I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

Chapter 38: Lance's Artistic Opinion

The sprawling garden belonging to the College of Magical Engineering was lush and verdant. Dew clung to the foliage, shimmering with a crystalline glow. As the college's staff began to arrive, the garden's automated irrigation system sprang into action.

Meanwhile, Lance and Vivian remained not far from the entrance of the old Liberal Arts Hall. The princess had suddenly posed an unexpected question to him. Back in South Vantina, he had never encountered anyone who would discuss such topics with him. Although Hans and Francine had both highly praised his painting, neither had ever delved into technical artistic discussions with him.

Lance thought for a moment, then smiled and replied, "If I had to point out a difference... I would say that the statue of the Goddess is carved with incredible, lifelike realism. Her gaze is gentle and benevolent, immersed in a shimmering, starlit expanse, shifting between vastness and composure, sinking ever deeper into a tranquil embrace, yet simultaneously appearing to rise to the surface and soar upward."

"Indeed." Vivian nodded in agreement upon hearing his answer.

While she concurred with his thoughts, his opinion wasn't much different than from those renowned masters. After hearing such things over and over again, this kind of assessment felt somewhat ordinary to her.

Moments later, Lance continued, "But, if we are to discuss what makes the piece as a whole so incredible, I believe we must start with the Southern Cross constellation that is carved behind the Goddess."

Vivian frowned slightly and asked, "Why is that?"

People usually praised the Goddess herself when discussing this work. Although the background of the piece also had exquisite craftsmanship, it was not the main subject and served primarily to accentuate the figure of the deity.

Lance looked up at the sculpture once more. His clear, emerald-green eyes were filled with intense focus, pinpointing the exact position of every star, as he remarked with a look of rapt fascination, "The celestial pattern carved by Master Gela actually bears a very subtle deviation from the official school emblem. This was not a mistake, of course, but simply a difference in the angle of observation..."

He paused and then continued, "Let me hazard a guess... Could it be that Master Gela was inspired by the celestial alignment that night and carved this piece on a whim? The starry sky that evening was perhaps like an answer from the Creator, providing the spark that imbued the work with such innate, soulful grace. He gazed at the heavens and poured his very spirit into carving until it became hard to tell whether he was shaping the lapis lazuli or sculpting the starlight itself."

Lance sighed and waxed poetically, "It is precisely that backdrop of stars behind the Goddess that unifies the entire piece. It accentuates the deity's beauty to the utmost without ever detracting from her own captivating radiance."

Vivian was clearly startled by Lance's impassioned response. His keen eye for detail and his insights into the sculpture were both unique and profound. She recalled that, according to the records of Ikerite University, the magical artisan Gela had indeed completed this work at night.

While it was impossible to verify the late Master Gela Zelt's state of mind during the creation process, Lance's theory aligned perfectly with the known facts. Vivian couldn't help but look up at the sculpture again, finding Lance's interpretation increasingly convincing.

She then turned to look at Lance's profile. "You..."

She wondered whether this was truly the first time he had laid eyes on the sculpture.

Sensing Vivian's gaze, Lance turned his head and smiled warmly. "I hope I haven't embarrassed myself too much, Your Highness. My speculation might be completely off the mark. If I have inadvertently offended Master Gela, I ask for your indulgence."

Vivian snapped out of her thoughts, nodded slightly, and asked a follow up question, "I heard your family is in trade. Is that why you're so skilled at appraising art?"

Although Lance clearly possessed a keen eye for art, Vivian didn't know his specific areas of expertise, or his own proficiency in the creative domain.

Lance replied with his usual modesty, "I only know a little. It's merely a matter of personal interest."

Vivian knew that Lance's way of speaking was always unassuming. Yet, it was true, if Lance truly possessed such exceptional artistic mastery, it would be impossible for him to remain completely unknown in the field until now.

"To be honest, the royal treasury also houses works by Magical Artisan Gela. Every single piece is considered a national treasure." There was not a hint of boastfulness in Vivian's tone. She was simply sharing this information because she had finally met a peer with whom she could truly converse. This was a rare occurrence for her.

"If my royal brother, Ainor, were to meet you, he might even invite you to view them—" Vivian cut herself off mid-sentence, her expression darkening as she abruptly changed the subject. "Actually, never mind, it's better if you don't meet him. If you ever run into a third year student from the College of Magical Engineering who is named Ainor, make sure to steer clear of him."

Lance asked curiously, "Is Prince Ainor not as approachable as Your Highness Vivian?"

He actually detested people who spoke in half-truths, or those who insisted on talking in riddles. Yet, out of courtesy, he phrased his question tactfully.

"Am I considered approachable? Hmm..." Vivian nodded after a moment of reflection, then elaborated, "My older brother is certainly approachable too, though his problem is that he takes it a bit too far."

Her brother was the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Hutton, and he truly had a unique character. Despite his royal status, he held power and prestige in disdain, caring only for elegance and art. Moreover, he loved nothing more than showing off in front of others.

If Ainor were to discover that Lance had a keen eye for the arts, he would undoubtedly invite him to tour the royal palace, asking Lance to admire and critique his vast collection, all while demonstrating his own flair for artistic appreciation.

"I see. Prince Ainor sounds like a good person, then. I'll be sure to steer clear of him so I don't cause him any trouble." Lance more or less understood the situation. The prince was simply too enthusiastic; he couldn't help himself when he met someone he clicked with.

"Mm, there's no need to worry too much, though." Vivian was certain that even if her foolish older brother did run into Lance and hit it off instantly, he wouldn't pester him for long. After all, given Lance's age, there was no way he could be a genuine master of the arts. Her brother would likely just show off a bit and then lose interest.

