Chapter 57
"They changed their plans and intend to participate in the entrance exam as well."
In a dimly lit corner of a tavern, amidst a constant din, two young men sat facing each other.
Florin looked at the white-haired young man sitting opposite him, somewhat puzzled: "Did you get your hair dyed?"
Veris stirred the drink in his glass, then raised an eyelid upon hearing this: "Hair dye circulated within the Papacy, permanent, you know."
The Demon King's Great Protector shrank back. If he went back with a head of white hair, he would definitely be suspected of betraying the Demon King... although that was pretty much the case now.
He was more concerned about something else: "I heard that the Pope will also be showing up tomorrow. Wasn't he supposed to be terminally ill?"
Veris paused in his stirring, a forced smile on his face: "Flodin, don't believe the rumors."
Although he was annoyed that he was always being slandered to death, and wondered if it was the result of his usual slander of others, Veris still said seriously, "The Holy Son will be present tomorrow, but he will not be the one to open the secret realm. He is only responsible for stabilizing the secret realm and ensuring that all applicants can enter the secret realm."
"Is that really the Pope?" Florin asked, his eyes widening.
Then he saw Veris point to himself.
Frodien was confused: "What's wrong with you? Shouldn't you be standing here as a guard?"
Veris: "?"
He glanced disdainfully at the dim-witted demon opposite him, then chuckled, "I'll open the secret realm tomorrow, and you'll be shocked to your death down there."
“Veris, this is not funny.”
"..."
"real?"
Frodien was incredulous and shocked, saying, "I never imagined that after all these years of struggle, you'd finally made it to such a high and powerful position!"
If you do the math, they've known each other for decades. Veris has worked at the Papacy for so long, if he hasn't been promoted yet, you'd really have to wonder if some pope is exploiting his subordinates every day.
Veris took a sip of his drink and said, "People will die in this secret realm."
Frodien was taken aback: "Isn't that normal?"
After all, those new applicants didn't expect it to be a really safe secret realm like the Royal Capital Academy entrance trial.
However, based on his understanding of this person, he certainly wouldn't say something out of the blue. Florin cautiously asked, "Anything else?"
“Not even the chance to become an undead.” Veris gently placed the cup on the table, making a “click” sound.
Frodine's pupils contracted.
Death in this secret realm directly obliterates the body and even the soul. Demons who infiltrated and died accidentally can still be transformed into undead through secret techniques, waiting for an opportunity to be reborn.
What shocked Florian was the severity of the secret realm trial. No, speaking of secret realms alone, there aren't many like it on the entire continent of Icarus.
His expression turned serious: "I'll go and order those guys to stay out of it."
This was clearly a setup by the High Papacy to kill someone, and Veriste came specifically to tell him that he did not want the demons to be involved.
Frodien was very responsive, and Veris was very satisfied.
After finishing the drink, he got up to say goodbye.
Stepping out of the tavern, he slipped into a dark alley nearby. Space tore open, and a gale of wind whipped through the air, whipping his hair. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the alley.
Royal Capital Academy
The academy, which is adjacent to the Central Forest and part of the Central Mountain Range, covers an area almost as large as the capital city of Lortheran. The usual practice is to open the gate on the side closest to the capital academy for the entrance trial.
This year is destined to be different. In the vast academy square, people are bustling about, all of them magicians busy checking the magic array.
Such matters are usually handled by mages within the Royal Academy and mages dispatched by the High Papacy. In previous years, the Warrior Academy would also form patrol teams, but this year that is completely unnecessary.
The high platform in front of the square was clearly where the dean of the academy would deliver his speech, and there were quite a few people standing there, with Sylvain's figure standing out among them.
Veris crossed the large square. Sylvain looked down at the blueprints on the magic scroll and seemed to sense something. When he looked up, he clearly saw that the person was still standing at the edge of the square, but in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.
A faint smile appeared on his face. Those around him thought to themselves that this Holy Son, who was usually so aloof, actually had this side to him. Following his gaze, they saw a handsome young man with a jeweled belt and wearing a robe made by the High Papacy standing below the stage, which startled them.
