On the north side of the Protos Royal Magic Academy.
Inside the mansion of Gloria, tenth seat of the third-years, the broadcast displayed upon the magic screen plunged from chaos to frenzy, from terror to silence—everything had spiraled downward far too fast.
The entire classroom had been reduced to a purgatorial execution ground draped in shocking streaks of blood.
Apart from the students on the floor whose vital signs had been sealed by the barrier, lying in near-death states awaiting recovery and transfer to the hospital for emergency care, the thoroughly possessed Mutilation Reaper had already charged outside in pursuit.
He would not stop until he had properly educated every last one of these imperial degenerates.
Meanwhile, the magical beasts inside the classroom were beside themselves with excitement over this victory. It was as though they had reclaimed the bloodthirsty nature and hunting instincts their ancestors once possessed in the Demon Realm, baring their fangs and licking up blood.
The only comparatively peaceful spot left was in the deepest corner of the classroom, where Lanqi stood with spotless clothes and a composed smile, beside Zestira, who leaned against the great black fox in lingering terror.
Gloria, the direct retainer, parted her trembling lips slightly.
She could not comprehend what this man had done in the slightest; she only felt a chill creeping into her chest.
This Holy Son seemed to possess a demonic faculty for manipulating human hearts.
From her vantage point, that pack of students had charged in recklessly as if gone mad, and immediately afterward, the teacher had snapped just as suddenly.
It seemed that wherever he went, people ceased to be normal.
"I see..." Sigrid said thoughtfully.
"Did you figure something out, My Lady?" Gloria ventured to ask as she slowly recovered from her daze.
She knew full well that the Bishop of Domination sometimes enjoyed doing unexpected things.
"He definitely tampered with the entrance. For instance, simply altering this classroom into a Tier 1 Beast Hunting or Culinary Arts room would do the trick."
Sigrid was entirely certain, her eyes carrying even greater admiration for Lanqi.
Now she was rather looking forward to Side, in her Tier 4 guise, stirring up trouble with her partner in the Extinction Branch to the north.
If their tacit understanding was deep enough, the result might well be greater than the sum of its parts.
"..."
Having heard this, Gloria looked back at the screen, looking somewhat dazed.
In such a brief window, without being allowed to use magic before the exam started, how could anyone have fabricated a sign realistic enough to fool people...?
Leaving aside whether the Bishop could make such a deduction only because she knew the Holy Son possessed certain unique skills, the real crux was:
Even if that was the truth, how on earth did your two trains of thought align so quickly?!
...
In the southern evaluation zone of the Protos Royal Magic Academy, on the first floor of the pitch-black building, inside the Magical Beast Rearing Classroom.
After the battle, thanks to their exceptionally hardy constitutions and the fact that they had grown up together in close camaraderie, the magical beasts that commanded healing magic quickly began treating their companions.
Having undergone training, they did not run about aimlessly, well aware of the dangers in this evaluation zone.
From the look of things, however, now that they had tasted blood, if they ever faced arrogant and overbearing students in the future, they would likely teach those youths why they were called magical beasts.
"Very good, full of vigor."
Lanqi withdrew his gaze from the beasts.
This was exactly what magical beast rearing ought to look like; Purgatory Corridor Academy had such a subject as well.
Now this was an authentic Demon Realm heritage.
"Teacher... what should we do next?"
Zestira quickly regained her composure.
Although they had gotten off to a brilliant start, in terms of time, only a few minutes had elapsed since the first class began. The trial had barely gotten underway.
She looked down at the students strewn across the floor, their life signs sealed by the barrier as they awaited recovery. The old man had probably sliced down dozens of students inside and outside the classroom just now; for the moment, she hardly dared imagine how high their bounties had soared.
They would only know once they went out later to check the notice boards scattered all across the hallways.
Furthermore, with the teacher's explosive opening, if he had also sent students favored by the academy's top seats to the hospital for emergency treatment, those elites would surely look grim, and they would spare no expense to ratchet up the difficulty for the two of them moving forward.
"Rest assured, I will never condone any student who fosters an unhealthy trend," Lanqi said with absolute certainty, raising a finger.
What a pity the Poet of Great Love wasn't here, or that single play might have cleared the entire school right then and there.
"..."
Zestira could only feel that "Luoqi McCarthy" was truly going to make a name for himself across the Imperial Capital this time.
Every Monthly Evaluation Day, the Protos Royal Magic Academy produced a special issue as part of its academy journal to be sent to alumni association members—and that alumni association was packed with renowned figures of the empire today.
She had no idea how they were supposed to compile this special issue!
The bloody, absurd spectacle of an instructor butchering his own students would alone probably be enough to turn it into a banned publication!
While Zestira's expression was conflicted, Lanqi had already stepped closer to the great black fox.
"Little fox, do you want to come with me? To a wider world."
He stroked the fox's back, speaking gently.
With the school's permission, he could handle all the adoption procedures for various large pets on the fox's behalf in the Imperial Capital, Herrom.
And in truth, under the rules of the Protos Royal Magic Academy, as long as one paid enough course credits, purchasing this fox outright was entirely permissible.
"Awoo, awoo."
The great black fox nuzzled its head against Lanqi.
Though it felt some reluctance to leave this place, it yearned even more for the Demon Realm, and for a noble great demon.
"Let me make this clear first: I am human, so don't mistake me for a great demon. I don't want to win your affection under false pretenses," Lanqi said with a touch of helplessness, as if he could understand its meaning.
"Awoo, awoo."
The fox remained just as affectionate.
"Very good."
Lanqi stroked its sleek black fur again with satisfaction.
If he brought it back to Ikerite Academy in the future and wanted to keep such a large pet in the dormitory, applying there would be somewhat troublesome.
Fortunately, his dorm was spacious enough. Back then, he had chosen an unpopular ground-floor room that happened to have twice the floor space; now the benefits were showing.
As if sensing Lanqi's considerations, the great fox suddenly shrank considerably, transforming into a fox just one size larger than Boss Cat. It leaped into Lanqi's arms, then turned into a black scarf wrapped around his shoulders.
Lanqi looked at the fox in surprise.
Although it possessed a degree of shapeshifting and disguise arts, it seemed that relying on psychokinetic magic to hover and avoid placing weight on Lanqi would still tire it out over time. It was best to let it remain relaxed and comfortable in its original state whenever possible.
"Truly worthy of being the magical beast most beloved by ancient great demons. How impressive."
"Awoo, awoo."
"You're asking if I've seen your ancestors? This is my first time seeing a real Moonshadow Fox too. I doubt even the living old antiques of the demon race have necessarily seen one in the flesh."
"Awoo."
"Don't worry, the food on our side is amazing. We have an executive chef who's an exceptional cook. Though you'll need to watch out in the future—there's a foodie who'll try to steal your meals."
"..."
Beside him, Zestira felt as if a fishbone were stuck in her throat.
I can understand it comprehending your speech.
But why on earth can you understand it?!
Just listening to the sounds, Zestira had no idea what the fox's yips and whines meant.
Yet Lanqi seemed able to communicate with it without any barrier, grasping its meaning completely.
Still, Zestira could sense that the Moonshadow Fox's heart was pure and simple; it would probably remember everything Lanqi said to it.
Once her mind-reading talent reached full mastery, she would certainly be able to hear the fox's inner thoughts and understand the history of their conversations as well.
Chapter 290