Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Huh? Lyle, Lyle was waiting at the crime scene. I sneaked out when he wasn't looking."

“Lyle is a clever lad; he won’t be so careless as to let you go. Mr. Dorgit, has anyone told you how clumsy your lying skills are, especially in the eyes of a detective? Where is Lyle, anyway?”

Looking into Ralph's bloodshot, wide eyes, William had never seen anyone's gaze so terrifying, as if it were ready to devour him. His inner guilt became the final straw.

"Lyle...was...captured by the giant wolf."

William's confession had an effect; Ralph loosened his grip on him, and his temper subsided, returning to its usual gloomy state. However, this gloom, combined with Raphael's silence, made him appear even more sinister.

With lightning speed, Ralph pulled out an object and pressed it against William's throat.

The coldness of the metal crept up William's back.

“You are Ba Jin’s apprentice, you know what this is, right?”

"It is... Dragon's Kiss."

It was an ancient firearm, and even in its age, this weapon would have been prevalent in the Middle Ages when cold weapons were commonplace.

“Ba Jin is indeed quite skilled. This... I prefer to call it a musket. It was originally designed for hunting giant wolves. I added special ammunition to it. With just a pull of the trigger, those small metal pieces will shoot out from that little hole, grazing your neck and exploding in your brain. Want to try it?”

"Ralph, how dare you take the weapon that Ba Jin gave you and point it at his apprentice!"

“Don’t tell me you’re just an apprentice of old Barking, you despicable, vile bastard! Even if it were old Barking, if he dared to leave Lyle in a swamp for giant wolves to sharpen their teeth, and then come out in front of me panting, I would still… no, I would shove this musket he made into his stinking mouth and blow it to pieces right in front of me!”

“I can explain that Lyle took the initiative to lure the giant wolf away.”

"You think I'd believe your illogical nonsense? A rookie doctor and sheriff with no fighting ability would be used as bait by a magician who can perform tricks! You stupid scum, your stupidity is as ridiculous as your hypocrisy."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Shut up, you're insulting my intelligence. Fine, I'll shut you up."

"Enough! That's just one of your colleagues. If you encountered a giant wolf, wouldn't you want to survive? It wasn't my fault!"

“I will carve on your tombstone: Stubborn Dorgit. Listen carefully, my full name is Ralf Bühler. Lyle is not only my junior, but also my nephew, my only relative. Even if it costs me my life, even if it costs me my soul, I will choose Lyle! Now, I will kill you, and then kill the giant wolf, to be buried with Lyle.”

"Calm down! Please calm down, Mr. Ralph!"

"No, I won't let you, you coward, live another second or breathe another breath!"

……

Lyle felt like he was doomed.

After leaving the Shiba Inu's den, I followed its directions and successfully arrived at Rafilin.

He saw William kneeling on the ground, as if he were acting out The Shawshank Redemption. Was escaping from the jaws of death really something to celebrate? Seeing him frozen there like a wooden statue, Lyle was about to go up and say hello.

Ralph appeared.

Lyle chose to hide. Faced with Ralph's wrath for his unauthorized actions, his legs began to tremble, and even the reed footboard was a little unsteady. "Let William draw the fire for me."

Maybe after Ralph yells for a while, his anger will subside.

Unexpectedly, Ralph accurately exposed William's lies and convicted William using a set of logical deductions that fit his own reasoning.

Lyle misjudged his place in Ralph's heart.

Ralph intended to skip the trial and execute Lyle on the spot. Although the appearance of the musket did surprise Lyle, he had already seen gamma-ray bursts, so this wouldn't make a difference.

The problem now is that Ralph's anger is only increasing, and the flames will burn William to death. If I show up, William will be fine, but I will be in trouble.

So, is it worth it to have a William for protection?

Lyle stuffed some reeds into his clothes, especially into his buttocks, hoping they would provide some support.

He jumped out of the reeds.

Wow, it's so lively here!

Chapter Thirty-Six: Raphael's End

Just as Lyle had imagined, the three of them instantly regained peace.

Ralph walked ahead, while William and Lyle followed behind, leaning on wooden sticks they had picked up from somewhere. William's legs were weak, while Lyle's body was covered in marks from the sticks.

Originally, he was just being scolded, but his sharp-eyed uncle spotted the reeds in his uniform. Realizing what had happened, Ralf was both angry and amused, and thus granted Lyle's wish.

Now that the existence of the giant wolf has been confirmed and its lair has been found, the investigation is over. Ralph has no reason to continue this dangerous work with the two children. He should leave the professional work to the professionals and return to Cassandale to request assistance from the church.

As for Lyle's reason for getting rid of the giant wolf, Ralf didn't say anything in the face of Lyle's vague answer. Even when Lyle said, "I don't know when the wolf disappeared," he just nodded calmly and didn't say anything more.

William paused for a moment, rubbed his thigh, and finally recovered from the spasm, spontaneously going to help Lyle up.

Ralph led the way.

"Lyle, you're actually a mystic too, aren't you?"

