Chapter 573: Drawing a clear line and returning triumphantly

The Ten Thousand Swords Mountain had just welcomed the first snow of the 1054th year, while in that distant northern wasteland, goose-feather-like heavy snow had fallen countless times since early autumn.

However, all of this had nothing to do with the mages inside the Mage Tower.

In the corridor of the Source Magic Tower, two light footsteps echoed. The floor heating slabs dispelled the chill in the air, but did not weaken the solemnity belonging to academia.

Orphia walked in front, her long golden hair leaping lightly with her steps, like a golden flame burning in the fireplace.

Unlike the green girl from two years ago, she had fully grown up at eighteen, appearing even more graceful and elegant.

And at this very moment, she was clutching a spread-out scroll in her hand; that was the promotion order personally signed by Professor Hector.

Starting today—

She was an official magic apprentice!

"It's over, Ilana! We did it!"

"Yeah, it's finally over."

Ilana held the thick notes, and no too many ripples could be heard in her tone, only a few bright spots flashing in those eyes that were always calm.

The efforts all along had finally paid off; she had actually completed the promotion to magic apprentice in the second academic year.

She believed her parents would definitely be proud of her.

Orphia stopped her skipping steps, turned around, and the proud smile on her face could no longer be hidden.

"To tell you the truth, when Professor Hector nodded just now, I couldn't believe it was true! That old antique who always has a straight face actually smiled; I thought Prince Prince Kelin was just teasing me."

Ilana tilted her head slightly, not knowing what this had to do with Prince Prince Kelin, but still followed her topic.

"I actually think the professor didn't smile just now, but... his mouth twitched. According to my observation, that was his physiological reaction to being unable to refute our 'function model construction magic array' while unwilling to admit it. Actually, I don't understand why he has a good relationship with Prince Prince Kelin, yet is so resistant to the Prince's theories."

Looking at Ilana analyzing seriously and falling into confusion on her own, Orphia burst into laughter.

She could understand Professor Hector's awkwardness, which was nothing more than the hostility of the current candidate for Sage, Professor Uriel Akelai, toward the Scientific School.

However, this was not important.

Who else but Hector was drawing a clear line with science?

Just as Prince Prince Kelin said, the light of truth cannot be blocked! She believed that one day, all mages would be able to see the light emanating from Prince Prince Kelin!

By the way, although Professor Hector did not support the activities of the Scientific School on the surface, he was actually quite good to the students of the Scientific School in private.

Orphia walked over and affectionately took the arm of her good sister.

"Whether it was a twitch or a smile, anyway, we passed! From today on, we are officially members of the Tower of the Great Sage!"

"Hmm..." Realizing that she had gone into a dead end again, Ilana's cheeks blushed involuntarily, and she finally stopped that irrelevant logical deduction.

Orphia let go of her arm, tidied up the slightly messy bangs for her companion, and her smile was filled with confident light.

"Get a good night's sleep tonight, there are more heavy coursework waiting for us starting tomorrow. Professor Hector said it, this is just the beginning."

"Hmm. Good night, Orphia."

"Good night."

Watching Ilana's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, Orphia turned and turned into another passage, heading toward another independent dormitory area.

As the youngest daughter of Duke Castellion, her life in the Academy was not extravagant, but it was by no means shabby.

From the day she entered the Academy, she had never had anything like a roommate, only a maid accompanying her to take care of her daily life.

Pushing open the oak door, warmth rushed toward her face.

The fire in the fireplace was burning vigorously, occasionally making one or two crackling sounds, bursting out orange-red sparks.

The room's furnishings were extremely exquisite; the silk tapestries from the New Continent and the furniture dotted with bronze seahorse crests silently signaled the owner's identity.

Elifit was standing by the tea table tidying up the snow velvet flowers in the vase; seeing Miss Orphia, who was skipping into the door, a soft smile appeared on her face.

She wore a neatly tailored maid outfit and looked like just an ordinary maid, but anyone who held such a rash thought eventually paid the price.

"Miss, you're back."

"Elifit! Quick, help me prepare letter paper!"

Orphia kicked off the small leather boots on her feet, stepped barefoot on the thick wool carpet, and spun lightly like a lark returning to its nest.

