https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-228-Cardinal-Lanchi-a-Man-of-Means/12584267/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-230-Hubert-slowly-becomes-Lanchi-s-shadow/12584269/
Chapter 229: Hubertia Thanks Lanchi Tearfully
Chapter 229: Hubertia Thanks Lanchi Tearfully
The streets outside the Icarus Academy were relatively quiet, lined with small shops and cafes that were open for business. It was a peaceful morning, and the soft lighting from the stores contrasted gently with the outdoor daylight as they prepared to welcome the lunch crowd. Occasionally, one could spot a shop assistant cleaning the windows or arranging products on the shelves, getting ready for the day ahead.
Hubertia and Thalia strolled slowly, leisurely soaking in the tranquil winter atmosphere.
"By the way, Mr. Noah, Lanchi's father, has returned to the South Van Tina Border Territory. Talia, you're also from South Van Tina, right? Shall we go back there together next time?" Hubertia suggested.
The day of the competition, Talia had left early and missed the opportunity to meet Lanchi's father afterward.
Mr. Noah had expressed that the competition left an unforgettable impression on him and that his biggest regret in life was buying Lanchi that ticket to the royal capital.
But what was done could not be undone.
Mr. Noah hoped that Hubertia could spend her vacation in the border territory with Lanchi. He thought highly of Hubertia, a girl of strong moral character and academic excellence who was also Lanchi's age.
"..."
Although Talia was not originally from South Van Tina, the identity information Lanchi had arranged for her did state that she was from that border territory.
However, Talia had fond memories of the South Van Tina Border Territory. It was there that her life of wandering had taken a turn, and her experiences afterward became dreamlike and fantastical.
Hans, the butler, and Francine, the maid, who worked for Lanchi's family, had also treated her well, and she hadn't seen them in a long time.
"Let's go back together next time. I'll show you around South Van Tina, and there's also something I'm curious about..." Talia trailed off, deep in thought.
"What is it?" Hubertia asked, intrigued.
"You mentioned that Lanchi is good at drawing, right?" Talia inquired. She had noticed this herself while observing Lanchi's card crafting.
"Yeah, he seems ridiculously talented in that regard, but I've never seen him draw seriously," Hubertia nodded in agreement.
"When Butler Hans saw us off at the South Van Tina station, he mentioned that Lanchi had once drawn a painting. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I'm curious what kind of painting it was," Talia murmured.
Lanchi had described it as a portrait of a poor, pitiful old lady. She couldn't imagine it being anything special.
As the two girls chatted, they turned a corner onto a broad avenue in the center of Icarus. The atmosphere became slightly more bustling, with flower shops displaying a colorful array of winter blooms in their windows and cafes playing soft music that mingled with the cold air, creating a cozy and melodious ambiance.
Finally, after traversing two streets, they arrived at their residence, the Cat Boss Restaurant.
Passing through the familiar hallway lit by a chandelier and climbing the vintage wooden staircase bathed in a warm, yellow glow, they soon reached the door of their room at the end of the second floor.
The exquisite attic, crafted with wooden boards and slanted beams, greeted their eyes, along with the glass skylight infusing the room with bright light and a hint of fruity, wine-like fragrance.
However, what was unusual was the sight of Lanchi sitting at the center of the spacious living room. He held a magic carving knife and a hot stamping modification tool in his hands, appearing to have been focused on engraving a piece of artwork just moments ago.
On the table lay a smoothly contoured magic card, radiating a soft pink glow.
"Lanchi," Hubertia smiled and greeted him.
Hubertia had grown accustomed to staying here this month, and sometimes Lanchi would visit Talia's place during the day to research card crafting together.
But with the exam week in full swing, the student council had no affairs to attend to, and Lanchi had become scarce.
He was immersed in a grand project, locking himself away in his dormitory's card crafting workshop for extended periods.
Today, she finally had the chance to see him again.
