Starlight and the glow of the silver moon shone through the skylight, blending with the hearthfire to bathe the room in bright light.
Seated together in the headmaster's desk chair, their eyes locked, the two fell silent for a brief moment.
"You are one of a kind to begin with,"
Lanqi replied, looking into her eyes without batting an eyelid.
"..."
Sigrid stared at him for a while. Hearing his sincere, earnest words, a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She looked away, not daring to meet his gaze any longer.
Now, after so long,
it felt as though he had simply spoken without calculated intent.
His eyes were as completely sincere as they were lethal.
"Hmph, consider yourself off the hook,"
Sigrid muttered resentfully to herself.
Lanqi's answer meant she didn't need to be compared with any other woman.
He was truly cunning. When asked about other women, he didn't mention them at all, only saying exactly what she wanted to hear.
Sigrid couldn't even tell if Lanqi was as impenetrable as a fortress wall, or if he was simply so pure that he had returned to unvarnished sincerity.
She had originally planned to ask him a lethal trick question—whether he liked her or Hyperion more.
Yet it seemed he had anticipated every single move.
"When I get the chance, I'll go meet Miss Talia. I must thank her in person for taking care of my Holy Son for so long and cultivating such a fine talent for me,"
Sigrid said nonchalantly, putting on the air of a victor.
"Wait, she's not as simple as you think—"
Lanqi suddenly snapped to the sheer complexity of this situation.
Just imagining how Sigrid and Talia had spent the past dozen days treating each other like a virtual mother and daughter, Lanqi couldn't begin to fathom what would happen once the masks came off and they met in real life.
Sigrid's earlier call of "Mother" was still echoing in his head, making his ears ring.
"All right, say no more. Just an old hag not worth mentioning. Aside from being pretty, she's probably completely useless. I couldn't care less about her."
Sigrid waved a dismissive hand haughtily, cutting Lanqi off.
She didn't want to keep talking to Lanqi about that demoness.
She didn't even consider the demoness a rival.
"..."
Lanqi fell silent.
No, you were enormously interested in her.
You were practically ready to wrap your arms around her and sniff her.
Now he hardly dared tell Sigrid about the fake Caliera, terrified both of them would suffer terminal social death.
Still, it wasn't a major issue. In the real world, Talia and Sigrid didn't know each other at all, and for now, had little chance of meeting. Separated across the Northern and Southern Continents, Lanqi had plenty of time to deal with the urgent matters in the Creti Empire before handling secondary interpersonal crises.
Master Lan was, after all, a veteran bomb defusal expert.
"In front of me, at most, you're permitted to talk about Hubao. What can I do, I like her so much too,"
Sigrid said magnanimously,
"Besides, to you, she's like a little sister, isn't she?"
She followed up with an aggressive question.
"Even her mother is like a little sister to me..."
Lanqi averted his gaze, cracking a joke to deflect.
"Hyperion's mother? Weren't both her parents missing? Did you find her?"
Hearing Lanqi's cryptic words, Sigrid's attention was immediately seized by this mysterious figure.
"Is her mother very cute too?"
Sigrid began interrogating him about Hyperion's family.
"I can't judge. You'll see for yourself when you meet her,"
Lanqi shook his head in reply.
This was a classic trap. On the surface it seemed like a question about family background, but the real traps were "too" and "cute." If he answered, it would be tantamount to declaring Hyperion cute right in front of Sigrid while acknowledging that Hyperion's mother—yet another female—was cute as well.
"I wonder what Auntie likes. Next time we meet, I'll have to prepare a proper gift."
Sigrid pondered seriously, already scheming how to play the role of Hyperion's good classmate and well-behaved young girl.
"Anything works. She warms up to people quickly and is outgoing—completely the opposite of Hyperion."
Lanqi shrugged, feeling a bit of regret.
Hyperion's mother genuinely needed Sigrid's blood.
If Sigrid could send Iphatia some wolf blood to detoxify her, Iphatia might weep tears of gratitude.
Unfortunately, Sigrid was too far away. For now, procuring wolf blood in the short term from the Sixth War God, Violet of the Aquamarine Seat, was far more realistic.
"That's great then. When I arrive in Ikerite later, I want to visit Big Sister's house often. I need to get close to her, and get close to her family too."
Sigrid outlined her seamless 'little sister' scheme.
When the time came, Hyperion would discover that a young girl who looked remarkably like Xigelei had transferred to Ikerite Academy, constantly evoking Hyperion's memories of the past and making Hyperion imagine this girl to be Xigelei.
"Hssss—"
Hearing Sigrid's plan, Lanqi suddenly realized a grave problem.
Sigrid and Hyperion.
If those two met again in the real world, wouldn't Hyperion lose her mind?
Was this girl her favorite little sister, Xigelei, or her most hated enemy, Overlord Bishop Sigrid?
She wouldn't be able to tell!
