In the bustling downtown on a busy morning, amid the uniform high-rises found everywhere in the imperial capital of Herrom, two figures weaved fluidly through the wind, darting past street after street.
Overtaking sluggish traffic and dashing past intersections just as the signals changed—
"Why am I running to catch a train with you?"
Side turned her head, thoroughly speechless, yet did not slow her pace.
A journey that normally took her mere seconds of leaping through the air would take several minutes on Herrom's underground mana rail train.
"Isn't this all because Your Eminence suddenly abducted me?"
Hearing her grumbled complaint, Lanqi politely met her gaze and countered with a question of his own.
The two of them were on the verge of being late.
In truth, there was still hope they could make it.
Normally, being slightly late would not be a big issue. As long as they weren't too late, given that they had achieved the top scores in the final assessment, both of them would likely be cut some slack.
The problem was that Lanqi disliked being late. Back at Ikerite Academy, he had never once had an unauthorized absence or tardiness on his record.
A truly fine student and role model had to never be late.
Besides, arriving late together would inevitably raise needless suspicion within the Extinction Branch.
"No talking back to your superior," Side muttered somewhat coldly, looking away from him.
"..."
Lanqi held his tongue.
Although he had suggested that the Bishop of Domination take him on another super-cool trackless roller-coaster ride back to where she had kidnapped him, she had regretfully stated that she was a woman of principle: from now on, until Lanqi's life was in mortal danger, she would not revert to tier 8. She was currently Side, a tier 4 just like him, and possessed no such extraordinary abilities.
Meanwhile, Boss Cat, clutched in Lanqi's arms, was completely stunned and frightened out of its wits.
It could not comprehend how things had abruptly escalated to this point.
Just yesterday, it had still been enjoying a comfortable, leisurely life in Herrom.
Now, a legendary Cardinal of the Resurrection Church was right beside it, frantically rushing toward school with this kid like a pair of students on the brink of being late. There was something profoundly wrong with this youthful vibe.
Off to the side of a busy intersection, the entrance to the underground mana rail station was already in sight. Drawing a little closer, one could even hear the hum of machinery and the chatter of arriving passengers.
The two raced down the stairs toward the platform gates.
Maintaining his pace, Lanqi glanced at the time displayed on the wall board.
"We need to catch this one," Lanqi said with certainty. If they missed the train departing in one minute, factoring in the time required to sprint at full speed to the Knights of Extinction after leaving the station, taking the next one would guarantee they were late.
At the same time, a serious problem occurred to him.
"By the way, Side, do you have a monthly pass?"
Without a monthly pass, queuing to buy tickets and passing the turnstiles would easily take over a minute.
"Of course I do."
The Bishop of Domination withdrew a small pass-holder from her coat pocket.
Lanqi and Side queued at the turnstile for only a few seconds, swiping their cards and passing through smoothly.
Yet the prompt tone from Side's turnstile sounded noticeably distinct.
"?"
It was not the sound produced by an ordinary ticket like Lanqi's. Instead, just like Zestira's, it was the chime unique to student passes that only registered students could obtain.
"Why do you have a student pass?" Lanqi asked in bewilderment.
He now realized that the identity of Side was not merely an impromptu concoction—she seemed to be a habitual offender when it came to acting young.
"..."
Side gave no reply, choosing silence instead.
With no time for further inquiries, the two tacitly dropped the awkward subject. They sprinted down and up the stairs to the opposite platform, dashing into the mana rail car with barely two or three seconds to spare before the doors slid shut.
"Not bad, not bad. We made it after all." Side leaned against the door and chuckled cheerfully, while Lanqi nodded slightly.
"So, why do you have a student pass?" Lanqi pressed on.
"...Before I met you, didn't I mention that I wanted to find a talented young person? The Protos Royal Magic Academy happened to be a fine place for that, so I'd occasionally drop in to take a look. Regrettably, none satisfied me." Realizing that the kid had no intention of letting her derail the subject, Side could only sigh and explain.
It wasn't anything shameful anyway—just pretending to be a few years younger to conduct official business at the academy.
"Is it really fine for you not to attend classes normally?"
Lanqi remembered that the Extinction Branch's written exam and interview were both held on weekdays, yet Side had lingered outside the academy without the slightest concern.
"It's fine. They just dock credits."
Side waved her right hand dismissively. To her, everything in school was merely child's play; she couldn't care less about grades, career prospects, or whether she ever graduated.
"Conveniently enough, if you're going to be staying at the Protos Royal Academy next week, I'll head back to keep an eye on your performance as well. Don't go boring or disappointing me."
Side issued her instructions as though assigning work.
Though her Holy Son possessed formidable overt capabilities, he might find his hands tied in a place rife with rules and constraints like an academy, making it difficult for him to perform freely.
Still, she was rather curious to see what rank of retainer her Holy Son would be evaluated as at the Protos Royal Magic Academy.
"Phew. If you're going to supervise me in person, I'll have to take things even more seriously," Lanqi said after a brief silence.
He felt that had he not learned Side's true identity, he probably never would have realized she was the Bishop of Domination even if he crossed paths with her at school.
Furthermore, judging by how things were unfolding, regardless of whether he took the Extinction Branch's assessment, Sigrid would have set her sights on him and spirited him away all the same—even at the Protos Royal Academy.
He was simply fated never to bypass this formidable figure.
"You're not constantly on the run, are you?"
Side studied Lanqi closely. After precisely suppressing her strength back down to tier 4, she realized that despite being a magical support, this kid ran surprisingly fast through the city streets, barely winded after sprinting across several blocks.
"My teacher once told me that I needed to practice running more, or else I'd easily end up dead," Lanqi replied after a moment's thought.
"Forget her words. I am your teacher now. There's no need to waste time on such things going forward; devote your mind to the career you envision."
Side's expression revealed little emotion, but her tone hinted at mild displeasure over Lanqi bringing up someone else's teachings.
"Then what if I encounter unreasonable ruffians hunting me down?"
Lanqi had found that movement speed in urban environments was genuinely important; after all, it had proved useful back at Ikerite Academy. He still vividly remembered the incident involving the demolition of the brawlers' society's unauthorized structure—had he run even a fraction slower, he likely would have ended up in the Ikerite Medical Care Center.
"You have me. What is there to fear?" Side answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Hearing this, Lanqi pondered for a long time.
Why was it that back in the Southern Continent, where he had also had a tier 8 bodyguard, he had never once experienced actual bodyguard services?
That was right—having a tier 8 bodyguard meant one ought to strut about brazenly without a single care in the world.
"Miss Side, you must be very popular, aren't you?" Lanqi finally asked.
"Why do you ask that? I suppose I am quite beloved by my subordinates," Side responded, somewhat puzzled.
Lanqi nodded.
Sure enough, the difference between a popular woman and an unpopular one was obvious at a glance.
Chapter 276