Lanqi's Post-Class Leisure

The autumn morning sun shone bright and high. Golden brilliance flooded the stained-glass windows along the arched corridor of Saint Creti Monastery's Elliott Building. He had only walked a few paces from the room when Classroom 4-21 erupted into a heated roar of discussion. "I'm certain agents from the Imperial Special Operations Department will be here tomorrow to document this room." "No, you're underestimating those secret agents. They might show up this very afternoon." "Don't worry. The Special Operations Department still has to show respect to Headmistress Violet. Even if those operatives come to school to make arrests, they have to follow protocol. At the earliest, they won't arrive until tomorrow. We don't need to worry about being disturbed—let's just concentrate on the research." Dozens of students inside were gathering around the long tables before the podium, furiously transcribing and dissecting the principles he had left behind. Voices overlapped as they bounced back and forth, some raising questions to verify proofs, others directly sharing their own interpretations of the concepts. A few were so fired up they launched into passionate treatises on magical engineering, their excited chatter carrying distinctly through the heavy oak door and into the hallway. Having concluded his lecture, Lanqi strolled forward, his left side bathed in radiant sunlight while his right was draped in shadow. His long gray coat swept a deep arc behind him. "D-D-D-D-Du..." The little black cat poked its head out of his shadow, then swiftly shrank back in. As a spirit beast, its appearance on school grounds was not out of place. Yet witnessing Lanqi's conduct in Saint Creti Monastery's classroom today had dredged up memories from the Northern Continent that it would likely never forget for the rest of its life. Whenever it remembered Hubao's terrified expressions back then, it felt a twinge of guilt—she had been as cautious as someone who had once lost everything. Still, as the saying went, with less power came less responsibility. Keeping Lanqi in check was simply far beyond its capabilities. "Be brave, Boss Cat. In ancient times, you would have been a guardian divine beast worshipped by tens of thousands," Lanqi encouraged, noticing the cat's state of mind. "A guardian divine beast, meow...?" Boss Cat froze, lifting its head. Once upon a time, it wouldn't have dared dream of being revered by thousands. But after following Lanqi, it had gained Pink Sacred cards, Orange Epic cards, and had even evolved into an eighth-rank spirit cat. Now, a chaotic era loomed. If it could only rack up enough distinguished merit... A guardian divine beast seemed well within reach. It had to consider whether this might be the single greatest opportunity of its life. "Do you harbor such a dream?" Lanqi whispered gently. "I do, meow!" Boss Cat answered instinctively. "Right? With both of us together, Boss Cat, we'll push all the way to the end!" Lanqi said with utter confidence. He couldn't guarantee which country's guardian divine beast Boss Cat would become, but he would certainly do everything in his power to help make that dream a reality. "Meow! Let's do it! I'll work hard too, meow!" Boss Cat was instantly energized, its fear forgotten as it burrowed back into the shadow. Even though the brake wasn't around this time, neither was the throttle—there was only a useless clutch. Looking on the bright side: Hubao couldn't possibly come to the Creti Empire, so there was no way Lanqi could scare her again. Boss Cat felt completely reassured, even growing somewhat eager for the day it would be venerated by multitudes. "..." Talia watched in silence from within Lanqi's mind. She couldn't fathom why Boss Cat had panicked so much just now. Lanqi's age was not even a fraction of hers. His start might look rapid at the moment, but the real hurdles still lay ahead. Magical engineering scholars only had the right to develop technology, not the right to decide how it was used—just as magical engineers could never sway politics. As a princess of the demon race, she had once been one of the top magic artificers in the Demon Realm. Over the course of eight hundred years, she had seen far too much and understood it all too well. She didn't want to end up having to console Lanqi as an elder when the time came. Magical engineers seemed dazzling on the surface, admired by thousands, yet their hands were tied in so many ways. That was the fate of magical engineers. In the realm of magitech, they were remarkable figures. In the realm of politics and warfare, they were merely tools. Since Lanqi had chosen to walk this path, he had to be prepared to be swallowed by the whirlpool. "The political shadows behind magical engineering research may be terrifying, but trust me, Tata—I've been a politician through and through from the start," Lanqi said to her, having caught Talia's inner thoughts. "?" She recalled Professor Polao having mentioned that Lanqi had never been a magical engineering prodigy, but rather a managerial one. "Forget it. Do as you please. When you fail, I'll be there to comfort you anyway. And only I can comfort you," Talia sighed with a touch of smugness in her thoughts, dropping the topic. Lanqi was the textbook example of a newborn calf that knew no fear of tigers. He needed a motherly mentor to teach him the complexities of the world. Without any past successes of his own, there was no way he could manage without her