"I'm staying in the academy."

That was what he decided.

Although he wanted to travel the world, going from country to country would be hard even with his family's influence.

There is only one easy way to be able to come and go from any country without much trouble, and that is to join the Mage Tower.

Mage Tower is an independent organization made up of mages from all over the world. They are not under any country's jurisdiction at all.

Mages under them can come and go to any countries they like in the name of research, as long as they do not get involved with politics or whatever is related to a particular country.

However, to join the Mage Tower, one must complete a four year magic course education from an elite academy.

And the Akashic Magic Academy is one such academy.

Just then, the door of his room opened, and a figure walked in without a care as if they owned the place.

Marcus frowned, but his eyes widened slightly seeing the figure.

She is an ethereal beauty, exuding an aura of divinity and grace. Her long, flowing silver-white hair cascades around her, glowing softly in the celestial light.

Golden laurels adorn her head, symbolizing nobility, blending seamlessly with her radiant golden eyes, which shimmer like molten sunlight.

Her attire drapes elegantly over her form, accentuating her elegance while maintaining an air of untouchable majesty.

Her expression is serene yet distant, as if she gazes beyond mortal comprehension, carrying the weight of wisdom intelligence.

She embodies the image of a goddess—powerful, timeless, and utterly mesmerizing.

Athena Syr Olympia.

First Princess of the Olympia Kingdom, the capital of magic, where the Akashic Magic Academy is situated, and where majority of the events in the novel took place.

A prodigy in magic and well versed in military tactics, politics, econimics, and will one day take over the throne of the Olympia Empire, becoming its first female monarch.

She is also the main heroine of the novel, one day becoming the 'queen' of the protagonist's harem.

But now, she is Marcus Rey Dimitri's fiancée.

"It seems like you're done moping around." She stated, observing Marcus who now looked 'energetic' compared to before.

Marcus snapped out of his daze as he replied, his tone coming out as rude than his usual voice, "So what? Here to make fun of me?"

'That's not what I wanted to say!'

He doesn't know what's happening, but for some reason, words would come out of his mouth that is completely different from the one he wanted to convey.

Athena appears to be used to this, "I am not. I came here because I wanted to see if you're fine. Seems like you are."

"Of course, who do you think I am?" Marcus snorted, turning his head away in annoyance.

'Seriously, I wanted to say thank you.'

Athena remained silent, merely staring at him with her cold, calculating eyes.

"You're company is unneeded, but it'd be rude to chase you away." Continued Marcus, "I give you permission to stay."

For a moment, Marcus thought that he saw Athena let out an exasperated sigh. But when he turned towards her, her expression remained as neutral as ever.

"The Four Academy Tournament Finals is about to begin, do you want to take a look?"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Marcus eyes turned serious.

Four Academy Tournament.

An annual tournament between the four great magic academies in the empire to decide which academy can receive more funds for the year.

The Akashic Magic Academy has remained undefeated for ten years.

Marcus remembered that in the novels, the reason why Marcus and the protagonist fought was because Marcus doesn't want the protagonist to be one of the seven representative of their academy.

He sees the protagonist as lowly and weak and challenged him, betting that the protagonist would drop out if he lose.

The result was Marcus' defeat.

The final round of the tournament, unlike the semi-finals and the eliminations, isn't a 7-man team battle but a one-on-one duel between the strongest of each remaining two teams.

The representative of the Akashic Academy was just some NPC and was stated to be the strongest first year student(Marcus is second year, and Athena is third year)

The tournament only allows first and second years to participate.

However, before the finals, their representative suffered an injury during the semi-finals and wasn't completely healed yet.

In the end, the protagonist decided to replace him and won the tournament.

"What's there to watch?" Marcus snorted, "Although if you insist, I can accompany you."

'Really, why do I have to be so rude!?'

He wanted to watch the tournament, but the Marcus in him disdained the idea and consider it as nothing more than petty going ons of inferior creatures.

"Let's go." Athena turned her heels and walked out of the room.

Marcus quickly followed, only wearing a black compression shirt that emphasized his toned and muscular physique that he achieved through years of traning.