"You're not allowed to interfere in the friendship between us sisters. Whether we love each other dearly or end up fighting, you aren't permitted to get in the way. This is between us sisters."
As if foreseeing that Lanqi might reveal her identity as Sigrid to Hyperion, Sigrid pointed at him and issued a warning.
If Lanqi unilaterally disclosed Sigrid's secret to Hyperion, it would be unfair to her.
She never pried into Hyperion's secrets through Lanqi either.
"..."
Sister, please.
Cold sweat beaded on Lanqi's forehead.
Was he really going to end up sleeping on the sofa?
Back then, he had thought there was nothing wrong with saying that line.
These are our two sisters.
Nothing wrong with two sisters.
No one could disrupt the bond between two sisters.
Our two sisters have always loved each other dearly.
Wow, this Samsara Jade business from the Goddess of Fate was truly deadly.
"Side, no matter what happens in the future, please don't fight with Hyperion, all right?"
Lanqi pleaded, his form of address turning a touch more affectionate.
This attitude struck Sigrid as both comical and mildly irritating.
"Hmph, if she gets too agitated in front of me, I might have no choice but to pin her down by force,"
Sigrid closed one eye and crossed her arms.
Unless Lanqi was willing to hug her right now, there might be some room for negotiation; otherwise, she was going to be mad.
"Seriously, don't. She's a duke's daughter. If you pin her down, you'll be arrested. A cardinal bishop thrown in jail would be laughed at for a lifetime."
Lanqi explained Hutton's domestic conditions to Sigrid.
The Southern Continent wasn't the Northern Continent.
Just imagining a rerun of the dispute between Hyperion and Sigrid at Protos Royal Academy playing out at Ikerite Academy, he felt the campus gossip would blow up entirely.
Worse yet, if Hyperion took Sigrid to court, he wouldn't even know whether to sit with the plaintiff or the defendant.
"Go to jail together?"
Sigrid's eyes flashed with a peculiar gleam as she extended an invitation to queue together.
The most important thing was to pull Lanqi over to her side first. Once that was done, whether they were co-defendants or cellmates, she wouldn't be afraid.
"Are you two plastic sisters?"
Lanqi drew a deep breath and asked Sigrid.
Undoubtedly, Sigrid and Hyperion could get along wonderfully.
Yet if they truly came into conflict, she wouldn't yield a single inch, and the very first thing she'd demand was for him to take a side.
"See, you don't get it. The fun of the Xigelei identity is cuddling Hyperion, while the fun of the Sigrid identity is teasing Hyperion,"
Sigrid justified her character roles with utter conviction.
Whether it was making Hyperion annoyed or drawing Hyperion's attention, she found both thoroughly delightful.
"No, no, just keep playing Xigelei forever. Can't the two of you just stay good sisters forever? Wasn't it great just like before?"
Listening to Sigrid's monologue—as devoted to roleplaying as ever—Lanqi felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
"Hmm?"
Sigrid let out a displeased hum, her rebellious streak provoked.
"Don't you find Hyperion quite amusing? For instance, right now I really want to call her back and let her see me straddling you,"
Cupping Lanqi's cheeks with both hands, Sigrid giggled and asked him.
Hyperion's pure and saintly aura carried a thrilling sense of guilt the more one bullied her—a guilt that simply had to be savored.
Xigelei naturally wouldn't bully her big sister, but if she switched back to Overlord Bishop Sigrid, that was another matter entirely.
Sigrid never coddled anyone who directed hostility at her; if her big sister dared provoke her, she would certainly ensure her sister suffered a crushing defeat.
"..."
Lanqi's eye twitched as he glanced toward the sofa.
He didn't dare try persuading her further; the more he urged her, the more counterproductive it would be with Sigrid.
Seeing Lanqi's look of having lost all will to live, Sigrid couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Actually, teasing Lanqi was plenty of fun too.
Pressing down on the armrests, she stood up from the desk chair, no longer pinning Lanqi down.
"Fine, I'll let you off. Next time when we have more time, we can chat at our leisure."
Sigrid knew the remaining time and the tasks left in this Shadow World. She also needed to leave Lanqi enough time to have dinner at the Demon King's Bestowed Restaurant.
Lanqi would likely travel overnight to the Demon King's Castle, Naicalis. Although he could rest a bit en route, the next few days would likely be spent on the run.
"Remember to rest well. I really can't bear to eat into what little rest time you have left outside of work,"
Sigrid smilingly urged Lanqi to take care of himself.
"Being with you is basically resting anyway,"
Lanqi stood up and replied to her.
"Don't say that! You'll make me not want to leave!"
Hearing this, Sigrid's heart fluttered irresistibly again. She threw her arms around Lanqi, reluctant to let go.
"I worked so hard to steel my resolve to part with you, and now I don't even know when we'll meet next,"
she pressed close against Lanqi, mumbling softly.