"I have incredible good news to tell Prince Prince Kelin! I passed Professor Hector's devilish assessment on the first try! Heh heh!"

Elifit stopped what she was doing, looked at her young mistress's face, which was flushed with excitement, and a gentle indulgence flowed in her gentle eyes.

"Congratulations, Miss. I believe that not only Prince Prince Kelin, but if the Duke knew, he would also be proud of you."

"He wouldn't understand these! He would only say, if you want to learn magic, just learn it at home, why go to the trouble of running to the northern wasteland..."

Orphia muttered, walked quickly to the desk, rummaged out a stack of gold-stamped letter paper from the drawer, and chose the one whose pattern best matched her mood.

At this moment, Elifit seemed to suddenly remember something and took a letter from her bosom. There was no complicated wax seal on the envelope, only a concise and powerful signature.

"By the way, Miss, a rush letter was just sent from the post station, and I saw the sender's name is—"

Before Elifit's "Prince Kelin" could be spoken, the letter in her hand was snatched away, followed by a cry of surprise.

"It's Prince Kelin's reply! Saint Saint Xisi above, Elifit, why didn't you take it out earlier?! Do you know how long I've been waiting for it?"

"I... took it out the moment you walked in the door."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Looking at Miss Orphia, who was blinking innocently, Elifit made a helpless expression, walked over, and put away the letter paper and quill pen she had carelessly thrown down.

At this very moment, Orphia couldn't care about these minor details of etiquette.

She didn't even change her clothes, threw herself onto that soft big bed in the bedroom, rolled a circle in the swan velvet quilt with the envelope, and then took a light sniff of that intoxicating fragrance.

It was the cold scent of cedar wood—

As expected of Prince Prince Kelin! His taste was still as elegant as ever!

Orphia's face carried an intoxicated expression, her soft golden hair scattered messily on the red bed sheet, like the rare sunshine in winter.

Elifit pretended not to see her young mistress's appearance, skillfully closed the bedroom door for her, and then continued to fiddle with the snow velvet flowers on the table.

Orphia turned over and lay on the pillow, calmed her rapid heartbeat, and carefully used her fingernails to scratch open the wax seal.

The letter paper unfolded.

The familiar handwriting entered her eyes.

"Dear Miss Orphia Castellion, I have something very important to tell you, I don't know how you have been lately..."

Orphia frowned, and a suspicion couldn't help but float up on her face. Prince Kelin rarely addressed her by her full name in the body of the letter; could this letter have been written by a servant?

However, that elegant and fluent brushwork was undoubtedly Prince Prince Kelin's own handwriting.

With a puzzled mood, she continued to read down the letter paper. However, as the reading deepened, the confusion in her heart not only didn't decrease but instead gave birth to a trace of strange dissonance.

Five full pages of paper, the first two pages were filled with boring discussions about the weather in the Academy, as well as mechanical greetings about her diet and daily life, and even discussed mathematics with her.

This was extremely rare.

Orphia's gaze quickly scanned the letter paper, finally settling on those abruptly repeated phrases.

"Just as I said on page 13, line 1 of my first work..."

First work?

Is it...

"Higher Mathematics"?

This strange statement caught Orphia's attention, and she immediately realized that this was by no means an ordinary letter, but clearly a key to open the treasure chest in the labyrinth!

She slammed the letter paper shut and rushed barefoot toward the bookshelf.

On the most conspicuous layer, there was a thick book with slightly curled page edges; that was precisely Prince Prince Kelin's work left in the Academy—"Higher Mathematics."

This book was regarded as an alien by a group of mages led by Uriel, but for Miss Castellion, it was the most precious treasure in this world.

She held the book to the desk, quickly flipped open the cover, and while comparing the coordinates hidden in the letter, she copied those formulas on the blank draft paper, dismantling the puzzle left to her by Prince Prince Kelin according to the clues.

Time passed second by second, and letter by letter jumped out, drawing into lines of fluent words on the draft paper under her pen.

However, the moment she finished spelling, the warm air in the room seemed to be frozen by an invisible chill, making her fingertips feel a burst of ice-cold.

"The Academy has already abandoned the faith of the Holy Light."

"The collection of live experimental data in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain has been completed, and the demons of the Soul School are bringing the blasphemous factories back to the Academy one by one."

