Chapter 21: Lanchi Just Couldn't Shake Off His Legal Mindset
Chapter 21: Lanchi Just Couldn't Shake Off His Legal Mindset
As the first rays of dawn gradually dispelled the chill of the night, bathing the streets, buildings, and benches in warm light, the city of Ecclesiathe awoke as if blessed by the gods' benevolence. The morning light stretched and grew stronger, bringing life to the city.
Soon, shops along the streets opened their doors, and cheerful owners greeted their neighbors with hearty hellos. The delicate aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the open-air pavilions of cafes, blending with the lively jazz music that filled the bustling streets. As the day progressed, early commuters hurried through the heart of Ecclesiathe, their footsteps quickening with the rising sun.
Among them was Lanchi, a gentle smile on his face as he strolled through the streets of Ecclesiathe with Thalia by his side. Bathed in the morning sunlight, his calm demeanor exuded a sunny disposition. Lanchi seemed to be in high spirits, finding the school exams and the Shadow World equally intriguing.
In stark contrast, Thalia looked like she was on her way to a funeral rather than work. She reluctantly accompanied Lanchi to the Ecclesiathe Academy once more. The last time she had left the academy with him, she had felt eyes on her several times, causing her scalp to tingle uncomfortably.
Fortunately, the third round of exams would not be publicly broadcast. Only the academy teachers would observe from behind the scenes. Otherwise, Thalia would have called in sick today to avoid tagging along with Lanchi.
"Are you feeling alright, Thalia?" Lanchi asked, sensing that she had been quieter than usual these past few days. Today, her reluctance to be with him was even more apparent.
"...", Thalia ignored him, keeping her gaze fixed forward as she continued walking.
Lanchi quickened his pace slightly, breaking into a light jog as he turned to steal a glance at Thalia's face. She remained cold, refusing to acknowledge him. In that fleeting moment, Lanchi caught a glimpse of Thalia's expression, and it struck him that she seemed to detest him...
He stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded, his hand unconsciously reaching up to rub his head in confusion. He had thought that their relationship had improved, even if just a little, over the past few days. Why, then, did her attitude seem to have taken a sudden turn for the worse?
The minds of demons are truly inscrutable, Lanchi thought to himself, especially those of centenarian spinsters.
"...", Thalia, having reached Lanchi's side, turned to face him, her eyes fixed on him. She felt an inexplicable urge to kill him, though he hadn't said a word and his expression seemed perfectly normal...
"What's wrong, Thalia?" Lanchi asked gently, his tone belying the impolite thoughts running through his mind.
"Nothing," she replied curtly, turning away from him and continuing on her way.
"Chasing the cloud away~" Lanchi hummed a cheerful tune, his mood unaffected as he took a step forward to follow her.
...
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Ecclesiathe Academy, in the Learning and Education Building, on the seventh floor, in the central courtyard. Sunlight streamed through the massive glass dome, refracting into soft arcs of light that brought a sense of tranquility to the entire courtyard. As the light and shadows danced on the floor, Lanchi could see faculty members walking back and forth in the corridors surrounding the courtyard.
Stepping into the exam venue once again, he couldn't help but marvel at the architect's skill. In the distance, the enormous magic-powered artificial Shadow World terminal appeared to have been repaired. However, a conspicuous sign bearing the words "Strictly Prohibited: Forced Restart" had been added to the prominent position. The anger of the person who had placed the warning sign was evident from the handwriting.
Unlike the second round of exams, there weren't many students or staff waiting around today. The third round of exams was organized by the teachers from the Sage's Court, and the corresponding examiners for each session would appear directly in the Shadow World.
Dean Loren was also absent, as he often had to leave the royal capital of Ecclesiathe due to his duties with the Church of the Goddess of Fate. Lanchi navigated past the marble railings and entered the waiting area, where two figures turned to look at him.
One was Teacher Theresa, holding a tablet-like magical instrument and responsible for guiding the students during the exam. They had met during the attribute assessment upon enrollment, and Teacher Theresa had always been kind, greeting Lanchi with a hint of a smile.
The other person, who also wore a candidate's bracelet like Lanchi, was undoubtedly his teammate for the third round of exams. According to the exam notification he had received the day before, the theme of the third round was "Combat and Survival." In this exam format, healers and support magicians often struggled to fight alone. Therefore, the academy had adopted a team evaluation approach, pairing damage dealers with healers and supporters. Most of the time, the teams consisted of three members.
This exam format also served to assess the students' teamwork and coordination skills. After all, in the real Shadow World, a team's success or failure often depended on the cohesion and collaboration of its members. Accidents usually resulted in the entire team's demise, leaving no room for ifs and buts.
However, when Lanchi recognized his teammate—a noble lady with an extraordinary aura—they both seemed taken aback. Two days ago, after the second round of exams, she had asked him how long it had taken him to clear the exam. Lanchi, being conservative, had replied that it took him less than 50 minutes.
"Less than 50 minutes?" Hyperion seemed amused, her tone filled with disbelief as she repeated Lanchi's words. After leaving the exam venue the day before yesterday, she had heard that someone with black hair and green eyes had cleared the exam in just 10 minutes. She had wondered if it could be the same person who had told her it had taken him less than 50 minutes. Now, she was certain.
It was this old fool.
