Chapter 138: Overwhelming Trust

Julius knew he couldn’t stay here any longer.

Luca had done it—not once, but twice.

Two impossible shots, each more spectacular than the last.

The crowd adored him now more than ever.

The female elves were practically worshipping him, and even the males were looking at him with something like grudging respect.

And now, all eyes would naturally turn to him—the great healer, the so-called master to take his turn.

But Julius knew the truth. He had no confidence at all.

If he even tried to shoot that arrow, he’d humiliate himself beyond repair. The only way to save face now was to leave—quietly, before anyone noticed.

So, while the elves were still laughing and celebrating, he began to inch backward, step by step, trying to slip out through the crowd without drawing attention.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t subtle enough.

“Hey!” one of the female elves called out, pointing at him with a grin. “Where are you going, Julius?”

Immediately, the others turned.

“Yeah! Why are you leaving already?” another shouted, smirking. “It’s your turn to shoot the arrow, isn’t it?”

“Oh, don’t tell me the great Grand Healer Julius is running away?” Another teased, her tone dripping with mock concern. “Surely, someone who talks so much about skill and grace wouldn’t flee from a simple demonstration!”

The laughter grew louder.

Even the males, though hesitant, couldn’t help but glance at him expectantly.

Julius froze mid-step, his whole body going stiff.

His face twitched.

For a moment, he genuinely considered bolting—but the thought of running away under the eyes of the entire village was unbearable.

It would be a humiliation he’d never live down.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to lash out.

But instead, he inhaled deeply, straightened his robe, and tried to look composed.

He couldn’t show weakness. Not here.

’Think…Think, Julius.’ He told himself frantically. You can’t shoot, but you can’t back down either…’

Then suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

His forced smile grew wider.

“Ah.” He said loudly, clapping his hands together once. “you all really do underestimate me far too much!”

The laughter paused, as be took a few confident steps forward, raising his chin proudly.

“Did you really think that I, Julius, the Grand Healer of this village would run away? From something so simple? That’s ridiculous!”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the elves, not expecting him to sound so confident after nearly sneaking off.

Even Luca tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.

Something about Julius’s tone made him suspicious.

But Julius didn’t care as he went on to say dramatically,

“Hah! Don’t insult me. What the Hero just did—” He pointed toward Luca with a grin “—that was impressive, yes. But to me, that’s nothing more than child’s play! I can do the exact same thing. In fact—”

He puffed out his chest .

“—I can do it better!”

“Oh?” Luca tilted his head, a faint, amused smile on his lips. “So you’re saying you’ll go through with it?”

“Of course!” Julius declared with mock confidence. “Why wouldn’t I? A simple fruit, an arrow, and a bow. This is nothing! But…”

He held up a finger.

“…for me to shoot, I will, of course, need a volunteer, just like you had, Hero. Without that, the demonstration would be incomplete!”

He looked around, spreading his arms again.

“So then, who among you will volunteer? Step forward now! Come on, don’t be shy!”

He gestured grandly at the crowd, flashing a big, charming smile.

“Don’t worry, I assure you nothing will happen to you. Just trust me, the way you trusted him.”

The reaction was instant.

Not one elf moved.

In fact, several took a step back.

Even the males, who usually followed Julius’s lead, avoided eye contact and looked away as if the grass beneath their feet had suddenly become fascinating.

Julius looked surprised, though inside he was smirking.

He knew exactly this would happen.

“Come now!” He said in an overly exage6 tone, spreading his arms wider. “What are you afraid of? I won’t hurt you! Trust me, I’m a healer! My hands are steady, my aim is true!”

The silence grew heavier.

No one moved.

A few female elves actually shook their heads and muttered, “Not in a million years.”

Another whispered, “I’d rather face a wild bear than trust him with a bow.”

“I’m not dying for his pride.” A third whispered.

But for Julius this was perfect.

Exactly what he had planned.

’Good.’ He thought, hiding his grin behind a sigh. ’Now I can pretend I was willing—but blame them for not volunteering. It won’t look like I ran away.’

’No humiliation. Just…strategy.’

He turned back toward the crowd and gave a long, exaggerated sigh, placing a hand on his chest.

“Ah, such a pity.” He said dramatically. “It seems none of you have faith in me. Despite all I’ve done for this village, after all the lives I’ve saved…not one of you will trust me? How tragic.”

A few elves rolled their eyes.

But Julius continued smoothly.

“Without a volunteer, there’s no demonstration I can perform. After all, the Hero had someone brave to stand before him, but I…” He gave a theatrical shrug. “…I have no one.”

He sighed deeply, pretending to look disappointed while inwardly he was jubilant.

“Since that’s the case.” He said, turning toward Luca with false politeness. “I must unfortunately forfeit this challenge. I would love to display my skills, truly, but without a volunteer, it’s simply impossible. You may take this round, Hero.”

He gave a gracious bow, offering the bow and arrow toward Luca like a defeated gentleman.

He could almost taste his victory.

