Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The unexpectedly loud clang from the clinking of the cutlery and silverware was quite surprising.

Ariana and Beatrice put down their knives and forks at the same time. They no longer maintained their indifferent demeanor, and their eyes focused on Lyle.

To be precise, he was staring at the letter in Lyle's hand.

Who is Karen Pompeii?

Chapter 454 Drogonris, the Land of Blood

The air seemed to freeze, and Lyle felt as if his hand holding the letter was nailed to the air by several gazes, unable to move.

Ariana's gaze was relatively gentle, her questioning eyes filled with confusion as they met Lyle's, awaiting an explanation from his trembling lips. A faint smile played at the corners of her mouth, suggesting that she was more concerned about Lyle's predicament than about Karen's identity.

"Who is Karen Pombay?" Beatrice's aggressive, suspicious gaze pierced Lyle like needles. Kevin realized he had made another mistake, and he looked with lingering fear at the fork in Beatrice's hand that was stuck in the piece of meat; just seconds before, it hadn't been spiral-shaped.

Even more deadly was that behind them, the ghostly maids revealed themselves one by one. They peeked out from the shadows, behind chairs, under curtains, and outside shop windows, staring at Lyle with the same cold malice as Beatrice.

The chilly atmosphere vanished at Helena's gentle complaint, and Naslan's eldest daughter let out a distinctly teasing laugh.

"Lyle, if you don't explain soon, I'm afraid they'll tear you apart!"

“Kalen Pompeii is a paladin and a friend of mine. She is a devout believer in the Holy Light. Because I am a Purifier of the Holy Light, she regards me as a great figure, such as a savior.”

Naslan's daughters' doubts vanished. They knew Lyle's true identity perfectly well: a wicked god, a necromancer, a lich of honor. Exposing any of these identities would condemn Lyle to the Holy Light's wrath. Lyle's joining Andrei, and the Holy Light, had no future.

The sounds of chewing and juice dripping from her pearly teeth mingled with the flesh, dripping onto Beatrice's bright red lips. She was eating, as if nothing had happened before. But soon, the strange gazes of Lyle and Kevin shattered Beatrice's noble facade.

Beatrice, in a fit of desperation, propped her chin on her left hand, shoved a piece of meat into her mouth with her right, and stared fiercely at Lyle as he chewed, as if she were eating his flesh.

"What are you looking at! Go read the letter your Holy Light friend sent you! Didn't you say it was urgent?"

Sitting opposite her, Ariana lowered her head, covered her mouth and clutched her stomach, her body trembling along with the candlelight on the candlestick.

In the strange atmosphere, Lyle opened the envelope.

To Lord Lyle, the Pure One:

Lord Lyle, this is Karen. After receiving the grace of the Heroic Spirit Raymond, I was chosen by the Earth Angel Raphael to begin my training as a successor to the Crusaders. Please forgive my abrupt departure, Lord Lyle; my training has been entirely under Raphael's care. He said I am crucial to the future of the Holy Light, and rumors of me as the Fifth Angel have begun to circulate within the Guardian Legion. But in my heart, you are the key to the Holy Light. I wonder how your Holy Light training has been recently? Under Raphael's tutelage, I have made significant progress. Next time we meet, I will certainly protect you well.

When you receive this letter, please do not report it to the church. I have received some disturbing news and have decided to go to a certain place in person.

My former mentor, the missing Brother Schuderman, recently reappeared. Do you remember him, the ascetic who studied vampires? I hadn't seen Brother Schuderman for three years, and this latest contact made me uneasy. In his letter, he explained that he had been missing while tracking vampires, searching for the secret known as the 'Antichrist.' Now, his research has made new progress; he has discovered the secret to becoming a Pure One and has extended an invitation to me.

Mr. Shudemann… he must have changed, but he is my guide of the Holy Light, and I must go there and bring him back from the wrong path. It must be me, not any other messengers of the Holy Light, especially the Legion of the Inquisitors. Lord Lyle, your decision to distance yourself from the Church was right; those black-armored Inquisitors are purging our comrades. I believe Instructor Shudemann can return; I must go and see.

I am on my way to Drogonris and praying that Mentor Shudeman is still safe and sound in that vampire-hidden land.

If possible, Lord Lyle, I need your help. Right now, you are the only friend I can rely on.

Karen became the fifth angel and went alone to Drogonris to try to save the ascetic Shudman, who was on the verge of falling.

Lyle shared the information with everyone, his sharp eyes fixed on his reflection in Ariana's pupils. He spoke slowly and deliberately, looking at his own somber self.

