In the lounge of the Milford Earl's residence, the flames leaped vigorously in the fireplace, casting a reddish glow on the edges of the velvet sofas and chairs, while also providing necessary warmth to the towering room. The crackling fire and the sound of burning wood added a touch of dynamism to the quiet space.

Hyperion's hands rested on her knees, her expression complex, as if she were pondering something.

"May I ask, why did the Saint of Annihilation leave the Northwest Province in such a hurry?"

Hyperion directed her question to the Milford Earl.

Although she knew that the Milford Earl's intelligence would not be wrong, she was still worried that it was a trap.

"It seems there's some trouble in the northern part of the empire. Bishop Askesang of Annihilation transferred him to the far north."

The Milford Earl stroked his beard with a puzzled expression. He found it strange that the trouble in the north must be significant enough for the Bishop of Annihilation to transfer even the Saint of Annihilation there.

It was almost as if someone was helping Hyperion draw away all the fire.

The Milford Earl was certain that the Saint of Annihilation had already arrived at the northern transportation fortress, Box Hill Province, via the magic-powered rail route, and was heading north from there.

"If the Saint of Annihilation can't finish the task quickly, he might not be back within seven days. But even if he does return in the next few days, I'll help you plan a route to Helrom, the imperial capital, that avoids him at the first opportunity," the Milford Earl added.

He felt that the mission carried by this young priestess was too heavy. If he could give her a good rest, he wouldn't want her to bear any more burdens.

"Whew."

Hearing this, Hyperion was completely relieved. Her tense heart relaxed so much that she felt a little lightheaded, but couldn't quite come down to earth.

"Praise the Goddess, and continue to bless Lady Hyperion."

The three members of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny prayed sincerely. In their eyes, this was a miracle of the Goddess.

As expected, being a disciple favored by the Saintess and a friend of Lancia Wilfort's heart, she was a chosen daughter of destiny protected by the Goddess.

The new Saintess of the Church would inevitably be this Miss Hyperion.

"No way… such a stroke of luck won't happen a second time. Helrom won't welcome me, let alone pave the way for me."

Hyperion shook her head repeatedly. Sometimes, too much luck was a little frightening.

Life's luck was limited. Whoever used it up first would leave first. Since meeting Lancia, her luck had become quite good. She didn't expect that after a brief separation from him, her luck would become even more outrageous.

Lancia was sacrificing merit for luck; he had nothing to fear, but she did.

As the conversation came to an end, the Milford Earl leaned on his cane and looked toward the door of the lounge.

"In any case, you've all worked hard on your journey. Get some rest. Miss Hyperion, your room is on the second floor. I'll have a servant take you up there later. Also, Misha heard that you were coming today and is probably already waiting near the room."

The Milford Earl said to the clergy of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny.

When he mentioned his daughter Misha, he seemed slightly helpless.

"It's okay. I'm Misha's cousin now. When we go to Helrom, the imperial capital, I'll take care of her as my adopted sister. Earl, please rest assured."

Hyperion stood up and bowed again to the Milford Earl, their church's supporter.

"Thank you, Miss Hyperion."

The Milford Earl nodded slightly, touched the bronze lamp to undo the soundproofing magic, and then led the others out of the lounge.

Opening the door, they saw a female steward in a dark blue uniform with glittering silver buttons standing at the far end of the hallway.

She bowed slightly to the group. After the Milford Earl noticed her, he turned to Hyperion and said, "Perfect timing. The steward in charge of taking care of Misha is here. She'll take you to your room."

Hyperion nodded, chatted briefly with the Milford Earl and the three members of the clergy, said a short farewell, and walked over.

The steward bowed slightly when she saw Hyperion, and said in a respectful tone, "Please follow me, Miss Miri Ann."

…

In the hallway, sconces cast a soft yellow light, making the stone walls seem even more ancient and full of history. At regular intervals, there were dark, carved wooden doors, each with a different design. Faint light occasionally escaped from the cracks in the doors.

The female steward walked in front, her pace steady, neither too fast nor too slow, guiding Hyperion at a comfortable pace.

Finally, they reached the second floor via the stairs. At the end of the wide second-floor hallway, they spotted a figure standing in the distance.

She was slender with skin as white as snow. Her long golden hair was artfully styled into an elegant bun, adorned with two crystalline ornaments. Her hands, wearing translucent white gloves, were placed quietly in front of her.

As they approached, the girl looked up.

Meeting her gaze, one would notice her bright eyes, but her pupils were slightly vertical, and her ears were a little longer than average.

