After Sistem announced the special reward for this time, the venue erupted in excited cheers and discussions.
It seemed that both the audience and the participants were very interested in this reward.
“Mm, now I have another reason I can’t avoid this fight.”
Liyakade let out a light breath, clenched her small pink fist, and made her knuckles crack, looking ready to give it her all.
Now she understood what Sistem meant by her earlier words.
The reward itself wasn’t important to Liyakade, but the idea of someone else having it was very important to her!
From the original story, if there were no other interventions, Alice would ultimately earn the title of Festival Flower.
Once Alice became Festival Flower, Liyakade could guess with her butt who she’d use the new reward on.
As for Field, although she hadn’t shown her feelings as clearly as Alice, Liyakade could sense something different from her as well. Adding to that Field’s eager attitude, it seemed like this time, Field wouldn’t let Alice have it so easily.
Although there were quite a few nominees and as many as ten people in the second phase, Liyakade, who knew the story well, understood that the Festival Flower would definitely be either Alice or Field.
Of course, no matter which of these two became Festival Flower, Liyakade’s fate was the same.
Therefore, Liyakade had to go all out to seize the title of Festival Flower.
That was the only way to protect herself.
Even if she wouldn’t use the reward herself, she absolutely couldn’t let anyone else use it.
Now, Liyakade was starting to worry about whether she could make it through the first round of selections.
If she didn’t make it into the top ten, she wouldn’t even have a chance to fight.
At the judges’ table, Sistem looked over at Liyakade and the others with interest.
Seeing the three of them, each fired up for different reasons, Sistem’s lips curved upward almost imperceptibly.
This was a reward Sistem had set up just for them.
After the venue gradually quieted down, the first phase of the selection finally began.
Although Alice was a commoner, her gentle personality, high looks, and rare Light Element Magic, plus the reputation built by the Dessert Shop before the festival, made it natural for her to score high.
As for Field, there was even less need to explain.
She was a royal by birth, already popular at the academy, and among the best-looking as well.
With Sistem among the judges to give her a high score, entering the top ten was a sure thing.
“Next, please welcome our next contestant — Liyakade!!!”
Before long, it was Liyakade’s turn to go on stage.
To be honest, faced with this situation, Liyakade still felt a bit nervous.
But for her own safety, she decided to go for broke.
“Miss Liyakade, you can do it!”
“Go, Liyakade.”
Alice and Field cheered Liyakade on from behind.
Liyakade nodded to them, then walked firmly onto the stage.
“This contestant is no ordinary one. Her name is almost as famous as the two princesses of the academy.”
After Liyakade took the stage, the host began a brief introduction of her.
However, the introduction made Liyakade sweat a little.
Her reputation was indeed as loud as the princesses—just in the opposite direction.
“She is from the Onions Family of the borderlands. Although only a first-year student, her level ranks among the top in the academy, and she is skilled in various spells and formations. In terms of real combat ability, perhaps only Her Highness Sistem can match her.”
Since the truth about the Irina Zi incident had not been made public, no one knew that Liyakade was no longer part of the Onions Family, so her name still appeared on the academy’s records.
“According to Her Highness Sistem, Miss Liyakade was specially allowed to participate in the Festival because of her outstanding performance. I’m sure everyone remembers Miss Liyakade’s acting yesterday in the drama—it was so genuine, it felt real.”
“Moreover, even before today’s selection began, there was an uproar because of Miss Liyakade. Some accused her of fighting in the academy, but in fact, she was helping a bullied classmate. Even I have a changed view of Miss Liyakade. So, how many of you would support Miss Liyakade? Please cast your precious votes!”
After the host finished, quite a few people called out Liyakade’s name.
But among them, almost all the supporters were girls.
Although Liyakade had a bad reputation before due to the original owner and Irina Zi, over the past two months, her reputation had gradually turned around thanks to her efforts to help those around her.
Especially with Eric’s actions today—not only did he fail to drive Liyakade off the stage, but he also let everyone know that she had acted to protect a classmate. This undoubtedly gained her a lot of favor.
Thus, Liyakade unexpectedly received a fair number of votes, even though they were all from girls.
“Why are all the girls supporting Liyakade?”
Field looked at the scene below in confusion.
She hadn’t expected Liyakade to be so popular among the girls.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s because of the Yorozuya?”
Alice stood next to Field and made a reasonable guess.
After all, Liyakade’s Yorozuya only operated in the Girls’ Dormitory, and both its efficiency and pricing were unbeatable.
While making money, it also gained her a lot of popularity.
Seeing so many people supporting her, Liyakade let out a sigh of relief on stage.
But soon, her expression grew serious again.
Having the students’ support alone wasn’t enough—she also needed high enough scores from the judges to enter the second phase of the competition.
Although Liyakade’s silvery-white long hair was rare, it was very beautiful.
Paired with her pink-and-white dress, it made her look pure and cute, earning her high marks from the other judges for her appearance.
“Miss Liyakade.”
After the student votes and other judges’ scores were finalized, Sistem at the judges’ table began her own questioning.
“The second phase of the Festival Queen Election is a battle. What are your thoughts on this?”
“Um…”
Liyakade thought for a moment before answering.
“There are many beautiful people in this world, but looks alone aren’t enough. Our academy is a Magic Academy. The one chosen as Festival Flower must not be just a pretty face.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Sistem nodded, then continued.
“If you become Festival Flower, on whom would you use the reward?”
“Uh… I haven’t really thought about that yet.”
Liyakade felt that Sistem’s questions were getting strange.
The previous contestants, even Alice and Field, hadn’t been asked anything like this.
“Then, Miss Liyakade, what are your thoughts on romance between girls?”