“Karen is like a sister to me, Anna. She’s gone too far this time, I have to go check on her…”

"An adventure!!!" A shrill cry interrupted Lyle's words. Grape, fluttering her little wings, crawled out of Nia's cheese tentacles party. A small tuft of cheese stuck to her head looked like an explorer's hat. She flew to Kevin's shoulder and cheered happily. "A new adventure!!!" Grape the Lightbat was tired of the environment in Naslan and was now eager to embark on a new adventure.

The sudden enthusiasm gradually cooled down, and Grape realized her rudeness and the discomfort on her head. She used her paws to clean her head, intending to remove the cheese piece.

Kevin suddenly stood up, and the panicked grapes were propelled into Lyle's plate by the human thruster.

Kevin's enthusiasm was also ignited.

"Lyle! This is exactly what I want! Let's go together and defeat the vampires! I can support you!!!" Kevin threw a punch at the air, the reckless young master even exuding a certain dashing charm.

“Lyle, I support whatever you do, as long as it doesn’t put you in danger. You need an assistant…” Ariana rested her hands on the table, cupped her cheeks, and smiled.

"A helper... could it be..."

Grape: "It's me! I'm Lord Lyle's good helper!"

Kevin: "I'm your helper! I'm Lyle's brother! I'll take good care of him, Ariana!"

Lyle, "So, Ariana, you're going to come with me? As my helper..."

“It’s a great honor to break your expectations. That helper is me.” Beatrice slapped the table, drawing the attention of the two people and the bat from Ariana’s smile to her cold face.

“The ones going to Dagonris are me and this bastard.” Beatrice moved her finger in front of Kevin and Grape. “You, and you little brat, you two stay in Naslan. The job of rescuing that paladin only requires the two of us.”

Amid Kevin and Grape's protests, Lyle's attention was drawn to a word Beatrice had uttered.

"Beatles, you mean 'rescue'?"

Lyle's pupils contracted instantly. "Dagonris, where is that?"

"The border region between Sfit Valley and Grilan, northwest of Cassandel. A coastal city-state, located at the border of two kingdoms due to its fiefdom and the issue of succession involving the division of the territory, but actually governed by the local landowners."

Beatrice's eyes glowed red, like the blood moon shining on Lyle's face through the window.

"Dagonris is also the place of my first embrace."

"That's not some vampire hiding place."

"Degonris is a city-state ruled by the Loshutar vampires, and it is the lair of the most powerful vampire family in the world."

Chapter 455 Departure

"Karen ran to the vampire stronghold of Dagonris?!" The only sound in the restaurant was Nia's chewing. Her undignified way of devouring the evil god caused the juices and bits of meat to swirl in that abyss-like "hole," and the juices, like splashes of blood, soaked the tablecloth, painting a gruesome picture of wounds on the surface of the writhing tentacle mass.

Sensing the gazes around her, a tentacle stealthily climbed up the table leg and onto the dining table, picking up a gleaming new fork. Waving the silverware in her hand, Nia's tentacle curled up another roasted beef leg and continued her feast.

Beatrice: "We should punish that bastard who's in charge of educating Nia."

Ariana gave a helpless smile. “Be more forgiving, Benny. That bastard didn’t understand these overly complicated etiquettes at first, and his personal abilities are limited. You can’t expect him to teach much table manners at the academy either; every flat surface that Mr. Plague Doctor owns is always piled with bones and chunks of meat. I’m already quite grateful that Nia can squat on her seat to eat and use her cutlery.”

Beatrice's goal was not achieved, but that did not stop her blood-red eyes from focusing on Lyle's face. If gazes had temperature, Lyle's skin would have been pierced through.

Lyle, who nearly suffered a disfigurement, steered the conversation back on track.

"Karen is in a dangerous situation right now, isn't she, Beatrice?"

“Judging by that reckless paladin’s speed, we might find her or her corpse in Dagonliss, or perhaps a new blood knight. When I left Dagonliss, the Loshutar vampires were researching the fall of paladins.” Beatrice’s words were like a cold wind, soothing Lyle’s hopes. “That letter was a trap. Don’t be naive enough to think that a vampire would invite a paladin to dinner.”

Beatrice felt uncomfortable under the increasingly gloomy gaze. She sat back in the high-backed chair, her hand unconsciously stroking her pale neck, her eyes darting around, chasing the light and shadows of the lamplight.

