Chapter 362
Chapter 362
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 362 – Lan Qi’s Protection
The tense atmosphere in the Rock Junction Station concourse felt like a sheet of ice about to crack.
From behind the waiting passengers, a sudden voice dropped into the fragile silence like a heavy stone, sending ripples through the air.The newly arrived squad of Annihilation Knights began clearing a path, forcing people to retreat and turn toward the source of the sound.
From the road cleared by the dispersing crowd, a young man in a dark gray suit slowly emerged. His tall, slightly lean figure, straight nose, thin lips, and sharply defined features were highlighted by the station lights. His expression was calm and cold, yet carried an unpredictable storm.
What puzzled everyone was that his left hand wore a single cuff, the other side of the shackle locking the wrist of a pale-haired woman with dull violet eyes, her head slightly bowed, offering no resistance — as though he were escorting a dangerous criminal under official custody.
Before the Annihilation Knights could even finish clearing the way, the crowd had already stepped back instinctively. There was something about this man that radiated danger, compelling them to make way even if they didn’t know why.
His pace wasn’t rushed, yet with each step he seemed to reorder the station’s atmosphere. The tension and chaos were gradually drawn into his stride, becoming controlled and measured.
When he finally reached the front, standing before the two noble girls and the priests surrounding them, both the girls and the Annihilation Branch clergy stiffened with unease.
Compared to ordinary citizens, the priests feared the Son of Annihilation even more.
Or rather, they simply understood what kind of man the Son of Annihilation truly was.
The calm yet dangerous aura around him was no illusion — a single wrong word in his presence could trigger catastrophic consequences.
“Why is it so chaotic here?”
The young man’s voice rang out again, clearer this time, yet still unreadable.
“Lord Anello.”
The Great Deacon hurriedly saluted the gray-suited youth. Compared to the two noble girls he had just detained, showing respect and reporting to the Son of Annihilation was obviously far more important.“We found someone suspected of being the fugitive you were pursuing, and were preparing to take her to the Annihilation Knights’ temple to await your investigation. It took us some time to persuade them to comply.”
There was a subtle hint of seeking credit in his tone.
When she heard the Great Deacon call the youth “Anello,” Huperion’s heart leapt to her throat.
Though the gray-haired youth looked refined, even possessing an indescribable sense of security, the fear the Annihilation Branch clergy had shown toward him spoke volumes about how dangerous he truly was.
Her luck really couldn’t get any worse — not only had she been stopped today for no reason, she had now run straight into the last person she wanted to meet.
She even wondered for a moment if there was a traitor in the Church of the Goddess of Fate.But if there was, things still didn’t quite add up — if the Son of Annihilation had known her whereabouts, he could have captured her back in the Northwest Province instead of orchestrating all this to lure her to the Rock Junction Province.
She could only fix her gaze on him, terrified to miss any subtle sign that might signal a change — but she dared not meet his eyes, afraid he might see through her completely.
The youth’s gaze swept over Huperion and Mishula — calm, fathomless, and carrying an authority that brooked no defiance.
As she stood there under the Son of Annihilation’s scrutiny, Huperion felt the sweat in her palms. She tried to regulate her breathing, to appear composed, but her heart pounded like a drumbeat, trying to suppress the rising panic at this worst possible moment.
“Let them go.”
The youth’s voice was calm and even.
He glanced at the documents in the Great Deacon’s hand.
Clearly, these two were on their way to the Protos Royal Academy of Magic. The tall one had apparently been mistaken for the wanted fugitive Sigrid, and that was why they were being detained.
The Great Deacon froze.
Not just him — even Huperion and Mishula looked stunned.
They never imagined that the most dangerous man in the room would, upon arrival, so decisively order their release.
“She’s my prey. You’ve got the wrong person.”
The gray-suited youth raised his left hand, lifting the cuff and the frail wrist of the girl shackled beside him.
The Great Deacon’s eyes filled with shock, then hesitance.
“But…”
His gaze seemed to plead with the Son of Annihilation to understand the situation — he had already risked offending two count’s daughters.Rather than release them now, he thought it might be better to go all the way, to make sure Count Milford would be forced to vote for the Annihilation Bishop.
“Instead of counting the blunders that caused this farce, you should focus on carrying out the next task and make up for your mistakes. Lord Askson’s cause cannot afford even the slightest error from you.”
The gray youth’s expression showed faint impatience — not ignorance of the situation, but mastery of it.
His eyes seemed to pierce everything, not just the flesh but the defenses of the soul.
“Yes, my lord.”
Under that penetrating gaze, the Great Deacon finally backed down.
“You’re the young ladies of House Milford?”
The gray-suited youth took two steps closer — and each step felt like a stone cast into Huperion’s heart, stirring turbulent waves.
She did not relax her vigilance just because of his earlier words — if anything, the inexplicable chain of events today only deepened her confusion and fear.
“Yes.”
Huperion nodded calmly.
“My apologies for frightening you. Once you reach the capital, study well — and forget this unpleasant incident.”
The youth’s voice softened noticeably as he looked at the two noble girls.
Then he turned back to the Great Deacon.“Apologize to them. If Count Milford’s crucial vote were lost because of your mistake, how would you take responsibility for Lord Askson’s defeat?”
“...”
The Great Deacon lowered his head, clenching his teeth as the veins on his forehead twitched.Even if he still harbored resentment toward these noble girls, he dared not show it now.
Finally, he drew a deep breath, returning to his earlier genteel demeanor, and bowed deeply to Huperion and Mishula.
“My apologies, ladies. Please be magnanimous and forgive this misunderstanding — for Lord Anello’s sake.”
“...”
Neither Huperion nor Mishula responded, nor did they thank the Son of Annihilation.
They only glanced at him briefly, then hurriedly left the checkpoint once he had cleared the way.
Climbing stair after stair until they reached Platform Three, and making sure that no Annihilation Branch clergy were following them, Huperion finally felt her heart relax again.
This was Imperial Army jurisdiction — beyond the northern blockade — and they could now head south freely. Even the Annihilation Branch had no authority to arrest them here.
It felt like falling from a great height, surviving, and landing in one piece — terrifying, but liberating.
“Sis… why would the Son of Annihilation help us?”
Mishula bit her lip, unable to understand why the most terrifying man in the Northwest Province would just let them go.
Huperion shook her head, her expression complicated as she sank onto the long bench at the platform, waiting for the noon train.
There were too many things she couldn’t make sense of anymore.
Of course she would never be grateful to Anello, the most infamous Son of Annihilation in existence — but there was something oddly familiar about him, as if she had met him somewhere before.
And that was what truly unsettled her — the creeping fear that she might not be able to tell friend from foe.
Mishula, sensing her sister’s turmoil, stopped asking questions and sat quietly beside her, waiting together for the train to arrive.