluctuations in the mana all around us. The pressure being emitted by those three would be enough to make any normal person to faint, especially the one made by the son of the Skull Crusher.

“Fortunately for you, you only have to worry about him.” I said as I focused my gaze on the two people beside the champion of the princesses. “For now, you’re safe from my cousin and Felicia, but I don’t know how they will treat you after the tournament is over. Those three seemed rather fond of the Estner girl.” I warned Renard.

“I know that some may consider my methods underhanded, but I did nothing that was against the rules. In fact, you should be aware more than anyone that using our own weapons and abilities is encouraged. I just happened to use [Nightingale’s Song] this time around. So let them be mad about the outcome.” My friend defended his actions.

“I was not holding anything against you, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you.” I simply shrugged in response. “Though, I suppose one could only expect such logical reasoning from the son of the Prime Minister. Just like your father, you’d do anything to achieve victory, right?” I said.

“I appreciate the compliment, my friend. That means a lot to me, especially when it comes from the person that saved my life.” He replied with a joyful expression.

“Sigh… Again with that… It was just a coincidence. I just did it because I felt like it.”  I shook my head in denial in an attempt to brush off his gratitude.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that you saved this life of mine. Thus, I am in your debt, and a Caprasania never forgets to pay their debts in full.” A confident smirk appeared on his face.

“Alright.” I just shrugged once more. “But you should at least have listened to the advice of the one who saved your life. You should be careful in your next match…” I turned my head to take a glance at the son of the Skull Crusher once more.

All that met my gaze was not an intense look of hate like the ones my cousin and the Gradisia girl had or a murderous look common to those who have been slighted, instead all I saw was a boy with an empty expression. Said boy was keeping an eye on Renard, clearly not caring that I was staring at him.

“You weren’t careful enough, and now you’ve awakened the sleeping dragon.” I warned my friend.

I didn’t know how could Renard endure such a glance being directed at him. I couldn’t help but find it deeply unsettling. I had seen plenty of hateful and murderous looks in my short life, but there was something about that empty look that made it simply disturbing to me somehow…

“Is this the abyss staring back at me…?” I mumbled as I kept gazing at the brown-haired boy at the other table. Before I even tried to avert my gaze, a sharp pain invaded my mind, almost as if I was suddenly stabbed in the head.

<Useless…? Am I useless…? Then… I guess I must show what I’m truly capable of, old man.> Images of a boy with pitch black hair and a pair of glowing silver-colored eyes flooded my mind all of a sudden. The cold voice of the boy made me feel shivers even at the deepest of my soul. The images of the boy were erased from my mind the moment he lunged at me almost in the blink of an eye, while accompanied by the sounds of thunder echoing in my ears.

A vision of the future? Why now? Why does the son of the Skull Crusher looked like that? It doesn’t make any sense… Why would my [Evil Eyes of Foresight] show me such a thing now?

Because of the sudden vision, I couldn’t help but feel even more cautious of the boy sitting with my cousin… Having visions of the future was a consequence of having the [Evil Eyes of Foresight] due to the nature of their power, but I only got those visions very rarely, so it was more than natural for me to be shaken about the matter.

Normally, my eyes only allow me to gaze a minute or two into the future at most, so looking any further than that is almost impossible unless I get a vision, which happens very rarely and most of the time, only half of them become a reality.

This bad feeling and a vision… Just as I thought, that child is the most dangerous participant here. Perhaps he could be the first one to make me get serious. Well, I suppose I can’t expect any less from the son of the person that saved my life and also the person I want to surpass.

“Alberis? Are you feeling ill? It is not like you to be this talkative, much less for you to seem so worried. You’re also sweating a bit.” Renard seemed concerned about me.

“It is nothing. I was just worried about how to deal with my mother after this is over. You know how overly affectionate she can get after I win these tournaments. And since it is my last tournament before we start our military service, I don’t know what she might try to do…” I brushed off his concerns while using a believable excuse.

“Right. I do remember how she reacted last year. While I won’t say that she didn’t overreact by organizing a parade in your honor, I definitely had fun. Perhaps she will convince my father and the Emperor to organize a country-wide celebration this time around?” Renard replied, while the corners of his lips were curled up slightly. The bastard was amused thanks to my overbearing mother.

