Chapter 134: Lance, the King of Tormenting Others

An elusive silence hung in the air of the conference room, located on the top floor of the Sages' College main building. In the center, a panoramic magical screen continued to display eerie footage of a midday religious ritual. The screen flickered intermittently, casting the deep, lustrous gold of the sanctuary across the room, yet the faculty members seated at the surrounding round tables dared not voice their opinions.

Slants of light sliced through the air from every angle, causing shadows to occasionally creep across Lawrence's face. Associate Dean Ron, seated beside the dean, patted him reassuringly on the back. "Lawrence, let it go, just let it go."

It hadn't been easy for those three from the Northern Continent. Being able to survive an encounter with Lance and returning safely was a blessing in itself. Seeing the associate dean speak up, several other teachers attempted to ease the awkward tension in the room.

Theresa, known for her gentle nature, stepped in to speak on their behalf. "Dean, it's only natural for anyone associating with Lance to be led astray. Besides, the fact that those three clergy will manage to clear this Shadow Realm is a significant achievement in itself. Perhaps we could simply consider their merits and faults to have cancelled each other out..."

She had always been touched by how seriously Lance attended her classes, though lately, he had also begun to fill her with a growing sense of unease.

After witnessing this Shadow Realm incident, she became convinced of one thing: Hyperion was indispensable to the Sages' College. If she wasn't there to keep Lance in check, capturing his attention and limiting his opportunities to interact with others, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Any other freshman in the class would likely have their minds corrupted after exchanging just a few words and getting somewhat close to him! Hyperion, however, was a half-demon who could get along harmoniously with Lance while miraculously maintaining her own sense of self. She was capable of withstanding his mental corruption without limit. In a sense, Hyperion was the one who had saved the entire school.

Lawrence pressed a hand to his forehead. He was at a loss for words. What truly terrified him was the fact that it was only the first day, yet those three clergy members were already starting to go off the rail. Unfortunately, they still had to spend another four days with Lance.

Once those five days in the Shadow Realm challenge came to an end... If the Saintess were to see three of her upright clergy members completely succumb to the path of evil and transform into unrecognizable beings, Lawrence dared not even imagine the extent of the rage that straight-laced woman would fly into.

***

As the ceremony drew to a close, the fervent chanting within the sanctuary gradually subsided, eventually settling into a profound calm. A bank of clouds drifted over the castle, dimming the stained-glass windows in the vaulted ceiling until only a faint, shimmering afterglow remained.

Everyone wore an expression of fulfillment and a sense of vindication, as if, after a turbulent spiritual storm, they had finally found a place of belonging. Glancing at the great clock in the sanctuary, they could see there was still some time before sunset.

Although the vampire lords would not awaken immediately, it was prudent for them to remain gathered and keep the Traitors in check for another two to three hours. Once dusk approached, they would need to disperse and go into hiding.

After the prayer ceremony had concluded, the priest from the Northern Continent's Church of the Goddess of Fate asked Lance, "Mr. Lawyer, what should we do next?"

Even though all three of the clergy realized that Lance's method of praising the Goddess had been highly unorthodox, they could not help but marvel at his wisdom. Only justice that triumphed was true justice.

In the sanctuary, Lance had now become the acknowledged leader, succeeding Frey. All eyes naturally converged upon him.

"I intend to conduct a lecture on ideological education against cults. We must remain steadfast in our resolve to defeat cultists." Lance walked calmly toward the long table in the sanctuary and took the seat in the center of the side row. He gazed out at the group. "As I deliver the lecture, I will randomly call on people to answer questions. Some of these may be 'trap' questions. If you aren't fully focused, you might let something slip or reveal a tell."

Having taken his seat, he sat upright, transforming the banquet table into something resembling a headmaster's private desk.

He continued with a distinct sense of responsibility, "However, I believe that if your resolve against cults is strong, and if you are in a relaxed, cheerful state of mind following the oath you just took, answering my questions should be a breeze. Conversely, if you are tense and your mind is in turmoil... Well, that could prove to be quite a mental challenge, wouldn't it?"

With that, Lance swept his gaze across the room. He was gauging their reactions.

Meanwhile, Hyperion had instinctively followed him and stood behind him. She felt as though she had been transported back to Purgatory Corridor Academy.

There was a moment of silence among them all. Then, everyone enthusiastically responded to Lance.

"Agreed."

"I'm on board."

Even though they had realized that Lance was, at his core, a total troll, the challengers were happy to play along. After all, he was purely out to mess with the enemy's head.

***

In the center of the hall, Lance sat alone at the long table. His voice was steady and firm, and every word clearly cut into people's hearts.

"Cultists from the Church of Resurrection usually have the following characteristics: forcibly instilling ideas and confusing the masses, rejecting mainstream social concepts and values, manipulating and exploiting members, restricting members from normal interactions with the outside world, and engaging in illegal or immoral behaviors in the name of religion."

He continued his anti-cult lecture with a righteous and strict manner, "The harm caused by the Church of Resurrection is immense. It can not only cause personal psychological and material damage, but also have a profound impact on social and family relationships, leading to personal property losses, mental health problems, and difficulties in social integration. At a society level, it may lead to social instability, destroy community harmony, and even trigger serious societal incidents..."

The surrounding challengers were all listening intently, their eyes locked on Lance as he talked almost non-stop. Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of preaching, raised his hand and pointed at the handsome male guard behind the young master from Cambella, and asked, "According to what I mentioned earlier, which of the following is the name of the Cardinal of Annihilation? A. Askesan, B. Alexei, C. Macarthur, or D. Lance Wilford."

The male guard behind the young master answered clearly, "This is a trick question, because you didn't mention the Cardinal of Annihilation at all earlier."

Lance nodded in agreement. "Very good, correct answer."

Many other people's eyes twitched slightly after witnessing that light-speed bewildering question and answer set. If the person wasn't focusing intensely on Lance, they may not be able to answer it! They absolutely could not space out while he was preaching!

As if sensing everyone's nervousness, Lance quickly raised his hand to reassure everyone. It somehow felt like a headmaster was sitting on the podium giving a speech to the students. He then said with conviction, "Please don't worry. As long as you listen carefully to my anti-cult lecture without any resistance, you will definitely be able to answer my questions."

The challengers gradually nodded one after another. They finally understood the purpose of Lance's lecture. Cultists who were one step away from losing their composure must not only continue to maintain their acting skills, but also needed to let go of their resistance and open their hearts to listen, digest, and absorb Lance's brainwashing anti-cult points.

It was hard to contextualize what a new form of torture this was. The challengers could no longer imagine how the Traitors were feeling now after being tortured by Lance from the morning all the way to now. Those two people probably wouldn't give up until the Lawyer was killed tonight!