Marcus slammed the table and sprang to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury. The energy surging around him turned violent under the weight of his rage, and his hand lunged as if to seize Allen.

  Allen reacted instantly, with no intention of taking the blow head on. He ducked behind Evelyn at once, pressing tightly against her back and only peeking out with half his head.

  With deliberately panicked tones, Allen said,"Do you dare to strike me? Go on! Hit me!"

  "The regulations of the Radiant Magic Academy clearly state that elders are forbidden to fight or attack apprentices within the academy. That is a serious crime!"

  "What is more, as an elder, bullying a first tier apprentice like me is abusing your authority and picking on the weak. If this is reported to the Holy Tribunal, at best you will be stripped of your position, and at worst you will face severe punishment!"

  "I am just a talentless apprentice. If I die, it does not matter. If I can drag an elder like you down with me, that would be worth it!"

  Hearing Allen's words, Marcus's outstretched hand froze in midair. His eyes burned with rage, nearly spitting fire, yet reason told him that every word Allen said was true.

  The academy's rules were strict, and the Holy Tribunal was always merciless toward abuses of power and the oppression of juniors. If he truly struck, he would only hand his enemies a weapon against himself.

  With nowhere to vent his fury, Marcus slammed his palm hard onto the wooden table beside him.

  "What a sharp tongued little wretch you are!" Marcus trembled with anger.

  "You worthless piece of trash with no talent! Just you wait! Do not think that hiding under Eleanor's protection means you can stay safe in this academy forever!"

  After hurling these harsh words, Marcus angrily flung his robe aside and, without caring about Eleanor and Evelyn's expressions, turned and strode out.

  Only after Marcus left did Evelyn slowly turn around. She looked at Allen, who was still clutching the corner of her clothes, looking thoroughly shaken, and said,"Are you not letting go yet? He is already gone."

  Allen laughed awkwardly and quickly released his grip. He scratched his head and patted his chest, pretending to still be frightened.

  Eleanor sighed softly. Her gaze swept over the shattered remains of the tables and chairs scattered across the floor, her eyes filled with worry, before settling on Allen.

  With a hint of self reproach in her voice, she said,"I never thought that my moment of soft heartedness in taking you in as an apprentice would instead bring you such trouble."

  "If you had magic talent as outstanding as Evelyn's, Marcus would not dare to provoke you so easily. But unfortunately, your magical affinity is low and your talent is ordinary."

  "Marcus has gathered quite a few elders and apprentices to his side within the academy. You mocked him in public today, and he has already taken a grudge against you. From now on, he will surely trip you up in secret. Your situation may become dangerous."

  Allen nodded obediently, though he did not care in the slightest. In his eyes, Marcus's little bit of influence was nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree.

  As long as he stayed within the Radiant Magic Academy, with Eleanor's protection and the restraints of the academy's rules, no one could easily lay a hand on him.

  Once outside the academy, he could act without restraint. Any people Marcus sent after him would only become nourishment for his magic.

  But he did not want to leave this place. Other academies on this continent all conducted strict talent tests when recruiting apprentices.

  Having finally slipped into the Radiant Magic Academy under Eleanor's protection, he would never leave.

  Allen spoke sincerely,"Mentor, you are right. It is my own mediocrity and careless words that brought trouble to you and Evelyn."

  He raised his head, his eyes filled with determination."From now on, I will study diligently, research magic day and night, and catch up to Evelyn as soon as possible, so I will no longer be a burden to you.

  "When that time comes, no one will dare to bully me so easily anymore."

  Allen sighed quietly to himself. On this continent filled with magic and conflict, his hope of lying low and living peacefully had completely fallen apart.

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  He said to Eleanor,"Since Evelyn has already recovered, please have her take me to the Arcane Library. I would like to choose a few basic spellbooks and begin studying in earnest right away."

  Eleanor opened her mouth, but the words of persuasion that reached her lips never came out.

  She had wanted to explain the stakes again, to tell Allen that the path of learning magic was not something that could be achieved in a single day, and that with his talent he would likely gain little.

  It would be better for him to endure for now and make plans after the storm passed.

  But she never expected that this seemingly timid apprentice would have such tenacity, choosing the hardest path, and the one least likely to free him from trouble quickly.

  "Very well. Since you have made up your mind, let Evelyn take you there," Eleanor said.

  Letting him try for himself was fine. Once he experienced how difficult learning magic truly was, he would naturally retreat in the face of hardship and put away these unrealistic notions.

  Evelyn said nothing, only nodded calmly and turned to walk out of the reception hall.

  Allen quickly followed. The two of them, one after the other, passed through the courtyard corridor and arrived on the stone path in the front yard.

