Chapter 23:  The Surge of Black Tide

Under the light-colored night sky, in the basement of Marquis Seyel’s mansion in the royal capital.

A heavy slap landed on Lauren Catherine’s face.

The dim yellow glow of the chandelier fell upon Lauren’s greasy face. This head of the Catherine Family, who usually enjoyed boundless prestige outside, was now hunched over like a servant who had done something wrong, trembling and not daring to breathe loudly.

The reason was simple: the man who had just slapped him was Baye Seyel, the eldest son of Marquis Seyel, whose status was second only to the royal family and Grand Duke Morsat.

This young noble, usually known in the upper circles of the royal capital for his gentility and elegance, now had his handsome features twisted in a ferocious scowl.

As he pulled a white silk handkerchief from his chest pocket and leisurely wiped his right hand, as if it had touched something dirty, he said:

“Count Lauren, I need an explanation.” Baye casually tossed the handkerchief into a nearby brazier, watched the flames consume it, and then continued, “Is this how the good daughter you raised serves me?”

Hearing Baye’s angry voice, Count Lauren broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes filled with terror as he repeatedly apologized and begged for forgiveness.

“If it weren’t for that waste Lorin taking a blind fancy to your illegitimate daughter, do you think a fallen count like you would get the chance to work for me?”

Lauren quickly knelt and begged for mercy. To climb the tall tree of the Seyel Family, he had willingly served like a beast of burden, and that had brought him his current position.

According to Young Master Baye’s original plan, since Lorin was interested in Laura, he would have that illegitimate daughter Laura seduce that waste Lorin. Once Lorin was blinded by lust, the Seyel Family could maneuver from behind, and then they would have Lorin, the heir of the Morsat Family, under their control.

With that, the Seyel Family could gradually swallow up the Morsat Family’s assets, and Young Master Baye would have the opportunity to marry Her Highness the Princess, thus taking the entire Papal State into his grasp.

To this end, they had been plotting ever since Lorin first fell for Laura. Even a few days ago, when Lorin was attacked by cultists in the Mist Forest, it was because of their behind-the-scenes scheming—they had lured away the Morsat Family’s guards.

As for Laura, this foolish illegitimate daughter naturally had no idea about the schemes behind it all. She only thought she had infiltrated high society through her own charm and took it for granted that she was a noble lady.

But who could have guessed that this self-styled clever pawn, just because Lorin had been fawning over her for a couple of days, would become so arrogant as to give the heir of the Morsat Family the cold shoulder in public? This ruined the entire plan, and not only did it make Her Highness the Princess investigate their forces thoroughly, but it also led to the complete annihilation of the Saer Family and nearly exposed his shady slave trades. If Young Master Baye hadn’t prepared in advance, he would have been dragged into prison by the Judgment Knights by now.

“Young Master Baye, please calm down. That idiot Laura knows nothing about our plan. I believe that fool Lorin only acted this way because she went too far last time.

I’ll discipline her properly right away and have her lure Lorin back.” Count Lauren smiled obsequiously, but in his heart, he was cursing that troublesome illegitimate daughter a thousand times. When he got back, he would definitely make that shameless little wench pay.

“It better be so. Get out!”

wwwhhhmmm

Just as Lauren was limping away with his bulky frame, a dark shadow in the basement eerily separated and peeled away from a crevice in the stone wall. A figure wrapped in a wide black robe slowly emerged from the darkness.

The moment it appeared, an extremely murky and spine-chilling magical power instantly filled the entire secret room.

Seeing this black-robed person, the ferocious Young Master Baye had to restrain some of his arrogance.

“Heh heh heh”

From under the black robe came a low laugh that grated on the teeth. The laughter was full of schadenfreude.

“Young Master Baye. I told you long ago… don’t count on those useless wastes under your command who can’t even hold up under pressure.”

The black-robed person’s voice echoed in the empty basement, carrying a mesmerizing charm.

“Don’t worry. As long as you continue to cooperate obediently with our Holy Faith, the Holy Faith will naturally give you everything you want—whether it’s that beautiful Princess Alice or the entire Papal State.”

Hearing the black-robed person’s promise, Baye lowered his head and said nothing, as if lost in thought.

“As for Lorin Morsat… that reckless waste who dares to get in the way.” The black-robed person snorted coldly, “Leave him to us, the Holy Faith. We’ll take care of him bit by bit.”

*

“Ah-choo!”

Luo Lin suddenly sneezed for no reason.

‘Someone must be cursing me behind my back.’ Luo Lin rubbed his sore nose.

Bang!

A roll of parchment slammed heavily onto Luo Lin’s forehead.

“Classmate Luo Lin, repeat the key point I just explained!”

Alice slammed her hands on the desk, her light cherry-colored eyes filled with the irritation of seeing someone disappointing.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Luo Lin held his forehead, recalling the knowledge Alice had taught. “Um, the Kairier Empire is the first human empire in the history of the Sera Continent to make an Apex Species submit.” He answered the question proudly.

“Hehe, with our beautiful Teacher Alice taking time out of her busy schedule to give me extra tutoring, how could I dare to slack off?”

“Glib tongue. Who, who is giving you extra tutoring! I’m just, just—” Alice twirled her hair with her fingers, her fair cheeks burning red. She quickly pushed a large pile of books in front of Luo Lin.

“Hmph, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just teaching you some common knowledge. It has nothing to do with the Sera Academy exams, got it!”

“And these, these are all my study notes from when I prepared for Sera Academy. You should find them useful too.”

Luo Lin stared blankly at the mountain of thick books piled in front of him.

So many, so thick. He felt like the memories of his previous life’s college entrance exams were attacking him fiercely.

Seeing Luo Lin stunned, Alice revealed a mischievous smile and held up two slender fingers.

“And I’m only giving you two days. Finish reading these notes!”

Luo Lin felt a blackout.

‘Two days? Are you treating me like a jock? I don’t have the Heaven’s Chosen Female Protagonist’s cheat-like learning ability!’

“And also!” Alice’s smile disappeared, and her pleasant voice suddenly turned serious.

“Luo Lin, remember, during the assessment, if you encounter any problems at all, you must come find me immediately!”

Her cherry-pink eyes looked seriously into Luo Lin’s eyes.

“For this exam, absolutely, absolutely don’t try any sly tricks. The person co-supervising with me this time is that second-year Discipline Committee Chairperson.”

“That Duke’s daughter from the Carlos Empire is a very, very serious and rule-abiding person. If anyone makes a mistake and falls into her hands, no matter their status, they will definitely be punished.”

Luo Lin was about to say something in retort.

Suddenly, his heart trembled violently, and his consciousness felt as if it was about to fly out of his body.

Unknowingly, the night had deepened, and the moon was slowly rising.

“Um, Teacher Alice, I’ll come back tomorrow. I, I have a stomachache; I’m going home first.”

Luo Lin made up an excuse on the spot, then clutching his chest and putting on his coat, he ran out the door.