Saturday morning at Ikerite Academy.
At the Ancient Tower Library, one of the iconic landmarks of the School of Sages, many students were still walking in and out in pairs and groups despite the weekend.
The interior of this colossal structure was magnificent. Murals, mosaics, and sculptures were crafted with exquisite detail, towering stone pillars at the entrance stood as imposing as a grand temple, and along the corridor statues of the eleven deities of the Good alignment could be seen.
Two figures were currently walking down the hallway leading toward the library's central hall.
"Is it because Sophia didn't come that you're still unhappy, Prince Ainuoer?"
The light-haired young woman asked, blinking her bright eyes. Her irises were a distinctive green, like an emerald spring deep within a forest—clear and innocent.
"...No, it's just that I can't understand it. I feel so confused."
Ainuoer shook his head, unable to completely hide the worry on his face.
Today Dean Loren had arranged to meet them at ten in the morning in the inner area of the Ancient Tower Library.
Ainuoer clearly didn't want his own mood to affect Karen.
Following Professor Borao's instructions, taking good care of their foreign magic artificer friend and ensuring she spent these two weeks in Ikerite happy and satisfied would complete Ainuoer's task.
"Prince Ainuoer, sometimes you have to be more considerate of Sophia's feelings, you know? It doesn't matter if I suffer a little grievance; you ought to take her side more."
Karen walked with light, nimble steps, her smile radiating confidence and resilience.
Many upperclassmen often remarked that she must have been a child whose early maturity made one's heart ache.
"How could I do that? As a prince of the Hutton Kingdom, I naturally cannot allow our foreign guest to be treated unfairly here."
Ainuoer's tone was firm.
Whenever such moments arose, he would think of his dearest friend.
He believed that if his friend were in his place, he would surely do the same. His friend was always open, upright, and admirably selfless.
"Hehe."
A smile played on Karen's lips, as if every small detail of life brought her joy.
What she loved most was breaking apart couples who seemed deeply in love.
Love was nothing more than a game of deceiving oneself or others.
All anticipation for love stemmed from fantasy.
And that fantasy had shattered when she was very young.
Give her just a few more days, and she believed she could completely captivate this prince. That was turning out to be one of the greatest pleasures she had found during this academic visit.
The two chatted amiably, and as the light grew brighter, they finally stepped into the central reading hall.
What met their eyes was a grand domed ceiling rising twenty-four meters high. It was covered in alternating patterns of deep gold and sky blue, as though stars of the night sky danced with the dawn's first light. At the center of the dome, an enormous mirror reflected everything within the hall.
The interior had been converted from the earliest Hutton Kingdom Parliament. The solemn, circular hall possessed the structure of a tribunal or parliamentary chamber, with concentric rings of long tables radiating outward from the open space at the very center.
Across the hall's solid marble floor, dozens of curved mahogany tables were neatly arranged. Each table was equipped with an emerald-green desk lamp, spaced just far enough apart to create a sense of layered order without feeling crowded.
Surrounding the perimeter of the hall stood towering glass-paned wooden bookshelves, neatly holding approximately eighty-five thousand volumes. Above each bookcase, a gilded plaque was inscribed with the domain of its collection, ranging from "History" to "Art," from "Magical Script" to "Ecology and Nature."
"That area at the very center resembles both a lecture platform and a theater stage. Ordinarily, it isn't open; it's only used for events like open academic lectures or official public announcements. During certain major functions, those dozens of long tables will be filled with all sorts of visiting guests."
Ainuoer pointed into the distance as he introduced the School of Sages' Ancient Tower Library to Karen.
Generally speaking, the most frequent current use of the library's central area was for semi-public events such as observing an Original Slate.
Whenever a student successfully passed Dean Loren's trial, their viewing would be arranged here, and interested students or scholars from the Magic Tower might come by to observe.
In addition to the concentric rings of desks and chairs encircling the center on the ground floor, looking up from the hall revealed the library's upper tiers curving in a semicircle like the balconies of a grand opera house. From the upper floors, one could not only look down over everything happening in the central hall below, but also feel the aura of knowledge and history flowing from every direction.
"I see."
Karen glanced at the large clock in the distance. They were about half an hour early for their appointment with Dean Loren.
Dean Loren's official duties were quite demanding, and this time had already been squeezed out of his tight schedule, so he naturally wasn't likely to arrive so early.
Soon, however, both Ainuoer and Karen noticed that at the very center of the main hall—
A poised figure stood leisurely, like a chess piece.
His attire was immaculate; the meticulous checkered pattern on his collar and tie matched his dark overcoat perfectly, and his gentle gaze held profound wisdom.
