Hearing Karien’s voice, Adrian, with his brown beard, and Jessica, wearing glasses, along with the others, turned around.

Upon seeing Karien, Adrian didn’t bother hiding his contempt and smirked. "Well, if it isn’t our Karien-sensei. Last time you visited Red Iron Academy, I wonder if Pete treated you well?"

The Pete he mentioned was a large black wolfdog.

A couple of days ago, Karien had gone to another academy to borrow magical elements, only to be chased by Red Iron Academy's wolfdog. In the process of escaping, he had fallen off a wall and hurt his shoulder, which still ached.

"It was fine. That kid was very enthusiastic." Karien gave a warm smile and said lightly, "Next time I visit, I’ll bring olive oil, butter, sea salt, black pepper, and white sugar to properly thank Pete."

At those words, Adrian's face immediately darkened.

Jessica, on the other hand, paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, her voice sweet and charming. "This little brother has quite the sense of humor."

"Thank you for the compliment, sister, but I’m afraid your plantation plan might be in vain," Karien replied, understanding from their earlier conversation what their purpose was.

They probably assumed Red Leaf Academy would close soon, and they were here to claim the land that would soon be vacated.

"Oh?" Jessica crossed her arms, pushing her ample chest forward while adjusting her loose black-framed glasses. She stepped closer, smiling. "Karien, dear, do you really think Red Leaf Academy has a chance to survive?"

Karien knew that Jessica had heard of him before. She hadn’t met him at Violet Academy when he’d visited, so this was the first time she’d laid eyes on him.

Shrugging, Karien retorted, "Why wouldn’t it have a chance? As long as we do well in this year’s assessments, Red Leaf Academy won’t have to close."

Covering her mouth, Jessica let out an exaggerated laugh, and her curvaceous figure became even more pronounced as she laughed back.

Adrian, on the other side, focused his attention on Jessica, but didn’t forget to mock Karien. "Seems like you still don’t have a clear understanding of Red Leaf Academy’s strength. I’ve heard that out of the sixty or so students in your academy, there’s only one who stands out, and he’s just a magic apprentice. With that kind of strength, how do you expect to do well?"

Karien spread his hands in helplessness and replied, "It’s certainly tough, but there are still three months left. The registration period for the assessments hasn’t closed yet, and we might not only have one student participating."

"What an optimistic little brother," Jessica said. "But forgive me for being blunt, it seems your academy’s students don’t have much magical talent. What can you achieve in three months?"

Karien pretended to hold his aching head, exaggerating his pain as he responded, "Yeah, the talent’s lacking, so if we want to improve, we’ll have to rely on resources. I heard Violet Academy has a rich supply of herbs. I wonder if Sister Jessica could lend me a few hundred bottles of elemental potions?"

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Elemental potions were a type of beginner potion, containing various mild magical elements. Drinking them enhanced one’s sensitivity to different magical elements, which was perfect for magic apprentices just starting out.

Though these potions were far less valuable than elemental coins, they still weren’t cheap—one bottle cost at least 5 gold coins.

When Karien casually mentioned asking for a few hundred bottles, anyone with a bad temper, like Adrian, might’ve lost their patience right then.

"Sure, no problem," Jessica replied without getting angry. Instead, she gently traced her finger down Karien’s chest from top to bottom and purred in a seductive voice, "But I wonder, Karien, how do you plan to repay me?"

Karien grinned and replied, "Pete’s meat must be delicious. I can prepare a fine meal for you, Sister."

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud hum sounded from not far off. Adrian, a tall figure, had conjured a massive magic circle behind him.

"Karien, don’t think that just because you’re in Red Leaf Academy, I won’t teach you a lesson!" Adrian’s face darkened, and his brown beard bristled like sharp needles.

Turning around, Jessica pushed her glasses up and spoke in a calm voice, "Adrian, Karien is just joking. No need to get so angry. Do you really think he could deal with Pete?"

Her last sentence made Karien’s smile falter slightly.

This woman seemed to show an interest in him on the surface, but deep down, she clearly looked down on him—her words even implied that he wasn’t even worthy of a dog like Pete.

Adrian canceled the magic circle and grinned, saying, "You’re right. Someone like him can only talk big. With students as mediocre as the ones in Red Leaf Academy, if they manage to avoid being at the bottom, I’ll kiss Pete’s ass in front of the whole school!"

The other teachers from the four academies nearby burst out laughing, and one of them chimed in, "Now that you mention it, I kind of hope Red Leaf Academy does well."

"Hahaha, I’m looking forward to it now. Adrian kissing Pete’s ass? I can’t even imagine that image!"

"Adrian, you’re not serious, right? What if Red Leaf Academy actually does well? That’ll be embarrassing for you."

With an expression full of disdain, Adrian snorted. "When have I ever gone back on my word? Today, I’ll say it right here. Let’s see what kind of ability Red Leaf Academy has to avoid being at the bottom!"

After hearing this, Karien’s lips curled into a smile, and he said cheerfully, "Well then, I’ll remember your words, Adrian. I’m looking forward to your performance."

Jessica shook her head, thinking, Where does Karien get his confidence to say something like that? Young people sure are proud. No matter how incompetent, they still want to put on a brave face.

Just as Jessica was about to say something else, Karien looked up at the sky and remarked, "Oh, it’s already noon. You’ve all arrived so suddenly that the cafeteria didn’t even prepare lunch for you."

This was his subtle way of telling them it was time to leave.

"What a shame," Jessica said, "I was hoping to have lunch with you, Karien. But it’s alright, I’ve already got a good idea of Red Leaf Academy’s layout. We can discuss how to divide it up later."

Jessica didn’t intend to stay long. Before leaving, she leaned forward slightly, her red lips brushing Karien’s ear as she whispered softly, "I’ll see you during the assessment. I hope you’ll be just as confident then as you are now."

With a smile still on his face, Karien replied, "Looks like you like it tough, Jessica."

Jessica laughed, her voice alluring as she turned and walked away, her long white legs moving gracefully. "You’re such an adorable little brother. I’m looking forward to our next meeting."

After Jessica left, Adrian sneered and walked off as well.

The other four academy teachers gave Karien either an amused or pitying look before putting away their maps and leaving in a group.

Once they were out of sight, Karien narrowed his eyes into crescent shapes and grinned to himself. "This is getting interesting!"