Page 353 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The match proceeded swiftly.

Over the course of three days of duels, the contenders for the round of 16 were determined, with all familiar faces among them.

Group A

Luin vs. YuriaVinpole vs. RohanMikhail vs. LucasHanna vs. RishiGroup B

Shartia vs. KantCrown Prince vs. HobbsShuen vs. GaneshRuby vs. SugarWow... Group A is intense.

Group A was essentially the "group of death," with two contenders aiming for the championship. Rohan, the Head Prefect, was there, as well as the rising star Yuria. The battles in Group A were practically the finals in terms of difficulty.

Group B is mostly between Shartia and the Crown Prince.

The stories surrounding the Crown Prince and Shartia were well-known at the Academy. One was vying for the throne, while the other stood closest to it.

The Crown Prince had joined the Academy out of sheer boredom, while Shartia enrolled to solidify her position, making it an intriguing clash.

This Ranking Match was an unpredictable event, one that hadn’t appeared in the original novel, and with Malik’s involvement, many things had changed.

Though I personally hoped Shartia would win, if money were involved, I’d probably bet on the Crown Prince...

Honestly, I wasn’t sure who would win, but with his skills as a magic swordsman, the Crown Prince seemed to have a slight edge. Still, it would be great if Shartia managed to claim victory.

Unexpectedly...

I hadn’t expected Luin, who’d lost weight, to make it to the round of 16. His luck with matchups had granted him easy victories, but it was surprising he’d held out this far.

It seems he was motivated by what the boss told him.

The next match...! Third-year Magic Department student Luin vs. third-year Healing Department student Yuria.

Malik appeared beside me, holding a light snack, and asked in a low voice,

“No intruders?”

“No, nothing detected so far.”

“Still makes me uneasy.”

“There shouldn’t be anything to worry about. The cultists took a hit during the Holy Sword contest. Even those crazy enough for terrorism would probably skip this Ranking Match.”

“If you say so, then that’s likely the case.”

Malik nodded solemnly.

“All your friends made it this far.”

“I’m proud of them. It feels good as a fellow classmate.”

“Hah! A guy who didn’t even attend for six months...”

“Once a classmate, always a classmate.”

“I have to admit, I’m surprised your chosen candidate made it this far—I honestly thought he’d fall short. Even the Academy’s aces were struggling with the other participants.”

“Luck was on his side.”

I smiled slightly as I watched Yuria ascend to the stage.

“It’s starting.”

Now, the first match of the round of 16 begins!!!

Yuria climbed up to the stage slowly.

Whew...

She was the only surviving member of the Healing Department, as the others hadn’t even made it to the main tournament.

Though she had trained under the Senior Director for a long time, compared to those who had been studying combat skills all their lives, she still had a long way to go. One punch to someone’s face was enough to bring her satisfaction.

Now, Yuria was hailed as a "hero" among the Healing Department students. She was the one who proved that even a healer could become a protagonist, earning the attention and admiration of many.

As Yuria’s heavy steps reached the stage, the crowd cheered loudly.

"Senior Yuria!!! Crush him!!!" "Stomp on the Magic Department!!!"

It was the first time she had experienced this—receiving so much expectation from others. While she was used to hearing gossip, over time, the gazes directed at her had turned into those of eager students.

Clenching her fists in response to their support, Yuria felt the weight on her shoulders but enjoyed the feeling.

"Hey."

Luin raised a hand in greeting. Seeing him greet her since that day gave her a mixed expression.

She wasn’t over the anger. She didn’t particularly want to be friends again, and remembering the contempt and betrayal she’d felt at the ballroom left her feeling cold.

Reading her expression, Luin awkwardly lowered his hand and began to speak.

“It’s been a while, Yuria.”

“...Yeah.”

“Didn’t expect to meet you here... looks like you’ve been working hard.”

“Looks like you have, too.”

“For me, that’s a given.”

“...”

“Seems like you don’t need anyone’s ? Nоvеl??ght ? (Exclusive on Nоvеl??ght) protection anymore.”

“I don’t.”

“...”

Luin, sensing her mood, clenched his fist and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Let’s be frie—”

“...”

“Never mind.”

Seeing Yuria’s silence, Luin held back what he wanted to say. Things like, Can we be friends again? were words best saved until after the match.

