Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Finally, there were a few ghostly hairs, plucked from the Shiba Inu. Ghost dogs shed too? Unbelievable! The texture was wonderful; rubbing them against my face felt like a gentle breeze. Although semi-transparent, it was a very nice material, if only I could collect enough.

Could we make an Emperor's New Clothes?

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Holy Light Is Everywhere

The full moon was tinged with red.

Lyle checked the contents of the pouch again, like a student preparing to hand in assignments, donning a mask, a black overcoat, leather gloves, and the newly acquired black top hat that symbolized his sheriff rank. The hat was a symbol of status, giving rise to numerous rituals performed with it. Lyle was happy to inform Mr. Dragon and the members of the Cup of Extravagance of his find.

He was certain he would receive encouragement and praise. He patted his chest, making sure it stood firm like a soldier's. Lyle pressed the Andrei emblem.

The pulling sensation appeared as usual, but soon after, another attraction appeared, like a thief, instantly pulling Lyle towards it.

Lyle lay down on the unfamiliar floor, looking at the unfamiliar crystal chandelier.

"Welcome back, newcomer. Here's a document for you to sign." Looking at Mr. Raymond's imposing dark gold armor, he held the membership application in his hand.

Lyle realized that he had been outmaneuvered.

This is inside a church. Facing the entrance is a stained-glass window with an image of an unidentified humanoid angel. A dozen or so light bats are emitting their own light on the other side of the glass. The pulpit for the priest or high priest is empty. I am lying at the end of the aisle, the place for baptism. Behind me are several rows of long benches on both sides. Only Ariane, dressed in shimmering white armor, sits not far away, her fingers clasped together in prayer.

When Ariane finished praying, she went over and helped Lyle up from the ground.

A magnificent church, two clergymen in full armor—Lyle felt out of place.

"Your Majesty Raymond, you are too hasty."

“I’m sorry, but I can’t wait to see how the Plague Doctor looks with the grace of the Lord. You should know that this is my first time presiding over a baptism ceremony.”

The baptism ceremony, which was also Raymond's initiation ceremony, involved the officiant reciting prayers and sprinkling holy water on the forehead of the person being baptized, symbolizing the washing away of original sin and the acceptance of God's blessings and grace. However, it seems Mr. Raymond did not intend to follow the holy water ritual. He appeared to have considered signing the initiation application as part of the baptism ceremony.

Indeed, the Holy Light Cult is keeping up with the times.

“Mr. Raymond, you’ve stolen me.”

"It was the Holy Light that invited you, Plague Doctor."

Watching Raymond spout such grandiose words was truly disgusting.

“Your Majesty Raymond, this will only backfire. Please leave the persuasion work that you are not capable of to me, a nun,” Ariane suggested, then pulled the plague doctor to a seat on the bench next to Lyle.

Her voice was gentle and soft, the knight's visor was facing Lyle's face, and Lyle's beak was also facing her, held in place by Ariane.

"Mr. Plague Doctor, I am very sorry for the abruptness of this invitation. Although His Majesty Raymond was hasty, please believe that his heart is gentle. The reason we have taken this seemingly coercive action is because we want you to find your true home as soon as possible."

"That's the holy light?"

"That is the goodness in your heart, and the holy light contains all the goodness in the world."

“If you still have any resistance to the Holy Light,” Ariane said, taking Lyle’s left hand in hers and holding it in her palm, her voice pleading and endearing, “please listen to our hymns. They will tell you that we are not actually divided.”

At Ariane's signal, Raymond began casting a spell, accompanied by lighting effects, beautiful scenery, and heavenly songs.

It wasn't the hallelujah Lyle imagined. It was simply the sound of the world. The sound of flowing water, the sound of plants sprouting, the first cry of a baby, the sound of herds migrating, and in the end, it all turned into laughter, joyful and genuine laughter. It was a beautiful gathering of the world, the purest beauty, making Lyle close his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath the mask.

