I, the heir of the great Eastern nation

Royal Magic Academy.

Unlike the previous freshman trial competition held in the wild, this chief arena competition will be held inside the school.

In addition to the teachers and students at the school, many nobles from the capital also came to watch.

At this very moment, with the competition still some time away, Christine, one of the participants, was standing beside a woman of noble birth amidst the bustling crowds of the academy.

It was her mother, the Marquis of Lance's legal wife, Lady Elira.

Mrs. Elira spoke softly as she strolled through the school garden.

"I heard that you came in second place in the last freshman trial competition because you lost to that foreign prince named Liu Zhao?"

Upon hearing Liu Zhao's name, Christine subconsciously gritted her teeth slightly.

"Don't worry, Mother. Last time it was just an accident. This time I will definitely beat him and successfully take the top spot in the grade."

As she spoke, she asked a question out of curiosity.

"By the way, Mother, how did you know about him?"

Mrs. Elira gave her a loving look.

"Your sister wrote letters to more than just you."

Upon hearing this, Christine immediately showed anger.

"Mother, we clearly agreed that as long as I become a powerful mage, you would never interfere with my marriage!"

Elira looked at her daughter's changing expression and couldn't help but smile and shake her head.

"Don't worry, I was just asking casually. Our agreement still stands. However, for someone as discerning as your sister to praise this foreign prince so highly in her letter, he must have some extraordinary qualities."

Christine pursed her lips upon hearing this.

"What? This person not only lacks any aristocratic demeanor, but is also not good at even the most basic aristocratic etiquette. From what I've seen so far, apart from having a little talent for magic, a slight understanding of business, and being a little more honest and kind than the average nobleman, he's just average overall and not a particularly outstanding person."

Christine was making her own complaints, but Mrs. Elira, who was watching, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"So it seems you know him quite well."

Upon hearing this, Christine couldn't help but clench her fist slightly.

"As my only rival and the obstacle that threatens to take my top spot, only by understanding him thoroughly can I better find his weaknesses!"

"Don't worry, Mother, I'm sure I'll win first place in this championship competition!"

Seeing Christine's determined expression, Lady Elira smiled slightly.

"Really? Then I wish you success in advance. I'll be cheering you on from the stage."

"Thank you, Mother."

Christine then smiled brightly.

"Alright, Mother, the competition is about to start, I'll go get ready now."

As Christine turned to leave, Lady Elira waved to her retreating figure, her smile unchanged.

At this moment, a slightly chubby man with a squinty-eyed smile slowly walked to Mrs. Elira's side.

It was Charlie, the manager of the Leilo Chamber of Commerce.

He bowed respectfully to Lady Elira.

"Cousin."

Mrs. Elira nodded.

"Charlie, you did a great job. Just continue according to Liu Zhao's original plan. By the way, do you know which match this foreign prince is in?"

Charlie nodded.

"It was in the very first game."

Mrs. Elira smiled slightly.

"In that case, let's go and take a look. I also want to see with my own eyes what kind of young man could make my two daughters think so highly of him."

……

At the same time, the entrance to the arena was filled with spectators.

A tall, thin boy with brown curly hair, dressed in a fourth-grade red mage's robe, stood in front of a large gambling table and was shouting loudly.

"Betties are in! The competition for the top freshman title is officially open!"

"Liu Zhao, the dark horse who successfully staged a comeback in the last trial competition, is still the top favorite this time! His odds of winning are 1 to 10! Students who want to make money shouldn't miss this opportunity!"

However, the students around him made sarcastic remarks about his statement.

"This black-haired out-of-towner won the championship last time purely by luck; it was all because the contestants from Hongguo Village were too weak."

"That's right. When we participated in the Trial Competition, everyone was an apprentice and didn't know much magic. The difficulty was just like children playing house. This time, the chief competition is the real deal."

"Ha, only true mages are qualified to use arcane runes. How could a foreigner from a remote little country compare to the powerful clans of our Solantia in terms of family background?"

"The first match is against Marquis Riley's third son, Daniel. I remember his younger brother, Arthur, was eliminated by Liu Zhao in the Trial Tournament, right? This is going to be interesting, haha."

"What? It's the young master of the Riley family! What are we waiting for? Brothers, let's go all in on Daniel! It's a sure thing!"

"..."

At the bustling gambling table, Berica, wearing a hood, once again took advantage of the chaos to bet half of her fortune.

Then, while chuckling to himself, he turned and slipped into the spectator area.

Soon, as the match was about to begin, Liu Zhao, as the first contestant to appear, stood quietly at the entrance of the arena, waiting.

At this moment, Christine, whose turn to appear was after his, had also arrived early to prepare.

"Do you see those four people on that stage over there?"

Upon hearing Christine's words, Liu Zhao subconsciously looked over.

Looking around, the bustling stands were filled with nobles and dignitaries of high status.

Christine was pointing to the row that symbolized the highest status, where four people were sitting at the very front.

Christine walked to his side and spoke slowly.

"That white-bearded old man is Hills, the vice principal of the academy. The person sitting behind him is someone you also know, our teacher Cecilia."

"The woman in purple next to me is my mother, and sitting behind her is Manager Charlie, whom you've met before."

"The woman in the green dress is Marquis Riley's wife, Lady Helena, and sitting behind her is his youngest son, the blond, spiky-haired Arthur whom you rejected."

"The last one in the blue dress is the second prince's birth mother, Princess Veronica. The one sitting behind her, wearing a red mage's robe, is the second prince, Ian, whom you met once before."

As Christine explained everything, Liu Zhao couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Christine simply snorted in response.

"Although you can be quite annoying at times, since you've chosen to seek me out for cooperation, I'm not one to hold grudges. So, I'll reluctantly accept you as my partner for now."

"Each competition for the top spot is also a time for these important figures to select outstanding talents. Coincidentally, King Os is currently wavering on whether the eldest prince or the second prince should be the crown prince."

As the eldest prince's maternal uncle, the Marquis Riley's entire family were staunch supporters of the prince. Princess Veronica, on the other hand, was the mother of the second prince, Ian. The two had always been bitter enemies, and joining one side would inevitably offend the other.

"I'm telling you this to remind you, an outsider who clearly doesn't understand aristocratic political struggles, that if you're courted by them after the competition, think carefully before making a decision. Don't impulsively choose sides, or you might not even know how you died."

Hearing this, Liu Zhao looked at Christine, who had a haughty expression, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Really? Well, thank you for reminding me, class monitor."

Christine gave a soft hum.

"Who wanted to remind you? I just didn't want you, as a temporary business partner, to affect the neutral stance of the Lance family."

Liu Zhao was somewhat surprised.

"Your Lance family, are you going to remain neutral?"

Christine nodded.

"Nonsense, otherwise why do you think the Second Prince Ian would keep pestering me to get engaged? These royal princes don't really pursue love; they just want to use this to gain favor with the Lance family."

After listening to Christine's words, Liu Zhao gained a deeper understanding of the political situation of the upper royal family of the Kingdom of Os, and also developed a greater interest in it.

However, before he could even ask a question, the announcement that the match was about to begin came.

"The first match is between Liu Zhao, the prince from the great Eastern country, and Daniel, the son of Marquis Riley."