Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

“Mr. Reed, would you like to try the children’s lane? It’s easy, simpler than it looks.”

"..."

Under Reed's silent gaze, Lyle, having already mastered the technique and abandoned all shame, began to climb. Although he could now completely rely on Nia to crawl, he simply enjoyed the feeling.

The feeling of climbing step by step, doing it yourself. Especially after climbing ten meters, looking at Mr. Reed's little black dot on the ground, Lyle had a sense of superiority, like a boss looking at a newcomer.

With a whoosh, a series of woven vines were flung to the ground along the spot where Lyle was crawling.

"Lyle, Reed, sit in the basket! I'll pull you up!"

"..."

Lyle climbed back up, looked at Mr. Reed, and silently sat down in the sturdy hanging basket.

Faced with Mr. Reed's meaningful gaze, Lyle felt like an idiot.

“It’s alright, Lyle. Men are boys until they die. We all have our childish moments.”

Finally, the two arrived at the large platform.

Lyle looked at Echel, who was retrieving the basket, with resentment.

“Mr. Echer, when did Lewesser have something so convenient?” I remember last time I came here I had to climb up step by step using the children’s ramp.

“After your last visit, I realized that climbing trees might be a hassle for some guests, so I added this.”

"...Sigh, you could at least have let me know first."

Echel frowned. "Didn't I already climb up ahead of time? You can wait for me down here. It's only a short time, what's there to say?"

In such a short time, I've already lost all my dignity.

Perhaps Echer's animalistic instincts sensed Lyle's frustration, for he patted Lyle on the back with his large, bear-paw-like hands.

"Cheer up, I'm having dinner with my darling Kayla later, and I'll share the joy of having two delicious meals with you."

The vine-covered walkway in Lewes was much sturdier than I had imagined, perhaps reinforced in anticipation of Reid's visit. Even stepping on the metal lumps only caused a slight sway.

"Goodness, Reed, you're something else! You walked over without even flinching, you're a real man!"

A pleasant sound came from the helmet.

"Hmph, we men of Derya are the pillars of our nation, how could we be defeated by high altitudes and swaying!"

Echer clapped his hands.

"Speaking of which, the last time Lyle came over, his legs were like jelly. It cracked me up. That kid, his legs were like they had springs in them, he was practically swaying as he walked."

Lyle sighed silently.

I really want to throw Echer off, but no, he probably won't die from the fall.

At the pinnacle of the Kingdom of Lewesser, in the canopy of trees, lies the Hall of Dawn.

Queen Kayla seemed to already know of Lyle and the others' arrival. She sat on a hanging vine, with fruits, vegetables, and cured meats served in huge leaves on the table, and smiled at the dark figure that appeared in front of the door.

"Ranger Captain Kailand told me that you have brought me some surprises, Grandpa Echer."

Kayla swayed on the vines, only her toes lightly touching the floor. Moonlight shone on her long, full thighs, illuminating her pure white stockings, while the glow of the firefly chandelier made her flawless skin appear as translucent as water.

Her long, flowing golden hair was bound by an olive branch crown, and the playful ends swaying with her body gave this mature beauty a touch of childlike innocence.

A smile graced her face, and her reflective eyes shone like moonlight in amber.

"It's nice to see you again, Lyle."

Kayla jumped up from her seat and came over like a gust of wind.

"Isn't my granddaughter beautiful?"

"You look good, but my Lina is no less beautiful than yours!"

The two granddaughters, who were both obsessed with their granddaughters, were still arguing quietly.

Kayla had already moved closer.

Her pace slowed, and as the distance shortened, she gradually saw Echel's face in the darkness.

With a mix of surprise, anticipation, and uncertainty, Kayla called out timidly.

"Grandpa Echer, is...is that you?"

Echer, who looked to be in his thirties or forties, smiled and opened his arms, his rugged expression softening like water.

"Even if my appearance changes a thousand times, my Kayla, my love for you will never change, just like the wind that never stops blowing through the forest."

Kayla covered her lips, and tears began to well up in the corners of her surprised eyes.

“It really is Grandpa Echer… I’ve seen this face in paintings before.”

"Yes, my little darling, do you want to pinch it? The last time was when you were very little. I still remember when your chubby little hands pulled my beard."

"Lyle, your flesh and blood creation won't hurt my precious granddaughter's delicate hands, right?"

Lyle shrugged; this was his twelfth question.

"No, even if I slap your head off, I won't fight back."

Chapter 334 Growth

Kayla kept pulling at Echel's face, stretching her angular cheeks into a pancake shape. With her happy smile, Echel, infected by her granddaughter, also grinned foolishly.

“Have you come back to life? Grandpa Echer, you look younger than my father…mother.”

“Actually, he’s just a skeleton in a skin.” Reed snorted jealously beside Lyle. “If you used a little more force, you could even tear this bastard’s face off.”

Reed's words had a significant effect; Kayla stopped touching his cheek and even took a small step back in fear. If it had really happened, and she had torn her grandfather's face off, it would have been a truly terrifying psychological trauma.

"Damn tin can, a layer of skin can't seal your sharp tongue!"

"Yes, even the pronunciation has become more profound, after I was able to use my tongue more skillfully."

Looking at the tall figure arguing with her grandfather, Kayla could easily tell that they were friends, but that didn't mean she wasn't angry.

"Grandpa Echer, you haven't introduced this person to me yet..."