“Gods, please spare me from that fate.” I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “Are you aware of how many letters I received with proposals from other houses to get engaged with their daughters? I couldn’t even walk on the street in broad daylight after the parade because even the commoner girls were desperately trying to get married to me… If she managed to organize a country-wide celebration, I would be… I don’t want to even think about it.” I shook my head with annoyance.

“It seems like someone as strong as Midnight Starlight isn’t capable of handling a little bit of fame.” Renard seemed to be having the time of his life making fun of me. “Though, things like that have always been the norm with you, haven’t they? For as long as I remember, you were always surrounded by girls who were desperately trying to win your affection.” He laughed to himself.

“It was annoying back then, and it is way more annoying now. I don’t have a need for such a thing as the affection of a woman. Getting stronger and…-” I was about to express my deepest desire, but I was interrupted.

“And surpassing the Skull Crusher, your hero, is all that matters to you. Yes, yes… I am aware of your objective, my friend. While it may seem crazy to some, I think no one other than you could achieve such an impossibly difficult feat.” Renard nodded before taking a sip of his tea. 

Yes… That is my one and only goal in this life. I want to become stronger than the Skull Crusher and be a hero like he was for me. I want to become a model knight to protect the Empire and its citizens from monster and foe alike, just like the mighty Frederick Laurent once did during his days as a knight.

I want to surpass the person who once saved me from my own foolishness. 

“I do agree that sometimes having to deal with the opposite gender might be a bit… Tricky, to say the least, but I wonder what will you do when the Goddess of Love sends you the person of your dreams? Will you reject them because you only care about achieving said almost impossible goal?” Renard asked with genuine curiosity.

“If they stand in the way of my goal, then yes. I would reject them without a second thought.” I nodded in agreement while looking at the private boxes above. From there, I could see the Skull Crusher, my hero, and my mother both staring down at the arena. “There’s nothing more important to me than fulfilling that promise that I made to myself that day. Everything else is irrelevant.” I replied with determination.

I still remember that day vividly, almost as if the events had been moments ago. 

It all began eight years ago in my family’s manor back in the Earldom of Nebandia. Ever since I have reason, my mother had been friends with the Skull Crusher and his wife. Back then, even after he had been disowned by his family, Frederick Laurent had become a prominent figure in the Empire due to his achievements as the commander of the Bastard Knights. 

Bandits, pirates, dragons, monster stampedes, natural disasters, dangerous dungeons, even ancient liches… There was nothing that the Skull Crusher and his knights weren’t able to overcome.

Naturally, as a child, he became the person that I admired the most in the world. I wanted to become just like him. So imagine my surprise when my mother told me that he was going to visit our home. It is needless to say that I was ecstatic that I was going to finally meet my hero in person.

Even now, I do not understand what was going through my mind at the time, but if I have to guess, I wanted to prove myself to the Skull Crusher just so he would take me as his apprentice.

So what did I do? I went on my own to the forest on the neighboring village, in which there were several goblins running rampant, according to what I heard from my mother. 

It would be fine, I thought. After tall, my mother had told me that my swordsmanship was impeccable, and I had recently awoken my [Evil Eyes of Foresight], so there was no way I could lose to a bunch of goblins.

At first, I was right about that statement. I was able to hunt a dozen goblins on my own. Both their equipment and their skills were way too shabby to be a serious threat for me. However, everything changed as soon as I found their village and their chief, an evolved goblin, a Goblin Knight

To say that the entire tribe was angered by my actions was an understatement. I tried to fight them for as long as I could, but I was no match for their numbers and their evolved chieftain. I was beaten within an inch of my life.

In those terrifying moments, I couldn’t help but cry for help and pray for the gods to save my life. I thought of my mother, my father, and even the servants back at my household… Because of my hubris, I had brought my own demise. Right when the goblins started to get bored with kicking the crap out of me, I even started to accept myself and even started to consider myself lucky.

Even as a boy, I had heard of the terrible things that those little monsters could do to people. The terrible fate that awaited me, even while frightening, was less horrifying than that of other people who had found themselves at the mercy of the tribal creatures.

