Chapter 202
Chapter 202
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 202: Loren: Huh?
On both sides of the main avenue of Ikerite Academy, ancient oak trees spread their dense canopies. Sunlight filtering through the leaves scattered patches of brilliance across the stone-paved road.
Not far away, the towering Learning and Education Building stood, one of the academy’s most iconic landmarks, always bustling with life.
Lan Qi, Huperion, and the new student were walking along such a path when suddenly they saw Loren appear.
The polished leather shoes of Loren, the dean, scraped softly against the ground as he approached the three of them. Around them, only the laughter of other students and the rustling of leaves in the breeze could be heard.
“Lan Qi, Huperion.”
Dean Loren opened his mouth, his eyes fixed firmly on the two of them.
“Lan Qi, what’s going on with your match against Adams?”
At the moment, he had no interest in why Lan Qi and Huperion were tagging along with a student from the Yaloran Kingdom. That was no big deal—so long as they didn’t end up tossing some poor visiting student into prison, Loren wasn’t going to make a fuss.
Lan Qi and Huperion exchanged a glanced, clearly not expecting to bump into the dean here.
“Dean Loren!”
Lan Qi, as if he had been waiting to see him all along, brightened immediately at the sight of Loren dropping down from the sky.“My friendly duel with Adams is already over. He chose the [Cage of Despair and Frost] artificial shadow world, and I agreed.”
Lan Qi was the first to answer Loren’s question.
“It’s over?”
Loren frowned in confusion. If the duel was over, why was Adams still stuck in the seventh-floor atrium?“... And why hasn’t he been able to contact Juliana for an entire day?”
“Adams is still inside the shadow world…”
“Hm? You didn’t win?”
“I lost.”
A chill ran down Loren’s spine.
He never imagined Lan Qi would lose.
There was only one explanation for Lan Qi losing so easily—
He had never planned to win.
For a moment, Loren couldn’t even guess what scheme Lan Qi had cooked up this time.
He quickly turned toward Huperion.
Huperion was one of the few normal people around here—at least she spoke in a way humans could understand.
“Huperion, you tell me. What happened?”
“...”
Huperion glanced at Lan Qi, then pouted and stammered,
“Lan Qi and Adams made a bet. If Lan Qi won, Knight Commander Juliana would… go on a date with you.”
“... A date?”
Loren was stunned when he heard the terms of the wager, but after a second, he exhaled in relief.
Thank goodness Lan Qi didn’t win!
But then a troubling thought struck him.
If Juliana had agreed to such an absurd condition, what would happen if Lan Qi lost? What kind of price would that entail?He immediately looked at Huperion again, waiting for her to continue.
Huperion twisted and squirmed, clutching the hem of her clothes, unable to get the words out.
That only made Loren more nervous—he felt like lightning could strike him any second.
At that moment, Lan Qi, sensing Huperion’s discomfort, stepped forward and said:“It’s simple. If Adams won, you wouldn’t have to pay any additional price. All you’d need to do is go with the flow. Then, you’d still end up going on a date with Knight Commander Juliana.”
“?”
Loren was baffled.
What kind of lopsided arrangement was this?
And why, no matter the outcome, did it somehow always end up with Juliana going on a date with him? What kind of nonsense was this?!
“Knight Commander Juliana agreed. As long as you apologize to her and earn her forgiveness, she’ll go on a date with you...”
Lan Qi explained with complete seriousness.
Just then, while they were still talking, a commotion broke out at the entrance of a nearby building, drawing their attention. Urgent footsteps echoed toward them.
A team in white uniforms, emblazoned with the crest of the Alchemy Department, rushed out of the Learning and Education Building. They looked utterly professional.
These medical teams had already been dispatched several times in recent days. This time was a hat-trick.
But what shocked everyone was the person being carried out on a stretcher—Adams.
The once confident, bold young man now looked deathly pale, as though he had just escaped disaster, teetering on the edge of death. His face was crusted with frost, as if he’d been dragged straight out of a freezer.
Loren’s eyes locked onto Adams and could not move away.
“Th-this…”
On his face was a mixture of disbelief and shock. His eyes widened, his mouth opened, but no words came.
He leaned back slightly, as if trying to comprehend the surreal scene unfolding before him.
As the stretcher passed by Loren and the others, Adams, who had been trembling, caught sight of Loren’s horrified expression.
Suddenly, like a dying flame flaring one last time, Adams forced a weak, victorious smile.
He had won—utterly!
This was the expression he had longed to see on Loren’s face. This academic exchange to the Hedon Kingdom had been worth it!
But then—
As the stretcher shifted, Adams noticed Lan Qi walking right beside Loren. His gaze froze.