He was smiling as he watched the arrivals enter the hall.
"Prince Ainuoer, Karen, you're here."
Every movement of Lanqi's—whether a slight nod or a slow, measured step—exuded the aura of a born leader. In this sanctuary of knowledge, he looked like a true mentor awaiting students thirsting for learning, ready to offer them the finest guidance and counsel.
Karen was briefly caught in a daze. Had she not already met Dean Loren, she would have mistakenly believed that the young man before her was the supreme leader of the School of Sages.
"Lanqi! I heard you've been busy ever since returning from the Shadow World these past few days, so I didn't come looking for you. I didn't expect to see you so soon!"
Whatever minor distress Ainuoer had harbored in his heart today vanished the moment he saw Lanqi, replaced entirely by delight as he hurried over to him.
"Prince Ainuoer, Miss Karen. Miss Karen was originally meant to observe the slate alone today, but considering Dean Loren's schedule will be remarkably hectic in the coming days, I agreed to his request so Dean Loren wouldn't have to carve out separate time for me later."
Lanqi bowed slightly toward Ainuoer as the prince approached.
"So Prince Ainuoer and Lanqi already know each other?"
Following beside Ainuoer, Karen looked up at him with a mix of curiosity and slight surprise.
When she had reported back on her task to Loren earlier, Loren had mentioned that his schedule was simply too constrained, so she was cutting ahead of an Ikerite Academy student, and that they might end up observing the slate together. At the time, Karen had expressed agreement, understanding, and gratitude.
Although the School of Sages and the School of Magic Engineering shared some overlapping advanced magic coursework, and there were indeed a few students in the School of Sages adept in magic engineering, even Karen had not anticipated that the student she had cut in front of was none other than Lanqi—the very person Adams, their third-year senior from Aloran Academy, regarded as a formidable rival.
Supposedly, this was the fellow who had defeated the Resurrection Church's Saintess of Destruction.
Yet when faced with Adams's challenge, he had paid no heed to winning or losing, casually letting Adams win—magnanimous like Dean Loren, or perhaps treating Adams as though he wasn't even a real opponent in the first place.
"Yes, my dearest friend Lanqi, the top first-year student of the School of Sages," Ainuoer introduced with a smile to Karen.
Karen was likely unfamiliar with Lanqi. After all, since arriving at Ikerite Academy, she had spent all her time traveling between the School of Magic Engineering and the Church of the Goddess of Fate. She had shown little interest in the combat tracks over at the School of Sages and the School of Knights, seemingly long tired of the violence-laden atmosphere of Aloran Royal Academy, which was renowned for its combat disciplines.
Several times Ainuoer had wanted to boast about his dearest friend, but held back.
Professor Borao had instructed that before Lanqi's Platinum-rank assessment cleared its critical stage, the few of them who knew the truth should not publicize that Lanqi had become a semi-Platinum-rank card maker a week ago, in order to avoid attracting further external complications. For Lanqi's sake, Ainuoer refrained from saying more.
"Lanqi, it's a pleasure to meet you. Senior Adams has caused you trouble."
Karen turned to Lanqi and greeted him politely.
She didn't care much for petty squabbles between combat disciplines; they were utterly foolish. People only needed to adore her, after all.
"Not at all. Since Adams had a request, I did everything I could to fulfill it. That is my responsibility and obligation," Lanqi replied sincerely.
"As expected of Dean Loren's distinguished pupil. I'm sure he must be deeply gratified by the concessions you made."
Over the brief exchange, Karen had finished sizing up Lanqi.
His demeanor and sincerity didn't seem feigned; he looked like someone completely genuine, inside and out.
In that case, having an extra third wheel today wouldn't be an issue; it wouldn't hinder her from keeping Ainuoer under her thumb.
"Prince Ainuoer..."
Just as Karen prepared to continue speaking with Ainuoer, she suddenly realized that Ainuoer had already thrown his arm over Lanqi's shoulder. As though he had completely forgotten her, he cast her aside, wanting only to pour out endless words to Lanqi.
"..."
This left Karen extraordinarily awkward.
Why did it feel like her charm couldn't even compete with another man?!
Ainuoer hadn't been even one-tenth this infatuated with Sophia!
Lanqi gave Karen a helpless smile.
This very moment was just like that moment back at the Card Makers Association.
Karen subconsciously tightened her fist a fraction.
She couldn't tell whether Lanqi's smile was genuine helplessness toward the prince, or if it carried a hint of mockery!
As if telling her:
*You will never be this close to the prince.*
Chapter 210