Chapter 296
Chapter 296
Chapter 296
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 296 – Is Lan Qi Doing Well in the Protos Empire?
The Ice Witch and Huperion sat together on one side of the sofa in the middle of the great hall.
On the tea table in front of them, dinner had already been laid out. The food was not abundant, but it was exquisitely prepared. Most of it was made from the local specialty of Ghedalia City—wheat flour mixed with snow dew—crafted into soft, glutinous pastries. A light press would release a faint floral fragrance. Their snowy white surfaces were sprinkled with fruit-brewed rock sugar, making them shine like crystal snowflakes, each piece glimmering with tempting brilliance.
Before long, the teacher and student finished their meal together.
“Go rest now, there are more lessons waiting for you tomorrow.”
The Ice Witch smiled as she spoke to Huperion.
“Yes, teacher, you should rest early too.”
Huperion bid the Ice Witch farewell, stood, saluted her again, and walked toward the exit of the great hall.
During this time, Huperion spent almost every day with the Ice Witch—sometimes in special training, sometimes assisting like a secretary in handling church affairs. In short, she was being cared for, and within a month had already become familiar with the royal capital Ghedalia.
In a letter to Dean Loren, the Ice Witch had even mentioned Huperion’s situation under her care, as well as his student Lan Qi, who had apparently gone alone to the Protos Empire. But because of the long sea route, even if things went smoothly, it would still take some time before Dean Loren in Ikerite of the southern continent received the church’s secret letter.
Leaving the great hall and closing the heavy stone doors behind her, Huperion was still immersed in the insights from her recent training, her steps deep and slow.
The soft glow of lamps lit up the temple corridors, casting gentle light upon the ancient stone walls. Each stone pillar stood with sacred dignity.
“Miss Almis also feels like a mature, steady woman…”
For some reason, this thought surfaced in Huperion’s heart.
Before coming to the northern continent, and even after arriving here, there had always been someone taking care of her.
Although both the Ice Witch and Talia gave off a cold impression, after getting along with them, she felt their kindness.
Of course, they were very different.
The Ice Witch was gentle toward everyone, though she reduced communication with those unfamiliar to her.
Talia, however, was kind only to her.
Huperion couldn’t quite figure out a question.
Why did both women, despite being mature and caring toward her, feel so different?
The Ice Witch made her feel respect for a teacher, while Talia gave her the feeling of a mother.
The more she compared, the clearer the difference became. Perhaps it was in the details.
Either way, she realized—she missed Talia.
If only she could quickly finish her work, and then take Lan Qi back to find Talia… Living a quiet, simple life would be best.
Talia was probably busy every day now, running the Cat Boss Restaurant together with Senior Sister Athena. She wondered how they were doing in the royal capital Ikerite.
Walking down the corridor with such thoughts about the people important to her, Huperion encountered many clergy members.
Each greeted her warmly with nods or words.
“Huperion, keep it up!”
A young female priestess waved and encouraged her.
“Good evening, Miss Huperion.”
An older temple clerk said kindly.
Huperion politely responded to each one.
Finally, she reached the temple gates.
Night had fallen. Stars dotted the vast sky. Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, Huperion turned back to look at the towering temple, her heart full of gratitude and determination. With a faint smile, she stepped into the night.
Huperion had always been a follower of the Goddess of Fate. Now she was also the student of the church’s Saintess, and was about to assist in an important mission for the church.
At Almis’s suggestion, she had happily taken the chance to join the Church of the Goddess of Fate.
Usually, only those with firm faith and who passed trials could become clergy. Once accepted, they had to serve the church and fulfill their duties.
From a young age, Huperion had dreamed of becoming a noble clergyperson.
But when she was little, many children mocked her: “A half-demon wanting to be clergy?”
This made her cautious when she entered temples back in Ikerite, never daring to reveal her desire.
Unexpectedly, here in a foreign land, she had truly become part of the Goddess of Fate’s temple.
Of course, the duties she now bore were heavy, and the pressure immense, leaving her no choice but to work tirelessly.
She also gained something new—she could now use divine arts.
But because her spirit attribute was low, even though her faith was high, most supportive divine arts she cast were weak in effect.
Lan Qi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. His spirit attribute was high, but because he had no belief in gods at all, he could not use divine arts whatsoever.
For Huperion, offensive divine arts were her best option, especially since they had unique effects against evil creatures.
Of course, if she targeted herself, it also caused amplified damage, making her suffer greatly.
In fact, the first thing she did after learning divine arts was test them on herself—because she had no other target. Besides, a half-demon wielding divine arts was already miraculous in itself…
“The Aetherthalan Kingdom is truly wonderful.”
Walking along the lush tree-lined streets of this forest capital, Huperion sighed.
Even without the identity of a duke’s daughter, even with everyone knowing she was a half-demon, she was still respected.
She lived here feeling truly content.
Meanwhile, Lan Qi was in the south, in the Protos Empire—a place with a cultural style opposite to Aetherthalan, heavy and oppressive in atmosphere.
She couldn’t help but wonder—was he doing well?
…
Meanwhile, in another place—
The Protos Empire. The imperial capital, Helrom. Darkness had also fallen.
On this winter night, the academy was shrouded in quiet and chill.
Buildings of dark gray stone and steel stood solemnly, their spires and pointed arch windows striking under the night. Street lamps lit up the frosted walls, gleaming like black gemstones.
The clock tower’s hands neared seven.
Today’s monthly assessment had started at nine in the morning and lasted twelve hours until nine at night—only two hours remained.
During the final session, all interference from the backstage would cease, and the test sites would be publicly broadcast across the entire academy.
For students not participating, these two hours were valuable to watch and learn.
Twelve hours was too long—but two hours was just right.
Normally, most third-years wouldn’t care about monthly assessments unless a junior they followed was participating. At best, they’d glance at the screens in passing.
But today was different.
Many upperclassmen deliberately came to the central building to gather before the magic screens, surprising the lower years.
“…”
In the crowd, many exchanged glances. Without asking, they knew why each other had come.
In the past two days, a certain new freshman had made them all gnash their teeth.
When they learned this guy would be participating in the monthly assessment as a noble student’s follower, they immediately put a bounty on Rocky McCarthy.
As more people filled the central square, they realized—there might be over a hundred people who had anonymously placed bounties on Rocky McCarthy!
“This bastard really isn’t afraid of offending people.”
“It doesn’t matter. The bigger the bounty, the better the fun.”
“Hah! He might be facing a manhunt worse than death.”
Voices echoed.
Some even laughed cruelly in anticipation. They were here to see how this guy would be executed under the bounty.
(End of this chapter)