Leon people.

Corpses.

And children.

Words that were shocking to the eye, like blood-stained daggers, tore the sacred and quiet veil of the Academy into pieces.

She seemed to see those innocent people wailing on the operating table in the shadows of this ivory tower, as well as those butchers wearing the skin of scholars.

And they were scholars she rubbed shoulders with every day!

Orphia forgot to breathe for a moment, her face turned snow-white, her fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and she continued to calculate according to the "spell" taught to all of them by Prince Prince Kelin.

That was a spell that only students of the Prince Kelin School would know.

When the last paragraph of the translation was restored on the draft paper by her, she gradually tasted the taste of blood from her lips and teeth.

"I need you to do two things."

"First, protect yourself, return to the Shengcheng immediately, and use this information to warn Duke Andre Castellion, letting him know what kind of blasphemous things are happening on the border of the Empire."

"Second, in the name of academic exchange, take away as many members of the Scientific School as possible... including James Professor Wali, Ilana, Jamie, Ram, etc. If they are unwilling to leave, don't force it, and take away those you can take away while protecting yourself."

"Professor Uriel's exclusion of the Scientific School is your greatest help; you can complete this plan without arousing anyone's suspicion."

"Lei Ming City University has already been completed, and there is a Mage Tower that belongs to you. Now, the only person I can trust is you."

Orphia's breathing stalled for a moment.

Only you.

This sentence was like a scorching hot current, instantly crushing the fear and cold in her heart, and also restored a trace of the only blood color to that pale face.

At the moment when the storm was about to arrive, Prince Prince Kelin, who always handled all affairs with ease, handed his back to Miss Orphia Castellion, whom he trusted the most.

She was the person he trusted the most.

Orphia closed her eyes, forced that wildly beating heart to calm down, and at the same time suppressed the constantly rising corners of her mouth.

When she opened her eyes again, that pair of water-blue eyes could no longer see half a trace of panic, leaving only a piece of unfathomable calmness.

She snapped her fingers, a cluster of flames ignited at her slender white fingertips, and under the traction of magic, it fell onto the draft paper on the table.

The draft paper curled in the flames, eventually turning into ashes.

Then, Orphia folded the "boring" greeting letter again, just like usual, and placed it together with her collection of Prince Prince Kelin's handwriting.

After doing all this, she turned around, stuffed "Higher Mathematics" back into the bookshelf, and called out toward the door.

"Elifit."

The bedroom door was pushed open gently, and Elifit stood at the door, nodding respectfully.

"Miss, what are your orders."

"I'm homesick."

Orphia walked to the window, looking at the snow dancing all over the sky outside, her tone carrying a willful arrogance unique to a noble young lady.

She lightly flicked the hair tail falling on her shoulder, as if she wanted to print that willful expression on the cold glass window.

"This ghost place is freezing to death, and the professors always have straight faces, and Prince Kelin always brushes me off. I've had enough... write a letter to my old man for me, and let him send a griffin carriage to pick me up."

Not all nobles would finish all courses in the Academy, after all, they didn't really need that graduation certificate.

However, Elifit still felt surprised.

She could feel that her young mistress had poured a lot of hard work and enthusiasm into the Scientific School, and even just an hour ago, she was cheering for becoming an official apprentice.

How could she suddenly... have only three minutes of enthusiasm?

However, Elifit didn't ask much.

As a guard who had been attached to the Castellion family for generations, she knew very well what words should be said, and what things only needed to be executed.

She lowered her head, placed her right hand on her chest, and performed a standard knight salute to the young mistress who seemed to have grown up a lot in an instant.

"As you command, Your Highness, I will go make arrangements."

"Go." Orphia nodded, and suddenly opened her mouth again. "Also, go to Ilana's place for me, say I miss her, and let's eat together at noon tomorrow."

Elifit nodded.

"Yes."

At the same time, far away from the Tower of the Great Sage, Professor Omon Sild was sitting in his laboratory, facing a copied autograph letter.

As usual, he held the pale blue magic crystal prosthetic eye in his palm, letting that azure light scan line after line of text.

In just a few breaths, tens of thousands of words had undergone thousands of permutations and combinations in his prosthetic eye.

However, the result surprised him.

