On Sunday, most people on the streets of Herrom carried the leisurely ease of the weekend, yet the area approaching the solemn Temple of the Knights of Extinction remained as desolate and quiet as ever.
Soon, distant footsteps broke the silence as two figures—a man and a woman—hurried across the plaza before the temple.
Neither wore the distinctive attire of the Temple of the Knights of Extinction's staff. The young man in the long coat maintained a calm gaze while keeping his eyes fixed on the clock, while the woman beside him, clad in silver skirt armor, strolled along with a relaxed expression.
After verifying the time, both quickened their pace in unison, as if driven by some pressing matter.
The instant they neared the main gate, the two knights stationed at the entrance in dark-gray armor crossed their lances, barring their way.
Lanqi did not slow down. He looked straight into the knights' eyes, engaging in a silent dialogue through their gaze.
Whether intimidated by this matter-of-fact aura or recognizing their faces, the guarding knights quickly caught themselves and stepped aside, no longer barring the path of these two formidable figures.
The temple's spires and stone walls were cold and unyielding, yet the great hall inside was filled with brilliant light.
Deep within the Temple of the Knights of Extinction, behind a heavy oak door, lay a spacious council chamber.
The vaulted ceiling soared high in an intricate arch that imbued the entire space with solemn majesty. Tall windows lined the walls on both sides, their frames constructed of heavy lead strips and hand-crafted stained glass. As sunlight filtered through the delicate panes, it cast dappled ribbons of light and shadow, as though time and history themselves were weaving together within the hall.
In the center of the room stood a round table crafted from rare imperial ebony, its surface polished mirror-smooth. Surrounding it was a ring of high-backed chairs upholstered in dark leather, several of which were already occupied.
Aside from the other passing candidates of the final assessment, one side of the round table was occupied by a man in a dark-gray suit and two high priests. The high priests wore the vestments unique to the Knights of Extinction, with Holy Sigil pendants enveloped in purple luminescence hanging over their chests.
"..."
Direct Retainer Sander wore a stern expression, holding a stack of documents and dossiers. His gaze swept across the hall, seemingly seeing straight into everyone's thoughts, while his fingers tapped lightly on the table like a conductor awaiting the perfect cue.
Although it seemed the meeting could have begun early, key attendees had clearly not yet arrived.
Everyone's eyes periodically drifted toward Sander, waiting for his judgment as the presiding officer.
There were only a few dozen seconds left before the scheduled time.
If those two worst scoundrels still hadn't arrived, the meeting would proceed as scheduled without further waiting.
Just as the silence in the council chamber had stretched on for some time, the doors swung open once more, and two figures entered one after the other.
Neither looked like heinous criminals, appearing utterly out of place among the starkly varied characters in the room: butchers, arsonists, death singers, and eyeball collectors.
Direct Retainer Sander looked up at them without a word.
He waited until Lanqi and Side took their seats under everyone's gaze.
"Today's meeting will be brief. We can wrap it up in about ten minutes."
Sander leaned back in his chair, glancing briefly at the documents in his hand as he spoke.
Following the standard ritual and procedure, after signing their contracts, the two high priests presented the newcomers officially joining the Extinction Branch with the elite priest-tier [Proof of Resurrection - Extinction] and the rulebook all priests of the branch had to follow.
"Once you accept this Holy Sigil, you must understand that while it is not written in the contract, if you ever choose to betray the Bishop of Extinction, the consequence will be endless vengeance and hunting without rest. Understood?"
Sander's voice was chilly, the corners of his mouth turning slightly downward, devoid of any trace of a smile.
The villains in the chamber all nodded in acknowledgment.
They had already figured this out well before joining.
"Going forward, your assignments will be relatively flexible. For the time being, there isn't much logistical work here in the imperial capital of Herrom that requires your assistance, but as things stand, the north is severely short of hands. This presents an excellent opportunity for you..."
Sander continued,
"Over the next month, you may depart and return at any time. It is best to travel in groups of two or three to the empire's northern provinces to investigate and track down infiltrators from the Kingdom of Asethelan. The local branch will offer support, and you may accumulate substantial merits—a direct promotion to high priest or even direct retainer is not out of the question.
"Of course, acting alone is permissible, but it requires a special application to me. Because you must coordinate handovers with the northern branch, heading alone toward the northern front carries the risk of being targeted or even replaced by high-level agents from the Kingdom of Asethelan. Traveling in pairs or trios will greatly reduce communication costs, the likelihood of mishaps, and the difficulty for the northern branch to verify your identities.
