Chapter 361
Chapter 361
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 361 – Lan Qi Wonders Why There’s a Young Lady in Need of Help Here
The concourse level of the Rock Junction Station checkpoint, which should have been running in perfect order, had fallen into a subtle state of chaos for some unknown reason.
The Annihilation Branch clergy moved with swift, decisive readiness, their eyes flashing with wariness, revealing the importance of the mission at hand. Under the lights, the iron-and-glass structure appeared especially cold and unyielding, reflecting the nervous faces of the passengers.
And everyone’s attention was focused on the two noble young ladies who had been surrounded at the checkpoint.
“If Miss Miriam Milford is not under suspicion, we guarantee not to harm her in the slightest, and we will release you immediately once your innocence is proven.”
The Great Deacon who had ordered them to be stopped looked every bit the gentleman as he bowed slightly and spoke politely.
“……”
The passenger line stretched down the corridor in a long, winding queue. Everyone was waiting, as if something might suddenly erupt at any moment. The mood of the ordinary Imperial passengers—and the temperature in the station—both seemed to be dropping toward freezing point.
Not only Huperion and Mishula, but even those standing further away knew that the Annihilation Branch clergy’s promises were not worth the slightest trust.
The silence was pierced by the sound of sudden, crisp wind slicing through the air—unusually sharp.
The Great Deacon didn’t raise his head, simply waiting for the two noble ladies to respond.
“I will miss the opening time for the Protos Royal Magic Academy. And without evidence or a formal arrest warrant, you are not allowed to arbitrarily detain Imperial nobility.”
Even Huperion, who had seemed so mild-tempered earlier, narrowed her eyes slightly in displeasure. The Annihilation Branch’s blatant high-handedness was difficult to accept.
“If we really are suspicious, you can bring a legitimate document from the Metropolitan Police Bureau to our school in Helrom and arrest us there. Even if we don’t agree, the school administration will immediately cooperate with your investigation.”
Mishula stepped forward half a step as well, her voice even firmer.
Their train to the Imperial Capital Helrom was scheduled to depart at eleven o’clock noon. The two transfers—from the Milford Territory to Box Mountain Province and then from Box Mountain to Helrom—had an interval of over three hours. Count Milford had factored in the potential time cost of transferring and deliberately left them enough time for rest and preparation in between.
But if they were detained and taken to the Annihilation Knights’ temple, regardless of the outcome of the investigation, they would inevitably miss their originally scheduled train. If they were then locked up for another day or two before being released, the tickets would have to be repurchased last minute, and there was a high chance they would miss the academy’s entrance window for an entire week.
That school, with its notoriously strict rules and semi-closed campus, forbade students from leaving during weekdays. As the ultimate enforcement of punishment and grade maintenance, it also did not allow students who missed their scheduled return to enter midweek.
“Apologies, but as this matter concerns classified information regarding the Northern War, we have priority enforcement rights. If you wish to bring charges against us, please contact Count Milford.”
The Great Deacon glanced at Mishula. His words still sounded polite, but there was already a barely restrained chill in his eyes.
It was as if he were saying: if you cause trouble again, he didn’t care if she was the daughter of a Count—he would make sure she remembered this lesson for the rest of her life.
Huperion immediately took Mishula’s hand, holding it more tightly, and pulled her behind her.
“Our Milford family has never offended your Annihilation Branch. In two weeks, Count Milford must attend the vote in the Imperial Capital. Are you trying to drag the Bishop of Annihilation down with you by doing this?”
She no longer let Mishula argue back, choosing to confront the Great Deacon herself.
“……”
A flicker of hesitation passed through the Great Deacon’s eyes, but soon he steadied himself and became resolute again.
“Even if Lord Milford ends up disappointed in our Annihilation Branch because of this, I must still keep her here. This is my duty. Please forgive me.”
He offered no compromise whatsoever.
If he had intended to give some consideration to the Milford family’s power earlier, now he was fully prepared to tear the mask off.
“……”
Seeing the Great Deacon’s unyielding stance, Huperion’s nerves tensed as she clutched Mishula’s hand.
If they tried to run now, they could probably escape Box Mountain Province by force, but that would surely implicate the Milford family, who had helped forge her identity.Yet if they complied and followed the clergy into the Annihilation Knights’ temple, any unexpected event could mean she might not even get the chance to run at all—the deeper the investigation went, the more likely flaws would be exposed.
Either way, it felt like a checkmate closing in on her.
“…I’ll go with you.”
Huperion’s emotions were complex as she finally sighed helplessly.
No matter what, even with her carrying a mission of utmost importance, she could not abandon the Milford family’s safety just to save herself.
“I want to stay with my sister.”
Mishula pressed her lips into a thin line, her expression cold, and locked her arm around Huperion’s, refusing to let go.
The Great Deacon gave a cold laugh. These two arrogant noble girls had wasted so much of his breath—now, even if Mishula wanted to leave, there was no way he would let her.
If they kept this attitude, then once they arrived at the Annihilation Knights’ temple, he would see to it that the two of them were properly “tamed.”Even if they were kept as hostages, they would ensure Count Milford obediently cast his vote for the Bishop of Annihilation without a single mistake.
Once the Bishop of Annihilation was elected, the alliance between the Protos Empire and the Resurrection Church would be a done deal. Even if Count Milford saw his two daughters defiled or killed, he would have no choice but to swallow his anger.
“Very well. Both of you will come along then.”
The Great Deacon gestured to the heavy-armored knights behind him to take the two of them away. Many of the passengers waiting behind them voluntarily stepped back to clear space.
Those whose trains were not departing for several more hours had already given up waiting and gone elsewhere. Only those whose trains would depart soon remained, still waiting with difficulty.
Ordinarily, encountering a blockage during transfer would have been maddeningly frustrating, but now no one dared say a word.
As the dust settled into silence, Huperion felt a bitter taste in her heart.
She was certain she had not made any mistakes. These Annihilation Branch clergy didn’t seem to have seen through her disguise—it was pure bad luck that she had been caught.
Huperion knew this kind of bad luck too well. No matter how she struggled, she could never seem to escape misfortune. It always dragged down those who helped her, and even her incredibly powerful father—her greatest protector—had disappeared, as if swallowed by her cursed fate.
She always felt like a person condemned by the heavens, with fortune always tipping toward the worse outcome.
Until she met Lan Qi—whose destiny was absurdly strong—and all her misfortune seemed to turn into good luck. It was as if this man carried all her fortune with him.
Now, without Lan Qi, that sense of helplessness surged back again.
But she could no longer do what she had done back at Purgatory Corridor Academy—cry out Lan Qi’s name with all her might and have him suddenly appear to save her.
Dear Goddess… what should I do now?
At that moment, the huddled crowd was suddenly parted, as if the guards had cleared a path through them.
And Huperion, whose expression had dimmed, raised her eyes slightly at the commotion, drawn to it.
“What exactly are you all doing here?”
A voice sounded—languid, faintly confused, and faintly impatient.
It was as though the speaker found it a terrible breach of public order that the checkpoint had been blocked for so long.