Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Without soldiers, without servants, our Hamlet journey will only involve three people."

"...Are you crazy? Three people traveling to a neighboring country, such a long journey, what if something happens along the way? And who is the other person?"

"Ha! That person happens to be the reason I brought you in. That person is the gentleman my father favored for investment, and also your competitor. In the name of Kevin Borry, my Knight Lyle, defeat your rival."

"Even if that gentleman has great abilities, the three of us cannot complete this journey; it is too dangerous."

"No, in my opinion, it would be safest for the three of us to go."

What is the basis for this?

"My intuition."

"..."

Chapter 156 Three's Company

Lyle finally understood what Ralf meant by "unreliable." Perhaps he had spent too much time with Kevin, and the guy's enviable appearance had occupied too much space in his mind, so much so that he had ignored his unreliability.

A person intuitively decides to embark on a journey with only three people in a world where bandits outnumber weeds—even novels wouldn't dare to write something like that!

Kevin also noticed Lyle's gaze, the suspicion in which couldn't be clearer. But our Mr. Kevin couldn't explain this intuition in his heart either. So, when reason can't work, we can rely on loyalty.

"Trust me, my brother. For our friendship, I'd go to any lengths for you!"

Lyle perfectly mimicked Ralph's disdainful gaze.

"I want to stab you in the back right now. You're crazy and you drag me into it. You're courting death and you want to drag your brothers down with you. It's not too much to stab you in the back, is it?"

Kevin was clearly provoked; he stared at Lyle with wide eyes, like an enraged lion.

"It's not that I'm courting death, I just have a very strong intuition, believe me!"

Lyle felt that something must be wrong with his head too; amid Kevin's pale but powerful and resounding declaration, he himself began to waver.

"Are you really going to do this?"

"Of course, I will only take the three of us on this trip. My intuition tells me that this is the best solution."

“I can’t understand your intuition, but I won’t let my good friend die in the wilderness. When will your journey begin?”

"The day after tomorrow morning, I still need to prepare some legal documents related to identity and inheritance. Lyle, my brother, you will be glad you made the right choice."

"Only if we all die out there can my choice be proven to be correct."

……

When a gleeful Kevin appeared at Lyle's door leading two tall horses, Lyle was just giving Grape some instructions on what to do after he left, which were nothing more than small details like closing the windows and locking the doors. Nia and Medusa climbed into Lyle's sleeve.

"Lyle, I've brought you a treasure. Don't worry, Warrior is very docile, and I believe you'll learn how to ride it soon. These days, it's inconvenient not to have a mount."

Lyle smiled inwardly. "I also have a necromancer mount, which is much cooler than your horse."

However, now that we're in the city, there's no need to use those big machines.

He managed to climb onto the horse and followed behind Kevin. Perhaps because he was about to leave his father's surveillance range, Kevin became much wilder. It was as if several chirping sparrows were hiding in his mouth, and he didn't stop chirping all the way.

"By the way, regarding your rival, my father's investor, I've already arranged for him to wait at the city gate. My main purpose in doing this is to reduce your psychological pressure. Just perform well; you are my pride."

Kevin gave a wicked smile.

"Once we get to the wilderness, we'll take on him two-on-one and leave him helpless. We'll teach him a lesson."

The so-called rival seems to have a good relationship with Kevin, and the age difference isn't too great. Such a person also has the ability to protect Kevin, so it seems he's a mysterious figure like himself.

Before they knew it, the two had ridden to the city gate. On a small mound beside the official road, a young man in black led his horse, gazing into the distance.

Her golden, tousled hair wasn't as voluminous as Kevin's; it was tied in a small ponytail at the back of her head. Her features were striking, like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.

Another hypocrite.

“Mr. Dorgit, my friend has arrived and will be traveling with us. Let me introduce you, this is…”

"No need, Mr. Borre. I happen to know Mr. Buller. It's been a long time, Lyle."

“It has indeed been a long time since we parted ways in the City of Wanderings, William.”

Kevin watched the two exchanging pleasantries.

"Do you know?"

William smiled at Kevin, patted Lyle on the shoulder, and said something casually.

"A life-or-death friendship, Lyle is my good friend."

Kevin burst out laughing.

"Haha, Lyle's brother is my brother. It's really fate that the three of us are like this. William, I will definitely treat you well."

Kevin led the two on their way, chatting enthusiastically with William, as if the rivalry and the sinister plans he and Lyle had imagined had never happened.

"William, how did you... get involved with the Borei family? Does Kevin's family also have mysterious figures?"

William wore a look that suggested something was amiss.

"Ever since I was swindled by the succubus of the Blood Rose, I've been penniless and can't even afford the materials for my magical experiments. With no other option, I picked a relatively wealthy nobleman from Cassandel and swindled him to make ends meet, and that's how I became the magic advisor to the Borei family."

