Chapter 372
Chapter 372
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 372 – The Change in Sigrid’s Mentality
Night had fallen, and the northern district streets of the Protos Royal Magic Academy were enveloped in silence.
Inside Gloria’s mansion, the heavy curtains by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room were still tightly drawn, shutting out the night view of the garden outside and enclosing the cozy, lively atmosphere within.
“Turn on his show.”
Sigrid, looking uncharacteristically relaxed, leaned back on the sofa with an expectant expression and activated the projection screen on Gloria’s living room wall.
“Your Excellency, the Bishop… he didn’t do anything to you on the way back, right?”
Gloria asked anxiously, her tone carrying a trace of timidity.
“What are you thinking?”
Sigrid shot Gloria a cold look, making her shrink her neck and no longer dare to ask such reckless questions.
Gloria had a nagging feeling that the relationship between the Bishop and the Son of Ba'tian had shifted since they returned from the north. Or rather, the Bishop herself had changed somehow—but she couldn’t quite put her finger on how.
The last time the Bishop had sat here to watch the Son of Ba'tian’s monthly exam, she had seemed like a detached spectator.
Now, sitting in front of the screen waiting for his show to start, she seemed like she genuinely wanted to watch it.
Gloria glanced at the screen as well. It was still showing the preview for this episode, along with the Helrom Broadcasting Company’s edited introduction of their celebrity guest — Rocky McCarthy — as well as snippets from his pre-interview.
On screen, Rocky McCarthy talked about how he built the education model that had earned him a 100% approval rating at the Protos Royal Magic Academy, and how he achieved success in the education industry.
Then, in a short interview, he shared his views as a Governor on the current state of the Protos Empire, particularly regarding trade policy and foreign relations.
“Wait… when did he become a provincial governor?”
Gloria blurted out in astonishment.
“…It’s a long story.”
At this point, nothing Lan Qi might say in an interview would surprise Sigrid anymore. He was no longer just a headmaster — he was now a figure in the Empire’s political sphere.
Rocky McCarthy’s appointment had first been unanimously nominated and locally approved by the Snowfield Province, which then submitted all the documents and paperwork to the Imperial Capital. Just a few days ago, the appointment had been formally ratified by both the Imperial Royal Family and Parliament. His official letter of appointment was likely to arrive any day now.
As soon as Helrom Broadcasting Company got the news, they immediately updated his profile information.
Gloria stared blankly at the screen, feeling like it was over.
This man seemed to fit perfectly into the Bishop’s “strike zone.” The Ba'tian Bishop’s long-standing ambition to gain influence over the Protos Empire — he might actually be capable of helping her achieve it.
The more Gloria thought about it, the more worried she became. Some things were simply unstoppable — like rain falling from the sky or a daughter getting married. But right now, as she waited for the show to begin, there was something that worried her even more.
She sat down beside Sigrid, lowered her voice, and asked:
“But what about the prison break? What is he even thinking?”
Gloria was already full of anxiety about the current situation. She couldn’t understand how the Bishop could trust the Son of Ba'tian’s words so completely.
Earlier that afternoon, she had overheard the absurd conversation between the Son of Ba'tian and the Bishop when he left — it had scared her into silence.
Even if the headmaster could use the cooperation project between the Protos Royal Magic Academy and Helrom Prison to send a student to infiltrate the prison, there were almost no students strong enough to reach its deepest levels.
That was an unfathomably deep underground prison. In the entire hundred-year history of the Protos Empire, prison breaks were extremely rare. Each level was covered with ancient magical barriers and guarded by powerful wardens — and those Three Ancient Demon Lords were likely imprisoned in the lowest three levels.
As a third-year student at the Protos Royal Magic Academy, Gloria knew far more about elective projects than Sigrid did.
For students who chose the extremely difficult graduation project “Helrom Prison Guard Assessment,” every second spent inside Helrom Prison carried immense risk to their lives. To descend level by level, they had to continually overcome life-and-death trials, facing increasingly dangerous prisoners and wardens.
And reaching the bottom wasn’t even the hardest part — the true challenge was communicating with the demons.
Almost no humans in the world had experience successfully dealing with pureblood demons. If the headmaster thought real demons were as gentle and harmless as his student Zestira, he was gravely mistaken.
Every demon’s brain and thought process was completely different from that of a human. Trying to approach them with human reasoning would only lead to a miserable death!
Negotiating a deal with those three proud Ancient Demon Lords was something even the Protos Empire itself had failed to accomplish.
Even if, by some miracle, Lan Qi could convince one of the three, getting them out of the prison would still be harder than ascending to heaven.
“I don’t know either. But if he says he can do it, then he can.”
Sigrid replied without taking her eyes off the screen.
“Your Excellency… he’s not going to ask you to infiltrate the prison, is he?”
Gloria became even more anxious when she saw how utterly unworried Sigrid was.
In her current state, Sigrid was absolutely unfit to venture into such a dangerous place — the risk of death was extremely high.
Even if she were at full strength, one mistake in the prison’s depths could result in being trapped there forever.
“Logically speaking, the best candidate would be me — since he needs to stay at the academy to keep the Warden occupied.”
Sigrid thought for a moment before answering.
She recalled that Lan Qi had mentioned in the Snowfield Province that he had already invited the Warden of Helrom Prison to the Protos Royal Magic Academy to discuss campus plans and the cooperation project with the Snowfield Province’s prison system. This would conveniently allow him to monitor the Warden’s movements.
This left Gloria momentarily stunned.
“No! Absolutely not! You can’t take this risk — the demons won’t listen to you!”
Gloria knew that if the Protos Royal Magic Academy could recruit three eighth-tier demons, no matter what level of the eighth tier they were, the academy would gain power rivaling any branch of the Resurrection Church.
Even in its current weakened state, the Ba'tian Branch’s Son would then have enough strength to confront Askson head-on.
But the problem was — Gloria saw no chance of success in this plan.
“Let’s just see what he arranges. For now, I’ll just do as he says.”
Sigrid spread her hands, as though she had given up thinking altogether, already accustomed to the ease of sharing a mental link with Lan Qi.
“Oh? The show’s starting.”
Catching sight of the opening sequence, Sigrid immediately abandoned the serious conversation with Gloria and turned her full attention to the screen.
Gloria watched Sigrid’s side profile, a faint smile on her lips, and finally let out a helpless sigh.
If this man really could do what he promised — defeat Askson — then Gloria would support the Bishop and the Son of Ba'tian being together.
She might even find a way to rally the Great Deacons of the Ba'tian Branch to help matchmake them.
The Son of Ba'tian was simple in his personal relationships, his mind entirely focused on his career and largely impervious to women. The Bishop was the only one he truly connected with.
In that case, bringing them together would be easy. Even if things went wrong, it wouldn’t turn into some kind of dramatic love triangle that would embarrass them both.