In my mind, I knew I was going to become the dinner of those creatures. After all, it was said that they enjoyed devouring the tender flesh of young children. I knew that there was no salvation for me, that no one would come for me since I had left without saying a word.

I passed out from the pain of the injuries the creatures had given me while apologizing to my parents for my foolishness... Imagine my shock when I woke up, and I was still alive. I had not become a tasty banquet for the entire tribe of goblins to enjoy.

“And it was all because of you.” I whispered as I stared at the Skull Crusher up above.

Right. Once I woke up, I only found carnage all around me. Everything in the world around me was covered in red. Blood. And the man who stood at the center of it all, was no one other than the muscular behemoth of a man known as the Skull Crusher, Frederick Laurent.

There was no need for me to hear hims tell me his name, I simply knew it was him. From the towering height to the blood-covered axe and his plate armor, I just recognized it all.

The man was laughing to himself after a job well done. That was right before he shoved a flask with a healing potion into my mouth… Even now, I still remember the terrible taste of the potion as well as the words he said to me at that moment…

“Jeez… You’re just like your mother. I can’t tell if you both are just brave or foolish. Perhaps a mix of both. But I have to say that charging right into the village of a whole tribe of goblins on your own has some merits… You’re pretty ballsy, kid.” Those were the words he said to me while nursing me back to health. He was patting my back without a single care in the world.

It was at that moment that I decided that I wanted to become as strong as him… No… I wanted to become even stronger than him… I knew that I wanted to be as strong as him before the whole ordeal, but after that situation, I wanted to surpass him.

So, when I asked how to become as strong as him, he looked at me with a somewhat bemused expression. It took him a moment to compose himself before telling me: 

“So you want to be as strong as me? That’s going to be difficult… Very difficult, in fact. Sure, I can give you some advice here and there, but I must warn you… If you’re a quitter or someone who does things in a half-assed manner, then you better give up on that little ambition of yours.” 

He was the first to ever take me seriously. My mother, my father, the servants, and even Renard… No one ever seemed to take me seriously when I said that I wanted to be like the Skull Crusher. Yet, he decided to listen to me when I pleaded for him to tell me his secret.

And so, he did. 

“Then you must train like crazy. If you want to be as strong as I am, then you’ll have to start training every day as if your life depended on it. Only then you will be able to reach me.” Those were the only words he said to me before laughing obnoxiously and taking me back home.

I don’t know if he was just messing with me or just playing along because of my age, but ever since that event, I took his words to heart. Even as my mother cried, and my father scolded me for my foolish actions, I had made up my mind.

The next day, after the Skull Crusher was gone, I started to train diligently. I have trained every single day since then without exception.

“And yet… It still doesn’t feel like comparable to you.” I couldn’t help but look again at the man who saved my life. Every time I did, my ambition was reignited. “But, regardless of that, I suppose that it is time I show you how far I have come.” I said as I rose from my seat.

<It is time for the next match to begin. Felicia Gradisia and Alberis Nebandia, please present yourselves at the center of the arena.> Professor Dante called my name and the name of my opponent, just like I had predicted.

“I would wish you good luck considering what happened last year, but I don’t think you need it, friend.” Renard smiled and gave me a friendly nod.

“Obviously. Luck is unnecessary, strength is the only absolute in life.” I replied as I picked up my sword before leaving our table.

As I walked through the grounds of the arena, numerous voices could be heard, cheering my name. It was something I had unfortunately gotten used to. I didn’t care about their adoration or the ways that the girls tried to get my attention… My only thoughts were about becoming stronger and the battle ahead of me. I only cared if my opponent was worthy or not.

“Nebandia.” A blue-haired wolkin girl called me out by my last name as soon as I arrived to the center of the arena. “You sure took your sweet time getting here. Perhaps you were enjoying the attention, o mighty Midnight Starlight.” She said in a somewhat unpleasant tone.

“Gradisia.” I acknowledged her presence and bowed politely. “Nothing of the sort. I was just preparing myself mentally for the battle ahead.” I replied to her accusations.

