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Valeria held his gaze, feeling a weight settle over her that went beyond the words they were exchanging. "Then… what would

you

do, if you were in my place?"

Lucavion let out a quiet sigh, his expression turning distant. "That\'s a question with no easy answer. You could concede the fight, and step out of his way if you truly believed he was fighting out of necessity. Or you could choose to ignore it, telling yourself it\'s not your business. But…" he paused, his gaze sharpening, "you could also act."

"Act?" she repeated, her brow furrowing.

He leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering. "Yes. Act. If someone\'s fighting for their survival in a tournament like this, don\'t you wonder why? What kind of position would someone need to be in for a match here to feel like a life-or-death struggle?"

Valeria\'s mind raced, sifting through possibilities. Her gaze grew distant as she considered the tournament setting, the desperation in the boy\'s eyes, and the fierce, relentless way he fought. And then, like a dark veil lifting, the answer hit her.

"Slavery," she whispered, her voice barely audible. It made perfect, horrifying sense. For someone to fight with that level of abandon, that utter disregard for their own safety… it was the fight of someone who had no control over his fate. Someone bound to win or face unimaginable consequences. "Or he could have been blackmailed…"

That was even worse. If one were to be threatened with their lives, they could maybe ignore it.

She could see herself just killing herself if she were to be forced into a dishonorable act.

But what if her family was captured?

A surge of anger began to simmer within Valeria as the weight of her realization settled heavily on her shoulders. The thought of someone being blackmailed or enslaved into this tournament twisted her sense of justice, filling her with a hollow rage that she didn\'t know how to direct.

She imagined herself in his place. If her family were at risk—if their lives were held over her head as leverage—what would she do? Could she stand by and let them suffer, even if it meant abandoning her own honor? The answer was one she could barely admit to herself.

For the first time, she felt the bitterness of her victory against the boy. She had fought him without fully understanding what had been at stake for him. Winning had felt like a validation of her strength, but now… now, all she could think of was the question that hung unanswered:

What would happen to him because she\'d won?

Was his family at risk now, facing a punishment for his defeat?

Her hand clenched into a fist, and she looked down, her voice coming out in a low, controlled fury. "If he was fighting because he had no choice… because his family was at stake…" She trailed off, her jaw tightening as she struggled with the thought. "What happens to him now?"

Lucavion watched her, his expression steady but his gaze softened by an understanding that was rare from him. "That\'s the hard part," he said quietly. "In this world, consequences don\'t disappear just because someone fought hard. When you lose in a battle like that, there\'s often a price to pay."

She felt her heart twist painfully, and she shook her head, unable to reconcile the injustice of it. "All he did was fight as hard as he could, and he still lost. And now, for what? To be punished for failing?" Her fists trembled as she wrestled with the thought. "It feels… wrong. Unfair."

Lucavion nodded, his eyes dark. "It is. But that\'s the reality of a life bound to someone else\'s demands. Sometimes, there\'s no \'fair\' way out."

For a moment, she was silent, the weight of his words pressing down on her. Winning had always meant honor and strength to her, a testament to her discipline. But this tournament held an ugliness she hadn\'t anticipated, and it made her victory feel hollow, even bitter.

She met Lucavion\'s gaze, her voice edged with both determination and sorrow. "I don\'t know what to do… but I can\'t ignore this. Not anymore."

Lucavion\'s smirk returned, his eyes glinting with a mix of admiration and mischief. "I figured you\'d say something like that," he murmured, leaning back in his chair. "If that boy, and maybe others like him, are under some kind of restriction—forced to fight, bound to someone else\'s will—wouldn\'t you want to do something about it?"

Valeria\'s eyes narrowed as she absorbed his words.

Of course, I would,

she thought fiercely, the idea of inaction twisting her stomach. But she pushed back the rush of emotions, keeping her voice level. "How, exactly?" she asked, a wary edge to her tone.

Lucavion raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "Easy. Just follow me. But," he added with a gesture at their empty table, "after we eat."

Valeria\'s gaze grew sharper, a mix of skepticism and irritation crossing her face. \'What is he up to now?\' she wondered. He looked almost too calm about it as if this entire situation were some kind of game. But there was a gleam in his eyes that told her he was serious.

"What?" she asked, incredulous.

"Look," he said with an easy shrug, "it\'s like you said—this feels wrong, unfair. And if you feel that strongly about it… well, let\'s just say I know where we might start looking for answers."

Valeria held his gaze, her mind racing. \'I don\'t trust him,\' she thought, \'but he\'s offering something I can\'t just walk away from.\' She let out a quiet breath, trying to steady herself. She could feel the bitter taste of her own anger still burning within her, an anger she couldn\'t ignore, even if Lucavion was the one leading her toward… whatever it was he had in mind.

