Reborn as the Villain in a Romance Fantasy

"I cannot believe he won!"

"What the heck-! I thought that this was just an ordinary kid, but how did he win in such a short time? Was there a trick to his victory? Should we report him or something?"

"I don't think so. We should wait and see what the officials decide to do with him. Usually, for cheaters like that, there is a harsh punishment."

People chattered around Layla, wondering how she managed to win her first match. When she came back to the backroom, most looked at her in disbelief.

However, some people did not doubt her victory, and instead of being surprised that she won, they became cautious of her as a real competitor.

From then on, no one would try to go easy on Layla. But her senses could pick out how powerful most of this bunch was, and she was confident to say that not many people could pick on someone like her.

Layla was about to sit down and relax when she felt someone approaching the tent in a panic. The footsteps thundering toward her tensed her.

Sensing her reaction, Luna, who was sitting on her shoulder with an inevitability spell, became alerted as well. The dragon paused whatever it was doing and decided to sit straight on her shoulder and glare at the door.

Seconds later, a guard entered the door with a flushed face and immediately looked at Layla with a flinch.

"Miss, you are being summoned by the boss right now. Your next match will be postponed until you talk with our boss. Please, don't cause trouble and come with me. Also, please don't hurt me! I am just the messenger tasked with telling you what happened."

The man standing in the middle of the door shook slightly. He felt intimated as he delivered this news to someone who had just beaten one of the strongest-looking people this guard had ever seen.

It scared the guard, and he tried to control his trembling, but it was useless.

Layla's eyes looked at the guard with a flat but guarded expression. But unlike most people in her condition, she tried not to cause trouble for others.

She quickly forced herself on her feet and decided to follow the guard.

As she neared the guard, she felt him flinch at the new proximity before he settled down and realized that Layla would not hurt him.

"You said your boss wanted to meet me? Then we should hurry up and meet him as soon as possible. There is no point in waiting around here, right?"

Layla asked, her voice almost taking a melodic and hypnotic tone that made the guard relax a little when he heard it. But he soon realized what he was doing and pulled himself together.

"O-Of course! Please follow me, and we shall be on our way. If you need something else along the way, please let me know. You are to be treated as an esteemed guest of the boss, and I will show you all the hospitality that comes with the territory."

The guard promised, but Layla had already turned him out. Instead, she paid attention to her competition and noticed their curious glances.

It was clear that what happened was something that seldom happened.

...

"We are here. This is till where I could accompany you. I hope you have a nice talk with our boss and his other guests now."

The guard bowed toward Layla before he opened the door for her and asked her to enter.

Layla had tried to pry the answers out of this guard, but she had given up halfway once she realized this man did not know why she had been summoned.

All this man knew was that he needed to bring Layla here, and she needed to be unarmed when she entered the room.

He could not sense Luna's presence, nor did he have a bloody smell. This guard was neither an assassin nor a trap to catch her. He was just a human being trying to get by somehow, and it made Luna feel amused.

"Sure, I will take on from here. You should hurry back to your post now."

Layla had shown herself to be harmless, and her small stature in the armor made her look almost harmless.

It also put the guard at ease so she would not attack his boss and get him in trouble.

"A-Ah, is that so? You are right! There is no need for me to feel worried about you. I wonder why I feel like I should not leave you alone. A-Anyway, I should head out now. Have a nice time in there."

The guard finally left, and Layla watched him go. She stopped Luna when the dragon tried to end the guard's life.

"It's fine, Luna. That guard did not hurt us, so we can let him go. I would rather focus our energy on what is going to happen now. We are about to have an amusing encounter with some people."

Layla patted the dragon on its head. Luna leaned into the touch and nudged Layla's hand to be more petted.

Layla gave in, and she did that before she forced the door open and entered the 'special' section of the arena.

It had the highest seats and the best view of the fight below.

Everyone noticed her entrance, and the regular guards immediately pulled out their swords to intimidate Layla.

"Who are you, and what is your purpose in coming here? This place is off-limits to the normal public, so I am afraid you need to head back now if you value your life."

The guard threatened like a cheap mod boss in a third-rate movie. Layla would have chuckled and damaged her image as a serious warrior, but the 'boss' decided to move first, and he welcomed Layla inside before an incident could occur.

Layla took that offer of peace and stepped past the guards. They glared at her audacity but could not say anything to her once she had their boss's permission.