https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-483-Loren-the-Eternal-God-of-Helrom/12584676/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-485-Cardinal-Lanchi-s-Leisurely-Morning/12584678/
Chapter 484: A Few Things After the Helrom Decision
Chapter 484: A Few Things After the Helrom Decision
In the northern reaches of the Protoss Royal Magic Academy, within the grand Redmond Administration Building, stood Cardinal Lanchi's office. The morning sun shone through the windows, its rays filtered by a thin, nearly transparent layer of leaves, casting a warm, golden glow throughout the room. The scent of spring flowers wafted in from the open window, a gift from nature and the passing of time.
The spacious office seemed emptier than usual, with many shelves cleared of their documents, as if the occupant was preparing to move out.
Lanchi sat alone, his gaze fixed on an ancient Protoss tome spread open before him. It was a rare sight to see the diligent principal lounging in his office, seemingly passing the time.
More than ten days had passed since the tumultuous Protoss Bishop election that had caused so much upheaval. These days also marked the final moments of Lanchi's stay in the Protoss Empire.
"Your Eminence."
With a soft knock, the door swung open, ushering in a wave of fragrance. Planar stepped into the office, dressed impeccably in a Protoss-style suit, a tray carefully balanced in his hands.
"Lychee blossom tea from Helrom," Planar announced, placing a delicately patterned teacup within easy reach of Lanchi.
Lanchi closed the hefty tome and set it aside, picking up the teacup to take a sip. The tea had been subtly infused with a hint of honey, salt, and lemon juice, eliminating any bitterness and leaving only a refreshing aftertaste—a perfect match for his current mood.
"Thank you, Planar," Lanchi replied softly, a hint of relaxation creeping into his voice as he leaned back in his chair. "You've gone to the trouble of keeping me company even though we'll be leaving in a couple of days."
The three Great Demons had also seen a reduction in their workload lately. Only one of them was required to serve as the principal's secretary at the Protoss Royal Magic Academy each day, leaving the other two free to explore the imperial capital of Helrom.
In a few days, Lanchi would be leading them away from the Northern Continent, so they were taking this opportunity to enjoy a rare vacation.
If it had been Guardian Antanas keeping Lanchi company, he would have been chattering nonstop, like a lively sparrow.
As for Lawbreaker Shinola, she would have been exceptionally quiet but also tense, startled into taking a step back if her name was suddenly called.
Only Truth Planar's presence felt natural, his work abilities and etiquette impeccable.
Today, it was Planar's turn to serve as the secretary.
"No," Planar shook his head, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'm always happy to spend time with you, no matter how long it is."
The smile of a demon could often be enigmatic, making it difficult to discern whether it was genuine or feigned. Nonetheless, it was always more comfortable to be in the company of a demon who could smile, rather than one who never did.
"Your Eminence, are you thinking of someone?" Planar inquired, his eyes observing Lanchi's satisfied expression as he sipped his tea.
"Take a guess," Lanchi invited, feeling particularly leisurely today.
"Talia?" Planar ventured.
"......?"
Lanchi froze, unsure how Planar had guessed correctly, and looked up at him.
"There are only three women you're likely to think of, but your expressions when you think of each of them are distinct. If your smile holds a hint of subtle mockery, it's definitely not the Second Princess, whom you hold in high regard. It's also unlikely to be Miss Sigrid, so that leaves Talia." Planar explained.
In truth, Planar had noticed that whenever his deduction was correct, the frequency with which the King thought of Talia was abnormally high. It seemed like the King thought of her every day, sometimes even several times a day.
Even if it wasn't love, it felt like the King and Talia were connected by some sort of karmic bond.
The only concern Planar had was that, given Talia's temperament, the King might be playing with fire. Eventually, she would figure out what he was thinking, and Planar wasn't sure how she would react.
However, he reassured himself that it would probably be fine. The King was powerful, and it was unlikely he would let things get out of hand.
