The houses along the street were neatly arranged, their roofs covered with red clay tiles. Unlike the commoners' huts outside the city, made of sun-dried mud bricks and straw, these homes reflected the true image of the royal capital's core district.

  Looking at the view before him, Ryan could not help but have a thought: if the chance ever arose, he must meet Queen Eryndor in person.

  He wanted to see for himself whether this woman who ruled an entire Empire was truly the puppet of those high-ranking mages, as rumors claimed, or whether she genuinely possessed the power to command everything on her own.

  The pedestrians on the street came in all forms. Mages wearing robes of different orders could be seen everywhere, and occasionally, a Journeyman Mage would pass by.

  Yet what struck Ryan as odd was that even when disputes arose from collisions, no one fought on the spot. Either they agreed to settle it outside the city, or they simply hurled a few insults before walking away.

  Ryan knew well that this kind of restraint could only exist because a top-tier powerhouse was guarding the royal capital, keeping even the hot-tempered mages in check.

  "Excuse me, do you know where the Sword Mage Academy is?" Ryan stopped a passerby and asked.

  The man froze for a moment. His eyes flicked to Derrick's face, swollen like a pig's head, and his expression grew even stranger.

  "Are you two also here to take part in the Sword Mage Academy entrance trials?" he asked, frowning.

  Lately, the whole royal capital had been buzzing about the event. After all, the Sword Mage Academy only held its entrance trials once every ten years, each time drawing countless young mages to compete.

  "Entrance trials? The Sword Mage Academy is recruiting apprentices right now?" Ryan was a little surprised, but inwardly he let out a sigh of relief.

  It was as if a pillow had been delivered just when he wanted to sleep. He had been worrying about how to get Derrick into the Sword Mage Academy.

  "Yes! We're here for the entrance trials!" Ryan nodded immediately."Could you please tell us where the Sword Mage Academy is located?"

  The man's suspicion deepened. He looked the two of them up and down."If you're here for the trials, how can you not even know where the academy is?"

  Normally, any mage planning to attend such an important examination would have found out the route well in advance. Who would show up asking for directions at the last minute?

  "We're from a small, remote town," Ryan replied smoothly, his expression unchanged."We heard about the trials by chance and thought we'd come test our luck to see if we might somehow pass. So, we really don't know the academy's location."

  Such last-minute participants were not rare, so his explanation should dispel suspicion.

  Sure enough, the man stopped pressing the issue. Every time the Sword Mage Academy held its entrance trials, there were always plenty of people who came from distant, obscure places to join.

  He raised his hand and pointed toward the city's outer edge."See that tallest mountain outside the city? The one reaching into the clouds? The Sword Mage Academy is built right on its summit. But you don't need to hurry, the entrance trials won't officially begin for another ten days."

  Following the man's gesture, Ryan looked into the distance. On the far horizon, a towering peak pierced through the clouds, its upper half wrapped in thick mist. From this angle, no trace of buildings could be seen.

  He figured that the clouds were not merely a natural phenomenon but part of the academy's anti-scrying magical formation, preventing outsiders from peering inside.

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  "Thank you for the information. Sorry to trouble you," Ryan said, then turned and left with Derrick in tow.

  There were still ten days before the entrance trials began, just enough time to explore the royal capital. Ryan, quite pleased with this arrangement, decided to spend the days sightseeing with Derrick.

  From candy shops to weapon stores, from street-side barbecue stalls to markets selling rare magical plants, they almost visited every lively corner of the city.

  But good times never last long. On the third day of their carefree wandering, while Ryan and Derrick were enjoying a Fireberry Cake in a dessert shop, a familiar figure suddenly appeared across the street, Evelyn.

  "Mentor! Look over there!" Derrick was the first to notice her, pointing excitedly toward the opposite side of the street.

  Ryan followed his gaze. With each graceful step Evelyn took, a gust of wind lifted the edge of her veil, revealing half of her face, so breathtakingly beautiful that it made his heart skip a beat.

  The passersby on the street were already captivated by her presence. Many stopped to watch her quietly.