Hyperion was familiar with these kinds of features.

The girl waiting for her should be Milford Earl's daughter, Misha. She might have a small amount of demonic blood, but at most only one-eighth or one-sixteenth, far less than the obvious demonic characteristics of Hyperion's semi-demon form after removing her disguise.

It was said that in the Protoss Empire, there were quite a few people with traces of demonic blood.

Demonic bloodlines indeed tended to bring stronger magical talents than ordinary humans, but they could also become extreme due to the nature of demons.

In the growth environment of the Protoss Empire, where demons were already ostracized, it was even easier to gradually find it difficult to get along with others.

The girl waited quietly for Hyperion to approach, without saying a word.

"Miss Misha, I'm Miri Ann, who will be staying here starting today," Hyperion introduced herself in a friendly manner.

Misha looked Hyperion up and down.

"You're my cousin?"

Misha seemed a little disappointed and shifted her slightly cold gaze away.

"!"

Hyperion was startled.

This familiar feeling reminded her of her old home, Ikryte.

Since her father's disappearance, those who usually looked down on her but didn't dare to show it had expressed their malice unrestrainedly, as if they were intensifying it, making her realize the fickleness of people's hearts.

After coming to the Northern Continent, she had finally met someone who wasn't very friendly to her.

"Follow me."

Misha coldly dropped this sentence and walked into Hyperion's room on her own. It seemed she had already entered the guest room where Hyperion would be staying without permission.

"..."

Hyperion didn't say anything, and followed with a brave face.

She had promised Milford Earl to take care of Misha.

Even if Misha was willful, she would let her have her way.

She had long been accustomed to forbearance during those days in Ikryte.

Hyperion passed through the already open door of the room. The interior was as elegant and luxurious as the lounge. A large bed was placed in the center, covered with silk bedding embroidered with classical imperial patterns. Along one side of the wall was a spacious long table connected to cabinets, and a seat with cotton cushions, on which were placed various magical living devices.

At the same time, Misha's voice rang out again in front of Hyperion.

"You're so pretty, don't let others look down on our Milford family. A countess should look like a countess."

Misha looked at Hyperion without a smile on her face.

On the sofa behind Misha were several brand-new gift boxes from stores, apparently containing some winter clothes and jewelry unique to Milford's jewelry store.

"These are... for me?"

Hyperion was unsure for a moment, and pointed to the gifts with her lips slightly parted in surprise.

"I didn't buy you much. I was afraid you wouldn't like them."

Seeing Hyperion's hesitant look, Misha nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you, Misha..."

Hyperion was surprised and a little touched.

She suddenly felt that Misha and Milford Earl had similarities.

"In our family, you must abide by the rules. If you think there's a problem with the rules, you can bring them up and everyone can discuss them together at a meeting," Misha told Hyperion when she saw that she didn't seem so nervous anymore.

"Okay."

Hyperion patiently listened to Misha lecturing her in a reasonable manner.

"Our family eats at six o'clock in the evening. Don't be late, otherwise Father, Mother, and I will wait for you to arrive before we start eating."

Misha continued to tell Hyperion about their family rules.

"...Okay."

Hyperion pondered for a moment. It turned out that the consequence of being late was that the whole family would be waiting for her.

"Also, our family doesn't allow discrimination against people with demonic bloodlines, whether it's against the servants in the house, or against Mother and me."

After Misha finished speaking, she thought for a moment, then nodded, meaning there were basically no other rules.

"Understood."

Hyperion nodded.

She had no reason to discriminate against demons, and the Milford family's rules were unexpectedly fewer than she had imagined.

Now she used the ancient demon world technique [Transformation: Human] that she and Lancia had obtained together in the Purgatory Corridor Academy. Even the empire couldn't detect that she was a semi-demon. In fact, in the Protoss Empire, such disguise was a capital crime.

Hyperion couldn't confess to Misha that she was actually a semi-demon. In Misha's eyes, Hyperion was just a pure human.

Seeing Hyperion's straightforward response, Misha shifted her gaze again.

"It's a good thing you're only staying in this house for a week," she muttered with a slight frown.

"..."

Hyperion's heart, which had just warmed up, cooled down by half.

Sure enough, she, a stranger who had suddenly come to Misha's house, would be disliked and ostracized by her.

However, Misha looked around Hyperion's room.

"This room is too small. Honestly, Father, giving you a guest room... But we're going to Helrom in a week. Just put up with it," Misha grumbled, clearly dissatisfied with her father's arrangement.

"..."

