Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

She tossed the paper packet to William, saying, "These are the only talismans I've collected that can be used by William. You decide what to do with them."

Ba Jin walked up to Lyle and gave him a serious look. "Young man, you smell of medicine. Are you a fellow professional?"

Lyle endured the strange, infectious smell—heaven knows how Ba Jin could smell it—and said, "I barely know a little medicine."

"Ha, Doctor." Ba Jin's beady eyes narrowed into slits as he tilted his head, glancing at Lyle out of the corner of his eye. Lyle seemed to see the disdain in his eyes. "This is legitimate alchemy. You'll get a good deal today. Here, a few books. Take them back and read them. When you change careers later, remember to say you're a disciple of Master Ba Jin." Several books were shoved into his hands.

Lyle maintained a stiff smile. "Thank you."

Don't let me know where your corpse is; I'll let it dance sometime.

Although he wouldn't do that, Lyle felt much better.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Wild Wizards and Talismans

The rented carriage traveled along the main country road, leaving behind the ruts of the streets. The journey suddenly became bumpy, and Lyle's buttocks often slipped off the seat. The three of them moved forward in silence.

Yes, Ralph eventually took William Dorgit with him, or more precisely, the charm given to him by Ba Jin.

"Fifty jules, come with us."

"Huh? Wasn't it supposed to be one hundred? Why is it halved?" William asked, expressing some confusion.

"One hundred is for Ba Jin. Are you sure you can be half as effective as him?"

“I’m not sure…” William looked at the talisman pouch in his hand. He opened it and began to examine the details inside, seemingly confirming the scope of his abilities.

“You didn’t.” Ralph didn’t give him a chance to explain; he was like a tightly shut door in the dead of winter, locking people out.

"Fifty, any questions?"

“No.” William was a little suppressed. He couldn’t stand Ralph’s aggressiveness and just wanted to end the situation as soon as possible.

“Very well, your salary is confirmed. Now, let’s talk about your real purpose, the real reason why a person would follow us for almost no pay, William Dorgit, what exactly do you want?”

"I just wanted to..."

"No, you're lying!" Ralph's voice suddenly boomed, and the coachman seemed to have missed a lash. Ralph felt like he was on a jury duty, and the suspect was none other than the unfortunate William.

Ralph was also an excellent interrogator. He never mentioned that he had already hired William, but focused on William's naivety and lack of ability, using his power to demand more.

Lyle wasn't sure if Barking had ever experienced anything like this, nor was he sure if this was Ralph's usual way of treating his companions. He probably didn't have many chances to verify it, and poor Mr. William probably wouldn't get involved in Ralph's mess again.

“I just want to see the mystery, sir. I’m just an apprentice, and if I want to make progress, I need to understand it first. I need knowledge and experience.” William’s body seemed to be trembling slightly, whether from the jolts or something else, it was hard to tell.

Ralph accepted William's explanation. He wasn't going to misjudge this naive young boy. His tone softened a bit, carrying a hint of elder's reproach, but William probably didn't sense it. "Don't you know how dangerous Raphael's wolves are? Don't you understand the importance of taking things one step at a time?"

“But, sir, this is my only chance. The world doesn’t work the way we want. If you want to make progress, you have to take risks. I have to muster up my courage to keep going on my path. If I stop because of risks, I will be nothing.”

Ralph glanced at the somewhat hysterical William and developed a good impression of him. He turned his head and stared straight at Ralph.

See that? It's someone else's child.

Lyle looked back at Ralph, not understanding the meaning in Ralph's narrow, cold, glassy eyes, but he sensed a hint of malice.

Through his own efforts, without relying on his deceased brother's abilities, his nephew was admitted to Eiffel Academy with a full scholarship. Although fate dealt him a blow, he still managed to get to live by his side. His nephew seems to be doing quite well too.

Having satisfied his vanity, Ralph nodded. The cold winter turned into the first snow. Without exchanging any more words, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

The person in charge fell silent.

Only the sound of wheels remained all around.

“I’m very sorry, that’s just how he is, a bit neurotic, but very reliable,” Lyle said.

"It's clear how lucky it is to be Mr. Ralf's teammate."

Lyle extended his palm, intending to befriend this magic apprentice, Mr. William. After all, he knew nothing about the mystical, and having a companion would make him feel much better. "I am Lyle Buller, a new sheriff."

William grasped Lyle's hand. The sheriff, who was about his age, looked kind and approachable. "William Dorgitt, wizard apprentice."