"How many more haven't been checked yet?" Veris looked up at Sylvain.
Sylvain replied, "There's also the final trigger teleportation array. Since it involves traversing space, I don't trust anyone else to handle it."
He knew that Veris cared for his juniors and was naturally unwilling to see too many students who should have entered the Royal Academy be injured or killed in this secret realm, so he was particularly concerned.
Veris leaped onto the platform. The others, assuming he was a friend of the Holy Son, made way for him. Veris took the blueprints from Sylvain's hand and glanced at them.
With his slender fingers pointing to a few places, he said, "Change the magic array here to a blood detection array, then cover it with a magic element fluctuation detection array, and stack them up. Then there's no need to reconstruct the life array."
"good."
Sylvain naturally had no objection.
The secret realm is limited to the period after the destruction of the seven gods, otherwise the twin gods could not have appeared. The same gods cannot appear at the same time. However, after the establishment of the new country, the faith was completely destroyed, and the twin gods certainly would not dare to take this risk.
Only during the period after Veris killed the god, which was also the time when Lortheran was conquering other lords, were the twin gods willing to take this risk.
They possessed suitable bodies and returned to the mortal world. Knowing it was a trap set by Veris, but with the artifact in Veris's hands and them hiding in other times, wouldn't Veris have noticed?
Escape is useless. Once the rift between timelines is opened, Veris, whose timeline has been opened, will share all memories.
They'll only face endless pursuit; they might as well gamble on a Greater Rift.
Veris watched as Sylvain began to alter the original magic circle within the projection array, his gaze flickering slightly.
By the time the magic array was reset, the moon was high in the sky, and there was one last major check to be done.
Sylvain's most important part has been reviewed by Veris and is fine; the rest can be left to Copperfield and his other magicians.
After the two left, the other magicians couldn't help but ask Copperfield who the white-haired youth was. They had never seen him before, and even the Holy Son Sylvain listened to him so readily. Moreover, he seemed to have extremely high magical attainments, so he shouldn't be unknown.
Copperfield shook his head, stroking his beard with feigned profundity: "Don't pry into things you shouldn't know, understand?"
His favorite student rolled his eyes and asked the teacher, "So, are they married?"
"Not yet? I haven't heard—you framed the teacher!!"
Copperfield had barely finished speaking when he suddenly realized what he had said and glared angrily at the student.
A chorus of good-natured boos erupted around them. After being exposed to several of Granva Issan's novels and the recent royal scandals, their tolerance for romantic relationships had greatly increased.
"Go, go, go! Hurry up and check it. Get it done before dawn!" Copperfield shooed away the students who were surrounding him.
Turning my head, I saw Granva standing to one side, lost in thought.
Copperfield: "When did you get here?"
Granva shrugged: "I've always been here. After all, I'm one of the church's magicians. Lord Orlando certainly wouldn't allow me to slack off."
He then pointed to a corner at the edge of the square, where two large figures were squatting: "Those two are having a late-night snack."
Copperfield: "..." No wonder he seemed to smell something fragrant just now.
Where is Finney?
Granva thought for a moment: "Ah, he's still leading his clan's holy descendant in prayer. You know, that ceremony is tedious and long, and Lord Orlando specifically granted him permission not to come."
"And what about Lord Uther?" Copperfield still held onto hope for the leading mage.
Granva said quietly, "He went off to grieve in silence."
Before Sylvain appeared, Uther was undoubtedly a super genius mage. He became a ninth-level mage before the age of thirty and served as the Archbishop of the High Papacy, which made him stand out among the group of old men.
Uther was once Veris's student, but Veris only paid attention to his learning progress and made sure he didn't go astray; he didn't care about anything else.
It's no secret that Uther has a crush on the Pope.
It's a pity... Ah, it's not a pity. When Sylvain was personally brought back by His Holiness the Pope, they knew that the Church was about to change.
Exempt from entrance trials, he was personally selected by the Pope, and the Pope personally taught him the basics of magic. The magic books he studied were specially written by the Pope. As soon as he entered the Papacy, the Pope opened the room that belonged to the Holy Son.
No test was needed; when Sylvain appeared before them, he was the Holy Son.