  Even noblewomen dressed in elaborate robes couldn't help but show envy and self-consciousness when they saw her.

  Before Ryan could move, a young man suddenly strode up to Evelyn. Bowing slightly, he spoke in a deliberately gentle tone,"My beautiful lady, the moment I caught sight of you, admiration bloomed in my heart. Might I have the honor of inviting you to the tavern ahead for a chat?"

  Ryan's hearing far surpassed that of ordinary people, so he caught every word clearly. An inexplicable irritation rose within him.

  He knew perfectly well that Evelyn would never pay attention to such a frivolous man, yet seeing him so close to her made Ryan's blood boil.

  【Target of pursuit Evelyn is being harassed. Temporary mission triggered: drive away the harasser and escort Evelyn away from the scene. Mission reward: 100 Magic Origin Value.】

  The Grimoire's prompt echoed in his mind, leaving Ryan momentarily stunned.

  But then he thought it over, this was perfect. He could vent his annoyance and earn a reward at the same time.

  Ryan immediately gave Derrick a subtle signal. Derrick understood at once, grabbed the sword sheath beside him, and rushed forward, striking the young man hard on the back of his head.

  The young man staggered, dizzy, then turned around clutching his head and glared at Derrick."Who are you? How dare you attack someone in broad daylight in the royal capital!"

  "Sorry, I was just following my Mentor's orders," Derrick said cheerfully, lifting the sword sheath with a grin.

  "Outrageous! You dare strike a noble in the open streets? Aren't you afraid of being thrown into prison?" The young man fumed. He was, after all, of noble birth, no one had ever humiliated him like this before.

  "Serves you right for bothering my Mentor's lady!" Derrick sneered, full of disdain. In his mind, Evelyn had long been his Mentor's wife, no one else had the right to covet her.

  The young man's face turned red, then pale. He glanced at Evelyn, and when he saw that she didn't deny it, panic crept into his eyes.

  Could it be that this woman was already married? Then his earlier approach had just made him a laughingstock!

  But he quickly regained his composure, glaring at Derrick."And what proof do you have that she's your Mentor's lady? This lady herself hasn't said a word. What right does a mere boy like you have to speak for her?"

  Evelyn had no interest in the commotion and turned to leave. To her, such trivial flirtations and arguments were nothing but a waste of time.

  Yet before she had taken more than two steps, the noble youth, still not knowing his place, reached out to grab her sleeve, clearly unwilling to give up.

  A chill spread through Evelyn's palm as frost gathered, she was just about to blast the fool away when another figure moved faster and stepped in front of her.

  Ryan's right foot struck the youth squarely in the abdomen, swift and precise. He held back about seventy percent of his strength; after all, he merely found the man irritating and saw no need to kill.

  If someone died within the royal capital, the Royal Guards would surely intervene.

  The young noble drew an arc through the air before crashing into a flowerbed at the corner of the street. He groaned in pain, clutching his stomach, unable to get back up.

  "Evelyn, what a coincidence, meeting you again." Ryan retracted his leg, turned around, and grinned at her, even giving a small wave in greeting.

  Even through the veil, he could feel her eyes fixed intently on him, and it made his scalp tingle.

  Could it be that his kick had been too violent, ruining the fragile impression he had worked so hard to build?

  The onlookers began to murmur among themselves."How outrageous! To attack someone in broad daylight within the royal capital, does he not respect the Queen at all?"

  The noisy chatter grated on Ryan's nerves, but he couldn't show his irritation in front of Evelyn. If she thought he was some hot-headed brute, all his previous efforts would go to waste.

  "Evelyn, come with me. There's a shop up ahead that sells chilled fruit juice. It tastes quite good," Ryan said, forcing himself to sound casual, though he didn't expect much.

  Given Evelyn's usual cold demeanor, the fact that she hadn't already walked away was already a small miracle.

  Seeing that she remained still, simply standing there silently, Ryan sighed in defeat."Derrick, let's go."

  He waved to Derrick, who was still watching the commotion with great interest, and turned to leave. The mission might be incomplete, but he couldn't exactly drag Evelyn along by force.