I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Raul PoV]

After resting and healing from my wounds for several hours, I returned to the participant stands to watch the last match of this round.

Arriving there, I saw only Brian, Princess Alisha, and Leon remaining among the participants who hadn’t yet been eliminated, all here to watch the final match.

Which meant it was now Elena’s turn against one of the third-year seniors. Taking one of the remaining empty seats, I turned my attention to the field.

Elena and her opponent were already standing in the center of the field. If I remembered correctly, his name was Renald de Nerona, the previous head of the disciplinary committee whom I’d replaced. He was a Brawler, and if I recalled correctly, he possessed Earth Nature Mana.

”Are both competitors ready?” the announcer asked.

Elena and Senior Renald nodded.

”The eighth and final match of this second round, begin!”

The moment the announcer declared the match underway, Elena immediately drew her sword and charged toward Senior Renald, combining Acceleration magic with Charging technique, allowing her to appear directly in front of him instantly.

Elena then unleashed a diagonal upward slash, but Senior Renald blocked it with his left arm. His arm was coated in earth, protecting him from the cut Elena’s strike would have otherwise inflicted.

The senior counterattacked, but the blonde woman managed to dodge by stepping back.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Elena then gripped her sword with both hands and settled into a stance.

Could it be... she was about to unleash her sword dance techniques this time?

Elena charged toward Senior Renald again, unleashing a ten-hit combo of slashes against him. The senior struggled to dodge or block her rapid assault.

The blonde woman then delivered one final, powerful slash aimed at the senior’s chest.

—Tang!

A loud clang rang out as the senior’s earth-coated arm blocked Elena’s strike. Still, despite managing to block the attack, the force sent his body flying backward.

The senior’s body was now covered in slash wounds from Elena’s combo.

Elena de Aragon...

No one at this academy could match her swordsmanship. That’s because she’d been personally trained since childhood by one of the Grand Espada, Raymond de Chatelon.

In last year’s tournament, she’d even broken the record as the first-year student to reach the finals.

Truly, Elena was a terrifying opponent if you couldn’t counter her insane speed. I found myself curious who’d win if she ever fought Princess Alisha.

The princess from the northernmost nation possessed a terrifying Profound Codex capable of halting Elena’s speed entirely.

Back to the match. Senior Renald appeared to be murmuring something. Before long, the earth around him began wrapping around his body, forming a suit of armor to protect him from Elena’s attacks.

Seeing this, the blonde woman also began chanting a spell. The sword in her grip became wrapped in yellow lightning.

Lightning Blade, huh? That should be enough to pierce through the senior’s earth-based defense.

Elena charged again using Acceleration magic, the ground beneath her lightning-wrapped sword crumbling apart from the pressure of her spell.

Senior Renald ran toward Elena as well — it looked like both of them intended to end this match by trading one final, decisive blow.

As the distance between them closed, the senior’s right hand began to glow, signaling he’d activated Temper magic.

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—Clang!

Elena’s slash clashed against the senior’s punch, but his body collapsed to the ground after the exchange.

The armor covering his right arm had shattered, blood beginning to spurt from his hand. Before long, he declared his surrender, bringing the final match to an end, won by Elena.

With this match concluded, the second round of the Grunbelt Academy Tournament had come to a close.

The participants who’d advanced to the quarterfinals were Leon, Brian, Geralt, Elena, Princess Alisha, Senior Luis, and myself.

The eight of us would fight tomorrow to determine who was truly the best.

.

.

.

That evening, the participants and nobles gathered once more in the main hall. This was the final night of the Grunbelt Academy Tournament event.

Once this concluded, the academy would soon hold its graduation ceremony for the third-year students, after which every student would receive a two-month break.

I wondered what I’d end up doing during that time off.

Right now, I was walking around, looking for some fresh air. The main hall was far too noisy for someone who preferred a quieter atmosphere like myself.

Heading upstairs, I wanted to spend some time alone on the building’s balcony, taking in the beautiful night sky.

But arriving there, I found a beautiful blonde woman already standing alone on the balcony.

”Hey, Raul,” she greeted me. ”Looking for some fresh air too?”

I walked over and stood beside her.

