I am the heroine's godfather!

There are some rumors circulating among the students about Merta. Everyone knows that she and Charlotte are stepsisters, and that the two don't get along very well, but how bad they are is unknown to many.

Therefore, many people hold a "neither fawn over nor provoke" attitude towards Merta, for fear of offending the adopted daughter of a certain magic combat teacher, the top student in the first year of the Sage Academy, and Princess Anna Isnar's best friend.

Yes, although I am unaware of it, Charlotte is actually one of the people that Saint Casta generally considers best avoided.

Charlotte is truly remarkable.

In short, when Merta's teammates saw the two sisters meet, a bad feeling rose within them.

"Charlotte, Charlotte, what happened?"

Upon noticing Charlotte's sudden stop, her three teammates quickly caught up, poking their heads out from the woods, where they spotted Charlotte's sister.

The three exchanged glances, then all looked at Merta with hostile expressions.

Theoretically speaking, it's best to avoid fighting on the last day if possible, since being ambushed on the last day would be a huge loss. However, theory is one thing, if Charlotte and Merta really clash, the other three naturally won't stand idly by.

Merta also saw through Charlotte's teammates' thoughts, and unlike them, Merta's teammates would not help her, and might even cut her off directly.

"......what you up to."

Merta gritted her teeth and said, Charlotte tilting her head, "If I said I wasn't planning on doing anything, would you believe me?"

"...What do you want in return for letting me go?"

"Ah."

Charlotte didn't intend to get too entangled with Merta, since whether Merta made it into the main tournament or not had nothing to do with Charlotte. Even if she met Merta in the main tournament, she would just beat her up again.

But since she's already said that, it wouldn't be right for Charlotte to just let her off the hook.

Charlotte then gave a wicked smile, similar to Lorraine's: "That depends on what you can do to satisfy me."

Seeing Charlotte's smile, Laura and Anna shuddered and whispered, "Why does Charlotte seem to be looking more and more like that guy, Loran?"

Alas, the negative influence Lorraine has on teenagers is immeasurable.

Merta gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and remained silent for a long time, which made Charlotte feel a little bored. She yawned; she hadn't slept well last night.

But whether the yawn was misunderstood or not, Merta's teammates started urging, "Hurry up, Merta!" "Don't drag us down with your yawn!"

"Wow, can someone like that be a teammate?"

Laura whispered to Anna, who crossed her arms and looked unsurprised: "It's just an act, just like in the palace."

"The palace is truly terrifying."

Laura sighed softly.

Hearing her teammates urging her on, Merta's face grew increasingly grim. Finally, a hint of hatred appeared in her eyes, and she suddenly knelt down.

"I'm sorry! I was wrong when I was little, I shouldn't have targeted you like that! I was deceived by my mother, I was blinded by greed, I'm sorry, please let me go!"

She kowtowed heavily.

Charlotte frowned, glancing at her teammates behind her. Laura and Anna were already gaping, their faces filled with shock. Daisy, too, frowned deeply, her expression somewhat grim.

Yes, the knockout stage will also be broadcast, and if this scene is broadcast, it could potentially have a negative impact on Charlotte's reputation.

So that's what this guy was thinking?

Charlotte sighed and remained silent.

The best course of action now would be to feign concern and help her up, putting on a show of sisterly affection. While this would make it difficult to openly confront Merta afterwards, at least it wouldn't damage Charlotte's reputation.

But Charlotte didn't like this approach.

She sighed, and couldn't help but reflect on herself. Sure enough, she had been naive and underestimated Merta.

Although this guy is indeed not a threat in terms of combat strength, when it comes to this kind of feigned insincerity, it has to be admitted that she is better at it.

If it were Charlotte alone, she would definitely ignore this guy's tricks completely and beat him up first. But after all, there were other people with her.

If it affects her friends, especially Anna, and causes her to lose out to Bianca, then it would be a loss.

Charlotte was conflicted. Anna seemed to sense her thoughts, sighed, took two steps forward, tugged at Charlotte's sleeve, and gave her a reassuring look.

While this might indeed affect Anna's reputation, would Charlotte really have to suffer because of it? No way!

Charlotte was deeply moved. She looked at Merta and sighed.

"Forget it, let's go."

Although she didn't choose to forgive her, Charlotte didn't actually beat her up either. She just looked at Merta and said, "This doesn't mean I forgive you. I will settle my father's debts with you and your mother sooner or later."

Merta gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Charlotte said nothing more and simply left with her companions.

In the stands, Loran squinted, chuckled, and shook her head.

As expected, Charlotte is still a bit immature... She has no experience dealing with a manipulative woman like Merta.

However, the self-proclaimed clever Merta seemed to have overlooked one thing: what could be seen in the stands and on the broadcast screens was decided by Loran.

The footage that Loran didn't want to be released naturally wouldn't be seen by anyone.

Therefore, even if Charlotte really beats up Merta, it won't cause her any reputational damage.

However, there were indeed reasons why he hadn't told Charlotte.

Chapter 146 The End of the Elimination Rounds and the Beginning of the Main Tournament

"Wow, this guy named Merta is really cunning."

In the nearby grove, Klim cracked sunflower seeds and grumbled. Bianca chuckled, "The weak can only use this kind of method to resist the strong. How laughable."

"Hey, isn't that a bit too harsh?"

Klim continued to criticize, while Siluca looked displeased: "It's just a disgusting little trick..."

"Yes, yes, Miss Siluca, you are fair."

Bianca just chuckled.

As the sun rose on the fourth day, the knockout stage ended without major incident. Since it was just a knockout stage, there weren't many tense or exciting moments. Loran was confined to the commentary booth and couldn't secretly give Charlotte a big surprise.

The guy who first came up with the idea of ​​tying Loran to the commentary table was a genius.