"It won't be long. Once I resolve the troubles in the Southern Continent—at most one more year—I will come to the Northern Continent to find you no matter what. I promised you."
When Lanqi left the Northern Continent, he had promised Sigrid that he would return to see her within two years at most, which had earned her ungrudging agreement to let him go.
This was no perfunctory brush-off; he always remembered every promise he made clearly.
"Maybe..."
Maybe it wouldn't take that long,
Sigrid thought to herself.
Yet she didn't say it aloud.
She could hardly wait to see the expression on the Holy Son's face when he saw her again in the real world very soon.
A fateful reunion like that was guaranteed to make his heart race.
Sigrid slowly released Lanqi, no longer lingering in this headmaster's office that was warm enough to induce drowsiness.
"I'm heading out then, Lanqi."
Sigrid walked to the office door, opened it, and waved at Lanqi.
"How could I let you? Let me see you off,"
Lanqi naturally followed, speaking with concern.
"...I'm not a three-year-old, all right? I can walk home from school by myself."
Sigrid didn't mind the Holy Son's attentiveness.
Yet he only ever became attentive at times like this.
This fellow undoubtedly assumed she would get lost in Purgatory Corridors Academy and needed his personal escort.
And he looked so terribly afraid that she might wreck his school, which annoyed Sigrid to no end.
Master of passive aggression as always.
"Not at all. I just simply want to walk with you,"
Lanqi said with an innocent gaze.
"...Fine... then."
Sigrid started to say something, wanted to laugh, but in the end merely smiled and agreed.
The two stepped out of the Headmaster's Office one after the other and pulled the door shut. The late-night corridor was pitch-black, save for the twisting golden patterns on the carpet that faded in and out of the dimness. Only when stepped upon did they ripple as if startled, glinting with an enchanting luster in the dark.
Just as Lanqi took a step forward, he realized Sigrid hadn't followed.
Turning back, he saw Sigrid standing still at the threshold of the Headmaster's Office.
"Do you remember how I got lost last time?"
Sigrid asked, lingering in place.
"Uh, that really was quite bizarre."
That day, Lanqi had already reached the Headmaster's Office, only to glance at the door and find Xigelei gone.
She had clearly been walking right behind him, yet vanished out of nowhere.
"So don't you think you should use your head and figure out how to keep Her Eminence the Bishop from wandering off?"
Sigrid said with a slight emphasis in her tone, probing him.
As she spoke, she nonchalantly glanced at the back of her hand, pretending not to drop any hint whatsoever.
Lanqi seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to.
"All right,"
Lanqi took her hand, smiling helplessly as he spoke.
"You really can't underestimate the Holy Son. You've already learned to hold the Bishop's hand when going out."
Sigrid grinned, gripping Lanqi's hand tightly and letting him lead her, happily walking forward alongside him.
In the corridor's dim light, their shadows stretched out, silhouettes dancing across the walls.
"This feels even more like an adventure than the old streets of Herrom. Come to think of it, this is a demon academy you couldn't find in any amusement park in the real world."
Sigrid relished this moment, walking loop after loop through Purgatory Corridors Academy with Lanqi.
Her bright purple eyes looked extraordinarily vivid in the dimness.
"Unfortunately, neither of us will probably ever experience the fun of visiting a haunted house in our lifetimes,"
Lanqi's voice was calm.
Unlike the clamor of the Land of Purgatory outside the academy, the school corridors were quiet, with only their conversation rippling softly through the air.
"That's true,"
Sigrid conceded.
The sense of security they gave each other was simply too overwhelming.
"Who would've thought that after half a year apart, the Holy Son would become so strong?"
Sigrid hummed a little tune, in exceptionally good spirits—perhaps because this parting felt wonderfully complete.
When they parted in Herrom on the Northern Continent, Lanqi was only Tier 4.
Now, in the blink of an eye, he was already approaching Tier 7.
"The last Shadow World connected to your dream was no walk in the park. Clearing a 7th-tier Shadow World was enough for me to advance from Tier 4 to Tier 6,"
Lanqi turned his head and looked at Sigrid.
He believed Sigrid knew most of what had happened in the Darkest Solar Eclipse Realm Shadow World.
"My, my, Tier 7, that really is far too strong. Way stronger than a weak little Tier 5 girl like Side."
Sigrid fluttered her eyelashes repeatedly, looking at him with utter adoration. Even her cheeks took on a maidenly flush, as if hinting at something to Lanqi.
Lanqi laughed in realization.
He finally understood why Sigrid had steered the conversation in this direction.
She was just waiting for him to take the bait.
"Your Eminence must be joking. Your Eminence possesses strength to uproot mountains and valor that dominates the world—"
Halfway through, Lanqi had his mouth covered by Sigrid.
"Deducting your affection points!"
Sigrid warned.
The two laughed and bantered along the corridor, walking and pausing at will, caring nothing for the world outside.
Just as they had when playing around in Herrom City on the Northern Continent.
Chapter 799