69novels Page 142
Page 142
"Besides, Jennifer, the queen of slacking off, is the most dazzling little knight in the world!"
Chapter 148 Squirtle, Be My Pokémon!
"...Then I told the Pope that it was a gift from my friend, and he almost choked on his own breath."
Jennifer put one arm around Latis's shoulder, laughing so hard she bent over. It took her a while to recover before she turned to Latis and whispered:
"Finally, he said to me earnestly, 'Jennifer, go back and test your friend to see if he has any ulterior motives towards you. If he does, it wouldn't hurt to date him. Our Church of Light doesn't believe in serving the gods as a single person…' His tone was hilarious!"
She vividly imitated the Pope's aged voice, and then continued:
"At the time, I said, 'Your Holiness, you're overthinking it. The way my friend casually tossed it to me, I couldn't tell at all that he intended to gain anything from the importance of this orb. I think he might not be interested in me at all!' And then do you know what the Pope did?"
"He stuffed the walnuts he was holding into the eye socket of the statue of the God of Light, then said with a gloomy face, 'Now you and this God of Light look somewhat alike,' which was really funny..."
"The God of Light really doesn't care about anything..."
Latis held the back of his head in his hands and mentally scoffed, then looked at Jennifer, who was walking briskly, with amusement, and said casually:
"As for interests, there are definitely many..."
He glanced at Jennifer, who was momentarily stunned, and walked past her unhurriedly.
"Wait, wait, wait... What are you saying?! What... what do you mean?!"
Jennifer's flustered yet slightly shy voice rang out behind her. Latis chuckled, let go of her hand, blindly grabbed Jennifer's wrist, and tickled her palm.
“…How annoying.” Jennifer muttered under her breath, stepped forward, and took Latis’s arm.
Latis exhaled and looked at the dark sky. After the concentration of magic essence increased, different colored magic essence clouds would appear from time to time on Tianhai Street, which looked unexpectedly beautiful.
In the announcement following the dance, the school briefly explained the cause of the incident, which aroused the students' indignation and had a far greater effect on forming couples than a simple social dance.
The announcement also explained that Lundia had entered a period of magical energy surge. During this period, as the dense magical energy filled this space, there were occasional instances of the same magical energy mixing together, which were the magical energy clouds that appeared from time to time. Although they looked beautiful, the uneven distribution of magical energy could also cause certain safety hazards.
Therefore, classes will be suspended at the three schools for the next few days to prevent incidents such as explosions caused by someone spraying water with fire-attribute magic... In short, it is preliminarily estimated that the magic in Lundia will return to stability by next Monday.
"However, this might mean that most of the students will simply leave Lundia to do their annual mission. And since it's right after the ball, many people are experiencing a honeymoon phase with their new partners… It feels like the school is being a bit too decisive, pushing things around so drastically with just a few words."
Latis glanced at the magic network; his annual mission hadn't appeared yet, probably because he'd only been enrolled for a short time.
However, this seems to have made him a free man. In a couple of days, most of the intermediate-level mages will leave Lundia, leaving him alone to attend Teacher Yin's class... which doesn't seem so bad!
Latis shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions. He glanced at Jennifer, who was gradually recovering and staring at him with ill intent as she planned to launch a sneak attack, coughed, and asked:
"Little knight, do you remember what you said before?"
Jennifer looked at Latis in surprise, thought for a few seconds, then raised an eyebrow and puffed out her chest.
"Not that!" Latis couldn't help but mutter speechlessly. "When the time is right, I will naturally touch... oops, I mean, when the time is right... never mind, never mind."
Jennifer chuckled and, in a triumphant gesture, tiptoed to pat Latis on the head.
"Is it the one you were talking about? The Magic Network Squad!" Latis sighed helplessly, then straightened his expression and said:
"Squirtle, be my Pokémon! Let's become world champions together!"
"W-what?" Jennifer asked, both surprised and confused. "What are Pokémon? That sounds so strange..."
"Oh, in my hometown, Pokémon refers to one's closest comrade-in-arms. 'Miraculous' describes its extraordinary abilities, and 'Pocket' signifies an extremely close relationship."
Latis explained without changing his expression:
"So what I mean is, join my team, Jennifer!"
Jennifer suddenly realized what was happening, her hand went slightly weak, then she tightened her grip on Latis's arm again, flashing a bright smile:
"Okay! From now on, I'll be your Pokémon!"
A fleeting pang of guilt crossed Latis's mind as he thought of deceiving the little girl, followed by a surge of exhilaration. He laughed heartily, pointed to the sky, and shouted:
"Pokémon, get daze!"
……
……
"In short, talking to the dead is a necromancy spell. Although I believe you have nothing to do with those terrifying and eerie necromancers, it's best not to show it to others."
"Regarding the mental disability treatment you mentioned, I'll contact my family to see if they can find a way to undo it. If they can, I'll immediately notify you to send the patient over..."
They finally arrived at the entrance of the Hines Mansion. Jennifer subconsciously reached out and straightened Latis's collar, whispering:
"I originally wanted to show you what changes happened to me after absorbing pure light, but now that we're in a team, I'm not in a rush anymore. It feels like the time I can fight alongside you in the future has suddenly become very long..."
A serene smile appeared on her face. She stepped back, sized up Latis, and nodded with full approval.
"Lazi's figure is really good! If you want me to assist you, be prepared to be rammed by my steel-like body, okay?"
Jennifer patted her golden breastplate with a flourish, then waved and returned to the mansion.
"What is this guy saying?"
