However, these thoughts were only in the mind of the Crossbridge headmaster; he didn't voice them.
A few more trivial remarks were exchanged.
The Stellar Competition continued, featuring students from various academies in friendly contests.
This was merely a process to enhance their practical experience and wouldn't affect the ultimate results.
This time, Crossbridge Academy rightfully claimed first place!
After the competition ended, the headmaster let out a sigh of relief, knowing he wouldn't have to worry about falling rankings for a while.
Back in his office, the trio from the Adventurer Squad was already waiting.
"Let's go," the headmaster said with anticipation. "The Stellar Competition has ended, and it's time to personally visit Lord Owen and bring the gifts I prepared."
"We must thank him properly this time."
"Yes!" the three nodded in unison.
Truthfully, they were a bit eager.
Last time, they had given all the magical fruits Lord Owen provided to the headmaster and hadn't tasted any themselves; perhaps this time, they would finally get to enjoy the delicious magical fruits.
The group set off secretly through the back door of Crossbridge Academy, heading directly towards the Forbidden Land. Meanwhile, many others were also approaching Owen's mountain.
Not far from the towering peak, a group of well-equipped knights surrounded three charming girls.
"Sister, we're finally back!" Alice said excitedly, looking at the mist-covered mountaintop. "Ah, I can't wait to see Lord Owen!"
"This time, I brought a lot of goodies; I can exchange them for delicious fried potatoes again."
The golden-haired mage Flora watched her lively sister with a smile.
If Owen saw them, he would surely be astonished.
After some time apart, they seemed to have bloomed like flowers nurtured by wealth, even more delicate than before.
Flora exuded a bit more of a commanding aura, having dressed up specially for today.
Her hair smelled delightful, and her splendid magical robe was adorned with countless tear-shaped gems, enhancing her already near-perfect figure and face.
Not long ago, the sisters had reunited with their father in the duchy, thanks to the family badge in Alice's hand. Now, they were no longer the bullied little ones but the daughters of a duke.
"Owen, it's always about Owen. Alice, you talk about him so much, I think my ears are going to develop calluses," a new girl beside Flora commented.
"Jane, don't speak like that about Lord Owen!" Alice said, slightly displeased. "Hmph, even though you're my sister's good friend, Lord Owen is our savior!"
"Alright, I won't say it again," Jane pouted. She was a new friend Flora had met, and despite their contrasting personalities, they surprisingly got along well.
Soon, Jane became quite familiar with the sisters.
When she heard they were heading to the Forbidden Land to visit the mysterious master, she insisted on coming along.
Before setting off, she promised not to cause any trouble, which Flora reluctantly accepted.
"Jane, don't speak carelessly," the usually gentle Flora warned. "Although Lord Owen enjoys experiencing ordinary life and seems easygoing, that doesn't mean he'll tolerate any disrespect."
"No matter how ordinary he appears, he's someone we can only look up to."
"When we reach the pub, make sure not to say anything similar."
"Okay," Jane stuck out her tongue. "I got it."
Flora still felt a bit anxious; she even regretted bringing Jane along.
She hoped Jane understood the importance of the situation and wouldn't cause any problems.
"You all wait at the foot of the mountain; there's no need to follow us," Flora instructed the knights. "Lord Owen is at the top, and it's absolutely safe."
Thus, the knights remained in place while Flora led Alice and Jane on foot up the mountain. Along the way, Jane curiously looked around.
Suddenly, a wave of magical energy appeared not far away. The three immediately went on alert.
The air shimmered like the surface of water, and four figures emerged from the ripples.
"Space magic, surface teleportation!" Flora's heart raced. "A tier-master spell; only a few people in the kingdom can successfully cast such a spell and travel with others!"
"Ah!" Jane recognized the newcomers and immediately put her fist to her chest, greeting, "Respectful Lord Pablo, I'm a student of Ravenfeather Academy; greetings to you."
She quietly reminded her still-dazed sisters, "This Lord Pablo is the headmaster of Crossbridge Academy, a grand mage!"
Indeed, the four figures that had teleported were none other than Headmaster Pablo of Crossbridge.
They had been on their way when Pablo, feeling a surge of power after a recent breakthrough, couldn't resist testing his new magic and used surface teleportation to arrive at the mountain.
"Oh, I've seen you before," Pablo said, his presence commanding. "You're Williams' new prized disciple; he mentioned that your flight magic is quite impressive."
He turned to the sisters. Jane quickly made introductions.
"What are you kids doing here?" Pablo noticed their strength immediately. "If you're seeking adventure, the Forbidden Land exceeds your levels."
With a wave, the air rippled again.
"Go on; you're Williams' student. I can't let you face danger."
