Lanqi's words seemed to violate some taboo, as students in the rows ahead gradually turned their heads, silently looking back at him.
"Do you have any proof?"
Though Lanqi had only murmured under his breath, he had been overheard with startling acuity.
Anyone who questioned this kind of evidentiary recording was more or less seen as having anti-war leanings—something that was entirely impermissible at this particular juncture.
Watching this arrogant Holy Son of Domination, Gloria realized at once that he had put his foot in his mouth.
In this classroom, he possessed no status whatsoever. The other students would never give consideration to his position the way she, an informed Resurrection Church cultist, did.
While the Holy Son of Extinction had once relied on his sheer strength to reach the apex of Protos Royal Academy, he had commanded absolute suppression from beginning to end, ensuring no one dared cross him; he had never once used his identity as the Holy Son of Extinction to intimidate others.
And plainly, this Holy Son of Domination possessed no such deterrent right now.
"Those fellows lack the self-consuming madness of burning one's life in pursuit of desire. They look more like disguised demons driven by some external force. They have no true demonic faith, and such demons could never be selected as members of the Demon King's Army's special slaughter units."
Lanqi exuded the calm composure of someone simply auditing an open lecture from the back row.
Unmoved by the stares and suspicion, he answered the question like a detached bystander.
Looking across the Southern Continent, he was a rather authoritative demon educator, and his hypothesis was by no means impossible. After all, during the era of the Blood Moon Cataclysm, the proving grounds of the Horning Empire had developed technology capable of modifying humans into demonic disguises to infiltrate the Demon Realm.
Yet this classroom hardly had the atmosphere for academic discourse.
It was steeped far more in ideology and raw emotion; Lanqi's words were like a spark dropped into tinder for many present.
"What do you know about demons? You think your wild delusions can overturn the conclusions reached by current demonologists?"
"The demons you see today are all domesticated, counterfeit demons who have long lost the ferocity of the past! Pureblood demons aren't something you can comprehend through your shallow imagination—you should go learn about real demons from the Holy War a century ago!"
"Our Protos Empire has always possessed the most advanced detection technology. If they were disguised demons, would we fail to detect them? You are questioning the integrity of the magic and institutions the Protos Empire has built up over a century! I suggest you read a few more books before opening your mouth."
"Why are you all getting so worked up? Whether he's right or wrong, it's just a hypothesis. Are hypotheses not even allowed anymore?"
The back row swiftly became a target of censure, though some spoke up in Lanqi's defense. Or rather, two opposing attitudes had already existed in this classroom all along; all it took was someone lighting the fuse to trigger this standoff.
"Everyone, there is no need to argue about this during class. Demon Studies is part of the Monthly Evaluation Day; you can settle who is right and who is wrong during the evaluation."
Behind the podium, Sido held his head in his hands, looking as though he had suffered through this situation one time too many.
"Professor Sido, your stance makes me thoroughly uncomfortable."
A blonde noble girl sneered, speaking to Sido in an overbearing tone.
At this moment, attempting to mediate inevitably amounted to helping the disadvantaged side.
Or rather, compared to the pro-war, anti-demon right wing, the conservative left wing lacked any footing or right to speak in the first place.
"Student Amphis, I simply believe that as a scholar, I must observe and analyze objectively, rather than interpret things based on subjective feelings."
Sido sighed and spread his hands helplessly.
Yet it was useless; the classroom descended into greater chaos.
Certain upperclassmen in the room didn't take Associate Professor Sido seriously at all.
This was merely an elective taken for credits, and Sido himself was no powerhouse—his combat abilities were abysmally weak.
"Fellow students, demons at least know how to observe classroom discipline. You claim with every breath to look down on demons, yet your basic student conduct falls far short of theirs. Aren't you perhaps thinking a little too highly of yourselves?"
Lanqi's voice was exceedingly calm.
Amidst the surging clamor, it remained as steady as ripples on water. Yet few though his words were, their substance once again drew the hostile, indignant glares of many students.
