Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

However, Lina remained calm and did not immediately inquire about the details of the transaction.

"You know what? Someone once told me that you are like a gentle stag."

"what?"

Lina covered her mouth and laughed, a feminine gesture she was making for the first time.

“She’s wrong. You’re not a stag. You’re a rabbit.” A complex look of excitement crossed Lina’s face. “Do you know what your expression was when I suddenly punished Benjamin? Your expression froze, then you trembled like a frightened rabbit trying to hide in its burrow.”

Even if you have an absolute advantage in negotiations, your personality still makes you unconsciously passive.

"Your powerful physique can't hide the softness and...gentlemanly nature within you?"

"Whether in dreams or in reality..."

"You're still quite interesting, Demon God."

Although Queen Lina was not as big or tall as Lyle, Lyle felt immense pressure when she stood in front of him and grabbed his collar as if to help him straighten it.

She discovered herself.

Chapter 360 Self-Awareness

“I really want to say that you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” But Lyle knew that arguing would be useless; those eyes so close to his told him how firm the Queen’s will was.

"I will not admit my mistake."

Lena Delia's confident words gave her a touch of coolness, but that wasn't a reason for Lyle to submit to her. He struggled with the decision, then came to a conclusion: Lena's strength as a defender far surpassed his own, even if what appeared to onlookers to be a flirtatious scene between a man and a woman.

Actually, it was a lion carrying a chick.

“Your behavior is not disguised at all; you are exactly the same in reality and in dreams. It is not difficult to connect the two.”

Lina released her grip. Having passed the initial excitement, she seemed to recall the Queen's composure, and with an appreciative gaze, naturally prepared to straighten Lyle's collar. Appeasing her subjects was an essential skill for the Queen.

Click.

Reality often doesn't go as we wish. Faced with the mighty Queen's power, Lyle's collar turned into tattered pieces of cloth flying through the air.

The high collar was replaced with a V-neck, and Lyle's pale skin on her collarbone seemed to carry a cold temperature, freezing the smile and atmosphere on the Queen's face.

Lyle clutched his chest, took a large step back, and stood in the corner between the portraits of the two previous kings of Derya. Looking at the imposing men in the portraits, Lyle silently recited something to himself.

Mr. Reed, I hope you understand that it wasn't my fault.

The silence lasted for about ten seconds before Queen Lina continued speaking, her voice trembling.

"Of course, the reason I recognized you was mainly because of a woman's intuition."

"Grandpa Reed, you came back because of your victory, and now you're back with Deria's future."

"I don't believe in fate, not before that dream."

"So, Demon God, what price do I need to pay?"

Nia transformed into tiny tentacles that wove a net, filling Lyle's collar, finally making things less awkward.

"Repairing my relationship with Mr. Reed is my only hope."

“I understand. For the sake of my country, I will accept your advice.” Lina took another step, the clattering sound on the floor sounding like a monstrous flood to Lyle.

He had nowhere left to retreat, and the queen was like a smiling demon, approaching step by step.

“I don’t believe anyone would selflessly sacrifice themselves for others. Mr. Lyle, I think it’s necessary to give you some ‘goodwill’ so that Derya can benefit more, in an adult way.”

That face held both the innocence of a young girl and the maturity of a ruler. A scent of sweat and blood mingled with her breath, wafting across his face, and Lyle couldn't help but swallow.

That face, with its slightly dry lips, was magnified in my field of vision.

*smack*

Two black tentacles guarded the last five centimeters, pinching the girl's expression into a pout, one on the left and one on the right.

Nia emerged from Lyle's chest, stretched her limbs in the air, and puffed out her cheeks as she lay on Lyle's head.

"Nia is angry! You can't bite Lyle!"

The tentacles lashed in the air, expressing the master's agitation. The sound also roused Lyle's thoughts, creating a small distance between him and the dazed Queen Lina.

Queen Deia had never seen a creature like Nia before. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she gazed at the twisted creature that seemed to exist only in bizarre nightmares.

"What's this?"

Nia's voice held a distinct hum, "Nia won't tell you!"

Lyle patted Nia's tentacles, but the girl stubbornly moved them away.

“This is Nia, my talent, and also my… half? Or my daughter?” Lyle was carefully choosing his words when Nia had already given her answer.