"William, what are those talismans that Mr. Ba Jin gave you for?"

Lyle pointed to the paper talismans placed on William's lap. They were folded into triangles, each yellowish-brown with a different pattern drawn in the center—a small magic circle, many colors and designs. Just like cookies in a cookie tin.

“This is a level one Flame Charm, a level one Ice Cone Charm, a level one Wind Charm…” William listed them one by one, his face gradually filled with a smile. Clearly, Old Barking’s gift was more generous than expected.

"William, don't you miss Mr. Ba Jin? It's said that he doesn't have much time left."

"So what? He died of old age. As a mystic, we were all prepared to die an accident. After all, mastering spellcasting comes at a price. Ba Jin was able to die of old age, which is precisely the best way. Some mysticism is far more terrifying than death. Moreover, for some spellcasters, death is just the beginning."

The concept of a professor doesn't exist in Andrei's academy, perhaps because they consider such common sense unnecessary and therefore discard it. However, Andrei's approach demonstrates that spellcasters are not cowards. Fortunately, I recently learned that each activity room has its own independent spatial structure; otherwise, I really wouldn't want to be stuck in the same castle as those madmen from the Advanced Magic Research Institute.

Lyle saw himself as an academic, while William was a self-taught individual. Wasn't there a saying that wild mages were generally better at surviving? He wondered if he could learn something from him.

The two got along very well. Lyle's ignorance about the mystical led William to believe he was just a Muggle curious about magic, and having someone his own age to talk to was a pleasure for him; he was very open with his knowledge. Lyle, on the other hand, felt that William was worth befriending, and he learned a lot of common sense from William that his friends didn't have.

For example, resurrecting a corpse is definitely not the first lesson a spellcaster should learn; they usually start by learning to sense magic.

However, Lyle had already done it. Since he grasped Mr. Dragon's staff, he had been able to do a little bit. The quarter of arduous training that William had mentioned had become a moment of understanding for Lyle.

"A staff that can make people feel magic just by touching it? Hahaha, Lyle, you're being a bit delusional. How could there be something so powerful in the world? Although magic is said to surpass God, what mortals can master usually has its limits."

"If there really is such a powerful staff, it must be a divine artifact."

Mr. Dragon, your thigh bone is a divine artifact!

“For apprentices like us, the main method of casting spells is to use talismans, complete the drawing with rituals, and ignite them with magic when using them.”

"What are the specific operating procedures?"

William seemed eager to show off his skills, so he took out a triangular charm with a blue pattern on it. "This is a level one Clarity Charm. It's a charm that can increase the speed of magic recovery. It also has a refreshing effect on Muggles...ordinary people."

Lyle felt a wisp of magic travel along William's fingers, from his fingertips to the center of the talisman, producing a hissing sound as flames scorched the paper, but without any bright flames.

William tossed the disintegrating talisman at Lyle, the dust settling on him. Lyle felt a cool sensation in his brain and a slight fluctuation of magic within his body.

This mana regeneration effect is so weak.

Is this talisman only good enough to be used as a mild medicated oil?

Lyle had just noticed the magical power William used, and it seemed to be about the same as his own, so his spellcasting level was probably just as bad as his. That meant Lyle could use these talismans too. He really wanted a few, but he had to keep it to himself to avoid being exposed.

Lyle watched William show off, while he could only silently suffer in silence.

The sleeping Ralf smiled.

Lyle did a good job; the alternating good and bad performances have helped William integrate into the group, and I believe William will also put some effort into protecting Lyle.

Ralph never considered letting William deal with the Raphaelite Wolves; Cassandra's best field sheriffs always relied on themselves.

Ralph was satisfied with the current situation, as it allowed Lyle to broaden his horizons without directly facing risks.

Chapter Thirty: Confirming the Target

*smack*

Ralph stepped down from the carriage. The village directly opposite was their destination, Lalfren.

Unlike Cassandra, which has churches and castles, this place only has low stone buildings. Several dark-skinned peasant women peeked out from behind their doors, sizing up the official who was getting off the carriage. Outsiders were a rare sight here.

Road construction hadn't even started yet, and the roads in the villages and towns were still dirt tracks. Even this main road for transportation was muddy and difficult to navigate. Ralph breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his long-standing work habits made him move quietly, and when he got out of the car, only the bottom layer of his riding boots got muddy.

Pfft!