"From my space magic, you can leave directly; it will take you back to the capital."
"Ah, I'm sorry, you misunderstood," Jane explained. "My friend Flora is here to visit Lord Owen at the mountaintop."
Flora gasped internally, wishing she could cover Jane's mouth.
This big mouth! Didn't I tell her not to speak carelessly?
What if this powerful grand mage took an interest in Lord Owen and tried to rob him?
Though it wouldn't harm Owen directly, it would be terrible if something happened to the flowers and plants!
Surprisingly, Pablo was also taken aback.
"Hmm? You're all here to see Lord Owen too?"
The sisters reluctantly nodded.
"Good, then let's go together," Pablo said. "Lord Owen has hosted my students before; I happen to have time today to express my gratitude."
Hearing he meant no harm, Flora relaxed slightly. So, the two groups decided to ascend the mountain together.
They hadn't gone far when a heavy pressure descended from the sky, causing everyone to look up.
A massive figure soared overhead.
"It's a griffon!" Pablo murmured. "Only royal members are entitled to use such flying mounts."
The griffon noticed the group climbing and swooped down, landing before them.
Luigi, now back in his mithril armor, said sternly, "The king is out; unauthorized personnel should keep away."
The king!!
Everyone froze.
Headmaster Pablo was the first to react, crossing his arms over his shoulders and performing a mage salute.
"Your Majesty, it's an honor to see you again," Pablo said. "The last time we met was at the banquet in the Golden Sparrow Palace, where we celebrated the Spring Festival together."
"Pablo?" Caesar recognized the familiar voice, eyeing the old acquaintance. "You've broken through."
"Yes, I am no longer a grand mage but an archmage," Pablo replied with a smile. "From now on, I will serve the empire even better."
Though Caesar found it curious that this familiar figure had suddenly advanced when he had thought it would take over ten years, he refrained from asking.
Everyone has their secrets.
As long as they were loyal to him and the empire, the king had no interest in uncovering those secrets.
The others immediately started saluting as soon as Caesar appeared.
His Majesty the King glanced at them, assuming they were all brought by Pablo, and nodded slightly.
Suddenly, Caesar thought of something.
His gaze returned to Flora.
"Your Majesty." Flora hurriedly gave a mage salute, just like Pablo.
"The two daughters of the Seth family who just returned?" Caesar recognized the sisters. "When did you join Pablo's academy?"
As soon as he spoke, Alice hadn't reacted yet.
Cold sweat was already breaking out on Flora's back.
As the daughter of a high-ranking noble family, even though she and her sister had once wandered in exile, she had been frantically catching up on various knowledge after returning. Her sensitivity as a noble was still intact.
The current king, Caesar, was a tolerant ruler, but like any other sovereign, what he disliked the most was seeing powerful forces within his kingdom getting too close to each other.
Although every young person had the freedom to join any of the three great academies, children of particularly powerful noble families had to get the king's prior approval no matter where they chose to study.
If this wasn't explained clearly, the Duke's family could be accused of sending their children to the academy without royal consent and maintaining too close a relationship with the headmaster.
"Your Majesty, my sister and I haven't enrolled yet," Alice said. "We just happened to run into them on the way."
"We were captured by some bad guys when we were returning to the Duke's manor and were passing through here. We were rescued by the esteemed gentleman residing here, and today we're visiting him to express our gratitude."
Caesar nodded.
He touched the dragon-patterned ring on his pinky finger.
The ring did not react.
This indicated that Alice was not lying.
Pablo, being a shrewd man, didn't wait for the king to question further and quickly said, "Your Majesty, my daughter and her fellow students were tracking an arcane beast and got lost. The gentleman residing here helped them."
"Today, the Stars Competition just ended, and I finally had some free time, so I brought them to express our thanks."
The ring warmed slightly.
This showed there was a bit of concealment, but overall, it was the truth.
"Your Majesty, I'm just here to join the fun," Jane honestly declared her identity. "I'm a student from Ravenfeather Academy."
After clarifying everyone's identities and intentions, Luigi realized that all these people were here to visit Lord Owen.
He immediately said, "His Majesty the King is about to ascend the mountain. Please leave."
Caesar shook his head. "Although the Forbidden Land is within the kingdom, it has never been under the control of any king, even during the founding of the country."
"I don't intend to exercise royal authority here."
Luigi admired his master even more.
This was the magnanimity of a true ruler.
The king could have driven everyone away, sealed off the mountain, and made all the treasures his own.
But he didn't do so.
"Thank you for your generosity." Pablo immediately flattered him. "May all glory be yours."
The others also expressed their gratitude.
