I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Alisha PoV]

The match had ended, and the priests had already carried both fighters off the field.

I never expected Raul to actually beat Prince Vlad. Somehow, he'd managed to counter, dodge, and attack his opponent with near-flawless precision, without a single mistake.

It was as though he'd planned this entire fight out in advance, like a painter working from a sketch he'd already drawn.

"Leon, could you have handled Prince Vlad without relying on your Anti-magic ability?" I asked my loyal attendant.

If he used Anti-magic, Leon would undoubtedly beat him with ease. That ability was simply too terrifying for any fighter who relied on magic.

Leon seemed to struggle to answer. It looked like he was genuinely trying to work out how he'd defeat Prince Vlad without his signature Profound Codex.

"I don't know, Princess Alisha," Leon answered quietly. "But I will beat him, no matter what."

He sounded uncertain, though that was only natural.

By my own estimation, Leon would lose easily if he didn't use his Anti-magic against Prince Vlad.

Once caught by that body-controlling spell of his, it would be over for Leon.

Yet somehow, Raul had managed to break free of that spell. Without Valeria's earlier explanation, I might never have understood how Prince Vlad's magic even worked.

Broadly speaking, Prince Vlad's magic was far superior to Raul's, who'd relied on nothing but basic physical-enhancement spells the entire match. Still, that final attack of his was worth remembering — it had broken through Vlad's seemingly impenetrable armor.

Could that have been one of his Profound Codexes?

And why use it only when he was on the brink of death like that? Could there be specific conditions required to activate it?

I didn't know...

"It seems my future husband is more interesting than I ever gave him credit for..."

This tournament was shaping up to be far more compelling than I'd expected...

"Alright, let's move on to the fourth match!"

The spectators stopped chatting the moment the announcer's voice rang out.

"Geralt de Jimena versus Scarlett de Jimena!"

Hearing the names of the competitors, I glanced over at the red-haired woman sitting beside a man with the same hair color.

They both rose and left the participant stands.

If I remembered correctly, they were twins, children of Duke Vasco de Jimena, the most influential noble in the southern region of the Empire.

This match looked like it would be an interesting one.

[Raul PoV]

My entire body ached all over — this was the price of using an ability at its maximum potential. The greater the pain I endured, the stronger the Power buff this ability granted, which forced me to think twice, three times even, before ever using it.

That's because if I failed to execute this attack, my chances of losing the fight would only grow far greater.

Opening my eyes slowly, sunlight streaming through the window nearly blinded me.

"Ah, you're awake?"

Hearing a sudden voice, I turned to the side.

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A beautiful woman with green hair, sat beside my recovery bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked me.

"Better, I think," I answered her. "What are you doing here, Valeria?"

"Why are you even asking that? Don't want me here?" she said, looking irritated, her expression turning sulky.

"That's not what I meant," I answered, trying to calm her down. "You'd probably get more out of watching the other participants' abilities in the arena than sitting here."

Hearing my words, Valeria pouted and crossed her arms.

"I'm here because I want to know about the ability of the person who defeated me," Valeria shot back, looking away from me. "How exactly did you break free of Prince Vlad's body-controlling spell?"

Ah, so that's what she wanted to ask. Still, was it really the right thing to tell Valeria this? I still believed she and the other students needed to learn from experience in order to grow.

Still, I supposed she'd already faced the consequences of failing to gather intel before facing an opponent.

"What will you give me if I tell you?" I asked her.

"Ughhh... why do you want something from me?" Valeria complained.

"Hey, knowledge and information are extremely valuable, you know," I told her. "You experienced it firsthand, didn't you? The reason you lost was because you knew nothing about Prince Vlad's blood magic, wasn't it?"

Drowning her in a flood of facts, Valeria couldn't counter my point and could only grumble in frustration.

"What do you want?" Valeria asked, glaring at me sharply. "I won't forgive you if you ask me to do something perverted!"

Ughhh... I thought your terrible impression of me had faded by now. Why does she keep calling me a pervert!? I'm a gentleman who always respects women.

Except in combat, of course. As the saying goes, 'Equal right, equal fight'

Alright, what exactly should I ask for from Valeria...

Let's see how much value she actually holds right now.

She was the daughter of Duke Julian de Artagnan — head of the Empire's Council of Magic and Headmaster of Castille Magic Tower, the largest tower of magic in the world.

I figured it was practically guaranteed Valeria would enter this magic tower, and her potential would grow far beyond what it was now. I even suspected she could become the youngest Archwizard in this world's history.

Having an easy connection to her would prove extremely valuable to me down the road.

"I want to be able to visit you easily once you become a Master at Castille Magic Tower someday," I answered her.

A Master was a mage formally recognized by the Empire within one of its institutions, such as a tower of magic or an academy. But becoming a Master at Castille Tower was extraordinarily difficult. You needed exceptional talent and profound magical knowledge to achieve it.

Which meant ordinary people would struggle enormously just to meet with a Master of Castille Tower. Only those with legitimate business could freely approach them.

"Wh-what do you mean, becoming a Master!?" Valeria said, sounding utterly confused by what I'd said. "I lost to a fighter using magic — how could I possibly earn a title like Master, let alone Archwizard, that easily?"

Valeria lowered her head. It seemed her defeat against Vlad yesterday had made her realize just how many people out there were far more skilled than she was.

It was true — within the game Path of Destiny, Valeria's magical talent was among the very best. But in a life-or-death fight, what mattered wasn't talent alone, but combat tactics and the information you held about your opponent.

"No, I'm certain you'll become the youngest Master and Archwizard in the Empire's history," I told her sincerely.

"Ughhh... why are you so confident about that?" Valeria asked, turning her face away from me. Her cheeks flushed red, as though she were holding back embarrassment. "Fine, I accept your offer. You can come see me anytime once I become a mage at Castille Tower."

I smiled slightly at her words. With this, I now had a connection to Princess Elena, a member of the imperial family, and Valeria, a future candidate for the world's youngest Archwizard.

This would only strengthen my influence within the Empire going forward.

"By the way, how long was I unconscious?" I asked her.

"About an hour, I think," Valeria answered. "The match right after yours was Scarlett against Geralt."

Scarlett and Geralt, huh? Twin siblings, both possessing Fire Nature Mana. I wasn't sure whether Geralt had already awakened his own Codex, but I was certain Scarlett hadn't awakened hers yet.

If that were true, this match would be a tough one for Scarlett to win.

"So, how did you actually break free of Prince Vlad's body control?" Valeria asked, calling in the promise I'd made her.

I then explained to her about Vlad's Assimilate ability, and why I'd remained completely unaffected by his spell.

"A Randomize Blood potion, huh?" Valeria murmured. "I can't believe you figured out the exact details of his ability just from watching it once!"

Ughhh... that's because I'm the one who programmed his ability into the game, you know. But there was no way I could tell her that.

As we continued talking, a loud roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.

It seemed a fairly intense match was currently underway on the field. I wondered who was fighting right now.

Having defeated Vlad, I'd advanced to the quarterfinals, set to take place tomorrow. Starting from this round, participants wouldn't be told who their opponent was until the match itself began. Which meant none of them would be able to prepare anything in advance against their opponent, unlike what I'd managed to do in my own match earlier.

Tomorrow, three rounds would take place simultaneously, given how many participants had already been eliminated by this point.

Only seven matches remained...

I wondered who exactly would manage to advance.

But one thing was certain — there would be no easy opponents once the quarterfinals began. These were the best of the best.

They possessed magic and abilities far more formidable than my own.

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