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

　Another peaceful night.

　October 10th, Saturday, morning.

　The autumn sun still carried a hint of warmth as students in school uniforms walked along the four paths leading from the tower to the cafeteria, their conversations filled with excitement.

　Although the students have a strong sense of collective honor and greatly admire the players who get to compete, objectively speaking, they are ultimately outsiders.

　Before the official match begins, the spectators can simply enjoy the atmosphere of the upcoming match.

　The last time there was a large-scale event like this was the last time.

　The newly enrolled first-year students are also lucky; after only a little over a month of experiencing magic duels, they are able to watch the matches and enjoy an audio-visual feast.

　Last week's opening ceremony was just a warm-up; this week's main competition is the start of the real show.

　Not only St. Marian Academy, but almost all the magic academies across the continent were organizing their students to enter the venue.

　The colleges that participated in this year's "College Championship" attached great importance to today's competition.

　The sense of anticipation grows even stronger when students from various colleges know that their voices can be transmitted to the athletes' ears through the spatial hubs within the venue.

　Compared to the opening ceremony, the organization of the main competition day was significantly more formal. The academy even formed official cheerleading teams, determined to maintain a strong atmosphere both on and off the field.

　Audiences other than students also made preparations in advance for watching the film. Even those who couldn't get tickets inside the venue booked seats in various viewing plazas.

　Even if all else fails... you can still stand!

　On the surface, this year's "Academy Championship" is not even as important as the Kingdom's Heroes Tournament.

　However, because it actually involves various races, it receives far more attention than the Heroes' Assembly.

　This is probably the most watched event between the various races since the end of the war.

　Many viewers even elevated the event to the level of national sports and race. It had a bit of a "mini World Cup" feel to it.

　Once it reaches this level, the audience's patience may not be so good.

　On the contrary, those who are less virtuous are more likely to experience verbal abuse. This is also a source of stress.

　From the moment they step onto the stage, the contestants are under immense pressure.

　Under these circumstances, players who lack mental fortitude are also very likely to underperform.

　Of course, there are also those who perform better under pressure. Those types are basically born warriors.

　St. Maryann Academy did not hold a special gathering for the contestants before the competition. The pre-competition contestants gathered separately and went to the cafeteria, just like any other day.

　However, students from the other seven colleges had already gathered outside and then went to the cafeteria together to discuss the matter.

　This weekend's competition is for the lower grades, but the upper grades are also eligible to participate. They will form an "advisory group" with their team leaders and participate in competition analysis and tactical planning.

　Of course, St. Marian's Academy doesn't have this kind of setup either. The reasons for this are self-evident.

　When Dak entered the cafeteria, it was already full of people.

　He put on his school uniform, wore his badge, had a familiar perched on his shoulder, and wore an approachable smile.

　Very happy.

　I successfully broke through a problem last night, and I'm able to stand on the dueling stage again today.

　For him personally, everything has been good lately.

　It even makes one feel that at some point in the future, they will suddenly have to pay the price. Whether it's because he offended the goddess of fate or not, Dark always feels that one day he will suddenly be struck by bad luck.

　Shaking his head, Dak got two breakfasts and slowly walked to an empty table. The food in the cafeteria was as plentiful as ever.

　He not only ordered a steak but also a pasta dish, topped with sauce, which looked and smelled delicious.

　Little Devimon's breakfast consists of small bread rolls, bacon, and milk.

　After all, it stands upright on one leg, eats with its paws, and eats small bread rolls one bite at a time—delicious and convenient.

　"Good morning, Dark. Good morning, Devimon." Good morning, Emma. x2

　Emma, ​​carrying her tray, sat down opposite Dak.

　Her plate was full of vegetables and fruits, and even her cup was filled with some green, unidentified herbal tea. It was unclear what she was thinking.

　Instead of being tactless enough to ask directly, Darke simply asked, "How are the preparations for the competition going?"

　Emma said calmly, "I've prepared a few decks that can be changed. But there's very little I can do; I can only do my best."

