Outside the coliseum area, precisely in the vast main plaza of Larkvood Academy, a cool breeze blew, carrying the remnants of tension from inside the arena. Kazien walked with calm steps, closely followed by his three fiancés from behind. Their destination was singular: to approach Lidaz and the entire flock of griffons resting in the open area.
Seeing Kazien's completely flat, expressionless face, Alvin, Allen, and Arken secretly glanced at each other. The hearts of the three teenagers were suddenly overwhelmed with worry. They knew very well how protective Kazien was of their privacy. Now, after Lidaz had proudly leaked their identities and relationship status to the host king, the three of them were afraid that Kazien would use the flock of griffons to vent his frustration.
Once they were close enough, Kazien's footsteps stopped.
"Lidaz, Roviz, everyone!" Kazien called out.
Instead of being angry, the silvery-white-haired youth's tone radiated absolute authority, reflecting the figure of a true leader gathering his troops.
Hearing their master's call, Lidaz, Roviz, and the entire flock of giant griffons immediately stood up. They flapped their wings slowly and bowed their heads, ready to listen to whatever their master had to say.
"Get ready now! We will return immediately!" Kazien ordered firmly and directly.
Hearing that Kazien only gave departure instructions without a single scolding or punishment, Alvin, Allen, and Arken let out a long sigh in unison. They felt incredibly relieved, but at the same time, a hint of guilt crept into their hearts for having accused and doubted Kazien's emotional control toward the griffon flock.
"Understood, Master!" Lidaz answered, followed by a low roar of agreement from the rest of the griffon flock.
Not long after the order was given, the sound of many approaching footsteps was heard from the direction of the VIP corridor. The group consisting of King Nalvon, Duke Elgard, Duchess Larina, all members of the Altavis family, the Guartav family, and Dean Claus was seen walking toward them in the plaza.
"Kazien, are we returning directly to Garveon today?" asked King Nalvon once he was standing near the youth.
Kazien turned his head and nodded slowly. "Yes, Your Majesty. Let us prepare and return immediately. I also have absolutely no desire to linger in this place any longer. I want us to leave before detailed information about my identity spreads further into the academy before the four of us officially graduate from there!"
King Nalvon chuckled softly and nodded in agreement, fully understanding Kazien's train of thought, which always sought to avoid useless complications.
Kazien then turned his body and approached Dean Claus, who was standing not far from his father. With a very polite movement, Kazien took out the gold-plated crystal trophy from his dimensional storage.
"Mr. Dean, please accept this trophy. My three fiancés and I have kept our promise to win this tournament." Kazien said respectfully as he handed the prestigious trophy into the Dean's hands.
"Thank you very much, Kazien!" Dean Claus said with sparkling eyes, receiving the trophy symbolizing the academy's glory with both hands, trembling slightly with pride. "I truly hope your absolute victory this time can motivate all the students of our academy in Garveon to study and practice magic even harder."
"I also hope for the same." Kazien replied with a polite smile.
However, a second later, that smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. "And I also strongly hope that the disciplinary rules within the academy can be tightened from now on, especially for the nobles who frequently act arbitrarily. Because honestly, Mr. Dean... during my time as a student there, the academy felt exactly like a trash bin before it was finally cleaned."
Dean Claus could only smile stiffly while rubbing the back of his neck, well aware of the sharp yet highly accurate jab from his best student.
Having finished giving his honest evaluation to the Dean, Kazien shifted his gaze. His eyes now looked straight at Prince Felix, who had been standing silently next to King Nalvon.
"I also have high hopes for you, Felix."
Strangely, Kazien's tone when uttering those words suddenly softened drastically. There was no longer the cold firmness like when he threatened the world in the arena earlier. His voice sounded very warm and familiar, exactly as if he were speaking to a biological family member, or even to his three fiancés.
Hearing that drastic change in tone, Felix instead rubbed his own arms with a wary expression.
"I don't mind at all if you place higher expectations on me to manage this kingdom in the future." Felix said, his eyes narrowing sharply to stare right into Kazien's sapphire blue eyes. "But please, stop using that kind of tone! When your voice suddenly softens like that toward me, it truly gives me goosebumps. It feels as if you are talking to your three fiancés!"
Kazien merely responded to the prince's complaint with a faint smile laced with teasing.
"Why are you still acting so shy and awkward around me, Felix?" Kazien teased innocently. "Even though you hugged my body so tightly that Allen, who practically never gets jealous, became incredibly jealous of you at the time."
Hearing that embarrassing secret exposed just like that in front of his parents and everyone in the plaza, Felix's eyes widened. The crown prince's face instantly turned as red as a boiled crab.
"S-Shut up, Kazien!" Felix snapped in a panic, his voice cracking from embarrassment, his hands waving in the air trying to deny it. "I-I didn't mean it like that! At the time, I just... I just liked hugging your body because it felt comfortable as a brother! Not for any other reason!"
Before Felix could clear his name from the misunderstanding, Allen, who had been listening all along, suddenly chimed in with an overly deadpan face.
"Even when you were completely naked?" Allen interjected, his tone innocent but its destructive power extraordinary.
Checkmate. Felix instantly froze with his mouth half open. His already red face now seemed to be emitting smoke, at a loss for where to hide his face.
Seeing the flustered reaction of their future king, a burst of hearty laughter immediately erupted from Duke Elgard, King Nalvon, and everyone standing near them. The tense atmosphere typical of the tournament had completely evaporated without a trace.