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Chapter 723: Lanchi's Leisurely After-class
Chapter 723: Lanchi's Leisurely After-class
The morning sun shone brightly on a crisp autumn day.
Stained glass windows illuminated the arched corridors of Elliot Hall in St. Crises Abbey with a golden hue.
Just a few steps after he exited the classroom, a lively discussion erupted from within Room 4-21.
"I bet the Imperial Special Forces will be here at the school tomorrow to document this classroom."
"No, you underestimate those spies. They might show up as early as this afternoon."
"It'll be fine. The Special Forces still need to give face to Headmistress Violette. Even if those agents come to the school to make an arrest, they'll have to follow protocol. I reckon the soonest they'll arrive is tomorrow, so we don't have to worry about any interruptions and can focus on our research."
Inside the classroom, dozens of students seemed to have gathered around the long table in front of the lectern, recording and analyzing the principles he had left them with.
They asked questions, sought clarification, and shared their interpretations of his teachings.
Some students were particularly passionate, enthusiastically expounding their insights into magic engineering, their excited voices carrying clearly through the thick oak door and into the corridor.
Having concluded his lesson, Lanchi strolled down the hallway, his left side bathed in radiance and his right cloaked in shadow. His long gray robe traced a deep arc behind him.
"Dodo dododo…"
The little black cat poked its head out from his shadow, then retracted it.
As a Sprite Beast, it wasn't unusual for it to appear at the school.
Witnessing Lanchi's behavior in the classroom at St. Crises Abbey today had brought to mind some unforgettable memories from its past life in the Northern Continent.
Whenever it saw Xiu Bao looking so frightened, its heart went out to her—she was so cautious, as if she had lost something precious before.
But as the saying goes, the smaller the ability, the smaller the responsibility.
Keeping an eye on Lanchi was beyond what it could manage.
"Be brave, Cat Boss. In ancient times, you would have been a revered Guardian Beast of a nation."
Lanchi noticed the cat's demeanor and offered words of encouragement.
"Guardian Beast…meow," the Cat Boss murmured, suddenly lost in thought, its head tilting up.
In its wildest dreams, it had never dared to imagine being worshipped. But ever since it started following Lanchi, it had received a pink Sacred card, then an orange Epic card, and now it had evolved into an Eighth-rank Sprite Cat.
Chaos reigned in the world.
All it needed was to establish some merit.
The prospect of becoming a Guardian Beast seemed within reach, and it had to consider if this was its only chance in this lifetime.
"Do you have such a dream?" Lanchi whispered softly.
"Meow, I do!" the Cat Boss replied instinctively.
"That's right, Cat Boss. With you and me together, we can make it happen!" Lanchi asserted confidently.
He couldn't guarantee that the Cat Boss would become the Guardian Beast of any particular nation, but he would do everything in his power to help make its dream come true.
"Meow! Let's do it! I'll do my best too!" The Cat Boss was suddenly filled with enthusiasm, no longer afraid, and scurried back into the shadows.
This time, there was no brake, but neither was there any accelerator; only a useless clutch.
Thinking more positively, Xiu Bao probably wouldn't even make it to the Crises Empire, so there was no chance of her being scared by Lanchi again.
The Cat Boss suddenly felt relieved and even began to look forward to the prospect of being revered by thousands.
"…"
In Lanchi's mind, Talia observed silently.
She didn't understand why the Cat Boss had been so startled earlier.
Lanchi was just a kid, not even a fraction of her age.
He might have a fast start now, but the real challenges lay ahead.
Magic engineers had the right to invent and create, but they didn't have the power to decide how their creations would be used. Just as magic engineers couldn't control politics.
As a princess of the Demon race and once a top demon engineer herself, she had seen and understood too much in her eight hundred years. She didn't want to end up comforting Lanchi as someone who had been through it all. Magic engineers might enjoy fame and admiration, but they often had little say in their own fates.
This was the fate of magic engineers.
In the field of magic engineering, they were remarkable.
But in the political and military arenas, they were merely tools.
Now that Lanchi had chosen this path, he had to be prepared to be drawn into the vortex.
"The political shadows behind magic engineering research are indeed frightening, but Tata, believe me, I have always been a politician first and foremost," Lanchi said, having heard Talia's inner thoughts.
"?"
She recalled Professor Pola once saying that Lanchi was not a genius in magic engineering but a genius in management.
"Never mind, just do your thing. If you fail, I'll be there to comfort you. Only I can give you the support you need," Talia sighed, her thoughts tinged with a hint of pride. She stopped chatting with Lanchi and let him be.
Lanchi was the epitome of a fearless young bull. He needed a motherly teacher to guide him through the complexities of the world. Without any prior success to his name, he couldn't navigate this path without her mentorship.