Lanchi hadn't participated in the exams and had come to Talia's place early in the morning. Talia had left to pick up Hubertia, leaving Lanchi alone at home.
"Welcome back," Lanchi acknowledged their arrival and stood up to face them.
"Mhm," Talia responded softly and placed two boxes of cake and pastries on the table. "I already ate at the Icarus Academy shop. These are for you two."
Lanchi hesitated for a moment at Talia's words.
"Tata, if you want to eat it, you should finish it."
Lanchi found that Talia's gaze remained fixed on the cake even after she had finished speaking.
Her appetite was insatiable, and if it weren't for a young unmarried woman's awareness of maintaining her figure, these two cakes would never have lasted this long.
"..."
Talia turned to stare at Lanchi.
Lanchi obediently lowered his head and remained silent.
He picked up the small disposable knife that came with the box and quietly cut the cake into thirds.
Hubertia smiled helplessly, understanding Lanchi's actions, and went to the nearby cabinet to get a small plate and fork. She, too, cut a third of her cake and placed it on the plate.
"Tata, let's eat together."
Hubertia handed the small plate with two-thirds of the cake to Talia.
"..."
Talia silently took the plate.
After a slight hesitation, she expressionlessly began to eat.
She found human thought processes strange, engaging in this act of sharing that brought no benefit.
However, for some reason, she felt that this cake, now only two-thirds in size, was a tiny bit more delicious than the whole cake she had eaten at school.
"By the way, Lanchi, what were you doing just now?"
Hubertia sat next to Lanchi and looked at the card he had been fiddling with on the table.
It was another sealed card that had not yet been bound to anyone.
"This one... it's one of the masterpieces that Tata successfully crafted these days. I just finished preparing the wolf this morning, so I had time to come by Tata's place to pick up another card. But the name of this card is a bit inappropriate, so I made a slight modification just now."
He handed the card to Hubertia.
Elegant Style
Category: Spell Card
Grade: Pink Holy
Attribute: Alchemy/Poison
Class: 4
Effect: Can only be used on touched targets. Modifies their hairstyle, removing hair, changing its color, and making it slightly harder or softer.
Note: This hairstyle doesn't suit you, let me fix it for you.
"..."
Although Hubertia didn't know the original name of the card, she felt that it might have been better left unchanged.
"Don't mess with my cards."
Talia frowned, a little unhappy.
She had just gone to pick up Hubertia and found that Lanchi had changed both the name and the note on this card.
But she didn't say anything more, as her tolerance for Lanchi's behavior had unconsciously increased.
After all, this card, obtained from the Inferno Corridor Academy in exchange for information about the Shadow World program, rightfully belonged to Lanchi according to their agreement.
"Hubertia, this card is for you."
Lanchi placed the Elegant Style card in front of Hubertia.
He had been waiting for her to return.
In battle, he rarely encountered enemies, nor did he want them to touch him.
It would be best if the card was used by Hubertia, who had abilities like invincibility, shields, and invisibility.
Not only could she use it when taking damage, but she could also activate invisibility and sneakily change others' hairstyles.
"No, no, no, I'd rather not."
Hubertia was startled by his words and put down her fork, waving her hands in refusal.
This card was filled with sarcasm, and she dared not take it! The combination of silence and kneeling spells was not as effective in provoking others as using this card to give someone a ridiculous haircut...
If she ever used it, her opponents would never let her off the hook, and they would stop at nothing short of killing the Spellbreaker.
In essence, this card was similar to suicide spells like Destruction Spark.
"Hubertia, only the two of us are going on this trip to the Northern Continent. Your strength is my strength; our combat power is now intertwined."
Lanchi looked at her sincerely and pushed the card half a centimeter closer to her.
"..."
Hubertia stared at the card, silent for several seconds, feeling as if tears were about to fall. She felt like Lanchi was granting her a death sentence.
"Alright."
With tears in her eyes, Hubertia could only accept the hairstyle modification card.
She felt she had found her path to death.
(End of Chapter)
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