At the top floor of the Sage’s Academy main building, the atmosphere inside the council chamber was heavy with an indescribable silence.
In the center of the room, the all-angle circular magic screen still projected the bizarre midday “religious ritual.” The screen flickered from time to time, reflecting the cathedral’s deep golden light. Around the round conference table, the teachers still dared not voice their opinions.
The silence itself seemed to slice through the air, shadows creeping across Loren’s face.
“Loren, let it go, let it go.”
Vice-dean Roen, seated beside him, patted him firmly on the back.
Those three clergy hadn’t had it easy—running into Lan Qi and still getting home alive was already a blessing.
Once the vice-dean spoke up, other teachers also tried to ease the tense atmosphere in the chamber.
“Dean, falling in with Lan Qi and being led astray is completely normal. And the fact that the three clergy managed to survive this Shadow World trial is already a great contribution in itself. Why not just let merits and faults cancel out…”
Gentle-hearted Teacher Teresa spoke up again to defend them.
Lan Qi always listened attentively in her classes, which had moved her deeply… but lately, it had also begun to scare her.After this Shadow World, Teresa had become convinced of one thing beyond doubt—Huperion’s presence at the academy was absolutely necessary.
If Huperion didn’t keep Lan Qi tied to her side, drawing his attention away and restricting his ability to interact with others—the consequences were unthinkable.
Most classmates, just by exchanging a few words and getting familiar with him, would be mentally poisoned beyond saving!
Yet as a half-demon, Huperion alone could get along with Lan Qi in harmony while somehow keeping her sense of self intact—able to withstand his spiritual contamination indefinitely.
In a certain sense—
Huperion was the one saving the entire class.
“…”
Loren pressed a hand to his forehead.
He didn’t know what to say.
What truly frightened him was this—
It was only the first day, and already the three clergy were showing signs of corruption.
And they still had five full days to spend together with Lan Qi.
When the Shadow World trial ended—
If the Saintess were to see her three upright, proper clergy completely derailed, turned into unrecognizable beings…
Loren didn’t dare imagine how furious that rigid, uncompromising Saintess would become.
Lichtenstein Castle, ground-floor cathedral.
As the ritual drew to its close, the fevered prayers inside the cathedral gradually cooled, sinking at last into a profound stillness.
Overhead, a layer of cloud seemed to drift past. The stained-glass dome dimmed, leaving only a faint glimmer of afterlight.
Everyone’s face carried the same expression: satisfaction mixed with vindication, as if after a storm in their souls, they had found peace.
The great clock inside the cathedral showed there was still time before sunset.
Though the Blood Lord would not awaken yet, it was safest to remain together for another two or three hours to keep the traitors restrained. Near dusk, they would scatter and hide once again.
“Lawyer, sir, what should we do next?”
The priest from the Northern Continent, representative of the Fate Goddess Church, asked Lan Qi.
Though all three clergy clearly knew that Lan Qi’s way of praising the Goddess was utterly improper—
They still couldn’t help but admire his cunning.
For only the justice that wins is the real justice.
At this moment in the cathedral, Lan Qi had naturally taken up the role of presiding figure, second only to Frey.
All eyes gathered on him.
“I want to hold an Anti-Cult Ideological Education Lecture. We must firmly uphold our resolve to crush cultists.”
Lan Qi walked calmly to the cathedral’s banquet table, seating himself at the side’s central spot. Looking at the crowd, he continued:
“I’ll be lecturing, and from time to time I’ll randomly call on people to answer questions. Some will be trick questions. If you’re not fully attentive, you may slip up—or even expose yourself in front of everyone.”
Once seated, the banquet table seemed transformed into the desk of a stern headmaster. Lan Qi sat upright, speaking with grave responsibility:
“But I believe that as long as everyone’s resolve against cults is strong, and after the oath just now your mood is relaxed and cheerful—you’ll be able to answer my questions with ease. On the other hand, if your mind is scattered and you’re on edge… well, it might be quite the mental challenge.”
After speaking, he swept his gaze across the assembly, as if seeking their opinions.
Huperion had already, out of habit, taken her place at his side. To her, it felt like reliving her days back at the Infernal Corridor Academy.
“…”
At first, everyone was silent.
“Agreed.”
“Support.”
The challengers responded enthusiastically.
Though they had already realized Lan Qi was essentially just a rookie—
They didn’t mind playing along with him like this. After all, what he was doing was purely to crush the cultists’ mentality.
At the cathedral’s center, Lan Qi sat alone at the long table.
His voice was steady and firm, each word striking into their hearts with clarity.
“Cultists of the Resurrection Church often display these traits: forcibly indoctrinating thought, confusing and misleading minds; rejecting mainstream social values; manipulating and exploiting members; restricting members’ normal contact with the outside world; and engaging in illegal or immoral acts under the guise of religion.”
He continued his righteous lecture:
“The Resurrection Church’s harm is all-encompassing. It brings both psychological and material damage to individuals. On the family and social level, it disrupts harmony, causes financial loss, mental illness, difficulty reintegrating into society. On the broader level, it can destabilize entire communities, destroy public order, even trigger major societal disasters…”
Around him, the challengers listened intently, their eyes locked on him.
And so Lan Qi spoke on, without pause—
Until suddenly, he stopped, raising a hand to point at the handsome male guard behind the merchant’s young master.
“Based on the material I just mentioned, tell me—which of the following is the name of the Bishop of Annihilation?”
“A. Askesan. B. Apoclyte. C. MacArthur. D. Lan Qi Wilfort.”
“This is a trick question. You never mentioned the Bishop of Annihilation just now.”
The merchant’s bodyguard answered clearly.
“Excellent. Correct.”
Lan Qi nodded in approval.
Many others twitched at the corner of their eyes.
At this rate, if you weren’t concentrating fully, there was no way to answer him right!
Listening to his lecture meant not allowing your mind to wander for even a moment.
Sensing the tension, Lan Qi quickly raised his hand to reassure them.
“Don’t worry, as long as you have no resistance in your heart and sincerely take in my anti-cult lecture, you’ll definitely be able to answer my questions.”
He spoke with certainty—like a headmaster standing at a podium, addressing his students.
Gradually, the challengers nodded.
At last, they understood the true purpose of Lan Qi’s lecture—
The cultists, whose mentality was already on the verge of collapse, now not only had to maintain their “acting” for long stretches, but also had to put down their inner resistance, open their hearts, and earnestly absorb Lan Qi’s brainwashing anti-cult educational content.
It was hard to describe just what kind of new torture this was.
The challengers could no longer imagine what state of mind the traitors were in.
After being tormented by Lan Qi since morning—
If those two didn’t try to kill him tonight, it would be a miracle!