Oren felt he truly wasn’t cut out for classroom life. He realized this when the teacher’s chalk slammed hard against his forehead.

"Are you a chicken? Stop pecking at rice there!"

With the teacher’s blunt voice ringing, Oren rubbed the white dot on his forehead. After a long daze, he let out a heavy sigh.

I really want to go home.

Honestly, though Oren had learned basic magic principles from Dysaia and how dragons wield magic, his mana capacity was far below a mage’s baseline. So he remained a close-combat warrior at heart. Magic? He only knew bits and pieces—nowhere near mastery.

And now I’m just slacking off at the magic academy…

As he thought this, Oren yawned unapologetically. Ignoring the teacher’s murderous glare, he casually scanned the classroom.

His deskmate, the great Princess Silver Dragon, looked exhausted too. Oren finally understood why Dysaia hadn’t mocked him earlier—she was so drowsy she probably hadn’t even noticed the chalk hitting him.

For dragons, such classes must be boring anyway.

Just then, Dysaia slumped forward, her head hitting the desk with a loud thud. She lifted her head, looking aggrieved. Oren saw the teacher sigh heavily, clearly disappointed in these two mediocre students.

Oren didn’t care. He turned left. A mass of black-robed Alliance exchange students sat like a dark cloud. Tensions between the Duchy of Sidius and the Alliance kept them separate.

Yet not one Alliance student slacked off. They diligently took notes, whispering softly. Lia sat in the front row, intently studying her notes and murmuring spell chants.

Among that sea of black, Irina alone lounged carefree. At the very back, she leisurely conjured an ice cube with magic, sculpting it into Elvis’s crest—the crowned double-headed eagle. Even from here, Oren saw the exquisite detail.

Why wasn’t Irina scolded? Probably her princess status. Plus, a silver-armored knight stood behind her, his gleaming longsword likely helping.

"Teacher, you’ve written this rune wrong."

Just as Oren pondered, Yamwen shot up her hand and declared loudly.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"With this arrangement, you won’t achieve the effect you need."

"Impossible." The teacher stared at the blackboard runes. After a pause, he covered his mouth—he’d rechecked and found a mistake.

Students below the podium began whispering. Many rechecked the formula; the error was obvious.

Well… humans can never beat elves at writing High Elven.

High Elven grammar was notoriously tough. Recalling his own struggles, Oren glanced at Yamwen. The century-old elf wore a pleased smile, watching the flustered teacher. She clearly enjoyed this.

"Ah… ahem, class is almost over. An announcement."

The teacher grabbed the eraser, blocked the blackboard, and swiped away the error.

"Iris’s birthday approaches. We’ll select a top team to attend the Mage Tournament in the Alliance capital—New Capital."

He glanced at the Alliance students, coughed, and continued slowly.

"The tournament has no age limits. I urge everyone to join. Teams need four members. After class, form your groups and register with me."

He clapped his hands, smiling. "That’s all for today."

Rustling sounds filled the room as students packed up. Oren stretched hugely. Beside him, Dysaia finally perked up, vigorously shaking out her limbs.

"So, how was your first day?" Oren asked, yawning. Dysaia gave a bitter smile and replied lazily,

"How to put it? I came to experience life…" She shrugged.

"Anyway, I get what a human once told me: ‘In class, you feel you must sleep after. But after class, you suddenly want to run twenty laps around the playground.’"

Both chuckled softly. Yamwen approached slowly. Just then, the front door creaked open. Aaron stepped inside.

"Aaron? Are you okay?" Oren asked worriedly. Detention couldn’t have been pleasant. Aaron just smiled bitterly, avoiding the question.

"Lord Oren, Your Highness. Her Majesty Princess Lohanna sent me to fetch you."

"Princess Lohanna?" Oren recalled the black-haired girl reading in the garden. Before he could speak, Aaron continued,

"She wishes to discuss the Mage Tournament with you." He paused, then added, "If possible, she wants all of you to join the competition together."