She was waiting for the day when Lanchi would stumble and realize her irreplaceable value and position.
"I hope things will be a little calmer these next few days. I've just arrived, and my to-do list is already getting out of hand.
Lanchi once again gazed at the fourth-floor corridor of Elliot Hall in St. Crises Abbey.
Currently, his tasks included searching for Miss Yifatia, handling the missing duke case, investigating illegal constructions, forming a professional team, capturing stray vampires, conducting research and teaching at school, maintaining contact with the Bosken Kingdom's intelligence personnel, attempting to take over the legacy left by Destruction Bishop Ivanos in the Crises Empire, attracting the attention of the imperial military, providing cover for allied spies, and dealing with Randrei's secret gatherings.
Fortunately, he possessed excellent time management skills, and some of these tasks had already been set in motion concurrently.
Talia: "..."
Aren't you tired?
The youth's energy was indeed exuberant, and she felt fulfilled just by shopping, chatting, and taking walks every day.
As Lanchi planned and arranged his schedule, he paid slight attention to the architectural structure of the fourth floor of Elliot Hall.
He would continue teaching at this location tomorrow, but there was also a possibility of receiving a notice from the school administration to temporarily change classrooms.
Many schools had experienced similar situations in their history, where the content written on the blackboard needed to be preserved for research purposes, thus requiring a slight adjustment to the regular teaching location.
"Professor!"
At that moment, a crisp female voice called out from behind, interrupting Lanchi's train of thoughts.
A black-haired girl with violet eyes took small steps to catch up, her tassel-like long hair fluttering slightly, and her cheeks flushed from running.
Lanchi, who had intended to leave Elliot Hall, stopped in his tracks and heaved a sigh, turning around.
It was Elsa Washington, Randrei's sister.
Someone he had to face.
"Elsa, it's been a while."
Lanchi regarded her with a gentle gaze, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
"Brother, are you free this afternoon?"
Elsa's tone carried a hint of youthful shyness, yet it couldn't conceal the longing in her heart.
Standing together, they almost appeared like a pair of siblings to onlookers.
The only difference was that the brother's iris color was a shade lighter, leaning towards a deep blue, while the sister's iris color was a shade darker, leaning towards violet.
"Elsa, I'm very sorry, but as you can see, I might not be able to stop working anytime soon."
Lanchi shook his head, his eyes holding a hint of complexity, as if telling her that he had a lot of troubles and didn't want to involve her.
He knew that Elsa intended to invite him to spend the afternoon together, but he couldn't agree, and he truly didn't have much time to spare for her.
"..."
Elsa parted her lips, her throat giving a slight hum,
"Let's go, brother."
She had intended to say something but swallowed it back.
If Professor Randrei didn't leave soon, more students might gather around him.
He would quickly become popular at this school.
Not only the most outstanding students from the School of Magical Engineering but also other professors might seek him out, along with those hound-like spies and reporters. Even those unrelated to academics would keenly sense the valuable information he possessed and try to obtain first-hand knowledge through the students.
She sincerely felt happy for her brother, and this joy even surpassed the momentary loneliness she felt.
Perhaps after the content he wrote on the blackboard today fermented, the imperial military would immediately attach great importance and attention to it and take action.
Even she could understand that what her brother was researching was purely for the empire's military endeavors.
He had already demonstrated his worth to the empire in times of war.
"..."
Lanchi observed how easily Elsa could be appeased.
On the contrary, he felt a twinge of guilt.
Such an understanding child, who was so considerate that it hurt, could be seen from her expression that she had his best interests at heart.
"Elsa, have you encountered any troubles recently?"
Lanchi paused for a moment before asking.
Ideally, he should have minimized contact with Elsa, but he felt compelled to ask.
Otherwise, his conscience wouldn't allow it.
"Lanchi..."
Despite Talia's clear awareness that Lanchi shouldn't soften his heart and ask this question, the more he said, the more likely he was to make mistakes.
This would greatly increase the risk of exposure.
However, she also had an instinctive feeling that made her unable to let go of her concerns for this child, and she could only suppress her thoughts and let Lanchi do as he pleased.
She inexplicably felt that this child resembled Xiu Bao in some way.
"It's nothing, just some recent nightmares, probably my imagination. Brother, you just focus on your work."
Elsa hesitated briefly but firmly shook her head with a slight smile.
"Have you been bullied or wronged in any way?"
Lanchi inquired.
"No, no."
Elsa waved her hands.
As Lanchi conversed with Elsa, he also asked Talia in his mind, and she confirmed that Elsa was telling the truth.
"If you need psychological counseling, feel free to come to me. I will take care of you outside of work, and if you encounter any danger, contact me at any time. Don't be afraid to trouble me."