He still needed to apologize and sort out his feelings. Knowing his selfish tendencies, he feared he’d end up saying something foolish or even shifting blame onto Yuria.

Now’s not the time...

So.

“...I’m going to win.”

He vowed to face her with a renewed attitude.

The announcer’s amplified voice echoed through the arena, making Yuria’s heart race as he signaled the start of the duel.

The first match of the round of 16 begins now!

“I feel the same way, Luin.”

One!

“Well, that’s obvious.”

Two.

“Don’t expect me to go easy, even though you’re Yuria.”

“I want to beat you more than anyone.”

Three!!! Begin!!!

At the announcer’s cue, Yuria and Luin moved simultaneously.

Luin widened the distance while Yuria closed it.

Swiftly closing in on Luin, Yuria enhanced her hands and feet with holy power and threw a punch.

“...Baptism of Violence.”

With a loud boom, Luin staggered back, spitting out blood-tinged saliva, and began chanting a spell.

“Fireball.”

Yuria’s eyes widened as the close-range fireball approached her. She dodged it quickly, speeding up as she chanted a blessing for her legs to boost her movement.

Luin wasn’t standing idle, either. He maintained his gaze on Yuria, casting spells at her.

“Tch...”

“You won’t be closing the gap so easily, Yuria. I’ve analyzed your patterns from all your previous fights.”

Luin’s honed magic was sharp. Although the raw power of his attacks wasn’t what it used to be, his precision and accuracy with the fireballs were, if anything, more refined.

Has he gotten faster?

Yuria twisted her body quickly to evade his spells, conjuring a barrier to fend off the fireballs. Luin, as if anticipating her move, halted his fireballs and began chanting a different spell.

"[Green Generation]"

The moment the spell Malik had taught him left his lips, grass began to sprout across the arena floor.

Luin ceased his fireballs and murmured softly.

“Rise.”

“...”

“Bloom.”

Among the grass, pink flowers began to bloom. Like coiling vines, Luin’s magic swiftly constricted around Yuria’s ankles, forcing her to keep moving to avoid the growing flowers.

Seeing Luin’s relentless attacks closing in, Yuria gritted her teeth and swung her fist.

Crunch.

Blood flowed. Luin’s magic, breaking through Yuria’s blessing, inflicted a wound on her hand before dissipating.

Surrounding Yuria, flowers began to bloom in abundance. They twisted and pulsated, as if waiting for Luin’s command, and their buds started brimming with magic.

“After losing my talent, I realized something.”

“...”

“What a piece of trash I was...”

“...”

“I couldn’t even use basic magic properly, and my character was a disaster... Turns out, everything he said about me was true.”

“...”

“So, Yuria.”

“...”

“Just give in this time.”

As bullets began to shoot from the enchanted flowers, Yuria closed her eyes and murmured in a low voice—the same words the woman in her nightmares had repeated countless times.

"O god who condones suffering."

"God who oppresses the innocent."

"In my name, I call upon my grievances against you."

"Grant me a flame to protect your faithful."

With a faint crackling, a white flame ignited around Yuria’s fist.

“Sacred Fire.”

Seeing the white flame, Malik chuckled.

“She was hiding that?”

‘Sacred Fire’ was a flame kindled by those who wielded holy power at a certain level. Simply put, it was a technique used by the Inquisitors of the Church, capable of burning away all unholy things.

Whoosh...

And it could also have a direct effect on people.

Watching Yuria from the railing, I couldn’t help but smile with excitement. Finally, I was witnessing Yuria’s techniques from the novel.

"...You’ve grown strong."

The flame danced. Everything touched by the Sacred Fire disintegrated, and the plants Luin had summoned turned to white ash, returning the grass to its original color.

Watching the Sacred Fire, Malik murmured to himself.

“If black flames are the fire that doesn’t extinguish, then Sacred Fire is the flame that extinguishes.”

“It’s also a symbol of a high priest.”

“...What a monster.”

As Luin’s trembling magic met Yuria’s flaming fist, the arena was engulfed in white Sacred Fire, leaving behind a warm glow as it faded away.

The winner is...!

Watching Yuria standing alone in the arena, I murmured, impressed. Whoever had trained her had done an excellent job.

“They’ve taught her well.”

The winner is Yuria!