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Chapter 175: Thank Goodness Lanchi Isn't a Hitman Hired by the Resurrection Church
Chapter 175: Thank Goodness Lanchi Isn't a Hitman Hired by the Resurrection Church
The Ikelite Academy was still enveloped in a tranquil haze.
The dawn's light had just begun to illuminate the peaceful world, painting the sky from a distant bluish-gray to a soft pinkish hue on the ground, like ink slowly diffusing into water.
On this Tuesday morning, at six o'clock sharp, Lanchi, Shubellyan, and Fred had returned to the academy after a shared breakfast. Together, they strolled along the spacious roads of the academy towards the dormitory building of the Sage's Court.
The lighting in the first-floor lobby was dim yet inviting. The dormitory manager could be spotted leaning against soft cushions behind the front desk, a book in hand, warding off the morning drowsiness.
At this hour, most students were still nestled in their beds, with only a handful of early risers quietly making their way out of the dorms.
"Let's take a short break and head to the student council together in the afternoon," Lanchi suggested to Shubellyan as they reached a fork in the road.
"Okay," Shubellyan nodded, bidding farewell to Lanchi and Fred as they parted ways.
Lanchi then led Fred towards his dormitory.
Strolling leisurely down the carpeted corridor on the first floor of the boys' dorm, Lanchi and Fred's soft laughter echoed through the empty hallway. The dorm room doors on either side were tightly shut, each one a portal to a tiny world, harboring countless stories and dreams.
The boys' dorm was located in the front block, while the girls' dorm was in the back, not too far apart.
Lanchi had already lent the Great Lover Poet to Shubellyan, and with a simple call, the poet would emerge from his card, ready to assist.
The Great Lover Poet had an innate understanding of magic cards; with Lanchi removing the sole summoning restriction he had placed on the poet, he could even summon and dismiss himself at will, a feat unmatched by most summoned creatures.
As for Fred, he would be spending the morning with Lanchi in his room, taking turns keeping watch and catching some shut-eye, each enjoying three hours of rest.
With the student council office closed so early in the morning and no other tasks at hand, they had time to spare.
Although the "Cathedral Rogue Banquet" wasn't as intense as the "Infernal Corridor Academy's" 12-hour shadow world, with five full days to explore, they had still risen early on this last morning.
Moreover, after traveling away from the academy for several days, they were genuinely exhausted and craved a good night's sleep.
Stopping in front of a door, Lanchi fished out his key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently. He opened the door and ushered Fred into his abode.
The lighting in the living room of the suite was warm and welcoming, with a soft sofa and a minimalist tea table adorned with a few books and a glassware set.
"This inside traitor won't be easy to catch," Fred remarked, brows furrowed as he sat on the sofa, arms wrapped around himself.
His hunter's instinct kept him perpetually vigilant.
Despite their seemingly carefree stroll, Fred, ever the vigilant catcher, had detected no signs of being followed or even watched during their walk—a deliberate effort by the two catchers to ensure that Shubellyan, their bait, could rest easy.
"It seems that the other party will only make a move when they are absolutely certain, which makes it challenging for us to lure or weed them out without raising their suspicions," Lanchi said, pouring two cups of lemon honey water and handing one to Fred before settling into the sofa beside him.
If they were to take proactive measures, such as imposing compulsory anti-cult education on the academic visitation team from the Kingdom of Yarloran, their intentions would be too obvious. It would be like declaring that they already knew there was a member of the Resurrection Church among them. Such an action would undoubtedly alert the Resurrection Church that their captured elite member, Sticella, had leaked information, putting her at extreme risk even while imprisoned.
Sticella had risked her life to provide Lanchi with this intelligence, and he was determined to protect her at all costs.
"So, you're still thinking of using Shubellyan as bait?" Fred took a sip of the refreshing lemon honey water, the cool liquid soothing his throat.
The addition of honey balanced the tartness of the lemon, and the lemon, in turn, tempered the cloying sweetness of the honey—a perfect pairing.
"Fishing for evidence is the safest bet because we have so little information this time. Consider this," Lanchi set down his mug and began counting off points on his fingers, "if the assassin has already undergone self-hypnosis and appears perfectly normal until a specific trigger activates them, then no matter what we do in the real world, we won't be able to catch them. We'd only end up alerting them to our suspicions."