Lanchi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He hadn't expected the third round of exams to involve team assignments like this.
"Do you two know each other?" Teacher Theresa asked, intrigued by their subtle reactions.
Both of them shook their heads.
After a brief moment, Lanchi took the initiative to introduce himself: "My name is Lanchi Willford, and I'm a white magician. I tend to be more functional rather than just healing."
Honesty was crucial among teammates; there was no point in hiding anything.
A short silence ensued.
"I'm Hyperion Alansar," his teammate replied reluctantly after a brief pause, her tone distant. "You can consider me an assassin-type."
Her introduction was curt and to the point, clearly not willing to divulge much to Lanchi.
Lanchi nodded, not intending to pry further. He turned his gaze towards the entrance of the exam venue, seemingly waiting for their third teammate to arrive.
"Don't bother waiting; he's most likely not coming," Hyperion stated flatly, her eyes cold.
Her sudden comment immediately drew puzzled looks from both Lanchi and Teacher Theresa.
"Why?" Lanchi inquired.
"Unless something unexpected happens, we'll probably receive a message soon saying that this guy couldn't make it due to some reason or another. Whether they forced or enticed him is another question," Hyperion explained with a shrug, her eyes glinting with a mix of resentment and anger.
She was all too familiar with the tactics of those manipulative noblemen.
"Umm... Miss Hyperion, this... this is just your speculation, right?" Teacher Theresa asked, a bit hesitant. Hyperion's aura was starkly different from Lanchi's, and it sent a chill down her spine.
If Lanchi was like the pure and warm sun of spring, then Hyperion was like an ominous presence in a cold and dirty pool of blood, devoid of redemption.
Teacher Theresa glanced at Lanchi, but he remained unfazed, his expression calm as always, devoid of any emotional fluctuations. Since Lanchi didn't seem concerned, she decided, as their teacher, that it was best not to voice her own opinions.
...
Not long after, as the exam was about to begin, Teacher Theresa's magical instrument buzzed with a notification—
Their teammate had decided to transfer to another academy and had voluntarily dropped out of the exam.
"This..."
Even Teacher Theresa looked troubled by this development. She knew that Dean Loren was often away from the royal capital of Ecclesiathe due to his duties with the Church of the Goddess of Fate. And she was aware that Examiner Ferret, who would be conducting the practical exam, was among those who didn't want Hyperion to enroll.
With just Hyperion and the weak-magical Lanchi, the two of them had no chance of passing...
Hyperion shook her head, her cold eyes softening slightly as she looked at Teacher Theresa. Although she rarely experienced kindness and had grown up surrounded by malicious intentions, she could still discern the good from the bad, to some extent.
"These noblemen love to create coincidences that appear flawless, leaving no room for others to catch them by the tail," Hyperion said with a bitter laugh.
"Even if today's exam isn't broadcast publicly, there are undoubtedly many eyes secretly watching this stage."
A more extreme approach would be to have Hyperion's last teammate show up, act normally, and then stab her in the back during the exam.
However, if it were too obvious, and Dean Loren noticed something amiss, he might investigate the fairness of the exam.
So, the manipulators behind the scenes preferred to create a coincidence.
"Then why didn't they come to me?" Lanchi asked, stroking his chin in thought.
Hyperion remained silent for a moment. She wasn't sure if Lanchi was truly clueless or just pretending.
"Those guys also like to save face. If they blatantly bribed two examinees, it wouldn't look like a coincidence," Hyperion explained simply.
Of course, she believed that Lanchi, being the smart person he was, could easily understand the real reason—
Those influential figures didn't think Lanchi had much combat capability.
Moreover, Lanchi's presence would allow the exam to proceed as normal, and he could be a burden to Hyperion.
If Hyperion were truly left alone, the academy wouldn't be cruel enough to make her face the examiner alone. Instead, they would likely assign her to another team and slightly increase the overall exam difficulty.
"What a pity," Lanchi sighed, nodding slightly. His expression suggested that he had missed out on a great opportunity to make a fortune.
"Do you really want to be bought by them?" Hyperion fixed her gaze on Lanchi, finding his unabashedly regretful expression amusing.
What had she done to make him so disrespectful, to the point where he didn't even bother to pretend?
Despite his unique talent, he was no different from those despicable schemers.
"Of course," Lanchi replied with a cold smile, nodding in agreement. "Heh, if they dare to mess with my exam, I'll make sure to gather evidence on the spot and then donate the bribe to the Church of the Goddess of Fate. I'll also report these people for bribery and disrupting the order of the state's regular exams. Simultaneously, I'll request the intervention of the clergy as stated on page 675 of the 'Hutton Code,' asking the temple to use divine arts to trace the source of this ill-gotten money. The clergy of the Goddess of Fate will determine that I had no subjective intention of extortion and was merely collecting evidence. Subsequently, I will receive accolades and protection from the church, and who knows, I might even become an apprentice cleric."
The righteous look on his face suggested that he would have pulled out a copy of the law and explained it to Hyperion if he had one on hand.
Hyperion: "..."
Teacher Theresa, hearing Lanchi's words, was also left speechless, her mouth hanging open in surprise.
Hyperion realized that she had misjudged him.
She decided to take back her previous words.
Compared to those unscrupulous individuals, this Lanchi was the true Sword Tomb!
(End of Chapter)
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