Lan Qi looked perfectly fine—radiant, refreshed, and brimming with energy.
Completely unlike Adams.
While Adams had suffered in a prison of frost, Lan Qi had probably spent the last day eating well, drinking well, and sleeping soundly.
Adams’s mind whirred furiously.
“L-Lan Qi… could it be… you…”
His teeth chattered as he forced out the weak words while being carried past Lan Qi.
“...”
Lan Qi pressed his lips together, his expression one of pity, with a touch of regret and reproach—as if asking Adams, Why didn’t you trust me? This was clearly just a friendly duel.
“Lan Qi, you… bastard…”
Finally, Adams’s head lolled to the side, and he passed out.
“...”
The road fell into silence.
They all watched as Adams was carried away.
Loren’s throat felt blocked.
There were things words couldn’t express, but now he finally understood what Lan Qi had meant by “going with the flow.”
He really had no choice now but to apologize to Juliana.
“Dean Loren, please just enjoy your date with Knight Commander Juliana! If you ever need someone to play matchmaker again, just come to me—I promise I’ll take care of your lifelong happiness!”
Lan Qi shoved his hands into his pockets, let out a sigh, then looked at Loren with the smile of a mischievous little Cupid holding a love arrow.
“...”
Loren’s expression shifted through several stages.
Ordinarily, the chance to go on a date with Juliana would be a dream come true.
He had never imagined such an opportunity would fall into his lap.
But why, then, did it feel so tragic?
His already rocky love life—under Lan Qi’s meddling hands—now looked like it was being turned into a heavenly road straight into chaos.
Finally—
Loren laughed.
It was the kind of laugh you gave when you were too miserable to cry.
His eyes, devoid of light, lifted as he shook his head. Words failed him.
The sunset burned out
On the cobblestone paths of Ikerite Academy, early-rising students and staff hurried along, while others gathered in small groups, chatting.
All this noise and motion seemed to be cut off by an invisible barrier from the figures standing in the distance.
Loren stood frozen in place for quite a while.
He was already thinking about running away—he truly had no idea how to face Juliana.
Even if the upright and proud Juliana really followed through with that ridiculous promise to go on a date with him, Loren couldn’t imagine what that scene would look like.
He didn’t want to spend an entire day with Juliana grinding her teeth at him!
And if they really did go on a date, the rumors in Ikerite City would probably spread like wildfire again!
Loren covered his eyes with his hand.
“Lan Qi, I only beg of you—please let the other students in the academic delegation return safely. When Adams recovers, I’ll personally escort him back and apologize, but as for the other twenty students—not a single one can go missing.”
His expression looked like a smile, but carried the meaning of tears.
“……”
Lan Qi fell silent.
Huperion couldn’t help but glanced at Phoenix, who had been standing quietly to the side.
Loren’s face stiffened.
“…Student, no matter how Lan Qi may have threatened you, don’t be afraid. Just be honest with me, alright?”
He looked nervously at Phoenix as he asked.
He knew there was something suspicious about Lan Qi walking around with a student from the Yaloran Royal Academy!
Thankfully, this student didn’t seem to be missing an arm or leg—at least he didn’t look like he needed a hospital.
Phoenix glanced at Lan Qi, then back at Loren, but said nothing.
It was as though he had something very important he wanted to tell Loren.
Loren flicked his fingertips, casting a spell to isolate the sounds around them from the outside world.
“Alright, you can tell me now.”
Loren said gently.
He didn’t think it could be anything major—
—but when it came to Lan Qi, he had to listen carefully.
“I’m a Resurrection Cultist.”
Phoenix answered.
“……”
Loren was silent for a moment.“No, Phoenix, that joke isn’t funny.”
He forced an awkward smile.
He had never seen a Resurrection Cultist so calmly walk up to him and surrender, as if completely reformed.
That was downright bizarre.
“I’m an elite covert operative directly under Bishop of Destruction Ivanos. I only awaken under special circumstances to carry out missions. This time, my plan in Hedon Kingdom was to assassinate Lady Huperion and stage a large-scale accident. At the same time, other cultists in Yaloran Kingdom would follow up—once you began investigating, you’d fall into our trap, ignite the fuse of conflict, and utterly destroy the trust between Hedon and Yaloran.”
Phoenix’s expression was solemn, and for the first time he no longer looked like a student—he carried the oppressive aura of a true Resurrection Cultist.
“…?!”
Loren’s smile completely vanished.
His brain nearly froze.
“This is the plan I drafted based on the intel I knew, along with my confession, and a list of people in key Yaloran institutions who may be Resurrection Cultists. I will confess fully and cooperate with your work. I only ask that you take care of my younger sister—protect her from the cult’s revenge. She is innocent.”
