Outside the window, the sky hung overcast and gray. Gentle gusts whistled through the Protos Royal Magic Academy from time to time, sending leaves fluttering down with each pass.
At first, a lone raindrop tapped softly against the edge of the windowsill.
Soon, raindrops fell thick and fast like fine strings, pattering down in steady succession.
Amid this thin veil of rain, a canary perched upon a branch began to chirp a gentle song.
"..."
Sitting by the window, Lanqi seemed to wake from a dream, his deep emerald eyes as clear and bright as ever.
He raised a finger and lightly traced the dewy pane of glass.
In the damp, chilly weather, the cold seeped straight into the skin, bringing a sluggish, bone-deep ache.
Accompanied by the rhythmic patter of raindrops against the glass, the little bird on the branch outside trilled away, as if trying to tell a story to anyone who would listen.
And this office in the Protos Royal Magic Academy, once vacant and now his, boasted solid wooden furnishings rich with the patina of time, every detail crafted like an exquisite work of art.
A few stray beams of sunlight filtered through the storm clouds, casting pale streams of liquid gold over Lanqi and softening his expression with a gentle warmth.
His swivel chair was turned away from his desk, facing the window as he enjoyed a leisurely afternoon.
"Sorry, little bird."
"Though you sing quite nicely, I didn't turn around for you,"
Lanqi murmured.
The Poet of Great Love always insisted he was a judge on *The Voice of the Kingdom's Livestock*.
In reality, he wasn't; he had no business mentoring little animals.
Speaking of which.
He had noticed that Hyperion rarely seemed to summon the Poet of Great Love lately, as he barely felt any drain on his mana.
Given Hyperion's cautious nature, though, she certainly wouldn't casually summon the Poet in front of others anyway.
Normally, summon cards could never be lent to anyone else, since no one other than the owner could summon them. The Poet of Great Love, however, possessed the unique ability to summon herself, which allowed her to be loaned out in this peculiar fashion.
Although the Poet of Great Love was sometimes disobedient toward him, she seemed surprisingly willing to listen to Hyperion—or perhaps she simply acted a bit more mature and poised around her?
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
Everyone clearly knew she was just an insufferable brat, so what was the point of putting on airs of dignity? It was as comical as an old crone playing the part of an innocent maiden—just ridiculous in the opposite direction.
Lanqi then swiveled his chair back around and turned his attention to the documents on his desk.
He had basically finished all the tasks the instructors needed help with, leaving only a few miscellaneous matters.
Tomorrow, he would temporarily depart from the academy, and it would likely be anywhere from two weeks to a month before he returned.
A healthy school should run smoothly even if its headmaster were absent for a period of time.
Just as most students rarely saw their headmaster more than a handful of times in all their years of schooling.
Lanqi immersed himself in reviewing the paperwork, pouring focus and thought into every line.
Before long, a crisp, rhythmic knock broke the afternoon quiet, echoing through the old-fashioned office.
Lanqi raised his head slowly, looking toward the door, and said in a calm, steady voice, "Come in."
As the aged brass handle turned, the heavy solid-wood door trembled slightly and swung inward, revealing a handsome figure whose eyes always looked perpetually half-asleep.
"Teacher Luoqi—no, I suppose I should call you Headmaster now," Associate Professor Sido said with a hint of resignation.
Strictly speaking, Lanqi's position at the Protos Royal Magic Academy had merely shifted from a teaching assistant in the History Department to the academy's "Senior Advisor," and the academy still had no official post of headmaster.
Usually, a headmaster relied on status and authority to coordinate the faculty. Yet here, the instructors wholeheartedly accepted Lanqi's directions, thoroughly won over by his competence and reform proposals.
In practice, the work Lanqi did was no different from that of a headmaster.
"Teacher Sido, you've arrived," Lanqi greeted with a smile. "If you ever need a hand maintaining classroom discipline, I'm always available to help."
As the History associate professor who had partnered with Lanqi from the very start, Sido was currently the instructor in the academy most familiar with him.
He had already arranged beforehand to meet with Lanqi on Friday afternoon.
"The students have completely turned over a new leaf now, and in our signed surveys, they gave you a one-hundred percent approval rating," Sido remarked admiringly.
Having said that, he stepped aside and continued, "Though today, I mainly wanted to introduce someone to you."
Following Sido into the office was a woman standing just behind him.
She wore a tailored noble hunting outfit, the finely braided ends of her long hair resting over her shoulder. Her somewhat androgynous attire lent a touch of vitality to her naturally stern features; rather than attracting men, her aura seemed far more likely to charm young maidens.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Luoqi."
Entering the office, Lady Cloris showed none of the haughty arrogance of the noble students Lanqi had previously encountered. Instead, she offered an elegant, respectful greeting.
"Student Cloris? Please, have a seat," Lanqi said gently, gesturing toward the guest chair opposite his desk.
He had heard about the most outstanding student in their academy.
She was the daughter of Duke Morotian, holder of the [Original Slate - Undead].
The primary reason Lanqi remembered her was that she obeyed the school rules.
She was one of the few students in this academy whom Lanqi considered a good student in the truest sense.
Associate Professor Sido sat on a sofa to one side of the office, his eyelids soon drooping as he crossed his arms rather listlessly.
He had no intention of speaking much during today's conversation, leaving most of it to Lady Cloris and Lanqi.
"Mr. Luoqi, I heard from Associate Professor Sido that you don't believe the Demon King's Army Special Slaughter Unit in the north is real," Lady Cloris said, getting straight to the point once seated.
Her deep crimson eyes gleamed as she looked directly at Lanqi.
"Indeed," Lanqi admitted.
This had been the genesis of the fierce debate in the history classroom back then, as well as the catalyst for Sido recommending him for a position at the Protos Royal Magic Academy.
"Could I trouble you to explain your reasoning in detail? I would like to hear the specific grounds for it."
Unlike Sido, Cloris cared deeply about the reasoning behind Lanqi's conclusion.
"In fact, many people share the same suspicion as Associate Professor Sido and me. It is like a missing puzzle piece; if proven, it could completely overturn the situation and show everything in a different light. We simply haven't been able to find any evidence, and no one even believes there exists a racial disguise magic capable of bypassing the Protos Empire's detection."
Though at present, everything remained mere speculation,
Luoqi McCarthy's attitude was unmistakably far more certain than anyone else's.
His demeanor was as though it went without saying that the creatures stoking terror were not demons at all.
Chapter 301