CHAPTER 70: AN ENDING NO ONE EXPECTED

"I don’t want to hurt you. So... Yield."

The referee, who was standing far back for safety, could hear Rowan’s words clearly—and it left him utterly stunned.

"What? Prince, are you kidding me? You want me to accept defeat? Without fighting back? No way!" Lilith shot back, trying to stand.

But before she could, two blazing rings of fire erupted out of thin air. One coiled tightly around her wrists, binding both arms. The other snapped around her ankles, locking her legs in place. She was completely immobilized.

The crowd gasped in disbelief.

"What the hell is happening? Instead of fighting, why is the prince forcing her to surrender? This is the final match, for god’s sake!"

The mood across the arena shifted—hushed, heavy, and confused.

"You scumbag! I thought you were all high and mighty—but this? This is how you fight your opponent? Playing tricks?" Lilith’s eyes bulged with rage.

But that first sentence, "you scumbag!" Stunned everyone. They couldn’t believe their ears if they heard correctly.

In the noble balcony, both Noah and Emily tensed immediately. Calling the prince a scumbag wasn’t just reckless—it was criminal. Both rose from their seats and moved toward the stage. The situation was about to escalate, and they needed to be ready.

The audience was equally stunned—some shocked, others disappointed. But one thing was certain: this wasn’t how anyone expected the final match to unfold.

Hushed murmurs broke out in the upper balcony as well.

"That kid and her whole family are done for. Insulting the prince in front of such huge crowd? That’s practically treason."

"Her behavior was disgraceful. But don’t forget who her father is—Noah Starwind."

" Yeah, true. If it were anyone else, things might have gone differently. But when you talk about Noah Starwind, it is a different story altogether. He may not have a noble title, but he is a Tier 5 mage—an S-Class Hunter—a living treasure of the kingdom. Even the king won’t act high-handed in front of him." Another noble added.

"You may be right. But that doesn’t mean his daughter can insult the royal family."

A heated wave of whispers and arguments spread throughout both the noble balconies and the commoners’ galleries.

But on the stage, the scenario was different. Though Lilith was still struggling against the bindings and face twisted in irritation and fury, Rowan, on the other hand, remained calm—completely unaffected, as if he hadn’t even heard what she’d said.

But the referee was drenched in sweat, standing frozen between duty and fear.

Finally, Rowan spoke.

"Scumbag, huh? And how did I qualify for that title?" His voice was steady—calm as always—but there was a faint flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"How? You played dirty! How else?" Lilith snapped.

"And how did I play dirty?" Rowan asked evenly.

"Instead of fighting fairly, you used your magic to immobilize me!"

"So what? Aren’t you using healing magic to constantly repair your damage and stamina?"

"Yeah! But how is that a trick? Healing is my magic—I can use it however I want to fight!"

"Your magic, you say? And you can use it any way you want to win, right? Well, I also used my magic the way I wanted. Simple as that."

"Y... You!" Lilith tried to bark back, but no words came. She couldn’t find anything more to say to defend herself.

Rowan didn’t bother to argue further. He slowly tilted his head toward the referee and asked coolly, "Aren’t you forgetting something?"

The referee blinked, stunned. Then, snapping back to his role, he raised his hand and his voice boomed like a midnight bell across the silent arena:

"Winner of the Arcadia Young Elite Tournament..."

He paused for a breath.

"Rowan Hale!"

Those two words exploded like thunder, breaking the silence and sending shockwaves through the arena.

The entire arena erupted into cheers.

From the bustling galleries to the noble balconies, the noise shook the very stands.

Though the audience was slightly disappointed that the match didn’t end the way they had expected, they had already enjoyed their fair share of breathtaking action throughout the tournament.

Lilith looked as if she still wanted to argue—but Noah and Emily had already reached the stage.

"Lilith, honey. Please stop. You did well," Emily said quickly, her voice gentle but urgent.

"Yes, Lilith. You fought bravely. But your opponent was truly strong," Noah added firmly. "Instead of giving in to emotion, think clearly. Could you really have won, even if he hadn’t bound you? And even if you could... what the prince did isn’t a cheap trick. It was within his right. So please, listen this time. Don’t escalate things further."

Both Noah and Emily were already relieved that Rowan hadn’t reacted harshly to being called a scumbag. They couldn’t let anything worse happen now.

Lilith still looked stubborn, but this time, she didn’t resist. Noah and Emily gently led her away from the stage.

Many among the audience were over the moon—their idol had won. Some had even earned fortunes in the betting corner. The opposite, of course, was true for others who had placed their hopes elsewhere. But amid all the mixed emotions, one thing was clear—the battle had come to an end.

The announcer’s voice rang out again:

"Respected gathering, the tournament has now come to an end. We hope you all enjoyed the match!"

The crowd roared in approval, a thunderous wave of applause echoing through every inch of the arena.

The announcer smiled and continued, "Now, the champion will receive his prizes. I would like to request our Head Judge to come up to the stage and grace the winner with the reward!"

Cheers surged again from every corner.

From the judges’ box, a man in his sixties rose from his seat.

The man stepped down toward the stage, and though he said nothing, the atmosphere shifted around him. He had an authoritative presence that couldn’t be ignored.

"Whoa! That’s John William, right?"

"Yes. An Archmage from the Magic Court."

This was the same person who had taken notice of Logan when he first entered the arena.

As John descended the stairs, his gaze shifted—just briefly—toward where Logan was standing.

Then, he looked back toward the stage.