Chapter 220
Chapter 220
Chapter 220
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 220: Lan Qi’s Overzealous Sense of Responsibility
As soon as Monast stepped through the door, he immediately glanced toward the sofas in the lounge.
“Perfect. Both of you are here in the Student Council room.”
Seeing Lan Qi and Huperion, Monast revealed a calm smile.
“Is there something you need us to help with?”
Lan Qi closed the book in his hands, set it carefully on the table, and looked seriously at the president.
With only one month left in the semester, most of Lan Qi’s mind was already preoccupied with preparing for his winter break trip to the Northern Continent, but he still took his duties at the academy very seriously.
“I just came back from handling some matters at the Knight Academy.”
Monast, as graceful as always, sat opposite the two, with Frey naturally taking a seat beside him.
The dark wooden coffee table sat quietly on the carpet, its corners smoothed and rounded.
Athena soon brought over two cups of coffee. The steaming aroma filled the warm room, pushing away the lingering chill that had followed them inside.
“Do you two still remember the Knight Academy’s ‘Soul of the Fighters’ team?”
Monast thanked Athena, then took a weary sip of his coffee before putting the cup down and asking.
“Of course.”
Both Lan Qi and Huperion nodded in unison.
Back when they had first joined the Student Council, their very first assignment had been negotiating with the Soul of the Fighters club to demolish a dangerous old building.
It was also during that mission that the three of them were chased for several streets by furious brawlers—a brush with life and death that bonded them.
“Here’s the situation—”
Monast sighed and began explaining,“Since that demolition incident, the Soul of the Fighters’ leader, Zirvini, had a complete change of heart. She transferred into the Alchemy Faculty to study law. Now she’s single-minded in her studies, abandoning all martial pursuits. She hasn’t set foot in the shadow worlds or the arena since.”
“……”
Huperion couldn’t help but glanced sideways at Lan Qi.
The culprit was sitting right beside her.
“It seems reasonable to me. But the fighters from the Royal Yaloran Academy don’t see it that way. To them, it’s outrageous—our fighters are shirking battle and insulting their intelligence with such an excuse.”
Monast continued.
The Yaloran fighters had traveled here for the express purpose of a grand duel, fists deciding honor, staking everything on their “Soul of the Fighters.” But with Zirvini absent, their mission felt meaningless.
So they decided on a scheme: crush Zirvini’s underlings in the agreed duel so brutally that she would be forced to show herself.
But Zirvini’s loyal followers knew their boss was burning herself out day and night for her law exams. They didn’t want to distract her. So they fought with all they had, determined to end the battle themselves.
The result was exactly what Huperion had seen earlier on the magical screen—a one-sided massacre, stopped only because it was too brutal.
“In the end, Knight Academy’s Headmaster Sphintos declared victory for Yaloran. But the Yaloran fighters refused to accept it. They insist the duel must be fought to completion, otherwise it violates the very spirit of combat.”
“I personally agree with Sphento’s decision. But my responsibility is to host Yaloran’s visiting academic team, so I went to negotiate with their fighters. I finally settled on a condition.”
At this point, Monast let out a breath, recounting his and Frey’s exhausting trip.
“What condition?”
Huperion leaned forward curiously.
She had absolute faith in Monast’s negotiation skills. Even unreasonable fighters could be persuaded by him.
“The day after tomorrow, the match will continue. If they win, I will arrange with the Alchemy Faculty for Zirvini to appear and accept their challenge. But if we win, they must never again disturb her law studies.”
“That’s the deal,” Monast concluded.
“I see… and what are our chances of winning?”
Lan Qi asked with genuine concern.
For once, after Huperion’s earlier words, he actually seemed to care about victory.
“None.”
Monast’s reply was swift and absolute.
The earlier fight had already revealed the yawning gap in strength. It had only been stopped because it bordered on abuse.
Run it again, and with our side already full of fear and despair, there’s no chance.
“What’s worse is… in some sense, this whole Yaloran visit has already been too successful. They’ve won against us three times in a row: Adams defeated Lan Qi, Karen defeated Lan Qi, and now their fighters crushed ours.”
Monast frowned deeper.
“The Knight Academy’s Headmaster Sphintos is not like Headmaster Loren. He’s not one to back down if pushed. When Yaloran’s professor proposed making this duel the official closing event of the academic exchange, Sphintos accepted outright. The city is already buzzing—there will be a grand build-up, the whole of Ikerite will be watching. Even your father, Lan Qi, told me he’s eager to attend.”
Monast rubbed his temples. The trouble was only growing.
“So… you’re planning to ask Zirvini to fight after all?”
Huperion thought giving up might be the safer course. A bloody duel broadcast across the city could harm both academies’ reputations—or even spiral into a disaster.
She was beginning to appreciate Lan Qi’s usual “surrender first” attitude.
But Monast shook his head.“If we did that, then all the efforts Zirvini’s team made would be wasted. My duty is first and foremost to our own students. And since our Student Council indirectly caused this mess during the demolition incident, we owe them this much.”
“……”
Huperion’s face darkened.
She knew exactly who the true culprits were: the two sitting right here.
“Of course, the conditions forbid outside reinforcements. It has to be the original Soul of the Fighters members. We can’t have Frey step in.”
Monast sipped his coffee again, then looked earnestly at Lan Qi and Huperion.
“But whenever I see how much they’ve sacrificed for Zirvini, I can’t turn a blind eye. If possible, I hope you’ll help them achieve this wish—and give a perfect conclusion to this academic exchange.”
He knew Lan Qi had some experience in education. Perhaps he could pull off a miracle in training them.
Huperion was stunned by the request. She opened her mouth to object:
“President, think carefully—”
But before she could finish, Lan Qi shot to his feet, straightening his tie with fervor.
“This responsibility is mine to bear! I will show my father the true pride of our academy!”
“Secretary Huperion, Director Frey—let’s go!”
His enthusiasm was overwhelming. He even called them by their shadow-world titles in the heat of the moment.