Klein's brain felt like it had turned to mush, memories flashing before his eyes in an uncontrollable stream: "being tailed by the Professor while questioning Lucian Evans," "in the Melzer Black Forest incident, it was the Professor who acted, but Lucian Evans was the one who benefited in the end," "the Professor showing up at his door in the dead of night," "collaborating on the plan against the Clown," "the great musician Lucian Evans dying in the end." These memories were like scattered pearls, strung together by "Arcane Review Committee member Lucian Evans, who appeared last in the great hall of the Arcane Parliament headquarters" into a complete necklace.
He was over eighty percent certain that Lucian Evans was the erudite "Mr. Professor"!
"Pro... Evans..." He changed the address, but his voice grew quieter and quieter. Klein clamped his mouth shut, because a sudden, intense fear had welled up within him. Was Arcane Review Committee member Lucian Evans willing to have his hidden identity exposed? Did he even want to see the likes of them?
As the Governor of Altor — the Sacred Hymn City — for over a decade, he possessed the professional caution befitting his role, especially when facing individuals of formidable strength and elevated status.
Hearing Louise's half-dazed murmur, Pan turned to her in astonishment: "You know Member Evans?"
"Isn't... isn't he dead?" "The Hanged Man" Ricardo and "Flame" Sapatiero both whispered in shock almost simultaneously.
Dead? They had seen Member Evans die? Wait — they came from Altor, and there had indeed been a Lucian Evans who passed away there, with a grand funeral held in his honor. And Member Evans's hometown was reportedly Altor. Could it be...
Pan recalled the idle chatter aboard the magical steam train and stared at Lucian with his mouth half-agape. Could he be that genius musician? That musical master whose every composition was wildly popular in the Holm Kingdom, in Lontar? Even though *Ode to Joy*, being a hymn praising the Joy Angel, counted as semi-religious music and hadn't caught on in Arindan, Pan was well aware that many mages privately adored that piece of music — especially singing along to its beautiful melody, far more frequently than any opera's accompanying songs. And Pan was one of them.
The age seemed about right... but no matter how Pan looked at Committee Member Evans — that man obsessed with arcane exploration and arcane research, eager to develop alchemical items for profit — he just didn't resemble an elegant musician of unparalleled talent whose piano playing bordered on art. Could there be some mistake? Could Louise and the others have misidentified him?
Jolted awake by the voices of the Hanged Man and the others, Louise looked at Lucian with unusually dazed eyes while keeping her mouth firmly shut, just like Sage Klein. Any mage who had survived in Altor's arcane circles for so many years without being recruited as a spy or killed by the Church always erred on the side of caution.
At that moment, Louise saw Lucian's head tilt ever so slightly, then turn back. He offered the group a warm, elegant smile, exchanged a few quiet words with the young men and women beside him, and then walked over at an unhurried pace.
"Mr. E-Evans." Klein was the first to recover, bowing respectfully. His pupils contracted slightly, because he could clearly see three badges pinned to Lucian's left breast. One with six silver stars on a black background, one with five black rings on a silver background, and one depicting a hand holding a feather pen. He already knew what those meant — Pan had explained them to him!
Lucian smiled. "You've all finally arrived. It must have been a long journey."
Louise and the others' hearts skipped a beat. He had openly admitted he was the Professor?
"This is all thanks to the guidance you gave us, Pro... Mr. Evans." Klein was the first among them to regain his composure.
Lucian glanced around. "It's just the few of you?"
By now, Louise had also steadied her emotions. She looked at Lucian with a complicated expression, her voice tinged with lingering fear: "We encountered several dangers along the way. The closer we got to Stewart, the tighter the blockade became. I saw several Magic Apprentices killed by the Night Watch or priests."
"There are probably many more who haven't reached Stewart yet. They have too many considerations — unlike us, who could leave the moment we decided to." Klein added. The Hanged Man and Flame, unlike Louise and Klein — one being familiar with the great musician, the other having collaborated with the Professor — remained silent in this unfamiliar place, not daring to interject casually, simply listening.
"Professor Evans, who are these people?" A curious Hedi followed along with Anick and the others.
Lucian pointed to Klein and Louise. "These are friends I knew back in Altor. They've come to the Parliament as well."
Then he pointed to Anick. "And these are my students — Anick, Hedi, Rayilia, Sprint, and Katrina. They're currently helping me at the Atomic Research Institute."
In front of outsiders, Lucian made no effort to distinguish between his true students and those he merely guided from time to time, which made Hedi beam with delight.
After exchanging greetings, Hedi asked with great curiosity: "Sister Louise, what was Professor Evans's life like in Altor? Every time I ask him, he just smiles and doesn't answer."
Louise looked at Lucian awkwardly, opening her mouth without knowing what to say. Her feminine sensibilities, however, drew her attention to the three beautiful, distinctive rings on Lucian's fingers.
"Mr. Evans — Member Evans — are you that great musician from Altor?" Pan's curiosity had been churning inside him, and the question finally burst out. He had previously mourned deeply over the early death of a musical master and lamented that no more classic works would ever be produced.
What? Anick from the Vorlite Principality and Hedi from the Syracuse Kingdom suspected they had misheard Pan's question. The two most prominent Evans figures in his mind were actually the same person?
"The great musician is dead. I am now Lucian Evans, the 'Primordial Devil.'" Lucian answered half-jokingly, while simultaneously dispelling Klein and the others' suspicions. Ranked dead last on the Purification List, the Professor's notoriety was nothing compared to his true identity, and the synthetic urea experiment had been years ago — if it came to light, it would cause no real harm.
So he was admitting it? Pan glanced at Louise and saw her give a slight nod. Overjoyed and startled at the same time, he blurted out: "It really is you? I'm your most devoted fan! I'm so glad you're still alive! Could there be any chance of holding a concert in Arindan?"
He had temporarily forgotten about Lucian's light quantum hypothesis and the infuriating fact that he supported particle theory.
"Maybe someday..." Lucian had no particular desire for it right now. He no longer had the urgency of raising his standing back in Altor, nor was there any girl nearby whose favor he needed to cultivate. What would be the point of holding a concert?