"Well... okay!" Bexia hesitated for a moment. He didn't know what he should do. In fact, he had planned to go to the Grand Library, but considering the fact that he had read a lot of books in the past few days, he thought it would be a good idea to take a break. Plus, he was also looking forward to the invitation from Carter to visit the Imperial Capital.

"Then let's go now! I've ordered a sword from the blacksmith's shop, and today is a perfect time to pick it up."

Carter hooked his arm around Bexia's shoulder. He was slightly taller than Bexia, although he wasn't particularly tall among their peers. But compared to Bexia, he was "towering." It was always a source of frustration for Bexia to be so short, like a child who never grew up.

It had been a long-standing issue, and he didn't know if it was due to his own physical condition, but while he grew taller, his appearance remained unchanged, always maintaining a "tiny" look.

Being half-dragged and half-pushed out of the academy by Carter's enthusiasm, it was Bexia's first time venturing outside the academy on his own. As he looked at the bustling streets and the lively scenes, he couldn't help but want to explore.

Carter accompanied Bexia all the way to the blacksmith's shop where he had ordered his weapon. He seemed to be quite familiar with the shop owner, chatting and laughing. The weapon he had crafted was a standard one-handed straight sword, of excellent quality at the intermediate level, costing several tens of gold coins.

"This weapon is really expensive. It cost me several months' salary!" Carter complained slightly as they walked out of the shop. But looking at his love for that sword, it was definitely worth it for him.

"According to what you said, are you still working, Carter?"

"Yes! Although the academy provides food and accommodation, daily expenses still need to be taken care of by oneself. I don't want to burden my family, so I need to find a job myself!"

After listening to Carter, Bexia admired him even more. It was rare to see such independent students.

Of course, there were many reasons for this. Many students came from wealthy families, either nobles or wealthy merchants. Poor students were actually only a small part of the population.

"By the way, I don't know if you can help me find a job, Carter?"

"Ah!"

Carter showed a surprised expression.

"Is there a problem?"

"Why do you want to find a job?"

"I don't have a single copper coin on me, so of course I need to earn money!" Bexia replied, feeling a bit bewildered by the question.

"Don't you ask your family for help?"

"I was adopted by the church as an orphan. Because I once unintentionally helped Sister Ophelia, she guided me to the academy to study magic."

From Carter's tone, Bexia could tell that he had misunderstood something. Both of them were actually in the same boat, poor orphans. In fact, Bexia's background was even more tragic than Carter's, but he had been luckier later on.

"How is that possible... I thought you were someone from a noble family?" Carter's expression was extremely astonished.

"I am nothing but a commoner!" Bexia rolled his eyes, feeling speechless. It turned out that Carter had always misunderstood his identity.

"But even if I'm not from a noble family, you wouldn't stop being my friend, would you?" Bexia pretended to look disappointed, but he also knew that Carter wasn't that kind of person.

"How could that be? I'm not that kind of person, Bexia!" Carter hooked his arm around Bexia's neck and said softly, "I'm actually very curious about you and Princess Ophelia. Can you tell me?"

"Well... I'm afraid I can't. Sister Ophelia asked me to keep it a secret and not to talk about it with others."

"In that case, forget it. But I saw you getting close with Senior Sis Long Momomomo last time. What's your relationship with her?" Carter showed a strong curiosity.

"We're just ordinary friends."

"No other relationship?" Carter winked at Bexia.

"It's really not like that."

"Who are you trying to fool? Everyone knows that Senior Sis Long Momomomo is notoriously difficult to get along with. Apart from a few female friends, she hardly talks to any male students."

"Everyone saw you being so intimate with her in the auditorium last time."

"Sis Dragon is just easy to get along with; it's a big difference compared to what you're thinking.""Yo yo yo--!"

"Sis Dragon is here too, and she said it's no problem. Who is she trying to fool?"

Carter had a look on his face that said, "Don't lie to me anymore, just tell the truth."

"I really didn't lie to you. Sis Dragon is quite easy to talk to, she's just a bit lazy..."

"Who are you talking about? Betty Bei!"

A slender and soft hand suddenly rested on Bexia's shoulder. He mechanically turned his head and saw Long MoMo's mischievous smile, and suddenly felt a little scared.

"Hello, Senior Sister!" Carter stood up straight and greeted Long MoMo. As the "goddess" at the school level, Long MoMo was the object of admiration for most people, especially for some new students who had just entered school. They all became nervous when they saw Long MoMo, just like Carter's current appearance.

"Hello!" Long MoMo replied with a faint smile. Even though it was just a simple and ordinary reaction, it made Carter's nervous face turn red and his speech become stuttered.

"Is...is..."

"What did you just say about me?" Long MoMo didn't pay much attention to Carter, but she gave Bexia a "dangerous" look.

"N-nothing, I meant to say Sis Dragon is a very hardworking person."

Facing the threat of "power," Bexia readily admitted his mistakes. In order to survive in front of her, he had to learn to compromise.

"That's true. There's no need to say such things." Bexia knew very well how thick Long MoMo's face was. It was the kind of face that even forbidden spells couldn't break through.

"What were you two doing just now?"

"W-we were...we were shopping." Carter answered with a flushed face.

"So you guys are free right now~!" Long MoMo looked meaningfully at Bexia.

"I don't mind if I borrow Bexia from you, right?"

"N-no problem, Senior Sister, please feel free." Bexia agreed, although this kind of thing should be asked for his opinion, he didn't decline because he knew it would be useless.

Forget it, let's just consider it as doing some free labor. Bexia thought like this.

Long MoMo didn't live in the academy and rarely attended classes. She would only stay at a shrine located on a small mountain near the imperial capital. That was her residence.

The architecture of the shrine was completely different from that of the imperial capital. It was mainly made of wooden planks, and because it was easily affected by the external environment, it looked quite dilapidated after a long time.

The environment here was great, and the air was very good. There were huge trees on both sides, and the sunlight was excellent. It was very cool in the summer, and one could sunbathe in the winter. If it was for retirement, it would indeed be a very good location.

However, the one living here was not an old man, but a beautiful young girl.