“I see.” She nodded. “I believe that’s fair, especially considering that you defeated me last year, you definitely need the time to prepare yourself before I finally defeat you. And since your friend over there decided to be unnecessarily cruel to Myria, unfortunately for you, it also means that you’re in for a world of pain!” Felicia said while cracking her knuckles.

“We’ll see about that. I frankly don’t care about what happened to the dwarven girl from before, but I am eager to see whether you’ve improved since your match last year or not.” I replied before taking a look at my father, the Vice-Principal. “Father. I would like the same battlefield she and I had last year.” I said to him.

“It wouldn’t hurt you to greet your old father in a more affectionate manner, you know?” My father said as he let out a sigh of disappointment.

“I may do it after we are done here.” I said casually. “Now, where do you wish to fight, Felicia?” I asked.

“The same place we fought last year. The edge of the Great Forest of Falgren in the Nebandia Earldom.” Just as I predicted, Felicia chose the same place as last year.

“Very well. It is decided.” I nodded in agreement.

“Guess I will have to put aside this coin since no one seems to want to have a coin toss…” Professor Dante mumbled to himself while saving his gold coin in his pocket. “Whatever. May the boldest of you win this match. You know the rest.” Dante spoke with annoyance before he snapped his fingers.

Within moments, the whole world around me started to shake uncontrollably, a sensation I was already very familiar with. I was able to close my eyes right before I was blinded by the usual white light.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing deep within the largest forest of the continent. No matter where I looked, I could only see the lush greenery and overgrown foliage over my head. The tall oak trees were easily capable of blocking most of the sunlight that reached this place.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to enjoy the sight, as my opponent had already made her move. Within seconds of being in the forest, I found myself tilting my head to the side in order to dodge an incoming attack,

“Tsk… So you were able to dodge that…” Felicia clicked her tongue with frustration. Her entire body was already engulfed in [Fighting Spirit].

“A little eager to start, aren’t we? Still, that was a good attack.” I said after jumping back to gain some distance.

“I suppose I will have to put a little bit more effort. We are just getting started!” Felicia said before running on all fours deeper into the forest at a considerable speed.

I didn’t even bother to keep an eye on her or to check in which direction she had gone, since I had no need to do so. I would know when and where she would attack thanks to my [Evil Eyes of Foresight].

“To retreat into the forest just to confuse me… A simple tactic that many had tried to use against me before.” I said to Felicia with mild disappointment. “I wonder what will be different about it this time with you, Felicia.” I said as I channeled a bit of mana into my right arm.

It was then that I saw it. Mere seconds into the future, I was able to confirm what Felicia was trying to do. From the right, I was going to be bombarded by countless small fireballs, all of which I would be easily able to block. That was going to serve as Felicia’s distraction. 

Her real attack, however, would come from the left. She intended to use jump around using tree branches to move quickly using her agility. She was then going to lunge at me to strike me down with her long and sharp claws.

A simple plan but a very effective one in this kind of environment. A plan that could be easily be turned against her if one knew what to do.

Thus, I allowed myself to fall victim to her stratagem. Just as I had foreseen, a bombardment of fireballs came flying at me at blinding speeds. There was a lot of power behind them, but nothing that I couldn’t manage. I was able to easily block them all by quickly casting a barrier, and while I was at it, I also noticed the foliage above moving in an unnatural manner.

Thinking that I was seemingly stuck in place blocking her magical attacks, it was then that Felicia decided to strike. She leaped from above almost at the speed of lighting, aiming directly at my neck.

“You’re mine!” She shouted at me before bringing down her claws in a reckless fury. There was something different about her [Fighting Spirit] too… The color of her aura had changed… The pressure around her had grown fiercer as well. 

Unfortunately for Felicia, I had already seen how her tactic would play out. Just by moving my body slightly to the side, I was able to swiftly dodge her attack. Not only that, I also launched a counterattack almost immediately. With my sword still in its sheath, I swung at her chin. This was a feint.

Felicia was so focused on dodging my feint, which she was barely able to dodge, that she failed to see me real attack. With a powerful kick to the stomach, she was launched backwards until she crashed against the trunk of a tree.

“Bastard!” Felicia said after groaning in pain. She was giving me a death glare while holding her stomach.