Then came a loud crash as the door was broken down.

Bang!

"Raymond! What have you done to the Plague Doctor?!" A giant dinosaur crashed through the church door.

It is Mr. Dragon who has fallen into a frenzy.

He saw Lyle sitting in the chair, drawing his bone staff, not the one Lyle used before, but one that looked like a long-handled warhammer.

He charged forward and then slammed his fist into Raymond's breastplate.

With a bang, Lyle's ears rang. He rubbed them and opened his eyes.

"Mr. Dragon?"

"Yes, I've come to save you, Plague Doctor."

Raymond removed the bone hammer from his breastplate without leaving a dent.

“The plague doctor is a prospective member of our church, and we have no intention of harming him.”

"The Plague Doctor is not one of your members, nor is the reserve. As his necromancy mentor, I will protect my student from the brainwashing of the Holy Light, especially when facing a bastard who interferes with my teleportation."

"Huh, have I been brainwashed?" Lyle said, puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he realized that he still retained his ability to make his own judgments.

"Were you listening to a really beautiful voice just now?"

"Yes."

"After listening to that song, you will become a fanatic of the Holy Light." Mr. Dragon breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that Lyle could still communicate freely.

"Really?" Lyle hadn't expected to be tricked by the voice. He looked at Ariane beside him, wanting to confirm the truth of the matter.

“Medical worker, we don’t actually have any disagreements. You belong to us.”

Does this mean she's admitting it? Maybe Ariana was trying to seduce me just now. Hopefully, next time she'll wear a nun's habit; at least it won't hurt.

Lyle thought to himself, without a care in the world, that the Holy Light was indeed as dark as he had imagined.

"Plague Doctor, we're leaving." Mr. Dragon sheathed his weapon. Now that his student was unharmed, the teacher, his anger dissipated, returned to his usual calm.

"You're going to stop me?" The dragon head on Mr. Dragon's costume tilted forward, casting a shadow over Mr. Raymond.

"Of course not, everyone has the freedom to choose to come and go."

"Let's go, Plague Doctor, and say goodbye to the Holy Light."

Lyle tipped his hat to thank Raymond and Elian for the novelty they brought him. In fact, apart from the forced teleportation at the beginning, he felt pretty good about everything that happened afterward. Moreover, they were all members of Andrei, so there was no need for hostility, setting aside personal reasons.

Lyle and the dragon walked down the castle corridor. Andrei was as quiet as a dead city; with the closure of the Holy Light Order, life had also vanished.

"Most people have already found their own clubs in Andrei, and the current quiet is the normal state of the castle. Every room is very lively, but because of the magical isolation, it is relatively quiet outside. I like this peace and quiet, and I occasionally take my little darling for a walk on the grass outside. Of course, it's not that I hate the atmosphere of the Cup of Extravagance. Mr. Gentleman and Ms. Ariana are both very good friends. What I mean is that I also occasionally enjoy spending time alone with my pet."

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Dragon. Pets really do have a way of healing hearts."

"Yes, Physician, it is the greatest fortune I have ever had to have a friend like you."

Mr. Dragon has exaggerated, saying he was never born with it.

The two walked to the familiar pink wine glass door.

As the door opened, Lyle saw the familiar scene.

The man in dark gold armor was still holding the membership application form, while the silver-white Ariane sat on a chair to the side.

"Welcome back, newcomer! Here's a document you need to sign!"

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Cursed Spirit Wood and Holy Spirit Wood

I looked at the main entrance; the pink wine glass markings remained unchanged.

There is no problem with the location.

He blinked, but the shimmering dark gold Raymond in front of him remained unchanged.

There's nothing wrong with my eyes either.

Mr. Dragon doesn't have Lyle's thick skin.

"Raymond, you've infiltrated our department!"

“No, we’re guests,” the man in dark gold armor shrugged. “Like I said, everyone has the right to come and go as they please, the Holy Light Order and the Cup of Extravagance alike. Don’t you agree, sir?” Raymond raised his arm and patted the gentleman on the shoulder.