"The situation isn't that bad. If the Loshutar vampires are willing to go to such lengths to write letters to lure a paladin into a trap, then they must have a bigger scheme. And complex purposes usually require extensive ritual preparations. We still have a chance."

Beatrice's speculation relieved Lyle, and he turned his eyes to his side. Kevin and Grape were watching Lyle's serious expression.

“Kevin, Grape, as Beatrice said, this journey to Drogonris is not safe. We may not have a chance to protect you, and we ourselves may even face danger. So…”

“That’s why we should go with you!” Kevin’s eyes were stubborn, a testament to his unwavering determination. “You need help, and we can provide it!”

A human and a light bat, facing a necromancer and a vampire, declare that they can offer their help.

Funny, yet cute.

Beatrice leaned back, her muscles, which had always maintained an elegant tension, relaxing for a moment. Nia stopped eating and climbed onto Kevin's body like a piece of chewing gum, her black tentacles ruffling his blond hair into a bird's nest.

"Kevin, Nia will protect Lyle. Just enjoy your meal."

Facing his friend's dazzling gaze, Lyle looked at Beatrice. The vampire smiled slightly, her marble-like skin reflecting a warm light, and her eyes were full of encouragement.

"You are the master here."

Lyle stared at Beatrice in surprise, his gaze shifting to Ariana's smile, then to Helena's stone sculpture, to the little head of the light bat grape, to Kevin, to Nia, and to his own reflection in the giant eyeball, radiating an eerie smile.

“I need my friends, Kevin and Grape.” Lyle smiled sincerely, “but you must promise not to set foot in Degonris’s territory. You will be my and Beatrice’s helpers.”

At that moment, Lyle Bouler had no idea how wise his decision was.

Before the blood moon appeared, under the pale moon, Ariana saw the group off in front of Nathran's castle.

This was a forced march, and they didn't carry much luggage.

Beatrice stood by the lake, observing the moon's reflection in the water. Unlike Kevin, Lyle's excitement stemmed more from concern for Karen.

"Beatrice, it's time for us to go."

"Quiet." The shimmering light cast a veil over Beatrice's face, and her blood-red eyes became clear under the moonlight. Her violent gaze instantly transformed into a captivating charm. She glared at Lyle, and her voice, carried by the evening breeze that ruffled her hair, swept across Lyle's face.

"The carriage is here."

The crimson light seeped from the surface of the full moon like an overflowing wine glass, revealing the blood moon. As midnight approached, it was the moment when the mystery emerged.

The neighing of horses was accompanied by the crunching sound of ice crystals forming. Under the blood moon, four pale, ghostly horses dragged their carriage downstream through the frozen streams of Nathlan. The howling wind froze the surface of the lake before Beatrice, and with each breath of the ghostly horses, barely visible under the blood moon, they spewed out ice crystals. The coachman, dressed in a frosty suit, removed his hat and bowed, and the carriage door slowly opened.

Beatrice stepped into the carriage and glanced back at the two men whose eyes were drawn to the ghost horse.

"How long has it been since we last met, Wanderer?"

The driver's voice carried the bleakness of the wind and snow and the heaviness of frost, yet it was also gentle and refined.

“Many days and months, madam. It feels like only yesterday that I signed the contract with the Duke, and it feels like only yesterday that I watched you grow up. Losing my target is a great blow to me, but the beauty of Naslan is always worth the wait.” Pale flames ignited on the coachman and the ghostly horse, but the temperature continued to drop. “Naslan’s coachman, wanderer, awaits your command.”

The Wanderer pointed his withered fingers at Lyle and Kevin, asking Beatrice with an uncertain tone.

“Madam, it is impolite to bring ‘food’ on the bus, and I am a germaphobe.”

Pfft, the Wanderer's cold and blunt tone successfully amused Beatrice. She covered her mouth and chuckled, gesturing with her right hand for the two to get in the car quickly.

“They are not my food, but Naslan’s guests…”

The wanderer showed surprise, but still bowed to Kevin as he got into the car.

"What an unexpected guest..."

"The man from Naslan."

"..." The sudden tightening of the reins made the ghost horse neigh uneasily. The wanderer staring at him didn't speak, but Lyle knew that the horses had already said "Holy shit" for him.

Lyle climbed into the carriage, and Nia's tentacles closed the door.

The loitering man leaned back, passed through the carriage, and poked his head out from inside.

"I am now certain that His Excellency the Duke has passed away, although I am surprised that such a powerful alchemist as him did not achieve immortality."

“If His Majesty the Duke were still alive, I believe he would make your men your food, on another level.”

"Lyle is Ariana's partner."