’This is perfect.’ He thought smugly. ’I’ll bow out gracefully, avoid humiliation, and no one will remember this farce by tomorrow.’

But just as he was about to hand the bow over, Luca didn’t take it.

Instead, he looked at him for a long, quiet moment—then smiled, slow and knowing.

“All you need is a volunteer, right?” He said casually.

Julius froze. “…What?”

“You said it yourself.” Luca continued, his tone calm but his eyes sharp. “As long as you have a volunteer, you’ll be able to go through with it.”

Julius blinked.

“W-Well, yes, of course.” He said quickly, trying to keep up the act. “But unfortunately, as you can see, no one here seems willing to step forward. A shame, really. Nothing I can do about that.”

He extended the bow again, trying to force it into Luca’s hands.

“So let’s just end it here, shall we?”

But Luca didn’t take it.

Instead, his smile deepened ever so slightly.

“Don’t worry about that, Julius.” He said, his tone suddenly too calm, too confident.

A ripple of curiosity went through the elves.

Julius frowned. “What do you mean…don’t worry about that?”

Luca turned toward the crowd, spreading his arms casually.

“You see, even if you aren’t trusted here, I am.”

The elves perked up instantly, their eyes lighting up at his words.

“So, I’m sure….” Luca continued. “…if I call for someone to step forward, they will because they trust me.”

He looked back at Julius with that same relaxed smile.

“And if they trust me, they’ll trust that nothing will happen to them, even if you’re the one holding the bow.”

Julius’s blood ran cold.

The smile on his face twitched violently, and he nearly dropped the bow.

“W-Wait.” He stammered, his voice cracking slightly. “What exactly are you suggesting?”

Luca tilted his head innocently.

“I’m suggesting that I’ll call someone for you and that person will your volunteer for your performance.”

He then raised his voice, addressing the crowd.

“Now then! Who wants to help our great healer Julius show off his archery skill? Come on, don’t be shy! You’ve seen what I can do—trust me, you’ll be perfectly safe!”

He gestured invitingly toward the crowd.

But despite his confident call, not a single elf dared to step forward.

Not one.

The entire clearing went utterly still.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Luca.

On the contrary, they trusted him so much that even if he told them to swallow the fruit and promised he could shoot it out of their stomach without harm, they’d probably believe him and do it without hesitation.

But when it came to Julius?

They wouldn’t even let him hold a twig, let alone a bow.

The female elves exchanged looks of disgust and whispered among themselves.

“Is he serious?” One muttered. “No one’s that stupid.”

Another scoffed, “I’d rather let a blind elf shoot at me.”

“If I stand there, he’ll probably shoot my foot and claim it’s part of the treatment.”

The male elves too, who supported Julius were glancing away awkwardly.

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting that old man aim anything at me.”

Lulu crossed her arms and huffed loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“I’ve already had enough arrows come my way for one lifetime!”

The crowd laughed.

Julius, however, exhaled a long, shaky breath of relief.

’Thank the spirits.’ He thought. ’No one’s taking the offer.’

He could feel the tension drain from his shoulders.

Sure, it was humiliating that not a single elf trusted him, but it was a small price to pay.

As long as he didn’t have to actually fire an arrow and risk killing someone—or making himself a laughingstock—he could live with this.

He was already imagining himself walking away gracefully when suddenly—

“I’ll do it, Luca.”

The voice was calm, feminine, and full of resolution.

“I’ll volunteer.”

Every single head turned toward the voice, wondering who exactly was the whack-job who was crazy enough to sigh their death wish.

They thought for sure that the person must have a loose screw in their head.

But when they saw who it was, a collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

“Luna?!”

It was Luna—standing tall, her expression relaxed, and her eyes steady and filled with quiet resolve.

“Are you insane?!” One of the elves shouted immediately. “Don’t do it, Luna! This is madness!”

“You’ll die for sure! You can’t trust Julius! He’ll shoot you right through!”

Even Lulu ran up, grabbing her sister’s hand in panic.

“Luna, please don’t! Don’t do it! That old man—he’ll kill you just for fun! Don’t trust him! He’s not like Luca!”

But Luna just looked down at her sister with a small smirk.

“Who said I trust that cheat?”

Julius’s lips twitched in offence, and his face twisted with anger.

“You unruly little—”

But Luna ignored him completely and continued,

“I don’t trust him at all. In fact, I’d rather take an arrow through my heart than put my life in his hands.”

Gasps rippled through the elves again, and Julius’s glare could’ve burned holes through her skull.

His daughter, his own blood had just publicly denounced him.

But Luna didn’t stop there.

She turned toward Luca, and her expression softened, her voice losing its edge as she said.

“Rather, the one I’m trusting right now is you, Luca.”

Her words carried through the clearing like a breeze.

“If you say that nothing will happen, then I believe you and that’s all the assurance I need.”

She gave him a gentle smile before, she walked straight toward him and asked lightly,

“So. Where should I stand? Should I put the fruit on my head? Or in my mouth like Lulu? Or something even more scary?”

“Just tell me what I have to do and I’ll do it without a second thought.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep