"That's wonderful."
The president listened, nodding earnestly.
He was not merely a leader, but a steadfast supporter who always cared about the well-being and growth of the council's members.
"I'll notify the academic delegation from the Aloran Kingdom for you. It'll be up to you to handle that matter tomorrow," Monaster said.
"No problem. Is there anything else you need our help with?" Lanqi asked, practically brimming with drive.
"Asna and I are already halfway through the troublesome matters at hand. Handing them over now would only waste everyone's time and effort. If anything else crops up with the academic delegation later, I'll trouble you then. As for the rest of the minor chores, Lanqi, you should go visit your father today," Monaster answered with a smile.
"You two go on ahead. I'll stay and help the president and vice president," Frey said, turning toward the two sitting by the sofa.
He knew Lanqi was also supposed to take Hyperion to meet a mysterious woman capable of protecting her today.
This was the perfect chance for them to go together.
"Thanks, Frey, that's a big help."
Both Lanqi and Hyperion quickly voiced their thanks.
If the three of them split up while ensuring everyone remained safe, the only viable division was Frey on his own and Lanqi paired with Hyperion.
After exchanging a few more words with Monaster and Asna, Lanqi and Hyperion departed the student council room. Once they left, the room grew noticeably quieter.
Asna returned to her desk and set to work. The paperwork piled across it was like an ocean; she and the president had plenty to keep them busy over the coming days. Meanwhile, Monaster tersely assigned a few tasks to Frey, and Frey left the room as well.
***
Frey walked alone down the third-floor corridor of the Old Liberal Arts Building, the wide, empty hallway echoing only with his footsteps.
Before he even reached the stairs, however, a familiar figure came into view.
Rounding the corner by the stairwell was a girl humming a cheerful little tune, a mana camera slung around her neck. It was the young reporter on her way to the student council room—who also happened to be their student council secretary, an officer who rarely ever showed her face.
"Hey, Frey!" Luvishir called out in surprise. "Frey, over here, over here!"
Spotting him, she waved vigorously.
Though Lanqi and Hyperion had never met Luvishir, Frey had joined earlier than they had and crossed paths with her before.
Ever since meeting Frey, Luvishir had become a frequent client at his detective agency, commissioning various jobs.
"What is it?" Frey asked, walking over with a perplexed look, adjusting his dark glasses halfway down his nose. Luvishir was one of his rare paying customers.
"What did the president say to you guys this time? Any juicy gossip?" Luvishir asked, her eyes glittering.
"Nothing much. Just told Lanqi to handle Adams. Oh, right—the president did tell us about the old grudge between Dean Loren and Knight Commander Juliana," Frey answered after thinking for a moment.
"Tell me, tell me! Quick!" Luvishir stamped her feet in tiny, excited steps, eager to savor every detail.
"You absolutely cannot report this, and don't go spreading it around. After all, I only heard it secondhand," Frey said after a slight hesitation, speaking with utter solemnity.
He hadn't intended to say anything at first, but remembering that five of the six student council members knew while Luvishir alone was kept in the dark, it felt uncomfortably like they were ostracizing her.
"My lips are sealed. You know me!" Luvishir patted her chest in solemn promise.
"Well, it goes like this. It all started with Dean Loren's fiancées..."
And so, Frey began to recount the story.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Luvishir nodded along intently as she listened.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere on campus.
At four in the afternoon on a late autumn day, the sky had deepened into a richer shade of blue, yet remained bright, washed clear and crystalline by the autumn breeze.
In the School of Alchemy sector stood the Ikerite Academy Medical Center.
The medical center was a flagship hospital directly under the crown and one of the largest healthcare providers in the Hutton Kingdom.
It offered comprehensive medical services, including an emergency department, general practitioner services, specialized outpatient care, and extensive research and teaching facilities.
Situated beside the School of Alchemy near a broad avenue, its location was quiet yet convenient, easily accessible to students, faculty, and local residents alike. The architecture was sleek, modern, and striking—a multi-story glass structure through which the bustling activity inside could be seen.
By day, sunlight flooded the entire building, making it stand out sharply against the blue sky; by night, the hospital's interior illumination turned it into a brilliant jewel against the evening horizon.
