This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [276]

While waiting for Ei to arrive, Luo Qing found himself with idle time and shifted his consciousness into the virtual network.

At that moment, Lumine and Paimon had just reached the Sanctuary of Surasthana to meet with Nahida. They seemed to be discussing something. Luo Qing, having a general understanding of their topic, didn't linger there. Instead, with a slight shift of intent, he directed his focus toward Cyno.

The moment he switched over, he saw Azar tied to a chair by Cyno, surrounded by racks full of various torture devices. It was evidently an interrogation room.

"So the Akademiya has such places, huh?" Luo Qing mused with curiosity, deciding to observe further.

Cyno picked up a leather whip from the rack, gripping it tightly as he approached Azar. In a low voice, he said:

"I'll give you one minute to confess your crimes, or you'll have no one to blame but yourself for what happens next..."

"Hah, my crimes?" Azar sneered. "I have a clear conscience. What crimes could I possibly have committed?!"

Cyno snorted coldly and stopped talking. The whip in his hand lashed out fiercely, and a blood-curdling scream echoed through the interrogation room, each cry more pained than the last.

"How boring to just beat someone. Let me spice things up for you," Luo Qing chuckled softly and willed his intent.

The next moment, Azar, who was being tortured in the interrogation room, suddenly found his surroundings shifting. Emerging from the shadows of the dim room was a group of beastfolk, identical to those in his nightmares.

The beastfolk walked past Cyno, heading straight for him. As they moved, they began removing their clothing.

"You... you all!"

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!"

At this moment, Azar's psychological defenses completely crumbled. His voice was filled with despair and hoarseness.

He had feared the whip far less than this.

"Please, Cyno, make them go away! I'll tell you everything, just don't let them near me!" Azar begged Cyno frantically.

Yet a flicker of doubt passed through Cyno's eyes. Is this guy insane? It's just the two of us here.

No matter—perhaps he was just faking it.

Cyno continued the interrogation, his whip lashing down again. Screams of anguish once again filled the room.

This time, however, Azar's eyes held nothing but emptiness and despair.

---

"Ugh... why did that even have to happen?"

The scene in the interrogation room was a bit much. Luo Qing felt that if he watched any longer, he might explode. With a sigh, he withdrew his consciousness from the virtual network.

After a while, several figures came running from the other side of the valley, heading towards the location of the Joururi Workshop. Noticing Luo Qing on the riverbank, they changed direction and ran towards him instead.

"Luo Qing, what are you doing here..."

Lumine looked at him, seated by the river with a fishing rod, then glanced at his subordinates standing behind him. Her confusion was palpable.

Luo Qing smiled faintly. "Didn't I tell you? I'm fishing~"

"..."

[Frustration +1 from Lumine.]

This guy!

Every time she had an important mission, this man always seemed to show up on her path with some random excuse!

"Tell me, Luo Qing, you're not here to stop us, are you?"

Paimon asked with a puzzled look, her eyes gleaming with innocent curiosity.

"That's right! I'm here to stop you," Luo Qing said with a grin. "If you want to pass, you'll have to leave Paimon behind as my cup. How about it?"

"Cup...?"

Paimon scratched her head.

"Why would I be a cup...?"

"..."

"Paimon, he's teasing you," Lumine interjected, unable to watch any longer.

"Huh?"

Paimon looked even more confused, still dwelling on why she'd be turned into a cup.

"Luo Qing... that false god, he's inside, isn't he?"

Nahida approached Luo Qing and asked softly.

"That's right, my little Nahida~ Why, are you here to avenge Sumeru?"

Luo Qing reached out to ruffle Nahida's hair. As expected, the sensation in the real world was much better. That faint grassy scent...

Ah, bliss.

"Luo Qing, I know he's your colleague, but I cannot forgive what they've done to Sumeru. So—"

Before Nahida could finish her plea, Luo Qing pulled her into his arms, gently pinched her cheek, and said tenderly:

"Be careful, my little Nahida~ If he dares to bully you, just tell me! I might not be able to lay a hand on him myself, but I'll have someone deal with him for you."

"Mmh... okay, I'll remember that," Nahida nodded lightly. Their foreheads accidentally bumped, but for some reason, Nahida felt no discomfort. On the contrary, she seemed to like it.

Luo Qing's scent... it felt familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere before.

"Alright, you should head in now." Luo Qing patted her shoulder and gently nudged her towards Lumine and Paimon, looking like a father sending his daughter off to kindergarten.

"If anything happens, just call me. I've got a professional team standing by~"

"..."

Lumine glanced at Luo Qing, at a loss for words. Sharing a look with Nahida and Paimon, she nodded and led the group into the Joururi Workshop.

Once they disappeared inside, Luo Qing's smile faded.

He returned to his fishing chair, watching the bobbing float on the river. In a calm voice, he asked Igor, "Have you notified everyone inside?"

"Yes, sir. According to your temporary orders, everyone has been evacuated ahead of schedule. All the Akademiya scholars have also left. Only the Balladeer remains inside," Igor replied.

"Good," Luo Qing said with a faint smile, leaning back and basking in the sunlight.

"The debts of those at the top shouldn't be paid by the workers. No point fighting to the death over a few Mora."

"Well said, sir. But..." Igor hesitated before asking, "By helping that Traveler and setting up a trap for the Balladeer, aren't you worried the Tsaritsa might hold you accountable?"

"If blame comes, Dottore will be the first to take the hit. I'm just here on a state-funded vacation—it has little to do with me," Luo Qing replied lazily, a mint leaf in his mouth.

"Besides, if Her Majesty truly saw the Traveler as an enemy, why would she list her as someone we are forbidden to kill in your operational handbooks?"

"Igor, never speculate about the intentions of those above you. Otherwise, you'll only bring trouble upon yourself."

"Understood, sir. I overstepped."

Igor bowed slightly and stepped back, falling silent.

---

T/N: also holy grail war got blocked :), caught me in a bad time so no reposting here just going to go straight to scribblehub!

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