Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Lyle saw a shimmering, phantom emerge from his body; it was a part of him, it was his soul?

Dementors?

Lyle could feel the white light approaching her, approaching that "kiss".

To an observer, it might appear as a sensual scene reminiscent of a love story between a human and a ghost.

But what one actually suffers is the biting cold, the excruciating pain, and the disorientation of aging and decay, all three happening simultaneously.

Is that all? Lyle thought to himself. Anger or resentment were absent due to his mental confusion, and Lyle even felt a sense of peace for the first time ever.

ended.

The dark blue wax seal in his pocket melted into liquid, and like a living thing, it crawled up Lyle's limbs and onto his cheek. A small dark blue snake looked at the ghost in front of him, coiled on Lyle's face, and flicked its tongue.

"Wait for you."

Lyle fell to the ground, vanishing like mist, the frost melting away, as if everything that had just happened was a dream, with only the lingering phantom pain in her limbs proving the suffering she had endured.

Fifteen minutes later, Lyle knelt on the grass, not caring about the grass clippings on his body, and took an envelope out of his pocket.

The wax seal has disappeared.

Does this mean I've passed?

Lyle felt a sense of relief.

He wanted to give up because he was uncertain about what lay ahead.

He didn't give up in the end. He suffered this torment and gained nothing, but he was unwilling to accept it.

He stood up unsteadily, squinted and took a deep breath. The midnight air, carrying the scent of medicine, entered his nostrils through the bird-beak mask.

"The weather is nice, and the air is very fresh."

A man was talking to himself in the cemetery.

Lyle stretched and felt refreshed. The tombstones didn't seem so eerie anymore, and the environment wasn't so deathly silent.

With light steps and a look of utter exasperation beneath his mask, Lyle ventured deeper into the cemetery.

Chapter Eight Andre Academy

With the "ghost" incident, Lyle's fear of the graves lessened considerably, and his exploration speed increased significantly. The cobblestone path beneath his feet seemed endless, the surrounding tombstones gradually thinned out as he went deeper, the vegetation grew wildly due to neglect, the trees on both sides began to converge, and his view gradually became obscured.

Lyle saw it: a mausoleum.

The ancient family mausoleum, with a few clumps of nightshade plants outside the gate, looks somewhat dilapidated, and the stone door is wide open, as if it has been frequently visited by tomb robbers.

Lyle walked in.

It wasn't like that. The neatly arranged coffins were opened one by one, the jars and pots containing burial goods were smashed, and even the broken bones of a poor person were discarded on the ground.

Inside the large tomb chamber stands a stone tablet, which seems to introduce the deeds of the owner of this mausoleum, but unfortunately it is written in ancient script and cannot be understood.

"You should look at the back."

A deep voice came from behind Lyle, and a black figure leaned against the stone coffin.

Lyle raised the oil lamp in that direction, but the figure remained shrouded in shadow; the change in light did not disturb him.

Following his directions, Lyle looked at the back of the stone tablet.

It was a line of small print.

Andrei – For those who cannot understand Emerson's writing.

This is our destination.

Lyle then turned his attention to the figure. He hadn't shown any hostility and had even guided him, so it must be one of Andre's people.

Is it really okay to carve words on someone else's grave?

"He won't mind."

How do you know he got up and came to talk to you?

Lyle stopped his internal monologue, took out a letter, and said, "I'm here to study at Angry Academy."

“He does look like a scholar,” the shadowy figure said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Don’t be too nervous. You’ve already passed. I’m not an examiner, just someone who’s been there and is here to talk to newcomers about some minor things and to open the door for you.”

It seems easier to reach than I expected.

"Andre may be a little different from what you imagine an academy to be. It's more like a large learning seminar where each member has their own area of ​​expertise. The people around you may be both your mentors and students. My personal advice is not to get bogged down in appearances, and not to be arrogant or humble. We have plenty of time to find our own and others' strengths."

"Okay." That sounds good.

“Also, and more importantly, hide your identity,” the shadowy figure nodded, looking at Lyle’s attire. “Disguise is necessary. You should also be careful about your words and actions in the future. It’s best not to mention anything outside. Even if there is a real need, you should use deception and manipulation to separate your identity from others.”

"For example, I have a friend..."

"Who wouldn't guess it was you?"

"So, bragging and joking are okay too?"

"Sure, it's your skill to be able to make fakes look real. If others believe it, they're just stupid. Don't worry about it."

Lyle thought about Andrei's learning atmosphere, which was just like the old chat group. People chatted amicably and boasted about their impressive family backgrounds. Lyle smiled nostalgically.

"That concludes the introduction. Hurry up and give you the door; the dean's speech is about to begin."

"Oh."

