Lanqi and Hyperion's Retrospective After Two Years

Ikerite Academy. In the distance, birds flitted among the treetops of the School of Alchemy's botanical garden, letting out melodious chirps every now and then. "Hyperion, is it really fine for you to run around outside instead of resting at home today?" After fleeing the ducal manor, Hyperion had thoughtfully brought Lanqi to Ikerite Academy, and the two were now walking along the path leading to the School of Magic Engineering's main building. "It's fine. It probably only acts up once or twice a week at most? Both the frequency and the symptoms are easing, plus Antanas is looking after me. I can endure the pain from the toxin." Hyperion explained to Lanqi. In truth, adapting to her own toxin was far less excruciating than the side effects of wielding Melogas's Blasphemous Regalia. Perhaps after forcibly mastering it back in Blood Moon City, her tolerance had grown considerably stronger. It was now winter break at Ikerite Academy. Students were rarely seen around campus; only those enrolled in special winter courses or staying over the break still appeared here and there. Returning to the academy after such a long absence, it felt as if six months ago had only been yesterday. "Actually, right after I returned to Ikerite, I came to see Professor Polao. He even told me to have you come by the School of Magic Engineering too, and as it turns out, you were already planning to visit today." Although Hyperion and Lanqi were students in the School of Sages, ever since the school had lost its dean, nearly all major matters had fallen under Professor Polao's purview. Since the two of them were still officially marked as away on academic leave—and long overdue at that—their student wristbands had been locked and frozen to prevent anyone from impersonating them to enter shadow worlds or access the dormitories. If Lanqi wanted to move back into his dormitory and purchase things smoothly around campus, he needed Professor Polao to unlock his wristband. With Loren gone, Dean Polao of the School of Magic Engineering held the highest administrative authority in the academy. After all, both the academy's entire curriculum system and the royal capital's defensive barriers were masterworks designed by him. Back when Dean Loren had been nowhere to be found, they had often gone to Professor Polao as well. "Well, I was living on campus anyway, but most importantly, I need to send Ranfu off to classes. The Magic Engineering lab is the only place she can quiet down." At times, Lanqi found Great Love Poet far too boisterous. Whenever Great Love Poet wanted to protest, she would burst into song right in the dorm room, treating it like her personal vocal studio. "Are you treating the School of Magic Engineering like a daycare...?" Hyperion felt that Lanqi was looking down on Great Love Poet even more now. Perhaps having grown so accustomed to Tata, Lanqi could no longer handle Great Love Poet. As they chatted, they spotted a familiar place ahead. On the path from the School of Sages to the School of Magic Engineering lay a cold-pressed juice shop offering dozens of varieties—pure fruit juices, blended fruit juices, and fruit-vegetable combinations. Before leaving Ikerite, one would often see students holding cups from here after class. A shop that had just opened when they first enrolled had now become an established establishment. The two exchanged a glance, paused there for a moment, and bought two cups. "I remember when the two of us finished Teacher Tessa's 'General Magic Genealogy' class in the Learning and Education Building, we walked along this very path, sipping cold-pressed juice and chatting, before finally deciding to head to the Northern Continent to seek out Askson and start our graduation project..." Hyperion looked down at the paper cup in her hands and said wistfully, "It was also then that you said you'd help me find my father. Even if I believed you were going to look for Askson back then, I never really thought you'd actually bring my father back." Looking back on it now, she realized that day had been the true turning point of their entire main quest. She had originally expected Lanqi to follow the normal path and shine brilliantly on campus, never imagining that he would pivot straight to the Northern Continent and embark on a legendary life. "A pity that by the time I found Askson, he had already..." Lanqi's eyes instantly filled with dejection as he looked down at the palm of his hand. "..." Hyperion didn't know what to say. Sometimes, just talking with Lanqi felt like it docked her karmic merit—even if only a tiny bit, she definitely felt the deduction. "Still, your good deeds in the Crete Empire accumulated boundless merit. It should be enough to squander for the rest of your life. From now on, your luck shouldn't be too bad, and heavenly retribution shouldn't come knocking again," Hyperion murmured to herself. Thinking this way, she felt reassured. Without realizing it, her daily prayers to the goddess had shifted to praying for Lanqi's safety. "Hyperion, I