https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-875-Lance-and-Huberian-s-Recap-After-Two-Years-Part-1-/12937181/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-876-Lance-and-Huberian-s-Opera-Rehearsal-Part-1-/12937183/
Chapter 875: Lance and Huberian's Recap After Two Years (Part 2)
Chapter 875: Lance and Huberian's Recap After Two Years (Part 2)
Lance's silhouette appeared, followed by Huberian, who closed the door gently behind her and greeted Professor Polao.
"Lance, Huberian, please take a seat," Professor Polao invited, removing his silver-framed glasses and placing them on the desk as he looked at the two students he hadn't seen in a while.
He set aside his work and smiled warmly, a rare sight.
"You should have come to see me sooner," Professor Polao said, waving for them to sit across from him at the desk. He seemed genuinely happy to see them, like a grandfather welcoming his grandchildren.
Lance and Huberian took their seats on the other side of the desk.
Their first visit to the Dean's office was due to the Platinum-level Card Maker examination and the incident with the broken Artificial Shadow World Activation Terminal during enrollment. Dean Loren had brought them there, only to be scolded himself. Lance had offered to have House Willford compensate for the damage, and Professor Polao had shaken hands with him, and their relationship had grown closer.
Later, they discovered that the first floor of the old Humanities Building was a public Engineering Technology Service Center, the second floor housed Professor Polao's new Engineering Technology Creative Workshop, and the third floor was the Student Management Committee. Lance and Huberian often ran into Professor Polao when they went downstairs, and they would always greet each other.
Eventually, Lance and Lan Fu became Professor Polao's students, spending their days learning and working in his laboratory.
"Your performance as an exam proctor for the Platinum-level Card Maker examination was excellent. You were a fully qualified examiner, and the most surprising thing was that you brought back Duke Mygaya. Tata also coincidentally passed the Platinum-level examination, so now our Hutton Kingdom suddenly has three Platinum-level or higher Card Makers," Professor Polao said, looking through the communication files with satisfaction. Dean Loren's words, "Lance always exceeds expectations," proved to be true, except for one thing—Loren had become the Emperor of Crethe Empire in the blink of an eye.
"It was just luck," Lance said modestly, like a model student.
Huberian glanced at him, speechless.
"By the way, Lance, take a look at this proposal and see if you're satisfied. Since the donation of two million pounds was made because of you, the school also needs your confirmation," Professor Polao said, taking out a school building plan for them to review. He had already unlocked their student wristband permissions, so they didn't need to bring it up.
Due to Dimensional Bishop's outstanding contributions during the Crethe Empire's unrest, the Empire had granted him legal status, and the Dimensional Branch could operate legally in Crethe Empire, just as the Bastion Branch did in the Protos Empire.
Ekerite Academy could now use the two million pounds without worrying about public opinion.
Lance carefully reviewed the proposal and nodded.
"I suggest changing the name of the Toriadus Building to the Abigail Building or the Saint Building. I'm worried that Toriadus might get into trouble," Lance said, returning the proposal to Professor Polao with only one suggestion.
Toriadus had donated money stolen from Abigail to Ekerite Academy, and Lance was concerned about how Abigail would react if she found out about the naming after Toriadus.
"Oh, that's fine, but won't Dimensional Bishop Toriadus mind?" Professor Polao asked, puzzled.
"If he dares to mind, then the Dimensional Bishop's name might as well become Abigail," Lance replied, thinking of his friend Toriadus.
"Then let's call it Abigail Hall. As long as the Dimensional Branch is satisfied, that's all that matters."
Professor Polao understood the situation.
The Resurrection Church was not a place for the faint-hearted.
Lance and Huberian sat in the office of the Mage Engineering Institute's Dean, enjoying a pleasant conversation with Professor Polao.
"Professor, what's the bet between Frey and Dean Sphintos of the Knight Academy all about?" Lance asked.
In the Crethe Empire, Lance had not inquired about Frey's strange adventures over the past two years, but based on Lance's speculation, Frey's experiences were similar to his own. They had both infiltrated the Resurrection Church and gained the favor of the bishops, one in the Northern Continent and the other in the Southern Continent.
"Sphintos originally told Frey that if he could find a clue about Duke Mygaya, he could graduate early and no longer be restricted from going to the Crown Casino. So, Frey packed his bags and embarked on his journey..."
