CHAPTER 165: CHAPTER 165 START OF THE TOURNAMENT

It was finally time as a Royal guard knocked on Roman’s door.

It had been an hour since he started working out, and he stopped twice, taking breaks in between his workouts, so as not to tire himself out.

He walked behind the guards as they arrived at the main door where the girls were already waiting, then all of them walked towards where the tournament would be held.

The ten of them didn’t speak as they made their way forward behind the Royal guards and finally they could see the venue of the tournament.

The large arena was the first thing that caught Roman’s eye. It was as big as the training ground where he and Victoria train. He saw the staff set up and knew it was for the barrier.

And seated around the area were different Noble families. Roman had no idea which family was which, but there was one he recognized immediately.

Three women were seated in front, and the three of them had red and blue hair just like Ava’s; it was the Firefrost family.

The ten of them made their way towards the arena wearing the same type of clothing and they were led to the center of the arena.

The next moment, everyone stood up as the Queen made her way towards her chair and sat down; after that, all the nobles sat back down.

At her right hand was her sister, and then Faylen, who had her eyes on Roman as she stared at him with a smirk on her face.

At her left were Evelyn and Victoria, both of whom were dressed just like the Royal family.

A lady stepped into the arena.

She gave a polite bow to the Queen and the nobles before speaking.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Queen’s Tournament," she said with a smile on her face.

"Today, we will witness the best of the class 1 students competing for glory and honor before the Queen and the noble families of the kingdom."

She looked around at the crowd before turning her eyes to the ten standing in the center.

"These are the chosen participants, handpicked through tests and trials. Each will compete in duels to prove their strength, skill, and determination. The winner will be crowned champion and given a special gift by the Queen herself"

Some nobles clapped lightly, others whispered among themselves.

The woman continued, "Remember, all battles will be fought within the safety of the magic barrier. No killing is allowed. Victory will be declared when an opponent is unable to continue or the barrier around their body is depleted"

She paused, letting her words sink in, then smiled, "Allow me to introduce the participants," she said, turning to the first which was the princess.

"Princess Aurelia of the Royal Family." Aurelia stepped forward with a graceful bow, her silver hair shining under the sunlight.

Next, the lady gestured to the next.

"Ava Firefrost of the Firefrost family." Ava stepped forward, her red and blue hair catching everyone’s attention, she needed no introduction.

"Mira EverHeart of House EverHeart." Mira gave a short, polite nod, her expression calm as she looked at her family.

"Reena Whitestone of House Whitestone." A tall girl with black hair stepped forward confidently.

"Clara Moonveil of House Moonveil." She walked forward lightly and bowed.

This was the first time Roman was hearing their names, apart from Reina and him, the rest were from Noble families.

"Lydia Stormwind of House Stormwind." The girl strode forward with a proud smirk, her dark hair tied up neatly.

"Elena Ravenshade of House Nightshade." She stepped forward, her eyes facing the ground as she bowed and stepped back.

"Joanna Gaines of House Gaines." She stepped forward, just like the others, and bowed her head.

"Reina and lastly Roman," The lady spoke, and both of them stepped forward and bowed their heads at once.

Roman had a smile on his face as he looked at all the nobles, all of them staring at Roman, some with curiosity, others wondering why a male was in the magic academy.

"The tournament will last six days," she announced. "Today, we begin with two matches."

Another lady stepped forward, holding a sealed scroll. She handed it over, and with a soft crack of the seal, it was opened. The announcer’s eyes scanned the list, and she gave a small nod.

"The first match, Ava Firefrost versus Lydia Stormwind." Her voice carried clearly across the arena, earning a mix of cheers and murmurs from the crowd.

She looked back at the scroll. "The second match, Joanna Gaines versus Elena Nightshade."

Roman let out a sigh. He wasn’t fighting today...he felt a certain relief after the names were called, at least he would see what kind of show Ava would put on.

The announcer turned to the students. "A special barrier will be placed on your body. It will protect you from any fatal attack. Once the barrier breaks, you lose the match. You also lose if your Mana runs out."

She paused, letting the words sink in before continuing. "Your goal is simple, dodge and block all attacks, and aim to land a fatal blow that would normally kill your opponent. Do that, and the match is yours...also, know this even with the barrier, you would feel the pain of every attack. Good luck."

She strode away from the arena, and following her were eight of them, leaving only Ava and Lydia in the arena.

The eight of them were led to a seat at the corner of the arena where they could still see the entire battle, then four mages stepped close to the staff with one of them walking inside the arena first.

She touched Ava and Lydia at the same time, and a barrier like a coat of Mana covered their entire body. Then, the mage walked back to the staff.

All four mages placed their hands on the staff creating a tiny glow, and then a barrier began to form around the arena. It took some minutes to complete, and then it was done.

Roman didn’t need to be told, he knew it was a sturdy barrier capable of taking an attack at full power from a class 1 student.