　Dark looked up, somewhat surprised, and said, "That doesn't sound like something you'd say." Emma rolled her eyes at him and said, "Otherwise, you don't think I'm the kind of person who would say, 'Even though the opponent is strong, I'm sure I'll win,' do you?"

　"Haha," Dark chuckled dryly, "That's a good mindset, too. Besides, that's more like a student from the Knights Academy, isn't it?"

　Emma said, "You know what? I applied for a transfer to another hospital."

　Dark blinked and said, "I really don't know. Did you apply? What do you think?" Emma covered her forehead, looking exhausted. "Professor Sylph rejected me."

　Dark smiled: "You should be the Knights of the Academy."

　He had barely finished speaking when he looked to the side and said, "Oh, the Knights Academy has arrived."

　After a while, Victor and Robert sat down at the table together. Both of their plates were piled high with beef, and the rich aroma of the meat even made Emma show a look of disgust.

　Robert started shouting as soon as he sat down, as if he were a contestant himself.

　The other three kept quiet and ate their food.

　Robert shouted for a while, then suddenly realized no one was responding. He scratched his head and asked, "Don't be so nervous! Although our opponent is very strong, we will definitely win in the end!"

　Witt glanced at him and said, "Eat, Robert." Then he lowered his head and swallowed quickly.

　It must be said that binge eating is indeed a good way to relieve stress. After finishing this large plate of beef, Witt felt much calmer.

　He wasn't usually one to get stage fright, but this time his opponent was undeniably strong, and his desire to win was extremely intense, so it was understandable that he was nervous.

　Among the contestants, almost no one could remain completely calm. The other contestants from different colleges, also in the cafeteria, were more or less nervous.

　The students of St. Mary's Academy have the home advantage, while the opposing team is playing away, putting them at a natural disadvantage. Although they are preparing diligently, they don't actually have much confidence in winning the championship.

　In fact, this was because the contestants from various colleges displayed overwhelming strength during the exhibition match, which gave them a basic understanding of their opponents and made them realize that they had no advantage whatsoever.

　If any of them harbored arrogance before arriving at St. Mary's Academy, they certainly do not now.

　However, the fact that no one has an advantage is equivalent to everyone having an advantage. From the audience's perspective, a closely contested match is more enjoyable.

　However, what we see so far is only a simulation based on the exhibition match. The contestants from each college have not actually faced off, and the final result is still unknown.

　After meal.

　After leaving the cafeteria, Dark and his three companions headed to the open-air dueling arena.

　There was still a considerable amount of time before the start of the competition, but the open-air dueling arena was already ready.

　Inia Knight, now a sixth-grader and captain of the Duel Club, remains in her position because she hasn't been able to find a satisfactory successor.

　Her time is running out, and theoretically she must relinquish her position before the end of this semester—even if the successor's abilities are questionable.

　Therefore, she now has a particularly sharp eye for people, and is constantly looking for a successor.

　However, none of the people she liked were willing to take on the position of head of the dueling club, while those who were willing to be head were all people she didn't like.

　While the position of Minister of the Duel Club brings many benefits, the work involved in this role is... much more!

　Becoming the minister of the Duel Club,

　It means giving up almost all of your time outside of class, making it a really tough job.

　After the previous minister, William, graduated, Inia Knight gradually found herself overwhelmed with her own graduation project.

　However, the current members of the Duel Club are simply not up to the task, so we have to find a way to bring in new members from outside.

　This "Academy Championship" is also an opportunity for her. Because older students are really hard to fool... cough cough! In short, younger students are obviously much simpler, and maybe she can find someone with potential who is willing to put in the effort.

　With a glimmer of hope, Inia entered the athletes' lounge assigned to St. Marian Academy.

　Among the preliminary contestants in the lower grades, several girls arrived earlier than the boys.

　She pushed open the door and entered, a smile playing on her lips as she began to chat with them.

　As the head of the Duel Club, Inia is very popular at St. Marian Academy.

