My Girlfriends Are Hardcore Yanderes - Chapter 174

Chapter 174: Eryx Part 3
Her smirk was razor-sharp, and every word she spoke dripped with sarcasm.

Lucia’s body stiffened. She had a proud personality in Alarath—confident and unshaken. But now, there was a slight tremble in her hands.

‘Elira…’ she muttered, her teeth grinding together. She forced herself to meet the woman’s gaze.

The sheep-eared woman might have looked timid and innocent, but Lucia knew better.

Back in the academy, Elira had been one of the cruelest, always quick to belittle and torment her.

“Oh, is the little experiment losing her nerve?” Elira purred, her voice rude and teasing. Her green eyes sparkled with a wicked glow as she walked closer. Her well-endowed chest bounced with every movement, drawing attention.

Even Asher’s eyes instinctively gravitated toward it. It wasn’t because he was a pervert, but simply his reaction to something so noticeable.

“Did I hit a sore spot? Are you mad I called you an experiment? I’m just telling the truth, though.”

Lucia took a slow breath, trying to regain control, but the insult stung deeper than it should have.

She had been called many names before—outsider, impure, a stain on her bloodline—and hearing it now brought the pain rushing back, as sharp as ever.

It wasn’t like this when she first started. Back when few people knew her true nature, she had earned recognition for being talented and a quick learner, even though her magical power was weaker.

But once her true identity was revealed, everyone who had hated or been jealous of her made her life a living hell. The sheep eared woman was one of the main ones who ruined her academy life.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Elira,” she forced a reply, her voice shaking just slightly as she tried to mask the weakness building inside her.

Elira’s grin grew wider as she stepped even closer.

“An experiment like you talking back like this?” she sneered. “Did you become more stupid after living outside of Eryx for so long? Maybe I should remind you that you’re at the bottom of the barrel here.”

Lucia’s fingers twitched at her side. She felt her heart race but quickly shoved the emotions down.

She needed to stay composed, defend herself, and hold her ground. Showing weakness would only give her enemy the satisfaction they craved.

“I…”

Before she could say anything, Asher placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him, confused, but he only shook his head. “It’s not worth it.”

Elira, annoyed by his intervention, turned her attention to him. She had already assessed him earlier, and in her eyes, he didn’t seem powerful at all. He didn’t even have a powerful body.

Coming from a powerful family and being pure-blooded, her ego was even more overbearing than Lucia’s.

“What are you doing, outsider?” she demanded.

Asher just stared at her. She couldn’t gauge the depth of his power—not with the spell he had cast earlier to conceal it. He had learned his lesson when Lucia was able to quickly discover his flawless magical body before.

With this spell, none of the sorcerers here could tell that he was probably the most powerful person around. He used the word “probably” because this world was vast, and the chance of a participant stronger than him wasn’t entirely zero.

“Are you deaf? Why aren’t you answering when I’m asking you?” Elira snapped, trying to assert her dominance.

She pressed mental pressure on him, attempting to force him to kneel. But after a while, nothing happened. There wasn’t even the slightest hint that he was affected.

Thinking she had been too lenient, she increased the force.

Despite her best efforts, he remained completely unfazed, his composure unbroken. It was clear now that her mental pressure wasn’t even strong enough to make him flinch.

“Why, you insolent—” Elira began, ready to release her aura, but one of the sorcerers beside her spoke up.

“This isn’t the place. The tournament is about to start, and we can’t have others thinking we’re tormenting outsiders.”

She shot a glare at her companion. “I don’t care about what others think. He has no manners, and he needs to know his place.”

The sorcerer’s expression hardened. “You know the rules. We can deal with him later, but not here. Not now.”

Elira hesitated, her anger still burning in her eyes.

She turned to Asher, her voice cold and threatening. “Apologize now, or I swear I won’t care about the rules anymore.”

“How dare you!” Lucia lashed out. It was one thing for Elira to insult her, but now she was targeting Asher too.

The commotion had attracted a crowd, with more and more people gathering around, eager to see what would happen next.

Many thought that Asher would fight back. Powerful sorcerers were egotistic and prideful, and the ones entering the tournament were considered the best of the best in the whole world.

But his next words shattered everyone’s expectations.

“I apologize.” Asher bowed his head, then grabbed Lucia’s hand and moved around the group.

The other sorcerers watching the whole interaction began to laugh, finding his actions cowardly and pathetic.

One of them sneered, “Look at him, too scared to even raise his voice. What kind of sorcerer lets someone like her walk all over them?”

Another chuckled, “He’s either terrified or just doesn’t have the guts. I wonder why he even came here?”

A third added with a chuckle, “What an idiot. A real sorcerer would’ve at least put up a fight. ”

Elira, hearing this, couldn’t suppress her smirk. She was very satisfied with the outcome.

“Go and run away,” she added, her voice dripping with contempt. “The two of you are a perfect match—both are losers.”

But Asher didn’t care. He let their insults roll off him, knowing they didn’t matter. He didn’t need to prove anything to them—he would show them what he was really capable of in the tournament.

He believed in the saying, ‘A shallow river makes more noise than a deep one.’