told you I wouldn't crash once all the way to the grand finale, and I kept my word. Aren't I completely fine right now? And both my work and journey are over. See?" Lanqi took a leisurely sip of his juice. Crossing an open clearing at the intersection of the tree-lined path, he gazed at the square building standing clearly visible in the distance. At the heart of Ikerite Academy stood that colossal edifice, proudly encircled by the territories of the four major schools. "True enough." Hyperion nodded in agreement, following Lanqi's gaze toward the place where the dream had begun. Though the academy's various modern and classical buildings each possessed their own unique charm, they all paled slightly in comparison to the central building that sealed the Void Gate of the Shadow World. In the blink of an eye, Duke Mikhail had truly been brought back by Lanqi. She didn't actually believe Lanqi was her wishing machine. She simply felt that Lanqi was a man of his word. Such persistence and devotion... Idly biting down on her straw, Hyperion sipped her juice, stealing glances at Lanqi now and then. She could feel her heart beating, a sensation burning like molten magma in her chest spreading throughout her body with every pulse. "If there's any remaining work to speak of, it would probably be the performance we promised Miss Abigail. She was set on having you play the governor, and then insisted on having me as your stage partner." Catching Lanqi's gaze as if she'd been caught peeking at him, she spoke up. "There really is that task left. But that isn't my main profession after all—just a part-time gig helping out a friend over the holidays. Piece of cake. I'll make sure to match your performance," Lanqi grinned easily in reply. Partnering with Hyperion in an opera was practically a bonus stage. He had survived hellish stages; no matter how they rehearsed together, he was sure it would be pure enjoyment. Farewell to prison—he would never be jailed on stage again! "Why do I get the feeling you're thinking about..." For some reason, Hyperion sensed that Lanqi's relieved smile had a deeper meaning. He no longer needed to keep tight-lipped. The daily quests had become woven into his life and habits. "Hyperion, do you have any idea how I survived those two hours that day? Your partner is an actor who forgets her lines, alters the plot on a whim, tosses props around, and thinks of nothing but food—and you have to smooth over every single plot hole, even though it was your first time acting in that play and you never had a single rehearsal!" Lanqi clutched his head. Just recalling what had happened on stage at the Brillda Opera House gave him mild PTSD. Only the angelic Hyperion could heal him. He also hoped that a well-prepared performance with Hyperion would dispel the lingering haze opera had cast over his heart. "There, there, it's alright. I'll make sure to be a good female lead for you," Hyperion said gently, reaching out to pat Lanqi's head. In a few days, Abigail and the troupe would arrive in Ikerite, and she and Lanqi would resume rehearsals. They had over a full month to practice. Given their tacit understanding and familiarity with *Holy War Romance*, it would be more than enough time. However, Hyperion recalled Teacher Almis, the Ice Snow Witch, mentioning that the performance dates for the Half-Demon Witch chapter roughly overlapped with the window when Loren would return. Teacher Almis wanted to invite Loren to see the play that had been so well-received in the Crete Empire, so she had asked Hyperion to reserve two tickets for her—preferably a bit away from the crowd, seeing as he was now the neighboring empire's emperor. Thinking about this, Hyperion realized many friends and family members might attend the Ikerite Opera House. If everyone came to watch her perform that day, she'd feel terribly nervous. That made it even more vital that she didn't mess up. "Then for the next month, we'll probably be called to the Ikerite Opera House by Abigail quite often. With me monopolizing you like this, will Antanas and Sinnola mind?" Lanqi turned to look at Hyperion beside him. For over a year, Hyperion had spent every day hanging out with Antanas and Sinnola; without her around, they would probably get lonely. "It's fine. Those two will probably come to the opera house to hang out with us anyway, so don't worry. They often stay over at my place, so we have plenty of time together." Hyperion could hardly wait to spend every day together with Lanqi under the pretext of work. Returning from the war-torn Crete Empire at the southern end of the Southern Continent to the peaceful Hutton royal capital of Ikerite, the pace of life seemed to slow down, with novel and delightful amusements everywhere. With no worries or burdens left to weigh on them, being able to enjoy life leisurely in Ikerite allowed Hyperion to understand Lanqi's mindset of early retirement and the everyday lifestyle Tata had long been enjoying. The quiet tree-lined path was like an emerald gem, casting dappled, ever-changing patterns