“That went as well as you’d expect. Simple tactic, yet incredibly effective for someone of your capabilities. Had I moved any later, I would already be in the infirmary. I’m impressed by the fact that you are now capable of using [Limit Break]. I certainly didn’t expect that you’d master to the degree that you would be able to activate it right before your attack.” I replied before dissipating my barrier.

“It seems that you’re still the same cocky bastard that you were last year…” Felicia growled at me while standing back up from the ground.

“I’m not that cocky, but even I were, what would be the problem with that?” I asked Felicia. “You, a Gradisia, should know more than anyone that strength is absolute. That is how our houses came to power, that is how the Empire came to be, and that is the way of the world. Those with that kind of strength have all the right in the world to act proudly.” I explained my reasoning to brush off her insults.

“Well… I can’t really argue with that logic.” She openly admitted that I was right. “Though, I must say that this is odd… You’re very talkative today. I think that this might be the first time you say enough words to me to have a proper conversation. Are you bored or something?” Felicia suddenly smirked.

Hmm? Is that the case? To be fair, I don’t really speak with many people other than Renard, so she may not be wrong about that…

“Perhaps I am bored.” I nodded while letting a chuckle. “What can I say? After all, I haven’t had a proper competition in a long time. For as long as I have been in this academy, barring Her Highness, no one has been able to make me get serious in a fight. Let’s just say that this makes my training feel a little stagnant.” I gave her an honest answer with a polite smile on my face.

“Bastard…” That smirk was quickly wiped off Felicia’s face. “Just as I thought… I want to rip apart that face of yours with my claws. I’m sorry for Neris and Julius, but I won’t give either of them a chance to fight you. I’m taking you down for good!” Felicia roared as her aura suddenly exploded with energy. 

The surrounding trees started shaking violently thanks to the pressure of Felicia’s aura. The combined power of her [Fighting Spirit] and her [Limit Break] was enough to make the wind blow in an ominous manner.

“Let’s see how you handle this!” Felicia smirked once more as her mana gathered in her claws. Soon, the claws on her right hand started glowing red like hot steel while the claws on her left hand were painted in a pale white just like the snow.

I see… So she’s able to add [Elemental Haki] into the mix, and she’s able to use two different elements at the same time too… Compared to last year, she has improved by leaps and bounds. Perhaps I might have to take her a little seriously.

“Fine by me.” I nodded before unsheathing my sword and throwing the sheath to the ground. The vermilion blade shone brightly the moment the sunlight touched its edge. “Though, I believe we will be seeing if you’re even capable of touching me with those claws of yours.” I smiled confidently as I held my blade [Sunbringer] to my right side in a relaxed stance.

By that point, words became unnecessary to us. Felicia only replied to my taunts with that same smirk she had moments ago. That was right before leaping back deep into the forest. 

In my mind, I knew that it was already the end for Felicia. For me to use both [Sunbringer], a sword that I forged with my own hands, and my [Evil Eyes of Foresight] always meant defeat for my opponents.

“Still, that doesn’t mean that I can’t use this as a training exercise.” I said before shifting my focus into my visions of the future.

Visions of multiple potential futures appeared in my mind. I could see all the potential decisions Felicia could take from this point onward, creating branches in time and splitting reality into multiple potential timelines.

In one of those future, she made several attempts to distract me by shooting a myriad of spells at me before lunging at me, aiming her blazing claws at my neck. An easily avoidable future. I could send back all of her spells by shooting my own or with a single swing of my sword.

In another one, it was pretty much the same as the previous one, but instead of aiming at my neck, her aim would be my bracelet in order to disqualify me from the tournament. She would initially try to attack my neck, just like in the previous vision, but that was all a trick. She would make me block her blazing claws with my sword, to stop me from responding to her next attack. With her icy claws, she then would be able to destroy my bracelet before I could do anything to respond…

That one was probably the one potential future with the highest chances of victory for Felicia. From these two potential realities, that were so similar to each other, there were many smaller branching paths that all ended in defeat for my opponent.

Though, there was one in which…-

“Haaaah!” I suddenly heard Felicia roar as loudly as she could, easily interrupting my thoughts.

