Chapter 128: Eat Shit

"Why are you here?"

The day after the fierce battle, Moyuna arrived at Rubi's private kitchen for breakfast as usual, only to be surprised to find the petite girl she had fought yesterday sitting there as well.

"A-woo, mmm, mmm."

Qianye currently lacked any semblance of a princess's elegance. She held a skewer of roasted meat in each hand, biting into them ravenously, her small mouth bulging with too much food.

"Speak like a human."

"I haven't finished our duel yet. How about we find a spot and go again?"

Qianye swallowed the food in one gulp. Watching the lump travel down her slender neck, Moyuna felt she might choke to death at any moment. However, battle mages possessed incredibly tenacious vitality; as soon as she swallowed, Qianye was already enthusiastically offering a challenge.

"Oh? And what’s your real reason?"

Moyuna glanced at the table; there were dozens of meat skewers piled up. Due to their different energy expenditures, the appetite of a battle mage and a mage differed significantly.

"Just like I can sniff out a strong opponent, I have a very keen sense for food as well."

"Eat up and get out."

Moyuna was the type to flip her attitude in an instant. Even though she had been laughing and enjoying herself yesterday, she didn't want to see the girl today—perhaps because Qianye’s attire was too revealing, giving her the air of a vixen.

Rubi had no opinion on their relationship; he simply sat opposite Qianye, silently eating his own breakfast. The Magic Saint girl sat to his right and looked at the bowl of white porridge that had been placed there earlier to cool, showing an expression that said, "You know your place." She disliked food that was too hot.

"Hmm?"

Just as Moyuna picked up her spoon to eat, she suddenly noticed her right hand trembling uncontrollably. She couldn't even grip the spoon, let alone eat.

"Is it strange? Someone like you, who never exercises, suddenly starts swinging a weapon. It was fun while it lasted, but now you have to pay the price in daily life."

Rubi explained the reason with a blank expression. As a Magic Saint who usually lacked the strength to truss a chicken, she had actually been hacking away at someone with a sword—did she really think there wouldn't be consequences? The muscle soreness would likely last for a while.

"Ugh, it's just eating! My left hand works fine too!"

Facing Rubi's lecturing, Moyuna angrily turned her head away and switched the spoon to her left hand. She began a difficult breakfast journey; since it wasn't her dominant hand, she splashed porridge onto her face after only a few bites.

The Magic Saint stiffened and turned her head. Sure enough, Rubi had seen her embarrassment. Though he didn't show it much, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth—the exact same one the vixen opposite her wore!

"You're laughing? What’s so funny? Go back to being your usual poker-faced self!"

Moyuna was so incensed that she acted out of spite. She grabbed Rubi’s right hand and bit the fried dumpling he was holding on his chopsticks right out of his hand. Only when she saw he had nothing left to eat did she feel a bit better.

"Want another?"

Rubi was long accustomed to Moyuna's capriciousness. He picked up another fried dumpling from the plate and held it to her lips. The Magic Saint feigned reluctance as she accepted the feeding; she wasn't accepting charity, she told herself—she just didn't want to do the work!

"You two really have a great relationship."

Watching the two of them shamelessly flaunting their intimacy, Qianye wore a faint smile again. Because she had been obsessed with cultivation, she had no concept of such feelings at her age; she only thought they looked warm, like family.

"Not at all!"

Of course, they were close, but Moyuna would never admit it. Being tsundere when an outsider was present was the only logical choice.

"So, is eating from the same pair of chopsticks a tradition in the Holy Empire? I'm not really sure."

"Yes, hmph, that's exactly it."

"Well, since it's a tradition, feed me a bite too. Ah~"

As she spoke, Qianye leaned slightly toward Rubi. Due to the angle, her chest, tightly wrapped in leather armor, was on full display. To put it mildly, she was more well-endowed than Moyuna had imagined.

"Eat your porridge! You little vixen!"

Moyuna was furious. She picked up her bowl and aimed it at Qianye’s face. How could a girl so short have such a cleavage? It had to be because she was intentionally cinching her armor too tight! She hoped it would be so tight it caused a rib fracture!

Qianye was naturally prepared. She extended a finger to press against the rim of the bowl, bringing it to a halt without spilling a single drop of porridge—her control was perfect.

"Don't play with food."

Just as Moyuna was thinking about how to teach this vixen who dared to flirt with a man right in front of her a lesson, Rubi’s flick to her forehead landed. Moyuna pouted and pulled the bowl back. For a moment, she had forgotten that Rubi hated wasting food more than anything.

"Miss Qianye, about that thing at the bottom of the lake..."

Rubi hadn't made this breakfast for nothing; he was naturally trying to gather more information. He had checked with Aqua again yesterday, and the mermaid was still lively and claimed she hadn't found anything strange in the lake.

"I don't know. I've already told you everything I know, and I don't intend to investigate further. Besides, I can't take it with me anyway."

"I understand. The school anniversary is in a few days. Relax and enjoy it before you head back."

Since she had said as much, Rubi didn't intend to press further; it would be rude. He would just have to wait until he was free to go underwater and see for himself.

On the day of the anniversary, the two magnificent golden gates slowly swung open. Tourists had been waiting outside for a long time. To maintain order, the Rhine Magic Academy only allowed the first thousand people to enter, regardless of whether they were nobles or commoners. After paying the registration fee in resident stones, they could enter this legendary academy, which had opened to the public for the first time in a hundred years. Upon stepping inside, everyone marveled at the abundant magic energy surging beneath their feet.

Those who failed to obtain entry permits could only sigh in frustration outside the gates. However, the anniversary activities would last for three days, and the number of permitted visitors would gradually increase, though even that was a mere drop in the bucket for all of Trerima.

When people finally tore their attention away from the magic energy underfoot, what they saw were two rows of simple stalls set up opposite each other. These wooden stalls couldn't compare to the neat shops on Student Street; some were even crooked. But these had been built by the students themselves. Curious, the visitors walked up and discovered they were all food stalls.

Students interested in cooking had gathered here, as the smoke made it impossible to set up shop inside the academic buildings. This was more than enough, however. Tourists who hadn't eaten breakfast were more than willing to pay to grab a bite. Few students at this academy were short on money, so the prices were symbolic; they were more interested in the joy of seeing their own creations being purchased.

Although the taste might have been a bit strange, everything was made by the students' own hands. Some interested visitors even asked Rubi for guidance, and seeing the students' clumsy techniques, some people even stepped in to teach them how to do better. This greatly facilitated interaction between the commoners and the students. Previously, they had viewed the students of Rhine Magic Academy as cold, unapproachable geniuses; today, they finally realized they were just like everyone else. This was exactly the scene the headmaster had hoped to see.