NOVPUBLanci reminisced about his arrival on the Northern Continent, when he’d landed in Herram with four jobs already waiting for him.
"There’s nothing wrong with retiring at twenty, your life’s already been rich and colorful enough."
Talia sighed. If she could appear now, she would pat Lanci on the shoulder.
Maybe for someone like Lanci, whose talents were nearly overflowing, it wasn’t so much that he was looking for jobs, but rather, the jobs were looking for him.
Lanci, carrying a small carry-on suitcase, stepped into the courtyard.
The architectural style of the Saint Kray Temple was unique, with marble towers and flying buttresses visible everywhere.
The main areas of the campus were interwoven with verdant tree-lined paths, and a crystal-clear creek babbled through, the sound of the water audible even from within the courtyard.
Lanci felt none of the tense anticipation typical of a spy.
The beginning of his time in the Cerryti Empire was already shaping up to be much better than it had been on the Northern Continent.
Travel-worn, there was nothing more important now than rest.
From now on, he was Landry Washington.
He would handle both Landry’s job and his social relationships himself.
Lanci pushed open the heavy mansion door and stepped into the villa which would be his for the foreseeable future. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Meow meow meow! There’s never been such a splendid beginning, meow!"
The Cat Boss suddenly popped out from a shadow, eagerly inspecting the mansion for Lanci; it was curious about its new home.
Unlike Tata, who couldn’t easily reveal herself, the Cat Boss, as a Spirit Beast, didn’t have much problem being seen.
It was reasonable for a Sixth-order Professor like Landry to possess a contractual Spirit Beast weaker than himself.
Beside the ivory sofa, a coffee table held a bunch of butterfly orchids, adding a touch of vitality to the drawing-room, while just outside the floor-to-ceiling windows lay a meticulously maintained garden; the warm yellow ground lights still illuminated the path Lanci had followed.
Lanci quickly glanced through the kitchen, dining room, and laundry on the first floor, then followed Cat Boss upstairs.
Compared to the smaller living room downstairs, the second floor felt more homely.
The first room they entered was a study; shelves lined all four walls, a comfortable-looking leather chair sat in front of the desk, and the view from the window encompassed the surrounding scenery.
"I feel as though you’re living an even better life here in Brilda than before, meow."
The master bedroom had an oversized bed with soft bedding, robes hung neatly in the wardrobe, there was a bathtub near the window, and when the Cat Boss curiously turned on the faucet, hot water gushed out immediately.
"It’s a must, after all, I have to look after the veteran..."
Lanci began to speak but then his words cut off, the rest of his sentence refusing to come out.
"Veteran who?"
Talia had solidified from orange light points, standing next to Lanci, questioning him.
"Teacher, my dear esteemed teacher, the teacher of teachers, king, master."
Lanci promptly responded.
"Heh, I’ve basically checked this mansion, there are no issues. Setting up some Magic Instruments to expand a Barrier will make it even safer. I’ll write you a shopping list, and you can get everything tomorrow. Once I modify them, they’ll be ready to use,"
Talia declared, arms folded.
Those items might not be readily available at the monastery.
"Okay."
Lanci nodded.
Cat Boss’s inspection was more for amusement; for real security checks, they would have to rely on the Eighth-order Queen Card.
Or rather, the fact that Talia was willing to appear indicated she believed the interior environment of the villa was secure.
"So, what’s your next plan?"
Now that she could have a proper conversation with Lanci, she asked him.
So much had happened that day that Lanci’s infiltration plan had taken a substantial detour.
"First, I’ll establish a solid footing here at the Saint Kray Temple, be earnest and be a good teacher. I’ll be a model citizen in the Cerryti Empire. Just give me some time, and I will find Duke Migaya and Miss Isatia’s whereabouts."
Lanci answered.
Finding people was always his strongest suit.
Or rather, his purpose in coming to the Cerryti Empire, to deal with the Blood Clan, was inseparably linked to the civil commission of finding Migaya and Isatia.
"By the way, don’t you also know someone from the Cerryti Empire named Alexia?"
Talia recalled what Hyperion told her before.
At the second Sanctuary Evil Banquet in the Shadow World, they encountered a group of three women: the Goddess of Destruction, Adelis, who was undercover at the Saint Kray Temple; Stisera, the direct soldier from the Destruction Branch; and the Third Princess of the Cret Empire.
All of them were juniors at the Saint Kray Temple at the time.
"Indeed, but now is not the time to seek her out. She’s probably graduated by now, and her sensitive status within the Imperial Palace would arouse suspicion if I abruptly approached her. I first have to find a reliable person who knows her to make contact."
Lanci had promised to come to the Cret Empire to rescue Princess Alexia and naturally wouldn’t forget his promise.
This important anti-Blood Clan ally could provide him with a lot of information, but her own situation was quite perilous. Carelessly seeking Princess Alexia’s assistance could potentially endanger her.
Moreover, Stisera, the direct soldier of the Destruction Branch who had aligned with him, was likely still in the Cretian Empire’s prison.
Now that the Cretian Empire and the Rebirth Church had started collaborating, Lanci believed there could be a legal way to rescue Stisera. What he needed was a middleman from the Rebirth Church, someone who could extract Stisera in the name of some other branch.
