Tension Between Sigrid and Hyperion

Hyperion’s fingers tightened slightly around Boss Cat, as if silently demanding to know what was going on. Boss Cat’s eyes darted away, avoiding her gaze. Over the past month and more, Lanqi really had spent every single day with Sigrid. On the way to the northern frontier, Sigrid had protected Lanqi; on the return journey to Herrom, Lanqi had protected Sigrid. During that long trek of escaping and fleeing, they had taken turns keeping night watch and had practically never been apart. Yet it dared not tell Hyperion the story of Lanqi’s journey north. As far as it knew, Hyperion only knew of Lanqi’s academic and political achievements, remaining completely oblivious to his ecclesiastical accomplishments—which also happened to be the most lethal feats Lanqi had pulled off in the Protos Empire. Not only had he crossed swords with Bishop of Extinction Askesan, but his relationship with Bishop of Domination Sigrid had also become entangled and ambiguous! The more Boss Cat thought about it, the more it felt that its true mortal sin had yet to be uncovered by Hubao. Tormented by its conscience, it simply slipped out of her grasp, scurrying beneath a distant sofa to hide and shiver. Besides, it could tell Side had chosen those words deliberately! She wanted to let Hyperion know exactly what kind of relationship existed between her and Lanqi. "..." Hyperion had no choice but to turn her eyes to Lanqi. Sigrid, meanwhile, casually monitored Lanqi’s reaction from the corner of her eye. She remembered this noble lady from the Milford Territory—she was the young countess who had been stopped by the Extinction Branch at the Rock Confluence station in Box Mountain that day. Yet the young countess seemed not to have realized at all that the Holy Son of Extinction and the female prisoner she had crossed paths with at the station that day were the two of them. Sigrid had no idea why the Holy Son, having merely gone out for an interview, had crossed paths with this girl again and even brought her back with him. However, glancing at the little black cat that had just been in Hyperion’s arms, Sigrid understood for the most part. Her intuition had been spot on: the Holy Son paid far more attention to this young noblewoman than to any other woman. If this exceptionally timid little black cat was willing to be affectionate with her, it meant her true identity had to be the Holy Son’s companion from the Southern Continent. The gears of the grandfather clock in the parlor clicked crisply twice. In the dead silence, every minute sound became startlingly distinct. Gloria swallowed hard. She could sense something was off about the atmosphere, though she had no idea where the problem lay. Lanqi finally let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She and I went through life and death together in the north. We nearly died at the hands of the Extinction Branch several times, and it was only today that we finally managed to escape back here," he explained, as though the exhaustion of the past weeks had surfaced all at once on his brow. "..." Hyperion stared in a daze. She knew intimately how treacherous the north was, having only just escaped the clutches of the Extinction Branch herself before arriving in the imperial capital. "So that's how it was," Hyperion murmured, then looked at Lanqi with concern. No wonder Lanqi had stayed with this woman every single day and placed such profound trust in her. She had no inkling of what Lanqi had endured over the past month that could make even someone like him feel his life was hanging by a thread. Sigrid gave a faint, subtle click of her tongue, mildly irritated that Lanqi had brushed it off so casually. Yet the moment she recalled how they had depended on each other during the journey and how he had looked after her, she lost the heart to give him a hard time. Reflecting on it, as the one the Holy Son pledged his allegiance to, she ought to show greater magnanimity. Having played the role of Side for so long lately, certain habits and mindsets of a young girl had inadvertently crept in. "Thank you for your hard work." Sigrid stood from the sofa, walked up to Lanqi, and stopped before him. Meeting his eyes, she offered her praise. Then she turned her attention to Hyperion. "I am Side Novia, currently Luoqi McCarthy’s companion. Welcome to our home as our guest." With gentlemanly grace, Sigrid extended a hand toward Hyperion. "Milian Milford." Hyperion gave her alias and took Sigrid’s soft hand. Observing her briefly, Hyperion thought that since Lanqi trusted this cool, composed woman enough to entrust his life to her, she was probably not a bad person. Even so, Hyperion felt that Sigrid was subtly emphasizing the boundary between host and guest. "So by the looks of it, you’ve already secured the votes of the Milford Territory and a portion of the Northwestern Province for us?" Releasing Hyperion’s hand, Sigrid looked back toward Lanqi, inquiring with genuine interest. Since Lanqi had brought Miss Milian Milford here, it meant he had already recruited her into their fold. Before restoring her full strength, Sigrid did not intend to let anyone know she was a Cardinal, and she trusted that Lanqi would not divulge this secret to anyone either. For any talent recommended by the Holy Son, she was more than willing to offer generous starting terms. Though Miss Milian Milford did not yet know that the person standing right before her was the Bishop of Domination herself, shaking hands with the Bishop of Domination was effectively pledging allegiance to her banner. "Miss Side, what do you mean by votes...?" Hyperion asked, perplexed. Did they intend to manipulate the votes to ensure a certain Cardinal's victory? Confident that Hyperion would soon understand, Sigrid glanced over at Gloria, who stood waiting nearby like an attendant. "Gloria, do you still have any spare high cleric holy sigils here?" Sigrid asked. "Yes," Gloria nodded. Sigrid had stored quite a few items with her previously. When Gloria needed to present herself to other high clerics as a direct retainer, she naturally acted as one; but she also held an extra high cleric holy sigil provided by Sigrid, allowing her to serve as an overt church official whenever necessary. The next instant, when Hyperion saw the purple Holy Sigil of Domination that Gloria produced, her pupils constricted sharply. In that split second, she seized Lanqi’s arm, intending to drag him out of the mansion! "Wait—" Before Lanqi could finish his sentence, Hyperion jerked his arm, but a figure moved even faster, stepping forward in an instant. Hyperion’s wrist was seized in an iron grip by Sigrid. The very moment Sigrid saw Hyperion touch Lanqi, her expression changed entirely. Hyperion glared at Sigrid with extreme vigilance. She realized this woman seemed to be Tier 5, just like herself. Her own physical strength was considered remarkably formidable among those of the same tier, yet after being seized, she actually found it difficult to break free. They were currently within the academy’s safe zone; the moment anyone attacked to harm another, the barrier would instantly suppress them, and any damage would be isolated. Clearly, this woman named Side had not even exerted her full strength. "Let go," Sigrid commanded in a cold, authoritative tone. "...Never." Now that Hyperion realized Sigrid belonged to the Resurrection Church, her eyes burned with unyielding hostility. "...!" Boss Cat trembled beneath the sofa, watching the nightmarish spectacle unfold. On the left, Hyperion stood with her back turned, looking ready to haul Lanqi away. On the right, Lanqi wore a look of utter bewilderment as his forearm was gripped by Hyperion. And standing between them was Sigrid, her hand clamped downward around Hyperion’s wrist, her face grim and icy. The three of them hadn't even begun to sort through their tangled feelings, and they were already on the verge of coming to blows!