The lingering aroma of lunch still drifted through the room. Sigrid stood up, smoothing the hem of her skirt with a light stroke.
She walked over to the mirror and checked her appearance, a gleam of satisfaction and relief shining in her brightened purple eyes.
Lanqi hadn't moved; he remained seated at the small round table, seemingly lost in thought.
Steam rose from the teacup beside his hand. His fingers tapped gently against the tabletop, his gaze seeming to look right through the window toward the distant snowfields.
Between the two of them, Boss Cat paced back and forth, tail held high like a spirited flag, urging them to set off on time.
"Boss Cat, don't leave my side from here on out," Lanqi reminded it, looking down at Boss Cat on the floor.
They weren't that far from the Snowfield Province now, but that also meant things were growing increasingly dangerous.
If Lanqi wanted to use the [Super-Long-Range Communication Magic] Boss Cat carried to directly contact the lords of the Snowfield Province, they were still too far away. They would need to cross the mountains and travel a fair distance into the Snowfield Province first.
Without relay stations, the maximum range of [Super-Long-Range Communication Magic] was only a few dozen kilometers.
Communicating over greater distances required relay infrastructure and specialized terminals.
Just as back at Ikerite Academy, when Adams of the Aloran Kingdom's academic delegation wanted to contact Knight Commander Juliana far away in the Aloran Kingdom from the School of Sages, he had to insert his [Super-Long-Range Communication Magic] card into a terminal provided by Ikerite Academy, routing through numerous relay stations erected across the Southern Continent by the United Council of Kingdoms to achieve cross-border communication.
Currently, the terminals set up in the northern empire were under strict control of high-ranking military officials, inaccessible even to nobles and bureaucrats.
"Understood, meow."
Boss Cat nodded. It understood that the southward journey after leaving Dandren City would be perilous.
Passing through the Snowfield Province and Box Mountain Province, and then breaking through the blockades to reach the imperial capital Herrom, would be fraught with difficulties.
The main force of the Extinction Branch had set out from the Northwestern Province; the Holy Son of Extinction would lead the Great Prelates of Extinction to Box Mountain Province, a major transit hub. Further north lay the Snowfield Province, and further north still was Dandren City, where they currently were.
Pacing in circles, it grew somewhat uneasy.
From what it had overheard in the past two days between Lanqi and Side, the Holy Son of Extinction would most likely leave the bulk of his main force in Box Mountain Province. As long as they guarded that single choke point, no one could forcefully break through the northern blockade maintained under imperial control, ensuring nothing slipped through.
Going further north into the vast, boundless snowfields would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Meanwhile, if the Bishop of Domination wanted to return to the imperial capital before the late-April election, she had to take the magic-train transit running through Box Mountain Province. The Extinction Branch knew full well that the Bishop of Domination and the Holy Son of Domination were bound to go through Box Mountain Province.
Once she reached the "Rock Confluence" Station, no disguise would be of any use. The Bishop of Domination carried potent sealing art mana on her body, making it impossible to evade detection by mages within range.
"Side, how much of your strength have you recovered, meow?" Boss Cat looked up and asked Side.
Side had returned to her glamorous, radiant appearance. Her airy posture showed not the slightest trace of listlessness, yet even Boss Cat could tell that the perilous aura she once carried was completely gone.
"Probably a bit weaker than when I was disguised on the way to the northern border. Right now, I'm relying entirely on my Holy Son." Side sighed helplessly.
Although the haughty and domineering Bishop of Domination would rarely say something like that, right now she was Side.
Besides, he was the Holy Son she had personally chosen with her own discerning eye, which made him part of her strength as well. There was hardly any shame in relying on one's own power.
"Meow, meow..."
Boss Cat felt that this harmless version of Side was quite nice—certainly far better than before—but facing the dangers ahead, it couldn't help feeling frightened.
Even with Lanqi's identity as Governor Luoqi McCarthy, there was zero chance of escorting Sigrid through Box Mountain Province to the imperial capital. The Extinction Branch's main force in Box Mountain Province would wipe them out at all costs!
The forces that could be rallied from the Snowfield Province were nowhere near enough to oppose the Extinction Branch's main host; it was an order-of-magnitude difference. Not to mention the imperial troops stationed in Box Mountain Province currently cooperated with the Extinction Branch; if a fight broke out there, they would side with the Extinction Branch first!
"Rest assured. I have a way to get her through Box Mountain Province." Lanqi set down his cup, his straight back resting against the chair.
Boss Cat looked over and saw Lanqi with his head slightly turned, looking out the window as if contemplating something.
"Escorting me back to the imperial capital will count as a great service on your part." Side nodded with folded arms, growing increasingly satisfied with her Holy Son.
"Besides, having the Holy Son of Extinction block Box Mountain Province isn't right. What if other good-natured imperial citizens want to pass through Box Mountain Province to Herrom and get harassed by them?" Lanqi muttered to himself, gazing at the windowsill.
"...!"
A sudden sense of familiar dread washed over Boss Cat, sending a violent shiver down its spine.
Whenever this scoundrel found his civic conscience, nothing good ever came of it! At least one poor sucker was definitely in for a world of hurt!
Back in the Hutton royal capital of Ikerite, he at least had a normal person beside him acting as a moral anchor. Ever since he ended up stranded in the empire, he had thrown the brakes out the window and let loose completely!
Boss Cat had gone from looking forward to reuniting with Hyperion to being terrified of meeting her.
It was guilty! It had no face to see Hubao!
Right as Boss Cat was writhing in internal agony, Lanqi stood up from his chair, hooking his coat over one arm as he looked toward Side.
"Let's move, Side. But with the road ahead growing more dangerous, you need to change your appearance again."
He took a [Polymorph: Human] card from his pocket and handed it to Sigrid.
Lanqi had no more [Polymorph: Human] cards with customized hair color and facial adjustments left.
The only remaining one Sigrid hadn't used was the very first card he had used upon arriving in the Northern Continent—
the one that could turn her into a brown-haired, green-eyed young girl resembling Luoqi McCarthy.
Taking the spell card Lanqi lent her without hesitation, Side shifted her appearance and looked up at him.
From the moment she had woken and opened her eyes, Lanqi had already changed his appearance; only she knew he was still him.
"How come I've never seen you use this disguise before?" Side asked, puzzled.
She looked at the young man with black hair and green eyes before her. He appeared aloof and unapproachable yet somehow completely harmless, looking better than in any of his previous disguises.
She had no idea why he had chosen such a conspicuous look this time.
"..."
Lanqi merely held his coat and smiled without a word.
Chapter 342