In the imperial capital of Herrom, on the northernmost edge of the Protos Royal Magic Academy, the Redmond Administration Building rose majestically into the sky.
A near-transparent film of leaves clung lightly to its windowpanes. Through them, the morning sunlight filtered into the room, soft and warm like fine golden threads.
The entire office was filled with the fragrance of spring blossoms wafting in from outside—a gentle gift of time and nature.
Compared to before, the room felt noticeably emptier.
Many of the documents on the bookshelves had been cleared away, giving it the appearance of an office whose occupant was soon to depart.
Lanqi sat alone in his spacious office, his gaze fixed upon an ancient Protos tome.
For a dean known to be so conscientious, it was a rare sight to see him whiling away time in such leisurely fashion.
More than ten days had passed since the bishop election that had thrown Protos into upheaval.
These would also be his final days in the Protos Empire.
"Good day, sir."
Following a gentle knock, the door swung slowly open, letting in a fresh wave of fragrance.
Dressed in a neat, Protos-style suit and carrying a tray, Pranay stepped gracefully into Lanqi's office.
"Herrom linden flower tea. Please, enjoy."
He set the classically patterned teacup down with perfect precision right beside Lanqi's hand.
Lanqi closed the hefty tome, placed it by the edge of the desk, and raised the teacup to take a sip.
Pranay seemed to have added a touch of honey, salt, and lemon juice to the tea. There was no sharpness or astringency, only a clean, refreshing taste that suited Lanqi's current mood to perfection.
"Thank you, Pranay. We're leaving in just a couple of days, yet you're still troubled with keeping me company."
Lanqi spoke in a soft voice, a look of relaxation crossing his face as he leaned back against his office chair.
The three great demons had found their workloads much lighter of late. Each day, only one of them needed to serve as the dean's secretary at the Protos Royal Magic Academy, while the other two were free to explore and enjoy the imperial capital of Herrom.
In a few days, Lanqi would be taking them away from the Northern Continent, so they treated this as a rare Northern Continent vacation.
When Antanas of Protection accompanied Lanqi, she would chatter away endlessly, like having a little sparrow chirping at his side.
Sinora of Spellbreaking, on the other hand, was exceptionally quiet yet terribly stiff and reserved; calling her name without warning could easily startle her into taking two steps back.
Only his time with Pranay of Truth felt completely natural. Whether in competence or etiquette, the demon was beyond reproach.
Today, it happened to be Pranay's turn to act as secretary.
"Not at all,"
Pranay shook his head.
"No matter how long I spend in your company, it is always a pleasure."
A faint, ambiguous smile played upon his handsome face.
Demon smiles were often like this.
One could never quite tell if it was genuine or polite pretense.
Even so, spending time with a demon who smiled was far more comfortable than with one who never smiled at all.
"Did someone come to mind, King?"
Noticing the satisfied look on Lanqi's face as he tasted the tea, Pranay inquired.
"Take a guess."
Lanqi had plenty of free time today anyway.
"Talia?"
Pranay replied.
"...?"
Lanqi blinked, surprised that Pranay had guessed correctly, and looked up at him.
"There are only three ladies you would ever think of, yet your expression differs for each. If your smile carries a subtle hint of mockery, it cannot possibly be the second princess whom you respect so dearly, nor is it likely to be Miss Sigrid. Thus, by high probability, it must be Talia."
Pranay explained his reasoning.
In truth, Pranay had noticed that if his deductions held true, the king thought of Talia with unusual frequency—almost once or even several times every single day.
Though it might not be romantic affection, the two of them felt very much like bickering nemeses.
The only thing that worried Pranay was Talia's temper. It might be somewhat dangerous for the king to carry on like this; sooner or later, she would figure out what was going on in his head.
Still, it should be fine.
The king was exceptionally capable, so matters were unlikely to spiral out of control.
Pranay could not imagine a scenario where Talia and the king ended up blowing up together.
"..."
Lanqi sipped his tea in silence.
He had not expected Pranay to deduce even that.