“So you’ve chosen the third path… This should be somewhat entertaining.” I said with amusement. As soon as I turned my body around, I saw the trunk of one of the tall oak trees flying towards me.

The tree had been plucked out from the ground and launched thanks to Felicia’s destructive physical power. Several deep marks were left in the middle of the tree by her claws. Of course, I didn’t have the time to admire my opponent’s feats. With one clean cut of my sword, it was easy to cut it in half, but just as I did that…

“Eat this!” Felicia screamed as she brought her claws down from above to tear my head off. Her silhouette was revealed the as soon as the tree she had used as a distraction was split in half by my sword.

Since I had already seen this play out, I was not particularly surprised, so I quickly raised my sword to block her claws. Normally, no wolfkin would take their chances with their claws against a magical sword like mine, but Felicia’s claws were far from ordinary at this point. Thanks to her physical and magical capabilities being taken to their absolute limit due to [Limit Break] and her [Fighting Spirit], her claws and her skin were as strong and durable as Mithril, the same material my sword was made of.

The moment her claws and my blade met for a clash, sparks of ice and fire flew all around us.

“Screw planning everything! That’s not my style, I will fight you head on, you arrogant prick!” Felicia smiled as she tried to push me back with her claws. “It is a shame that I can’t fight your dear friend Renard, I will make sure to kick your butt for what he did to Myria… I’m really envious that Julius gets to face him directly!” There was a fire in Felicia’s eyes that had not been there during our duel the past year… She seemed to have changed a little.

As I thought… She chose the path with the least chances of victory…

“You’re welcome to try, but as I said, I don’t really care about what happened with the Estner girl. Whether Renard acted cruelly to that girl in your eyes or not is, frankly, none of my concern. I just want to have a decent fight.” I replied before putting more weight to push her back with my sword.

Immediately after I was successful in pushing back Felicia, I swung my sword horizontally, aiming for her stomach. She was quick to block with her claws, so more elemental sparks ended up scattered everywhere.

Within moments, our already intense clash became even fiercer. Almost like a dance, no matter how many times she tried to tear me apart with her hardened claws, I was able to respond with my sword.

Clash after clash, swing after swing, more and more sparks of ice and fire covered the surrounding forest, and by the time I realized, half of the area had been completely frozen while the other half was covered in flames. There were several craters on the ground as well, all thanks to Felicia’s attacks.

But even then, our duel continued no matter what happened around us. Felicia’s footwork had vastly improved compared to last year, as she had shown me that she was capable to dodge, even if barely, my carefully calculated attacks.

“Not bad, I must admit. Such a shame that this is my last tournament. I would have like to wait for another year to see if you could become a worthy rival. Still, you’ve really improved your skills.” I wholeheartedly complimented my opponent while swinging my sword down at her.

“Tsk! Shut up, you narcissistic idiot! Why are you talking as if you’ve already won!?” Felicia said angrily as she jumped to the side to dodge my attack. She immediately leaped at me, threatening to sink her sharp claws into my chest.

“Because our battle is already more or less over. I am yet to get serious, and your stamina is rapidly decreasing thanks to your [Limit Break]. It is only a matter of time before your body gives up. You have already lost, Felicia. You just have to accept it.” I once more blocked her attack with my own blade.

“And give Julius and Neris the opportunity to shut you up? Hell no! I prefer doing that myself!” She said before pushing my blade away with her right hand. “This is not only because of Myria, but you really made it personal last year, bastard! I’m going to bring you down, one way or another!” Felicia shouted just as she aimed her right hand at my neck.

I quickly jumped backward to dodge her attack and gain some distance from her, but she immediately followed me.

“As I expected, you’re as stubborn as any other one from House Gradisia.” I smiled wryly as I swung my sword at Felicia once again. She was able to block it, yet again, so even more elemental particles flew across the battlefield. “Speaking of which, you have been mentioning the princesses' champion over and over again since this duel began. Have you met him before? I never expected someone like you to be tamed by such a young boy. It was very surprising to me to see you act so affectionate with someone.” I brought up something that had been on my mind ever since the tournament began. 

I also wanted to get some information about the son of the Skull Crusher, so this was the perfect opportunity to do some interrogation.