across the bluestone pavement like endless sequences of numbers. With their leisurely pace, they always took their time strolling along this path. "Our school probably won't liven up again until March," Lanqi sighed to Hyperion, looking around the campus with a faintly wistful expression. "You still can't shake off your school administrator mindset," Hyperion chuckled, agreeing with him. "By the way, Lanqi, do you remember? After that first Purgatory Corridor Academy shadow world, even though the recording from the Demon Realm shadow world wasn't made public, the rumors grew more and more exaggerated..." Hyperion thought that having a recording would have been better; precisely because there was no footage, people let their imaginations run wild as word spread. Each person added their own twist until every version turned completely absurd. "I remember. The most ridiculous version in the end claimed that even if Headmaster Lan bore the weight of Purgatory and held up Corridor Academy with one hand while battling a vampire prince, he would remain unmatched beneath the heavens." Just recalling those anecdotes made Lanqi chuckle. "Have you ever thought about whether Lancross actually fought tooth and nail against the Second Progenitor, Prince Salvatore, in Purgatory City during the history of the Blood Moon Ruined World?" In the Demon Realm of that final shadow world, Hyperion had learned a great deal about what occurred during the intermediate timeline. Back then, the strongest living combatant of the Vampire Clan, the Second Progenitor Prince Salvatore, had been defeated at the hands of the 9th-tier Lancross. It was also after that battle that the Horning Empire announced its surrender. In a sense, the Second Progenitor, Prince Salvatore, was the culprit behind the Demon King's demise in the Blood Moon Ruined World era. And had the Demon King survived, providing such a formidable backer, Miss Witch might not have perished at Castle Lichtens. As for whether Lancross hated the Second Progenitor Prince Salvatore—it was undoubtedly etched into his very bones. "..." Lanqi fell silent. Although this Headmaster Lan was not that Headmaster Lan, looking back on all those jokes now, their meanings seemed entirely different. The two continued walking toward the School of Magic Engineering's district as usual. Today, since they didn't need to visit the student council office, they didn't cross the lawn before the school to reach the Old Liberal Arts Building at its entrance. Instead, they walked into the School of Alchemy's botanical garden. Though surrounded by shifting silhouettes of flowers and startled birds fluttering past from time to time, once they made their way through this botanical garden, the main building of the School of Magic Engineering came into view—a steel-tower structure with glass curtain walls. Emerging from the sea of flowers in the School of Alchemy's botanical garden, they saw the building and entered the main hall side by side. "Let's head back to Boss Cat Restaurant for lunch later," he said, turning his head toward Hyperion. Boss Cat Restaurant was very close by and was one of their favorite eateries. "Has that unconsciously become a habit of yours?" Hyperion asked with a smile. Ever since their first semester, even though it was only a few streets between Ikerite Academy and Boss Cat Restaurant, Lanqi had never let her walk alone. If Tata didn't come to pick her up after classes, he would escort her all the way to Boss Cat Restaurant in person. Even now, when she no longer lived at the restaurant, his instinct was still to see her back. "Seems so. I just don't feel at ease unless I see you home. Though you're already 7th-tier now, much stronger than me," Lanqi murmured to himself as they stepped onto the stairs. Hyperion's survival capabilities were top-tier, and if she took things seriously, she could even hold her own against an 8th-tier powerhouse. She was long past the days of being a fragile ducal daughter who needed protection. "That's not true at all. Please still walk me back, my dear Governor," Hyperion said, clasping her hands behind her back and stepping half a pace closer, rehearsing her line ahead of time with a smile. Fifth floor of the main building of the School of Magic Engineering, Dean's Office. Professor Polao sat before his desk, surrounded by blueprints of magic engineering components and measuring instruments. Not long after arriving at his office that morning, he had taken a mechanical pencil to draft designs on translucent blue drafting paper, occasionally pausing to inspect uniquely shaped components set at the edge of the desk with his magic engineering spectacles. *Knock, knock.