Are You Interested In The Upcoming Tournament

"What were you thinking?!"

Alright, I've done it.

"Do you even realize your situation?!"

There is no turning back now.

"Lynett, are you listening?!"

Vivian's ringing voice forcefully pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, I am."

After accepting my challenge, Aoban left the refectory and as soon as he disappeared, I was dragged out, away from the growing commotion. We were now in a secluded place, not too far from the dormitories, and although I haven't checked out of politeness, I'm pretty sure it's been at least ten minutes that I've been listening to Vivian's non-stop nagging. It feels like I'm being scolded by my mother, really. Once she finally seemed to have finished, she bit her cracked lips and buried her head in her arms, slowly shrinking. She looks ten times more worried now than she was when she realized she accepted Lucius' duel.

"I think what you did was really cool," Jalone's hesitant voice broke the silence.

"Don't encourage her!" Scolded Vivian.

I smiled wryly at her, trying to ease her worries.

"It's just a duel, you know? Just like you and Lucius. It's the same thing."

"That's why I'm mad at you!" The young girl stressed, her voice filled with both concern and anger. "You're repeating my same stupid mistake! You got carried away by your emotion and signed your own death warrant! Besides, it's not the same thing! You're not fighting Lucius, your opponent is Aoban Whiteheart! He's a swordsman, and one of the best!"

Yeah, yeah, brother is amazing, I get it.

"Vivian," I called her out. "Just worry about your own duel, I'll take care of mine."

Her eyelids twitched at my unreasonable demand.

"Have you forgotten? I promised you that you would win," I reminded her, "and I certainly intend to do the same. So have some faith in your friend."

The young girl stayed silent for a few seconds, her eyes squinted, before a forced smile appeared on her face.

"That's unfair of you. To use the friendship card."

I grinned.

As Vivian let out a resigned sigh, Jalone suddenly butted in front of me.

"I have faith in you!" He exclaimed. "I'll be rooting for you!"

A little surprised at first, I smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Thanks," I patted his head.

The boy happily received my gratitude and Vivian finally let out a small chuckle, only Frost had yet to make a comment about this seemingly hopeless fight.

"Can you win?" He eventually spoke up.

I turned my attention to him. His arms crossed in front of him, he was looking at me stoically.

"I've already had a glimpse of your powers," he continued. "I know you're strong, much stronger than you look. But can you win against your brother?"

I couldn't tell if he was worried about me or simply assessing my power as a teammate.

I tilted my head to the side.

"I can," I nonchalantly responded.

Despite a very slight squint of his eyes, Frost's expression remained unchanged.

"Aren't you being overconfident?" He inquired. "You realize your opponent is a swordsman, right? No matter how skillful you are, as a mage, you are clearly at a disadvantage here."

That would have been true for anyone else, but I'm me, so I'll be fine. Since Frost only received a sigh from me as an answer, he continued.

"I know he's your brother but… Do you really understand how strong he is? Have you ever even seen him fight seriously?"

"Have you ever seen me fight seriously?" I retorted with a slightly irritated tone.

Frost did not answer immediately. I could guess that he was recalling our little clash from the other day. By now, he probably understood that I was merely toying with him back then.

"What are your chances for this fight?" Frost finally asked, after remaining silent for a while.

His rigid eyes were giving me a hard stare.

I smirked, raising both my thumbs up.

"One hundred percent!"

Vivian and Jalone both gasped at my bold declaration. Frost, on the other hand, kept his composure. However, his expression softened a little. Whether he believed me or not, my assurance relieved him to some extent.

"Don't let us down then," he said, displaying a half smile. "We're counting on you."

"Why do you care?" I sneered. "Besides, it's just a duel, it's not a group fight. Whether I win or lose, it won't affect you in any way."

"It will," the boy sighed, his facial muscles tensing up once again. "Our group's image is already bad enough as it is. We have a reputation to build."

I guess that's true.

"So don't you dare lose or I'm out of the team," he added, hopefully jokingly.

Not that I intend to lose, though.

◊◊◊◊◊◊

After somehow easing their mind, I parted ways with my teammates. It was getting late and the curfew was approaching, but since the dormitories were close, it didn't take me long to return to my room. Thankfully, I didn't come across a lot of people on my way back. Considering my brother's reputation, the news of my duel with him surely spread around the school, so I didn't really want any more judgmental stares. I had finally calmed down after all.

"You have some guts," Nomi declared as soon as I entered the room.

She was looking at me with a smug face, her lips forming a full grin.

Fuck, she knows.

I tried to ignore her as I closed the door behind me and headed straight to my bed, but she had no intention of leaving me alone.

"I heard you challenged your brother to a duel," she smirked, clearly amused by the situation.

"So what?" I sighed.

"Well, I can't tell if you're brave or just stupid!"

…Ok, maybe I'll just ignore her completely.

"Hey, don't be upset," Nomi called out as she read my expression. "I'm on your side."

"As if," I grumbled. "I bet you can't wait to see me bite the dust."

"Like I said, I'm on your side," she repeated. "I'm hoping for your victory."

The young elf was displaying a large smile. It was hard to read her. I couldn't tell if she was serious or simply mocking me. So far, she has only acted with hostility toward me, so it was difficult to believe in her sudden support.

"You think I can win?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not."

Yeah, figures.

"I said I was on your side, but it doesn't mean I think you can win," the young elf shrugged. "I mean, you're a mage, right? In a duel, you barely have any chance against a swordsman. And your opponent isn't just any swordsman. Only an idiot would actually believe you can win this fight."

"Then why are you on my side?"

Nomi gave me a meaningful look as a grin crept onto her face.

"Well, I'd give anything to see the great honor student, Aoban Whiteheart, defeated by his own sister. That would be quite a sight, don't you think?"

Ah, I get it. She may not like me, but she dislikes my brother even more. What's her problem, for real?

"So, here's a tip to help you for the duel," Nomi continued since she received no answer from me. "Your brother's swordsmanship is quite exceptional, but it has a weakness."

I frowned at her words, as she suddenly piqued my interest.

"His fighting style is exclusively offensive," she explained. "He is terribly lacking when it comes to defense, so it's not so hard to lay a hit on him. Just don't let him attack first."

That's quite interesting, although I doubt it will really help me. But…

"How do you know that?" I asked, my eyes full of suspicion.

"I've sparred with him a few times," the young elf casually revealed. "I just figured out that the best way to fight him was to not let him land one hit after another."

My eyes squinted even further.

"You've sparred with him?"

"Yeah," Nomi confirmed, "we're in the same class."

The same- wait…

"You took the swordsmanship major?"

The young elf nodded.

Ah… First a demi-human mage, now an elven swordswoman. What is the world coming to? I set different stats for each race for a reason. But if she's in the same class as Aoban, then she must be in the advanced classes, right? Then it means she's actually good at it?

As Nomi remained indifferent to my judgmental stare, I suddenly realized something. A swordswoman?

"Are you interested in the upcoming Tournament?" I asked.

The young elf didn't answer. She simply frowned at the sudden change of subject instead.

"Would you like to-"

"You're not going to ask me to join your team, are you?" Nomi cut me off.

Uh… Yes?

"In case you've forgotten, let me remind you that I am not your friend," she continued in a dry tone of voice. "Just because I'm supporting you in your duel, it doesn't change a damn thing."

Right. The usual disdain and arrogance in her attitude returned, her previous amiability vanishing in one instant. Well, at least, that's the Nomi I know.