Planar couldn't even begin to imagine what a scene it would be if Talia and the King ever came to blows.
"......"
Lanchi sipped his floral tea in silence, lost for words. He hadn't expected Planar to deduce his thoughts so accurately.
Shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts, Lanchi decided to turn the conversation to something more pleasant. Clearing his throat, he asked Planar, "Guess who I'm thinking of now?"
"Miss Sigrid?" Planar ventured after a moment's thought.
"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Lanchi asked, turning to look at the glass-fronted bookcase, his reflection revealing a hint of surprise.
"This time, it was obvious," Planar replied with a smile. "In fact, no deduction was necessary because your smile was so natural."
Sometimes, a person's smile could escape their own notice. Planar had never imagined that the King could wear such a human-like expression.
"Is that so?" Lanchi mused, taking small sips from his teacup.
Indeed, Planar had guessed correctly both times. Of course, it could also be that the contrast between Talia and Sigrid was just too stark.
Sigrid was the kind of woman who would be universally adored.
It had been over a week since Lanchi last saw Sigrid. The day of the Bishop election had ended with the demise of Duke Morotian.
Several powerful individuals had joined forces in Helrom to successfully intercept and slay the duke. While the pursuit of Duke Morotian had caused some damage to the city, it was less severe than anticipated.
Duke Morotian had been determined to avoid any possibility of being captured by the Protoss Empire. Consequently, if they had attempted to forcibly capture the duke—an eighth-rank powerhouse possessing the Primal Tablet—the consequences would have been unpredictable, and the battle could have raged on until Helrom was reduced to rubble.
After Duke Morotian's execution, Sigrid, at the request of the Grand Sage Isis, had embarked on a series of urgent northern investigations in collaboration with the Protoss Empire's military.
Moreover, with Sigrid's wish to forge a true partnership with the Protoss Empire as the new leader of the Dominating Church, her schedule had become even more packed.
"The last time I saw her was on the afternoon the Bishop election ended. She found me and asked me to wait for her, and then she left with Grand Sage Isis." Lanchi recalled, his mind drifting to that day.
And so, time passed.
News about the Protoss Empire was everywhere during this period.
However, amidst all the hype, Lanchi refused all interviews, clearly indicating his intention to gradually fade away from the spotlight in Helrom.
He returned to his daily routine at the Protoss Royal Magic Academy.
Meanwhile, High Priest Loren became the subject of everyone's praises...
Even the Helrom Broadcasting Company included a Protoss Bishop election scoring segment, and the unexpected appearance of High Priest Loren as the only person to receive a perfect score of 10 points from hundreds of thousands of citizens. Many began to describe him as the reincarnation of a benevolent and holy emperor from ancient times.
Lanchi remembered that Loren also admired this ancient emperor, and he would surely be delighted to hear such comparisons.
Currently, the Protoss Empire still chose to cooperate deeply with the Resurrection Church, or more accurately, with the Baptist branch.
But strangely, the country also seemed to have become more accepting of the Church of the Goddess of Fate, with both the people and the aristocracy showing the highest respect to the clergy of the Church of the Goddess of Fate.
"You don't seem to have much work today," Planar observed, seeing Lanchi sipping his tea leisurely.
"Yes, I've basically finished all the work that needs to be done. I can start preparing for our return trip to the Southern Continent," Lanchi replied, setting down his empty cup and accepting the refilled one from Planar.
"Thank you, Planar. After we return to the Southern Continent, your primary task will be to protect Shubellyan, who is staying at Boss Cat's restaurant. For example, if someone comes to the restaurant to cause trouble, help stop them. Of course, freeloading is absolutely not allowed," Lanchi instructed.
Previously, there had been an incident where an assassin chased a target to Boss Cat's restaurant, only to be stopped by Talia.
Both the vampires of the Southern Continent and the Resurrection Church seemed to have their own reasons for wanting Shubellyan dead, and her death omen was only getting stronger.