”That’s right, it’s far too loud in there for me,” I answered her. ”So, what are you doing out here, President? Shouldn’t you be keeping the prince company at the academy?”

Hearing my question, her expression suddenly turned into a pout, for some reason.

”I already told you, didn’t I? When it’s just the two of us, use my proper name,” she said, looking irritated. ”Besides, keeping Prince Vlad company was never something I wanted — it was a duty my father assigned me.”

Speaking of the prince, I recalled what he’d said to me before our match.

The Kingdom of Draconia had never intended to marry him off to Elena to form an alliance against the Republic of Venetia. But once the Empire lost the war, the Kingdom of Draconia, working alongside the Republic, demanded the Empire marry Elena off to Vlad as part of the peace agreement.

But before that marriage could take place, Elena was assassinated first, through a scheme orchestrated by Duke Alvaro, Raul de Garcia’s father.

Recalling that turn of events from the game, I looked at Elena’s beautiful face, currently looking confused by my behavior.

”What’s wrong, Raul?”

So many factions would be vying for Elena in the coming power struggle within the Empire. How could I possibly protect this woman from the enemy plots that would eventually threaten her?

”Hey...”

My thoughts were interrupted as Elena’s smooth hand touched my cheek.

”What exactly are you thinking about, that you’re not even listening to me?” Elena asked.

Her face was so close now, the warmth of her hand on my cheek somehow leaving me feeling strangely at ease.

”It’s nothing,” I answered her. ”I was just thinking about what awaits us once the succession period arrives.”

The moment I said that, Elena’s hand, still resting on my cheek, suddenly pinched it hard.

”Elena, that hurts,” I complained to her.

”Don’t dwell on that too much for now,” Elena said, responding to my earlier words with a beautiful smile. ”We’ll face it together, won’t we? So don’t worry.”

Watching Elena’s smile, for some reason, my whole motivation for following her, for protecting this nation, seemed to shift. At first, my reason for wanting Elena to become Emperor had simply been to make this country a better place.

But now, it seemed that had changed. I wanted to protect that beautiful smile of hers, no matter what it took.

”Besides, what you should really be worrying about right now is this tournament,” Elena said, looking pleased. ”Both our matches back then ended in a draw, you know — isn’t it time we finally settled that?”

Ahh... back during the survival exam, huh? It was true — our duel back then had always ended in a draw, interrupted by outside interference each time.

”This time, we get to enjoy our fight without anyone else interrupting, Raul,” Elena said. ”I hope I get to face you in this tournament.”

Facing Elena out in the open field would prove incredibly difficult. I had nothing to counter that insane speed of hers. She’d also already witnessed my Reject Impact firsthand, from the time I’d used it against her before.

As we continued talking, I suddenly heard music drifting from the main hall. It seemed the dancing had already begun for this final night.

”Hey, Raul,” Elena called out. ”This is the last night of this event. Would you like to dance with me?”

For the past two nights, Elena had always danced with Vlad, since he’d followed her around everywhere. I supposed this was the first time she’d finally been free of him — it seemed the prince hadn’t shown up here at all since his loss to me.

”I’m not very good at dancing,” I told her.

”Don’t worry, I’ll lead,” Elena said, taking my left hand and placing it on her waist. ”You’re so stiff, hold me a little closer.”

Following her instructions, I tightened my grip on Elena’s waist. Her body drew closer to mine, and I caught the refreshing scent of her perfume.

She took my right hand with her left, our fingers interlacing. Elena then placed her right hand on my shoulder.

”Let’s begin,” she said, smiling at me. ”Just follow my lead.”

We began stepping together, and I slowly followed the pattern of Elena’s footwork. Her blue eyes stayed fixed on mine, making me want to look away.

”Hey, it’s proper etiquette to look your partner in the eyes while dancing,” Elena corrected me.

Hearing her gentle scolding, I looked back into her eyes.

A face as beautiful as an angel, eyes as stunning as the deep blue sea, and a smile so captivating. I supposed I couldn’t blame Vlad for being so obsessed with a woman this beautiful.

On that final night, Elena and I danced beneath a night sky adorned with stars and the beautiful light of the moon, with not a single soul around to interrupt us.

”Let’s enjoy tonight together, Raul...”