Professor Polao picked up his teacup and gazed absentmindedly at the garden outside the window.
His experimental workshop was located right below the Student Council room, and he often heard the heroic tales of the King's Capital's bully trio as they resolved conflicts.
It could be said that these three individuals eventually adopted similar styles in their actions.
After a long while, Lance and Huberian bid farewell to Professor Polao, pushed open the heavy door of the Dean's office, and walked out with some files.
With Loren absent from the Sage Academy, Professor Polao assigned many of Loren's tasks to Lance. After all, everyone was aware of Lance's reputation and capabilities at the Sage Academy, and he was more than happy to help Professor Polao with his workload.
The Mage Engineering Institute's main building had a five-story floor-to-ceiling glass wall that bathed the entire hallway in brightness, leaving scattered traces of light on the wooden floor.
Lance and Huberian walked along the left corridor lined with glass walls, and their idle chat resumed.
"Time flew by as we chatted with Professor Polao," Lance remarked, gazing at the dazzling midday sun outside the window.
"It's probably around eleven or twelve o'clock, right?" Huberian estimated the time, even though she couldn't see the school's clock tower from this angle.
"Yeah, let's go for lunch, and then we can plan for the theater next week."
Lance was excited about the days ahead.
After his relentless work routine, he now felt a sense of freedom wherever he went. Each day seemed to have more time than he could use, and he no longer carried the burden of twenty-four-hour mana consumption.
"You'll see my Demihuman appearance again, which feels a bit embarrassing. It's like I'm revealing myself to you without any disguise," Huberian thought of the Half-Maiden Act in Holy War Romance, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.
"But I've seen you like that several times in the Shadow World, haven't I?" Lance asked matter-of-factly.
"It's not the same. In the Demon Realm, it's like a masquerade ball where everyone dresses up as demons, so it doesn't seem unusual. But if I were to transform into my Demihuman appearance in a human kingdom, I'd stand out as an oddity. You, won't you think that this Demihuman appearance is... not good-looking or something? From your perspective of serious aesthetics."
Huberian was well aware that she was an otherworldly female to Lance, and without any peculiar preferences, her appearance didn't align with traditional human beauty standards.
At that time, she would have demonic horns, a scorpion tail, and beast-like eyes, making her stand out even more as an otherworldly being next to Lance.
When she was younger, she had black hair, and without the ability to use disguise magic, she could only bear the horns and features of a demon, attracting many strange gazes. This experience made her fearful of others seeing her Demihuman appearance.
As she grew older, she learned disguise magic to hide her demonic features and also changed her hair color to silver, so others wouldn't easily associate her with the half-demon girl from her childhood. She chose silver simply because she loved her mother.
"You look beautiful, even more so than in my painting of you," Lance replied immediately.
"No, no, that's not true," Huberian stammered, recalling the image of herself in Lance's painting.
She couldn't believe that she looked that good in real life, and Lance's words surprised her.
"Really?"
Lance repeated with emphasis.
"You won't think I look like Merothas, will you? That's not the image you have of me."
Huberian spoke hesitantly.
If she were to change her hair back to black, her features would resemble Merothas to some extent.
The Desecration of Sovereignty Merothas and the everyday Duke's daughter were two very different women, yet their features were so similar that Huberian herself couldn't understand which one was the real her.
"No, even if you dress up as Merothas, you're still completely different from her. You are you. Your elegance, your sharpness, that mix of melancholy and determination, caution and courage, and your unique personality—innocent yet uninhibited by your vast knowledge. That's the one and only you."
Lance explained to her.
"Really?"
Huberian felt a bit embarrassed by Lance's praise and looked up at him.
"Yes, I would tell anyone who asked me the same thing.
Lance nodded in agreement.
"Are you talking about me...?" Huberian's hands clenched, and she blushed.
"Miss, I lost a half-demon fiancee in the Demon Realm ten thousand years ago. She had black hair, a scorpion tail, and delicate horns. Do you have any clues?" Lance added.
"What are you talking about?!" Huberian's face turned red, and steam seemed to rise from her head.
"Wife is a feeling. Only when the feeling is right will you want to marry her," Lance said, as if he had discovered Huberian's amusing expression, and leaned in to whisper to her.