Although bringing her to the Northern Continent for half a year might have helped her avoid another death crisis or two, the accumulated omen remained a looming threat.
Lanchi couldn't shake the feeling that something might still go wrong.
With the four Great Demons at Boss Cat's restaurant, he felt a little more reassured about Shubellyan's safety.
He also wanted to give her a sense of family.
Shubellyan had already returned to the Milford Domain in the Northwestern Province a few days ago.
Before returning to the Southern Continent, she would first make a trip to the royal capital, Gedaria, of the Aetheroteran Kingdom to report the progress and results of her mission to her teacher, the Ice Snow Witch. Subsequently, the Church of the Goddess of Fate would arrange her return journey.
Even though they hadn't succeeded in bringing Antanas back to the Aetheroteran Kingdom, the Protoss Empire was now unlikely to go to war. The two giant nations on the southern shore of the Northern Continent were preparing for peace talks.
In about a week, Shubellyan would board a ship from the border of the Aetheroteran Kingdom, heading for the southern shore of the Protoss Empire.
Lanchi would meet her as planned, along with Boss Cat and the Great Demons, and they would all return to the Southern Continent together by ship.
It seemed like he had gone a little over the time limit...
Lanchi mused as he looked at the calendar.
By the time he and Shubellyan returned, the semester at the Eckolite Academy would probably be almost over.
When Dean Loren approved their research topic and stamped their paperwork, he had mentioned that they could delay their return by up to two months, after which they risked being expelled.
With the two-month extension and the three-and-a-half-month vacation, they had a total of five and a half months for their research project, which was normally more than enough even for a trip to the Northern Continent.
Including travel time, they had expected to be away for about half a year.
However, their research topic had been slightly over-completed, and Dean Loren would surely be understanding.
"Understood, I'll make sure the restaurant's security is tight, and you can rest assured about that," Planar said, bowing slightly.
"By the way, do you think there will ever be a day when all seven Great Demons gather at Boss Cat's restaurant? We already have more than half of them," Lanchi wondered, stroking his chin.
It was said that there were seven Great Demons who survived the Demon World, and now four of them were living peaceful lives.
If possible, Lanchi wanted to bring all of Talia's friends back together.
He knew it would make her very happy.
"First of all, it's unlikely that Artemis of the Ice Snow would come to a restaurant next to a school. She's already the Chosen Saint of the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and she's probably too busy with official duties to make a special trip to the Southern Continent for leisure," Planar shook his head, dismissing the idea.
"As for the remaining two Great Demons, we have no clues about their whereabouts."
"Who was the last Great Demon?" Lanchi asked, taking a sip of his tea thoughtfully.
According to the Ice Snow Witch, she belonged to the anti-war faction, while Talia and her sister, Ephatia, were the non-war faction. In addition to the three conservatives in the Imperial Prison, there was also a pro-surrender faction.
"He was the weakest general at the time, mainly responsible for intelligence work in the rear. Our relationship with him was okay, but he keeps his true identity hidden. No demon has ever seen his true face, and even his name might be fake," Planar said, rubbing his temples as if just thinking about that demon gave him a headache.
"Doesn't that make him the strongest of all the surviving Great Demons?" Lanchi asked in surprise.
After all, he was a general, not a civilian.
"If Princess Ephatia didn't deliberately hold back, she might be stronger than him. The Second Princess has an absurd amount of talent, but it's harder to get her to study or work than to kill her," Planar sighed.
"..."
Lanchi felt a pang of cruelty.
The Second Princess had no interest, while the First Princess had no talent.
However, that was alright!
The First Princess still had her strengths.
Her healthy appetite reflected good health, and she was sure to live a long life. Not long ago, he and Antanas had inquired about Talia's true age, and it turned out that her 800th birthday was approaching. They would have to plan a grand celebration for her.
"..."
Planar was about to say something but thought better of it and remained silent.
(End of Chapter)
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