Julius looked around the clearing, his lips curving faintly as he drank in the sight of the frightened elves.

They stood stiff, whispering in uneasy voices, eyes darting between him and Luca as though afraid even to breathe.

Luna and Lulu were the only ones who hadn't stepped away, though even they were frowning, unsure what to think.

'Checkmate.' Julius thought.

Everything had gone exactly as planned.

In only a few minutes, he had flipped the atmosphere entirely.

The elves who had once cheered for the 'Hero' were now pale and trembling, unable to meet Luca's eyes.

Fear, disgust, and confusion filled the air like smoke.

They wouldn't dare trust him now.

They would whisper behind his back, call him a monster, and shun him.

And that was precisely the plan.

Julius knew perfectly well that he could never defeat the hero in combat.

Luca was not like any being of this world.

He was summoned, blessed, absurdly powerful.

No sword or arrow could reach him.

So Julius had chosen the only battlefield where he stood a chance—words.

His weapon was his tongue, his charm, his deceit. And he had wielded them to perfection.

As he scanned the faces of the crowd, his confidence grew. They were horrified, shaken, already turning away from Luca.

Leona was tense, Nyx quiet—but neither spoke.

And that silence worked in his favor.

He finally turned toward Luca, expecting to see what every manipulator lived for.

The look of defeat.

The pale face.

The trembling hands.

The desperate attempt to explain, to justify, to defend.

'This is it.' Julius thought smugly. 'He'll crumble any second now.'

But then he froze.

Because Luca wasn't trembling.

He wasn't defending himself.

He wasn't even angry.

He was smiling.

That same calm, careless smile he always had like he'd just listened to a boring story, not a detailed character assassination in front of an entire tribe.

Julius's stomach turned. 'What is with this man?'

It wasn't a bluff. There was no tension in his face, no twitch in his eyes, no stiffness in his shoulders.

Luca wasn't pretending not to care—he genuinely didn't.

And that terrified Julius more than any sword ever could.

Still, he forced a chuckle, readying himself to press further, to provoke him, to force that calm facade to break. But before he could open his mouth—

Luca moved.

He took a step forward.

The motion was casual, but Julius's breath caught in his throat.

Then another step.

And another.

The smile never left Luca's face, but the air around him grew heavier. The pressure was invisible, but every elf could feel it.

"S-Stop." Julius said, his voice rising nervously. "Stop right there."

Luca didn't stop. His expression remained calm as he kept walking toward him, each step echoing faintly against the forest floor.

"I said stop!" Julius barked again, taking a step back.

The male elves behind him were on guard instinctively, but even they faltered. Their arrogance evaporating under the quiet menace in Luca's gaze.

Julius could feel it, the suffocating realization that if Luca wanted to, he could erase all of them in seconds.

He was the predator here, and every soul in that clearing knew it.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stand his ground. "Don't come near me!" He shouted, but his voice cracked halfway through.

Still, Luca didn't stop.

By now, Julius was trembling slightly. He knew this man could kill him with a flick of his wrist, so he resorted to the only shield he had—his words.

"Don't forget!" Julius shouted, desperation leaking through his tone. "The gods themselves forbade you from laying a hand on me! Without the matriarch's permission, you can't harm me!"

But it did not work as Luca slowly raised his right hand.

And in response, Julius squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself, expecting a fatal blow right at bus face.

But instead, a friendly voice spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

This made Julius jerk and slowly open his eyes only to a surprising sight.

Luca was standing right in front of him, still wearing that easy smile—his raised hand stretched out, not in threat, but in greeting.

"Why are you acting like I'm bullying you or something?" Luca asked lightly. "I'm just trying to greet you."

For a second, Julius didn't process the words.

Then realization struck, and his face twitched.

"You said earlier that you wanted to meet me, didn't you?" Luca's tone was casual, almost teasing. "So I thought I'd do the polite thing and introduce myself properly."

He then tilted his head slightly before sarcastically saying,

"Though...maybe this is just how the male elves greet people? Acting scared when someone walks toward them?"

The female elves burst into quiet laughter, covering their mouths. Even Leona's lips twitched faintly, and Nyx's sharp eyes glimmered with amusement.

The male elves, however, flushed in embarrassment, glaring at the ground or looking away.

Julius too felt his face heat up. His composure faltered for a split second.

But he quickly forced a big, friendly smile, waving his hand dismissively.

"Ah, no, of course not." He said quickly, waving a hand. "I was simply...surprised, that's all. You approached rather suddenly."

"Ah, my mistake then."

Luca said, still holding out his hand and with no choice left, Julius reluctantly reached out and took it.

"Hello there." Julius said with forced cheer, squeezing back with all the confidence he could muster. "I am Julius Aurendel, the Holy Healer of the elves. The husband of our beloved Matriarch, Leona..." He gestured grandly behind him. "...and the father of those two beautiful girls over there."

Both Luna and Lulu immediately rolled their eyes.

Lulu muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Ugh, don't remind me." while Luna looked away with thinly veiled disgust.

It was obvious to everyone that Julius was trying to reassert control, to remind everyone that he was the authority figure here—the husband of the Matriarch, the so-called Grand Healer.

