Sins Paradise: Domination System

After changing the arena, Alesia didn't return to the balcony. Instead, she made a platform at the corner of the arena and stood there like an observer.

She was there to judge the mana control of the participant and grade them.

Not only her, but it seemed like the headmistress from Humanitas Academy also went to the arena to help her judge. So that lady was also proficient enough with Magic that she could feel Mana ripple?

"She's stronger than I thought. Are people from Humanitas Academy secretly all strong and keeping a low-profile?"

That was truly a novel plot. An Academy that commoners attended was actually the strongest out of all academies. But something like that was impossible.

'They only have 3 students who passed the long-range division. It's not a lot, just average. But that showed their skills.'

I was really interested in the man who accompanied Humanitas Academy's headmistress. I wondered who he was, as I suspected he was as strong as Rania.

The magic division started with 5 students entering the arena, and the rules were announced. The students were given one and only one chance to use their strongest Magic. The tournament believed that there would be no second chance and one's ability could only be judged by their best.

Being nervous and scared wasn't an excuse for not doing their best. And it was Alesia who said this after the rules were announced. No one would wait for Mage to attack them in their best condition. I could agree with that and nodded my head.

That, however, made the first students nervous. When they started the test, they could only muster lower strength even if they used Lv 2 Magic skill. Wind blades, fireballs, rock bullets, and any other magic were shot toward the target at the end of the arena.

The target was a clay doll, and their damage to it was recorded as a point on top of their proficiency at controlling their magic. The more damaged the clay doll, the more points they received from Alesia and Humanitas Academy's headmistress, whose name was apparently Ivy.

I wasn't that impressed by their skill, thinking they were just newbies, as expected. Eliza was way better than them.

However, the spectators were amazed, and somehow the participants were smiling widely. It was as if they thought the chip they made on the clay doll was the best of their abilities.

'What the fuck?' I thought as I narrowed my eyes. 'Even if I am not skilled in magic, I know the magic they used sucked. They only made a little chip on the clay's body and were happy with that?!'

If Eliza was happy with something like that, I might train her again with my magic carpet. I hoped she could destroy half of the clay doll's body. That much should be possible with her magic. At least, that was what I estimated from the result of the this morning and looking at the doll's durability.

The second and third batches were also like that. At most, they only used Lv 2 magic. Then came the fourth batch. It was time for my childhood friend to shine.

For the magic division, the participant was also free to use and wear magic items. The participant could use anything they wanted to as long as it was obtained in their 'excursion' outside the Academy City or even something they bought themselves.

When five students entered the arena, Eliza stood out with the white mage robe I gave her that day. She also held a white wand while the others were entering by only wearing some kind of earrings and necklace with the usual black training clothes and shorts. They were all from Patientia Academy.

"Heh," I smirked as I watched the arena.

The baffled look on their faces was so precious that I almost burst out of laughter. The pig also looked surprised when he looked down at the arena.

If the Patientia Academy used a pay-to-win strategy to win the close-range division yesterday, I also see no reason for me not to use it to increase Eliza's chance of winning.

If I used words to describe what happened now, they were just like stuck-up people who only bought 500$ worth of item mall and thought they were already a whale. Then I, as Eliza's sponsor, decided to give her the priceless item-mall that couldn't be bought with money.

Not only that, her Level was twice higher than the others. She was a walking cheat in this tournament. Alesia looked at me for a second and nodded. That meant the item Eliza wore was allowed and recognized as magic items.

However…

"Wait!"

The pig, Earl Isaac Lawrence, shouted from his balcony and stood up with a red face.

"Is that allowed?! Isn't the rules stating that the only magic items that can be used in the tournament are the one students gain in their training and adventure outside the Academy City? That robe and wand are clearly handmade and bought from an artisan!"

Somehow, I had already guessed it. But Alesia should be able to handle it.

"No." The headmistress spoke with narrowed eyes. She pointed at Eliza and continued, "She got these magic items when she went to eradicate monsters with the Paladin. She gained it herself for her contribution. So it's allowed to be used in this tournament."

"Paladin?"

"She is with the Paladin?!"

The spectators' curiosity was roused when Alesia mentioned my name. They had a crazy and wild fantasy about the adventure that I did, so it was natural that they now looked at Eliza with newfound respect and curiosity.

Eliza's face reddened in embarrassment as she tried to cover her cleavage and pull her skirt down.

"The Paladin?" Earl Lawrence looked at me for a second, probably waiting for me to say something.

"I can attest to that," I said, nodding my head. "We hunt more than ten Level 30 [Black Tigers] with the church knights. She helped us to slow down their movements with magic. Those magic items are her reward for helping us. Thus she earned it herself with her own ability."

I didn't lie about that, although I actually gave Eliza her robe because I wanted her to look sexier when we visited Rose Barony. Alesia probably gave the wand to increase the odds of her winning. That headmistress had the same thought as me, huh?

"I-If that's the case, then I have nothing more to say." Earl Lawrence sat down obediently without saying anything more. He also didn't look offended because I already answered him.

"Let's start the test. Go to your respective lane and cast your strongest magic." Ivy took over with a gentle voice and instructed the participants.

Eliza was on the third lane and stood there silently, taking a deep breath to compose herself. Then when she was ready, and the signal was given, she raised her wand and used her skill.

""

Unlike the Lv 2 magic used by the others, she shouted the name of Lv 4 . Everyone was surprised as they saw the barrage of wind blades, wind bullets, and small tornado toward the clay doll.

Boom!!

A loud explosion rang as the magic hit the doll. The dust was kicked upward, filling the arena.

"Ooooh!!"

"So strong!"

"She's so talented! No wonder she accompanied the Paladin once!"

"That's amazing!"

The crowd cheered loudly after they saw the aftereffect. Headmistress Ivy swept her hand to the right, creating a gust of wind with from Lv 1 and blowing the dust away.

When the dust was cleared, everyone could see clearly that the clay doll in the third lane was destroyed from knees up and scattered in peace! The first two lanes only managed to destroy the doll slightly with no significant damage.

"Wooooaahh!"

"That's amazing!!"

"She destroyed the doll!!"

Vivian and Karin also cheered for Eliza. They stood up and clapped their hands, following the other spectators. I also saw Tristan among the spectators, and she looked intrigued. Our gazes met each other, and she smiled before going away.

'I guess she's curious about Eliza.' I thought as I shifted my gaze.

Standing in the middle of the arena, Eliza turned around and walked away quickly. Everyone might not notice it, but I could see her happy smile and bright red face.

Embarrassed, she looked around the arena. Her face told me that she wanted to say something. And then she opened her mouth.

"Hmph! This much is natural!" She exclaimed as she flicked her hair back haughtily.

Why did she return to her tsundere self?