“I forgot, though it’s not a big deal,” Echel shrugged, trying to pat Reed’s arm guards, but was brushed aside. “This is Reed Deria, the Deria from next door.” Echel’s tone was as if she were introducing old Reed from the next village.

“Ryder Deria? You mean… this is the founding king of Deria, a contemporary of yours!!” Kayla’s voice rose several octaves, turning into a shrill cry like a cuckoo. “That’s nothing! You should have told me from the beginning!” Kayla felt her mind go blank. She had completely abandoned her queenly etiquette in front of a foreign king, and a sense of humiliation instantly crept onto her face.

Forcing a blush to stay on her face, Kayla pretended to be serious, "It is an honor for you to be a guest in Leviser, Your Majesty King Reid Dereya."

Kayla had already shown him respect, and Reed felt he needed to reciprocate by giving this excellent young woman a little something in return. He took a deep breath, removed his helmet, and revealed his true face.

Those aged eyes seemed to hold mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Kayla even felt as if she could hear war drums and the sound of horses' hooves. The king's majesty descended upon the shoulders of the young queen of Levis.

"Queen of Levis, I..."

*Slap!* Under the horrified gazes of Lyle and Kayla, a smiling Echel slapped Reid across the face. Reid looked at her with a mixture of confusion and surprise in his eyes.

"This is a family gathering, without the formalities of a monarch. Just two old men returning home. Keep it simple, dear Kayla."

Reid clearly didn't think so. He threw his helmet on the ground and drew a longsword from his waist. Echel's actions were more painful than killing him.

Reed's roar almost pierced through the entire Leviathan.

"You old bastard! I'm going to chop you into mincemeat today!" Two grandfatherly figures, brimming with energy far exceeding that of young people, staged a chaotic chase in the night of Levis.

"Don't run! You damn monkey!!!"

"If you can catch me in Levishe, you bastard, I'll cut off my head and use it as a chamber pot!"

"I'm so angry!!!"

With a few leaps, the two disappeared outside the door, leaving the two of them looking at each other.

Seeing Kayla's concern, Lyle chuckled in relief. "Don't worry, Kayla, Mr. Echel and Mr. Reid are good friends, this kind of thing happens to them all the time."

Kayla's complexion improved a bit. She gathered a few rangers to follow the two pursuing figures, and then, feeling relieved, she complained to Lyle like a friend.

“Grandpa Echer always acted as boldly as a knight-errant, and as his heir, one needs to have a big heart.”

“Kayla, even after Echer died, he always remembered you and Livisser. Echer must have been a great king.”

“Yes, he lives on in our hearts.” A smile returned to Kayla’s face, along with a sense of relief. She turned her bright eyes to Lyle, looking at the lenses on the pale bird-beak mask.

"Then, Lyle, what about your disguise? Your disguise is exactly what you were like in life, isn't it?"

Being asked to show one's face by a beautiful girl is an embarrassing and heart-pounding thing, but after being bombarded with seductive charms by Naslan's daughters, Lyle has developed a certain immunity.

Only single people care about how they appear in other people's eyes.

Lyle took off his mask.

"Lyle is indeed a handsome man."

Hmph, naive. Do you think I'll be happy just because I hear a simple compliment?

Medusa crawled up to Lyle's ear and whispered with a wicked grin, "Little boy, the hairs on your back are standing on end happily." Fortunately, Medusa's voice was very soft, and Kayla probably couldn't hear it.

A few minutes later, Echel and Reid returned side by side, a longsword still embedded in their bodies. They had compromised. Echel let him stab her in his anger, and Reid didn't slice her into pieces in someone else's house.

At least dinner looked harmonious.

Nia's presence at the dining table revealed her true nature. None of the three seemed afraid of her; Kayla, watching Nia's girlish movements, even felt a touch of curiosity, though her queenly etiquette kept her composed. She simply watched as Nia perched on Lyle's head, crunching away like a squirrel as she ate.

“Grandpa Echer’s return is a great joy for everyone in Levither,” Kayla said, her eyes shining with a beautiful light. “Levither will surely return to its original state under Grandpa’s guidance, and our people will flourish like the leaves of summer, as long as Grandpa leads us.”

Echer paused for a moment, meeting Kayla's longing eyes.

“My child, now, you are the king of Levisser.”

“But you are far superior to me; you are the founder of Levis…”

“Just as I said, my dear, this time it’s just the return of long-lost souls. We are dead, and will forever be the past. Kayla, you’ve actually done very well. Look at your people, they trust you, and you have led Levisser on the road to revival.”

Kayla's voice suddenly sharpened, "But it's not enough! I'm not good enough..." She looked about the same age as Lyle, but this seemingly fragile girl carried the weight of an entire nation on her shoulders. Who could imagine the pressure she had endured? Even though her population was less than that of a city-state in the 21st century, this girl had already borne a heavy burden. Echel's rejection seemed to trigger a taut nerve within her, and Kayla unleashed her pent-up emotions.

“I know what the Levithians were like back then! In my childhood, it was as warm as the autumn sun, the pride and sunshine on every Levithian’s face. We had everything a jungle king should have! We had the arrogance to reject the Holy Light. But… I failed to do any of that!”

Kayla looked at Echel like a crying little girl wanting to return to an adult's embrace.

“I can feel it, Grandpa. Livis is still grieving the loss of you. You are our pillar. Please come back.”