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Hyperion and Florence closed the student council room door and they both passed by Professor Bolao’s research workshop on the second floor, leaving behind the faint mechanical sounds. They quickly arrived at the first-floor student service center and walked out of the old literature building of the Magic Engineering College.
"See you next time! Lanci, Hyperion!"
Florence stood on the garden lawn waving at the two of them.
"See you."
Lanci and Hyperion stood side by side by the flowerbeds, bidding farewell to the president and her brother.
The entrance to the Magic Engineering College’s old literature building was situated in a spacious garden where plants basked in the morning mist and sunlight, emitting a fragrant scent. The song of canaries, the buzzing of bees, and the babbling of the brook, the sounds of summer continuously lingered around them.
They soon set off in the direction they had come from that morning.
"Did you get Lan Fu?"
Hyperion asked Lanci.
"Yeah, she’s quite casual about it, if someone tells her to rest, she will rest. If no one tells her to, she can immerse herself in what she enjoys endlessly."
Lanci pulled out the magic card that shimmered with golden petals and showed it to Hyperion.
"Didn’t you end up making you and the president wait too long? I think I might have chatted with Florence a little too much."
Hyperion looked up at the distant clock tower and realized it was already past ten o’clock.
"Not at all, I had a pleasant chat with the president downstairs too. The view of this garden and the comfortable sunlight made for a very leisurely moment."
Lanci chuckled and shook his head.
"By the way, I heard that the Ice Witch Almis has also come to Ichrite. Have you seen her?"
He asked.
"Not yet, Teacher has been busy with church affairs, helping Loren, and I didn’t find her last time I went to the temple. I’ll try again next time."
Hyperion’s first act upon returning from the Shadow World had been to eagerly seek out her Teacher, sadly without success.
She knew Teacher had important work to do, so for the past couple of days, she hadn’t disturbed her at the temple again.
"When Teacher is less busy, she’ll probably come to the school to find me, and I expect she’ll continue to mentor me. I really miss Teacher."
Hyperion spoke, her heart fluttering with anticipation.
Just the thought of seeing Teacher Almis again made her very happy.
She had not anticipated, after returning to South Continent for just over two months, that she might have the chance to see Teacher once again.
Lanci nodded.
When one day the Ice Witch Almis came to find Hyperion, she would gain an extra bodyguard.
Although the Ice Witch specialized in defense, she was recognized as having nearly Bishop-level fighting ability, stronger than any of the three of the Great Demon Clan individually in the shop.
"Are you worried about me again?" 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
Hyperion leaned in close and asked quietly.
"Yes, but after all the effort and travels up to now, I’m more at ease. At least Ichrite should be safe for the next half a year, we don’t need to worry too much about what’s behind us, just look ahead."
Lanci watched her, answering earnestly.
Ichrite today is impregnable, unless war surges across South Continent, the Royal Capital is attacked by a grand army, or a Ninth-order is reckless enough to make a move.
In this era when all Ninth-order powerhouses are involved in the Ninth-order Shadow World, to become a force strong enough to break the balance one must either see the emergence of a new Ninth-order or be like the Third Ancestor of the Blood Clan, Rashal, an old monster who has broken free from an ancient seal.
Now, the ones most likely to achieve Ninth-order are the Extinct Bishop from the Northern Continent, the source of the term "Archbishop-level strength," and the War God Hesintos from the Twelve Gods of the Empire of South Crayney, ensconced in the Diamond Throne, who may also be on par with the Extinct Bishop and close to the Ninth-order.
Beyond that, Lanci knew the Bishop of Hegemony also had hope; after defeating Asksan and breaking through her seal, she must have taken a big step closer to Ninth-order.
```
Although Loren was strong, he was still quite a distance from being Ninth-order.
During the peak of summer, the sun shone on the lush greenery of Ichrite Academy, and the breeze carrying a hint of heat blew by.
Often, Ichrite only experienced a few hotter days in August.
Even so, the essence of summer within the city-state of Ichrite remained moist and bright.
As the two of them walked and talked, they found themselves on the eastern district street outside of Ichrite Academy before they knew it.
Merely a kilometer’s walk to the east, they saw the wooden house that housed the Cat Boss Restaurant.
Despite it not yet being lunchtime, the restaurant had already begun its preparations, with wisps of smoke rising from the roof and the aroma of cooked food wafting through the air.
Lanci and Hyperion pushed open the door and entered the shop, the wind chimes hanging on the door tinkled gently with the opening and closing, producing a pleasing sound.
Today, it was still Antanas’s day off, while Pranay and Sinola were working; a look at the counter revealed the dignified and serene Sinola standing behind it.
"Sinola, is Tata at home?"
Hyperion leaned on the counter with both hands and asked Sinola with a smile.
"Yes, she just visited the Wilford family this morning and has recently returned."
Sinola also smiled back at Hyperion, reflecting her smile exactly as she answered.
The two of them would tilt their heads together to the left or to the right in unison.
"This morning, the Floransin Servant from your house came to invite Tata to your birthday party and asked us to join as well," she added to Lanci.
"Dad didn’t notice anything unusual about you guys, did he?"
Lanci whispered.
After all, he had asked Pranay and the others to take care of the Wilford family for the upcoming period. Now that Pranay and his friends, as Tata’s friends, were visiting the Wilford family, it was like an early introduction to them.
"No, the master is very nice, he said, ’I truly appreciate you being by Lanci’s side. Feel free to come over for visits more often in the future; seeing that Lanci has such good friends reassures me,’" Sinola repeated the exact words of Lanci’s father, Noe.
And Noe was now especially fond of Little Black Cat; every time he saw the Cat Boss, he couldn’t help but lavish praise.
"I’m entrusting the Wilford family to you guys for the time being," Lanci sincerely thanked Sinola.
"No big deal, don’t worry about it," Sinola replied with a slight bow.
"…"
Hyperion silently glanced at Lanci.
She was somewhat worried that someday, when Lanci’s father learned the truth and realized that his home had become a nest for the Great Demon Clan, he might faint from shock.
"Then I’ll help Sinola downstairs for a bit, and later, you call Tata down for lunch together," Hyperion said as she went behind the counter to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sinola, then looked at Lanci.
These days, Lanci had to collaborate with Talia to turn Calila’s Shadow Weave Record into cards. Training was indispensable, and the intensity of their card-making lessons had increased compared to before.
"No problem," Lanci walked towards the stairs, smiling easily as he agreed.