Even back when only eleven archbishops were appointed, His Holiness the Pope had already prepared the position of His Holiness the Son of God.
Sylvain's talent is so remarkable that it's no exaggeration to say it's the stuff of legend.
Copperfield clenched his fist: "Even heartbreak shouldn't prevent you from working, Lord Uther!"
Granva: "Actually, I also broke up with my boyfriend, but I saw you were pitiful here, so I stayed to keep you company."
"Don't make those ridiculous jokes in front of the students, Granva!!"
Copperfield let out a desperate roar.
The students cheered, "Wow—"
Granva shrugged: "Well, I thought you'd be happier."
Although we can't be considered like-minded, we've worked together for so many years, chatting and working at the same time, and before we knew it, we had completed most of the inspection work.
Fortunately, Clark and Garcia, having eaten and drunk their fill, didn't actually run away and came to participate in the inspection work.
The final reviewer was Uther.
He stared at the magic circle that Veris had Sylvain modified for a long time, finally sighed, and muttered, "No wonder I'm not as good as him. I can't even reconstruct a life detection magic circle."
Copperfield was the most powerful magician besides Uther, and he hadn't slacked off over the years. He was also looking at the magic circle. Actually, he didn't quite understand why His Holiness the Pope had Sylvain modify it, so he secretly asked Uther a question about it.
Uther shook his head: "Under the interference of space, the Holy Son's magic circle will fluctuate. Even if the probability is extremely small, it is still possible. His Holiness the Pope's double magic circle is a basic magic circle, which will not be affected by spatial fluctuations and will be transmitted back to the present world in a synchronous manner."
He pursed his lips. "But why are they blood tests and magical fluctuation tests...?"
It's probably only Veris himself who knows.
After finishing their work, Clark and Garcia went out for a second late-night snack, and Copperfield also brought his students along to join in the fun, though they were really just there to freeload.
Garcia is so rich, it's only natural that he would treat everyone to a meal.
His Highness the Prince was very easy to talk to, and said with a smile that we should go to his residence, since there wasn't much fresh food left in the restaurants outside at this time of year.
The magicians cheered, and the group departed in a grand procession.
Granvard returned to the High Papacy with Uther. The old man rarely stayed up all night, and as soon as he arrived at the High Papacy, he planned to say goodbye to Uther and go back to rest.
Before he could finish speaking, a rapid bell tolled throughout the Papacy, and at the same time, a blood-red magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
Uther's expression changed: "Someone has escaped from the Execution Division."
Granvar was also shocked. When he looked up, he saw Uther rushing toward the execution chamber.
In the latter half of the night, martial law was imposed throughout the Papacy, and a prisoner escaped from the Department of Executions—a first in history.
With a cold face, Uther led his men to search the interior of the High Papacy, but they found nothing. The person who escaped was the Third Prince, who had not yet been tried. He should have had the insignia of the Execution Department on his person, but the magic circle did not detect the insignia.
It merely triggered the magic circle that led to the exit from the Execution Division.
He sent someone to find the Holy Son, but received no reply that the Holy Son was currently at the astrological observatory and had not seen anyone.
If the Holy Son is at the astrological observatory, then His Holiness the Pope is probably there too.
Uther went there himself, and Veris's nonchalant voice reached his ears: "Don't worry, you can go and rest on your own."
The young man took a deep breath and decided to complete the search.
As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, Uther still had nothing to show for it, and his face was extremely grim.
The group of heroes, who were temporarily staying at the Grand Papacy, and the elven saints were also about to set off for the Royal Academy.
After finishing his late-night snack, Copperfield had to attend the entrance exam for the Royal Academy, so he simply returned to the Royal Academy and his students.
Garcia and Clark rested at the Prince's Palace, and by the time they received the news, it was already dawn.
Sunlight broke through the clouds, shining on the endless rooftops of the capital city.
The tallest building in the Papacy is the sealed-off tower, followed by the bell tower and the astrological observatory.
The tightly closed doors of the astrological observatory opened, and an unfamiliar young man walked out. He looked to be around eighteen years old, and his every move exuded a frivolous air, yet also the arrogance of someone who had held a high position for many years.