This was the key difference between the real world and the shadow world. If one underwent deep self-hypnosis before entering the shadow world, they might not be able to break free when faced with danger, leading to significant risks. However, in the real world, the assassin, disguised as a regular student, was already in the safe confines of the Kingdom of Herton, so there was no risk of death even if they didn't break free from their self-hypnosis.
"Or, what if the enemy has some very troublesome unknown magic, then we can design some unimaginable traps."
"To give a simple example, if the enemy is proficient in disguise or impersonation, such as blood disguise' that type of metamorphic magic."
"First, the assassin can find a way to obtain the intelligence of the first-year female student living next door to Shubellyan from the inside traitor within the Ikelite Academy, then harm that innocent girl, lure her away, and lock her up. Then, they can disguise themselves as the victim and live next door to Shubellyan. After that, their true self can disappear without a trace, creating the appearance of someone vanishing into thin air within the academic visitation team, diverting the school's attention to investigate the missing person case of the Yarloran Kingdom student. In the meantime, the actual assassin would be waiting for an opportunity to strike, positioned very close to Shubellyan, where she would let her guard down."
"Alternatively, they can wait until a time when Shubellyan cannot establish an alibi, directly impersonate her, and commit a homicide in her disguise, framing Shubellyan for the crime. This would make her a criminal suspect, detained for investigation by the police, thus isolating her from the school and us. During her time in prison, awaiting trial and needing to avoid any suspicion, it would be easy to kill her through some clandestine operations and sinister means."
"And..."
"That's enough!" Fred interrupted Lanchi, waving his hand.
"I can at least confirm one good thing now." Fred said seriously.
"What?" Lanchi asked, puzzled. He didn't know what blind spot Fred had discovered so soon.
"Thank goodness the person sent to kill Shubellyan isn't you." Fred said, looking at Lanchi.
"..." Lanchi was slightly taken aback and fell silent for a moment. "How could I possibly kill Shubellyan?! I'm seriously considering various possibilities, and here you are, joking with me."
"If the Resurrection Church hired you to kill Shubellyan, then ten lives wouldn't be enough for her." Fred leaned against the sofa, laughing, finding Lanchi's reaction amusing.
However, Fred soon turned serious again. This time, they had to not only protect Shubellyan and catch the cultist but also create the illusion that "they got lucky." The difficulty lay in this aspect.
While it was safe for the Great Lover Poet and Shubellyan to stay together for a short time, if something happened on their side, Fred and Lanchi could rush over immediately.
But the problem was that if they stayed too close to Shubellyan, they might scare away the big fish.
Today, they had just returned from the shadow world, and it was reasonable for Lanchi and Fred to stay in the Sage's Court dormitory, which was nearby.
If they stayed at the Sage's Court every day, the would-be assassin would likely give up their plan altogether.
However, staying too far from Shubellyan would put her in danger.
They would rather let the big fish get away than put Shubellyan in real danger as bait.
Now, the two were deciding where they should hide to fish for their target.
"It looks like I need to figure out a way to disappear for a while." Fred suggested.
As long as he vanished from the map, everything would be fine.
"Actually, there's another solution..." Lanchi mumbled, "I'll give it a try. If I can make it work, it'll be perfect."
But Lanchi's tone lacked confidence.
If Shubellyan could stay with Talia, then he and Fred could keep their distance from her.
Then, they could just wait for the assassin to make their move.
Unfortunately, Talia wasn't lacking in money at the moment.
It would be difficult to persuade her solely with money.
Lanchi didn't have anything valuable on hand that he could use to bargain with her either.
Moreover, Talia was very averse to interacting with others and would never allow any stranger to stay in her personal space.
Letting Shubellyan live with Talia was akin to crossing Talia's absolute bottom line.
"I hope she's in a good mood today." Lanchi muttered, leaning against the sofa and looking up.
Regardless, he decided that after handling the student council matters in the afternoon, he would take Shubellyan to see Talia at the Cat Boss Restaurant.
Based on Lanchi's understanding of Talia, there was a high probability that she would be coldly rejected, causing Talia to dislike both Shubellyan and him.
But sometimes, Talia showed a gentle side, her temper as unpredictable as the weather; he couldn't guess what her mood would be like tomorrow.
(End of Chapter)
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