As William spoke, he seemed to realize something. He turned to look at the expressionless Kevin, wishing he could slap himself. What had I done? I told the truth to my employer's son, and my true nature was exposed the moment I met someone I knew. I'm such an idiot.

“Mr. Borry, let me explain…” William really wanted to cast a charm spell, but unfortunately he only had elemental magic talent.

“You don’t need to explain, Mr. William…” Kevin’s eyes gleamed with delight. “You’re a real talent, Brother William. Teach me how to swindle my father. I’m running out of money lately.”

When a person's mental state is severely impacted, they will seek out a seemingly more lucid third party to verify whether what they are experiencing is real. William looked at Lyle walking beside him, his eyes filled with many small question marks.

"As you can see, this is a real pain in the neck. If you can think of a way to bankrupt Baron Borre, he might even get involved."

The teasing and sarcasm they exchanged brought the three of them much closer together.

"Lyle, I have a question. You usually stay at home and rarely leave your house. How did you come to know Mr. William, this magician?"

"Because Mr. Lyle and I are the same kind of people."

Are magicians and paupers the same kind of people?

"..."

William looked at Lyle. "Haven't you told Mr. Kevin your true identity yet?"

"No."

"Then why not tell him now that we will definitely need to use our abilities on the journey ahead? It's good to prepare him mentally in advance. Mr. Borui is only leading us forward, presumably to keep it a secret and give us the greatest room to maneuver."

Lyle thought for a moment, recalling Kevin's past experiences, and it seemed that telling him his true identity wouldn't cause any major problems.

“Okay, Kevin, actually, besides being a sheriff and a doctor, I’m also a necromancer.”

Kevin's face showed great surprise, but he did not become fearful; instead, he looked enlightened.

"I understand! Mr. Ralph must be the zombie you're controlling, right?"

Chapter 157 The Great Emperor Nero

A moment of silence, sunlight dappling the tender leaves, revealing the shadows of birds flitting across the sky. With a clear, melodious cry, time resumed in the three's location.

"Haha...haha...am I overthinking it?" Kevin awkwardly scratched the back of his head, his tousled golden hair like stars falling from the sky. "As expected, my delusion of controlling Mr. Ralph is doomed to fail."

Lyle looked helpless. "How could you have such a fantasy?"

"Well... after all... Mr. Ralf is a bit scary. Just looking into his eyes makes you feel like you can't even feel your own gallbladder, and especially, his manner of doing things left a very deep impression on me."

“Ah, I understand!” William patted Kevin on the shoulder with an expression of understanding. The two looked at each other, and a sense of camaraderie arose in their eyes.

"So, Lyle, is Mr. Ralph really, really not your creation?"

“No,” Lyle gently tugged at the warrior’s reins, urging it to continue. “I don’t have the ability to create such a gloomy and terrifying being.”

……

Leaving the high walls of Cassandra, the surrounding vegetation suddenly became much denser, and as the road continued to extend, the traces left by woodcutters on the surrounding tree trunks gradually diminished. Since none of the three were experienced travelers, they missed the village where they would stop for a rest as the sun set and had no choice but to camp in the mountains.

Lyle, seeing that there was no village or shop in sight, asked his employer.

"How to do?"

Kevin looked dejected. "I'm sorry, I thought we were close to our next stop, but now we'll probably have to spend the night in the wilderness."

William showed no anxiety about the situation, even though the wilderness was far more dangerous for ordinary people.

"Then let's rest outside for the night. I'll take care of setting up the camp. After all, magic is more suited for this."

William pulled out his wand.

He waved it casually at first.

"The Wind That Pulls."

A faint sound came from deep within the bushes, and small twigs rolled on the ground, piling up in a small heap in front of William.

"ignite."

The firewood ignited, bringing warmth and light to the three of them.

William took out a white leather bag, from which he pulled out a water sac much larger than the bag, and dipped his wand into the shrunken water sac.

"Yongquan" (涌泉).

Just like inflating an air bladder, the water bladder was instantly filled, bulging out as if it might burst at any moment.

William handed the water bag to Kevin and began to explore the surrounding land, eventually finding a suitable spot.

"Stone Wall Technique".

Three interconnected stone walls rose from the ground, forming a U-shape, three meters high, facing the campfire and the astonished Kevin and Lyle.

William had a relaxed smile on his face.

"Magic is so convenient."

As the moon began to climb to the top of the trees, William was controlling the heat in the soup pot. He had no trace of the dignity of a magistrate, and was tirelessly stirring the soup with a spoon, cooking what was said to be a famous dish from his hometown.