A few days later.
Lately, Ikerite had been shrouded in continuous drizzle, punctuated by occasional rumbles of thunder.
With the passage of a cold front, the hottest days of the summer were behind them, giving way to steady, moderate temperatures that would carry through until autumn.
Today was also the day Lanqi was scheduled to depart for the Kingdom of Posen.
Since his train ticket was for the evening, he had no classes or extra work during the day, needing only to pack and inventory his luggage.
"Feels like I just got back from a long trip, and now I have to head out again already."
Standing in front of the wardrobe in his room, Lanqi frowned and muttered to himself.
On second thought, his last trip had been serving as a diplomat of the Polant Empire within the Shadow World, so it was no wonder he felt as though he were perpetually on the road.
Lanqi quickly let it go.
Once this trip to the Kingdom of Posen was done, he would be one giant step closer to retirement.
If his journey of struggle were compiled into a memoir, he would probably be on the penultimate volume by now.
Just as he was packing his suitcase, a crisp tapping sound suddenly joined the patter of rain against the windowpane.
"Meow, meow, Lanqi! You have a letter!"
A little black cat clad in a raincoat pushed open the bedroom window and used telekinetic magic to float a letter gently onto Lanqi's desk.
"Thanks, Boss Cat."
Lanqi set aside the clothes in his hands, walked over to the window, and took the little black cat inside.
The envelope seemed to have been wrapped in magic, leaving it completely dry.
"No trouble at all, meow."
Boss Cat slipped out of its cat-sized raincoat, folded it neatly, and placed it on the floor.
A letter had been delivered to Boss Cat Restaurant and kept at Pranay's counter. When Boss Cat dropped by its restaurant before today's departure, it had brought the letter along for Lanqi.
"Just in time."
Lanqi looked out at the gloomy sky through the window. Calculating the days, if the maritime courier had faced smooth sailing, a reply would indeed be due around now.
Fortunately, it arrived before his departure.
He walked over to the side of the room to switch on the floor lamp, then slowly sat down at the desk.
On a rainy summer day where morning and afternoon blurred together, the warm light brightened the room.
Lanqi's fingertips brushed against the sealed envelope. Its surface was slightly coarse, its texture seemingly weathered by ocean breezes.
He drew a small letter opener from the desk drawer and slid its tip under the flap. Tracing the edge with the delicate grace of a painter sketching lines on a canvas, he carefully slit the envelope open.
The stationery inside rested like a precious treasure awaiting discovery.
Lanqi smoothly extracted the letter. The paper was light, thin, and slightly fragile—an antique-styled sheet scented with incense and reinforced with magic to protect it from damage.
With a faint smile, he began reading.
"—To Mr. Wilfort,
"First, receiving your letter made me very happy.
"The talent you recruited for me is quite exceptional. Just when the Domination Branch in the Protos Empire was short on hands, you delivered a squad of well-trained elite high clerics. I can only say our minds truly think alike.
"I've actually been dreaming of you lately.
"Missing you day and night is perhaps a foolish kind of persistence.
"Yet I only want to say: it feels wonderful to have met my true self.
"I wonder if you still often recall those dozens of days we spent together in the sweeping snowy mountains of Protos?
"No matter how cold it became, I was never once afraid.
"Even in my dreams, it remains the same.
"Given just a little time, you would dress winter in all the brilliant colors of spring, letting warm, gentle sunlight shine upon me."
"Meow, meow, a letter from Side?"
Boss Cat nestled beside him, sprawling on the desk to peek at the letter in his hands. Even without seeing the signature, it knew who had written it.
It had been curious about who would send Lanqi a letter in the first place.
Reflecting on it now, back in South Vantina, Lanqi had indeed intercepted a group of high clerics from the Destruction Branch.
Back then, Lanqi had cheekily treated them as free couriers, having them deliver a letter to Sigrid.
What extravagance.
"The handwriting is unmistakably hers."
Lanqi rubbed Boss Cat's head, his eyes never leaving the page.
"There are also a few matters of business.
"Our partner, Duchess Cloris, head of the Bernhardt family, conducted an investigation into Duke Morotian's relics and the northern border. As it turns out, she uncovered genuine signs of the demon race having appeared. Furthermore, this group of demons seems entirely different from Pranay and his kin, and they have since withdrawn from the Protos Empire."
"The demon race?"
Boss Cat looked up at Lanqi.
"Back then... Duchess Cloris commissioned me, in my capacity as headmaster of the Protos Royal Magic Academy, to investigate the north. The panic had been sparked by an influx of mysterious demons into the northern nations, but in the end, the trail led to Duke Morotian and the Bishop of Extinction, Askesan."
Lanqi paused, reminiscing.
Who would have guessed that after the northern Protos Empire stabilized, a subsequent inquiry would confirm that actual signs of demons had truly surfaced?
"Even Ice Snow Witch Almis is certain that a century ago, she had never heard of such demons; they are completely distinct from the demonic culture she knows.
"What makes Great Sage Isis uneasy is that among these unknown demons, there may exist beings even more powerful than Duke Morotian—foes against whom even I might not be guaranteed victory.
"Where they came from and what their objective might be remain entirely without clues.
"One thing, however, is certain: the more demon remnants exist in a region today, the easier it is for them to conceal their tracks. The Protos Empire and the Kingdom of Asethelan are natural grounds for infiltration."
Lanqi turned the page.
"By the time you receive this letter, I will likely be close to wrapping up matters here in the Protos Empire.
"Perhaps? In another two or three months, I will arrive in the Kingdom of Hutton?
"After all, the sea route between the Northern and Southern Continents is quite long, and traversing multiple nations from the northern coast of the Southern Continent to reach the east and find the Kingdom of Hutton is a rather lengthy journey.
"If your work is done and you have energy to spare, could I ask the Holy Son to show me around the royal capital of Ikerite?
"Whatever happens, this Bishop wholeheartedly wishes you smooth sailing in all things.
"Wishing you peaceful seasons."
"Meow, that sounds like an order," Boss Cat remarked to Lanqi.
Though Sigrid's phrasing was tactful, she clearly had no intention of allowing Lanqi to decline.
"Indeed. The Bishop doesn't like people defying her," Lanqi agreed with a nod.
"Wait a moment."
Sensing there might be more on the folded sheet, he flipped it over once more.
"Miss you.
"Remember to cultivate diligently and reach Tier 6 quickly!"
At the very bottom was a cute doodle of a mini Side.
"Good grief. Now that's the versatility of a veteran actor—switching roles effortlessly,"
Lanqi murmured with a chuckle, shaking his head.
"A veteran actor, is she? Better watch out, or she'll deduct your affection points, meow!" the little black cat chimed in, mimicking Side's tone.
"I really just want to finish up all this work quickly and start living a leisurely, ordinary daily life."
Lanqi carefully folded the letter until it was smooth and flat, placed it back into the envelope, and tucked it neatly into the top drawer of his desk.
"Meow, meow, meow, then retire already!" Boss Cat shouted.
"Don't worry, it'll be soon. The second half of my memoirs will consist almost entirely of unremarkable everyday tales. How could an everyday slice-of-life collection have some phantom main questline?"
Lanqi patted the cat, smiled, and stood up to resume packing his luggage by the wardrobe.
Chapter 655