Chapter 314
Chapter 314
Chapter 314
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 314 – Lan Qi and Sid Clearly Look Like Failing Students
On one side of the reception hall, the staircase of pale brown stone spiraled downward. Several nobles in formal attire were slowly making their way down, the sashes and hems of their garments swaying with each step.
As they moved, their deep, rhythmic footsteps and quiet conversations reverberated throughout the hall. The sound wasn’t loud, but in such a vast space, every word seemed to echo with added weight.
In contrast, the sofa area at the center of the hall remained unusually quiet. The flames of the golden candlesticks flickered, and aside from the crackling of firewood in the fireplace, the three seated figures said nothing, waiting in silence, as though divided into a world of their own.
“Didn’t the Protos Royal Magic Academy already do away with vicious competition?”
Shaya, seated on the ground floor sofa, asked in a puzzled whisper to Lan Qi and Sid.
Along the way, he had overheard senior students gossiping about how the Academy had gone through major reforms recently, and that its atmosphere had changed drastically.
“This is a leader of the Protos Royal Magic Academy—you three must not be rude!”
Suddenly, Viscount Blake Bone, the lord of Bone City standing on the staircase, seemed to notice something and turned to scold the three young people sitting on the sofa below.
“S-sorry!”
Shaya trembled with fright, quickly bowing his head and avoiding eye contact.
He hadn’t expected the middle-aged nobleman’s hearing to be so sharp, catching even their whispered words. It was as if Viscount Bone had been watching the three of them the entire time.
Behind the two noble viscounts, on the staircase, Lilith spared Shaya a fleeting glance. The brief exchange of eyes only made Shaya feel even more awkward.
“…And what do you think about this?”
Sid, unfazed, looked at Lan Qi with amused curiosity.
They hadn’t expected someone would actually take advantage of outdated information to swagger around the Snowfield Province, pretending to represent the Academy.
“…And if someone impersonated the Supreme Cardinal of the Ba'tian Church, how would you feel about that?”
Lan Qi met Sid’s violet eyes calmly, while continuing to stroke Cat Boss on his lap.
The two of them had already been talking loudly about such outrageous things on their journey. Even if they openly mentioned the Ba'tian Church’s Sigrid, nobody would believe they had anything to do with her.
Still, truth be told, ordinary people really had no way of exposing impostors from the Protos Royal Magic Academy. Even students rarely knew much about the Academy’s internal affairs. Low-grade students almost never met senior professors—unlike Sid, who could always make her “arguments” clear with her fists.
Meanwhile, Shaya’s thoughts were in turmoil. He had no idea what Lan Qi and Sid were talking about.
Up ahead, the nobles continued descending the staircase while conversing casually.
“Viscount Bone, these two are my son-in-law’s friends. They are both students at the Protos Royal Magic Academy, so they may know a thing or two about the situation at the school,”
Viscount Levin Kingston smoothed things over, easing Shaya’s embarrassment.
“Lately, quite a few impostors have slipped into the Snowfield Province. I suggest we let Professor Meiji verify the identities of these two young people, lest we invite wolves into the house!”
Viscount Blake Bone sneered, stroking his mustache as he scrutinized the two strangers beside Shaya. Then, with meaningful emphasis, he glanced at Professor Meiji.
When it came to challenging his authority, he would rather make mistakes than let anyone slip by.
“That won’t be necessary. Our city-state has already verified their identities. The magical seal on a Protos Royal Magic Academy student’s certificate cannot be forged,”
Viscount Levin Kingston firmly raised his hand in objection.
Magic, after all, was a form of information unique to each person. The Academy’s seal came from a Magitec sigil left behind a century ago by Emperor Franklin himself. Not even the Grand Sage Isis could replicate it.
“I think it is still necessary to check. Verifying students’ coursework and identities is also part of my duty.”
At that moment—
Professor Meiji finally spoke.
His voice was deep and weighty, carrying both the dignity and responsibility of a leader.
“…”
Viscount Levin Kingston sighed helplessly and fell silent.
Even if he wanted to support these two young people, his defense could only go as far as balancing Viscount Bone’s pressure. He could not go against Professor Meiji’s wishes.
After all, this was an internal matter of the Protos Royal Magic Academy.
Meiji walked at his usual unhurried pace, descending the staircase to the ground floor. His expression carried a trace of sorrow, the loneliness common to the powerful. Finally, he stopped a short distance from the three.
“Show me your student certificates.”
“Here.”
Sid handed hers over indifferently.
She was just an ordinary second-year student, clueless about any real politics behind the Academy.
Lan Qi smiled faintly, took the certificate from Sid’s hand, and handed both hers and his to Meiji together.
Meiji accepted them with cold detachment and cast a glance at the information.
“How many credits do you have…”
Sid whispered very softly to Lan Qi.
“Forty. You?”
Lan Qi whispered back.
He had only received his credits from Associate Professor Sido, who had been issuing them daily from Tuesday to Friday—four days total.
“I still have sixty left. Much better than you.”
Sid was a master at controlling her scores.
Their quiet exchange made Shaya’s eye twitch. Meanwhile, Professor Meiji’s expression grew visibly darker.
To think that even a new preparatory student could easily earn over a hundred credits with some effort. Yet these two together had barely a hundred, and they even seemed proud of it. Clearly, they weren’t freshmen either.
If Shaya hadn’t witnessed Sid’s skills firsthand, he would have thought the pair were at the very bottom of their grade.
“Professor Meiji, did you remember our names? Especially his?”
Sid pointed at Lan Qi with a grin.
“I don’t remember the names of failing students.”
Meiji snorted coldly, tossing their certificates back at them. Clearly, he felt these two were mocking him and wasting his time.
With that, he turned and left.
Viscount Blake Bone, watching from afar, chuckled and shook his head.
They weren’t even in the same league. No point wasting time.
In the Empire’s harshest yet most resource-rich school, the status of failing students was lower than that of dogs. Even if their identities were genuine, they posed no threat or value.
Fish flock with fish, shrimp with shrimp, turtles with their kind.
To linger around a useless noble like Shaya, they couldn’t possibly be outstanding students. It was laughable that Viscount Levin Kingston had almost treated them like treasures earlier.
“Levin, your judgment is getting worse by the day. It makes me worry about the son-in-law you’ve chosen for Lilith… You know, when Lilith attends the Academy, useless hangers-on won’t just fail to help her—they’ll stick to her like trash, impossible to shake off.”
Viscount Blake Bone clapped Levin on the shoulder with a sigh.
Whether he was mocking poor Shaya or the two “guards” was anyone’s guess.
“If you truly care for Lilith, you should reconsider my advice. My son Dean is no less capable. You should let the two promising young people meet more often. That way, perhaps she might even win Professor Meiji’s favor.”
Viscount Blake Bone continued, his intentions now laid completely bare.
(End of Chapter)