"Your name is Vivian? What about your last name? Are you a noble?"
Upon receiving Grace's barrage of questions, Vivian just stared at him without answering, then turned her head quietly. In response to her obvious display of disregard, Grace widened his eyes and shouted.
"You! Who do you think I am, to act so arrogantly? I am Grace Mayren, the Third Prince and enemy of the Mayren royal family! Do you think you can ignore me and get away with it?"
As the commotion escalated, Morgan and the representatives from Mirko Academy approached, trying to restrain Grace.
"Your Highness Grace, please calm your anger."
"Your Highness, in a foreign land, please be mindful of your actions..."
"Shut up! How dare you lecture me?"
Amidst the turmoil, Grace blocked Vivian and Adrius' path as he took out his staff from his embrace.
"Your Highness!"
"Did you think you could just ignore me and leave? If you kneel here and apologize, I might forgive you and create an opportunity for us to dine together."
As Vivian's expression gradually turned cold like ice, Adrius stepped forward first.
Vivian was taken aback by Adrius's action and reached out her hand gently.
"Vivian, I'm sorry for bringing you to this place and causing a bad experience."
"No, it's not Adrius's fault..."
Adrius smiled faintly at Vivian's protest and then spoke to Grace.
"You are Prince Grace Mayren, right?"
"What are you again? I have no interest in someone like you. Did you come here to win the favor of that woman? If so, that's a wrong choice..."
"Grace, Grace Mayren. This place is Rodren Academy now. I'm not sure about the policies of Mirko Academy, but at least here, everyone is an equal student regardless of their social status. Your pitiful status means nothing here."
As Adrius spoke, he gradually emanated a powerful aura.
The mana released by his presence began to engulf the surrounding atmosphere.
Despite his deferential tone, the growing intensity of his aura made him appear fierce.
It was a raw, untamed feeling, but it was also strangely sticky with a hint of darkness.
"Grace Mayren, your status means nothing here. Only your abilities matter. If you have any confidence, prove it with your strength. Go ahead, take a shot at me right now."
Adrius spoke calmly but with power in his words.
Confidence radiated from him, revealing that he could crush his opponent at any moment.
Even the people around were holding their breaths, watching the intense and arrogant figure of Adrius.
"Cough, hmm."
Perhaps due to the aura Adrius emanated, Grace let out a nervous, empty cough, then quietly returned to his seat.
His trembling staff still clutched in his hands.
"Adrius, student. I apologize for the unfortunate incident."
"It wasn't me; Vivian was the one displeased."
"Ah, yes, I see. My apologies to Vivian then."
"It's alright."
Morgan, overwhelmed by Adrius's overwhelming presence, forgot about Vivian and apologized on her behalf.
But Adrius noticed that Vivian's face was red, so he made sure to look out for her.
'Adrius stood up for me.'
Her mind was filled with nothing but flowers at that moment.
Although she was annoyed earlier, Adrius had put her in a good mood.
When everything was settled, a restaurant staff member wiped the sweat off their forehead and suggested, "Excuse me, guests. There's an available table near the pond outside. Would you like to dine there?"
"What do you want, Vivian?"
If this had happened when she was alone, Vivian would have searched for another restaurant, but now, thanks to Adrius, she was in a good mood. Moreover, she wouldn't miss the chance to have a meal alone with him.
"I'm fine. I'm hungry."
Adrius, now seated at the new table, glanced again at the representatives from Mirko Academy before leaving.
Grace, still looking upset, and a blue-haired magician who seemed to be Keshern were still there. Vivian didn't know that Grace had attended the exchange event, as it was meant for top-performing students. Nevertheless, she had no intention of leaving him alone, especially for Keshern's sake.
The exchange event lasted for a whole week, and they had plenty of time to resolve the matter.
'Let's break his spirit and make him unable to make a sound.'
Adrius concealed a sinister smile that nobody noticed.
In the chilling atmosphere of a private training room, a man lay as if he had given up on the world.
The man's name was Todlon Terry. Not long ago, he had held the position of the top graduate in the Knight Division.
"Ugh."
He struggled to open his eyes and get up, and as he did so, the bottles lying around the training room hit him.
Eating and drinking inside the training room were strictly forbidden, but Todlon paid no attention to such rules.
Ever since he was eliminated in the recent tournament, failing to progress beyond the round of 32, he had acted as if everything was over for him.
With his large physique and matching drinking capacity, he had spent the last few days locked up here, drowning himself in alcohol.
As the door to the training room was knocked, Todlon, already in a terrible mood, staggered towards it and opened it.
