”My name is Letro Auequas.”

The man introduced himself to Zoemi.

”I take it you are my… Uncle…? What do you want? Not that it matters much at the moment.”

The black-haired boy stopped and glanced back, furrowing his brows at the new arrival.

”I don’t know what you are talking about. None of my brothers has a legitimate son named Zoemi.”

”…”

Letro declared proudly while glaring at the boy’s back with barely hidden anger, which only caused Zoemi to roll his eyes and hold back a sigh.

”If you want to duel me as revenge for defeating your mother then just win every duel until we met. As long as you are strong enough we shall meet.”

Zoemi scoffed and waved his hand dismissively, taking a guess at Letro’s reason for staying in the arena and just going along with it.

”No! I demand…!”

”Letro Auequas – if you want to fight someone, why not duel me? I raised that boy after all.”

As the unconscious body of lady Auequas was carried off the arena into the sickbay, the blue-haired man shook his head and take a step toward Zoemi, but he was interrupted by a certain pale-blue-haired knight entering the arena from the side.

”Father?!”

Zoemi who did a good job not getting provoked gasped in disbelief at the sight of the extremely serious-looking Mizoe.

”…I don’t expect an idiot to be able to have decency, but you should at least know that this tournament has nothing to do with you. Get out of my sight.”

Letro scoffed and barely sparing his younger brother a single glance.

”I already got permission from the Victureo family to take some of the time, and your next opponent also didn’t pose any objections to the personal duel. If that helps you make the decision, the judges didn’t end the duel between lady Auequas and my son because I was taking their attention, informing them about all those circumstances.”

Mizoe shrugged his shoulders and announced with a cold smile, acting as if his older brother’s insults did not affect him in the slightest.

”…I see… Asking you for decency had no purpose did it…? Watching your own mother get beaten up, what kind of son are you?”

”How dare you…?!”

”Zoemi, it’s okay – don’t play their game.”

Letro scoffed, shaking his head with disgust, causing Zoemi to actually turn around about to give him a piece of his mind, but that was stopped by Mizoe, looking at his son with a reassuring smile.

”Letro, why are you acting as if you weren’t there where lady Auequas chased me out of the Auequas family home without allowing to take me even a single one of my belongings while screaming at top of her lungs that I am not her son? Or were you too busy laughing? If anything I am a far better son than you – I at least accepted and follow the decision of the woman who gave birth to me and completely accepted that there is no connection between us as she declared on every single occasion I tried to reconcile.”

Mizoe’s eyes turned ice-cold when he looked away from his son and turned to his older brother.

With that subtle change, the reassuring smile turned into a very threatening sigh.

”The guts…! How exactly are you better…?”

”~!”

”!?!?!?”

Letro straightened his back and glared down at Mizoe with pure fury, while Zoemi was absolutely shocked as it was his first time seeing his father looking as if he enjoyed himself quarreling with someone…

As for the reason that the pale-blue-haired knight was happy, the reason was simple – the blue-haired man swallowed the bait splendidly~!

”As I said, Letro. I respected her decision – but you are trampling on it instead. You just said that I didn’t step in while she was being beaten up – but how shameful would it be for a noble if someone else stepped in and hurried with an unwanted help and interrupt their duel? With your own words, you tumbled of her pride as a competent warrior… shame… shame on you, Letro~”

”…you…”

Mizoe straightened his back too and his smile bloomed into a full-on grin when he saw Letro’s clenched fists and trembling shoulders.

”What is supposed to be the purpose of this duel you want, anyway?! To allow trash like you to return to our family?!”

The blue-haired man scoffed, barely stopping himself from spatting to the side in hatred.

”Don’t be ridiculous, Letro~ I just want Auequas family to leave me alone, for good. Act as if I do not exist and don’t even dare to threaten people close to me, ever.”

”!!!!”

Mizoe declared and Zoemi’s eyes widened in realization.

That was all of that about.

Mizoe acting distant and training in secret.

He wanted to actually cut all ties with the family that rejected him.

There was no better moment to force the Auequas family to comply than during the tournament where most of the noble families from the entire kingdom gathered…!

If the duel will be accepted – which by that point was more than certain – and if Mizoe would win, then if Auequas family would be caught interfering with him ever again, they would completely lose their honor and reputation.

But…!

Mizoe had to win the fight for that…

”…fine. I accept the duel in your condition – BUT when you lose you will have to break any connection with lord Banemor.”

”…!”

Not to mention that Letro wasn’t going to just take everything laying down and actually wiped the smile off Mizoe’s face with his own demand.

”He accepts.”

”Zoemi?!”

Although the pale-blue-haired knight went silent as the condition that he would rather die than accept showed up, then the black-haired boy himself spoke up without a speck of hesitation in his voice.

”Father, there is no problem with that condition at all as there is absolutely no chance that you would lose.”

Zoemi looked at his shocked father and nodded at him with a serious expression.

”…hmhm…”

Mizoe snickered and nodded back.

”My son is right. I accept.”

He declared and walked towards the middle of the arena.

”Letro, this took enough time already – the sooner we start the sooner the tournament can continue.”

Mizoe called out resting his hand on the hilt of his shortsword.

”…a trash who is going to lose in a second is not worthy to call me by my first name…”

Letro responded with disgust and moved towards the back end of the arena – ready for the duel, but at the distance that put Mizoe who had very little mana at a major disadvantage.

As for Zoemi, he moved all the way back to the seats of the jury as if placing himself under their watch so that it would be clear that he would not interfere no matter what happens – because that was exactly the case.

This was the fight that his father wanted to face alone, and the least Zoemi could do as his son was to respect that decision.

”Ladies and gentlemen, as you heard, this duel is not counted towards the tournament. Sir Letro Auequas was challenged by sir Mizoe Auequas.”

One of the judges announced and no one from the audience spoke up against it, so it was taken as acceptance.

”BEGIN!”

The judge called out and the two men immediately made their moves.