Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 45 – Mini Tournament (Part 4)
The second day of the tournament had begun. Adam, Piers, and Evelyne were seated in the same stands, waiting for the first match to start.
The coliseum was just as full as the day before, with students from every year occupying practically every available seat while a constant murmur filled the place.
"Who do you think will win?" Piers asked as he looked toward the empty battlefield.
"Valeria, obviously," Evelyne replied in a confident tone. "She’s from the Ashcroft family. They’re on a different level compared to most."
Piers nodded, considering that. "But Elena Nightshade isn’t just anyone either. I heard she ranked in the top ten on the entrance exams."
Adam listened to the conversation without actively participating, keeping his expression neutral as he internally thought about the fact that he would have to watch Valeria fight. It wasn’t exactly something he wanted to do considering the whole situation between them, but he didn’t have much of a choice.
That was when a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Adam!"
The three of them turned to see Alice approaching with that characteristic smile she always wore, her green eyes shining with amusement as she observed the group.
"Hi," she greeted while looking directly at Piers and Evelyne. "Mind if I join you?"
Piers responded in his usual friendly tone, though there was a certain reservation in his voice since he clearly knew the complicated situation between the three of them. "Hi, Alice. Sure, go ahead."
Evelyne simply smiled back at her, though her smile was so obviously forced that anyone could notice.
Alice didn’t seem to care as she turned toward Adam. "I looked for you yesterday after the matches, but there were so many people that I couldn’t find you. It almost seemed like you were hiding from me."
"Nothing like that," Adam replied dismissively. "As you can see, the place is completely full. There’s no free space anywhere."
Alice watched him for a second before her smile widened in a way that made Adam immediately realize she was about to do something annoying.
And he was right.
Without warning or asking permission, Alice simply turned and sat directly on Adam’s lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Adam froze completely for several seconds, trying to process what had just happened.
Piers’ eyes widened with an expression of pure surprise, clearly unsure where exactly to look.
Evelyne, on the other hand, frowned with a mixture of disbelief and barely concealed annoyance as she watched the scene.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Adam finally asked in an irritated tone.
"I sat down," Alice replied in a completely innocent tone as she adjusted herself more comfortably on his legs. "You said there wasn’t any space, so I improvised."
"There is literally space in—"
"Shh," Alice interrupted as she placed a finger over his lips. "The match is about to start."
Adam could hear the murmurs behind him, commenting on what they were seeing in tones that ranged from amusement to disapproval.
He could only let out a heavy sigh, knowing this would only fuel more rumors.
Before he could say anything else to make Alice move, Director Acelina’s voice echoed throughout the coliseum.
"Fifth match: Valeria Ashcroft versus Elena Nightshade."
The murmur immediately intensified at the announcement as everyone present turned their attention toward the battlefield gates.
Valeria appeared first, walking with that characteristic perfect posture of hers, her long blue hair shining under the sunlight as she held her sword in one hand. Her eyes briefly scanned the stands before stopping exactly where Adam was.
And she looked at him directly. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Adam held her gaze without looking away, his expression completely neutral as he observed those blue eyes staring at him with an intensity that would have made anyone uncomfortable.
’Her problem,’ he thought indifferently as he finally looked away to focus on the battlefield. ’It’s not my problem how she chooses to channel whatever it is she’s feeling.’
Elena Nightshade appeared from the other side, a medium-height girl with short black hair and gray eyes. She moved with confidence while gripping her sword with both hands in a solid guard.
"Begin," the director ordered.
Valeria lunged forward with her sword raised, closing the distance between her and Elena in a matter of seconds before launching a downward strike with brute force.
The impact was deafening when both swords collided, the sound of metal echoing throughout the coliseum as the two combatants remained in that position for less than a second, staring directly into each other’s eyes with expressions of absolute determination.
Then they separated with a simultaneous push of their swords, creating space between them before Valeria attacked again.
This time it was a series of swift thrusts aimed at Elena’s torso, each strike executed with such precision that it forced her opponent to retreat while desperately blocking.
