Chapter8-50,000 Mana Stones!

Joad hid himself.

He only returned to Midwinter Keep after confirming that the professors of Ilan Royal Academy had arrived.

Instead of going to the Twisting Bird Tavern, he found an inn and checked in.

The people from Mington Principality were terrifying.

If he hadn't been clever enough, he would have already been dead at their hands!

The more Joad thought about it, the more he felt chills running down his spine.

He decided he should return to the Royal Academy and never step outside again.

But then, he heard the shocking news—

Midwinter Keep had been sealed off!

Grand Duke Ilan seemed truly enraged and had ordered the professors of the Royal Academy to assist the city defense forces in a thorough investigation.

Forget it!

There was nothing more he could do now.

He might as well stay in the inn and have a good night's sleep!

Thinking this, Joad yawned, then carefully set up nine layers of interwoven and interconnected magic arrays in his room.

Each of these magic arrays had only one function—

Absolute defense!

Not to mention elite mages—even if a grand archmage came, they would have a headache dealing with them.

To completely break through these defenses would require a significant amount of time.

And because of this layered security, Joad was able to sleep soundly.

By the time he woke up, it was already midday.

Stretching lazily, he flew back to the Royal Academy.

—

Inside Ilan Royal Academy

The moment Joad returned, the other students greeted him enthusiastically.

At the same time, they seized the opportunity to ask him questions!

Whenever someone asked for guidance, Joad would always help eagerly.

After all, over the years, he had dabbled in every class—

Knight, Rogue, Mage, Array Master…

If it had a name, Joad had studied it.

So whenever students asked for advice, he always had answers.

Of course, he always attributed his knowledge to Leit, the so-called "genius" who had taught him everything.

Joad loved teaching students at the academy.

Because he knew one simple truth—

The stronger Ilan Royal Academy became, the safer he would be.

And who were these students?

They were the future of the Royal Academy!

Joad answered each student's questions tirelessly.

He even pretended to take out Leit's notes while teaching.

Unknowingly, two hours had passed!

Joad rubbed his aching waist, suddenly remembering something—

Today, he was supposed to welcome Ivy from House Rima!

Oh no!

He slapped his forehead in frustration.

But as he turned his gaze, he noticed a young girl sitting quietly on a bench near the garden.

She was beautiful, with a well-proportioned figure.

Her enchanting eyes seemed to contain magic, making it hard for anyone to look away.

Rodri also spotted Joad and approached in surprise.

"Joad, I can't believe you're this impressive! You only just returned to the academy!"

Joad noticed Rodri's teasing expression, and his lips twitched slightly.

Damn it! He's misunderstanding!

"No, Rodri, you've got it wrong! Let me explain! I was actually—"

"Respected Joad, there's no need to explain."

"I understand everything, truly!"

Ivy also stood up gracefully, her charming gaze landing on Joad's hand, which was still pressed against his waist.

She smiled innocently.

"Hello, Joad."

Even though Ivy had no interest in Joad, she still maintained perfect etiquette.

Joad nodded, then suddenly thought of something and asked:

"Where's Leit? And my brother Harvey? Didn't they come to greet you? That seems unusual."

Ivy shook her head, her beautiful face showing no signs of displeasure.

"Leit seems to be researching magic arrays, and Harvey went to the College of Potions.

They looked busy, so I didn't disturb them…"

"I see."

Joad nodded in understanding.

"Leit is always locked in his chamber researching magic arrays—I don't know when he'll be back.

Tomorrow, I'll go find him. For now, just settle in and rest."

He pointed toward the dormitory building behind the main hall.

"That's the academy's dormitory. You can pick any empty room."

Ivy nodded, showing no objection to his arrangements.

Then, she pointed at the several large chests at her feet.

"By the way, Joad, where should I put these?"

"What are they?"

"They're things Leit likes."

Joad's eyes lit up instantly.

He immediately pointed to his own dormitory, signaling the servants to carry them inside.

—

After everything was settled, Rodri prepared to leave.

Before he left, he gave Joad a knightly bow and said solemnly:

"Joad, I entrust my sister Ivy to you."

"Please take good care of her. We won't let your efforts go unrewarded."

Joad's eyes sparkled.

Originally, he wasn't interested in looking after Ivy—

Especially not a noble lady from a powerful house.

But… if there was a reward, well… that was different.

"Alright, Ivy, have a good rest tonight."

"It's getting late, so I'm heading to bed. Good night."

Before Ivy could say a word, Joad quickly ran into his dormitory and shut the door.

—

Inside the Dormitory

Joad stared at the five chests.

My god!

House Rima really is rich!

Just the mana stones alone—there had to be at least 50,000!

Ilan Royal Academy offered generous stipends.

As an ordinary student, Joad received 100 mana stones per year.

Elite students got 200 per year.

So…

At his current rate, this 50,000 mana stones was equivalent to…

500 years of his salary?!

Joad felt like he was going to pass out from sheer happiness!

He carefully stored all the mana stones in his spatial storage bag.

This was treasure!

His storage bag was spacious, more than enough to hold all the mana stones.

After securing them, Joad checked the other chests.

They contained various notebooks—old and worn.

Flipping through them, he saw that they were all about magic arrays.

"Hmm… just some magic array notes, outdated stuff, nothing interesting."

"I'll just give them to Leit."

Joad shrugged.

He had no interest in these notes—

Mana stones were far more valuable!

—

The Next Morning

Leit finally returned to the dormitory.

He looked exhausted, but his movements were as quick as ever.

The moment Ivy saw Leit, she rushed toward him excitedly.

Her sweet smile and hopeful eyes lit up as she greeted him.

"Leit, you're back!"

Leit merely glanced at her indifferently.

"Mm. If you have questions, ask Joad."

Then, without another word, he turned and shut the door behind him with a loud "bang."

Ivy's smile froze.

A trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes.

She stood there, uncertain what to do.

Joad walked up and patted her shoulder.

"Ivy, don't mind him. Leit is just obsessed with magic arrays."

"You mustn't give up!"