The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

Chapter Seventy-One: Checking into the Manor

"Welcome, everyone, to Anseth City!"

The huge banquet hall was filled with students and mentors.

Dressed in ceremonial armor and draped in a silk cloak, Yan opened his arms and offered his blessings to everyone present.

"Here you have fine wine and meat! As the lord of Anseth City, I will provide whatever you need to thank you for your contributions to my daughter Maggie at the academy!"

Ryan waved his hands repeatedly.

“Mr. Yann, as instructors at the academy, protecting our students is our duty. There’s no need for thanks.”

Yann laughed heartily, picked up his glass, and downed the strong liquor in one gulp.

He certainly has the air of a hawkish general.

Little did Ryan know that when Orina appeared in the royal city, this bold and brave general was almost so frightened that he wet his pants.

After Yann said a few words, Maggie, who was dressed in formal attire, took his place.

The simple yet sophisticated floor-length dress accentuated her beautiful figure, and the backless design drew attention from many students, while her former classmates couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Maggie is indeed their goddess.

Once upon a time, those sycophantic little dogs who were responsible for groveling began to stir among themselves.

Now Maggie has finally returned home.

As the host, she skillfully moved among the professors and students present, offering toasts while also introducing the city of Ansès and its local customs and culture.

At the dining table, Yann sat next to Ryan and chatted enthusiastically.

He already knew that Ryan was a dual-attribute mage, and also a grand mage with six magic circuits.

no doubt.

Ryan is the absolute core of the team on this trip.

Therefore, Yann must treat him well.

"I've heard before that the academy's expeditions come with a mission. I wonder if there's anything I can do to help you all here today? If so, please don't hesitate to ask, mentors."

"I will do my best to do what I can."

Yaen tapped the ceremonial armor on his chest, looking quite confident.

Ryan gave Tracy a look.

Immediately, Tracy, who was in charge of diplomacy in the group, spoke up.

“Mr. Yann, as the lord of Anseth City, you have many official duties every day. We will handle the mission ourselves, so there is no need to trouble you with that.”

After saying that, Tracy took the money pouch from his waist and then took a list of materials that had been prepared in advance from Millais.

When Mila is sober, she is well-suited for clerical work.

Documents that pass through her hands are always neat and orderly, making her an ideal candidate for a secretarial position.

"However, if it's convenient, please prepare the items on the list for us. Of course, we will pay the corresponding fees for this."

Yann initially wanted to decline, but Tracy saw through his thoughts and said with a smile.

“Mr. Yann, there’s no need to refuse. I think you should know the Academy’s way of doing things. If you don’t accept this fee, the Vatican will pay you the fee through special channels later.”

"Therefore, you can accept it directly without worrying too much."

Having his thoughts read, Yan could only manage a wry smile.

After instructing the servant to take away the money pouch, Yann immediately said, "I'll accept this money for now. I'll use it to help some poor children later."

"Of course, it will be in the name of the Vatican and the Academy."

Contrary to his rugged appearance, Yann is actually quite meticulous; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to sit in the position of city lord for so long.

After this explanation, Yann both received the money and avoided being labeled as greedy.

However, Tracy naturally didn't take this explanation seriously.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Yann."

At the dinner table, Yan raised his glass and downed one glass of wine after another.

However, the mentors were very restrained, and each of them only scratched the surface.

Unlike before at Ryan's house, this time it was outside, in a proper diplomatic setting.

Despite Yann's hospitality, which seemed so genuine.

But the mentors are well aware of the ulterior motives hidden behind this so-called sincerity.

Soon, it was night.

A servant came over and told Arn that accommodations for Ryan and the others had been arranged.

Without further ado, Ryan nodded and bowed, then led the group of mentors away from the banquet hall.

------

Although Yann had his own ulterior motives, he was indeed quite efficient.

The accommodation prepared for Ryan and his group was a manor in the main city of Anseth, with a superior environment and full of greenery.

This manor was said to have once belonged to a local noble family, but later the head of the family committed a crime, and the old King Berlein seized all of his property. The manor, naturally, was also sold off.

After several twists and turns, it came into the hands of Yann.

Upon hearing that Ryan and his group were coming, he instructed the servants to work for three days and three nights to get the manor ready.

Of course, Yaon's daughter, Maggie, was the provider of the information.

She didn't have any complicated thoughts. After all, everyone had come to her home, and as the host, she naturally had to treat them well.

The manor has three buildings in total. The side rooms are where the servants live, while the other side serves as a warehouse and kitchen.

The main building has five floors. The first floor was given to several instructors, and the other four floors were for students.

After settling the students in, the mentors gathered in the lobby on the first floor to discuss the upcoming travel itinerary.

Ryan once again became the central figure in the discussion.

After each mentor draws a travel destination, they will also be assigned a task.

These tasks are not very difficult; most of them involve investigating local customs, traditions, and topography.

Discovering endangered species and ancient ruins will earn you even more academic credits.

After the survey, each student was required to write a 10,000-word travelogue, along with their reflections on the trip.

In a sense, this trip was indeed more like a picnic, just as Claire had imagined.

Ryan was assigned to Vita Town, and his next task would naturally be to focus on Vita Town and assist Claire in recording local cultural, geographical, and climatic characteristics.

In most cases, the journey will not be dangerous.

After all, there are powerful mentors accompanying them throughout the process.

However, there are some extremely special cases where there may be casualties.

The last time this happened was fifty years ago, and it was also because students disobeyed their instructors and came to the border between the two countries without permission.

Unfortunately, he happened to be caught in a conflict between two armies on the border, and was killed by a barrage of magical projectiles.

Ryan looked ahead to his upcoming travels.

Although there was nothing obviously dangerous, he always had a feeling that beneath the seemingly peaceful exterior of the Duchy of Ferrante lurked some profound evil.

Of course, Ryan's concerns are not unfounded.

After all, the magic-suppressing stone, the magic-suppressing shackles, and the rumors surrounding Claire...

There are far too many unstable factors in the Duchy of Ferrante.

Hopefully, he's just overthinking it.

Chapter 72 Should we go somewhere cool?

"Shh..."

"Be quiet."

In the dimly lit room, a bald young man gently raised his index finger.

In front of me, a middle-aged man sat in a chair with his hands tied behind his back and a black cloth covering his head, so I couldn't see anything.

Ice water was constantly being poured over my head.

The biting cold made the middle-aged man let out a painful wail.

The middle-aged man was very unhappy because he had spoken against the bald young man's wishes.

He raised the dagger and plunged it deep into the middle-aged man's thigh.

"Shut up! It's so noisy!"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!"

"You filthy maggot!"

The middle-aged man tried to suppress his cries, but the pain was too intense for him to resist.

After struggling for a few moments, it cried out again.

This enraged the bald youth. Veins bulged on his forehead, his expression became ferocious, and he raised his dagger, stabbing the middle-aged man's thigh several times.

His entire thigh was pierced and left a bloody mess.

"Shut up! Shut up, you son of a bitch!!!"

The middle-aged man sobbed and wailed, unable to understand why he was being treated this way.

He didn't do anything!

"Huh? You didn't do anything?"

Just then, a woman emerged from the shadows.