The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　Following the Academy Cup Duel Tournament, Dark Demon, who defeated "Baron of the Night" Noah Sharp in the Magic Duel, has now come into the view of the nobles of the capital.

　A young archmage with such performance cannot be ignored.

　If the Duke's mansion hadn't had such high standards, it would probably have been overrun with matchmakers the very next day.

　In fact, even after Dak returned home, suitors continued to frequently visit his home.

　After all, Dark Dimon will be fourteen years old after today's birthday. Before the war ended, this was an age where he was eligible for marriage. However, all the visits he has received so far have been rejected by Arvit without hesitation.

　But today is, after all, Dak Dimon's birthday, and it's not easy to refuse those who come to congratulate him and bring birthday gifts.

　Janice greeted the visiting nobles with a smile, repeatedly explaining that there would be no banquet that evening. However, she accepted all the gifts they brought.

　Sometimes, receiving gifts is an art in itself.

　If we already refused them to attend the birthday party, refusing their gifts as well would be somewhat disrespectful.

　By refusing one and accepting the other, both sides can save face. As for the gifts that are piling up...

　Victoria, who arrived home a couple of days ago, is currently leading a group of magical elves in a massive demolition spree!

　Considering that today was also Victoria's last day off, Dak didn't mind.

　The "silent sage" Buckner Sellers, the "former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens" Buddy Plante, and the "official tutor" Monica Cooke are all already in place.

　Dak's goal was simple: to make up for all the classes Victoria had missed before returning to school!

　Otherwise, even if Dark gave it special treatment and let it sneak into the academy's summer camp activities, it would most likely not understand or be able to keep up.

　Because the summer camp activities are quite special, Dark also intends to have several of the better-performing magical elves participate and attend classes with the first-year students.

　For example, Sylveon, Eevee, Gatomon, Renamon, and Impmon have all completed their first-year courses and performed well in their final exams.

　Don't let its seemingly carefree attitude fool you. It's incredibly serious when it comes to studying, because it has a very strong competitive spirit and a great sense of pride.

　In contrast, Victoria's skin was practically as thick as a city wall. However, Dark has now changed its educational strategy, preparing to take an elitist approach. Those magical elves who don't like studying only need to complete basic education, and then they can cultivate their special talents according to their own interests.

　This is also largely due to the increasing number of magical spirits he possesses.

　However, just like humans, magical spirits are also suited to some and not others, so there's no need to force it too much.

　Moreover, if he were to train every magical spirit to become a mage, his resources would be somewhat insufficient.

　Furthermore, the magical power of the magical spirits themselves also limits their ability to perform. Dark has not yet found a solution to this problem, so there is still a long way to go.

　Victoria's magic is different from Phoenix's; it comes from external supplementation, and therefore, it is also limited in this respect.

　But since it is a proper student, Dak will not be too lenient with it.

　All I can say is that I won't force it.

　noon.

　Claire, Evelyn, and others also returned to the Duke's mansion, and there were a few more people at the dining table.

　As Victoria ate, she counted the gifts she had opened that morning, and proudly showed off some of the small accessories she was already wearing.

　Dak looked helpless, while Claire laughed heartily.

　After lunch, Dak immediately went back into the laboratory to continue his research on the "Sacred Weapon Curse".

　But the debugging that Yalvet completed in just one day was extremely difficult for him.

　Even if there are already ideas to refer to, the same applies.

　Since he started his research last night, Dak's biggest takeaway has been that he is absolutely unable to master the "Sacred Weapon Spell" in the short term.

　Therefore, he quickly adjusted his mindset, keeping a calm attitude and focusing on the process rather than the result, which actually accelerated the research progress.

　But just as he was getting into the zone, he received a notification from the maid that a classmate was visiting.

　This is very embarrassing.

　Janice could refuse visits from everyone else, but it was difficult for her to refuse visits from the young master's classmates.

　"I'll receive him personally."

　Dak sighed, looking rather helpless.

　There are so many students from the elite academy in the second year alone. If their parents really want them to come, those students won't be able to refuse, and they'll probably all have to bite the bullet and come.

　Even if they genuinely wanted to wish Dark a happy birthday, such gestures would become tainted once family interests were involved, and they themselves would likely feel awkward about it. And if Dark Dimon, as the host, didn't step in at this point, it would probably be difficult for them to remain friends in the future.

　There are still four years of schooling ahead of me, so I can't afford to make things too awkward with my classmates until at least the end of these four years.

