Maruk had nothing to do, so he followed Linton, chatting as they walked. Linton didn't say much, but he managed to subtly gather some information.
Maruk came from a noble family. After his parents passed away, and because of his connection to Linton's father, he was sent to the Melowe family to be raised, so he had known Linton since childhood. When Maruk was 13, he awakened his battle aura and was then sent to the imperial capital for advanced training at an academy.
Not just anyone could attend this academy in the imperial capital, even if they were nobles. Not all family members could afford the expensive tuition. However, Maruk had no other heirs in his family, so he was being groomed as the next baron. The academy was considered an excellent way to "polish" him up, although going to war was seen as the best path.
The academy, located south of Sandervan City, was the blue-roofed building Linton had seen earlier. Its full name was Lowell Royal Academy, named after the hero Lowell. It was the largest academy in the empire, primarily educating the children of nobles.
When the academy was first established, its main purpose seemed to be to bring the children of nobles from various regions to the capital, essentially as semi-hostages to prevent rebellions. However, the empire had been peaceful for a long time now, and the academy had changed. Entrance was now based on selection, turning it into a true talent pool.
Getting into the academy was already a great honor, and Maruk took great pride in his status as a student there. Linton, on the other hand, inquired about the daughter of Baron Serdes and was surprised to learn that Maruk knew her.
Since they came from the same area, they had a small circle of nobles, and Maruk was quite familiar with Baron Serdes's daughter, Kailin. This was good news for Linton, as he had been wondering how to meet her, and now he had someone to guide him.
He originally intended to break off the engagement, but Maruk informed him that Kailin wasn't currently at the academy. Those close to graduation, like Kailin, spent more time on internships than in class. She had recently left on a mission but would return soon for final exams and preparation, likely in a few days.
"You need to see Kailin for something?" Maruk asked.
"Yeah," Linton nodded.
"What for?"
"You probably won't believe me, but I'm here to call off our engagement," Linton replied.
"What? You and Kailin? An engagement?" Maruk was stunned.
"Yeah," Linton nodded again.
"When was this arranged?" Maruk asked.
"Around… ten days ago," Linton thought for a moment.
"Ten days ago? And now you want to break it off?" Maruk looked utterly confused.
"Well, someone else is interested in me now," Linton said. "What can I do? Being too handsome has its downsides."
"So, you're ditching Kailin?" Maruk asked.
"Come on, don't put it that way. I haven't even met Kailin. Don't make it sound like I'm abandoning her," Linton said.
"Uh…" Maruk thought about it and realized he had a point. "So, who are you marrying instead?"
"Princess Yalan," Linton said honestly.
"What? Wait, you mean *the* Third Princess Yalan?" Maruk asked in disbelief.
"Yes, the one you know," Linton replied.
"Wait, hold on. You're telling me you're engaged to the Third Princess?" Maruk asked again.
"Yes."
"No way!" Maruk shouted.
"She insists on marrying me. What can I do?" Linton said.
"Are you messing with me?" Maruk asked.
"If you don't believe me when I tell the truth, how are we supposed to communicate in the future?" Linton replied.
"But isn't this truth a bit too shocking? Is it real? Are you sure?"
"Yes, it's real," Linton confirmed.
"…" Maruk was silent for a while. "So, I almost didn't recognize you. What's happened to you over these five years? You seem completely different."
"Well, I used to be a nobody. Now I'm suddenly invincible. It's not the same anymore," Linton said.
"Invincible?" Maruk looked puzzled.
"Yeah, tomorrow I'm going to fight that legendary knight Beyar. If I win, doesn't that make me invincible?" Linton said.
"I was just about to ask you about that," Maruk replied.
"It's complicated, but just know that I'm confident," Linton said.
"Really? But that's Beyar, a legendary knight. I'm worried," Maruk said, and Linton noticed his genuine concern.
"No point in worrying. It's already been decided," Linton said. "There's still a day left. Instead of questioning me, why not help me prepare?"