Latis looked at Jennifer, who was still shimmering with light and hadn't fully mastered the power of light, and couldn't help but complain:
"Is my Squirtle going to headbutt me with a rocket? I'm a super rookie, I'm not afraid!"
He shook his head, let out a long breath, looked at the bulge that had been following him on the magic radar, and said, tilting his head back:
"Come out, Principal Zerris."
……
After a moment of silence, Latis raised an eyebrow and tossed a mage's hand into the air.
"Who attacked me?!"
The invisibility spell dissipated instantly. Zerris turned his head in panic to look at the ghostly hand that was pulling at his magic cloak. Before he could cry for help, he fell to the ground with a thud.
"My back..." he cried out in pain, then immediately opened his eyes, looked at the silent Latis, quickly stood up from the ground, dusted himself off, and said with composure:
"Hello, student. I am the principal of Queen's College, Jerris Taubt..."
"Headmaster, what are you doing following me like this?" Latis interrupted Zerris's polite self-introduction, complaining:
"So you're too old to be spying on young couples, huh?"
“What…” Zerris’s eyes widened suddenly, he gasped, and hurriedly waved his hands, saying:
"Slander! Defamation! I, Zerris, have kept my hearing closed to avoid hearing anything offensive! Wait a minute, how do you know me?"
“Oh…” Latis thought for two seconds without changing his expression, and then said:
"Princess Slinger Whiteley once mentioned you, Headmaster, to me."
"Princess Slinger?" Zerris frowned, took off his sunglasses, removed his magic cloak, dusted it off, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise:
"Princess Slinger... and your ability to detect my presence just now... you're also a cyber police officer?!"
"That old man's head is working pretty fast!"
Latis was startled, then relaxed. Whether it was his personal relationship with Princess Slingk or their experiences in the simulation, it was clear that Zerris was a decent person. So, after hesitating for a moment, he nodded and asked:
"Principal Zerris, what do you need me for?"
"Wait, my head is a little fuzzy." Principal Zerris paced back and forth a couple of times, deep in thought with a serious expression.
"If, if he happens to be a cyber police officer, wow, then many of the previous problems would be easily solved!"
"Princess Slinger's freedom of movement is restricted by the Queen, so I can't borrow her ability to control the magic network. But if this girl, Latis, could accompany me on diplomatic missions... Wow, isn't this the kind of powerful ally I've been looking for?!"
Zerris's eyes lit up. He stood still and began to organize his thoughts.
"You want to recruit me into diplomacy?" Latis asked abruptly after observing Zerris's expression for a while.
“…Me, super?” Zerris was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but swear.
"Lately, I seem to be constantly hurting the mental health of some elderly people... Am I really going to become a nursing home killer...?"
A thought suddenly popped into Latis's mind. He shook his head and said:
"Going to Janium? I have no objection, but I'll have to arrange the time first."
"...Wow!" Zerris was shocked for a moment again, but fortunately, his years of abstract thinking allowed him to fully accept the inexplicability of this world. He immediately exclaimed excitedly:
“No, not just Yanium, your abilities can also be used in Andora. Oh my god, I can’t even imagine what I could do with you… But before those things happen, you have to graduate… no, advance to the higher rank! I believe that for you, the higher rank is enough to protect yourself…”
Zerris rambled on and on, and Latis, seeing the old man with whom he had once shared a teacher-student relationship in the simulation, looking at his chaotic state, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
“However, I have one request,” Latis suddenly said seriously.
"What are your requirements?" Zerris put on his sunglasses and smiled confidently.
"Aside from something as outrageous as helping you win over Princess Slinger, there's nothing I can't do!"
"You need my help with something like this? You're underestimating me, the walking, talking harem king..." Latis muttered, uttering something that left Zerris completely baffled:
"From now on, unless you have my permission, you are prohibited from secretly using the photo-taking technique on me."
"Huh?" Zerris looked completely bewildered, watching Latis's leisurely departing figure, and couldn't help but mutter:
"No, do I look like the kind of old pervert who secretly takes photos everywhere? How could that be? If I really did take photos, I, Zerris, would eat the hell out of him..."
For some reason, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. A strange premonition made him quickly retract his words. He thought for a moment, deciding to be gentler with himself, and then said:
"Let's eat. I'll have a haggis lamb offal ball. I haven't had it before..."
……
"Looks like today's matter is settled..."
After seeing Jennifer off, Latis passed by the Golden Hall again on his way home and glanced at the reporters and mages who were gathering information about the situation, thinking to himself:
I wonder how tomorrow's London newspaper will record today's events, whether it will lavish praise on my great achievements...
He stepped over the inner city gate, whose spire had been overturned, and looked at the mage towers standing in the night sky of the outer city. His expression suddenly became solemn.
"Magic network nodes, or signal towers—are the students of 'Ruler' learning these to stabilize the magic network connections between various towns? Or is there some other purpose?"
Thinking back to those Western countries from his previous life that would never build infrastructure unless there was a benefit, Latis shook his head, walked onto the path in his own mage's territory, and fell into deep thought.
"What we know now is that Principals Richman, Fisherman, and Walter belong to a faction. This faction mainly manages the magical forces within Norard, including refining magical artifacts, improving local governance, and promoting cooperation among mages. Their background is related to the Queen."
"And Zerris belongs to another faction, one that leans more towards outward expansion, magical exchange, and taking the magic network beyond national borders—that's what I learned from the simulation… Wait, something doesn't seem right. If Richman and the others are connected to the Queen, then Zerris is essentially opposed to the Queen to some extent? What about Princess Slinger, who has a personal relationship with Zerris? Is she opposed to the Queen?"
Latis snapped out of his reverie and stroked his chin.