Exposed? No wonder, anyone would understand that he used his talisman in a moment of panic, while those who spy on the mysterious are mostly intelligent people.

"Yes."

"Lyle, are you... a necromancer?"

I suppose so. Although Mr. Dragon emphasized the versatility and orthodoxy of necromancy, the study of death and souls still led Lyle to equate it with necromancy.

Why do you think so?

“Your work often involves dealing with corpses, and you know more about ghost dogs than I do. That mutated nightshade is also from your side, isn’t it? If it weren’t for your own advancement, I don’t think a mystic would be doing forensic work.”

"Are you afraid?"

"How could that be? Not to mention that the Necromancer school is classified as a major branch of the mystical, even if you were to act as bait, I shouldn't be hostile to you."

William didn't care much about these things; that's just the mystic's way of thinking—anything that's useful is fine.

"Lyle, just like the rumors say, you can resurrect the dead?"

"If you mean getting them to climb out of their coffins for a short time, yes, I could barely manage that."

"Then, Lyle, are you able to learn the wisdom of the dead? For example, if a mystic dies, can you inherit his knowledge?"

"I haven't tried it, but it's highly unlikely to be possible." This was the truth. Lyle couldn't be sure about others, but the corpse resurrection he had performed was something that could at most be told a short story, the kind Lyle knew, from entertainment works that had accompanied him through his time travels.

"What a pity."

The two chatted casually, whispering to avoid being overheard by Ralph. Like a shared secret between boys, they confirmed each other's hidden identities and grew closer. Lyle apologized for Ralph's rudeness, while William thanked Lyle for his previous selflessness. Although it now seemed that Lyle had ulterior motives, is kindness with a purpose not kindness?

After reporting the situation to the mayor of Laffron and giving him a serious warning to stay away from Rafilin, the three of them rested in Laffron for the night.

Silent all night.

The next day, a funeral was held in town for farmer Millen, and on his return, Lyle brought with him his lost arm.

His relatives were extremely grateful and buried them together without even confirming whether they were his.

In their eyes, this was indeed a great favor. The church preached that those with incomplete bodies could not go to heaven. People took this very seriously, regarding the afterlife as their only hope.

With the mayor bidding them farewell, the three boarded a carriage bound for Cassandra.

"This is your payment."

Ralph gave William a small purse.

A clinking sound rang out in William's hand.

"It's so heavy, is this really fifty jules?"

Ralph did not answer, his eyes closed like a statue.

Lyle smiled. Ralph must have paid him more than he should have, as an apology for intimidating William. With Ralph's wit, it might even have been hush money.

It's important to know that law enforcement officers who abuse their power and commit vigilante acts can be reported. If that happens, Jules, now an extra person, could turn around and accuse someone of distorting the truth. With two tainted individuals standing before the judge, who do you think the judge will side with—the young kid or the sheriff?

It was just that dark.

Being Ralph's employee is really tough.

William was quite well-mannered; he even greeted Ralph when they parted.

“William is such a good man,” Lyle remarked.

“That’s good. We can ask him again next time.” Ralph praised his practicality.

"I think William will almost certainly not accept your commission unless he hits his head on a door."

"Old Ba Jin always said that. (But he still did it in the end.)"

"It's easy to bang your head against a door."

"Besides, you and William seem to have a good relationship. (You could try appealing to their emotions.)"

"Isn't that a bit too dark? Nephew, you're even using him?" Lyle joked casually.

"It's a pity you're not durable."

"..."

"Alright, go back and rest. With all these injuries, you don't need to report for duty. I'll ask for sick leave for you."

"Is the cause of the illness a discord between the uncle and nephew?"

"The cause of your illness is a workplace injury. You were bitten on half of your buttock by a dog and lost too much blood. Go home and get emergency treatment."

"..."

……

Back home, Lyle checked his remaining food supplies and realized he didn't need to go out to buy any more.

Organize an area on your desktop and start reviewing your achievements.

A large bunch of unknown plants; we need to determine the value of the materials with Mr. Dragon.

With a total of fifteen Death's Night Mandarin, he now had the means to perform his own ritual.

Three pieces of Ghost Moss. Materials for the Talent Awakening Ritual. I also cleared out the Lich Dust, Yeti Tear, and Yellow Stone given to me by a friend.

A few leftover ethereal spells. Lyle had already unpacked them; the triangular paper package, once opened, revealed a circular magic circle covered in paper, coated with special ink. It seemed that folding them didn't interfere with their function. Was this a discovery by another mage? As long as the magic circle remained intact, even bending or folding it wouldn't affect the casting.

Lyle had a bold idea: what if the magic circle was drawn on close-fitting clothing or gloves? Corpse Summoner Gloves? However, the raw materials seemed to be consumed, and he didn't have that many gloves to squander. It needed further research.

An unknown, howling piece of wood. Thanks to Ariana's favor, his tolerance for strange noises had increased considerably. Faced with the wood's mournful groans, he merely frowned; it seemed it might disturb the listener's concentration. Lyle didn't linger any longer, and the persistently disturbing piece of wood was stuffed back into his leather bag.