* A gentle knock sounded from outside the door, as if trying not to disturb the professor's work. "Who would come looking for me at a time like this?" Polao was used to people asking for help during breaks in his work, but very few would disturb him during vacation. "Professor, it's me." "Good morning, Professor Polao." The door pushed open slowly, letting natural light spill through the crack. Lanqi stepped into view, followed by Hyperion, who gently pulled the door shut behind her before greeting Polao. "Lanqi, Hyperion! Come, sit, sit." Old Man Polao lifted his head, took off his silver-rimmed spectacles, and placed them on the desk as he looked at the two he hadn't seen in so long. Setting aside his work, a rare smile broke across his face. "You two should have come to see me much sooner." Polao waved them toward the chairs across from his desk, looking genuinely fond, as if seeing his own grandchildren. Lanqi and Hyperion walked over and pulled out chairs to sit down. The very first time they had come here was when Dean Loren dragged them in over the Platinum-rank card maker assessment and the broken artificial shadow world launch terminal during enrollment. In the end, Dean Loren had received an earful, while Lanqi offered compensation on behalf of House Wilfort, burying the hatchet with Professor Polao. From then on, their relationship had only grown closer. Later, because the first floor of the Old Liberal Arts Building housed the Public Magic Engineering Technical Service Center, the second floor housed Professor Polao's New Magic Engineering Creative Workshop, and the third floor was the Student Affairs Committee, Lanqi and Hyperion would bump into Professor Polao whenever they went downstairs and exchange greetings. Even later, Lanqi and Ranfu became Professor Polao's students, spending their daily coursework studying and working in his laboratory. "You presided over the Platinum-rank card maker examination wonderfully. As an examiner, you were thoroughly competent and qualified. What's even more incredible is that you brought Mikhail back, and Tata happened to pass the Platinum-rank exam as well. Our Hutton Kingdom now suddenly boasts three card makers at Platinum rank and above." Looking over the dispatch documents, Professor Polao was still thoroughly pleased. Loren's claim that 'Lanqi overdelivers on everything he does' had proved entirely true. The only thing Polao hadn't foreseen was that Loren would turn into the Emperor of Crete in the blink of an eye. "Just sheer luck," Lanqi replied humbly, playing the part of a model student. Hyperion shot him a sidelong glance, speechless. "Right, Lanqi, take a look at this planning proposal and see if you're satisfied with it. Since that twenty-thousand-pound donation only came about because of you, the academy needs your confirmation as well." With the previous matter settled, Professor Polao produced a blueprint proposal for new campus buildings for them to review. Without waiting for Lanqi and Hyperion to bring up their student wristband permissions, he had already unlocked them. Thanks to the Cardinal of Dimensions' outstanding contributions during the turmoil in the Crete Empire, the empire had granted him legal status, allowing the Dimension branch to operate openly and legally in the Crete Empire just like the Domination branch in the Protos Empire. With that, Ikerite Academy could safely put the twenty thousand pounds of donated funds to use without worrying about public controversy. Lanqi flipped through the proposal attentively, nodding. "I suggest changing the 'Toliado Building' to 'Abigail Building' or 'Saintess Building.' Otherwise, I'm worried something terrible will happen to Toliado." Lanqi handed it back to Professor Polao, offering only this single suggestion. Toliado had stolen Abigail's money in the first place to donate to Ikerite Academy. If the building were actually named after Toliado as the donor, Lanqi shuddered to think how furious Abigail would be once she arrived in Ikerite and saw it. "Is that so? That's fine by me, but won't Cardinal of Dimensions Toliado mind?" Professor Polao asked, puzzled. "If he dares to mind, the title of Cardinal of Dimensions will probably belong to Abigail next." Lanqi was thinking purely of his good friend Toliado's well-being. "Then let's call it the Abigail Building. As long as the Dimension branch is satisfied." Professor Polao grasped the general picture. Not a single person in the Resurrection Church was ordinary. Lanqi and Hyperion sat in the Dean's Office of the School of Magic Engineering, having a delightful conversation with Professor Polao. "Professor, what was that bet between Frey and Dean Sphintos of the School of Knights all about?" Lanqi asked Professor Polao. While in the Crete Empire, Lanqi hadn't asked Frey in detail about his bizarre adventures over the past two years. But judging by Lanqi's deductions, Frey's experience had been quite similar to his own: infiltrating the Resurrection Church and gaining a cardinal's favor, only one had done it on the Northern Continent and the other on the Southern Continent. "Sphintos originally told Frey that if he could find clues about Duke Mikhail, he could graduate early, and the school would never restrict him from going to Crown Casino again. So Frey packed his bags and set off on his journey..." Professor Polao picked up his teacup, gazing absently toward the garden outside the window. His workshop was