Chapter 137: Before the final round

Suddenly, while I was lost in these new feelings, the warmth of Evangeline's lips brought me back to reality. Something inside me shifted; a chaotic mix of love and desire had intoxicated me in a way I had never felt before. However, I was also aware of the dangers of this situation.

I didn't want to take a step back, but at the same time, I realized that I didn't need to be overly cautious in this new and different relationship with her. When I pulled my lips away, even if just for a second, I could swear I saw the passionate expression in Evangeline's eyes, along with a look of disappointment at the kiss ending.

"I'm going to leave now so you can rest, Eva. But I hope you don't change your mind," I said as I stood up.

"Ethan..." she said, and I could barely see the glimmer of happiness in her eyes. "From your kiss, I gathered that you're quite experienced..." she added in a teasing tone.

I was momentarily taken aback by Evangeline's words. After all, this was the last reaction I expected after the kiss. Clearing my throat, I took a few steps back.

"Then I'll see you later, Eva," I said, darting outside.

But the strange thing was that this was likely Evangeline's first kiss, and despite that, she had realized I was quite experienced. This meant she must have felt very nice during the kiss. Although I didn't know what to do with that information, it wouldn't be wrong to say that our relationship had entered a new dimension for now.

Thus, I set off to return to my room since it was already night. Fortunately, today the students had an extra hour outside, so I was able to reach my room without punishment. Tomorrow was the last day of the tournament, and if I wasn't mistaken, I had to compete in seven elimination matches to win.

When I entered my room, I heard my roommate Taktav quietly crying under the covers, but pretending not to hear, I changed my clothes and went to the bathroom. Sometimes, some people may want to be alone right after experiencing a tough moment. Also, Taktav pulling the blanket over himself was a sign that he wanted a bit of space.

So, after spending a little longer than usual in the shower, I came out and changed into more comfortable clothes. Seeing my roommate, Taktav, a member of the rabbit tribe, already asleep with his rabbit ears drooping, I also went to bed. Before long, my tired body fell asleep, taking me into the realm of dreams.

••••

– The Next Day

When I woke up early, I saw that my roommate was still asleep. I quickly got up and repeated my usual morning routines. After taking care of my personal hygiene, which was little more than brushing my teeth, I quickly dressed and went outside. As I was about to head toward the unity building, I saw Ellera, but this time Roxanne wasn't with her.

I noticed that when Ellera saw me, the silver rings in her eyes were spinning despite the bright sun. As I walked toward her, she walked toward me. She had a slight smile on her lips. The last time I saw her was just before the second round, when she entered the portal, and I had heard from many around me that she was very different next to me. But now I understood what they were talking about.

Ellera's slight smile and the spinning rings in her eyes were actually an extremely rare occurrence.

I had thought it was normal for her to do this often around me, but it seemed I was mistaken. Because of the attraction she felt toward me and couldn't resist, she acted differently around me than with everyone else. Of course, these were extremely micro differences. She was still a woman who showed no emotion on her face and was exceedingly Machiavellian.

Anyone would be happy to learn that a woman, especially one as beautiful as Ellera, treated them more special than others. My situation was no different. Ellera, with her beauty and intelligence, was a perfectly admirable woman, and having such a woman beside me brought an incredibly good feeling.

Without saying anything, I grabbed Ellera by the waist and, leaning down, kissed her passionately on the lips. As I held her waist tightly, I felt as if I were lost in the intense emotions in my eyes. Ellera's lips met mine insistently, but gracefully. After breaking the kiss, I delighted in looking at her swirling eye rings and the rare blush that was an not"Ellera" event.

"Let's go to the unit building," I said to Ellera.

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As we walked side by side, I released her waist. Even though there was no physical contact between us, Ellera walked incredibly close to me. Sometimes, she was so close that it disrupted my walking rhythm, but I continued walking without saying anything.

"Do you know where Roxanne is?"

Ellera flinched at my question and moved a bit away from me. "I don't know. But I think she was a bit sad since she got eliminated at the last second of the second round," Ellera said.

I had just learned that Roxanne had been eliminated. I noted in the back of my mind that I needed to talk to her later. However, since it was forbidden for men to enter the women's dormitory, I had to wait until Roxanne came out.

"Okay, how many people from our unit made it to the next round?" I asked.

"Me, you, Jofmaon, and surprisingly, the elf woman Faeloria," Ellera answered.

So, out of a hundred participants in the third round, only four of us were from my unity. As we approached the unity building, I turned back to Ellera and asked her another question.

"Is there anything important I should know?" I asked.

Ellera understood exactly what I was asking and nodded her head. When we entered the unity building, she continued speaking in a quieter voice.

"First of all, the person who eliminated the most contestants during the tournament was your sister, Kayle. She caused extremely brutal scenes throughout the tournament and she eliminated competitors in a very ruthless manner. Besides that, I learned that Catherine didn't participate in the tournament at all.

Another important piece of news is that I must tell you that the most bets were placed on you for the betting event organized for the third tournament. By the way, your other sister, Violet, also didn't participate in the tournament. Is there anything specific you're curious about?" seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

As I listened to what Ellera said, many questions began to form in my mind. "No, there isn't."

When I entered the unity building with Ellera, the other two who made it to the third round had gathered. The lights shone around the long table in the large hall. Jofmaon and Faeloria were also there; both had caught my attention with their performances in the previous rounds.

I began speaking to capture the attention of all the participants. "Hello to all of you. I congratulate you all for making it this far. I want you to know that in the third round, starting in a few hours, we will all compete under equal conditions."

As Jofmaon listened carefully, Faeloria looked at me with curiosity. Ellera was proud of her place next to me; her determination gave her confidence.

"In this round, there will be no cheating or special plans among us," I continued calmly. "Each of you has come this far based on your own skills and determination. And this will be a contest where the best will win. Also, if you face me, do not engage in anything like losing on purpose; rather, give it your all. Finally, I expect all of you to show respect to each other.

If there are no questions, let's go have some food," I said, examining everyone's facial expressions one by one.

As I focused on everyone's expressions, Jofmaon stepped forward and smiled slightly. "Ethan, what you said is very important. I believe it has created trust among us. We will also do our best to determine the winner. But you should be careful as well; no one can be predicted in this round," he said. The seriousness in his voice created a sense of unease among the participants.

"Thank you for the advice, Jofmaon," I replied, giving him a reassuring look. "If no one else is going to speak, let's go," I added.

As everyone proceeded toward the dining hall, a silence formed among us. While everyone's thoughts wandered in different directions, when we sat down at the dining table, the previous tension slowly began to dissipate. The variety and aroma of the dishes presented at the table were appetizing. However, my mind was still occupied with the challenges we would face in the third round.

After having dinner together, we left the dining hall to head toward the academy's second arena, where the final round would take place. Walking with Ellera and the others, the intensity of the silence between us bothered me. I knew how complicated everyone's thoughts were; everyone wanted to win, but the consequences for the losers could be extremely devastating.

As we entered the arena, I could hear the sounds of a large crowd waiting. We quickly split off to head toward the waiting rooms assigned to us. Since separate rooms were given to the hundred participants in the tournament, I moved to my waiting room without seeing anyone...