The shadowy figure tossed a small object, which Lyle caught and carefully examined with a light.

It is a seal ring, but the floral design is empty; the place where the gemstone should be is also empty.

Lyle felt something crawling up his arm; it was the small snake that the wax seal had transformed into. After saving his life, he had thought it had disappeared.

The snake crawled up his finger, coiled around the flower head of the ring, circling and rotating, finally transforming into the flower head of the André emblem. The André Ring.

"You can only use the ring after 10 a.m. every day. The way to use it is to press the stamp. Remember to use it when no one is around. Someone from the academy will teleport you there."

"Teleportation magic?"

"Call me whatever you want. The academy is tolerant of all powers. The transmission and continuation of forbidden knowledge is our only obligation. Remember to choose your destination carefully when you are teleported. Where you came from is where you will be sent back. Don't end up at the church's stake the next day."

"Ah."

"If you have no further questions, then you should go now."

"I have another question: why does the letter repeatedly mention the prohibition of holy light?" Although it's not incomprehensible—after all, I've been oppressed, so it's inevitable that I'll harbor resentment—doesn't this conflict with the principle of all-encompassing tolerance?

The shadowy figure covered his face; this was the only time Lyle had ever seen him show emotion. "This is because of a special case, which I won't explain to you now. You'll find out when you get there—it's that Holy Light Brain."

The shadowy figure offered no explanation, and Lyle didn't bring it up again. He gestured goodbye, pressed the ring's emblem with his left index finger, but there was no sinking sensation. Just as Lyle was wondering if it was working, a feeling of weightlessness suddenly took hold of him.

He lay sprawled on a magic circle painted with fluorescent patterns, with a blood moon above his head.

In the blink of an eye, I was no longer at Andrei's Mausoleum; the towering castle not far away was visible even from my reclining position.

Lyle looked around. One by one, black-robed imposters moved about, slowly advancing towards the castle. A mask gradually magnified in Lyle's vision. It was a mask as white as paper, without features or holes, completely covering the head. Lyle didn't know how he had put it on, nor how he was supposed to breathe. The mask drew closer, finally pressing against the bird's beak on Lyle's own mask.

"How much longer are you going to stay here?"

The sentence was interrogative, but the tone was declarative; to Lyle, it was a well-intentioned reminder.

He rolled onto the open ground next to him.

The faceless man held a book with locations written on it. Each time he teleported, one of the locations would dim.

"It's peak time now, so Wulian is a little impatient, which is a good sign. Did he scare you?"

The voice came from a gentleman beside him, dressed in a light gray tuxedo with a withered rose pinned to his chest. His face was covered by a ball face mask, the shadows obscuring the rest of his features, but Lyle could sense his smile.

He appears to be a gentleman.

"It didn't scare me. I was just a little disoriented because it was my first time teleporting." Lyle didn't want to embarrass himself.

That's really unfortunate.

...The preface is retracted.

"Let me introduce myself. You can call me Gentleman."

Shameless.

"Hello, sir. You may call me the Plague Doctor."

"Okay, Mr. Plague Doctor, is this your first time in Andrei?"

"Yes."

"Then do you need an experienced guide?" The gentleman adopted a humble and polite posture, as if to say, "Yes, yes, yes."

"I would be most grateful if a gentleman could accompany me."

"That would be my honor."

Although the gentleman speaks without thinking, he is generally an interesting person. Although talking to him often leads to inexplicable situations, like acting in a play, group activities are a human instinct.

The two walked side by side, exchanging occasional words as they followed the flow of black clothing of their companions toward the hall.

Chapter Nine: Andre's Society

The pace of movement was slow, with disguised crowds in front and behind. Even though the castle passageway was wide enough, it felt narrow due to the flow of people, forcing Lyle to move slowly with the flow of people. However, everyone seemed very well-mannered, and no one complained or became annoyed by the tortoise-like speed.

Even Lyle's attention was diverted from the topics the gentleman brought up from time to time.

"Actually, our initial meeting place was the Andrei Mausoleum. But in recent years, as the number of members has increased, the space has become insufficient, so the Dean had to put the Andrei Castle, which was his private property, into public use. It is said that the Dean's clan opposed this at the time."

"They agreed later?"

"Well, the dean threatened to take their heads off and use them as footballs, so we agreed."

The dean seems to wield immense power, but regardless, threatening the clansmen like this feels a bit excessive.

Of course, Lyle wouldn't say it aloud, as he didn't want to offend anyone in power. Lyle then began to ask the gentleman about some of his doubts.

"Hmm? You mean the invitation? Ah, that's a little trick. If I remember correctly, it's a page torn from the Book of Desire that reveals the desires of the person who comes into contact with it."