And so, the three completely unrelated groups gathered on the mountainside and walked toward the summit together.
Leading the group was the adventurer trio. The king didn't bring many guards, so Pablo instructed the trio to act as scouts.
"Huh? I think I smell something amazing," Kevin, the black-haired one, slowed his pace.
"I smell it too," the young Ken said. "This aroma is so enticing. I can pick up the spiciness of green peppers, the richness of roasted meat, and a hint of fruity sweetness."
"Huh? Can these things even be combined?" The red-haired Asha's face was filled with confusion.
Not just them; everyone could smell the aroma.
Caesar sniffed the scent carefully, and his heart was filled with surprise.
As the king, he had tasted many delicacies and attended countless national banquets hosted by other kingdoms.
But no food had ever smelled as delicious as this.
Alice suddenly thought of something and said loudly, "Ah, it must be Lord Owen cooking!"
Flora glanced speechlessly at her sister.
You really have a big mouth.
Saying anything that comes to mind.
Sure enough, everyone started asking questions.
"My sister and I were starving for days without food back then, and Lord Owen took pity on us and made us some super delicious fried potatoes."
"Lord Owen also mentioned that he's a culinary master and can cook many delicious dishes."
"Unfortunately, my sister and I were too poor at the time and didn't have more good things to trade for food."
Everyone was a bit surprised to hear that this esteemed gentleman enjoyed cooking.
But they all understood one thing.
No matter what was eaten, payment was required!
Flora sighed. Since her sister had revealed so much, she might as well earn some favor.
"I'm sorry, but there's one more thing."
"Lord Owen has a small quirk. He likes to pretend to be an ordinary person and enjoys it when people treat him as such."
Caesar nodded.
This habit wasn't strange at all.
"I didn't expect Lord Owen to be fond of such antics," Pablo said knowingly. "I get it. It's like when I pretend to be a regular person in front of novice mages and then reveal my skills, just to see their jaw-dropping expressions."
That's probably not the same thing, Flora thought, but she didn't dare to contradict the bigwigs in front of her.
And so, everyone learned one more thing:
Lord Owen likes to act like a commoner.
To please him, everyone should just treat him as an ordinary person.
With this consensus, Caesar immediately adjusted his demeanor and withdrew his oppressive presence.
As they continued walking, the aroma grew even stronger.
They were not mistaken—the fragrance indeed came from Owen.
At that moment, he was busy in his backyard.
Owen had set up a small traditional pizza oven, in which five or six pizzas were baking.
The mozzarella on top had melted, sticking the bacon, green peppers, corn, onions, and the specially prepared pineapple chunks together.
The mouthwatering aroma that attracted everyone was coming from the pizzas.
Owen even made different flavors.
There was the classic Four Seasons pizza, with juicy tomatoes, cheese, fresh mushrooms, ham, and olives as toppings.
There was also the California-style pizza, with shrimp, smoked salmon, asparagus, chicken, and barbecue sauce.
The most recent batch was Owen's own creation based on his memories—a Super Supreme Stuffed-Crust Pizza from Pitta's, the type he used to order the most in his previous life.
One whiff transported Owen back to the days of enjoying takeout in his past life.
He was so focused that he hadn't noticed the large group gathering in front of him.
Flora stood for a while, and seeing Owen still unresponsive, she knew that figures like the king and headmaster might feel it inappropriate to initiate conversation due to their status. So, she gently called out a greeting.
"Mr. Owen? Hello, we've come to visit you."
The sudden female voice interrupted Owen's concentration.
He looked up and saw a large group staring at him.
Among them were even a few familiar faces.
"Haha, it's you all," Owen immediately put on a welcoming smile. "Great, you really did bring guests."
"Come on in, everyone. Don't be shy. Have some pizza first. I just happened to bake a lot today."
"Then we won't stand on ceremony." Flora glanced at the highest-ranking Caesar, waiting for him to step forward first.
Caesar's expression didn't reveal much.
But his heart was full of doubts.
Was this really the great figure Luigi had spoken of?
There wasn't a trace of mana fluctuation on him, nor did his physique suggest that of a warrior.
And this overly friendly attitude was nothing like the demeanor of a reclusive master.
But His Majesty didn't say anything, merely nodded to Owen. "Mr. Owen, sorry to intrude. The food you've made does smell truly delicious."
Since the king had spoken, the headmaster of Crossbridge, who was meeting Owen for the first time, naturally suppressed his own doubts and complimented Owen's cooking, seizing the opportunity to engage in small talk.
Only the youngest Jane showed full-on surprise.
She very obviously looked Owen up and down.
If it hadn't been for Flora's warning glare, Jane would've blurted out: "Is it just this guy?"