"Galan… can't you please leave me alone?" Aimon pleaded.

"That's Lord Galan," he corrected.

"Come on, we grew up together," Aimon groaned.

They grew up together? This pipsqueak? He's not even half the size of Aimon!

"A foolishness of my youth," Galan sighed dramatically. "I had hoped to foster a friendship between our branches, but you abandoned the cause and turned down becoming the Carren heir."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm terrible at public speaking," Aimon admitted. "I'd rather someone who actually wants the role take it."

"Can you believe this, Lady Sylthaeryn?" Galan gasped dramatically. "The direct descendant of the Carren blood, shirking his noble-born duties and hoping to abdicate them to someone else—an utter shame to our progenitor! Truly, the ancestor must be turning in his grave!"

"Does this twerp think he's part of some soap opera drama?" Vee commented, sounding particularly peeved off now.

"While I understand the importance of duty, one can also see handing over the reins to someone better suited to uphold their obligation," I answered.

I was hoping to be diplomatic with both sides, even though I personally would have preferred to be on Aimon's side. Unfortunately, Galan snorted at my response.

"I almost forgot who I was talking to when you yourself abandoned your family to galavant around the human lands before you came back with your tail between your legs."

"Lady Sylthaeryn came back with accomplishments others can only dream of!" Aimon retorted. His tone even reflected envy, indicative of how much he truly believed that.

"I suppose the Carren and Feirelle branches have withered far more than I realized. The mighty Elarinwe branch is flourishing so spectacularly that such accomplishments seem mere trifles," Galan boasted.

Internally, I sighed. Part of me wanted to ignore his bluster, but now I couldn't, as he'd directly insulted my branch and family. Noble society would demand that I save face and defend myself, insult back, or even escalate further.

"You dare question my merits, Lord Galan? What accomplishments have you earned that allow you to bluster so confidently? From my perspective, they must have been so minor that they weren't even worth mentioning over idle gossip."

Galan's childish face turned pink, "You wretch!"

"I suppose tantrums and childish insults are par for the course with you," I retorted. I presume your merit was a trade agreement set up by your parents. Did Mommy and Daddy lend you their jewelry to sell to someone?"

Galan was clenching his teeth so tightly I thought they would bleed. He was absolutely livid, but on his childlike appearance, he honestly looked like a little brat about to start a temper tantrum.

I managed to remain composed, but Vee was cackling with laughter, and even Aimon could not help but let out a slight chuckle.

"Of course, a brute like yourself would need to resort to the combat trial; diplomacy and trade would be wasted on such a buffoon as yourself," he snarled.

"Buffoon?" I questioned sarcastically. "Lord Galan, perhaps you need your eyes or ears checked. Yes, I am taking on the combat trial, but I am conquering it through my magical mastery of the elements. I command the power of not only fire, water, earth, and air but also lightning, ice, magma, nature, and steam!"

As I proudly announced each element, I had a tiny bit of it gather at each of my fingertips as I raised them, as if counting. Sadly, I was still missing dust for the final finger. Otherwise, I would have had a full complement of ten, but it still looked rather impressive from my perspective!

It certainly had quite an effect as Galan appeared to tremble ever so slightly while Aimon stared in wonder.

"As if I should be intimidated by some mere cantrips!" he snapped back. I had to admit he was partially correct.

Those last three elements are terribly low-level… I really should give them some focus at some point.

"If you are truly so ignorant to dismiss them, would you like to witness their power firsthand?"

"A duel?" Aimon asked, then he looked at Vee on my shoulder and smirked. "With such a diminutive companion, I worry you might be at a significant disadvantage; after all, you lost your first one. Would you like the handicap of having Aimon as your partner?"

Aimon scowled, and even [Roleplay] allowed my displeasure to be shown on my face. He had now insulted my current and past [Bonded Companions]—in one fell swoop, he'd effectively crossed the line of one of the greatest taboos for the elves and then spat on it for good measure!

"Oh, you little shit!" Vee screamed. "I'll tear you apart. I'll throw you in an endless loop of falling portals! You're not even worthy of being slime food!"

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on NovelBin. Report any occurrences.

While Vee ranted and raved to her one-person audience, she made frantic and elaborate leg gestures. Aimon was the first to notice the underlying meaning of her motions, and Galan followed shortly after.

"Does your [Bonded Companion] have an issue?" Galan asked in a strangely threatening tone that was ill-suited to his childlike appearance.

"Vee wishes to duel you alone," I answered.

"Ha! I understand she is a powerful creature, born in the depths of the dwarven pits, but have you been lacking in her integration into society? Does this spider truly believe it can accomplish something without the aid of its master?"

"I believe in Vee," Aimon said, sounding confident.

"As do I, however—" I began.

Galan rolled his eyes before interrupting, "Here come the excuses. It seems I have misjudged you and perhaps the whole Feirelle branch—you are all wax and no wick."

"—however…" I continued. "Vee's method of combat is highly lethal, and I do not wish for the death of the Elarinwe heir."

Galan scoffed and acted outraged as if I had slapped him in the face.

"Mistress Sylthaeryn, I can officiate this duel and ensure there is appropriate death warding," Llewel said from behind me.

I almost jumped in surprise by Llewel's sudden interjection but then realized he had actually been with us the entire time. I knew I would often hyper-fixate on things and lose track of my surroundings, but this seemed like a step too far even for me. Then I realized the actual reason why I'd overlooked him—[Roleplay].

