Mr. Ashwell's face darkened completely.
His hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides.
He had known going into this tournament that a trip to Severia wouldn't be smooth sailing.
Because Severia and Norvane were cut from the same cloth—sewer rats constantly looking for the slightest opportunity to leap up and try to bite Elyndor.
He had assumed that, given the prestige of an international tournament, Severia wouldn't dare act so brazenly, no matter how desperate they were to assert dominance.
He had severely underestimated Severia's absolute lack of shame.
The young contestants were all at an age of hot blood and fierce pride.
Listening to these vile insults, how could any of them hold back?
Their eyes burned red with fury, and every single one of them looked ready to charge forward and rip Phelps apart.
But... they knew they couldn't throw the first punch.
Starting a physical altercation meant an instant rule violation, which would lead to immediate, forced disqualification.
Severia pulling this stunt the moment they stepped off the plane was a calculated power play meant to provoke them into a fight.
Fists trembling with restrained rage, the team gritted their teeth, cursing Severia's disgusting tactics.
Seeing their absolute fury paralyzed by the fear of disqualification, Phelps smirked.
He turned and exchanged a few mocking words in Severian with the receptionist.
The Severian contestants laughed even harder.
"Elyndor team, get on the bus before you hold everyone else up," Phelps sneered, deliberately trying to push them over the edge.
The Elyndorian team was full of idiots.
They had absolutely zero leverage here.
The voice was laced with a careless, lazy indifference. "Why waste your breath on trash?"
Serena spoke in the common language.
Every single syllable rang crystal clear in Phelps's ears.
Instantly, all eyes snapped toward her.
"Captain, you said there's a third option? What is it?" Lydia stared at Serena, her eyes shining with absolute hero worship.
The rest of the Elyndorian delegation looked at her with bated breath.
Mr. Ashwell lowered his voice. "Serena, you..."
Serena slowly lifted her gaze, casting a brief glance at the battered minibus. A mocking smirk tugged at the corner of her crimson lips. "I actually assumed that a country hosting an international tournament would at least have the basic decency to afford proper hospitality. Clearly, I gave them too much credit."
"It’s obvious Severia’s budget is tight and they can't afford to treat their guests properly. That's why I arranged our transport and accommodations long before we even left Elyndor."

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