Chapter 281
Chapter 281
Chapter 281
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 281 – The Patriarch of Lan Qi Arrives
Lan Qi’s words seemed to have touched upon some forbidden taboo. Students in the front row slowly turned their heads, silently staring at him.
“Do you have any proof?”
Although it was just a quiet murmur from Lan Qi, someone with sharp ears caught it immediately.
Those who questioned such evidential images generally leaned toward anti-war sentiment. At this point in time, that was something not tolerated.
Gloria looked at the arrogant Son of Ba’tian and immediately realized he had said something wrong.
In this classroom, he had no special status. Unlike her, an insider of the Resurrection Cult who knew the truth, the other students wouldn’t care about his identity.
Back then, even the Son of Annihilation in the Protos Royal Academy had reached the very summit of the institution purely by his own strength, always suppressing others with sheer might. He never once used his title of Son of Annihilation to intimidate people.
But obviously, the Son of Ba’tian did not yet possess that kind of deterrence.
“Those creatures lacked the self-driven madness of burning their lives for their desires. They seemed more like demons forged by disguise, driven by external forces. They had no genuine demonic faith. Such demons could never be chosen as members of the Demon King’s Special Killing Unit.”
Lan Qi spoke with the calm ease of someone sitting at the back row of a public lecture.
He was unfazed by stares and doubts, responding as though he were merely clarifying for outsiders.
Across the southern continent, he was already regarded as an authoritative scholar in demonology. His hypothesis wasn’t impossible—during the Blood Moon Catastrophe era, the Honing Empire had experimented with technology that could transform humans into demon disguises to infiltrate the Demon Realm.
But this classroom lacked an academic atmosphere.
Instead, it was filled with ideology and emotion. Lan Qi’s words were like sparks, igniting anger among many.
“What do you know of demons? Do you think your delusions can overturn the conclusions of recognized demonology scholars?”
“The demons you see today are all tamed fakes, long stripped of their savagery. Pure-blood demons cannot be understood by your shallow imagination. You should learn about the true demons of the Holy War a hundred years ago.”
“The Protos Empire has always had the most advanced detection magic. If they were disguised demons, how could they escape our systems? Are you questioning the century-long achievements of the Empire’s magic and institutional perfection? Read more before you talk.”
“Why are you all so agitated? Whether he’s right or wrong, he only made a hypothesis. Is even that not allowed?”
The back row quickly became the target of hostility, though some did defend Lan Qi. Or perhaps the truth was that two opposing views had always existed in this classroom, and one voice was enough to ignite conflict.
“Everyone, there’s no need to debate this in class. During the monthly exam, demonology is part of the assessment. You can settle the matter with scores.”
At the lectern, Professor Sido held his head, as though tormented by the chaos.
“Professor Sido, your position is extremely displeasing.”
A golden-haired noblewoman sneered arrogantly at him.
At this moment, trying to mediate was effectively helping the weaker side.
And compared to the hawkish right-wing faction, the left-leaning conservatives never had the standing or right to speak.
“Miss Anfis, I only believe that as a scholar, I must observe and analyze objectively, not interpret everything through personal bias.”
Sido sighed helplessly, spreading his hands.
But it was no use. The classroom grew even rowdier.
Some senior students didn’t even bother to put Sido, a mere associate professor, in their eyes.
It was just a credit elective, and Sido himself was weak, utterly incompetent in combat.
“At the very least, demons know how to maintain classroom discipline. You all boast of despising demons, yet you display less basic student decorum than they do. Aren’t you perhaps overestimating yourselves?”
Lan Qi’s voice was calm.
In the noisy waves of argument, it was like a ripple across water—stable and steady. Yet his words again drew hostile, resentful glares.
“You—just a dog raised by demons—think you have the right to speak?”
The golden-curled noblewoman narrowed her eyes, openly mocking him.
She had clearly recognized it already—he was the servant of Zestira.
“A demon’s servant?”
“No wonder…”
The classroom grew even more chaotic, as if Lan Qi had activated some kind of mass-taunt skill, drawing all fire to himself.
Gloria’s personal guards frowned deeply.
That golden-haired noblewoman, especially hostile toward Lan Qi, was Anfis Campelte, from the immensely wealthy Campelte family. Among the second-year students, she was also quite capable.
But in this academy, the rule was simple: the stronger you were, the greater your authority.
Had Lan Qi possessed the terrifying power of the previous Saintess of Ba’tian, Anfis wouldn’t have dared to utter a word.
Gloria still didn’t understand why the Arch-Bishop of Ba’tian would choose a weakling.
“Being a demon’s servant alone is already problematic. But now, with these words of yours, it’s enough to prove you have serious pro-demon leanings!”
Anfis clearly had no intention of letting Lan Qi go. Today, she wanted to root out Zestira’s servant.
If he dared refute her even once more, she could easily pin a charge on him.
Wilfortism was indeed a useful tool, especially for nobles who stood on the side of the dominant trend.
As tensions neared breaking point, most assumed Professor Sido at the lectern was at his wits’ end.
But instead, Sido simply sat down, pulled out a bag of chips from his briefcase, and munched away as he watched the quarrel.
At that moment, Lan Qi chuckled faintly.
His expression grew serious as he fixed his gaze on Anfis.
“Miss Anfis, was it? I highly suspect you are an anti-war activist, deliberately trying to sow discord within the Empire. Do you know how many mixed-blood soldiers of other races are currently serving in the Imperial Army? At this critical juncture, you’re instigating conflict between nobles and other races to magnify divisions and spark internal chaos. What is your true intent? What purpose do your words serve? Does your family perhaps have unsavory ties with the Aetherthalan Kingdom?”
Lan Qi pointed directly at Anfis, his tone one of lofty concern for the Empire’s wellbeing.
“…”
The room fell silent.
“I…”
Anfis’s throat trembled, but she was speechless, completely thrown off by Lan Qi’s string of accusations.
The vast history classroom was engulfed in silence. Many students bowed their heads, faces dark as soot.
Anfis had only tried to slap a label on Lan Qi, but he nearly dragged her whole family into the Empire’s blacklist.
“Wait—could he be that Rocky McCarthy? The madman who even dared report the Annihilation Branch?”
Someone suddenly realized.
Among the preparatory students, the only demon noble’s servant was…
Yes, the very same who last week had openly reported the Resurrection Cult by name.
This man was truly fearless, even strange. Even the Annihilation Branch hadn’t retaliated against him.
Students who had previously mocked Lan Qi immediately lowered their heads, terrified of being noticed by him. No one wanted to gamble their family’s standing against lunatics like the Annihilation Branch.
“…”
Gloria’s guards fell into silence, observing the sudden shift in atmosphere.
Though the Son of Ba’tian subdued the students of the Protos Royal Academy in a way completely different from the Son of Annihilation—one through the student path, the other through the headmaster’s path—
In the end, he had still made others too afraid to cross him.
This man truly seemed like a child of destiny.
Almost as if Wilfort himself had returned.
(End of Chapter)