Reincarnated as the Villainess... Yeah, I'm Doomed

Chapter Thirty- One: The Tournament

A/N: Hey guys, I am not sure where you are reading this from, but a lot is going on right now in America regarding race and injustice. If anyone reading this needs someone to listen, then please message me. More than statistics or research, I think that the most valuable information out there is the stories and experiences of other people. Sadly, many of these stories cannot be heard, so if you have one and want to share, please message me!! 

The tournament started about thirty minutes after the rose ceremony, giving me just enough time to regain my sanity. Once I finally was able to focus on the surroundings and not the overwhelming amount of embarrassment I was feeling, I was shocked to the amount of people filling the arena. 

"Wow, look how many people there are, will all these people be watching us?" Elaine asked, her voice trembling. At her words, my chest started to tighten while I glanced at the crowd who were early awaiting the upcoming battles. In the section where mostly commoner's sat, many were dressed in clothing representing the color's of the territory they lived in. I noticed that a lot of the people were wearing the gold and red colors that supported that Sylvester ducal house, causing my chest to swell with pride. Ever since Caden's victory at the tournament last year, he had become a household name and pride of the fiefdom. Hopefully he could win again this year. 

I also noticed that each of my friends had a large group of supporters wearing the colors of their respective territory. Even Prince Louis had a following of people wearing blue, but I couldn't tell if they were from Sarchia or not. 

A trumpet sound marked the entrance of the King and Queen, stepping onto a balcony that sat close to the private box my parent's sat in. The crowd erupted at their appearance, waving excitedly at the handsome man and woman wearing robes and crowns. Honestly, when I first reincarnated into this country, I didn't think that commoners would support the nobility or royal family. However, it seemed that as long as the nobility supported and prioritized the territory that they ruled over, then they would be favored by the people. 

Once the King and Queen sat down, a drum beat signified the entrance of the participants. From each side of the arena, the five participant's from each year entered standing proud in their respective uniforms. At their appearance, the crowd roared, shouting support to their favorite competitor. 

Each match up was decided randomly, and it wasn't until the third round that I saw one of my friend's competing. Charles stood across from the sandy haired senior who had gifted his rose to Valerie. Three drum beats sounded, on each beat the boys first bowed, took a step back, and positioned themselves for battle. A short pause kept the crowd holding their breath before the fourth drumbeat sounded, marking the start of the match. 

The rules were simple, the first to leave the ring, be knocked unconscious, or surrender would lose the match. I was surprised to see how quickly the two prior matches ended, each lasting under five minutes. 

Without a moment's hesitation, the senior thrust his hand forward. Vines shot from the ground, wrapping themselves around Charles feet and lifting him into the air. I leaned forward in my seat to watch as Charles hung in the air, not even attempting to escape from the vine's grip. Then, as senior sung both the Vine and Charles towards the outside of the ring, Charles stretched out his had just as he appeared above the senior and propelled himself forward. 

Flying with the use of air magic could only be achieved by the most powerful air mages, so many often used air to propel themselves in different directions. Using this to his advantage, Charles had waited until his opponent was preoccupied with attacking him, and once he had reached his  opponent's blind spot he rushed to strike. In an instant the senior was blasted out of the ring after Charles used air magic to kick him down and blow him out of the ring.