located right below the student council room, and he had often heard of the heroic deeds of the Royal Capital Bully Trio when 'mediating disputes.' It could only be said that the three of them all ended up sharing a remarkably similar modus operandi. Much later, after finishing their conversation with Professor Polao, Lanqi and Hyperion said their goodbyes, pushed open the heavy door of the Dean's Office, and stepped out carrying several documents. With Loren away from the School of Sages, Polao simply handed over much of Loren's workload to Lanqi. After all, everyone had witnessed Lanqi's prestige and competence in the School of Sages, and Lanqi was more than happy to help lighten Professor Polao's load. The crystal-clear, floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls on the fifth floor of the School of Magic Engineering bathed the entire corridor in bright sunlight, casting scattered patterns of light across the hardwood floor. Lanqi and Hyperion walked down the gallery lined with glass curtain walls on their left, chatting once again. "Before I knew it, we chatted with Professor Polao for so long," Lanqi mused, squinting at the dazzling midday sun outside the window. "It feels like it's around eleven or twelve already, doesn't it?" Although Hyperion couldn't see the academy's clock tower from this angle, her estimate was pretty much spot on. "Yeah. Let's go grab lunch, and then next week we start meeting at the theater." Lanqi was filled with anticipation for the days ahead. Now that his ceaseless, gear-grinding daily workload had suddenly wound down, he felt free to go wherever he wished. There was more time each day than he could ever use up, and above all, gone was the unbearable burden of draining mana twenty-four hours a day. "When the time comes, I'll have to let you see my half-demon appearance again. It's kind of embarrassing, almost like being completely laid bare before you." Remembering the styling for the Half-Demon Witch chapter of *Holy War Romance*, Hyperion felt an odd wave of nervousness. "Haven't I seen it multiple times in the shadow worlds?" Lanqi asked as though it were obvious. "That's different, because that was in the Demon Realm. It was like a masquerade festival where everyone was dressed as demons, so it didn't seem strange. But if I turn back into a demon in a human nation, I'll look completely like a freak. Do you... really not think this demon looks ugly or anything? Speaking from your honest aesthetic standards." Hyperion knew full well that to Lanqi, she was essentially a non-human female. Without specific tastes, traditional human aesthetics wouldn't find her attractive. She would have demon horns, a scorpion tail, and eyes resembling a beast's, looking unmistakably alien standing next to Lanqi. As a child, she had black hair. Back then, unable to use disguise magic, she could only bear her demonic horns and traits out in the open, enduring countless strange looks. That childhood made her dread having others see her half-demon form. Later, as she grew up and mastered disguise magic to conceal her demonic traits, she also changed her hair color to silver so that people wouldn't easily associate her with that half-demon girl from her childhood—choosing silver simply because she loved her mother. "You look great. Even prettier than you are in my painting," Lanqi answered without hesitation. "N-No way..." Hyperion recalled the painting of her that Lanqi had made, her voice stammering. She couldn't bring herself to believe she was ordinarily that pretty, yet Lanqi was telling her she was even more beautiful than in the painting. "Really," Lanqi reiterated. "Then won't you think I look a lot like Melogas in that form? That's totally unlike the me in your impression," Hyperion mumbled softly. If her hair turned back to black, her features would resemble Melogas's even more. Lord of Blasphemy Melogas and the everyday ducal daughter were entirely different kinds of women, yet their physical traits were so similar that Hyperion herself couldn't tell which one was the truer version of herself. "Not at all. Even if you dressed up as Melogas for real, you wouldn't be anything like her. You are you—your elegance, your sharp wit, that disposition blending melancholy with resolve, caution with boldness, that innocence which nonetheless coexists with plenty of wholesome and sound knowledge... That is the one and only you," Lanqi told her. "Really?" Having Lanqi praise her so openly made Hyperion blush. She looked up at him. "Really. No matter who asks me, that's what I'd say," Lanqi nodded firmly. "Are you really talking about me...?" Hyperion clasped her hands together bashfully. "Excuse me, young lady. Ten thousand years ago in the Demon Realm, I lost a half-demon fiancée with black hair, a scorpion tail, and slender horns. Do you have any clues?" Lanqi added. "Eek! What are you saying?!" Hyperion's face flushed crimson instantly, as if steam were about to puff from her head. "A wife is a feeling. Only when the feeling hits just right do you get the urge to marry