"Does a dog kept by demons even have the right to speak?"
Narrowing her eyes, the blonde, curly-haired noble lady challenged Lanqi without an ounce of politeness.
Evidently, she had long recognized that he was Zestira's retainer.
"A demon's retainer?"
"No wonder."
The classroom instantly grew even more turbulent. As if casting an area-of-effect taunt, Lanqi drew all the incoming fire onto himself.
Sitting not far away, Gloria, the direct retainer, slightly knit her brows.
The blonde noble girl who bore particular hostility toward Lanqi was named Amphis Campert. Hailing from the extraordinarily wealthy Campert family, she possessed decent strength among the second-year students.
Yet the rule in this school was simple: the stronger you were, the more power you wielded.
Had Lanqi possessed the terrifying might of the former Saintess of Domination, Amphis naturally would have been too terrified to utter a single word.
Gloria still could not fathom why the Bishop of Domination had chosen a weakling.
"Serving as a demon's retainer is suspect enough on its own, and coupled with what you just said, it proves beyond doubt that you have severe pro-demon leanings!"
Amphis, the blonde noble girl, had no intention of letting Lanqi off. Today, her goal was to weed out that demon Zestira's retainer once and for all.
If Lanqi dared talk back even a sentence or two more, she was certain she could find a way to pin some charge on him.
Wilfortism was indeed remarkably useful, especially for nobles like her who stood on the side of the prevailing tide.
As the scent of gunpowder approached its boiling point, others assumed Sido behind the lecture desk was already beside himself with anxiety.
Instead, Sido simply sat down, pulled a bag of potato chips from his briefcase, and munched on them while watching them squabble.
Just then, Lanqi gave a faint chuckle.
With a solemn expression, he fixed his gaze on his accuser.
"Student Amphis, was it? I strongly suspect you are an anti-war operative attempting to incite disunity within the empire. Do you know what percentage of the empire's current military forces consists of soldiers of mixed-race descent? For you to drive a wedge between the nobility and other races at this critical juncture, amplifying conflicts to foment internal strife—just what are your true intentions? What is your objective in making such claims? Does your family harbor covert ties with the Kingdom of Asethelan?"
Lanqi pointed at Amphis as he fired off the questions, looking every bit the noble soul deeply worried for the empire's present plight.
"......"
Instantly, the entire room fell dead silent.
"I..."
Amphis's throat twitched, yet she seemed too parched to produce a sound. Lanqi's rapid barrage of questions had completely dazed her.
For a time, not a sound stirred in the spacious history lecture hall. Many students hung their heads, their faces as dark as the bottom of a pot.
Miss Amphis had merely tried to pin a label on Lanqi; Lanqi had countered by coming within an inch of landing her entire family on a treason watch list!
"Wait... could he be that ruthless guy, Luoqi McCarthy, the one who even dared to report the Extinction Branch?"
Someone suddenly realized.
A demon noble girl's retainer among the preparatory students...
There seemed to be only one.
It was the fellow who had reported the Resurrection Church under his real name just last week!
This guy was purely the type who had no fear of death, with an eerie streak to boot—even the Extinction Branch hadn't retaliated against him!
The students who had attacked Lanqi earlier instantly buried their heads low, terrified of drawing his notice. None of them dared pit their family's foundation against a bunch of unhinged terrorists like the Extinction Branch.
"......"
Watching the classroom's atmosphere take a sudden plunge into peace and harmony, Gloria, the direct retainer, fell silent.
Though the Holy Son of Domination's method of subduing the students of Protos Royal Academy differed drastically from the Holy Son of Extinction's—the Holy Son of Extinction had taken the student path, while the Holy Son of Domination took the headmaster path—judging strictly by results, he had indeed terrified the other students into not daring to provoke him.
This fellow really seemed to be the favored child of the current patch.
It was almost as if Wilfort himself had arrived.
Chapter 280