Ryan kept calculating in his mind but eventually shook his head. Anyone who possessed an epic weapon could not possibly be just the princess of the Eryndor Empire.

  He knew all too well how Grimoire behaved, identity information often only displayed the most superficial layer.

  It was like those game companies that only care about making money and never fix bugs, only absorbing Magic Origin Points while too lazy to correct incomplete information displays.

  "You don't want to go? Fine, I'll go by myself." Darlene saw that neither Ryan nor Evelyn showed interest, so she did not insist and turned to leave.

  "Wait! We'll go!" Ryan suddenly shouted, his tone urgent.

  "You specially invited us, how could we not show face?"

  He had already planned in his mind: the Eryndor Empire palace must be hiding plenty of rare items, and this trip was definitely an opportunity to"borrow" a few.

  Darlene was lively and a bit temperamental, but overall, she was good-natured. Borrowing a little should not be a problem.

  Just a little, not much, and he would definitely return it later after all, he always"valued honesty."

  Darlene turned around, pleasantly surprised, her face lighting up with a bright smile."Really? That's great! Let's go!"

  To her, Ryan and Evelyn were among the few friends she had, so she was naturally happy to go see her mother with them.

  "Evelyn, let's go. We'll check out the palace. I've never seen the imperial palace before," Ryan said, forcing a smile.

  Of course, he had seen plenty of palaces in previous lives, even the treasure vaults of the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword, but he hid that knowledge.

  He gently tugged on the binding rope around his wrist, the other end tied to Evelyn, causing it to sway slightly.

  "I'm not going," Evelyn said.

  Darlene felt a pang of disappointment. She had wanted to invite Evelyn the most, hoping her mother could meet such a stunning sister.

  Seeing this, Ryan immediately switched tactics. He raised his bound hand, gently shaking the rope, his tone softening."Then how about loosening the rope for a few days?"

  Evelyn's voice became serious."Time spent enjoying the palace would be better spent meditating and practicing magic."

  In her view, if Ryan truly had the potential of a Grand Magus, his focus should be on magic study.

  Since he might one day join Glacial Arcana Academy, she had a responsibility to correct his mindset. At the academy, every student put magic above all else.

  Even if Ryan ultimately never had the chance to become a member of Glacial Arcana Academy, Evelyn still felt it was necessary to correct his mindset.

  After all, judging by the talent Ryan had shown, he had a very high chance of becoming an Archmage or even higher. Such talent would be a real waste if squandered on frivolity.

  "In life, who knows which will come first, accidents or tomorrow?" Ryan said carelessly, deliberately pausing at the end before suddenly raising his voice,"So the number one priority in life must be seeking pleasure!"

  "Exactly! Mentor, you are absolutely right!" Derrick clapped excitedly on the side, his eyes full of admiration.

  Ryan nodded to him proudly, but did not expect Derrick to change the subject, looking puzzled as he asked,"But Mentor, didn't you previously say that geniuses should fight at higher levels and study magic diligently every day to secure a better life for themselves?"

  Ryan froze. He nearly forgot the philosophy he had instilled in Derrick before. If he didn't know the apprentice was a little slow-witted, he would have thought Derrick was being sarcastic.

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  "I'm not going," Evelyn's voice sounded again.

  "I don't care! I'm going! Are you going to untie me or not?" Ryan's expression made him look like a tiger about to strike.

  Seeing this, Derrick and Darlene silently stepped back a few paces, huddling together to whisper:

  "Mentor is really trying to take charge, daring to be so fierce with Mentor's Lady," Derrick scratched his head.

  Darlene raised an eyebrow, her tone full of curiosity.

  "Do you think your Mentor can handle Evelyn?"

  "Of course! I believe in Mentor!" Derrick said confidently.

  The two of them leaned closer and closer, their heads nearly touching, even feeling each other's breath, completely unaware.

  Hearing Ryan speak with such a tone, Evelyn was not angry. On the contrary, she felt a spark of curiosity.

  She had known Ryan for a long time, but this was the first time she had seen him speak to her this way. She wanted to see what he could do.

  Her tone carried a hint of amusement."If I don't untie you, what exactly do you think you will do?"

  "You won't untie me?" Ryan gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and suddenly did something no one expected.