guidance. She was simply waiting for the day Lanqi hit a wall, so he would finally recognize her irreplaceable value and standing. "I hope things stay relatively quiet over the next couple of days. I've only just arrived, and my task list is already practically uncountable," Lanqi murmured, glancing back along the fourth-floor corridor of the Elliott Building. Currently, his assignments included searching for traces of Miss Iphatia, handling the case of the missing duke, investigating unauthorized construction, forming a professional team, apprehending stray Blood Clan members, conducting on-campus research and teaching, handling communications with Kingdom of Posen intelligence operatives, attempting to take over the legacy left in the Creti Empire by the Bishop of Destruction Ivanos, drawing the attention of the imperial military, maintaining cover for allied spies, and managing the secret gatherings tied to Landry's identity. Fortunately, he possessed exceptional time-management skills; several tasks were already running in parallel across multiple threads. Talia: "..." *Aren't you tired?* Young people's stamina truly was absurd. Just doing grocery shopping, chatting, and taking walks every day already felt thoroughly fulfilling to her. As Lanqi planned his schedule, he paid slight attention to the architectural layout of the fourth floor. He would still need to teach here tomorrow, though the school might issue a notice temporarily relocating the class. Such occurrences were common throughout the history of many academies; preserving blackboard notes for ongoing study often required minor adjustments to lecture venues. "Professor!" A crisp female voice called out from behind, snapping Lanqi from his reverie. A girl with black hair and purple eyes hurried after him, her fringe of long hair swaying lightly and her cheeks flushed pink from running. Lanqi, who had been about to exit the Elliott Building, halted in his tracks. He let out a breath and turned around. Elsa Washington, Landry's younger sister. And someone he had to face. "Elsa, long time no see," Lanqi said, looking at her with a gentle gaze and a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Brother, are you free this afternoon?" Elsa's tone carried a youthful shyness, unable to conceal the longing in her heart. Standing side by side, anyone could tell at a glance that they were siblings. The only difference was that the brother's eyes were lighter, closer to azure blue, while the sister's were deeper, leaning toward violet. "Elsa, I'm very sorry. As you can probably tell, my work won't allow me to stop anytime soon." Lanqi shook his head, a faintly complex look in his eyes—as if silently telling her that he was mired in trouble and did not want to drag her in. He knew Elsa wanted to spend the afternoon with him, which made it all the more impossible to agree. Besides, he genuinely did not have much time to spare. "..." Elsa parted her lips, her throat bobbing slightly. "You should hurry and go, Brother." Whatever she had been about to say, she swallowed back down. If Brother Landry didn't leave soon, more students would swarm him. He was about to become an overnight sensation at the school. It wouldn't just be the top students of the magical engineering department. Other professors might seek Landry out as well, along with hound-like secret agents and reporters. Even those with no connection to academia would keenly catch the scent of value and try every possible angle to extract firsthand information through the students. She felt genuinely happy for her brother, enough to eclipse the loneliness currently lingering in her chest. Once the material her brother had written in the classroom finished fermenting, the imperial military would surely take immediate notice and take action. Even she could tell that what her brother was researching was pure, unadulterated imperial military technology. He had already demonstrated his wartime value to the empire. "..." Seeing how easily placated Elsa was, Lanqi felt a pang of guilt instead. With a child so considerate it broke one's heart, one could tell from her face alone that her mind was entirely consumed with looking out for others. "Elsa, have you run into any trouble lately?" Lanqi asked after a brief pause. Ordinarily, minimizing contact with Elsa was the best course of action. Yet he felt he ought to ask. Otherwise, his conscience wouldn't let him rest. "Lanqi..." Even though Talia soberly recognized that Lanqi shouldn't go soft and ask that question—the more he said, the more likely he was to slip up, which drastically increased the risk of exposure—an instinct of her own also kept her from letting go of the girl. In the end, she held back her thoughts and indulged Lanqi's whim. For some reason, she got a distinct sense of Hubao from this girl. "I'm fine. It's just that I've been having more nightmares lately, though it might just be my imagination. Please don't worry about me, Brother, and focus on your work," Elsa replied, hesitating for a second before shaking her head firmly with a faint smile. "No one's bullying you or treating you unfairly?" Lanqi pressed. "No, not at all!" Elsa waved her hands hurriedly. While speaking with Elsa, Lanqi checked with Talia in his mind. Talia confirmed that the girl was telling the truth. "If you ever need counseling, you can come to me anytime. I'll take care of you outside of work hours. And if you run into any danger, contact me immediately. Don't worry about