Lanqi quickly adjusted his train of thought, deciding to turn his mind toward something more pleasant. Clearing his throat twice, he asked Pranay once more:
"Guess who I'm thinking about now?"
"Miss Sigrid?"
Pranay pondered for a moment before offering.
"How on earth did you deduce that one?"
Lanqi glanced at the glass panes of the bookcase, studying his own reflection, unable to comprehend where he had slipped up.
"This time it was quite obvious, with no need for deduction at all—because you smiled so naturally."
Pranay answered with a smile.
Sometimes, a person's smile went unnoticed even by themselves.
It was simply that Pranay had never imagined the king could wear such a human expression.
"Is that so."
Lanqi continued taking small sips of his tea.
Pranay had indeed been right both times.
Of course, it might also have been because the contrast between Talia and Sigrid was simply too stark.
No matter how one looked at it, Sigrid was a woman bound to be immensely well-liked.
Lanqi had not seen Sigrid for over a week.
The day of the bishop election had ended with Duke Morotian's defeat and demise.
Several mighty figures had joined forces in Herrom to intercept and eradicate Duke Morotian.
Though the pursuit of Duke Morotian that day had caused some urban destruction, it had been far less severe than anticipated.
Duke Morotian had refused to grant the Protos Empire any chance of taking him alive.
By the same token, had they insisted on trying to capture Morotian—a Tier 8 supreme powerhouse wielding an Original Slate—the unpredictable success rate aside, dragging out the battle would have left Herrom in ruins.
Following Duke Morotian's downfall, at Great Sage Isis's request, Sigrid had begun assisting the Protos Imperial Army in launching an urgent series of northern investigations.
Moreover, having fulfilled her ambition of becoming the Bishop of Domination and an official partner of the Protos Empire, Sigrid was inundated with countless affairs to oversee.
The last time Lanqi had seen her was on the afternoon the election concluded. She had come to find him, told him to wait for her, and then departed alongside Great Sage Isis.
In the period that followed,
News swept wildly across the Protos Empire.
Yet during this crest of public fervor, Lanqi declined all interview requests, making his stance clear: he wished to fade quietly from the grand stage of Herrom.
And so he had returned to his daily routine at the Protos Royal Magic Academy.
Instead, it was High Priest Loren who became the object of universal acclaim...
The Herrom Broadcasting Corporation had even launched a public rating segment for the bishop election. High Priest Loren, who had made an impromptu appearance, became the sole figure rated by hundreds of thousands of citizens to receive a flawless score of 10 points. Many even began describing him as the Benevolent Holy Emperor reborn.
Lanqi recalled that Loren held great admiration for that ancient emperor; hearing himself described in such terms would surely make him thrilled.
At present, although the Protos Empire still chose to cooperate deeply with the Resurrection Church—or more accurately, with the Domination branch—
The nation had also, rather curiously, ceased all hostility toward the Church of the Goddess of Fate. From commoners to nobles, all treated the priests of the Church of the Goddess of Fate with the utmost deference and respect.
"You do not seem to have much work today, sir?"
Seeing that Lanqi had leisurely finished his cup, Pranay poured him another.
"Yes, the work that needed doing is mostly wrapped up. We can begin preparing for our journey back to the Southern Continent."
Lanqi took the teacup, set it by his hand, thanked him, and replied,
"Once we return to the Southern Continent, your primary task will be protecting Hyperion while she stays at Boss Cat Restaurant. For instance, if you see anyone causing trouble there, step in and put a stop to it. And, of course, dining and dashing is strictly forbidden."
There had already been an occasion when an assassin tracked her all the way to Boss Cat Restaurant, only to be subdued by Talia.
Both the Blood Clan and the Resurrection Church in the Southern Continent seemed to have compelling reasons to see Hyperion dead; the death omens surrounding her would only grow stronger with each passing crisis.
Though bringing her along to the Northern Continent for six months had temporarily averted one or two fatal crises,
The accumulated ill fortune would not simply vanish; it would only strike all at once.
