The Hutton Kingdom.
A full day had passed since Lanqi entered the Shadow World.
On this Saturday morning, sunlight pierced through the thick layer of clouds, casting a warm glow over the brickwork and glass of the royal capital, Ikerite.
In this city that retained an antique charm while boasting advanced modernization, red-brick buildings gleamed in the morning light, their glass facades mirroring the azure sky and pure white clouds.
At Ikerite Central Station, mana rail trains glided smoothly with a steady hum, ferrying residents and visitors to their destinations at high speed.
Walking through the concourse level, the clamor gradually receded into the distance, replaced by the crisp jingling of shop bells interwoven with the melody of a busking bard plucking his instrument in the square afar.
A middle-aged man dressed as a merchant walked up to the edge of the plaza across from the central station. He boarded a small sightseeing carriage and began his journey through the city.
The soft leather seats of the carriage rocked gently, welcoming a cool, pleasant breeze.
Though his temples were flecked with gray, his grace and dignified bearing remained undiminished, every hem of his attire pressed impeccably neat.
"That little brat better not let me catch him."
Sitting in the carriage and gazing out at the scenery of Ikerite, Noe Wilfort could not help but mutter to himself.
This had all started when news reached him that Professor Borao, the Dean of the School of Magic Engineering, had sent a hefty fine to their household.
Lanqi Wilfort's father, Noe Wilfort, had made a rare voyage by boat from Glen Waverley City on the Creti Empire's northern border all the way back to South Vantina on the southern frontier of the Hutton Kingdom.
A few days earlier, when Noe had first received a transnational magic communication from Butler Hans, he was thoroughly astonished.
Before leaving the Hutton Kingdom the last time, he had explicitly instructed Butler Hans that unless there was grave, catastrophic news regarding Lanqi, there was no need to resort to the exorbitant, procedurally cumbersome, and tightly regulated transnational communication devices.
If the boy had merely stirred up some minor trouble, Hans was simply to clean up Lanqi's mess on his behalf.
Consequently, during all his months in the Creti Empire, Noe had not received a single word about Lanqi.
Noe naturally assumed that the brat had realized the sheer gulf between himself and the prodigies of his generation once he arrived in the royal capital, scuttled back to South Vantina with his tail between his legs, and resumed his carefree, aimless days.
After all, there was no way in the world Lanqi could have passed the School of Alchemy's entrance examination with just that fleeting bit of cramming.
"*Sigh*, it wasn't as if my standards for him were ever that high."
Noe sighed. He knew very well that Lanqi was not cut out for academia in the slightest; forcing him to study had merely been a way to keep him disciplined.
From the very beginning, Noe had never expected Lanqi to actually gain admission to an esteemed institution like Ikerite Academy.
As long as Lanqi did not turn crooked or invite disaster, that was good enough.
And yet!
One would never know without returning home, but the moment he returned, he received the shock of his life!
That brat had allegedly passed the Ikerite Academy entrance exam, and since heading off to the royal capital, he had not returned home even once!
What was more, he had actually been admitted into the School of Sages!
Even though the fine from the School of Magic Engineering and Lanqi's admission letter looked remarkably genuine, the more Noe thought about it, the more suspicious he became.
Thus, Noe took an overnight mana rail train across the kingdom to rush toward the capital. The moment he stepped off, he set out for Ikerite Academy, located in the heart of the city.
Along the way, the carriage bore the heavy-hearted Noe past Ikerite's renowned landmarks.
The morning on the Hutton Pedestrian Plaza had not yet reached its peak hustle and bustle. From the sleek, artistic buildings beneath the Erica Magic Tower to the broad, tree-lined avenue along the Yarra River, shops of every kind were gradually preparing to open their doors, letting the faint aromas of coffee and pastries drift through the air.
After roughly half an hour,
the sightseeing carriage arrived near the academy.
The legendary Ikerite Magic Academy stood at the very center of the royal capital.
Carrying a light black briefcase, Noe stepped onto the academy's grounds.
After taking just a few paces, he was greeted by a grand, harmonious chime.
It was the resonant toll from the iconic ancient bell tower of Ikerite Academy. It rang nine times in total before falling silent, indicating that it was now nine in the morning.
The bell tower stood amidst a sprawling lawn, surrounded by lush, leafy trees. Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage and scattered across the green grass, forming an intricate mosaic of light and shadow.
Following the map on the guideboards, Noe wove his way through the various buildings.
He saw the School of Sages' Ancient Tower Library, its exterior walls inlaid with delicate reliefs, and the School of Knights' Arena, adorned with pointed lancet windows. Magic screens were visible everywhere, their surfaces reflecting the sky and the surrounding greenery.
After walking for over ten minutes,
Noe found himself thoroughly lost on campus.
He sensed that the main building of the School of Magic Engineering he was looking for should be nearby, yet he had no idea how to follow the signs through the massive garden to find the School of Magic Engineering's Old Liberal Arts Building, and from there cross through to the engineering quarter.
Just as he was puzzling over his path,
he spotted a figure in the sparsely populated garden.
A student had finally appeared.
"Excuse me, miss, do you happen to know the way to the dean's office for the School of Magic Engineering?"
Noe hurried forward to ask the approachable-looking girl with light blue hair.
Aside from a mana-recording camera slung around her neck, she wore two badges on her chest, indicating that she was both a student council member and a reporter for the *Hutton Times*.
"Of course! I can take you there. May I ask if you have an appointment?"
The girl, whose name badge read Luvishir, immediately flashed a warm smile, exuding a lively, cheerful energy.
As the student council secretary, she had recently been called back to help out due to a staff shortage. She had only just come downstairs from the third-floor student council room in the Old Liberal Arts Building when she ran into someone in need of assistance.
"Yes, I have an appointment. Professor Borao will be waiting for me in his office before noon today,"
Noe replied, silently praising the Hutton Kingdom's finest academy for having such well-mannered and helpful students.
"Assuming I haven't been swindled, that is..."
Noe added under his breath.
Truth be told, even now, he strongly suspected that the rotten brat had forged the admission letter to the School of Sages.
Perhaps the boy had run out of money and devised a wicked scheme, concocting a bogus fine to squeeze a massive sum from home so he could continue living lavishly in the capital.
And the person he had contacted yesterday via domestic magic communication might not have been the real Professor Borao at all, but merely an actor hired by that scamp.
If that was truly the case and Noe caught him red-handed, he would beat the little menace within an inch of his life!
Yet the admission letter and the fine were simply too convincing to dismiss out of hand...
The only flaw lay in the peculiar nature of the party issuing the penalty.
It had not been issued in the name of Ikerite Academy, but under the private name of Professor Borao, Dean of the School of Magic Engineering.
As a seasoned merchant, Noe knew very well that in a claim for damages, it would make sense for an institution to fine an individual, or for an institution to fine another institution.
Yet an individual fining an institution—Professor Borao demanding compensation from the Wilfort Chamber of Commerce—was downright bizarre!
It looked strikingly as though Professor Borao was conspiring with Lanqi to extort money from their family!
Chapter 166