Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 50 – Return

The next day Adam walked through the academy hallways alongside Piers during the morning entry hour, his body without any visible injuries thanks to the healing magic the professors had used during his stay in the hospital, although the exhaustion still weighed on his muscles like a constant reminder of the brutal fight he had endured.

He wore the academy uniform clean and pressed, moving normally despite feeling each step heavier than usual. The magic had completely closed all his wounds without leaving even scars, but it could do nothing against the accumulated fatigue that still lingered in his body.

What he could not ignore were the stares.

Every student they passed looked at him. Some with curiosity, others with something akin to fear or respect, a few with evident disgust.

The murmurs followed his steps through the hallways like a constant wave.

"That’s the one who killed Kael Duskrin..."

"Did you see how he fought? It was brutal..."

"I heard he almost died too..."

"A complete savage..."

Adam ignored them all, keeping his expression neutral as he walked with calm steps, as if he could not perfectly hear every comment they made about him.

Piers walked at his side with a somewhat uncomfortable expression, clearly aware of the stares but not knowing exactly what to say to break the tense silence.

Finally, he tried to start a conversation. "How are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?"

"I’m fine," Adam replied simply. "The professors did a good job healing me."

"That’s... good," Piers murmured as he glanced toward another group of students who were openly watching them before quickly looking away when Adam met their gaze directly.

They continued walking in silence for several more minutes until they heard a familiar voice calling them from the side of the hallway.

"Adam! Piers!"

Both turned their heads to see Evelyne approaching with quick steps, a smile on her face as she caught up to them. She carried a small bag slung over her shoulder and her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail.

"Good morning," she greeted as she stopped in front of them. "I was looking for you. I wanted to talk for a bit before we went to class."

"Good morning," Piers replied in his usual kind tone.

Adam simply nodded in greeting.

Evelyne looked at both of them before focusing specifically on Adam. "How did you sleep? No problems?"

"Fine. No nightmares or anything like that, if that’s what you’re worried about."

"Something like that," she admitted with a small smile. "I just wanted to make sure you were really okay after... well, everything."

Piers laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck. "I still can’t believe it actually happened. When I saw you fall unconscious after the fight, I thought that..."

He did not finish the sentence, but they all understood what he meant.

"But here I am," Adam replied simply. "Hard to kill, apparently."

Evelyne rolled her eyes at that, though she smiled anyway. "I don’t know if that’s something you should be proud of..."

They were about to continue the conversation when another voice interrupted abruptly from behind them.

"Adam Shadowend."

The three of them turned to find Ansel Stone standing a few meters away with a serious expression that completely contrasted with his usually friendlier appearance. His red eyes looked directly at Adam with disappointment and anger mixed together.

The murmuring of the nearby students immediately stopped as everyone paid attention to what was about to happen.

"Ansel," Adam greeted in a neutral tone without showing any particular reaction to the protagonist’s clear hostility.

"What you did was unnecessary," Ansel said bluntly as he took a step forward. "Kael was my friend. My companion. And you killed him in that fight as if it were nothing."

Adam raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you blind or what? Didn’t you see that he tried to kill me too?"

"That doesn’t justify—"

"Doesn’t justify what?" Adam interrupted, his tone turning slightly colder. "Doesn’t justify defending myself? It was a real fight, not a controlled training session. We both knew the risks."

Ansel clenched his fists at his sides as his expression grew more tense. "You could have stopped. You could have—"

"Stopped?" Adam let out a short, humorless laugh. "He didn’t stop when he had me against the wall. He didn’t stop when he broke my ribs. Why the hell would you expect me to stop when I finally had the advantage?"

The silence in the hallway became absolute as all the students present watched the exchange with expressions ranging from fascination to discomfort.

Piers looked between the two of them without knowing exactly what to do or say to calm the situation.

Evelyne had instinctively taken a step back, clearly uncomfortable with the growing tension.

Ansel took another step forward, his posture becoming more aggressive. "Kael was—"

"Enough."

A new voice cut through the air with an authority that made everyone freeze instantly.

Director Acelina Brookhaven appeared from one of the side corridors, walking with firm steps as her serious expression observed both Adam and Ansel with equal intensity. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Mr. Stone," she said in a firm tone. "I understand your frustration over the loss of your companion, but this is neither the place nor the time to have this conversation. Step away before this escalates unnecessarily."

Ansel looked at her for several seconds, clearly wanting to continue the argument but recognizing that he had no real choice in the face of the headmistress’s direct order.

Finally, he nodded stiffly before turning and walking away without saying anything else, though the tension in his shoulders made it clear that this was not over.

The murmurs began again among the students now that the immediate conflict had been halted.

Acelina ignored them completely as she turned toward Adam with an expression that showed no particular emotion. "Mr. Shadowend, I need to speak with you. Now."

Adam nodded without surprise. He had expected this conversation eventually. "Understood."

He briefly looked toward Piers and Evelyne, who were watching him with evident concern.

"See you later," he said simply before following the headmistress as she began walking toward her office.

Piers opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself, simply watching as the two disappeared down one of the corridors.

Evelyne sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "This is going to get complicated, isn’t it?"

"Probably," Piers replied in a resigned tone as they both began walking toward their respective classes, knowing that the only thing they could do now was wait and see what happened.

***

Adam walked behind Director Acelina through the quieter corridors of the academy, moving away from the main flow of students as they headed toward where her office presumably was.

He said nothing during the walk, simply keeping his expression neutral as he mentally processed what would likely come next.

A reprimand. Possibly disciplinary consequences for killing another student during the tournament even though it was technically allowed under the rules.

Or perhaps something entirely different.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure.

The only thing he knew was that this conversation would determine much about what the rest of his time at this academy would be like.

’Here we go again,’ he thought as the headmistress finally stopped in front of an ornate door with the Arcanis emblem carved into the wood.

She opened the door and gestured for him to enter.

Adam obeyed without hesitation, stepping into the spacious office as the door closed behind him with a soft click that somehow sounded final.