Llewel was a to-be adopted member into the Feirelle branch, but I was the heir candidate, and so Llewel was beneath me. Effectively, he was a servant in the grand hierarchy of nobles or, at best, the equivalent of a bastard child. Thus, it would be perfectly natural for me and any of my fellow "noble" elves to overlook them while we talked to one another as if he were nothing more than background-dressing to us.

Gross… I shuddered. Once again, I did not feel particularly grateful for how [Roleplay] was having me behave.

"Excellent! I trust there will be no further excuses?" Galan asked with a slight sneer.

"None," I replied confidently.

"They will need a platoon of janitors to clean up the floor when I'm done with you!" Vee boasted confidently. Of course, once again, I was the only one who could hear her confidence.

If Aimon comes through and the Carrens have an evolution option for Vee, I worry about what trouble her big mouth will cause us!

Already, whispers were spreading amongst the participants, and everyone was beginning to look forward to the prospective duel. I had thought this might be odd, but it looked like the plaza even had a specific area cordoned off for duels.

I guess duels are more common than I thought. I guess even the elves believe that might makes right.

Galan strutted to the one section like a peacock. The air around him shimmered as he walked, and it was apparent that he was using magic to further enhance his presence.

"Be careful, Vee. His father was a fey, so you can expect all sorts of trickery," Aimon whispered.

"Is that why he looks like a kid?" Vee asked before laughing hysterically. "His mom slept with a fairy? That's hilarious! How would he even—"

"Vee! Be serious about this!" I interrupted telepathically so as to not break character. "Illusions can be extremely dangerous, and if he's even half as good as Trixie or some of the other illusionists I've fought, then he could very well have you trapped in your own delusions."

Vee jumped off my shoulder and began strolling towards her section of the dueling area. She started slowly growing in size as she walked, causing plenty of surprised and anticipated murmurs.

"Relax, Syl, I'm taking this seriously!" Vee said confidently. "I'll wipe the floor with him before he has a chance to blink. You've seen what I can do—have faith!"

I sighed. I knew perfectly well what she could do and how dangerous she could be. But I wasn't sure to what extent Vee was willing to reveal her capabilities. If she attacked right away with [Rift Thread], she could probably win in the blink of an eye.

"If you're that worried about me falling prey to some illusions, well, can't you just tell me what's real or fake?" Vee asked. "I mean, I think my [Spatial Sense] is good enough to break through them, and I've even got a few levels in [Illusion Resistance] after hanging around Trixie so much."

I grumbled in agreement, although I was still slightly annoyed by the situation. If anything, I wanted to crush the arrogant elf myself, but I could feel my [Roleplay] created persona approving of the situation. If my companion could beat another heir by herself, then everyone would wonder what I, as her "master," could also accomplish. It would be a far greater accomplishment in the eyes of the nobles.

"Are both participants ready?" Llewel asked.

Vee nodded, and I also mentioned her affirmation. Galan smirked and nodded, too.

Having received confirmation, Llewel began casting a spell. It was possibly the most complex spell I'd ever witnessed, enveloping the entire arena. There was a blur of an afterimage as if suddenly there were two Galans and Vees before the spell fully settled and their blurry duplicate merged into themselves.

"The time anchor has been set; you may begin!" Llewel announced.

Time anchor? I've got to ask him about this later! I excitedly thought, momentarily forgetting about the severity of the situation before us.

"Come forth, Nyrvi!" Galan announced as a beautiful golden iridescent butterfly flew out from his sleeve.

The butterfly continued to shine brightly, causing the crowd of onlookers to declare its beauty and splendor. Then the butterfly split into two, then four, then eight, and soon there was an entire swarm of butterflies at Galan's side.

Nyrvi [Bonded Companion]; Fractal Miragefly [IV] LV 4; Luminous Archer [III] LV 12.

Aimon clicked his tongue in annoyance, "I didn't expect his companion to have evolved already…"

"Hey, what the hell? I thought this was me versus him; what's with the army of butterflies?" Vee cried out in dismay.

"Elves see companions as one and the same for the purpose of duels," I explained telepathically to Vee.

"Well shit, that would have been good to know before I agreed to this," Vee grumbled. "But it's fine; he can have the handicap! It'll just make my victory even more impressive! Besides, I'm not scared of a butterfly archer!"

"It's a tier four monster, and the class is advanced," I warned.

"Yup. So totally a small fry," Vee replied.

"I was going to be the gentleman and offer you the first move, but since you're just standing there, I suppose I'll have to act!" Galan announced, brimming with confidence.

Suddenly, hundreds of butterflies began to shine before each fired out a light arrow. At first, I thought it might have been some form of illusion, but I soon realized that each one was somehow real.

Before I could even warn Vee, she had already used [Warp] to teleport to safety, appearing behind Galan while simultaneously growing to her full size.

"So that wasn't her full size? Truly a remarkable species!" Aimon enthusiastically praised.

Vee lunged forward with her fangs bared, but what she bit down on faded away into a blur. At the same time, the countless swarm of butterflies fired another volley of light arrows, forcing Vee to teleport away to safety.

"Sneak attacks only work if you know what you're targeting," Galan announced confidently as he appeared in another area of the arena.

"I despise illusions," Vee grumbled.