Lanchi instructed earnestly.
Using Randrei's identity, seeing the strong bond between the siblings, he truly didn't know how to tell Elsa the truth about Randrei's death.
The only thing he could do was to protect Randrei's sister for him, as a way to repay the debt he owed Randrei.
"Thank you, brother," Elsa whispered.
"See you tomorrow," Lanchi added, without lingering any longer in the Elliot Hall corridor. With a wave goodbye, he slowly disappeared at the far end of the fourth-floor hallway.
Elsa stood there, her eyes still worriedly fixed on her brother's retreating figure, before finally turning away.
Suddenly, she noticed a familiar figure in the distance—
From the far corner of the hallway, Ursula Lionbird, heiress of the Leon family, shook her head in disbelief as she watched the siblings.
She had left the classroom earlier and hadn't paid much attention to Professor Randrei's notes on the blackboard. Instead, she had been observing the interaction between the Washington siblings from afar.
"Ursula, is there something you need from me?" Elsa asked, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she took small steps back towards the classroom. Her tassel-like hair fluttered gently, and her cheeks were still flushed from running earlier.
The purple-haired, violet-eyed girl before her was a scion of the noble Roland family and the younger sister of the Ninth War God, the Marquess of Amethyst, yet they shouldn't have had much interaction due to their different social circles.
Their relationship wasn't particularly close, nor was it hostile. They had simply known each other for a long time, occasionally crossing paths due to their exceptional talents beyond their ages, which led to some interactions.
Ursula had a habit of teasing Elsa, which was why Elsa didn't particularly like her.
However, Ursula carried on the noble tradition of the Leon family and possessed a strong sense of justice akin to that of a Lionbird Knight. Whenever Elsa was in trouble, Ursula would mysteriously appear and lend a helping hand, making it hard for Elsa to dislike her.
"Why don't you just tell him directly? There's no need to beat around the bush. You know, he just looked like a sleazy player skillfully turning down a woman. I think he has plenty of experience in that regard," Ursula said bluntly, offering no sugarcoating.
She had only caught snippets of the conversation between Elsa and Lanchi, but she didn't need to hear more to understand what Elsa wanted to convey.
"Don't you dare talk about my brother like that!" Elsa retorted, showing a rare flash of anger towards Ursula.
"Am I saying something wrong? What are you going to do about it?" Ursula countered, stepping closer and puffing out her chest.
"I..." Elsa averted her gaze, at a loss for words.
She took half a step back, trying to avoid Ursula.
"Your brother doesn't seem to mind you at all. What's there to be concerned about?" Ursula stopped in her tracks, fixing her eyes on Elsa.
The reason Elsa was so highly regarded by Headmistress Violette was due to the atavistic traits she exhibited, indicating the potential to become a Moon Goddess Priestess.
This potential endowed her with unique abilities, but it also brought danger.
On occasions when Headmistress Violette was away on imperial business, Elsa might find herself in perilous situations.
Ursula was one of the few who knew about Elsa's secret, and because Elsa was so considerate of others' feelings, it was only with the carefree and blunt Ursula that Elsa could truly open up without holding back.
"Never mind, if there are no problems, then everything is fine. And if there are any troubles, I don't want to involve my brother," Elsa mumbled.
She was well aware of her brother's entanglement with the gods, and it was only natural that the Goddess of Fate wouldn't favor him.
"Tsk, tsk." Ursula gave up on offering any more advice. "After not seeing him for so many years, what do you think of your brother now?"
Leaning against the wall with her hands behind her back, Ursula casually struck up a conversation with Elsa.
"Although he feels a bit different, and he seems more distant and colder, as if he's lost some human emotions, almost like a humanoid creature that had its brain taken over by an evil parasite..." Elsa replied, her eyes first filled with worry but finally landing on a hint of relief, "But I can still sense the warmth in his heart, and that's what matters to me."
She covered her chest with her hand, her voice soft and reassuring.
"You really have your brother on your mind all the time, don't you?" Ursula's expression turned slightly complex as she listened, but she quickly masked it with a playful smile, as if mocking Elsa.
"What are you talking about?" Elsa's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she had no intention of continuing this conversation with Ursula.
She bid farewell with a hasty curtsy and quickly walked away.
Ursula would never understand her. Elsa and Ursula were nothing alike. She would never cause trouble for her brother or deliberately anger him.
Only Ursula would relentlessly stir up trouble for her family, without considering how her actions affected her loved ones.
Long after Elsa had left the fourth-floor corridor...
"... " Ursula was still leaning against the wall, her gaze lowered, a hint of self-mockery in her eyes.
"Sigh, some people are just blind to their blessings. It would be nice to have someone care about me like that," Ursula sighed, then walked away.
(End of Chapter)
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