To his surprise, he saw a stranger he had never seen before standing outside.
"Who are you? What the hell do you want, knocking on the training room door?"
"Todlon Terry, is that correct? I am Antonio Holt from the Magic Division."
Antonio introduced himself abruptly, and Todlon spat on the ground, thinking this guy must be crazy.
Then, Antonio's calm voice came through the crack of the closing door.
"Todlon Terry, aren't you upset? It was quite an unexpected result to be eliminated in the round of 32."
"Who the hell is this guy?"
Instantly, Todlon's anger flared, and he reopened the door, grabbing Antonio by the collar and lifting him off the ground.
Antonio, hanging in the air, maintained a calm expression as if he didn't care about the situation.
"Do you think you can surpass the woman who defeated you by drinking yourself to death?"
"What are you talking about, you bastard?"
"Like I said, I am a student from the Magic Division, just like you. We were in the same graduating class. I can understand how you feel because my tournament results weren't great either."
"Tsk, don't make me laugh. So, what's this potion?"
"This is a potion created by Professor Kyler Schumann from the Potion Making Department. It would be better for you to experience its effects firsthand rather than me explaining it."
"A potion made by a professor? Why do you have it, and why should I believe it works?"
But Antonio just smiled in response to Todlon's words.
He shrugged his shoulders and slowly backed away.
"Well, whether you drink it or not is up to you. But I can tell you one thing for sure: you won't be able to get your hands on this potion anywhere else. I could obtain it because I work under Professor Schumann."
With that, he turned and started to disappear.
"See you next time. I'll be back here in a week."
"What a lunatic."
Todlon thought as he re-entered the training room, holding the potion Antonio gave him.
His body was already in bad shape, and his motivation to improve had dwindled.
'Surely it can't be poison or something.'
He convinced himself that he didn't have anything to lose and decided to drink the potion.
Gulp.
"Huh?"
The effect of the potion became apparent immediately.
Unexpectedly, a powerful energy surged through his body, even though he hadn't activated any of his abilities. His mana felt like it was being pumped, increasing beyond what he had ever experienced before.
'What is this?'
He tested the newfound power by using mana to execute his techniques.
Then, with a bursting sound, he felt a level of power that exceeded his previous limits.
Todlon went wild in the training room, swinging his sword furiously.
He kept pushing himself to feel more of this power until, after about ten minutes, the strength began to fade away.
"Crazy. How can a potion like this exist?"
He regretted wasting the potion, but he remembered Antonio's promise to return in a week.
"If I can get that potion again...!"
Vivian Velocan.
He might be able to defeat her.
The unknown female swordsman who defeated him mercilessly in the previous tournament.
Because of her, his career had crumbled.
Now was the time for revenge.
"Wait for it, Vivian Velocan!"
After finishing their meal, they arrived at the administrative district. Despite the unfortunate incident earlier, Vivian and Adrius made it on time for the appointment.
All the Laurence Academy students who agreed to participate were already gathered at the main courtyard, along with an unexpected figure.
"I didn't expect to see Louis here."
Although surprised by Louis' appearance, it seemed that the high-ranking newcomer, who had been accepted with an unprecedented record, received special attention from the principal.
"If I expected Lucia to be invited, but since she's not here, she probably declined."
Vivian's thoughts wandered to Lucia for a moment, but she quickly refocused her attention when she heard a familiar voice.
"Everyone! Students!"
Morgan was waving and calling them from a distance.
As they followed Morgan, they arrived at the entrance of a building, which turned out to be lavishly decorated, contrary to their expectations.
Contrary to what Vivian thought, none of the Mirko Academy students were present yet, and they were the first ones to arrive.
"Mirko Academy students will be here soon. Let's interact and get to know each other," Morgan said as they entered the building.
Shortly after, the Mirko Academy students entered the hall, and tension filled the air.
"I don't like this."
Vivian didn't want to provoke any conflict with students from other academies. She had attended the event to build a friendship with Keshern, a playable character.
"Whatever. Let's try to be a little impressive."
She wasn't interested in taking the lead, but for her goal, she would have to step forward whenever necessary.
Vivian stepped forward and was about to say something to lighten the mood, but then...
"You, scum! You were talking big earlier, huh? I heard you are just a mediocre who dabbles in both swordsmanship and magic! I also heard that your magical abilities are nothing more than beginner level! How dare you disrespect Lady Grace Mayren like that!"
... her thoughts changed.
It seemed that setting the mood was not enough.
"Oh, well."
She sighed inwardly. If this was the case, she might as well join the fun.
Vivian turned her attention to the one yelling and decided to play along.