Chapter 280: Stadium

After finding a decent restaurant to dine in, Zen and Lena began feasting themselves in delicacy.

"You don't have to eat that quickly…" Lena mumbled softly when she saw the way Zen ate his food.

It was an unrefined manner, and it had caused a few customers to stop themselves as they glanced at Zen's eating behavior.

"Everyone's looking at your manners," Lena added, hoping that he would stop embarrassing himself.

She was still a person from royalty, and it was unappetizing for her to be able to eat calmly.

Meanwhile, Zen shrugged his shoulders as he showed a fierce glint at the other customers who were giving him a funny look.

The customers quickly avoided his fierce glare as they turned around and focused back on their table.

"Hmph, talk about table manners. Isn't it fucking rude to stare at others?" Zen snorted coldly.

Afterward, he glanced at Lena and kindly reminded her of something.

"And you, Lena. Don't forget your current predicament, so I suggest you stop worrying about table manners and simply enjoy the food." 

Lena was baffled as she paused herself for a moment.

'Zen's right… Who am I to judge anyone given my current position?' Lena showed a bitter smile as she nodded her head.

"You're right, Zen. Why should we care about some etiquette anymore?" She smiled gently and dropped her table manners.

Originally, she was taking a small bite of each food and made sure to control herself.

However, with Zen's reminder, she no longer acted like some royalty but merely some commoner who was just trying to enjoy her meal.

Zen nodded his head in approval.

"That's right, being restrained by unnecessary stuff is dumb and retarded, to begin with." He said calmly.

Sometime later, Zen and Lena finished their meal as they called for a waiter to get the receipt.

Of course, Zen didn't use his own money to pay for it but used Madam Evie's name.

"Make sure to put it in Evie's tab," Zen told the waiter when he showed him the receipt.

The waiter nodded his head.

"Understood, patronage Zen." He said kindly and walked away.

He wasn't living under the rock to not know who Zen was, so he didn't dare to refuse his request.

Meanwhile, Zen laughed wickedly as he wondered how much money he could take from Madam Evie.

'Heh, you stole my girl away and caused me to suffer much…Now, it's payback time and make a dent in your wallet.' 

"Anyway, let's leave for the stadium," Zen said as he stood up.

The tournament event was going to start in a few days, but it wouldn't hurt to go and check out the opponents.

Although he had seen the list of participants before, it would be more accurate to see it in person.

After leaving the restaurant, Zen and Lena began walking toward the large stadium that was already filled with multiple people.

"Didn't you say the tournament will begin in a few days?" Lena asked in confusion when she saw the streets being filled to the brim.

It was extremely difficult to even walk by without bumping into another person accidentally.

Zen held Lena by the waist and decided to fly high up in the sky.

"These people are probably trying to hog the best seat available in the stadium." He said while glancing down at the sea of people.

"It's just some mage tournament and nothing special. But I guessed it means a lot to them… considering how they are even resorting to violence to get the best seat."

Lena tilted her head slightly to look at what Zen was talking about.

"Those people are way too frantic." She commented.

From above, she could see some brawl starting to occur and no security guard had come out to stop them.

There were some people bleeding from the injury already.

Zen could only shake his head slightly at this sight.

"People are really funny sometimes," Zen said as he held Lena and glided toward the stadium.

Unlike others who had to fight for their seat, Zen could directly enter the core of the stadium.

Not only was he a participant in the mage tournament, but his identity was also special.

He had the backing of two princesses, and even one of the top 3 influential families in the Jade Kingdom was fearful of him.

As soon as the security guard saw Zen gliding downward with a woman in his arm, he quickly bowed.

"H-Hello, sir…" The security guard said nervously.

"No need to call me sir. I'm just here for sightseeing." Zen calmly replied.

The security guard nodded his head and opened the door for Zen.

Although he was curious about the woman in his arms, he didn't dare to question him nor block his path.

"There are already a few participants inside the waiting room," The security guard informed Zen of others.

"Hmm, I see…" 

Sometime later, Zen walked inside with Lena, and instantly, multiple lights shone toward his eyes.

The glamorous furniture around the room and ridiculous decoration were enough to cause multiple commoners to drool over.

"Sigh, this reminds me of how humans have different classes and levels…" Zen touched the spotless and clean wall in disappointment.

Lena also agreed with Zen as memories of her living back in the slums flashed in her mind.

"This place and the slum were as vast as heaven and Earth," Lena mumbled as she could tell one piece of furniture here was enough to feed a poor person for at least 5-7 months.

Zen gently patted her back. "Stop focusing too much on the past… People need to learn to walk forward and continue to improve."

Lena smiled slightly as she wrapped her hand around his arms.

"T-Thank you, Zen." She muttered.

"Don't thank me yet. You might be regretting those words in the future." Zen said with a mysterious smile on his face.

Right when Lena wanted to ask what he meant by that, they were suddenly interrupted by a group of people.