“What? Are you jealous of him, perhaps? The mighty Midnight Starlight is jealous that he couldn’t get someone like me, even though he is so popular with the girls in the academy?” Felicia said to me in a mocking manner as my weapon continued to clash against her powerful claws.

“I have never been interested in someone like you, so I am not jealous in the slightest. I am just a little surprised, if I’m being honest.” I was truthful with Felicia. “I mean, it is not every day that you see someone like you, or my cousin, or even the Oriana sisters of all people be so infatuated with someone they just met.” I swung my sword at her yet again, this time in a vertical angle.

Felicia had barely enough time to block my attack, as I had managed to catch her by surprise. As soon as she did that, I had sent her flying due to the power behind my attack, so she ended up crashing against a charred tree.

Just as I had foreseen, the end of our battle was near.

“I won’t lie, it was surprising to me as well in the beginning…” She admitted while on the ground. “Even though you’ve always been stronger than me and have managed to defeat me and humiliate me again and again, I never felt that I could see you as a potential partner or as someone superior to me... I think you and everyone misunderstands my family’s values…”  She slowly stood from the ground, using the charred tree for support. Her lack of stamina was beginning to show.

“How so?” I replied while staring at the wolfkin girl.

“It is true that we value strength very highly, more than other houses do. I cannot deny that. We will only submit to someone stronger than us, just like my ancestors did with the Hero Rokkshar and just like my parents did with the Skull Crusher. Naturally, the people from my house would only someone stronger than them as partners.” Felicia spoke while holding her stomach. Her face became extremely pale in the blink of an eye. “But, truth to be told, we value companionship even more than we value strength. I think that is the reason of why I can only think of him as a partner. After all, who else could gather such a mismatched group without them being at each other’s throats? It was only after seeing the face he made after Myria was disqualified that I thought about that deeply. He was so unbelievably angry that I thought that he was going to walk over to your table to challenge Renard earlier than he was supposed to.” Felicia said with another smirk.

“Your point is?” I said while pretending not to be interested in her little monologue.

“That I am very much infatuated with him, as you say.” A huge smile of delight appeared on Felicia’s face. “The others are too. The Oriana sisters, Myria, and your cousin… Especially your cousin.” Felicia seemed very amused, even though she was barely standing.

“Hmm… Good for you all, I should say? I am not particularly interested in that. But I thank you for the information about your family’s values.” I said to Felicia while readying my weapon to strike her down. “Still, can you remind me what was the point of your monologue?” I asked. I was hoping she would give me more information about the young boy.

As I thought, her [Limit Break] drained all of her energy and mana. It is a miracle that she was able to endure for so long with that skill and that she’s still conscious. I guess I better put an end to this soon…

“Hehe… Well, there was no meaning to it. I just wanted to brag about the guy I like in front of someone who will be begging me for mercy soon enough.” Felicia laughed weakly. “It is precisely because we are all infatuated with him, as you say, that I have to take this chance to show off in front of him by taking you down!” Her pale complexion suddenly became brighter, almost as if she had suddenly gotten a second wind.

Immediately after, Felicia let out a loud roar that echoed through the forest. An explosion of aura followed soon after Felicia was reinvigorated. The elemental power in her claws was now stronger than ever.

“I hope that you’re watching closely, Julius! This is my full power and I will use my all to defeat Alberis once and for all!” Felicia smiled fearlessly while talking to herself. “Here’s when it ends!” Felicia then used all of her strength to jump at me, with her claws aiming to reap apart my neck, just like she had tried before.

Because of her strength and the power of her aura, the wind blew violently all around… In spite of that, I blocked her attack with ease. Due to our previous clashes and the way she wasted her stamina with the use of multiple skills, she now lacked the strength to push me back.

“Was that really all you had?” I asked Felicia. I had already seen how our battle would end, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Even though she had leaped at me and attack with all she had, Felicia could no longer hear my words. She had fainted while standing… If it wasn’t because she was holding my sword, she would have fallen straight to the ground.

“Sigh… Another opponent that couldn’t force me to fight seriously.” I let out a sigh of annoyance and disappointment. “At this rate, I won’t be able to become stronger than the Skull Crusher… With opponents like these, then I…” It was only as I said those words when I noticed something strange.