The letter didn't mention the research being conducted by the Soul School; it seemed to be the same as usual, just greetings to Miss Castellion herself.

This guy was someone extremely good at utilizing all utilizable resources; maintaining a relationship with the Castellion family was normal.

However, what truly concerned him was that Mr. Prince Kelin, who was suspected of killing Ma Lusi, actually didn't mention a word about the clues he had mastered.

The corner of Omon Sild's mouth gradually curled into a playful smile.

"Interesting."

The pale blue magic crystal prosthetic eye floated back into Omon's eye socket, making a light "click" sound as it returned to its place.

Didn't expect Prince Prince Kelin, although he refused "Holy Water" in his mouth, his body was still very honest... just like those secular kings.

No mortal could escape the interest in that "liquid god"; after all, the immortality that Saint Saint Xisi couldn't fulfill could be easily obtained through the power of Holy Water.

Even—

That was just the most ordinary ability.

Throwing the letter into the fireplace, Omon leaned back in the high-backed chair, crossed his fingers, and whispered in a leisurely voice.

"... Let me look forward to it."

See when our Prince will be unable to withstand the temptation of profit and take the initiative to contact his "enemy"...

The howling wind and snow whitened the mountain tops of the northern wasteland, while at the same time, downstream of the Running River, it was still a scene of autumn red with layered forests.

At noon, the weather was slightly cool, and with a long whistle of a steam whistle piercing the clear sky, rolling white smoke covered half of the platform like a falling cloud.

The giant made of steel slowly decelerated, the "Prince" that sailed from Earl Spinol's territory finally returned to its nest with the report and glory of victory.

The boiling human voices instantly drowned out all the sound waves.

Flowers were thrown into the sky from all directions, gathering into a colorful rain in mid-air, falling one after another on the shoulders of the heroes who had just stepped out of the carriage.

"Long live Campbell!"

"Victory!!!"

"Heaven bless Campbell!"

The news of opening up territory had already flown back to Lei Ming City a day ago, and now all the citizens of the city knew that their territory had expanded northward by another 150,000 square kilometers.

If it were a few years ago, these people who had never left Lei Ming County in their lives would definitely not be so excited about the news of the Principality opening up territory.

But today was different from the past.

They were all masters of the Principality; even a beggar living in a refugee camp would proudly straighten his chest for that shining glory.

The sacred Campbell Principality not only pioneered territory that the kings had never pioneered but also saved the Holy Light people who were in dire straits from the claws of foreign races!

The current Edward no longer needed the Light of Praise to embellish his crown with glory; his prestige had far exceeded his father's.

Following not far behind Edward, Raman, wearing a military uniform, looked at the flowers falling from the sky, and for a moment couldn't help but hallucinate to last winter.

At that time, he was still a corporal, but now he had become a glorious major, serving as the battalion commander of the instructor battalion of the Campbell First Mountain Infantry Regiment.

He touched the medal on his chest, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he followed the other commended officers to wave at the commoners cheering for them.

He still remembered that he was a carpenter.

But now it seemed that his skills were far more than that; the father standing in the crowd must be proud of his achievements today...

Sir Dickbin's face also carried a bit of disbelief.

He never expected that he, a Leon person, could also follow Edward to accept the cheers and applause of the citizens of Lei Ming City.

At this time, he noticed that not far away, the other young men of the Leon Battalion all had ruddy light on their faces.

The people they saved were standing in the crowd.

Although when they were in the Leon Kingdom, they had also been conscripted by the lords, they had never felt as proud of their identity as they did today...

It wasn't just humans who were proud of this, but also the blood kin mixed in the crowd.

At this very moment, Vivian was standing on the platform with a smile, leading the knights of the Hospital Knight Order behind her, waving to the citizens cheering for her.

Heh heh heh... the feeling of being worshipped by everyone was really not bad.

No wonder the Demon King was tireless!

Vivian's smile gradually became wanton, but because her face was too cute, everyone didn't feel the "scum" behind her smile at all.

Not only cute.

Also "fashionable."

In order to attract the Demon King's attention, that black-bottomed, white-edged nun outfit had undergone drastic improvements by her. The originally wide and bloated robe had its waist tightened, and the skirt dragging on the ground had been shortened to the knees, revealing a section of exquisite small boots.