"Once you have decided on your itinerary, submit your application to us. Travel expenses, lodging, and any funds that need to be advanced will all be arranged beforehand. Financing is the one thing you need not worry about; what you must worry about is returning empty-handed."
"..."
Having heard Sander's speech, most of those present had already exchanged numerous glances.
During the final assessment, nearly everyone had established regular partners, so there was little ambiguity about the next step.
The only question was—
Whether to recruit those two most formidable individuals.
Both seemed like lone wolves.
Yet their strength and sheer viciousness were beyond doubt.
However.
Before the other villains could make up their minds, Lanqi and Side exchanged a look and walked straight up to Sander to begin filing their itinerary. It was as if they had long since chosen each other as partners, having already decided to travel together for the assignment up north.
Just as after the re-examination, the moment their business was concluded, neither lingered for even a second, both heading straight out.
The council chamber remained quiet for a long while.
"Why do those two seem to get along so well?"
Not only the other dazed villains, but even the two high priests grew concerned, asking Direct Retainer Sander beside them.
Two people with such overwhelming egos should have been completely incompatible by any measure.
Just attempting to cooperate—deciding who was in charge and who called the shots—should have been enough to cause their talks to collapse immediately.
"It's fine, no need to worry. This is actually normal."
Sander smiled faintly.
All they had to do was wait for the two to kill each other.
This was a good omen.
The high priests on either side soon caught on, realizing what Sander meant.
Neither of those two was good, and forming a relationship of mutual trust was utterly impossible.
When cunning scoundrels like them wanted to eliminate a rival, they were unlikely to strike directly.
They were certainly feigning harmony only to backstab each other at the critical moment!
In that sense, they posed far less of a threat.
...
Meanwhile.
The plaza road stretched out before the massive gates of the Temple of the Knights of Extinction, making the surrounding buildings appear lower and sparser.
The two were no longer in such a hurry as when they arrived, strolling through several streets together until they reached a corner where their paths diverged.
"See you tomorrow then,"
Side said, raising a hand.
"When I see you at school, should I pretend not to know you?"
Lanqi also waved and asked.
"No need. Just talk to me normally."
Side gave an easy smile and turned to leave.
Lanqi nodded, continuing without pause along the road southward toward the Protos Royal Magic Academy.
Tomorrow he would temporarily move into the school to experience campus life again after so long—albeit with Northern Continent characteristics.
After leisurely rounding a few street corners, the crowd grew thicker. Before he knew it, the little black cat leapt out of his shadow again and burrowed into his embrace.
"Meow meow meow! I don't want to play along with you anymore!!"
Boss Cat thrashed and threw a tantrum.
Serving as the Holy Son of Domination while infiltrating the Extinction Branch, and on top of that, running off with the Bishop of Domination to stir up trouble in the empire's north—now he couldn't wash himself clean no matter what!
"But think about it, Boss Cat: if I left you behind in the imperial capital, would you really be safe? The entire Protos Empire is somewhat twisted. If we followed the common sense of Ikerite, we'd probably be branded cultists on the spot and thrown into prison..."
Hearing this, Lanqi calmly explained the current state of affairs to Boss Cat.
"Meow, well..."
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that no matter where it stayed in the imperial capital, staying by Lanqi's side was still safer, because the Bishop of Domination truly would protect him.
"Let me make this clear first: I haven't joined the Resurrection Church, meow!"
Boss Cat issued a solemn declaration.
As long as it wasn't on this kid whenever a wanted poster went out, everything would be fine.
"I know, I know. You just stay in my shadow, all right?"
Lanqi patted it gently as he strolled down the street.
"Sigh. Tell me, Boss Cat, why is it that when some people disguise themselves as young girls, it's so natural, while when certain other fellows disguise themselves as young girls, it's so ridiculous?"
"..."
"Who are you throwing shade at?"
Boss Cat looked up at Lanqi.
It felt as though Lanqi hadn't mentioned a certain name from start to finish, yet every single word revolved around that certain name.
Yet it had no idea who Lanqi was referring to.
Logically speaking, among the women he knew, none aside from Side liked disguising herself as younger.
Lanqi smiled without answering.
Some things were known only to Heaven, Earth, cat, and himself. Thoughts were all about being free and unfettered.
Chapter 277