Sylvain stood at the doorway, looking at the transformed Lortheran—no, to be precise, this was Lortheran's original face, but a younger version.
"Hahahaha, I can't wait!" Lortheran stood on the platform in front of the astrological station, the early spring sun shining on him. He laughed heartily with his hands on his hips. When his laughter finally stopped, the golden morning light brushed across his face, and his sharp eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Logically speaking, Lortheran should not be able to go back to the past.
Souls cannot coexist, but Lor'theran has been a dead man for hundreds of years, and his soul is no longer complete.
Moreover, with Sylvain, the cheating god, present, under the cover of his divine status, Lortheran, in a strange body with little remaining soul, could easily return to that turbulent past.
The Twin Gods certainly won't step forward to do evil; Lor'theran will be the biggest challenge in this dungeon, relentlessly persecuting the trial participants.
Sylvain watched the person leave, and then someone walked up behind him. Veris stretched and leaned against him lazily, saying, "It was really hard to pinch his face. I couldn't even remember what he looked like."
As Lortheran looked in the mirror, he cried out in anguish that his eyes weren't in the right place, and Veris could only move them little by little for him.
He also said that his nose wasn't so flat and his mouth wasn't so crooked, making it sound as if Veris had deliberately made him look ugly.
Veris got angry and said that if he didn't shut up, he would tear him to pieces and then put his body back together.
The man finally behaved himself.
The news of someone escaping from prison has caused quite a stir outside.
"Should we deal with the person who escaped from prison?" Sylvain glanced at him and took his hand.
Veris opened his eyes, but his expression was one of complete control: "Ambrose possessed him, which is why he was able to escape from prison."
Sylvain's expression changed slightly.
“The Sea God is probably also in the secret realm,” Veris continued.
Sylvain's expression turned serious: "How about I go in myself?" Lortheran and the hero's team alone would probably have a hard time dealing with the four gods... No, Arnold also has the god Yannis on him.
Besides them, all other gods will meet.
Veris waved his hand: "No need. As long as Lortheran goes in, and as long as someone triggers the magic circle I asked you to modify, I will definitely notice it then."
How could so many magic circles bearing the unique mark of Cupid appear all at once?
Veris was heading to the Royal Academy to unlock the secret realm, so he went back to his bedroom and retrieved the artifact.
Before leaving, he sent someone to tell Uther that he didn't need to worry about the escaped prisoners, as the breakout was purely the work of criminals from the Land of Fallen Gods and had nothing to do with him.
Criminals imprisoned in the Land of Fallen Gods must be different from ordinary people.
Uther felt somewhat relieved, but still increased the number of patrols by the Execution Division.
Today is a good day; the morning sun shines brightly, illuminating countless carriages heading to the Royal Academy.
Arnold and the others traveled in the carriages of the Grand Papacy. They had agreed to go early, but after leaving the south gate and turning onto the main road leading to the Royal Academy, they found that the road was full of carriages.
It seems that everyone shares the same idea as them.
The carriage moved slowly, and Arnold lifted the curtain and peeked out, looking around excitedly.
Because of the addition of Astor, the carriage was the largest size available, with plenty of room for several people to sit.
The priest driving the carriage said that it used to belong to Archbishop Clark, who was inseparable from Garcia. Archbishop Felix had specially built this carriage to accommodate these two important archbishops.
Pastors in other churches speak of the archbishops of the Papacy with the utmost respect.
However, the priests of the Papacy saw these archbishops every day, and while respect was essential, they also maintained a more relaxed demeanor, occasionally recounting anecdotes about the archbishops.
Once they left the vicinity of the capital, there were obviously fewer carriages on the main road; everyone knew to take the faster route.
Another group of people stayed temporarily in the district near the Royal Capital Academy to avoid the crowded hotels in the Royal Capital.
With a large number of people, conflicts are inevitable.
Along the way, Arnold witnessed several incidents where two people were blocking the road and hurling insults at each other because their bike frames had been accidentally scratched.
They were then "invited" away by the patrol team that rushed over.
Fortunately, it was all minor and nothing serious happened. They hurried along the way and finally arrived at the legendary Royal Capital Academy.