This kind of rebellious improvement would be the degree of being caught and tortured by Bishop Claude in Roland City, but in Lei Ming City, it only made the priest's nose crooked with anger.

"Long live Miss Vivian!"

"Oh oh oh!"

In the crowd, there were shouts of Dragonborn.

And not long after, some young citizens also joined in the fun, sending blessings to this generous Miss Prince Kelin.

Vivian narrowed those scarlet eyes, a shy smile hanging on her face, but the corner of her mouth hooked into a satisfied arc.

Louder!

Those captives who hadn't eaten their fill were one thing, but did you guys not eat your fill either?!

On the outskirts of the crowd, an elderly priest's beard was trembling with anger.

He pointed at Vivian's skirt, which was obviously not in accordance with the regulations, his fingers trembling, and his mouth kept muttering words like "blasphemy" and "the world is going downhill."

However, the young monk standing beside him quietly blushed.

He silently repented to Saint Saint Xisi in his heart, but had to admit—

Compared to those gray robes in the church, the appearance of this "Saint Doctor" made people feel that the Holy Light was much more intimate and cute.

And unlike the young monk who blushed, those young girls standing in the crowd whispered with blushing faces.

So white silk wasn't just something men could wear, it also looked quite good on women?

The Demon King would probably never imagine that the "evil wind" of Lei Ming City was actually corrected by Vivian.

Perhaps it wouldn't be long before Baron Gess, who was so blasphemous that the Demon King wished he could personally kill him, would no longer walk around wearing those eye-stinging white socks.

Following behind Princess Ailin, Luo Yan walked out of the carriage unhurriedly.

He didn't immerse himself in the cheers like Vivian, but cast his gaze over the moving heads toward the edge of the square.

In just over three months, this city seemed to have changed its skin, making him feel a bit unrecognizable for a moment.

Red-brick and green-tiled buildings grew out of the ground like bamboo shoots after rain, and all kinds of signs and posters were constantly increasing.

And what made his eyes light up the most was a four-story building, the gleaming glass shining in the sun, with a giant copper sign hanging on the outer wall.

On that sign were printed a line of gold-stamped characters—

【Horace Department Store】

In addition to surprise, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile.

Didn't expect the natives of Lei Ming City to have such high comprehension, actually self-taught the retail industry to the level of the mid-Industrial Revolution.

To be honest, the Shengcheng probably wasn't as fashionable as this Mr. Horace.

Of course, the most critical thing was that productivity had arrived, and the people living here had also become more valuable together.

Just as Luo Yan was sighing that everything was flourishing, and didn't even need his own intervention, a charming floral fragrance suddenly drifted into his nose.

In the crowd, a beautiful pink figure, holding a bouquet of flowers that almost covered her head, hurried up to meet him.

"Dear!"

Not giving Luo Yan any time to react, Miss Yaya Mitia, who had been stirring up the situation in Lei Ming City lately, had already bumped firmly into his arms while taking the opportunity to present the flowers.

Although she didn't want to destroy the Demon King's plan, the expression on Princess Ailin's face really made her teeth itch, and for a moment she forgot about any reserve or big plans.

And so, in that fragrant wind of flying petals, a warm and bold kiss was accurately printed on Luo Yan's face—

In the name of Miss Yaya Mitia!

In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and even the citizens of Lei Ming City standing around forgot to cheer in surprise.

It wasn't just the citizens of Lei Ming City who forgot their actions, but also Miss Princess Ailin, who was waving to the cheering citizens, who was also stunned on the spot.

That bright smile became a bit reluctant at this moment, and a sourness that was hard to describe gradually welled up from the bottom of her heart, just like swallowing a lemon whole.

That was clearly her prince...

Just a minute ago, she was still heart-pounding because she was about to accept people's cheers with Mr. Prince Kelin.

However, Princess Ailin was ultimately a generous person.

Especially since she quickly thought that she seemed to have no position to blame Prince Kelin; she had also accidentally thought of another person in front of him...

Thousands of entanglements intertwined together, Princess Ailin finally convinced herself, took a deep breath, and suppressed the artificial jealousy of a little girl in her heart.

It was just a cheek.

She had even kissed his mouth, so she seemed to have no position to be anxious?

