Chapter 302
Chapter 302
Chapter 302
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 302 – Principal Lan Qi’s Daily Work
Outside, the sky was gray and hazy. From time to time, gusts of wind howled through the Royal Protos Magic Academy, carrying leaves down with each passing breeze.
At first, a single raindrop tapped gently against the window frame.
Soon after, rain began to fall like countless fine strings, pouring densely from the sky.
Within this thin curtain of rain, the canaries perched on the branches began to sing softly, their chirps light and melodic.
“……”
Sitting by the window, Lan Qi seemed to awaken from a dream. His deep emerald eyes were still clear and bright.
He raised a hand, gently brushing the dew-beaded glass.
The damp, chilly weather seeped into the skin, carrying that bone-deep drowsiness that made the body ache with fatigue.
Outside, raindrops striking the window joined the birds’ chirping on the branches, as if telling some unknown story.
This office, once left unused and now belonging to him, was adorned with wooden furnishings—solid, weighty, and carrying the marks of time. Every detail seemed like a carefully crafted piece of art.
Occasionally, beams of sunlight filtered weakly through the dark clouds, scattering into the room like pale golden ribbons, resting on Lan Qi’s figure and lending him a faint warmth.
His chair was turned away from his desk, facing the window, as he enjoyed a rare moment of afternoon leisure.
“Sorry, little bird,” he murmured.
“Though your song is lovely, I didn’t turn for you.”
Lan Qi whispered.
The Great Poet always claimed he was like a judge of the kingdom’s finest livestock.
But that wasn’t true—he wasn’t cut out to be a mentor for little animals.
That aside—
He noticed that recently Huperion had hardly summoned the Great Poet at all; he had barely felt any drain on his mana.
But considering Huperion’s cautious nature, it was no surprise—she wouldn’t casually summon the Great Poet in front of others.
Normally, summoning cards couldn’t be lent to others, since only the original owner could summon them. But the Great Poet was unique: she could summon herself, allowing her to be “loaned out” in this unusual way.
Though she often ignored Lan Qi’s commands, she would listen to Huperion—or at least act more mature when with her.
Strange.
Everyone knew she was just a brat pretending to be refined. It was as laughable as an old woman pretending to be a maiden—a different but equally ridiculous kind of comedy.
Shaking off the thought, Lan Qi turned his chair back to the desk, focusing on the documents piled there.
He had already completed most of the tasks that the teachers needed his help with—only a few scattered matters remained.
Tomorrow, he would leave the academy for a time. His next return would be two weeks to a month later.
A healthy school should function smoothly even without its principal for a while.
Just like most students could go years without ever seeing their principal.
Immersed in his reading, Lan Qi’s emerald eyes traced each line of text with deep focus and thought.
Not long after, a steady and rhythmic knock on the door shattered the quiet of the afternoon, echoing within the old office.
Lan Qi slowly lifted his head, his voice calm and steady:
“Please, come in.”
The brass handle of the heavy wooden door turned, creaking softly as it swung open. A handsome man stepped inside, though his eyes carried the perpetual drowsiness of someone half-asleep.
“Professor Rocky… No, I suppose I should call you Principal now,” said Associate Professor Sido with a wry smile.
Strictly speaking, Lan Qi’s official position at the academy had shifted from teaching assistant in History to “Senior Advisor.” The academy technically had no position titled “Principal.”
Usually, principals governed teachers by virtue of rank and authority. Yet here, the teachers willingly accepted Lan Qi’s leadership, impressed by his competence and reform plans.
In practice, the work Lan Qi did was no different from that of a principal.
“Professor Sido, you’ve come,” Lan Qi greeted with a warm smile.
“If you ever need help maintaining classroom discipline, I can still lend you a hand anytime.”
As the history department’s associate professor—and Lan Qi’s earliest collaborator—Sido was the teacher closest to him in the academy.
They had arranged to meet on Friday afternoon.
“The students have completely turned around. And under real-name surveys, you received a one-hundred percent approval rating,” Sido said with admiration.
Then he stepped aside slightly, continuing:
“But today, I mainly wanted to introduce someone to you.”
Following behind him, a young woman stepped into the office.
She wore a fitted noble hunting outfit, her carefully woven hair falling over her shoulder. Her androgynous attire gave her otherwise cool features a touch of vibrance. Rather than appealing to men, her presence was likely even more magnetic to young women.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Rocky.”
Unlike the arrogant airs of other noble students he had seen before, Lady Chloris, the duke’s daughter, entered gracefully, bowing in greeting to Lan Qi.
“Miss Chloris? Please, have a seat.”
Lan Qi gestured kindly toward the guest chairs across from his desk.
He had heard of her—one of the academy’s top students.
The daughter of Duke Morotian, holder of the [Original Tablet – Undead].
What impressed Lan Qi most was her adherence to the school rules.
Among the few truly exemplary students at the academy, she was one he recognized as a genuine “good student.”
Associate Professor Sido seated himself on a sofa to the side, quickly lowering his eyelids, arms folded, clearly uninterested in taking an active part in the discussion.
Today’s conversation was mainly between Lady Chloris and Lan Qi.
“Mr. Rocky, I’ve heard from Associate Professor Sido that you don’t believe in the existence of the Northern Demon King’s Special Slaughter Unit,” Chloris said directly after sitting down, her crimson eyes shining as she looked straight at him.
“That’s correct,” Lan Qi admitted.
It was this very stance that had caused the uproar in the history class earlier, and which had led Sido to recommend him for employment at the Royal Protos Magic Academy.
“Could you explain your reasoning in detail? I want to hear the specific basis for your judgment.”
Unlike Sido, Chloris truly cared about Lan Qi’s reasoning.
“Many people, like myself and Professor Sido, harbor this same doubt. It’s like a missing piece of a puzzle—if proven, it could change the entire picture. But we have no evidence. No one believes there exists a racial disguise magic capable of bypassing the Protos Empire’s detection.”
For now, it was only speculation.
But Rocky McCarthy’s certainty stood out—his demeanor made it seem natural and obvious to him that those who had caused such panic were not demons at all.
(End of Chapter)