As they chatted, they noticed that the old Liberal Arts Hall had finally opened for business. The two of them walked inside to handle the enrollment formalities. With the princess by his side, the entire process was incredibly smooth. Lance felt almost like a high-ranking official himself.

Less than half an hour later, Lance left the College of Magical Engineering in high spirits and headed toward the dormitories. The Student Services Center would later deliver any luggage the students had temporarily stored there directly to their respective dorms. He was quite pleased with the school's service.

Vivian strolled along with her arms crossed, her fingertips tapping rhythmically against her elbows. She was heading in the same direction as Lance and suddenly asked, "Do you have a team in mind yet? If you don't join one, you'll likely find it very difficult to challenge the Shadow Realm."

She was also planning to visit the dormitory buildings today. After all, they would soon be fellow students at the Sages' College.

Students who were enrolled as a Registered Challenger by the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association were permitted to challenge the actual Shadow Realm. Of course, they could do so as a team.

Consequently, the school was home to quite a few powerful and renowned teams. There was a strict university rule prohibiting freshmen students from undertaking Shadow Realm challenges on their own. Thus, even if a student obtained their Registered Challenger license during their first year, they would typically join a team and tackle challenges alongside upperclassmen.

Lance asked curiously, "By the way, could I just find a fellow freshman to team up with instead?"

In truth, he was eager to challenge the real Shadow Realm as soon as possible. He didn't want to waste a single moment. Entering a Shadow Realm dungeon triggered a cooldown period during which re-entry was impossible, so the sooner one started, the sooner the cooldown would reset.

Joining an established team, however, involved a lengthy process of coordination, planning, and preparation. As a newcomer, it would likely be difficult to get into the action quickly.

Vivian looked at Lance and said in a cold, stern tone, "That would be nothing short of a death wish."

She didn't want Lance to ruin himself through sheer arrogance and ignorance. He was, after all, a highly promising talent of Hutton.

"Er..." Vivian's demeanor had turned somewhat intimidating, though Lance did understand she was concerned for his safety.

His own knowledge of the real Shadow Realm was limited to combat records and analytical texts. As a princess, Vivian personally knew many formidable challengers and certainly understood the reality of the situation far better than he did.

Lance asked, "So, if we're comparing an actual Level 3 Shadow Realm challenge to the third test in the exams..."

Before he could even finish his question, Vivian interrupted and thoroughly explained, "The difficulty of a real Level 3 dungeon far exceeds that of the artificial Level 2 dungeon we experienced. Even with the harshest modifiers added to the Canyon of Infinite Phantoms, the two are simply not in the same league."

She realized that Lance clearly had no conception of the dangers inherent in the real Shadow Realm. How could a simulated segment of a Level 2 dungeon possibly compare to the difficulty of a real Level 3 one?

If Lance became complacent simply because he passed the entrance exam and secured his license without further preparation, he would sooner or later trigger a disaster inside the real Shadow Realm. Vivian took a deep breath. She felt that even if it meant playing the villain, she had to give Lance a harsh wake-up call.

However, before she could even organize her thoughts, Lance asked, "Hypothetically—just hypothetically—if we added three negative modifiers to the Canyon of Infinite Phantoms, specifically Hilly Terrain, Examiner Rank Rising From Rank 4 to Rank 5, and Starting Distance Reduced to Half of the Standard Distance, how would it compare to a real Level 3 Shadow Realm challenge?"

Vivian was stunned by the scenario he proposed. What kind of devilish modifiers were those? Who would even come up with such things? The very nature of the test would change completely.

She murmured, her voice wavering, "Are you out of your mind? If you added those three modifiers, I don't believe a single incoming freshman could pass. It would be practically indistinguishable from a Level 3 Shadow Realm dungeon that is in a rampage state."

Generally speaking, if a critical error occurred during a Shadow Realm run, preventing the participants from following the mechanics to the final boss or causing them to be hunted down by that boss first, the scenario was described as the Shadow Realm entering a rampage state. In that case, a Rank 3 challenger might find themselves facing being hunted down by a Rank 5 final boss within that Level 3 Shadow Realm dimension.

Vivian looked at Lance with a puzzled expression. Surely, it couldn't be that Lance and Hyperion had actually encountered such modifiers? If the two of them had actually passed under those conditions, just how much of a freak was he?

Lance nodded, resting his chin on his hand. "I think I have a rough idea of how difficult a Level 3 Shadow Realm dungeon is now."

Basically, if he teamed up with his old partner Hyperion, given that they were Rank 2 and Rank 3 respectively, and queued into a real Shadow Realm challenge, the resulting dungeon would likely be either Level 2 or Level 3, barring any unexpected complications. In any case, it was likely far less stressful than joining a team with upperclassmen who were Rank 3 to 4.

Vivian tilted her head, eyeing Lance with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. "You... Surely you didn't end up with those three modifiers when you were with Hyperion, right?"

Even though she felt it was impossible, she had sensed an inexplicable air of composure and steadiness about him. As a royal princess, her intuition regarding a person's character was quite spot on. Yet, she found herself unable to gauge the true extent of his capabilities.

Lance smiled while waving his hand and shaking his head. "Of course not. There's no way it was those three."

The modifiers he had actually encountered were Plains Terrain, Examiner Rank Rising From Rank 4 to Rank 5, and Starting Distance Reduced to One-Third of the Standard Distance. They were somewhat different from what he had told Vivian earlier.

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