When the sun on the eastern horizon had not yet begun to show its rays, Arvin slowly opened his eyes.
The blue-haired youth rose slowly from his position. Around him, on the large beds lined up neatly in the hall, all of his spouses were still sleeping very soundly. Their breathing sounded regular, and their faces radiated a profound peace. Arvin smiled in relief seeing their peaceful faces as they slept soundly.
As a husband and the head of the family, there was nothing more satisfying for him than ensuring the people he loved could rest safely by his side.
Without wanting to wake those who were fast asleep...
Zap!
In the blink of an eye, Arvin's body had already moved right near the main door of the shelter house. He turned the doorknob soundlessly, stepped outside, and walked towards the terrace of the house.
The youth looked at the dawn sky that was beginning to turn slightly bright. The cold air hitting his face made his mind clear again, and right then a realization hit his head.
Why didn't I drink a mana recovery potion yesterday? thought Arvin, slapping his own forehead. Even though I have healing and mana recovery potions inside my dimensional storage space.
He let out a disappointed sigh at himself for having forgotten about all those potions. The tension while performing the Soul Seal ritual apparently made his brain ignore the most logical solution.
If only I had remembered it yesterday and drank it before using teleportation magic, I certainly wouldn't have ended up fainting and troubling them.
Amidst the struggle in his mind, Arvin suddenly flinched. Guilt now seized him as he remembered his promise to the princess of the Holy Kingdom of Galdius.
Goodness... why did I completely forget about that? Arvin cursed in his heart, massaging his temples. Yesterday, she must have come and met them right when I was unconscious. I'm sorry, Elenora. I have broken my promise to you, and this is truly very embarrassing!
Trying to cast away his regrets, the blue-haired youth walked down to the yard of the house. He spread both of his arms wide and took a deep breath, enjoying the cool morning air to clear his mind.
Today is the last day of the tournament. Arvin thought, staring straight ahead. After the matters at this academy are finished, I will go to the palace library to look for that book, and at the same time, I want to ask about the intentions of the assassins who are secretly following me!
Arvin slowly clenched his fists.
And then, Kylen and I will immediately head to the Flamort Kingdom to meet his father and propose to him properly. I hope I can find that magic book and study it there!
After doing some light exercises to loosen his muscles, Arvin turned around and walked back into the house to get ready.
....
....
A few hours later, the atmosphere inside the Victoriaz Academy tournament arena felt very different.
The boisterous voices of the audience filling every corner of the stands echoed deafeningly. Their enthusiasm was extraordinary, extremely impatient for the one-on-one battles that would soon be held to determine the true winner.
A female host standing on the main podium immediately started the one-on-one tournament.
"Good morning, everyone! This morning, we will directly begin the one-on-one battles of the tournament participants!" the female host exclaimed from the podium, her voice booming throughout the arena. "Let us welcome the first match of today... between Arvin Vedegra against Prince Kylenciel Carventias Alua Flamort!"
The cheers of the audience instantly erupted accompanying the call.
The two called participants stepped toward the center of the arena. As soon as the two of them stood facing each other a few meters apart, they immediately stared intently at one another once they were in the arena.
"Darling, do your best!" Kylen exclaimed with a very serious look in his blue eyes, there was no longer a spoiled expression on his face. "I know you would never have the heart to hurt someone you care about. But, for the sake of my pride as a prince and to prove my worth in your eyes, you must fight against me with all your strength!"
Hearing the request from the prince, Arvin smiled faintly and remained standing casually.
"I have a plan for you!" Arvin answered casually yet harboring firmness. "And I assure you, you won't regret it after fighting me today."
Kylen nodded firmly. He believed wholeheartedly in Arvin, then smiled in satisfaction at him.
Seeing both fighters were ready, the host on the podium immediately gave the cue.
"The one-on-one battle... BEGINS!" the host exclaimed from the podium, immediately followed by the thunderous sound of applause from everyone.
Zap! Thwack!
Even before the audience's applause subsided, with a movement so fast it couldn't be followed by normal eyes, Arvin had disappeared and appeared in front of Kylen, then punched his stomach quite hard.
"Ugh..." Kylen let out a suppressed groan, his body immediately bending over while holding and enduring the pain in his stomach.
Instantly, the entire arena fell silent. Everyone was greatly shocked to see Arvin's incredibly fast and unreasonable movement.
"Come on, get up, Kylen." Arvin said with a flat tone. "Is your strength only this much?"
Hearing the provocation from his husband, Kylen gritted his teeth. Enduring the pain in his stomach, the bluish-white-haired youth slowly tried to stand tall.
"Darling, you're indeed amazing!" praised Kylen enthusiastically, holding his aching stomach. "You truly deserve to be my husband. And it seems I really have to test my worthiness to be able to proudly stand by your side as your sixth spouse!"
Arvin smiled proudly at him, admiring the prince's resolve.
"Release your power, My Dearest!" Arvin challenged gently.
Hearing the affectionate term 'My Dearest' coming from Arvin's lips, Kylen's fighting spirit instantly peaked. A magic aura radiated from his body, and within seconds, large-sized water balls had appeared around his body.
Splash!
With a single swing of his hand, all the water balls shot swiftly towards Arvin like bullets.
Splash!
However, Arvin did not move a single bit. Arvin cast the exact same water magic out of thin air and immediately neutralized all of Kylen's water balls heading towards him until they became mere water splashes in the middle of the arena.
Seeing his first attack fail, Kylen changed tactics.
Whoosh!
Kylen quickly launched stormy wind magic towards Arvin again, intending to trap him.
Arvin raised one of his hands.
Whoosh!
A blackhole suddenly opened in front of him and completely devoured and swallowed all of Kylen's wind magic, leaving nothing behind.
Arvin aimed his hand forward but controlled a bit of his power so as not to inflict a fatal injury on his sixth spouse.
Crackt! Crash!
A flash of lightning struck fiercely from above and hit Kylen's body directly, causing the arena ground the prince stood on to crack and shatter into pieces.
"Aaaahhh....." Kylen let out a suppressed scream.
Thud!
The youth immediately fell to his knees on the destroyed arena after his body felt a tremendous pain as if being electrocuted by high voltage. He was panting heavily, signaling that the limit of his capability had been reached at the hands of the man he loved.