"Nia is Lyle's master!"

"Huh? How did you become the master!" Lyle spoke out against the unfair treatment he had received.

"Hmph! That's true!" Nia stretched out her fingers and began to count.

"Lyle has to feed Nia, play with Nia, and tell Nia a bedtime story!"

The first two things were indeed done, but when was the last one done? Lyle and Nia, who had turned around, looked at each other, their doubts intertwined with the matter-of-fact look in Nia's big eyes.

Nia's bedtime, in a way, is when she enters her own shadow, which is when she enters a state of rest. If that's the case, then these so-called bedtime stories are actually just her own mutterings to herself, and it seems there's some truth to that.

"Do you remember the story I told you, Nia?"

Nia's tentacles became tangled together, lost in a state of deep thought.

"A dazzling 1001 ways to die?"

"The Wheel of the Spine and the Forty Explosions?"

"A Guide to Starving and Meat-Based Dietary Therapy?"

"..."

Nia is indeed a good child; she hasn't gone astray.

"Okay, you're right, but! How is this a master-servant relationship? He's clearly your guardian."

"No way! Nia is an evil god! She is Lyle's master!" Tentacles began to wrap around Lyle's head, turning him into a large black dumpling.

The evil god enjoys the blood sacrifices, listens to the prayers of his servants, and feels the praise of his apostles.

It seems... it really is a master-servant relationship.

Nia's childish antics disrupted Lyle's relationship with a certain queen. After witnessing Lyle's intimacy with an unknown creature, Her Majesty Lina seemed to let go of her strange obsession and enter a state of national leadership.

Under Nia's hostile surveillance, Lyle and Lina reached a series of agreements, including trade and political diplomacy between the three Wandering Cities and the three races of Deria and Lewesser. Lyle was merely an envoy, drafting the initial plan.

"Don't forget Mr. Reed, he loves you very much, but he's not good at expressing it." With that last sentence, Lyle was about to leave.

“Lyle, you don’t seem to belong to the City of Wandering.”

"Yes, I come from Andre College."

"Then, can the forces behind you also help us? Derya is in dire need of rebuilding, so perhaps we can have more exchanges."

Lyle looked at him strangely.

“You won’t want that, Your Majesty. Our services do not include you.”

Lyle wiped the cake crumbs off Nia's mouth and turned around.

"Andre is a lich academy. We serve the dead, those who do not wish to remain in their graves."

Lyle breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the Derya Tower and into the dark streets.

That was close; I almost betrayed Ariana.

"Nia".

The black slime slowly spread from her back, transforming into Nia's appearance, like a wronged child who had done something wrong.

Lyle pinched her rubbery cheeks and felt her gradually relax.

"You seem to dislike Queen Lina very much."

"Nia hates her."

"why?"

“Because she doesn’t like Nia.” Lyle recalled the scene when Nia first appeared, Lina Dereya’s initial reaction upon seeing Nia: surprise and…resistance. Even now that Nia has begun to take on a human form, she is still seen as a monster by ordinary people.

Lyle's extended stay in Andrei caused him to become oblivious to the outside world's attention. Nea, too, couldn't gain favor with others.

The human individual named Lyle Bühler has diverged from "normal".

But none of that matters.

Nia cares about what others think; she's grown up and cares about how others feel about her.

“If Lyle stays with people who don’t like Nia, he won’t like Nia either.”

Lyle held the less lively Nia in his arms; she had grown quite a bit, almost the same size as him.

"I will always love Nia, even more than I love myself."

"You're lying. Nia is Lyle. Liking Lyle is liking Nia, and liking Nia is liking Lyle."

Lyle held Nia in his arms and laughed heartily in the darkness where there was no light.

Chapter 361 Winners and Losers

"Lyle, go and invite Mr. Ralph over. He's about to miss the best part of the feast tonight!"

Echer’s roar echoed like a cold wind at the top of Lewes, but was quickly drowned out by laughter.

A huge treetop platform was covered with firefly sachets, and the dance steps of dozens of Lewesser Rangers made the wooden planks under their feet clatter loudly.

Lyle walked with a shaky gait, as if the whole world was vibrating.

Echel couldn't resist in the end, and amidst cheers, she moved from the other end to Lyle's side, dancing joyfully.