  Only then did Evelyn stop. She turned to look at Allen, her tone carrying a hint of concern.

  "Are you sure you want to go with me? Right now, rumors about us are spreading all over the academy."

  "If other apprentices see us walking together, the gossip will only grow worse, and it will be even harder to explain."

  Allen grinned and stepped up beside her."If we sneak around and act secretive, it will only make people more suspicious."

  He spread his hands and continued,"It is perfectly normal for us to go to the Arcane Library together to pick out books. Let us walk openly. Let people say whatever they want."

  Hearing Allen's words, some of the concern in Evelyn's eyes faded. She did not try to persuade him further and turned toward the main gate of the courtyard.

  This was the first time since Allen entered the Radiant Magic Academy that he had stepped beyond the bounds of the Eleanor Estate. The scene outside the courtyard was completely different from the quiet within.

  They had not gone far when countless gazes were drawn to them.

  There were looks of curiosity, contempt, jealousy, and low whispered discussions. Eyes moved back and forth between the two of them, filled with scrutiny.

  Allen did not care at all. He continued to walk calmly beside Evelyn, his steps steady.

  Before they reached the Arcane Library, a figure suddenly stumbled out from a side path ahead of them and ran over.

  When the person came closer, Allen recognized him. It was Graham.

  Graham grabbed Allen's arm, his voice urgent and flustered."Allen! How dare you come out at a time like this! Come back with me, quickly!"

  "I just came from the academy training grounds. Karen heard that you stepped out of the Eleanor Estate and is bringing a group of people this way. It is obvious she is trying to block you!"

  As he spoke, Graham tugged hard at Allen, trying to pull him back.

  Allen gently patted his hand to calm him, his tone carrying a note of gratitude."Graham, thank you for coming all this way to warn me. I will remember this kindness."

  He paused, his gaze sweeping over the onlookers around them, his voice calm.

  "But you do not need to worry. The academy's rules are strict. No matter how arrogant they are, they will not dare to attack openly within the academy."

  As he spoke, Allen turned his head to glance at Evelyn beside him, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint, easy smile.

  "Besides, with Evelyn here, even if they really dare to act out, they may not gain any advantage."

  Allen's words seemed to make some sense, yet the unease in Graham's heart did not fade. He urged anxiously,"Allen, do not try to be brave!"

  "In the academy, with the rules in place, they truly would not dare to attack you openly. But you cannot stay inside the academy forever!"

  "You may not know this, but although Karen is far inferior to Evelyn in both talent and magical rank, his father is Elder Marcus, and he has deep roots within the academy."

  "If they want to scheme against you, they have plenty of ways. They can easily find an excuse to send you on a mission outside the academy.

  Once you are somewhere without supervision, all alone, will you not be the one who suffers?"

  Hearing this, Allen raised an eyebrow with curiosity, his tone carrying a hint of amusement."Elder Marcus? I just met him. He is quite a hot tempered old man."

  He paused and looked at Graham."You are saying Karen is his son? I heard from Evelyn that the one spreading those rumors is this kid?"

  Graham nodded."That is him. He has quite a bit of influence in the academy. Even those of us who came to apply together do not dare to offend him."

  "Some people, under pressure, made up those false stories, and they spread until they became more and more outrageous."

  "I also explained to the people around me what happened that day at Umbra Gorge, that you were only trying to save someone.

  When Evelyn was badly injured and unconscious, you had no choice but to hold her shoulder to steady her. There was nothing improper about it."

  "But I am insignificant and have no background. I am just a freelance mage. No one believes what I say. There is really nothing I can do to help you."

  Allen understood his difficulty. Graham was only an apprentice who had just passed the test, and of course he did not dare to offend an elder's son.

  That he was willing to take the risk to come and warn him already showed the utmost loyalty. Allen patted Graham's shoulder, signaling that he should not take it to heart.

  At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded from behind Graham.

  "Graham, you are quite loyal. I thought you were sneaking around earlier and that something was off. So you really came to tip off this piece of trash, did you?"

  Graham stiffened all over and could not help but shiver, his face turning pale in an instant.

  He slowly turned around and saw Karen standing a few steps behind him, staring at him with a grim expression.

  "Karen, please do not misunderstand!" Graham's voice trembled as he hurriedly waved his hands in explanation.

  "I was just passing by and ran into Allen. We took the talent test together before, so we just chatted a little."

  Karen lifted the corner of his mouth into a cold, meaningful smile. His eyes swept over the flustered Graham with utter disdain."Why are you so nervous? I did not say I was going to blame you."

  "You look as if I were about to harm him."

  Karen then looked at Allen, his gaze filled with contempt.

  The next second, his eyes suddenly locked onto Evelyn. The grim look softened at once, completely different from before.