　Even if someone doesn't know who the student council president is, it's impossible for them not to know who the dueling club president is.

　The third-year students present had all spoken with her before. When she entered and inquired about their concerns, the third-year girls were very reassured.

　However, Inia's heart was not in this matter; she only wanted to find a successor among them.

　Emma and Sarah are the best options, but they probably have more to do than she does, so they probably won't agree.

　Diana and Rose are also good choices. Diana seems honest and hardworking and has more drive, while Rose is more meticulous and diligent and can calmly handle troublesome matters.

　There are only four third-grade girls; second-grade students are not considered. For boys, Witt and Doron are also good choices.

　Doron was initially lacking in some areas, but he has shown great improvement in previous exhibition matches.

　As the son of a hero, if Vitold could be recruited as a minister, he might be able to attract more talent to the Duel Club.

　As for Darkdemon... let's just forget about it!

　Inia sincerely felt that the dueling club should not become a cage that bound him.

　A moment later, Dark and his group arrived at the players' lounge. "Good morning, Senior Knight."

　Good morning, Dak.

　Seeing that all the contestants had arrived, Inia stood up and said, "I won't disturb you any longer. Good luck in the competition."

　Dark smiled and said, "With your words of encouragement, senior, we will definitely work harder."

　Inia walked to his side, flicked his forehead lightly, shook her head, and walked out of the lounge.

　Dark closed the door and said seriously, "Then let's begin." As the captain, he needed to understand the card preferences and skill levels of his team members in order to make reasonable tactical arrangements.

　Fortunately, he knows all the contestants in the lower grades very well, and now he only needs to delve a little deeper into the subject, which will be sufficient.

　Next, we need to develop strategies for each college.

　The basic format of the "Academy Championship" is a single-elimination tournament, with only one chance to fight in each round. The winner advances and the loser is eliminated.

　The loser gets 0 points, and the winner gets 12 points.

　If you can win three consecutive rounds and become the stage champion, you will get a high score of 36 points.

　The same competition format is used for both the lower and upper grade groups, and the highest score a student from the same college can achieve is 72 points.

　The final all-grade competition has a special format. Even a college with zero points has a theoretical chance of winning.

　Of course, theory is theory, and practice is practice. Theory and practice must always be considered separately.

　Royal Capital Duel Branch Hall.

　Inside the hidden box directly above the audience seating, a rather awkward scene is unfolding.

　This morning, for some reason, the old king lost his mind and sent invitations to both the Duke's Palace and the Papacy to watch the game together.

　Neither Alvitt nor Pope Sith had a reason to refuse, so they had no choice but to agree. This resulted in the current three-way standoff.

　King Austin Clarissa sat in the center, with Pope Patrice Sis on her left and Valkyrie Alvita Dimon on her right.

　Behind these three people sat their respective companions.

　They are Princess Elizabeth, the twin paladins Emily Grantham and Albert Grantham, and Claire Kate, who was forced to come by Alvite with a gun to her head.

　Claire really, really didn't want to come.

　Even a fool could guess that coming here would only result in suffering.

　She clearly wanted to fully enjoy the audiovisual feast, cheer for Dark, and celebrate the prosperity of the "Magic Duel Club".

　As a result of the willful behavior of an old man, he was locked up in this suffocating place.

　The word "bitter" is far too much to describe. However, he was definitely not the only one suffering greatly.

　The Twin Paladins and Eliza, who had finally gotten a chance to get some fresh air, both had faces that looked like they had swallowed flies.

　Fortunately, they were sitting behind the three kings, so their facial expressions wouldn't be seen; otherwise, they would have had to hold it in all day.

　No, it's probably not just one day, but two whole days!

　Eliza was still struggling for the hard-won opportunity to get some fresh air, while the Twin Paladins were already considering taking sick leave tomorrow.

　However… the palace pastries were quite delicious. That was probably the only consolation.

　"Which college do you think will win the lower-grade group competition?"