en if Ferrat could not speak at this moment, in this moment of such intense emotion, so raw and pure that every word would be reduced to an expression, anyone could read his most genuine thoughts from...Chapter 280: Ranchi thought the Demon Army was just this

"...."

Lan Qi felt that this woman named Gloria didn't seem like an enemy.

She didn't harbor intense malice towards herself, but rather a more complex mix of emotions. Perhaps jealousy, questioning, resentment—it wasn't quite hostility.

Lan Qi quickly understood, this person should be a direct subordinate soldier lurking within the Protoss Royal Academy.

... they are also from the Overlord branch.

His authority is higher, and as long as he uses the [Saint's Mark - Overlord] to sense, anyone holding the [Rebirth Mark - Overlord] will be subtly sensed by him.

But she seems a little unhappy.

Lan Qi could only smile wryly and express friendliness to her.

His emerald eyes were naturally flawless, his expression carrying a touch of melancholy and concern.

"What...!"

This made Gloria clench her fists, her knuckles turning white.

In her eyes, Ranch's expression at this moment was as if he were saying: "She likes me, what can I do"

Gloria gritted her teeth, fighting back the throbbing in her temples, and turned her head away from Lance.

I really want to punch this matcha man!!

He didn't say a word, but it was worse than calling her stupid outright.

How could the Catholic Church possibly look favorably upon such a person!!

This bastard doesn't resemble anyone from their Overlord branch at all. He's more like those guys from the Annihilation branch. If he happens to be a sealer, then he would be a serious competitor for the Annihilation Saint.

Gloria wasn't going to say another word to that arrogant prince.

He really is the favorite, there's nothing he can do about it.

Today she followed the Overlord's Son here, just to see what he had!

As the two stopped talking, students trickled into the classroom and sat down alone. There was hardly any conversation; only the faint rustling of papers and heavy textbooks echoed through the room.

Every corner of the history classroom is bathed in the soft, pale light of a winter morning. The historical maps and timelines on the walls sway gently in the breeze, while the vines and leaves outside dance with the wind, bringing fleeting patterns of light and shadow to the glass windows.

Footsteps grew louder, and the shadows outside the window danced with increasing activity.

The classroom was always enveloped in a chilling silence.

Until the noisy chatter in the classroom ceased as the clock struck the hour, all the students sat quietly, awaiting the start of class.

By the door, a series of steady, swift footsteps could be heard.

The door creaked open, a figure appeared in the classroom, the light outlining their silhouette.

A young man, about 1.85 meters tall, with long black hair as dark as ink that often obscured his deep, star-like eyes. Those eyes held a hint of profound melancholy, as if the mysteries of the universe were hidden within them. He wore a black long coat, giving him an air of freedom and unconventionality.

His face was handsome but rather haggard, showing signs of severe sleep deprivation.

The lecturer for this class is Professor Seidel Aarenthal, Associate Professor of History at Protoss Royal Academy.

"Alright, everyone, although I usually prefer to interact and engage with students during most of my history classes, for this "Imperial Modern History" session, I hope to be able to deliver it smoothly without too many interruptions. Of course, you are welcome to ask questions anytime, but I may not always answer them, okay"

Xi Duo's voice wasn't deep at all, instead it leaned towards being clear and casual.

Faced with Xi's blatant declaration of shirking responsibility, the students remained silent, choosing to respond with nothing but silence.

They all knew why Professor Xi had said that.

The Protoss Empire is currently at a crossroads, and now there is a growing trend of Wilfortism—

Once an opportunity arises, label you as "wrong" first and then let you fight tooth and nail to prove yourself. If your proof isn't convincing, it's better to kill by mistake than to let you go.

This ideology is resisted by many people and also advocated for by many.

As for the modern history of the Empire, it involves the modern history of the Northern Continent and has a close causal relationship with the current situation of the Empire. Every time Seido talked about crusades, the current situation, causes and connections, students might get excited, arguing fiercely, even disrupting the class to the point where it couldn't continue, and even begin to question Seido's position.

Sido applied to the Xi Duo Academy for a teaching assistant, but there were no suitable candidates to help him maintain classroom discipline.

After all, there are quite a few children of influential families in Protos Royal Academy. Normal people wouldn't want to, nor dare to, offend them.

Sid placed the aged, leather-bound book on the lectern and activated the arcane projector behind him.

First, he didn't say anything. He just played a video.

As dusk deepened, the vibrant hues of the sunset were obscured by heavy clouds, casting an ominous shadow over the entire sky.

