Chapter 180: Hyperion is Uneasy

As the sun began to set, the clouds outside the window imperceptibly shifted to an orange-red hue, casting a gentle, warm glow over the walls of the room. While gazing at the scenery outside, Lance found himself thinking of the Wilford Trading Company.

He had intended to sigh over it for a moment, but decided against it. The sunset was truly beautiful. It was simply... infinitely beautiful.

Lance turned his gaze away from the window and back to his father. "You should get some rest."

He felt that his father shouldn't return to the Krati Empire. After all, the vampires and the Church of Resurrection would likely soon issue a joint hit request for Lance.

However, Noel was clearly unaware of the milestones Lance had achieved during this trip to the Shadow Realm. He decided to save that good news for later. He was a little worried that his father might get too excited to sleep.

In the future, he would urge his father to stay in South Vantina. At the very least, there was the national defense barrier, and Hans, the family's old butler, was incredibly strong.

"Mm, yes." Hearing Lance's reminder, Noel realized it was time for his son to leave. "I've decided to stay at the medical center for a few days longer to get a full check-up before heading back."

He had heard from the young reporter that Lance was a member of the Student Management Council and was always doing good deeds for the campus community. He wanted to see how his son handled and mediated conflicts between students. If Lance had also learned how to navigate social interactions and conduct himself well, then he would be completely at ease.

Noel was also curious about Lance's social life at school. Given Hyperion's upbringing, she surely came from a fine family, so Noel wasn't worried about her at all. It would be wonderful if Lance's other friends were just as upstanding as Hyperion.

***

After confirming that his father was in good spirits, Lance took his leave for the moment. As soon as he stepped out of the hospital room, he saw Hyperion leaning against the corridor wall. Her head was lowered and there was a look of deep preoccupation on her face.

He greeted her softly, "Hyperion...?"

"Hmm?" Hyperion glanced up at him before lowering her gaze again. She was still clearly feeling very awkward about what Lance's father had said earlier.

Lance tilted his head slightly to study her expression, then asked the question as if he understood the situation, "Do you know why my father said that?"

"Why...?" She mumbled, her head drooping as she stole a glance at Lance.

Sure enough, in the eyes of others, the demon race was ultimately seen as alien. Even the fact that her father had married a demon woman was an insurmountable hurdle, something that would inevitably be treated as a joke.

"It's because you didn't hear what he said next. He said, 'Don't tell me you're going to say she's Duke Michael's daughter? There's no such thing as a demon as gentle and kind as her...'"

Lance smiled as he mimicked Noel's tone.

"...You're doing it again." Hyperion knew that whenever Lance relayed what someone else had said, he would always put his own spin on it.

Lance's emerald eyes held an innocent, guileless look. "This time, those were his exact words."

Hyperion looked at Lance and remained silent for a moment. She finally said, "Then I believe you."

Lance was the only one who would treat someone with demonic heritage so kindly.

"Shall we go? Our itinerary for the day isn't finished yet. I need to take you somewhere later. That's the main event for today." As he said this, even Lance's expression grew a shade more serious.

"Mm." Hyperion felt a sense of nervous anticipation too. She was finally going to meet Lance's teacher, the formidable, beautiful, and mysterious Miss Tali.

***

First, Lance and Hyperion finished dinner together at the campus. Afterward, the two of them went to the Sages' College dormitory building. They sat chatting on a circular wooden bench beneath a large tree not far from the dormitory entrance.

Around six o'clock, Asina, the vice president with whom they had an appointment with, arrived at the building. She wore an expression that was weary yet satisfied. Clearly, she had just finished up her work for the student council.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

They shook their heads. "Not at all. We're the ones imposing on you, Miss Asina."

After exchanging greetings, they followed Asina upstairs and down a long corridor until she retrieved a box of handmade treats from her room.

Asina said while pointing to the beautifully packaged box in her hands, "I made this batch recently. The left side holds matcha cookies, and the right has mango cheesecake. I wonder which one Miss Tali would prefer?"

"Thank you, Miss Asina." Lance felt that it would be best to bring a gift along if he was going to ask Talia for a favor. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find store-bought food that the demon princess would consider truly special.

Asina, however, was exceptionally skilled at cooking. She often brought homemade treats for the Student Management Council members, and the three of them always praised them highly.

Lance believed Asina's handiwork would likely appeal to Talia's tastes, though he had previously felt too shy to ask the vice president for such a large quantity of sweets.

Dean Lawrence had always held Asina in high regard. Unfortunately, she devoted only a small fraction of her attention to magic, dedicating the rest of her time to her hobbies and managing Student Management Council affairs. She aspired to be an excellent chef far more than she wished to be an excellent mage.

It wasn't that Dean Lawrence had never recruited geniuses. Instead, his "happy education" philosophy naturally led to such outcomes, as he never forced students to become something they didn't want to be.

Consequently, Lawrence faced considerable criticism from the outside world, and the academic community generally believed that the Sages' College had been declining under his management in recent years.

However, that didn't matter. Lance would prove that Dean Lawrence was, in fact, an excellent dean!

Asina said with a smile, "If she's a true foodie, then I'd love to get some feedback from her."

Back when her cooking skills were poor, the president used to tell her the food was delicious. It was only much later that she realized she had been misled.

Since then, she had placed great importance on the opinions of people with a discerning palate. She would be delighted if Miss Tali enjoyed her pastries and offered a few suggestions.

"No problem!"

Lance was certain of this: when it came to food, Talia was never stingy with her words. As long as her stomach was satisfied, she would inevitably offer some feedback.

***

After bidding farewell to Asina, Lance and Hyperion set off toward the area outside the campus. The lights came on, accentuating the contours of the ancient architecture and making the stone walls and sculptures seem almost alive. When shrouded in the night, Ikerite University felt like a tranquil island, filled with an atmosphere of peace and harmony.

Lance and Hyperion strolled along the broad walkway, following the glow of the amber streetlamps. Behind them stood the solemn clock tower. As they moved further away, the tower appeared even more stately and imposing against the night sky.

Sounding a bit nervous, Hyperion asked, "Lance, is there anything I should keep in mind when I meet Miss Tali?"

She had heard that Lance's teacher was a rather cold and stern person. Under her rigorous supervision, even her wayward friend would behave himself. That was something Hyperion found hard to even imagine.

Lance often joked that if he were a kitten, Miss Tali would be a tigress, so it was only natural for him to be afraid of her.

Lance held up two fingers and said, "Hyperion, just remember two things. You absolutely cannot lie to her, and you absolutely cannot let her know that I told you this."

He wasn't actually too worried, though, since Hyperion wasn't the type to lie to people she trusted anyway.

"Understood." Hyperion nodded earnestly.

Although the Miss Tali Lance described sounded terrifying, since Lance had said she didn't discriminate against the demon race, she likely wasn't a bad person. However, she shouldn't expect her to be overly kind either.