Harem System In A fantasy World - Chapter 204: Dream affinity

Chapter 204: Dream affinity

Across several other balconies, similar reactions appeared. Mira’s control… And the overwhelming power of that final spell…

It was enough to make several influential observers quietly place her on their observation lists.

Back in the waiting room tunnel, Elion watched the screen with a proud smile.

“Nice,” he said quietly.

Aria crossed her arms.

“Sister Mira is strong,” she said grimly.

Elion chuckled as his hand crept up her blouse to rest on her stomach. “You’re strong too,” he assured her.

Aria looked away slightly, but the corners of her lips lifted just a little.

High above on the faculty balcony, Halbrecht stroked his beard thoughtfully.

He glanced toward Selene and Eveline, who were standing nearby.

“You two were not exaggerating,” he said calmly. “These first years truly have some special talents.”

He nodded slightly toward the platform where Jared was being escorted away.

“That boy was not weak either.”

Selene smiled faintly.

“He was just unfortunate to be up against the wrong opponent.”

Eveline nodded, but there was a bit of confusion on her face.

“Honestly, I expected the fight to be much closer than that. It seems she was holding back during class.”

Meanwhile, in one of the extravagant balconies lower in the arena, Mira’s parents sat in stunned silence.

Gale stared at the arena floor.

His daughter…The girl he had raised… She was not supposed to be this strong.

But then again, he should have expected growth like this when he decided to send her here.

It was only that he hadn’t expected her to make this much of a scene. ’Maybe her opponent was weak compared to the other students. No,’

He shook his head. ’That boy was not weak. Which means she is on the upper end of the spectrum even among her peers.’

Mistress Gale covered her mouth in shock.

“That… that was Mira?” It sounded like even she could not believe her own eyes.

Gale did not answer her; his mind was already racing. His expression slowly changed. If Mira had that kind of talent…

Then her value had just risen dramatically. He leaned back in his seat.

’I might need to reconsider my plans.’ If he played this correctly…

Mira could become extremely useful leverage for improving his standing.

But first… His eyes darkened slightly.

He would need to separate her from the boy she was claiming to be her husband. And find her a far more advantageous marriage.

…

The rest of the first-year battles ended not long after Mira’s fight.

Most of them were hard fought and went on for a while, with both sides trading spells or blows until one of them made a mistake.

Compared to Mira’s match, which had ended with one overwhelming spell, the other fights dragged on longer because the fighters were more evenly matched.

When the last of the platforms finally cleared, the hostess floated forward again with a bright smile.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen,” she called out across the stadium, “did you enjoy the opening battles from our first years?”

The response was immediate.

The crowd roared loudly, many people clapping and shouting their approval.

“Yeaaaaahhhh!!!”

“I thought so!” she laughed. “But the tournament is far from over. After a short break, we will continue with our next group of fighters!”

The magical screens flickered as the platforms were quickly inspected by the proctors and reset for the next matches.

Moments later, movement appeared at the edge of the arena. From a different tunnel, another group of students began walking out.

These ones looked older and more confident. They all wore second-year uniforms.

“Ah, here they come,” the hostess said, raising a hand toward them. “Please welcome… the academy’s second years!”

The crowd cheered again as the next group of fighters stepped onto the battlefield.

Back in the waiting area, Elion watched the screens while Aria remained comfortably in his lap.

“It looks like they’re sending them out in batches,” he whispered quietly.

Aria tilted her head slightly.

“Batches?”

“First years, then second years, then third years,” Elion explained in a low voice. “And maybe some mixed fights later, to keep the promise the host made about talented mages fighting above their year.”

Aria nodded slowly.

That made sense.

Elion’s eyes moved across the screens again, and then he spotted someone familiar.

Liora.

She was standing calmly on one of the platforms, her posture relaxed as she stretched and waited for her opponent, with her vibrant pink hair standing out like a sore thumb.

But before Elion could keep watching, the door behind him opened. Mira walked back into the waiting room.

Immediately, several students looked over at her. Their gazes were all different. Some looked onwith respect, some with curiosity.

And a few with clear jealousy.

Mira spotted Elion right away. She smiled warmly and began walking toward him.

But before she could reach him, someone stepped in front of her.

“Tremendous fight!”

Tessa grabbed Mira’s shoulder firmly with one hand. Her grip was strong enough that Mira winced slightly.

Elion noticed and chuckled quietly.

“I hope I get to fight you today!” Tessa said with a wide grin.

Mira laughed awkwardly.

“I can’t say the same,” she replied honestly. “I’m not really the type to look forward to fights I know I’m going to lose.”

“Come on, Mira, don’t be like that!” Tessa said, pretending to look hurt.

Her heavy gauntlets were strapped to her waist with a leather belt, clearly ready for when her own match would begin.

The two girls had grown fairly close recently after spending a lot of time training together in the dungeon trials.

Still talking, they slowly walked over to Elion and Aria.

When Mira reached him, she leaned down and kissed his lips again without a hint of hesitation.

“My reward,” she said with a playful chuckle. She looked at him proudly. “Did I do good, hubby?”

“You did very well, Mira,” Elion replied with a smile.

“Of course I did,” she said proudly.

Then she leaned a little closer and whispered with a soft purr. “I expect to be rewarded appropriately tonight.”

Elion chuckled.

“That depends on how your other fights go.”

“Assuming I fight again today.”

“Tch…”Beside them, Tessa clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.

She glanced at Aria sitting on Elion’s lap and then at Mira leaning close to him. “Fucking couples,” she muttered.

Elion, Mira, and Aria all burst out laughing.

“Are you jealous, Tess?” Mira teased.

“Not in a million years,” Tessa said immediately, turning her head away. She was trying very hard to look calm.

“Oh? Playing hard to get?” Mira continued teasing. She tilted her head toward Elion.

“Elion can take a third. We don’t mind. Right, Aria?”

Aria’s eyes narrowed. “Actually,” she said flatly, “I do mind.”

Tessa groaned. “You people are impossible!”

She turned around and waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll leave you guys to your little moment.”

With that, she walked away toward another part of the waiting room.

It happened right on cue. The second year fights were beginning.

The proctors raised their hands across the platforms, signaling the start of the next set of battles, and the magical screens inside the waiting area shifted to show the new matchups. The noise of the crowd outside rose again as the spectators leaned forward in their seats.

Naturally, Elion’s eyes moved straight to the screen showing Liora’s platform.

He leaned forward slightly, his interest immediately captured. Liora had already told him what her magical affinity was.

And it was… strange.

When she had first mentioned it to him, Elion hadn’t really known what to think about it. It wasn’t like fire, or wind, or earth, where the applications were obvious.

He had been curious ever since then about how something like that could even be used in a real battle.

And now—

Here was his chance to see it for himself.

Liora’s affinity… was a dream affinity.