Moreover, Miss Mitia must have been waiting anxiously in the rear, and it was human nature to be unable to suppress the longing in her heart.

She must show the courage of a hero.

As long as Prince Prince Kelin is happy...

Princess Ailin forced herself to put on a smile again, although that smile looked a bit stiff.

However, someone didn't intend to endure it, and a "wah-ya-ya" shout completely broke all decency and patience.

"Quick, let go of Vivian's brother! You... bad, bad woman! In broad daylight, where is the sense of shame of the Pa—Mitia family?! Where did it go?!"

Vivian hissed like a cat protecting its food, grabbing Mia's arm with both hands, trying to tear this piece of "taffy" off Luo Yan.

What elegance, what holiness, were all thrown to the back of her mind by her.

However, she ultimately showed mercy.

Otherwise, with her strength to drag a train, she would have thrown this succubus who stole food to the top of the Clock Tower in minutes.

However, Vivian's "decency" didn't earn Mia's decency.

She didn't take the slope to get off, but instead drilled deeper into someone's arms, glaring at Vivian fiercely.

"Heh heh heh, sister Vivian, it's just a hug, don't be so stingy, I didn't eat your brother."

Serina Padritch—

Your daughter has completely let go!

That kiss that landed on his cheek just now had probably emptied all of Miss Padritch's courage.

Hearing the self-abandonment in that coquettish voice, Luo Yan didn't feel any ambiguity in his heart, but instead felt a bit of heartache for Miss Mia.

Perhaps, he was indeed a bit of a scumbag.

"Who is your sister! Let go! You let go!"

"No! You bite me—ah ah! You really bit me?!"

The noisy atmosphere diluted the solemnity of the ceremony.

The citizens gathered around the carriage were stunned for a moment, then erupted into a burst of kind and loud laughter, and even Edward followed along and laughed... although that smile carried a bit of heartache for his sister.

Theresa was the same, looking at Miss Princess Ailin, who was still maintaining a generous smile, with sympathy.

The citizens of Lei Ming City loved reading knight novels.

The gossip of big shots wouldn't make them feel that their dignity was swept away, but instead made them feel closer to the unknown side of Mr. Prince Kelin.

Many young and beautiful girls blushed, not expecting that Mr. Prince Kelin, who was a perfect match for Miss Princess Ailin, would also have a "romantic" side.

Didn't this mean...

That they weren't without a chance?!

Right next to Baron Gess, his daughter and wife couldn't help but blush.

Only the Demon King, who was bathed in pairs of eyes, had already clenched his toes, almost unable to restrain the impulse to expose his trump card and flash to the Gana Continent ten thousand miles away.

"Alright... stop making trouble, people are watching."

Suppressing Vivian with one hand and controlling Mia with the other.

Like a worried old father, he half-dragged and half-pulled the two troublemakers through the crowd and into the carriage that had long been waiting on the side of the road.

The carriage door was about to close.

A fair hand pressed against the door frame.

Princess Ailin lifted her skirt, quickly drilled in with a blushing face, and sat in the empty seat beside Prince Prince Kelin.

Facing Prince Kelin's slightly surprised gaze, this silver-haired princess tidied the loose hair by her ear, her gaze drifting toward the window, but her tone was unusually firm.

"I think... it's better if I come along too."

She absolutely trusted Prince Prince Kelin's character, this point was beyond doubt.

It was just that Miss Yaya was too enthusiastic, and Prince Prince Kelin was a gentleman who wasn't good at refusing.

If she didn't keep an eye on things, in case something happened that would make the Prince regret for the rest of his life, it wouldn't be good; after all, Miss Yaya didn't look like a rational adult...

Princess Ailin convinced herself in her heart, and emphasized it once again.

She was definitely not lacking in confidence.

Just in case. ===== CHAPTER 574 =====

She absolutely trusted Prince Prince Kelin's character; this point was beyond doubt.

It was just that Miss Yaya was too enthusiastic, and Prince Prince Kelin was a gentleman who was not good at refusing others.

If she didn't keep an eye on things, it would be bad if something happened that would make the Prince regret it for the rest of his life. After all, Miss Yaya didn't look like a rational adult...

Princess Ailin persuaded herself of this in her heart and emphasized it once more.

She was by no means lacking in confidence.

It was just a precaution.