being a burden," Lanqi instructed earnestly. Assuming Landry's identity and seeing how deep the bond between the siblings truly was, he had no idea how he could ever tell Elsa that Landry was already dead. The only thing he could do was protect Landry's sister in his stead, as a way of repaying his debt to him. "Thank you, Brother," Elsa murmured softly. "See you tomorrow." With that, Lanqi lingered no longer in the Elliott Building. He raised a hand in farewell and gradually vanished down the stairs at the end of the fourth-floor corridor. Elsa watched her brother's departing back with lingering worry for a long while before turning around. Suddenly, she noticed a familiar figure— Watching the siblings from around a distant corner, the gryphon noble Ursula Roland clicked her tongue and shook her head. She had left the classroom earlier, paying little heed to the blackboard notes Professor Landry had left behind at that moment, choosing instead to watch the Washington siblings converse from afar. "Ursula, do you need something from me?" Elsa asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she took small steps back toward the classroom, addressing the girl with purple hair and jade-green eyes. As a high noble of the Roland family and the younger sister of Marquis Ryan, the Amethyst Seat and Ninth War God, Ursula belonged to a world entirely apart from hers. Their relationship was neither particularly close nor distant; having known each other for a long time, their shared precocious talent had often brought them together, creating a few intersections. Because Ursula loved to tease her, Elsa found her somewhat annoying. Yet Ursula had also inherited the noble traditions of the Roland family, possessing the strong sense of justice typical of a gryphon knight. Whenever Elsa found herself in trouble, Ursula would appear out of nowhere to help her, which made it impossible for Elsa to truly dislike her. "Why don't you just tell him outright? What's the point of hiding it? Why are you always so soft, like a ball of cotton? You know, he looked just like a seasoned scoundrel expertly brushing off a woman just now. I bet he has plenty of experience with that sort of thing," Ursula remarked with an open-handed shrug, criticizing Elsa without the slightest tact. She had caught faint snatches of Elsa and Landry's conversation earlier, but even without hearing every word, she knew exactly what Elsa had wanted to say. "No, you're not allowed to talk about my brother like that," Elsa said to Ursula, looking uncharacteristically angry. "I just badmouthed him. What are you going to do about it?" Ursula stepped closer, thrusting her chest forward as she challenged her. "I..." Elsa's gaze slid aside, at a loss for words. She took half a step back to avoid Ursula. "It's not like your brother doesn't care about you. What are you so worried about?" Ursula stopped and stared at Elsa. The reason Headmistress Violet valued Elsa so highly was that Elsa exhibited signs of atavism, granting her the potential of a Moon Goddess priestess. That potential brought both unique abilities and distinct danger. Much of the time, when Headmistress Violet was away attending to crucial imperial affairs, Elsa could be left vulnerable to peril. Ursula was one of the few who knew Elsa's secret. Precisely because Elsa was far too considerate of others' feelings, it was only around someone willful and callous like Ursula that Elsa could truly speak her mind without reserve. "Forget it. If there is no trouble, then all is well; if there really is trouble, I don't want to drag my brother into it either," Elsa mumbled. She was well aware of her brother's karmic entanglement with the gods; it was only natural that the Goddess of Fate would not favor him. "Tsk, tsk." Ursula decided against giving Elsa any further advice. "After all these years apart, how does your brother feel to you?" Ursula asked casually, resting her hands behind her back as she leaned against the wall beside the girl. "Even though Brother feels a bit different—he seems somewhat unfamiliar, and in my eyes he's grown a lot colder, as if he lost some emotion humans are supposed to have, almost like a humanoid whose body was taken over by an evil parasite after having its brain devoured..." Elsa answered, worry clouding her eyes at first, before finally giving way to a glimmer of relief. "...I can still feel that he's just as gentle inside as ever. That's enough to set my mind at ease." She pressed a hand to her chest, speaking softly. "You really have nothing but your brother on your mind, don't you?" Ursula's expression grew somewhat complicated as she listened, but she quickly hid it, donning her usual playful smile as if teasing Elsa. "What are you talking about!" Elsa's cheeks flushed red, having no desire to continue the conversation. Puffing up in mild annoyance, she gave a parting curtsey and hurried off. Ursula would never understand her. She wasn't like Ursula at all—she would never cause trouble for her brother, nor would she deliberately provoke his anger. Only someone like Ursula would desperately make enemies for her family without sparing a single thought for her kin's feelings. Long after Elsa had departed down the fourth-floor corridor, "..." Ursula remained leaning against the wall. Her eyes were lowered, tinged with self-mockery. "Sigh. Taking her blessings for granted... How nice it would be to receive that kind of attention." Ursula sighed, threw her hands up, and walked away.