He paired it with a white sweatpants and white shoes.

He doesn't know why, probably because the author has no sense of fashion, but this world, despite being a fantasy medieval world, has a lot of modern clothing for casual wears.

"You're not even going to change?" Athena asked, raising her eyebrow as she observed him up and down.

Marcus smirked, "Oh please, I could walk there wearing rags and I would still outshine anyone."

Athena snorted in amusement. Her eyes widened in realization at what she had done, but quickly regained her composure and act like nothing happened.

A lady like her do not snort.

As Marcus and Athena walked through the grand corridors of the Akashic Magic Academy, students parted like the sea, making way for the two figures at the center of attention.

Whispers spread like wildfire.

"Wait… isn't that lord Marcus? He finally came out of his room!"

"Yeah, look at him, still look the same as ever, as if he didn't suffer any loss."

"Well duh, that's Lord Marcus! Besides, that loss was a total fluke!"

"I agree. Lord Marcus didn't even use any magic and was caught off guard due to that commoner's sudden burst of strength."

Their eyes flickered between him and Athena, the untouchable first princess of Olympia.

It was rare to see them together, despite being engaged. Athena was usually seen alone or surrounded by her personal retinue.

Marcus, on the other hand, had always carried himself in an arrogant manner, unapproachable to most.

But now, they were walking side by side.

Some students secretly admired the sight—a perfect pair, both blessed with talent, beauty, and noble blood. Others watched with jealousy, knowing they could never reach such heights.

Athena, as usual, paid no attention to the murmurs around them. Her expression remained unreadable, though her golden eyes occasionally flickered to Marcus, as if analyzing his every move.

"You're as popular as ever," she remarked, her tone indifferent.

"Hmph," Marcus scoffed, crossing his arms. "Of course, I am. I am Marcus Rey Dimitri. Even a minor setback won't make me any less remarkable."

'Seriously, I need to get my mouth under control.'

Athena glanced at him, unimpressed. "You call locking yourself in your room for days a ‘minor setback’?"

Marcus stiffened before quickly regaining his composure. He turned his head away, clicking his tongue. "Tch. It was strategic isolation. I was simply analyzing my mistakes, ensuring I never repeat such an incident again."

'Well, I was also planning about my global trip once I graduate and joined the the Mage Association. I heard the Alvarez Kingdom has some great natural wonders.'

Athena raised an eyebrow. "I see. And what profound conclusions did you come to?"

Marcus huffed, lifting his chin. "That everyone else is beneath me."

'That I need to quickly get this darn mouth under control.'

Athena sighed. "And here I thought you might have learned some humility."

"Tsk, as if I need something as pointless as humility." Marcus waved her off dismissively. "What I do need is to remind everyone of their place. That fight was nothing more than an anomaly, a fluke. A one-time mistake that will never happen again."

'Well, true. In this academy, aside from a few teachers and the principal, Marcus is the strongest.'

"You seem awfully defensive for someone who doesn’t care," Athena noted, her golden eyes watching him with amusement.

Marcus flinched before scoffing. "I—I’m not defensive! It’s just annoying that people are making such a fuss over one tiny, insignificant defeat!"

'Well, that certainly sound defensive.'

Athena’s lips twitched ever so slightly. "If it were truly insignificant, you wouldn’t have locked yourself away for days."

Marcus turned his head sharply, cheeks tinged slightly red from embarrassment. "Shut up. You talk too much."

'This girl seriously knows how to poke my sore spot.'

Athena ignored his flustered reaction. "At least you’re acting like yourself again."

Marcus huffed. "Hmph. Of course, I am. Like I said, nothing can shake me. Now, don't we have to see this stupid tournament? Let's not waste time."

"Of course," Athena said, already walking ahead.

Marcus clicked his tongue, following behind her. "Tsk, making me follow you? You should consider yourself honored, Athena."

'Sigh, I give up.'

"I’ll cherish this moment forever," she said dryly.

Marcus smirked, catching up to her as the arena came into view.

'Well now, let's see tournament.'