Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Sir, you have a very handsome appearance."

It's unclear whether the grapes are praising their own appearance.

Lyle vaguely remembered giving a reply, then fell asleep on the bed, overcome by sleepiness.

……

I regained consciousness at noon the next day.

This sleep was particularly bad; it felt like the fatigue from a marathon was still compressed into every cell.

"Grape?"

“I’m here, sir.” The little light bat peeked out from the top of the closet. She had found herself a little spot last night as her future strategic base.

The grapes displayed their parasitic nature, and Lyle had expected them to run off and fly away for a night.

"How are you feeling, Grape?"

“Very good, sir, this is a very nice place to stay, sheltered from the wind and rain.”

Lyle smiled awkwardly. The deal with the grapes felt like he was taking advantage of an honest person, so he decided to compensate her with food.

"gentlemen?"

"what happened?"

"Although I'm not sure, is your body damaged?"

"broken?"

"Your face looks very different from last night."

"My face," Lyle said, reaching out to touch his face. His skin wasn't good; long hours of staying up late and malnutrition had surely left it as uneven as a grain of wheat ground by a stone mill.

But the reality was worse than he imagined; his skin was uneven, and it felt like wearing a mask, with the leather of the bird-beak mask being even rougher.

This is definitely not my own face; something must have happened.

Lyle frantically filled a basin with water and placed it in the sunlight. He knelt beside it and saw his disfigured face.

It was as if the herpes virus was having a grand annual celebration on my face, with deformed bumps pressing against it, disfiguring me, like a potato that had been fried halfway.

Unable to imagine what had happened, Lyle touched his face, which resembled volcanic rock layers. Feeling no pain, he deduced that the nerves inside these barnacle-like lumps were dead, and the keratin had formed a shell on his face, like... an eggshell.

It's a habit: seeing a tightly closed treasure chest makes me want to open it, seeing a key in a lock makes me want to turn it, seeing a watch case makes me want to break it.

Lyle grabbed a protrusion near his right cheekbone and crushed it.

Like peeling an eggshell, blood-stained fragments fell into a basin, and as the bright red began to ripple, Lyle witnessed a bizarre scene.

Behind the shards, in the cup-sized gap, there wasn't his own skin, nor was there bleeding flesh, but a bright red fluid, perhaps blood.

But could a human head be completely hollow and filled with blood? An incomprehensible panic shattered his composure, and Lyle cried out.

The internal liquid also began to flow out due to gravity.

Hehehehehehe.

Just as it was about to spill out, under his own gaze, the edges of the gap quickly filled in, a new eggshell appeared instantly, and Lyle's face was whole again.

Lyle slumped to the ground, realizing what the gentleman had meant when he said, "You will need time to recover from the aftereffects of your talent awakening."

Perhaps this is only a small part of it. Fear can make people lose control, but fear that transcends fear can keep people sober. Maintaining the status quo is Lyle's most desired and necessary choice.

Accept the fact that your head has become a giant raw egg.

Fortunately, it can still move freely, its eyes can see, its nose can breathe, and its mouth can open and close.

At this moment, I felt absolutely strange.

Lyle donned the Plague Doctor disguise and began perusing Mr. Giant's Guide to Corpse Summoning, chanting the incantation for reviving corpses over and over again. The Emor script was far more effective than any form of self-suggestion in calming his mind.

Chapter 51 Kevin's Ingenious Ideas

Lyle stayed in the house until noon like a light-phobic person, during which she fed the grapes once, choosing the best-looking vegetable, and praised the freshness of the ingredients.

I didn't feel hungry, so I didn't feel the urge to eat. If I could maintain this state as usual, I could probably save a lot of money.

After studying for a long time, Emor's impression of the words deepened considerably. Now, Lyle seemed to have been injected with two ounces of tranquilizer, and even his face was numb and unable to make any expression, so naturally, there was no fear.

The unconscious trembling finally stopped.

bump bump!

Footsteps approached, and someone pounded on Lyle's door, shaking the dust off the threshold.

"Lyle, your sugar daddy has arrived!"

Kevin's voice was loud and pleasant, but also noisy. Lyle didn't have a neighbor with such a loud voice. He seemed to hear Jules' voice opening the door for his big golden pig.

His perpetually smooth blond hair reflected the sunlight as he leaned against the threshold, his purse at his feet, striking a dashing pose with a harmless, innocent smile on his lips.

Lyle was a little disappointed that his door was an inward-opening door instead of an outward-opening one, so that the wooden plank could have hit the high nose of this arrogant man.

Lyle's doctor's outfit clearly surprised him.

"You're still doing medical research? Aren't you already a sheriff?"

Lyle didn't intend to tell Kevin about the strange thing about him; he could already imagine the conversation that might ensue.

"Hey! Kevin, now your poor friend has grown an egg-shaped head."

“Cool, Lyle, we can try hatching eggs. Maybe hatching a golden hen will solve your financial problems.”

