“I don’t think my way of doing things is a weakness,” I replied. “Even if I don’t cozy up with other people, I can still have rivals. Didn’t you just prove that yourself?”
“Hm. Well, there’s no denying that.”
Zeke had opened the door to new powers through his battle with Johann. All of the injuries he’d sustained were now healed, and he was brimming with a more determined spirit than ever before.
“That battle was wonderful,” he thought aloud. Then he turned to me with some annoyance. “That is, until someone got in the way.”
I chuckled. “You know that was my fight. I don’t know how Leon convinced you, but you have no right to complain. Your fight is with someone different, and you know it. Stop it with the flings and affairs, playboy.”
“That stings,” Zeke said, tugging on his coat. “Anyway, let’s get down to it. The reason I called you here is exactly that. Leo is competing in the Seven Star Cup, isn’t he?”
“Yes. I just received confirmation.”
That took him by surprise. “Wow, that’s incredible. What kind of underhanded means did you have to use to achieve that?”
“Don’t make it sound so scandalous. I just sent him a letter of encouragement.”
“Encouragement, eh?” Zeke parroted.
I nodded. “I told him that if he didn’t compete, I’d make sure the whole empire knows what a coward he is. Not long after, his coordinator sent me a reply—he’s in.”
Zeke gave me a dubious look. “That’s it?”
“The guy is overwhelmingly powerful. I guarantee he looks down on me. Think about it. If you were him, it’d get on your nerves, wouldn’t it?”
“I suppose…”
“But more than that, he needs to take me on as a matter of pride. So yeah, he’s in. I’ve been on the receiving end of this kind of provocation, and it’s not pleasant. I knew from the very start that it would work.”
When Zero kidnapped Loki, he sent me a letter not unlike the one I sent Leo, and the memories were still fresh. Even though I knew I was being provoked, I simply couldn’t ignore it.
“The stronger they are, the more they’re bound by their pride. Denying them one means denying them the other. You could call it a kind of creed. This creed of ours is something that sets us apart from the weak. At the same time, it is our weak point.”
Zeke nodded appreciatively. “Makes sense. You’re a real shithead, though, you know that? Rotten to your heart and soul.” Still, he couldn’t help but grin. “But I guess that’s exactly why I’m drawn to you.”
He turned away from me.
“Thank you, Noel. For keeping your promise. I’m grateful.”
“We’ve got a mutually beneficial relationship. No thanks necessary.”
“All the same, I guess this is my own creed at work.”
I could see the grin on his face over his shoulder.
“I do like that about you,” I said with a smirk of my own.
“Thanks, but don’t expect me to pull any punches at the Seven Star Cup. To be completely honest, I’m looking forward to the possibility of fighting you. I guess that’s just how it is for playboys like myself.”
Zeke’s smile never broke, but there was a fierce fighting spirit burning in his eyes. I couldn’t have been happier. Because the matchups in the finals would be decided via lottery, I wouldn’t get to choose who I fought. Some part of me yearned to face off against Zeke.
“Got it,” I said. “And when that time comes, I won’t hold back.”
Against a guy like Zeke, I could unleash my full power. I was, at heart, a fool who couldn’t stay true to the path of the strategist. It was imprudent pride—it was my creed.
“I’m leaving,” I said, but I stopped mid-turn as a spark of mischief ran through me. “You know, you are a playboy, and there might not be a single woman in the empire who wouldn’t throw herself at you. But I’m pretty popular myself.”
“Oh, I know that already. Popular with the girls and the boys.”
I flashed Zeke a confident grin. “I’m actually in marriage talks, even. I’m meeting with the prospective girl tomorrow, in fact.”
“Good for you. Who’s the lucky gal?”
“Ralph Golding’s daughter, Bernadetta Golding.”
“Wh-what?!”
Zeke’s usually cool eyes nearly popped out of his head. This was exactly the face I’d wanted to see. I had done my research on Ralph, and it seemed he was very protective of his beloved daughter. So much so that he let neither man nor insect anywhere near her. What surprised me, however, was that one of the insects he had denied access was none other than Zeke himself.
He had approached Bernadetta at a party, and she had rejected his advances. Ralph had then issued an official complaint against Supreme Dragon. That incident alone had caused relations between Supreme Dragon and Ralph’s related enterprises to go sour, and the financial damage was hefty. It wasn’t hard to imagine that Zeke—who was the cause of it all—would have gotten an extremely stern talking-to from his clan.
“Bernadetta is meeting with you of all people?! You have got to be kidding me!”
“Think whatever you want,” I said. I spun around at last and began walking down the mountain.
“Wait right there, Noel! We’re not done here!”
I heard his shouts, but I had no intention of stopping. I had gotten what I wanted: a chance to see Zeke look like an idiot. I wasn’t actually looking forward to tomorrow; the very idea of it depressed me. But right now, I couldn’t have been happier.