　Therefore, Dark had to come forward in person.

　He set out tea in the reception room and greeted each person individually; the conversation flowed smoothly. It wasn't just the students from the Noble Academy, nor just the second-year students; more and more students from St. Marian Academy came to visit, bringing birthday gifts.

　Among these people were upperclassmen from various grades with whom he had interacted, as well as first-year students he had taught.

　Dak received them all and accepted their congratulations without question. As for their "requests," the maids meticulously recorded them, so he didn't need to worry about them too much.

　So that's what interpersonal relationships are all about.

　Because of the classmate relationship, the treatment received during a visit is different, even though it's the same thing.

　Around three o'clock in the afternoon, Dark received Doron in the reception room. Since the dueling tournament ended, the Doron family had been in contact with the Duke's mansion, and naturally they wanted to make a gesture for Dark's birthday.

　After Duolong presented the gifts on behalf of his family, he began to ramble on about his experiences since returning home. It was as if he had finally found an opportunity to pour out his heart, and was just one step away from bursting into tears.

　"So, Franklin personally set up a study plan for you, which means he's really taking care of you." Dark rested his chin on his hand, feeling happy for the first time this afternoon.

　Indeed, human happiness is built upon the suffering of one's companions. Doron, with a bitter expression, complained incessantly, "I suspect he might have been traumatized after losing to Noah Sharp in the duel. Let me tell you, he's like a madman on the training field… Okay, he's my uncle, I shouldn't speak ill of him, but… but he's really going too far! Who forces people to get up at five for training? I've never gotten up that early even at the academy! This is finally a holiday, and it's worse than school! At least at school I don't have to get up so early, and I can rest at night. You don't know, if it weren't for your birthday, I wouldn't even be able to leave the house. I also heard they've hired three tutors! Three! Are they going to work 24/7? And there are still three months of holiday left! This is unbearable!"

　Dark: "..."

　Because he didn't know what to say, Dark said nothing. At that moment, listening was the best comfort.

　However, the fact that Duolong can receive preferential treatment from his family's resources is certainly not a bad thing.

　With the Doron family's resources, hiring a few sufficiently excellent mage tutors wouldn't be difficult, and they could also easily obtain materials from sub-dragon species.

　Although the quality of those materials is mostly inferior to that produced in the Academy Dungeon, they are more than sufficient for the use of Doron alone.

　In short, this is enough to make up for the disappointment of Duolong not being selected for the summer camp. At least it will ensure that he will not fall out of the top group of his grade after he enrolls in the next semester.

　Perhaps there is still more room for growth.

　Duolong's schedule was very tight; he arrived at three o'clock and had to leave at four. He had less than half an hour to himself during that time, and he clearly didn't get to express himself fully in his lament.

　The students who arrived later seemed to be influenced by him, and they all complained about the unsatisfactory holiday life.

　Today is only the sixth day of the holiday, but it feels like the next 86 days are already set in stone.

　Before the holiday, I look forward to it; after the holiday, I miss going to school.

　This is probably a true reflection of their situation.

　It wasn't until 5 p.m., after the last student left, that Dak was finally free.

　He moved to another living room and saw Diana and Rose chatting with Joey and Jon.

　Dark thought for a moment, considering whether he should send Jon to a knightly order for military training.

　After all, he had already arranged to send Joey into the maid corps for military training, and it wouldn't be good to leave Jon alone at home, right?

　Since they are twins, they should naturally share joys and sorrows.

　As soon as Dark entered, Jon and Joey became noticeably reserved. Diana and Rose, however, became much more lively.

　The two of them managed to escape from Debbie Giles' clutches by using the excuse of celebrating Dark's birthday.

　When Dark saw Diana, he was thinking about something else entirely.

　He intended for Alvette to take Diana under her wing. However, Alvette was indeed too busy, and it would be meaningless to simply take her under her wing without providing her with proper instruction.

　I want to become his disciple, but I have to wait for the right opportunity.

　In addition, Rose's physical abilities are very lacking. If possible, she should also train her body, otherwise she will find it difficult to adapt to the new dueling rules.

　I wonder if the college will teach this.

　Dark thought that perhaps the summer camp curriculum would include relevant content. If not, he would have to teach it himself.

　A little while later, Dak's other cousin, Kyle Dimon, also arrived.

　Kyle was born in the same year as Dark, but earlier, and was a chubby little boy with a round face.