Lyle saw the gentleman tremble and reach out to steady his hat before it fell off.

"Yes, the Cup of Luxury welcomes every member of Andrei."

Looking at Ariana, who was busy asking Ariana questions while holding her arm armor, completely ignoring what was happening on the other side, Lyle, who was also a newcomer, couldn't help but feel jealous of her enthusiasm.

While comforting Mr. Dragon, the gentleman invited the two people standing outside the door in, brought out extra chairs from his room that he had almost never used, and the group sat around a large round table.

The gentleman took the lead without hesitation, saying, "Here are Ariana of the Cup of Extravagance, Mr. Dragon, our new Plague Doctor, and myself, the gentleman."

"And the guests were Mr. Raymond of the Holy Light Order, and their new bride, Ms. Ariane."

“A good introduction, sir. Of course, you can add a prefix before ‘Plague Doctor,’ which is…” Mr. Raymond reminded him.

“That’s the new generation genius of spirit summoning, the Plague Doctor who will never be swayed by the Holy Light.” Mr. Dragon interrupted Raymond.

"Plague medicine has become necromancy?"

"Do you have any objections? Haven't you taken the first lesson in spirit possession?"

"Mr. Raymond also studied spirit possession?"

"Yes, this is a basic course, although someone burned the materials to ashes with holy light during practice. In contrast, Mr. Plague Doctor is definitely a genius. He revived a complete undead in just one experiment, and Mr. Alphonse also has a legendary experience."

Mr. Dragon vividly described the scene at that time.

Ariana nodded as the story unfolded, and the gentleman began to clap, which in turn inspired the rest of the applause.

“Fantastic, Mr. Plague Doctor, this is exactly what I expected. I have a feeling this will be the start of a legend.” The gentleman said jokingly, seemingly more excited than himself. Although he knew it was just encouragement, and everyone present was certainly skilled enough to easily complete this introductory spell, the praise was truly intoxicating.

Lyle, on the other hand, fully demonstrated the characteristics of an Easterner: humility. "I only tried it once according to Mr. Dragon's teachings. It's purely because Mr. Dragon's education level is high."

Before Mr. Dragon could even speak...

"Excellent! As expected of a member of our Holy Light Order, the Plague Doctor embodies the humility of the Holy Light perfectly. Although you may be a little self-deprecating, you should know that there are at least eight or ten thousand, if not ten thousand, of the dragons in the Andrei Order. But you are one of the best among them, which is definitely due to your own excellence." Mr. Raymond clapped his arm guards loudly.

Mr. Dragon felt a pang of unease. Wasn't this a direct criticism of his own limited education? Yet, the truth was undeniable: Mr. Raymond's very existence was a testament to the failure of his own upbringing.

Ariane felt a little uneasy. Was His Majesty Raymond out of his mind? As a member of the Holy Light, praising someone's exceptional necromancy talent—didn't he remember that the Holy Light and the undead were enemies? And the person he was praising was his prospective newcomer! Did he intend to push the Plague Doctor in another direction?

"Isn't the main focus today on collecting materials for the Plague Doctor Awakening Ceremony?" As the gentleman brought the topic back, everyone's attention returned to Lyle.

"Doctor, how's Shiba Inu? Has it lost weight? How much has it eaten?"

“Shiba Inu is doing well. Now that it has a bigger house, it even gnawed on Farmer Laffron's arm a few days ago, which led Cassandra to send a sheriff over.” Lyle placed the plants and ghost moss on the table.

"That's true. It's been too long since I've seen Shiba Inu. It must be lonely. If it attracts the attention of the church, it will be a bit troublesome. I hope it won't be discovered until later."

"No, the church should already know." Ralph must have already notified the church.

"Huh? Shouldn't the death of a sheriff be followed by another investigation? Has the government changed its procedures again?"