That evening, there was a knock on the door of Lorraine's room. When it was opened, Miss Charlotte poked her head in.

"Charlotte? What brings you here?"

"Well......"

Charlotte seemed to be in a bad mood, and Loran said with a smile, "Let me guess, are you afraid that you'll disappoint me in the knockout stage against Merta?"

Charlotte, who had been seen through at a glance, scratched her head awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Lorraine chuckled twice: "Honestly, don't you even consider who decides what appears on the broadcast screen?"

"You mean?"

"uh-huh."

Lorraine smiled smugly: "Those scenes won't appear as long as I don't agree."

"Thank you, Loran!"

Charlotte was immediately delighted, but since she was already there, Loran naturally invited her to stay for a meal.

The main tournament began the next day, and after a random selection process, everyone's opponents were assigned. The first few matches were essentially a continuation of the elimination rounds and weren't particularly interesting. After all, although everyone was a first-year student, the gap between those who had progressed and those who hadn't was still too large, with the top students practically dominating the mid-level students. However, there were some unexpected developments, such as Kyle's friend William. He was originally only a mid-to-low-tier student, and although he had made it through the elimination rounds, no one expected him to go very far. But this kid actually made it to the round of 64 to 32, leading many who knew him to exclaim that he was cheating.

William's family wasn't well-off, so his parents couldn't come in person and could only watch their son's performance via a live stream. They were quite surprised by their child's performance.

After several days of competition, the final showdown between the sixty-four and thirty-two has finally arrived.

"Alright everyone, after several days of competition, we can finally see some interesting battles! The 64-to-32 tournament, let's begin!"

Hugh looked incredibly excited: "Let's see the first match! Oh my gosh! The first match, Laura versus Frank!"

"Am I the first one?"

Laura looked somewhat surprised, while Daisy flipped through the contestant's information: "Frank, from the Knights Academy, his attribute is wind. He's quite compatible with you, Laura. So, are you confident?"

"Hey, hey, hey, that's a bit disrespectful."

Laura complained, "Although I seem like I can't beat anyone—I can't beat Charlotte, I can't beat Bianca, and I can't even beat Felicia—there's no one in the Academy of Sages stronger than me, okay?"

"Don't underestimate her, Laura."

Charlotte urged, and Anna raised her hand as well: "Lola, Lola, don't you dare fail to even make it into the top 32, or I'll laugh at you mercilessly."

"Anna, you rascal!"

Laura scoffed, "Just watch! It's only the top 32, of course I'll take it easy!"

--------------

"Knights' Academy, Frank."

"The Sage's Abode, Laura."

The two men placed their left hands against their right chests in a dueling salute. Then, Hugh loudly announced the start of the battle.

Frank drew his sword and swept forward like a whirlwind. Wind attributes emphasize speed, making it easier to close the distance compared to other attributes.

When a low-level martial artist fights a low-level mage, the first thing to do is to get close. Once the distance is created, the martial artist is almost certain to lose.

"Frank started with an excellent close-range attack! Can Laura defend against it?"

Hugh passionately commentated, and Loran added, "If it were an ordinary mage, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand Frank's attack. This guy might be quite suited to be an assassin."

That speed was truly extraordinary! But Laura remained calm and composed. Her right-hand staff glowed faintly, and the next second, she was pierced through.

"What! Laura didn't put up any resistance at all?! Has the outcome already been decided?"

Hugh spoke up, but Loran said, "I think I mentioned in class that when fighting a mage, you have to pay attention to the flow of magic at all times. Were you not paying attention in class?"

"Hahaha... Let's try to talk about the game."

Xiu scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and a chorus of boos immediately erupted from the crowd.

As expected, Laura was not so easily defeated. Although Frank plunged his sword into Laura's body, he sensed that something was wrong with the feeling of the sword entering her body.

This is......

not good!

He tried to back away, but found that Laura in front of him had turned into an ice sculpture, and then exploded with a bang.

"Ice Sculpture, Bind!"

Laura's shout rang out, and in the next instant, the exploded statue transformed into vines, firmly fixing Frank in place.

Laura appeared behind Frank, her staff conjuring ice spikes that she aimed at the back of Frank's head. Her voice was icy: "The battle is over."

"Oh my god! So that was bait? Using an ice sculpture to lure Frank into making a move, then binding him in place, what a brilliant finishing move!"

Hugh shouted excitedly, and Loran nodded approvingly: "Excellent tactical approach, Frank is still too impatient."

"I lost."

With the outcome decided, Frank naturally wouldn't put up any more resistance: "I didn't expect the gap to be so big."

"Hmm, you played pretty well too."

Laura offered a small consolation to her opponent, then skipped back to her position.

"Lola, you're amazing!"

Anna immediately stepped forward, striking a cool pose: "'The outcome is decided!' That's so cool!"

"Hmph, of course, don't you know who I am!"

Laura immediately became smug. Charlotte and Daisy exchanged a glance but said nothing. Since Laura had played so well, there was nothing wrong with her being a little smug.

However, what was unexpected was that Laura's performance today was so cool that she earned a nickname that she later found extremely distasteful.

Chapter 147 William VS Tebirris

"Let's give a round of applause for Miss Laura's wonderful performance!"

As Hugh's voice faded, cheers erupted throughout the sky. Loran commented, "Laura's performance was indeed excellent; she truly deserves to be my student."

"But Professor Loran, Laura's rival is also your student..."

"...In short, both her tactical thinking and her use of magic were excellent. It's clear that Miss Laura has been paying attention in every class."

Upon hearing this, Laura couldn't help but secretly roll her eyes at someone. Charlotte silently covered her face, speechless at her guardian's shamelessness, while Anna directly complained, "What a shameless guy!" Even the usually good-natured Daisy could only chuckle awkwardly...