The two of them chatted as they walked through the front doors into a spacious, sunlit lobby.
"I never thought the day would come when I'd visit a hospital," Lanqi said. He had walked past this building countless times, but this was his first time setting foot inside.
"Lanqi, have you ever considered that if your skills were even slightly worse, you'd probably be a regular here?" Hyperion muttered softly under her breath.
"Never. I take my health very seriously. My goal is to stay far away from hospitals!" Lanqi said with a proud grin.
"Then you're truly impressive," Hyperion could only praise him.
At the reception counter, the staff members were briskly attending to various inquiries, their demeanor unfailingly warm and professional.
After Lanqi registered and obtained a visitor's pass, the two headed up toward the inpatient ward.
They walked along the clean, quiet hospital corridor.
"By the way, Lanqi, why did your father come to the academy? Didn't you say before that he was doing merchant trade on the border of the Creti Empire?" Hyperion asked, curious.
"He's probably here to carry out a surprise inspection of my academic progress. I'll be sure to give him a proper demonstration," Lanqi answered earnestly, absolute conviction in his eyes.
"..."
Hyperion had no doubt that Lanqi's academic achievements were remarkably solid—solid enough to give someone a heart attack.
Chatting along the way, they soon arrived outside Noe's VIP patient room on the fifth floor of the medical center. Lanqi pressed the doorbell, and after receiving Noe's permission, they opened the door.
The private room's windows faced the sunniest exposure, allowing gentle natural light to pour in. From the bed, a patient could look through the glass and enjoy the campus scenery outside.
Noe was already largely recovered, but when he turned his head and realized that the visitor was not a doctor but Lanqi, his pupils twitched violently.
"Father, are you all right?" Lanqi asked with genuine concern.
"..."
Noe gritted his teeth, not wanting to say a single word to this unfilial wretch.
Every time he remembered the three clergymen this boy had led astray, Noe could only offer frantic confessions to the Goddess of Fate.
Being the father of this utter monster, Noe felt he was bound to suffer divine retribution sooner or later.
However, noticing the classmate accompanying Lanqi, Noe refrained from scolding him on the spot.
"And this is...?"
Noe's attention quickly bypassed Lanqi and settled onto Hyperion.
He recalled the butler and maid mentioning that Miss Tata had gray hair and golden eyes, whereas the girl beside Lanqi had silver hair and amber eyes—she clearly wasn't the one.
Furthermore, she looked about the same age as Lanqi, not several years his senior.
Noe was deeply worried that his son was fickle in love—that after working hard because he fell for Miss Tata, he had immediately turned around and hooked up with another girl the moment he arrived at the academy.
"This is Hyperion. My classmate, teammate, and good partner," Lanqi said, stepping aside to introduce her to Noe.
"Lanqi has spoken of you often. It is an honor to meet you, sir," Hyperion greeted him with a respectful, polite bow.
"I see," Noe murmured, observing Hyperion's calm, sensible demeanor. "Miss Hyperion, thank you for looking after my foolish son."
"Not at all, he has always been the one looking after me."
"You're far too modest. I can tell it must be exhausting putting up with this brat."
That brief exchange convinced Noe that Hyperion was a good girl.
And more importantly, she was clearly a normal, rational human being.
Since their relationship was merely that of partners, Noe felt a brief wave of relief.
After all, Miss Tata was likely pushing thirty; if Lanqi wasted the most precious years of her life and ended up not marrying her, he would be nothing short of a scoundrel.
Even so, Noe had no intention of meddling in Lanqi's romantic affairs.
In the end, whether Lanqi fancied Tata or Hyperion did not matter to him.
As long as Lanqi was devoted and single-minded toward whichever girl he loved, that would be enough.
This Miss Hyperion seemed approachable and gentle; she was unlikely to be one of those unreachably high-ranking grand nobles, making her quite a good match for their family.
To be honest, Noe had been worried that Lanqi might get too close to the young ladies of comital or marquisal houses after arriving in the capital.
Those were prominent figures that a mere merchant family from the frontier could never hope to associate with.
Noe did not want Lanqi caught up in complicated power struggles; a commoner family like theirs could never weather such storms.
Chapter 176