This time, Lanqi and Count Milford's eldest daughter naturally ceased paying attention to one another, their gazes crossing for only a fleeting moment.
Lanqi was certain the count's daughter had seen him, but she was clearly wary of the Holy Son of Extinction, her eyes averting slightly in hesitation.
Lanqi let out a soft, amused sigh.
He and those two students might cross paths again at the Protos Royal Magic Academy in Herrom, the Imperial Capital, though by then he probably wouldn't frighten them anymore.
Although they hadn't interacted much before, that young lady's stroke of misfortune gave Lanqi a distinct sense of déjà vu.
Many a time when he ran into Hyperion, either someone was trying to kill her, or someone was on their way to kill her.
Yet on this count's daughter, Lanqi couldn't sense the presence of the Poet of Great Love, and her appearance was entirely different from the disguise Talia had given Hyperion before they set out.
He was probably letting his imagination run wild.
Then again, thinking carefully, if Hyperion wanted to disguise herself as a count's daughter to infiltrate the Protos Empire, she would likely adopt a new face. But that would require a card maker proficient in demon magic script to remake [Polymorph: Human] for her. Moreover, the card [Poet of Great Love] did not belong to Hyperion and could not be stored in her soul space; to pass through the security checkpoints of Box Mountain Province in the Protos Empire, it would also need to be sealed and disguised as another object.
Side gave Lanqi a stealthy poke, breaking his train of thought.
Surprised and puzzled, Lanqi turned his gaze toward her.
"Why were you staring at that girl for so long?"
Perhaps because Lanqi was disguised as the Holy Son of Extinction—a look Side seemed particularly to despise—her jab carried quite a bit of force, showing no mercy whatsoever.
"Did I?"
"See? There were two girls on the platform just now, yet your first question wasn't even 'Which girl?'"
"..."
Lanqi was somewhat at a loss for words.
Still, a small smile soon touched his lips.
"She just reminded me of an old friend. But it couldn't possibly be such a coincidence," he answered candidly.
***
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Standing on the platform before the empty tracks, Hyperion watched the train opposite begin to move.
She had inadvertently looked at such a dangerous character just now!
Only then did she realize the Holy Son of Extinction was leaving.
Yet in that fleeting instant, she had caught the faint smile at the corner of that figure's lips—that calm, steady poise that made it seem as though good fortune would forever linger around him. For a moment, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu washed over her.
"It... couldn't be, right...?" Hyperion murmured, gazing at the receding train.
She hardly dared entertain such an absurd and surreal scenario. There was no conceivable way Lanqi had somehow replaced the Holy Son of Extinction and then helped her out at this very intersection.
And yet...
For a moment, she didn't know whether to trust logic or her intuition...
On the platform, Hyperion stood quietly, the hem of her skirt swaying in the gentle breeze. The wind swept past her, silently rustling her silky, satin hair, and she lightly pressed down the strands lifted by the air.
Whistling, the train rolled out of her sight, trailing billows of steam and fading rumbles as it sped toward the distant horizon.
*If it's really him / her, we're bound to meet again in Herrom.*
The two figures, drifting further and further apart inside the train and on the platform, thought to themselves in unison.
……
……
The following day.
Central Protos Empire, Herrom, the Imperial Capital.
As the spring afternoon sunlight spilled at an angle across the rails, the mana rail train slowly glided to a halt at Herrom South Station.
Lanqi and Sigrid retrieved their luggage from baggage claim, parted the crowds in the concourse, and passed through the heavily guarded checkpoint.
They walked briskly, weaving through the bustling crowd of Herrom at four in the afternoon.
Stepping out of the station, a scent of air mingled with natural fragrances greeted them. Compared to the frigid north, the breath of spring was far more palpable here in Herrom.
Lining both sides of the streets, vibrant flora interwove with ancient, towering architecture, painting a vista bridging fantasy and reality.
"Herrom always has this hallucinatory charm to it. Even I think living here would be pretty nice," Lanqi remarked, pulling his suitcase with one hand while holding a cup of afternoon black tea in the other.
No matter how many times one visited this city, heading deeper into it always captivated the senses with increasingly fantastical architectural sights—something no painting could ever truly capture.
"I think you'd be well-suited for urban planning. Who knows, maybe you could make it even better," Sigrid chatted casually beside him.
The two had transferred to another train en route and had changed their appearances once more during the transfer.
Between skyscrapers glowing under golden-orange sunlight, floating gardens bloomed like a tide of brilliant colors. As the two walked beneath them, they could hear the distant songs of plants drifting down from the hanging gardens and glimpse the faint shimmer emitted by astral bodies, lending an extra touch of leisure to the afternoon.
Boss Cat hid silently within Lanqi's shadow. It had listened to the two of them chatter non-stop the entire journey.
Yet back then, Tata had clearly said that throughout their trip from South Vantina to Royal Capital Ikerite, the two of them had barely exchanged a few sentences.
Every time Boss Cat recalled how Lanqi and Tata had interacted, and then compared it to how Lanqi and Side acted now...
Applying the scientific method of controlled variables... could the problem really be with Tata?
"After we head back to the academy and rest for a bit, I'll need to go to the Herrom Broadcasting Corporation," Lanqi told Sigrid.
The interview broadcast was scheduled for tonight, so he needed to arrive at the Herrom Broadcasting Corporation headquarters ahead of time.
It was still early for now, but he would have to leave Sigrid alone at the Protos Royal Magic Academy later.
"No problem. Just drop me off with Gloria," Sigrid nodded.
"Is she reliable?" Lanqi asked, pondering the name for a moment.
He remembered seeing that direct retainer named Gloria in Associate Professor Sido's history class. At the time, she had seemed a bit bored and had dropped by to take a look at him; she was also Sigrid's confidante left behind at the Protos Royal Magic Academy.
Still, after testing everyone's loyalty on the Bishop of Extinction's behalf throughout this trip, Lanqi had sensed the presence of traitors everywhere—to the point where he couldn't help feeling sorry for the Bishop.
Thus, he couldn't help worrying whether loyalty was something that could be swayed by malicious actors when confronted with truly enormous temptations.
"Don't worry. I basically raised her; I know everything about her," Sigrid said with certainty.
Back when she was posing as a student at the Protos Royal Magic Academy, she had spent most of her time staying at Gloria's home; Gloria was one of Sigrid's most trusted subordinates.
Gloria was herself a formidable student. As the Tenth Seat of the third year, she owned a standalone detached mansion within the academy grounds. Later, when Lanqi thoroughly investigated potential Resurrection Church cultists in the school, he had tacitly permitted her to remain since Gloria was one of their own.
However, Lanqi didn't reply, sinking into thought. Sigrid looked at him, preparing to explain Gloria's trustworthiness a bit further.
Then she caught the puzzled look in Lanqi's eyes.
It was as if he was wondering whether she was really under thirty, or already well into her thirties.
This exasperated Sigrid to the point of laughter. She quickened her pace forward, ignoring Lanqi altogether.
Chapter 364