The swords clashed again and again, visible sparks flying each time the metal met, the sound creating a frantic rhythm that kept all the spectators completely captivated.
Elena attempted to counterattack with a horizontal slash aimed at Valeria’s side, but Valeria simply turned her body, dodging it by inches before responding with an upward strike that nearly disarmed Elena entirely.
Elena’s sword trembled in her hands from the impact, forcing her to step back several more paces as she readjusted her grip.
But Valeria gave her no respite.
She launched herself forward again with a combination of three strikes: one high, one middle, one low. Elena blocked the first two, but the third connected against her left leg, making her stumble slightly.
"Don’t you think those two are going all out?" Evelyne asked in an impressed tone as she watched the exchange.
Adam watched for a moment longer before answering. "Yes."
He added nothing more because he honestly didn’t care much about the reason behind Valeria’s intensity. If she wanted to take something out on Elena that had nothing to do with her, that was her decision.
Elena quickly regained her balance and counterattacked with renewed determination, launching a series of rapid strikes that finally managed to put Valeria on the defensive for the first time in the match.
Their swords clashed constantly, moving so fast it was difficult to follow each individual strike. The ground beneath their feet filled with marks where they had planted themselves for better footing, small clouds of dust rising each time they moved abruptly.
Valeria blocked an attack aimed at her head before spinning completely, using the momentum to launch a lateral strike that Elena barely managed to dodge by leaning backward.
The blade passed inches from her face.
Elena took advantage of the momentary opening and attacked with a direct shove toward Valeria’s chest using the base of her sword, connecting the blow and forcing her to step back several paces while catching her breath.
It was the first real hit anyone had landed in the entire match.
The murmurs in the stands increased at that, some students clearly surprised that Elena had managed to touch someone from the Ashcroft family.
But Valeria’s expression showed neither surprise nor frustration. Instead, she seemed more focused than before.
She launched herself forward again, but this time she completely changed her strategy. Instead of attacking with brute force as she had been doing, she began using feints and misdirection, forcing Elena to constantly guess which attack was real and which wasn’t.
She feigned a high slash that made Elena raise her guard, but at the last second she changed direction and attacked the legs.
Elena jumped backward, barely avoiding it.
Valeria feigned another attack to the right before fully turning and striking from the left.
Elena blocked the attack, but the impact forced her to retreat once again.
Each attack and movement was designed to find some weakness in her opponent’s defense.
And eventually she found it.
Elena blocked a high strike with both hands on her sword, concentrating all her strength on keeping her guard up.
Valeria smiled faintly.
Then she simply dropped her sword beneath Elena’s guard and struck her legs with a low sweep executed with perfect speed and precision.
Elena hit the ground with a dull sound, her sword flying from her hands from the impact.
Before she could even attempt to recover, the tip of Valeria’s sword was pressed against her throat firmly enough to make the message clear, but without causing real harm.
"Surrender," Valeria said in a cold tone.
Elena looked at her for several seconds, her breathing heavy and her expression clearly frustrated before finally sighing. "I surrender."
The director immediately raised her hand. "Winner: Valeria Ashcroft."
The applause was deafening as Valeria left the field without even looking back, with absolute satisfaction in her victory.
Adam watched her leave with a completely neutral expression before looking away.
***
When the next match was about to be announced, Alice finally stood up from Adam’s lap with a dramatic sigh.
"Well, I’m heading off since my match is the second one," she said while stretching slightly. "How lucky that I got to go before yours, Adam."
Then she leaned slightly toward him with that mischievous smile. "And don’t forget the deal we made if we both won."
Adam looked at her for a few seconds before responding. "I never agreed to any such deal."
Alice laughed at that as she began to walk away. "We’ll see about that."
And she left without any further explanation.
There was a brief silence before Piers turned his head toward Adam with curiosity on his face. "What kind of deal did you make?"
Evelyne also turned, paying attention as she waited for an answer.
Adam only let out a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "None. I don’t want to think about it."
And he said nothing more, leaving both of them with more questions than answers.
’Just two more matches and then it’s my turn.’
Against Kael Duskrin.
And everything that came with it.