　He has an affinity for the Light element; his mother is from the Dimon family, and his father is a pastor. Therefore, he was specially admitted to the Holy Mystic Academy. He is now finishing his second year and will be a third-year student in the fall.

　Dark hadn't asked much about his situation at the Holy Mystic Academy, but given his timid nature, it was unlikely he was at the Holy Knight Academy; he was most probably at the Holy Son Academy.

　Thinking about it that way, he must have been classmates with Witt Gold for a month. I wonder if he and Witt had any connection whatsoever.

　So when the chubby boy timidly sat down in the corner of the sofa, Dak asked him directly, which startled him.

　"It seems the trauma of leaving him in the cabin on the back hill for the night hasn't faded yet."

　Dak felt helpless and tried his best to express his inner feelings.

　As a result of the inquiry, although Kyle really wanted to make contact with the legendary son of the hero, he didn't have the courage to send a greeting until Vittor left the Holy Mystic Academy—he was truly a Zen-like person!

　Despite his overly timid personality, he was surprisingly an excellent student, and at the end of the semester he even accepted an invitation to the summer camp of the Holy Mystic Academy—or rather, the Holy Mystic Academy called it the "Holy Order."

　This should have been classified information, but when Dak asked, he spilled the beans.

　Considering his family's position, Kyle pondered for a long time whether or not to join the "Saints' Order".

　But when he finally thought that by joining the "Holy Church," he would only need to stay at home for a month during this year's long holiday, he readily agreed.

　Fire prevention, theft prevention, and protection against Dac.

　In short, unlike St. Mary's College, the Holy Mystic Academy directly established the "Holy Order" under the pretext of "receiving divine revelation" and recruited students semi-openly, regardless of their background.

　The Vatican is most adept at "assimilation," and religion and secular authority are conceptually two different things, so there is no conflict between them.

　Regardless of a student's background, once they join the Holy Church, they become a member of the Holy Church.

　Whether the followers are loyal is another matter entirely. However, the Holy Church has its own methods. For example, by establishing the title of "Twelve Knights of the Round Table" within the "Society of Saints," it can effectively implement elitist education.

　Those like Kyle, whose background checks are inadequate and whose personal beliefs are insufficient, would find it difficult to become one of the "Knights of the Round Table".

　In short, even if you only use the "Saints' Church" as a way to catch up on weekend tutoring, it's still a very good option.

　Darko Dimon's birthday party started at 6 p.m.

　The number of participants at this party was indeed small; even among the main members of the Dimon family, only a small portion attended.

　Dak and several peers sat at a table. When the birthday cake was brought up on a trolley, he took out a birthday candle in the middle of the room, closed his eyes to make a wish, received blessings, and then cut and distributed the cake.

　After finishing the cake, the birthday party came to an end.

　Dark played with his peers for a while longer, then sent them away one by one, and then... continued his research!

　Last night's theme was "bliss," and today's theme remains "pride."

　Now, "Bliss" has only 92 points left, "Greed" has been reduced to 90 points, and "Pride" had already been reduced to 90 points long ago.

　In order to extract "Pride", Dak can only grow on its own.

　Then, on the following evening, he again proactively increased his "arrogance" and then extracted it.

　In this way, he would have 9 points of "Arrogance".

　This was entirely within Dark's plan. After extracting more than 7 points of "Pride," the next step was to find a substitute for the insect branch, use "Pride" to feed the only "Cat Grass" he brought, and cultivate the [Pride Fruit (Cat)].

　The day.

　Dark sent a letter to Emma Metis in Phoenix, postponing the meeting to the 11th.

　In the afternoon, he received news that Noah Sharp had officially joined the Dragon Claw Knights.

　Meanwhile, Teddy Doron has begun a three-month-long retreat.

　Then, Prince Charles and Princess Elizabeth suddenly disappeared from the public eye.

　Anna and Angie also disappeared at the same time as them... It is said that they were also "in seclusion" in the palace.

　Anna and Angie are one thing.

　Charles and Elizabeth's sudden "seclusion" has a significant impact on their respective factions in the U.S.

　The two factions were suddenly left leaderless. Charles's forces had long since fallen silent, while Eliza's forces were still very active.

　Under these circumstances, Arvit had no choice but to step in again and take over the power of the eldest princess, which was still under her influence.

　Of course, she was merely acting as a proxy, not devouring. That's the grace of a Valkyrie.