But Luca didn't bite.

He just smiled wider. "Nice to meet you." He said pleasantly. "I'm Luca, the Hero sent by the goddess herself."

Then, with a small chuckle, he added dryly,

"Though, I suppose I don't need to introduce myself anymore...seeing as you've already told everyone my entire life story, haven't you?"

He tightened his grip ever so slightly.

Squeeze!

The faint crunch of bone made Julius's smile twitch. He winced, trying not to show it, but the veins in his neck bulged slightly. It felt like gripping a block of steel.

And when Luca finally released him, Julius pulled his hand back quickly, flexing his fingers behind his back as if nothing had happened

The elves, however, had seen everything.

They had felt the tension between the two men, the pain in his eyes, the unspoken war hidden behind polite words and smiles.

And right now, everyone thought Luca would retaliate, would accuse Julius in return.

Surely he would accuse Julius of being a traitor, of manipulating everyone, of spreading lies.

That was what anyone else would do.

Leona and Nyx also thought the same and even Julius expected it. He was already preparing his counterarguments, rehearsing lines in his head, ready to turn whatever accusation came next back against Luca.

But then Luca did something no one expected.

He smiled genuinely this time and said, in a calm and polite voice,

"I really do have to appreciate what you're doing."

Julius blinked. "…What?"

Luca nodded slowly, still smiling before going on to say,

"I wasn't expecting to meet someone as humanitarian as you. Someone who cares so deeply about justice, who can't stand the idea of cruelty, and who's willing to speak up for those he thinks were wronged. Truly admirable."

He gave a light bow. "It's an honor to meet a man like that."

For a moment, the wind seemed to stop and the elves exchanged puzzled looks.

What was happening? This wasn't what they had expected at all.

Weren't heroes supposed to fight back when cornered?

Wasn't he supposed to defend his name, deny everything Julius said?

Instead, he was bowing and calling the man who had just condemned him a great man.

Even Leona blinked in surprise. Nyx crossed her arms, trying to read him, while Luna and Lulu tilted their heads, clearly lost.

But no one—absolutely no one—was more confused than Julius himself.

He forced a strained smile, caught off guard by Luca's strangely calm demeanor. His mind scrambled for words.

"Ah...I appreciate what you're saying." He replied carefully. "But...could you tell me first what exactly you're praising me for? Because I don't think I said anything worth being praised about."

"Oh, it's for what you just said." Luca nodded casually, his tone light but steady. "Every single thing you've mentioned—all those terrible things I apparently did."

Julius blinked, his confusion deepening, while Luca smiled faintly, clasping his hands behind his back as he began to speak to the entire to clearing.

"It might sound confusing." He said. "But allow me to explain. You see, back in my original world, wars happened all the time—just like in this one. There's nothing new about it."

"Countries fought Countries, Kingdoms battled Kingdoms, people fought for resources, for pride, for faith. It was endless. But as time passed, humanity began to change, to realize that not everything done in war could be excused by calling it 'duty.'"

The elves listened quietly, their confusion slowly turning into curiosity.

He went on. "During those wars, countless atrocities occurred—villages were burned even after they surrendered, hostages were executed for no reason, women were violated, children were killed, people were slaughtered in the name of 'victory.'"

A somber silence fell. Even Julius, despite himself, found his attention drawn in.

"That..." Luca continued. "...was why they eventually established something called the Geneva Convention. It was a set of rules that said: even in war, there must be limits."

"You may fight, you may defend yourself, but there are things you should never do—because if you lose your humanity in the process, then victory means nothing."

His eyes flickered with faint amusement.

"And those who ensure such rules are upheld—those who question the morality of war, who keep both sides accountable, even when the world hails one as a hero—we call them humanitarians. Social reformers. Guardians of conscience."

He turned his head slightly toward Julius, his tone more respectful.

"And that's why I praised you. Because what you did—questioning my actions, condemning me even when everyone else was praising me, it's exactly what those people do. You remind me of them. I thought only my world had such men, but it seems this world has them too."

"For that, I respect you."

Julius's mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. He didn't know whether to feel flattered or mocked.

The crowd, too, was speechless. The tension that had filled the air was shifting, melting away into a strange mixture of relief and intrigue.

"I truly mean it." Luca added, smiling again. "More people like you are needed in this world."

Julius chuckled awkwardly.

"Ah, it's not...it's not that big of a deal." He said, trying to regain composure. "I'm just...doing my duty."

The elves exchanged uncertain glances. Was this still a confrontation or had it turned into a polite conversation?

But just as they were wondering that, Luca's tone shifted slightly into something that was still friendly but more sharper.

"But I do have to say..." He continued. "...that just like how those humanitarians and organizations can accuse others of committing war crimes, the accused have a right to justify their actions—to explain themselves before judgment is passed."

He looked directly at Julius now, straight into his eyes before finally saying with conviction,

"You've accused me of many things, and you did it well. Now, I'd like to do the same. Not to deny what happened, but to explain why it happened. And afterward, I'll let everyone here decide whether I was right or wrong."

"...Fair enough?"

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