For Arnold last year, the Royal Capital Academy was an unheard-of place, a gathering place for geniuses from all over the continent, as well as various royal nobles.
When he lifted the curtain and saw the magnificent gates of the Royal Capital Academy, even though he had already witnessed the prosperity and beauty of the capital, he couldn't help but feel his heart race.
The gate's design was somewhat similar to the Vatican's archway, but only slightly. Reliefs covered the stone pillars of the gate, and countless carriages were parked outside. As the sunlight fell, the top of the ancient gate bore the inscriptions of several colleges.
Magic Academy, Warrior Academy, Pharmacy Academy, Alchemy Academy, Astrology Academy...
Looking out from the entrance, one could see an endless stretch of buildings, separated by a huge square. Arnold, standing on the vehicle, looked over there and could already see a large group of people gathered together.
The pastor turned to them and said, “There are too many people outside. If you walk in, it will probably be faster.”
The group had no objections and got off the carriage, walked through the crowded carriages, and looked around at the people who might become their future classmates or rivals in the secret realm.
It's actually quite easy to tell them apart. The young faces are most likely those of new recruits, their faces radiating energy and showing no signs of worry about the increased difficulty of the secret realm. They have recommendation letters in their hands, so even the worst outcome won't be too bad. Others, however, are a different story.
People can die in this secret realm.
Those who entered the Royal Capital Academy had various expressions, but generally speaking, they fell into two categories.
Feeling emboldened and fearless, yet extremely vigilant.
Upon entering the Royal Capital Academy, the Warrior Academy's patrol team weaved through the crowd, and everyone lined up in long queues to verify their registration identities before entering the main square.
Another half hour of waiting. The queue looked dozens of meters long, but the verification process was quick. Arnold recalled the scene when they first entered the South Gate.
When they finally stepped onto the plaza, there was only one hour left before the secret realm opened.
During this hour, they can wander around the neighborhood. As long as they don't enter the restricted areas of the various colleges, they can still enjoy the view from some public places.
The scenery within the Royal Capital Academy is also quite beautiful.
Arnold readily agreed to set off early, also wanting to visit the Royal Academy. Although he could study there in the future, the young man was always impatient.
Allen didn't carry the large scythe. When he was at the Papacy, Fekris, out of affection for Allen, had new weapons made for him and Astor, and even asked Copperfield to inscribe magic circles that made them grow and shrink, making them easy to carry.
The new weapon was still a sickle, but its quality was incomparable to his previous one.
Astor's weapon is a giant hammer.
"Where did this blind fool come from? Can you afford to pay for the broken staff?" a sharp voice rang out. The heroes and their companions were just about to wander off to other places when the voice, coming from the edge of the plaza, immediately attracted the attention of those around them.
The young man surrounded by people looked to be around twenty years old. The people around him had stern faces and looked like they were not to be trifled with, while the boy in front of him had a handsome face and wore a simple and neat short-sleeved shirt, looking very unassuming.
"Then your staff is no good either, it breaks at the slightest touch, is it a fake?" The boy's smile was irritating.
"you!"
The people surrounding the young man suddenly whispered a reminder: "Young Master, the secret realm is about to open, so please bear with it."
The young man addressed as "Young Master" glared fiercely at the boy: "Just you wait until we enter the secret realm!"
The boy chuckled, "You stinky magician, do you know your grandpa's a warrior? Don't let me smash your head in with one punch!"
Allen and Astor glanced silently at Arnold and Murphy.
Arnold: "I'm a warrior too. You guys should watch Murphy."
"I'm preparing to attempt to become a sixth-tier mage," Murphy said indifferently.
"You're even bringing up a mere sixth-tier cultivator? It's truly shameful." The boy suddenly turned his head, raised an eyebrow at Murphy, and said provocatively.
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Author's Note: Nuwa in a Western Fantasy Version: Veris
The First Hero of the Bully: Lortheran
Lortheran is the kind of person everyone hates, even the most obnoxious person would shake an egg off the ground.
In the Secret Realm chapter, you can enjoy the delicious food of young Wei.
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