"Help? With what?" Maruk asked.
"Get some gear ready for tomorrow's fight," Linton said. He had originally gone out to buy supplies, and having Maruk guide him made things easier.
"Right!" Maruk nodded. The duel couldn't be avoided, so preparing was the best course of action. After all, Linton wasn't the one on trial—he was just a substitute. If the opponent didn't aim to kill, Linton might survive.
But as he thought more about it, Maruk realized there was little chance the opponent would go easy on Linton. He sighed. There wasn't much else he could do, but he could help with preparations. The rest was up to fate.
"Where to first?" Maruk asked.
"Isn't there a shop that sells magic items? Let's head there," Linton suggested.
"Sure, I know a few. I'll take you to one I frequent," Maruk said.
Soon, they arrived at the commercial district. Maruk led them to a store called "Magic Cube." It wasn't the largest shop, but Linton noticed there were plenty of customers inside, indicating good business.
Though the store was busy, a clerk quickly came over to greet the three of them. "What can I help you with? Oh, two of you are academy students, right? Are you heading out on a mission? Would you like to see our latest potions?"
The clerk had mistaken Linton for a student due to Maruk's academy uniform. Linton didn't correct him and instead asked, "Do you buy items here?"
"Um, only valuable items," the clerk responded. They typically didn't accept common materials, but they made exceptions for valuable ones.
"I've got a Fire-Resistant Stone," Linton said, pulling out a purple orb.
"What?" The clerk was startled by the large stone and quickly said, "Sir, please wait. I'll fetch the manager."
A few moments later, the manager, a man in his fifties with a friendly appearance, arrived. Seeing the large Fire-Resistant Stone, he was also surprised. "May I inspect it closely?"
"Go ahead," Linton said, handing it over. The manager carefully examined the stone and quickly confirmed it was genuine.
"This…"
"I found it," Linton said. "Got lucky during a mission."
"That's incredibly lucky," the manager said, a bit envious. Most Fire-Resistant Stones were found by chance, and their value was extremely high. After some consideration, he held up five fingers. "Fifty thousand gold coins. I'll buy it."
Maruk and Eck were both stunned. They didn't even know what a Fire-Resistant Stone was, but the price shocked them. Five thousand?
"Next door…" Linton started.
"Sixty thousand," the manager cut him off. "There's no way they'll offer more."
"Sold," Linton said immediately.
"Great. I'll go get the money," the manager said, clearly not intending to hand the stone back.
"Wait, I need to buy some things," Linton said.
"That's even better. It'll save me the trouble of getting so much gold," the manager nodded.
"Take a look at this," Linton said, handing the manager a blue gemstone.
The manager was initially confused but then recognized it. "Is this… an eighth-level water magic crystal?"
"What?" Everyone around gasped, looking at the stone.
"And that…"
"I found it," Linton said again.
"Really? You found this too?" The manager was baffled but didn't press further. "How about 180,000?"
"I'm not selling it," Linton said. "I want to see if you can craft a magic item with it."
"Oh, I see," the manager said, a little disappointed but nodded. "Yes, we can craft items here, but it will require a master craftsman, and that can be expensive."
"Can it be embedded into a staff?" Linton asked.
"Of course," the manager replied.
"Then take a look at this," Linton said, handing over a long stick.
The manager was excited, expecting another extraordinary item. However, after examining it closely, he looked confused. "Um… I'm not sure what this staff is…"
"You can't tell?" Linton asked.
"No, I can't figure it out," the manager admitted.
"You don't recognize a fire poker?" Linton asked.
"What? A fire poker?" the manager was stunned. "This is really a fire poker?"
"Yeah," Linton nodded.
"So, you want to embed an eighth-level water magic crystal into a fire poker?" the manager asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, I'm upgrading it to Fire Poker 2.0. Isn't
that a great idea?" Linton said proudly.
"Damn it, what a waste!" the manager shouted.
(End of chapter)