The Cliché Annulment Scene

However, the Taeharin family's elders, who never involved themselves in such matters, had brushed them off ambiguously.

But instead of understanding this as a rejection, the other family had deluded themselves into believing they had secured an engagement with the Taeharin family.

More than twenty years later, that family learned that the eldest young master of the Taeharin family had developed health problems, causing his magic level to decline, with little hope of recovery.

They decided to cancel the engagement, unwilling to let a "useless" young master drag down their promising young lady.

And so, the public witnessed the dramatic scene of an annulment.

If this were true, then things were about to get interesting—wasn't this just a real-life case of playing the victim while being the perpetrator?

Illiya couldn't help but laugh at the imagined backstory of this annulment.

Surely, there couldn't be anyone that foolish on this continent, right?

During Illiya's brief moment of distraction, the annulment incident was finally reaching its conclusion.

After the eldest young master of the Taeharin family swore a venomous oath before the statue of the God of Magic, the onlookers' opinions became overwhelmingly one-sided—no one believed the group that had come to break the engagement anymore.

Swearing before a deity was a sacred act.

If one failed to fulfill their oath, or if their words were false, divine punishment would surely follow.

In Eoryun's case, if he were lying, his entire life would be ruined.

After swearing his oath, Eoryun shifted the burden onto the grim-looking man before him. "I've already sworn before the deity. Now, shouldn't it be your turn?"

The grim-looking man stood frozen in place, unable to respond.

He wasn't even sure whether the engagement was real or not.

If it was real, would Eoryun dare to take such an oath?

That would basically confirm the engagement was fake.

And if the engagement was fake, there was no way he could swear an oath himself.

Now, he was trapped in a dilemma.

Feeling the disdainful gazes around him, the man grew restless, unable to find a way to improve his situation.

Having struck first and failed, he had no solid ground to stand on.

In the end, he could only harp on Eoryun's declining magic level and inability to store mana.

"So what if there was no engagement? My lady is about to advance to a higher level of magic! She is nothing like you, someone who has fallen to the beginner's level! Not having an engagement with my lady is just your bad luck! We're leaving!"

With that, the grim-looking man's dark expression twisted into a smug grin, and his tone regained its arrogance.

Hearing this, Eoryun spoke again, his voice noticeably more solemn this time. "You keep bringing up magic levels—perhaps because that's the only thing you can boast about. But how do you know that my body won't recover?"

"There are countless geniuses across the continent, and advanced mages are hardly rare. Besides, hasn't your lady not even advanced yet? I really don't know what you people have to be so proud of."

"And one more thing—thirty years of the river flowing east, thirty years of the river flowing west—do not look down on a young man just because he is poor!"

His words were impassioned, stirring the emotions of the surrounding crowd.

Illiya, however, felt that something was off.

And when he noticed the approving look in Darius's eyes, his sense of unease deepened.

These words… this scene…

A sudden realization struck Illiya.

Wasn't this exactly like the hot-blooded novels his teacher, the Elf King, enjoyed reading so much?!

The moment he understood this, Illiya found himself unable to take the scene before him seriously anymore.

He still remembered how, in those novels, similar events frequently occurred.

The protagonist would have an engagement arranged early on due to their talent and promising future.

But later, due to various reasons, the protagonist would suffer a setback, turning them into so-called "trash."

At this point, the fiancée's side would abruptly break off the engagement.

And the phrase "thirty years of the river flowing east, thirty years of the river flowing west—do not look down on a young man just because he is poor" was practically a required line during the annulment scene.

Illiya even recalled how, back when he first read such novels, he had asked his teacher why the authors always included this particular trope.

At the time, his teacher had explained—

"Of course, it's to highlight the protagonist's indomitable spirit. But Illiya, when reading novels, don't be too critical of these things. Many elements are purely imaginative. If you overanalyze it, the fun of reading is lost. In reality, who would do something so foolish? That would be openly making enemies. Especially on this continent—who knows which powerful figure you might offend?"

At this moment, Illiya only wanted to tell his teacher: "Look, teacher! The saying that novels originate from reality is true. There really are people this foolish!"

He painstakingly matched everything he had just witnessed to scenes from those novels.

The people causing the breakup—the antagonists, destined to be humiliated in the end.

His refusal to lend the Spring Water of Life—the cannon fodder, definitely wouldn't survive past ten chapters.

The hidden master swordsman among the onlookers—an early-stage golden finger for the protagonist.

Good grief, it was practically identical.

Illiya suddenly felt exasperated.

Before he could even share his realization with his bodyguard, Darius, the swordsman beside him spoke with admiration.

"I had heard rumors that Young Master Taeharin's magic level had declined. I originally assumed he had given up. But after hearing such an impassioned statement today, it proves that he hasn't lost his will. I find myself admiring him a little."

Illiya: "…"

This only makes it feel even more like a novel, okay?!

Rubbing his face in exhaustion, Illiya asked an unrelated question: "Swordsman Darius, would you ever take in a disciple—or rather, impart all your knowledge—just because you admired a stranger a little?"