The more Lanqi thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
With four great demons stationed at Boss Cat Restaurant in the future, Hyperion should be well-protected.
It would also give her a place that felt like home.
Hyperion had already departed several days ago aboard a mana rail train, heading back to the Milford Territory in the Northwestern Province.
Before returning to the Southern Continent, she needed to make a trip to Gedaria, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Asethelan, to report the proceedings and outcomes of this mission to her mentor, the Ice Snow Witch. Afterward, the Church of the Goddess of Fate would arrange her route home.
Even though they had not managed to bring Antanas back to the Kingdom of Asethelan, the Protos Empire had abandoned its inclination toward war, and the two massive realms along the Northern Continent's southern coast were now preparing for peace negotiations.
In about a week, Hyperion would take a ship from the border of the Kingdom of Asethelan to the southern shores of the Protos Empire.
At the appointed time, Lanqi would take Boss Cat and the great demons to rendezvous with Hyperion, and together they would board a ship bound for the Southern Continent.
It seemed they were running a bit behind schedule...
Lanqi rested his chin in his hand, gazing thoughtfully at the calendar.
By the time he and Hyperion made it back, the current semester at Ikerite Academy would likely be drawing to a close.
When Dean Loren had stamped the approval for their fieldwork topic, he had warned them that they could delay their return by at most two months; exceeding that limit would put them at risk of expulsion.
A two-month extension, combined with three and a half months of vacation, gave them a total of five and a half months of authorized study time. Under normal circumstances, that would have been plenty, even for an exploratory visit to the Northern Continent.
Factoring in the journey back and forth, they were expected to spend a little over half a year in total.
Still, given that he and Hyperion had slightly overachieved on their fieldwork topic, Dean Loren would surely understand.
"Understood. As for the restaurant's security, you may assure the proprietor that it will be entirely taken care of."
Pranay bowed in response.
"Say, do you think all seven great demons might gather at Boss Cat Restaurant one day? That's already more than half of them."
Lanqi rested his chin in thought, musing aloud.
Word had it that exactly seven great demons had survived the ancient fall of the Demon Realm, and four of them were already living peaceful, comfortable lives.
If possible, Lanqi hoped to bring all of Talia's old friends back to her.
She would certainly be delighted.
"To begin with, Almis of Ice and Snow is unlikely to ever set foot in a restaurant beside a school. She is now the Chosen Saintess of the Church of the Goddess of Fate; she hardly has enough leisure to abandon her official duties for a sightseeing trip to the Southern Continent."
Pranay shook his head.
"As for the remaining two great demons, there are no leads whatsoever."
"Who was the last great demon again?"
Lanqi took a sip of tea and asked thoughtfully.
The Ice Snow Witch claimed to belong to the anti-war faction, while Talia and her younger sister Efatia were of the war-refusal faction. Aside from the three conservative faction members from the Imperial Prison, there remained one who had advocated surrender.
"He was the weakest general back then, primarily responsible for rear-line intelligence work. Although he maintained decent relations with us, his true identity remains unknown. No demon has ever seen his real face, and even his name may well have been fabricated."
Pranay seemed to develop a headache just thinking about that demon.
"Then wouldn't that make him the strongest among all the surviving great demons?"
Lanqi asked in surprise.
After all, he was a general, not a civil minister.
"If Princess Efatia had not slacked off entirely, she might have surpassed him. The second princess's talent is staggering, but forcing her to study or work is more excruciating to her than death."
Pranay let out a sigh.
"..."
Lanqi found it rather harsh.
The second princess possessed no interest, while the eldest princess possessed no talent.
Still, it didn't matter!
The eldest princess had her own virtues.
Her robust appetite was proof of good health, meaning she was bound to live a long life. Not long ago, Lanqi had discreetly inquired with Antanas about Talia's true age, only to discover that her eight-hundredth birthday was fast approaching. When the time came, he would have to make sure they celebrated it properly.
"..."
Pranay opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, decided against it.
Chapter 483