Phoenix’s tone was calm as he spoke. He pulled a stack of papers from his coat pocket—intelligence and his written confession, prepared yesterday so Loren could grasp everything quickly.
“……”
Loren’s hands trembled as he accepted the pages, eyes scanning the shocking contents.
Then he looked up at Phoenix again.
If Phoenix was telling the truth, this was nothing less than a major security crisis.
And Phoenix’s role in the Resurrection Cult wasn’t small—he was a big fish, a perfectly hidden elite.
“Dean Loren, the next steps will be troublesome for you—including protecting Phyllis, among other things. Also, about this intel—it’s best not to go through the Kingdom first. Instead, reach out to a powerful person in Yaloran whom you truly trust, and ask her help in the investigation. You know who I mean.”
Lan Qi spoke seriously to Loren.
He had even thought ahead about Loren needing to work with Juliana on these affairs.
Because romance must always be pushed forward by events—letting the male and female leads naturally spend more time together. It wasn’t forced—it was fate’s arrangement.
Now Loren had to go to Juliana, and in the coming days they’d inevitably have to contact each other often. Sparks were bound to fly!
“Lan Qi… First, I must acknowledge your capability. And the credit and rewards you deserve later—you won’t be shortchanged…”
Loren stared at Lan Qi with a complicated look.
He could no longer figure Lan Qi out.
It was like he was both helping him and tormenting him at the same time…
But Loren had to admit—
Lan Qi was the most capable student he had ever seen.
So capable, it was frightening.
“But I worry… if too many members of the academic delegation don’t make it back, Juliana will come to Hedon Kingdom herself to find me.”
Loren’s expression turned sorrowful.
Counting Phyllis and Phoenix in the hospital, that made 21 students total. Now, only 18 could safely return in a week.
If they lost a few more… Juliana herself would be coming.
And Loren didn’t even dare imagine what the rumors at Ikerite would become then.
“…Really?”
Lan Qi’s eyes lit up.
Beside him, Huperion widened her eyes.
The way Lan Qi looked—it was like he wanted to personally arrange Loren’s wedding!
But if Knight-Captain Juliana came to the capital of Hedon Kingdom…
And with the rumors already spreading out of control…
If Loren’s fiancées found out, they’d never let his romance with Juliana proceed smoothly!
They’d intervene themselves.
And when that happened, an epic love battlefield was sure to erupt!
For the sake of Ikerite’s peace, Huperion knew they absolutely couldn’t allow the Yaloran students’ numbers to drop any further!
Loren couldn’t bring himself to keep talking with Lan Qi—this lunatic’s thought process was beyond comprehension.
The more he said, the more likely Lan Qi was to get “inspired” and do something outrageous.
So Loren quickly took Phoenix and vanished like the wind.
The sound-isolating barrier dissolved with the flow of air, and once again the campus was filled with noise, students’ laughter, and the rustling of leaves in the breeze, reaching Lan Qi and Huperion’s ears.
“Lan Qi, what are you planning to do today…”
Huperion asked, wary.
They had just finished escorting people and were walking back leisurely.
Lan Qi looked at her expression and stayed quiet for a moment.
Beside the path flowed the academy’s artificial river, clear to the bottom, with a few leaves drifting on the surface, reflecting the blue sky and green trees like a painting.
“Today, I plan to take a day off—head to the Cardmaker’s Association to buy some materials, then practice card-making, and prepare a transformation card for the Great Love Poet.”
Lan Qi thought for a moment before answering.
He had promised the Great Love Poet. If he didn’t deliver soon, she might stop listening to him next time she came out.
And while she was in high spirits, he could get her to help him wholeheartedly with card-making.
“Phew…”
Huperion seemed relieved.
Lan Qi did, after all, still have a rest period from the academy after completing the shadow-world mission [Banquet of the Cathedral Villains].
“Oh, right, Huperion—can you lend me your [Polymorph: Human] spell for two days so I can study it?”
Right now, the skins Lan Qi could make for the Great Love Poet, if involving race transformation, all had to be based on extensions of polymorph spells. Using [Polymorph: Demon] as the base, he could make her into other types of demons. Using [Polymorph: Human] as the base, he could turn her into a human.
But Lan Qi didn’t know whether changing her race would bring side effects. The final skin would also be paired with his own hand-drawn design.
“No problem.”
Huperion readily handed over [Polymorph: Human], while she herself used her earliest disguise spell to maintain her human form.
Although helping Lan Qi play dress-up games with Miss Talia gave her a strong sense of taboo, Huperion was curious to see what the Great Love Poet would look like transformed. Talia’s foundation was just too stunning. If possible, Huperion even wanted to dress Talia up in many outfits from her own ducal estate.