"All right," she said finally, though her voice remained guarded. "After we eat. But if this is some elaborate prank…"

"Have I ever pranked you?" Lucavion asked, feigning innocence with an exaggerated sigh.

\'Yes,\'

she thought flatly. But her need for answers outweighed her distrust, just this once. She let the conversation drift as they waited, though her mind remained on the young fighter—and the fate he might be facing.

As Valeria\'s thoughts continued to churn, her focus returned to the table as their meals arrived. But this time, instead of Jorkin\'s familiar, stoic presence, a young girl appeared with their plates in hand, balancing them with an easy, practiced grace.

She was slight, with bright, inquisitive eyes and an energy that seemed to spark with every step she took.

"Here we are!" she announced cheerfully, setting the plates down in front of them with a quick, genuine smile. "Valeria, Lucavion—you\'re in luck; we had a fresh batch of bread come out just a few minutes ago." She glanced at Valeria, her smile widening, and added with a teasing tone, "Hope you\'re hungry enough!"

Valeria couldn\'t help the slight smile that tugged at her lips. "Thank you, Liora," she replied warmly, feeling the young girl\'s infectious energy ease the tension in her chest.

Liora had returned to the inn just a few days ago, having been away visiting family, and her lively nature had quickly made her a welcome presence.

Valeria somehow felt like she had taken a liking to her immediately, partly because Liora treated everyone with a refreshing openness, partly because she didn\'t seem to mind Valeria\'s sometimes reserved nature. In some strange way, Liora was one of the reasons she\'d started feeling more at home in this inn.

Top of FormLiora winked at her before stepping back, hands on her hips as she glanced between Valeria and Lucavion. "So, what trouble are you two planning today?" she teased, giving them both a knowing look. "Not that I expect you to tell me

everything

, of course."

Lucavion chuckled, leaning back with his usual smirk. "Us? Trouble? Never."

Liora immediately jumped forward, leaning in with an exaggerated look of disbelief as she placed her hands on the table, facing Lucavion head-on. "You are

not

allowed to say things like that!" she declared, her voice a mix of playful scolding and genuine amusement.

Lucavion raised an eyebrow, his smirk unfazed. "Oh? And what exactly have I done to earn such a dramatic response?"

Liora scoffed, crossing her arms with a mock glare. "As if you don\'t know! After that scene you caused, your name has been on nearly every tongue in the city! You waltz into the tournament, stir things up with the Cloud Heavens Sect of all people, and now—now!—you\'re sitting here pretending that you don\'t know trouble when it\'s practically tattooed on your forehead?" She shook her head, clearly enjoying every second of her tirade. "And then you have the audacity to say, \'Trouble? Never.\'"

"Pfffftttttt…."

Bottom of Form

Valeria smothered a laugh, as she couldn\'t help after seeing the expression that Liora made.

"Heh….."

Lucavion also laughed, raising his hands in mock surrender. "All right, all right, I\'ll admit it—I

may

have made a few enemies."

"Not, few. Quite a lot of them."

"So what?"

Liora tilted her head, her arms still crossed as she regarded him with that playful, assessing glare. "Sometimes, Lucavion, I wonder… Are you brave, or are you just plain stupid?"

Lucavion\'s smirk deepened, and he leaned back in his chair with a calm, almost arrogant ease. "It\'s bravery," he replied smoothly, "when you have the strength to overcome whatever you face." He paused, his eyes glinting with a trace of challenge. "It\'s stupidity if you fail in the attempt."

Valeria\'s laughter died down, and she looked at him, a hint of interest in her gaze.

Typical Lucavion,

she thought, but there was something almost admirable in his confidence—something that wasn\'t just arrogance. He believed every word, and somehow, in his presence, she almost believed it too.

Liora scoffed again, rolling her eyes as if to hide her amusement. "Well, you\'d better make sure you don\'t cross that line," she muttered. "The Cloud Heavens Sect isn\'t exactly known for their forgiving nature."

Lucavion only chuckled, unfazed. "Forgiveness was never something I expected from them," he replied lightly, then turned his gaze to Valeria, an unspoken question in his eyes, as if asking whether she understood his way of seeing things.

Valeria didn\'t look away, but she kept her expression steady. "Let\'s hope your bravery doesn\'t end up looking a lot like stupidity," she said coolly, though her lips twitched with a faint smile.

As Liora rolled her eyes one last time and moved to help another table, Valeria felt that, somehow this was how she needed to aspire to be.

A strange mix of admiration and frustration at Lucavion settled over her once more.

He was maddening, even reckless, but his conviction had a way of stirring something within her—a challenge, a question, that she couldn\'t quite ignore.

----------A/N-------------

Sorry for the late chapter. My exams had started and I had been having a frankly hard time keeping up.

More action is on the way.