Lyle jumped off the carriage, and although he was less than fifty centimeters from the ground, he landed as if a depth charge had been detonated beneath his feet. The splashing mud was like an open hand slapping Ralph's trousers.

That brat!

Suppressing the urge to publicly reprimand Lyle, Ralph reached out and grabbed him. Because of the slippery mud, Lyle almost lost his balance and fell into the mud.

"Finally here?" William was the third to get off the bus. He stretched and was about to get off when he met Ralph's gaze, which was as if he were looking at a dead man.

Not daring to offend this cold-faced and wicked official, and not knowing what he had done wrong, he cautiously got off the carriage.

Ralph felt a stroke of luck amidst his misfortune; at least his uniform could still be salvaged. He hoped that meeting the mayor wouldn't cause too much embarrassment because of his appearance.

The mayor arrived quickly. He was a middle-aged man with graying hair, which was neatly combed but inevitably covered in dust. His carefully groomed beard was now a mess. He was dressed in coarse cloth clothes like a commoner, and his boots were stained yellow. Only the fine silk lining peeking out from the cuffs indicated that this farmer-like man standing before him had an extraordinary status.

The mayor glanced at Ralph's attire. His impeccable appearance, though covered in mud on his trousers, looked comical. Yet, it still made the mayor's curly beard twitch slightly. Clearly, the mayor's own dishonesty was no longer a concern. Of course, he wouldn't be so smug as to criticize someone else entirely, and a sense of kinship arose spontaneously.

The town mayor chuckled and said, "Welcome, Sheriff, to my remote and impoverished village. Here, even the finest garments of gods are cast into the mundane."

Ralph was a perceptive man, and he could naturally see the mayor's enthusiasm. It seemed that he had benefited from the misfortune because of his nephew. There were almost no strangers who had a good first impression of Ralph.

"Good afternoon, Mayor. If possible, I need to take my colleagues to the site as soon as possible to investigate the root cause of the problem."

Ralph's decisiveness was not offensive, and the mayor was clearly pleased to hear this. "Of course, diligent sir, I will take you to the scene now. We haven't moved Milen's body; it's still on the edge of his farm. Nobody in town is very willing to stay near him, not even his wife. So, if you need our help, it might be a bit difficult, but rest assured, I will arrange for a few very good young men to follow orders."

"It's good that no one has touched the scene; it makes it easier for us to find evidence if no one has disturbed the crime scene."

It's called a farm, but it's really just a large fenced-off area with green seedlings that are only knee-high. Not far away is a field of reeds that are as tall as a person, and some of the reeds are already rotten.

"That's a swamp. The area around Lafren is full of wetlands like this. Be careful when you're around there, or you might not be able to get out. The original Laflin was even worse. The townspeople say that in Laflin, almost every month someone is swallowed up by the swamp."

As Ralf and the others approached, the stench of the corpse intensified, and they found the body beside a patch of fallen reeds.

Because it was not preserved at low temperatures, it had already begun to rot. The converted fat filled under the skin, making the corpse look bloated.

"Lyle, be careful."

Lyle nodded, took out a bird-beak mask from his pocket, put it on, and put on gloves before beginning his examination.

The rigor mortis had passed, the body had softened, the left arm was missing, and viscous liquid was flowing from the exposed cross-section. The blood plasma had coagulated and was still attached to the bits of flesh of the limb, where maggots had begun to grow.

The arm was severed, but there were no other wounds. The cause of death was excessive blood loss, and no resuscitation efforts were made.

Lyle examined the small piece of broken arm resting on his left shoulder closely.

The Shiba Inu didn't finish chewing it all.

It has been confirmed that it was an attack by a wild animal.

The broken bones on the severed arm indicate that it was crushed by a tremendous force, but it is different from the injury caused by a blunt object. The compression on the flesh is no longer discernible due to decay, but the remaining bone fragments serve as evidence.

Those are Shiba Inu's teeth marks.

Lyle returned with the broken bones. He didn't jump to conclusions but gestured to Ralf, "Look here. Following these cracks and this fractured wound, we can confirm that the deceased's arm was pierced by a sharp object at least ten centimeters in diameter. There's also a notch on the back of the bone, but it's not opposite. Two weapons attacked the arm simultaneously, and the staggered impacts crushed the remaining part of the hand bone. It's incomprehensible how this wound occurred."

“Those are teeth, bite wounds at least ten centimeters in diameter,” Ralph said calmly. “It seems to be Rafilin’s giant wolf.”