"Stop, stop..." Huberian covered her flushed cheeks and started to jog ahead.
She felt that Lance had changed, to say such words!
"Huberian, guess what my favorite demihuman's hair color, tail, and horns are like."
"Ugh!"
"Answer me quickly."
"I don't know!"
"Just take a guess."
"I won't guess!"
The two continued their playful banter as they ran down the corridor, finally stopping after a while.
After all, this was the Mage Engineering Institute's administrative area, and they couldn't be too rowdy.
Huberian returned to Lance's side.
"Lance, you're so mean. You're intentionally bullying me," Huberian said, balling her fists and lightly tapping Lance's shoulders.
"Don't worry, your black hair definitely looks good. I've seen someone..." Lance started to say, but then he remembered something from the Flower Capital that he hadn't understood.
He felt that there was something overly familiar about Huberian's black hair.
If he had to describe it, the black-haired Huberian, just in terms of appearance, seemed more like the black-haired woman from the Flower Capital than Merothas.
"Can you describe her in more detail?"
Huberian knew a lot about the Flower Capital, having visited it often since childhood and occasionally hearing interesting stories from her sisters, Rosalinda and Atia.
However, Lance was familiar with Rosalinda and Atia, so the woman he was asking about, who was close to Ifatiya, couldn't be either of them.
"Wait for me a moment."
Lance stopped and ran back to Professor Polao's office. After a while, he borrowed a pen and paper from Professor Polao and came out, drawing as he walked.
He believed that such a reclusive beauty couldn't be easily described with words; only a painting could allow Huberian to perceive her more clearly.
Gradually, Lance's drawing began to take shape, capturing the mysterious black-haired woman's dignified posture from his memory.
"This looks like my aunt, Miss Minera," Huberian said, guiding Lance by the arm while staring at the emerging portrait.
"Minera?"
Lance had never heard that name before.
"Yes, my father's sister often travels to various countries. I only get to see her occasionally, like when she took me out to play when I was little. She was like a human mother to me."
Huberian felt that even though her human aunt wasn't as exciting as her demon aunt, she had fulfilled many of her childhood fantasies of having a mother.
Wait a minute.
Huberian's heart suddenly became alert.
Why was Lance so concerned about Aunt Minera? How could he remember her appearance after just one glance and even draw her? Huberian was worried that Lance might have become infatuated with Aunt Minera.
She knew how glamorous, rational, and charming Aunt Minera was, and Lance had a preference for older women. Huberian was terrified!
"No, Huberian..."
Lance's eyebrows furrowed, but before he could explain to Huberian, he began to realize a series of shocking inconsistencies.
Why was Duke Mygaya conveniently absent on the day of the Holy Silver Vine Arena, while Ifatiya had to take Miss Minera away under duress?
Why did the amnesiac Inon once say something strange like, "Isn't the Night Archbishop a woman?" while Archbishop Ivanos of the Resurrection Church should have met the Night Archbishop?
Why was there once an unidentified black-haired noblewoman by Loren's side, but no one knew she was the Duke's sister?
Then the answer—
"Has Duke Mygaya ever appeared with Miss Minera at the same time?" Lance asked Huberian with a grave expression.
"It seems not," Huberian replied after careful consideration.
She thought back and realized that her father and aunt had never appeared together. Either her father was busy and left her in her aunt's care, or her aunt was traveling abroad and wouldn't return for a long time.
"!"
Lance's eyes cleared for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and coughed lightly.
He couldn't let anyone know about this, not even the Duke. Otherwise, he feared that the Duke, skilled in poisons and drugs, might imprison him and cause him to lose his memories.
The bigger problem now was determining the true identity of Duke Mygaya—was it Duke Mygaya or Miss Minera?
Lance dared not speculate further about the Duke's true gender. After all, the Duke's specialty was concealment, and all the spells like Transformation: Human, Transformation: Demon, and Transformation: Cat were of the concealment attribute. The Duke could easily change forms, and their alchemical research and forbidden dark magic defied conventional understanding.
Lance decided to take this secret to his grave. Miss Minera was Miss Minera, and Duke Mygaya was Duke Mygaya. Even if Lance knew the truth, he would treat them as two different people.
(End of Chapter)
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