Marcus chuckled at Emily’s determined look and her bold comment.

"Well, I look forward to it, especially the reforms you plan to implement with Celera," he said in a playful tone.

"You better look forward to them," she declared, her voice brimming with determination. "I mean, I have a lot of ideas that could benefit the kingdom," she added more neutrally.

"You do?" Marcus asked with a smile before continuing, "That’s good, but there’s something you’re lacking. Do you know what it is?"

"I do," Emily replied after a moment of thought.

"I knew you would," Marcus said with a teasing grin. "You’re kind of smart when you need to be. But don’t you think it’s about time you let go of whatever prejudices you’ve built up in your mind?"

"I’m not sure if my prejudices are wrong yet," Emily admitted. "I’ve yet to meet people who are good to me for reasons other than my position and the benefits they can gain from me."

"Then you should start meeting more people," Marcus suggested. "Because I know plenty of people who like me—not because I’m Marcus Levile but because of the person I am." He softened his tone and added, "Just try. That would be enough, I think."

Emily nodded slowly. "I would... but it’s tough for me after—"

"I understand," Marcus interrupted gently. "You don’t need to tell me. What happened to you was wrong, I completely agree." He sighed.

"But we can’t stop trying just because something bad happened to us. Isn’t Oliver and the maids in the royal castle commoners too? I don’t think you hate them. But think about how your words affect them. When you say commoners are just leeches living off nobles, isn’t that generalizing them?"

Emily didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she became lost in her thoughts, reflecting on his words.

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"I understand," she said at last, meeting his gaze. "I’ll try."

After this conversation, the rest of the dinner went rather uneventful. Marcus and Emily had their dinner and left rather early for Ares dorm. Arnos and Mabel, who really loved the food and described it to be something god would eat, also had to leave the banquet early because Mabel had to find her dorm number in Cryz dorm.

"The food was tasty," Arnos said, looking at Mabel as they both walked towards Cryz dorm’s location.

They got the direction from the assistant teacher standing outside the gate.

Mabel looked towards him and added,

"We could have enjoyed it while taking more time if only we had come to Cryz instead of Ares."

"You regret it?" Arnos asked Mabel.

"No," Mabel replied with a stern voice.

"Motivation boost," he added with a teasing tone and chuckled.

(Mabel slowed down her walking pace. Cryz dorm's campus was just a few steps away now.)

"Yeah, and you know if I had to choose between going to the banquet or seeing Ares dorm, my choice is obvious," Mabel added with a serious tone.

"It is, huh?" Arnos added with a smile.

Mabel and Arnos were now standing in front of Cryz dorm campus. It wasn’t something as amazing as Ares, not in the slightest, but it was still good.

The main building was somewhat larger than Ares’ main building, though they were still considerable in size. The outer wall of the building was colored with a black/red gradient. The building was simple and large, box-like, with no curves or designs, just the main building spread in a rectangular area. The grounds of Cryz were also considerably shorter.

"Well then, Mabel, try not to cause any trouble or stand for injustice and cause trouble or anything like that. Remember, it’s your first day."

"Don’t worry, I’m not an idiot," Mabel said with a smirk. "Well then, bye," she added as she moved inside the campus through the dorm's door.

As Mabel made her way inside, Arnos began walking towards the Ares dorm, his mind replaying the events of the day. He had bumped into the princess and been called an insect, then there was the unexpected encounter with Mabel, Miss Margrave, and the Headmaster. He met Marcus, he got A Rank Mana level, and then Seraphina had asked him to become her servant. There was also Seras, and the moment he saw the Ares dorm with Mabel—it was all so surreal.

This day has truly been remarkable, he muttered under his breath as his pace quickened.

But, despite the excitement, he couldn’t shake the fatigue creeping up on him. I’m really tired, he thought, feeling the weight of the day press down on him.

Around five more minutes of brisk walking later, Arnos finally arrived at the Ares dorm. As he approached, he noticed Emily and Marcus were already inside the premises.

They arrived earlier than me, he thought, a hint of surprise in his mind. With that, Arnos pushed open the door and entered the dorm's premise.