  He rushed to Evelyn's feet, wrapping his arms tightly around her calves, pressing his head against her skirt like a spoiled child.

  "I don't care! I'm going to the palace! If you don't untie me, I'll just hold onto your legs forever!"

  He started rolling and thrashing on the floor, messing up her skirt, completely unconcerned about the people around him.

  From afar, Derrick and Darlene watched the scene, their mouths twitching at the same time. The previous conversation now seemed like a joke.

  "Looks like we overthought this," Darlene said, helplessly adjusting her forehead.

  Derrick awkwardly smiled."Mentor's way of resisting doesn't seem at all like what we imagined."

  Ryan didn't notice their gazes. Holding onto Evelyn's legs, he looked up at Derrick not far away and shouted,

  "Look! Your Mentor's Lady won't let me go to the palace and has me tied up! What do you think I should do?"

  After shouting, he turned back to Evelyn, whining:"I don't care! I'm going! Either you untie me, or I'll stay lying here until you promise to take me!"

  Evelyn said nothing.

  Evelyn was completely speechless at Ryan's latest tantrum, her brows tightly furrowed as she silently thought: how can someone be so shameless?

  She lowered her gaze to look at Ryan at her feet, his clean white clothes now covered in dust.

  "Get up!" Evelyn said.

  "No!" Ryan hugged her legs even tighter.

  Evelyn was silent for a few seconds, but finally gave in:"We're going."

  "R... really?" Ryan had just been about to refuse out of habit when he suddenly realized, his voice cutting off mid-sentence.

  The crying, whining expression on his face instantly transformed into a joyful grin. He quickly let go, flipped onto his feet, and brushed the dust off his clothes, moving so nimbly that it was hard to believe he had just been throwing a tantrum.

  From his understanding of Evelyn, coupled with their time together, he already knew her temperament.

  She was the classic type who responds to softness but resists force. Confrontation would only make her more stubborn, while a little whining could make her compromise. He smirked inwardly: she's really easy to manipulate.

  "Then untie me quickly!" Ryan held out his bound wrist, shaking the binding rope, his eyes full of anticipation.

  Evelyn said nothing and simply walked toward him.

  Thinking she was coming to untie him, Ryan instinctively stood still. But Evelyn brushed past him without pausing at all.

  Unprepared, Ryan stumbled slightly, the binding rope tugging him off balance, and he had to scramble to keep up with her pace.

  Evelyn walked up to Darlene and Derrick, who were still whispering to each other, and said quietly,"Let's go."

  "Let's go!" Darlene immediately responded, her face lighting up with a joyful smile.

  She had been worried that Evelyn would continue refusing, but it turned out Ryan's rolling-on-the-floor tantrum really worked.

  Ryan followed behind, brushing dust off his robe, his mind already scheming: once at the Eryndor Empire palace, how could he"borrow" a few valuable things?

  Should he"borrow" potions and magic crystals that could boost his magic rank, or"borrow" enchanted weapons brimming with powerful energy?

  The four of them walked out of Sword Mage Academy's gates under the astonished gazes of the other apprentices, heading toward the imperial palace down the mountain.

  As the first and second place winners of the entrance trial, Ryan and Evelyn were already famous within the academy. The apprentices paid close attention to them, and now, seeing the two of them still bound together by ropes, they whispered among themselves:

  "They clearly look like a couple. Why are they walking tied together? Wouldn't holding hands be closer?"

  "Maybe it's some kind of special preference between them?"

  Hearing the comments behind him, Ryan felt utterly helpless: I want to hold her hand too! But Evelyn simply won't give me the chance!

  Evelyn, however, ignored all the gazes around her, maintaining her usual cool demeanor.

  ……

  An hour later, the four finally arrived at the Eryndor Empire palace.

  The guards at the entrance wore enchanted armor and held long spears, their demeanor steady. They were clearly highly trained soldiers.

  Derrick couldn't help but look around, while Ryan discreetly surveyed the palace layout, his eyes scanning each building as he calculated:

  That spired palace looks majestic, maybe the magical treasury;

  The domed one nearby is likely the hall storing potion resources.

  Of course, he had no intention of stealing."Stealing" sounded bad, he called it"borrowing."

  Once he used these things to improve his magic rank, he could return them later. How could that be called stealing?