My bracelet was cracked. The bracelet that Felicia had been unable to even touch was filled with cracks… No, it was on the verge of crumbling, which was arguably worse…

When did this happen? I never saw something like this in my visions, so why is my bracelet so damaged? I never took any hits from her and I made sure to block each and every attack of hers, so why?

I was puzzled due to the sudden development… How couldn’t I? It was something I had not foreseen…

It was only then that I noticed something else… I noticed the fact that, even while unconscious, Felicia was smiling from ear to ear. She had that same annoying smirk from before.

“You wanted to show off, huh…” I looked at the unconscious wolfkin girl with a contemplative expression. “I guess I underestimated you more than you deserve, Felicia. You’ve really grown much stronger than you were last year.” I expressed my honest thoughts about this situation.

I cannot figure out how she managed to achieve something like that without even touching me, but this is the first time someone manages to push me this far. To almost disqualify me from the tournament…

As I stared at my unconscious opponent, I made up my mind to face the future consequences. With a swift strike, I broke the bracelet around Felicia’s wrist to send her to the infirmary.

“I can’t hold it against Renard anymore, can I? I also didn’t follow my own advice.” I mumbled as Felicia’s silhouette disappeared from the battlefield. “I might have woken up the dragon just now…” I looked at what was left of the forest while reflecting on my actions.

As I said those words, I couldn’t help but grow more and more anxious as I remembered the vision from before. I didn’t feel happy or remotely content about my victory, if anything, I had grown more weary of the son of the Skull Crusher than before…


Chapter 77: A Natural Result…

END


EXTRA: Felicia’s Status

Name: Felicia Belin Gradisia

Race: Wolfkin

Age: 14 years old 

Ability Points: 7,209 points

Titles: Noble / Savage Brawler / Unfriendly Wolf / Lone Wolf of the Academy / Object of Adoration: Club of the Wolf /

Jobs: Magical Brawler Lv.3 / Claw Combatant Lv.10 - MAX / Barehanded Fighter Lv.6 / Combat Magician Lv.3

Level: 42

EXP: 1,002 / 50,950  


Attributes

HP: 9,401

MP: 9,202

DEX: 421

STR: 802

VIT: 6,323

DEF: 239

RES: 310

LUCK: 121

SPD: 490

INT: 175


 Common Skills 

Cooking / Level 4

Hunting / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Riding / Level 7 

Dancing / Level 4

Singing / Level 2

Enhance Mind / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!


Combat

Archery / Level 4

Armed Combat: Daggers / Level 3

Superior Footwork / Level 1

Fighting Spirit / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Limit Break / Level 6 

Unarmed Combat / Level 10

Second Wind / Level 2

Enhance Attack / Level 7

Enhance Defense / Level 6


Magic

Mana Manipulation / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL! 

Mana Perception / Level 8

Magic: Earth Element / Level 3

Magic: Fire Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Wind Element / Level 8

Magic: Water Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Light Element / Level 2

Magic: Dark Element / Level 2

Enhance Magical Attack / Level 4


Resistances

Charm Resist / Level 1

Elemental Resistance: Earth / Level 2

Elemental Resistance: Fire / Level 9

Elemental Resistance: Wind / Level 6

Elemental Resistance: Water / Level 9

Elemental Resistance: Light / Level 3

Elemental Resistance: Dark / Level 2

Pain Resist / Level 8

Paralysis Resist / Level 3

Poison Resist / Level 4

Fear Immunity / Level 5


Heya! How are y'all doing? I know that I am late with the chapter, a day late to be precise, but late nonetheless. Some stuff came up with my friends, I was playing genshin, I drove myself to a cliff, I could give you a million excuses, but I won't. I will simply say that I had to rewritte several fragments of this chapter because I was not satisfied with the end result. After all the work I put into this, I think it ended up being good, at least for my standards.

I have something tell you... About posting the chapters every saturday/sunday/monday, I don't think I will be doing that anymore. I will continue to post once a week, but I will start posting whenever I can since my time has become very limited because of my job and other personal reasons, unfortunately.

Anyway, 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!

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