In the distance, something was slowly approaching, resembling a bottomless black hole. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be many humanoid figures clad in pitch-black armor. However, they were not humans, but rather a group of ferocious demons. Each demon bore deep scars on their bodies and their eyes glinted with fervent flames, cruel as if they had crawled out of hell.

But when this unit arrived, everything changed.

The sky was engulfed by a dense crimson haze, like a demonic eye about to burst, gazing down at the earth.

This place was once a peaceful town, now it has become a slaughterhouse of death. The shadows of gunpowder and war dance among the shattered walls, and broken corpses lie scattered beneath the ruins of houses. Bloodstains have turned into dry, dark red marks, and the stench of blood in the air is more nauseating than any rot.

This land has been cursed, transformed into a place like hell. Every breath of air is thick with suffocating fear until the very spark of life is extinguished.

Only the mountains of corpses remained, their faces twisted in pain, despair, and terror.

Those blood-red figures, like ghosts, swiftly darted through every corner of the town, bearing torn flesh and a ravenous hunger.

"This footage wasn't taken a hundred years ago, but just a year. People suspect the spectral reemergence of the Demon Army's special extermination unit."

The scene behind Seito flickered, and he spoke softly.

The northern people are in a state of panic.

Even craving the protection of the Annihilation Archmage, they refused to face those cruel Demonkind.

...while other kingdoms to the north do not acknowledge that these demons hail from their lands.

Even if this group of demons came from the disasters deep within the desolate lands of the far north, they would still need to pass through the Northern Nations. They would definitely need a stronghold.

Later, there was an increasing amount of evidence and suspicion pointing towards the Kingdom of Aethelred having problems.

The investigation report also pointed out that towns near the border of the Asteria Kingdom have a very high rate of missing persons.

It all began with fear spreading from the north, panic gradually infecting the imperial capital. In the end, they chose to expel the Church of Destiny, which had deep ties with the Kingdom of Aethelran, and welcomed the Resurrecting Church instead. This hardly seemed like a conspiracy by the Resurrecting Church, as the various bishops and branches in North Continent were deeply divided, unable to unite. Even reaching a decision amongst the imperial officials required struggle and competition.

As things stand, war between the Protoss Empire and the Astellian Kingdom is inevitable. And the other northern kingdoms will not stand idly by and watch the Astellian Kingdom be swallowed by the Protoss Empire. No matter what, this is going to be...

Shi Duo's words came to an end here, and he didn't continue speaking.

This is a lose-lose war.

But this war was merely in line with the historical foundations and trends of the Protoss Empire over the past century. War against alien races could only be said to be inevitable.

Even without this opportunity, there would be other opportunities that would trigger it.

Maybe many students in the classroom also have their own thoughts, such as questioning whether there are problems with the causes of this war, whether the evidence, including this video footage, is true, and whether there are other conspiracies behind this war.

But any sensible person would not ask these questions in public, otherwise they would be questioned about having a serious anti-war stance.

"...."

Lanchi sat in the back row of the classroom, staring intently at the recorded images of the Demon Army on the screen, lost in thought.

In the main story, which takes place about a year later, the Northern Continent will be plunged into a prolonged and relentless war.

The cause is also the same as what Xi did just say.

Actually, there's nothing wrong.

From a rancher's perspective, the only thing that doesn't add up is...

That's the number of provinces.

After arriving in the Northern Continent, Lance repeatedly confirmed that the Protoss Empire currently has 17 provinces.

... But a year later, the Protoss Empire's territory had changed, with only 15 provinces remaining on its homeworld.

Ranche compared the map and found that two provinces in the north had vanished.

That is to say, this war may bring unforeseen changes in the future, leading to a massive and unknown tragedy in the northern provinces.

To cause such harm, the devastation from an eighth-tier Shadow World's failure wouldn't be enough, and a ninth-tier Shadow World's failure would be too small. It doesn't seem like something caused by natural disasters.

"What expression is that"

Gloria, the direct subordinate of the Hegemon, stared oddly at Lance.

She discovered that the gentle and harmless Ranch had frowned slightly.

The Son of Heaven, wouldn't he be intimidated by such trivial matters from the demon race

I always feel like these guys aren't demons.

Lancelot tapped his chin, muttering to himself in confusion.

Compared to the five members of Icthelune, who were trained in the orthodox way of Hekate's Academy at Inferno Corridor, this unit was still lacking.

(The End)

[ ] Restaurant is bathed in bright lights that reflect off the high-quality black decor. The elegant tables, comfortable chairs, and exquisite cutlery all exude luxury.Light danced in the corners of the...