her," Lanqi said, leaning close to her as if amused by her reaction. "Stop, stop talking...!" Clutching her burning cheeks, Hyperion broke into a jog. She felt like Lanqi had mutated—to think he could say something like that! "Hyperion, guess what hair color, what kind of tail, and what kind of horns my favorite half-demon has." "I hate you!" "Come on, answer me." "I don't know!" "Just take a guess." "I won't!" One fled while the other followed, bantering and playing along the corridor before finally stopping. After all, this was an administrative area of the School of Magic Engineering; they couldn't be too rowdy. Hyperion returned to Lanqi's side. "Lanqi, you're awful! You bullied me on purpose," Hyperion murmured under her breath, playfully tapping her fists against his shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll definitely look great with black hair, because I've seen a... Hyperion, do you know of a woman who is very close to your mother? Maybe a friend of hers in the City of Flowers?" Mentioning Hyperion's original black-haired appearance reminded Lanqi of a question he hadn't yet figured out back in the City of Flowers. He had felt something was too familiar all along. In terms of pure appearance, the black-haired Hyperion looked less like Melogas and more like that black-haired woman in the City of Flowers. "Could you describe her in detail?" Hyperion knew a lot about the City of Flowers, having visited often as a child, and she occasionally heard anecdotes from Sister Rosalinda and Sister Aetio. But Lanqi certainly knew Rosalinda and Aetio, so the woman close to Iphatia whom Lanqi was asking about was definitely neither of them. "Wait for me a second." Lanqi halted, dashed back to Professor Polao's office, and quickly returned with borrowed pen and paper, sketching as they walked. He believed that an aloof, peerless beauty like her was hard to convey in words alone; only drawing could give Hyperion a clear impression. Gradually, under Lanqi's pen, the seated figure of the mysterious black-haired woman from his memory took shape. "This looks like my aunt, Minel?" Hyperion hooked her arm through Lanqi's to guide him as they walked, staring down at the portrait slowly coming to life under his hand. "Minel?" Lanqi had never heard that name before. "Yes. My father's younger sister often travels across various nations, so I only saw her occasionally. For instance, when I was little, she would take me out to play. To me, she was practically a human mother." Hyperion felt that although a human aunt fell a bit short compared to a demon aunt, in her childhood it had satisfied many of her fantasies about having a mother. Wait. A sudden wave of alarm struck Hyperion's heart. Why was Lanqi so fixated on Aunt Minel? He had memorized her appearance after just one glance, and could even draw Aunt Minel? Hyperion was a little worried that Lanqi had become infatuated with Aunt Minel. Because she knew what a gorgeous, rational, and captivatingly perfect woman Minel was, and Lanqi had a particular penchant for older women—Hyperion was genuinely terrified! "No, Hyperion..." Lanqi's brow gradually furrowed. Before he could explain to Hyperion, a series of astonishing inconsistencies flashed through his mind. Why was Duke Mikhail coincidentally absent on the day at the Sacred Silver Vine Arena, while Iphatia reacted so urgently, fleeing with Miss Minel? Why did Inoan, when suffering from amnesia, once say something inexplicable like "Isn't the Cardinal of Night a woman?", when Cardinal of Destruction Ivanos must have seen the Cardinal of Night in the Resurrection Church? Why did an unidentified black-haired noblewoman appear by Loren's side many years ago, yet no one knew she was the Duke's sister? Then the answer was— "Has Duke Mikhail ever appeared at the same time as Miss Minel?" Lanqi asked Hyperion with a grave expression. "It seems not." Hyperion thought it over carefully. It seemed her father and her aunt really had never appeared together. Either her father was busy and left her in her aunt's care, or her aunt had gone abroad and wouldn't return for a long time. "?" Lanqi's eyes cleared up in an instant, but he quickly composed his face and cleared his throat. He must never let anyone else know about this, nor could he let the Duke discover that he knew. Otherwise, he was terrified the Duke—a master of toxins and pharmaceuticals—would lock him away and wipe his memory. Now, the bigger question was: Was Duke Mikhail's true identity Mikhail, or was it Minel? Lanqi no longer dared to jump to conclusions about Mikhail's true gender. After all, Mikhail's greatest specialty was stealth, and all spells like [Polymorph: Human], [Polymorph: Demon], and [Polymorph: Cat] fell under stealth attributes. Transforming was far too easy for the Duke, and the Duke's alchemy research and forbidden dark magic defied common sense. Lanqi decided to take this secret to his grave. Miss Minel was Miss Minel, and Duke Mikhail was Duke Mikhail; even knowing the truth, Lanqi would treat them as two completely separate people.