Hyperion's eyes were a little sore. She didn't have a cousin who was so nice to her when she was a duchess in Ikryte.

Instead, after coming to the Northern Continent, she had become a priestess without noble status, and she was always feeling all kinds of warmth.

Misha was a good kid, but she might have some problems with her own expression because her father had always been so stern.

In short, the Milford family were all good people.

"Don't embarrass me when you go to the imperial capital." Misha said, watching Hyperion's slightly vulnerable look.

"Mm." Hyperion just responded softly this time.

"If someone from our Milford family is bullied, we must retaliate. If anyone dares to bully you, call me."

The meaning of "don't embarrass me" turned out to be that if you were bullied, you had to fight back.

Hyperion gradually began to understand how to interpret Misha's meaning.

Although Misha was only at the Second Rank, she obviously had the confidence of a countess in the Protoss Academy.

This feeling of being taken care of reminded Hyperion of the time when she had just entered Ikryte Academy.

At that time, everyone was very unfriendly to her, and there were even people who actively came to cause her trouble and hated her very much.

But back then, there was someone who had always protected her in Ikryte Academy…

If he was in Protoss Royal Magic Academy, would it be the same?

"..."

Hyperion shook her head, ending her fantasy time.

"Don't worry, Misha, I'm very strong," Hyperion said, looking at Misha and grinning confidently.

She had first trained with Lancia for a semester, then received Tata's tutelage, and also received more than a month of special training from the Ice Witch. Now she was different from when she first entered the school and was bullied.

"Then I'm relieved. Anyway, if you meet someone who needs to be taught a lesson, you should hit them. Our family can afford to pay for it, so don't be afraid to cause trouble for Father," Misha said with a nod.

Although she wasn't good at expressing herself, she had a unique talent for emotional communication and could feel that her cousin was a very pure person. She was afraid that she would be bullied in Helrom, a place full of materialism and cold, ruthless hearts.

The two seemed to have finished saying all the words that needed to be said, and fell silent for a while.

There was still no expression on Misha's face, making it difficult for Hyperion to fathom her mood and what she wanted to express.

"By the way, Misha, have you ever heard of someone named Loki?" Hyperion asked tentatively.

She had been concerned about this matter for a long time.

She had originally planned to ask Milford Earl alone next time she saw him. She didn't want the three Divine Heads to know Lancia's alias and whereabouts in the Northern Continent. The three people's condition must not worsen any further.

It was a good time to ask Misha, who had been to Helrom, the imperial capital, many times and might know more about the situation in the south.

"Loki? Never heard of him. What's your relationship with him? Does he have any characteristics? Do you need me to help you find him?" Misha raised her eyebrows and asked in return.

Faced with Misha's icy yet extremely enthusiastic question, Hyperion shook her head and waved her hand.

"He's a friend I've been separated from for a long time. I'll look for him when we go to the imperial capital."

Hearing Misha's answer, she felt a million times more at ease.

Hyperion couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It seemed that Lancia hadn't become famous in the Northwest Province, so that was good.

Although there was still some lag in news between the Northwest Province and Helrom, the imperial capital, due to the news blockade in the north, Lancia hadn't made a big name for himself in the imperial capital or the south at least a month ago.

"It's okay. I know people at the Helrom Broadcasting Company. We can just put out a missing person notice and we'll definitely find him."

Misha didn't know what kind of person her cousin was concerned about, but as long as he was in the Protoss Empire, they would definitely have a way to find him when they went to Helrom, the imperial capital.

"I'll see what your taste is like then," Misha said, seeing Hyperion's reaction and thinking that this must be the person her cousin liked.

If they wanted to marry the Milford family's eldest daughter, they had to be a man who had achieved something in the empire, with ambition, career aspirations, and talent.

She would help her cousin keep a close eye on him.

"Misha, you seem to have misunderstood something…?"

It was difficult for Hyperion to read Misha's subtle expressions.

But she couldn't tell Misha the story of her and Lancia in the Southern Continent in detail.

But Hyperion didn't know why.

After coming to the Northern Continent, the people and things she encountered were full of touching moments and beauty.

Hyperion could only let go, take a breath, and look to the other side of the spacious room.

It was still drizzling outside the window, like the music of time, in this quiet and comfortable room. She looked through the glass at the dappled lights in the misty courtyard.

The ordinary scenery had a new feeling.

Everything was just right, inspiring people from the bottom of their hearts.

Even if the future Imperial Capital Helrom was full of unknowns and dangers, Hyperion felt full of strength.

She looked forward to it all ending.

And to the moment when she would meet him again.

(End of this chapter)