Okay, that's a joke. Kevin always puts concern first, but concern doesn't solve problems.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? I've carried your money all the way here, after all," Kevin said quipped. "Can I have a drink of water?"

“If you really carried it all the way, then I am truly grateful,” Lyle said, glancing at the knight guard standing behind Kevin, who was tending to Kevin’s horse. Lyle picked up the money bag. “If anyone is to thank, it is that gentleman and the hardworking horse.” Even so, Lyle opened the door for Kevin.

Kevin didn't stand on ceremony and strode to sit in the only chair in Lyle's house. He lifted his foot and rubbed his leather boots, saying, "These new shoes are a bit uncomfortable."

Although it sounds like bragging, Kevin is just complaining mindlessly, because he would be even more blatant if he were to brag.

Lyle stuffed the purse into the cabinet, but in the end, he still politely poured Kevin a glass of tap water.

"Has this water been boiled? Is it safe to drink?" Lyle drank boiled water at school, and to ensure the rationality of his actions, he wrote a report on sterilization and disinfection, which can be considered as doing a bit of the job of a transmigrator and accelerating social development.

"Drink it if you like, don't drink it if you don't." Nowadays, environmental pollution is low, young people have strong immunity, drinking water won't kill you, boiling water is free, isn't it better to drink cold water on a hot day?

Kevin was just arguing; he probably didn't care much about such things. He looked at Lyle and showed no intention of taking off the bird-beak mask.

"Isn't it stuffy wearing that mask?"

"good."

"You didn't really get chewed up by a dog, did you?"

"Ok?"

"At a tea party this morning, while chatting idly with some young men, they mentioned that a sheriff had his butt half-eaten by a dog while on patrol and was now on leave to recuperate. I suddenly remembered that you are a sheriff and happen to be on leave. Could it be you?"

"No."

"I thought so. You were perfectly healthy yesterday, and there was nothing wrong with you. Why are you dressed like this now, afraid to see anyone? What happened last night?"

"……secret."

Kevin glanced at Lyle, then stopped hesitating. "Alright, take a look and see if this will work for you."

Kevin pulled out several golden tickets from his pocket and placed them on Lyle's table.

"What is this?" Lyle racked his brains, confirming that he didn't recognize it.

"Indulgences, issued by the church, do you want one?"

Indulgences, also known as absolution charms, were a phenomenon unique to the Middle Ages. In the theological propagation of the Church, it was believed that Adam and Eve, the first humans, disobeyed God's will by eating the forbidden fruit, thus beginning their fall—original sin. As their descendants, humanity was born sinful. Only by believing in the Church, engaging in religious activities, or making a pilgrimage to the Roman Catholic Church could God forgive one's sins. For capitalists unwilling to undertake such arduous journeys, the Church offered another option: paying a fee for an indulgence, which served as proof of innocence. Similar to the amulets or talismans drawn by Taoist priests or sorcerers, they served as placebos.

In the official history, indulgences also have some additional uses in this fantasy world.

A one-time Holy Light usage voucher? Of course, you'll have to redeem it at the church.

Lyle began to consider the feasibility of whether his abnormality could be resolved through the Holy Light.

The answer is no. If the church sees my state, I don't know whether it will be trial or direct burning at the stake. That would be like a ripe egg. Mr. Raymond might be able to help, but I don't need this useless indulgence to ask Raymond.

"No need, Kevin. Thank you for your kindness, but I don't need it. I'll recover in a few days."

"Really?" Kevin didn't say anything more, and put the gold voucher away. A single damage treatment voucher from his father would be quite useful to him.

After chatting with Lyle for a while about the hunt, Kevin prepared to leave. Before leaving, he looked at Lyle, who was wrapped up in blankets, and sighed.

"Lyle, as a brother, take my advice: money is important, but a man's dignity and health are also important."

"What did you say?"

"I know you're suffering, but please be careful to restrain yourself. The nobles I know all have some quirks, and they're definitely uncomfortable being alone with you. Don't force yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Huh? Stop pretending to be confused. I can guess what's going on with you. You've hooked up with some old hag from the upper class, and for Olliv, you've sold your body and soul, playing those mindless games late at night, leaving marks on your body, and you're too ashamed to show your face. Lyle, you need to learn from this."

"……roll!"

Chapter Fifty-Two: It blossomed and bore fruit.

After Kevin left, Grape popped its head out of the closet where it was hiding. It should be said that, as expected of an explorer, its survival instinct to hide at the slightest sound came in handy.

"This is the first time I've seen an Andrei member maintain normal social interactions."

Lyle tapped his head unconsciously; after his mind entered this state, he developed a habit of lightly touching his skull with his fingers when thinking.

"It is indeed hard to imagine what it would be like for people to communicate normally, but a gentleman should also maintain normal diplomacy."

“No, Mr. Plague Doctor, Andrei is almost synonymous with hermit. Maintaining a disguise and making contact with humans is definitely a thankless task.”

"I have no choice, since I can't give up my position."

Does the plague doctor still have a job in human society?