After three days of preliminaries, the staff had gradually adapted to the workflow, and their efficiency had improved significantly.
So at mealtime, Nora finally had some free time to eat with Ron.
The two left the control room and headed down to the first-floor lobby of the venue.
Mia, Eileen, Soren André, and Penny were already waiting there. After the six of them met up, they walked together toward the hot pot restaurant on Moonview Street.
Penny wasn't particularly interested in the Magic Duel tournament.
She only came along occasionally because Soren André insisted on working as a commentator.
At first, she couldn't even understand the matches—she was just there to watch him.
But after several days of overwhelming visual and auditory stimulation, even someone like Penny, who had no initial interest, began to get drawn in.
As they strolled down Moonview Street, the four ladies walked ahead together, attracting most of the attention from passersby.
The two men lingered behind, admiring the scenery while chatting.
"I heard Penny didn't want you to be a commentator at first?"
"That's not really up to her. Besides, she enjoys watching now."
"You can really stick with this? I thought you'd quit after the preliminaries."
"Ha! Looking down on me?"
Soren André suddenly put on a serious face.
"This is such a great position—I'll naturally carry it out with dedication and professionalism…"
"…Speak like a normal person."
"Alright, alright." His expression instantly turned cheeky again.
"I just think your Magic Duel tournament is a great opportunity."
"Just the preliminaries alone draw nearly ten thousand spectators."
"And those people will spread the influence even further."
"In the future, the audience for Magic Duels will only grow larger."
"And among them—there'll definitely be plenty of cute and charming girls!"
Soren André puffed out his chest proudly.
"And me! I'm a professional commentator for the very first Magic Duel tournament!"
"There are thousands of players, but fewer than ten professional commentators."
"That's way more impressive than being some Gold-tier player!"
"Only 16 people can enter the round-robin finals—but there are even fewer commentators!"
"Doesn't that make me amazing?"
"By the end of the tournament—or even during it—tons of girls will know my name."
"Anywhere there's Magic Duels…"
"…will become my personal hunting ground."
"..."
Ron had long grown used to this kind of nonsense.
This time, he didn't even feel surprised.
Instead, he calmly took out a small, palm-sized device engraved with a sound-recording magic array.
He twisted the dial, switching from recording mode to playback mode.
The next moment, Soren André's own voice echoed out:
"…there'll definitely be plenty of cute and charming girls…"
"…every place with Magic Duels will become my personal hunting ground."
Soren André's eyes went wide.
He instinctively glanced ahead to make sure Penny hadn't heard—
Then immediately lunged to grab it.
Swish.
The recorder vanished into Ron's inventory.
Looking at Soren André's furious expression, Ron chuckled.
"Not bad quality, right?"
"You're shameless!" Soren André hissed in a low voice.
"I trusted you to say those things!"
"And I trusted your character enough to record them," Ron replied with a grin.
Soren André rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Fine! I see what kind of person you are now, Ron André. Just you wait!"
"I'm not trying to sabotage you," Ron said casually.
"I just want to discuss a few conditions."
Soren André immediately deflated.
Thinking about that recording, he leaned closer and whispered:
"…What conditions?"
Ron smiled faintly.
"I don't care about your relationship with Penny."
"Even if you use your commentator status to flirt, that's your business."
"But if you damage the reputation of Magic Duel commentators…"
"…I can't guarantee this recording won't end up in Penny's hands."
"Deal! No problem!" Soren André nodded rapidly.
"You can trust my integrity in this matter!"
To be fair, while Soren André's views on relationships were questionable, he had never actually caused serious trouble.
Except with Penny.
Part of it was his skill.
Part of it was because, as the rather unremarkable Sixth Prince, no one bothered targeting him.
And part of it was his own rules:
He avoided noble ladies above the rank of count
He avoided commoners entirely
According to his own "standards," his targets were usually daughters of lower-ranking noble families.
They were:
Easier to impress with his title
More open-minded about relationships
And thus, the most "suitable" for his pursuits.
"Ahem…" Soren André rubbed his hands.
"I agreed to your condition—how about you agree to one of mine?"
Ron eyed him suspiciously.
"What do you want?"
"It's nothing big." Soren André grinned.
"That plant that can display images… and that recording device…"
"Can you give me one of each?"
Ron immediately understood.
Without hesitation:
"No."
If things like Mimic Grass and recording devices fell into Soren André's hands—
Ron was certain that within a month, they'd be filled with all kinds of "Royal Capital exclusive footage."
And if even one of those leaked—
It would instantly turn into a full-blown royal scandal.
"I'd only use them for romance… and maybe to record my glorious exploits," Soren André tried to explain.
That explanation made it worse.
"Not happening."
Ron cut him off and quickened his pace to catch up with the four girls ahead.
With others nearby, Soren André didn't dare bring it up again.
But the way he looked at Ron—
It was full of deep, lingering resentment.