Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Ralph patted Lyle on the shoulder. "I'm having my nephew take me into battle, for the glory of the Bühler family."

"Are you crazy? I don't drink at all, I'm your own nephew!"

Lyle glanced at Ms. Sharan, who had unbuttoned her collar to reveal a sliver of snow-white skin tinged with rosy hues; she had already drunk a glass.

"Alright, Little Buller, you come drink with me. After we finish, I'll throw you and your nephew out."

"..."

Lyle woke up again, rubbing his forehead; it was already late at night.

Violet's drinking contest didn't continue. Ignoring the two men, she continued drinking on her own, and after her tenth drink, she collapsed onto the table.

The two uncles and nephews were enjoying a juice with honey.

Karen poked Violet's cheek.

"Should we throw her out, Lord Lyle?"

Don't take it seriously.

Ralph stood up and put his top hat back on his head.

"Lyle, you and Karen take Violet back to her room to rest. I'm going out on patrol. Don't wait for me to rest tonight."

"Ok."

Lyle and Karen helped the lady to bed to rest, but the first thing she did after getting into bed was to act crazy while drunk.

"Are you trying to abandon me and run away again?!"

A fist the size of a clay pot struck Lyle in the eye.

“I… damn Violet.”

Karen stayed in the room to take care of her.

Lyle stood in the corridor, gazing at the moonlight over Narancia.

My eyes unconsciously glanced at the slightly larger market not far away. It was deserted, with only empty stalls, moonlight, and fleeting shadows.

White...armor?

Chapter Ninety-Six: An Unexpected Incident

The nights in Narancia were much quieter than in Cassandra. The streets were still lit by old-fashioned grease lamps, their dim yellow light offering little illumination. Lyle thought the Naranians probably hadn't figured out the purpose of streetlights; they were more like decorative items than lights. When the daytime flowers lost their color at night, these lovely lanterns would always appear in sweet dreams.

Thanks to them, Lyle's night vision is not very good. This is certainly not due to the lack of nutritional supplements, but Lyle still blames these little creatures because they are always so attractive at night, and they can easily steal Lyle's attention.

This placed a considerable burden on his stalking. On the windowsill of the Tequila Hotel, knowing that white figure had appeared in his line of sight, that familiar figure, Lyle felt like a fish taking the bait, being led by the nose, but he still succumbed to his curiosity.

Inside the room, Karen and Violet were still talking quietly. A small clump of slime stuck to the sole of his shoe. Lyle tiptoed out onto the street to chase the light and shadow.

Passing through the market, the streets, and the alleyways, that moonlit shadow slipped past the lazy guards, like a gentle breeze, leaving the walls of Narancia.

To get past the guards silently, Lyle chose a safer method.

With his back pressed against the city wall and no one around, water seeped out from under his trench coat, like tracks stuck to the stone wall, dragging Lyle up silently. His speed was all honed in Levisser.

As it happened, the guards patrolling the city walls were not there, so Lyle left Narania.

As I landed on the ground, I saw that figure walk into the woods not far away.

Continuing further could risk exposure, as the forest had clearly been trimmed by the Naranians and resembled a park, with newly planted saplings offering little cover.

But the familiar figure made Lyle ignore the danger; he even removed the sound-absorbing insoles from Shui Shui's shoes and took the clean white cane back into his hand.

The white armored figure stopped moving forward, accompanied by the sound of a stick striking pebbles in the grass.

"Ms. Ellian."

Yes, the figure who had been gazing out from the marketplace was Sister Elijah; at least, her silver armor was identical to her appearance in the Chapel of Holy Light.

The armored figure slowly turned around, and the moonlight lifted the hem of her garment from behind the clouds, casting a faint glow upon her.

Although the bulky armor made her ladylike manners look more like those of a clumsy penguin, Lyle was still happy to see Andrea's friend in the outside world; at least Lyle considered the two to be friends.

Although this went against Andrei's requirement for disguise, what could Lyle do? His appearance had probably been noticed by Ms. Elian from the very beginning.

"Peace and happiness, the doctor of plague."

"Peace, Ms. Elian."

After the greeting ended, Lyle could feel her gaze scrutinizing his face.

A sense of embarrassment arose from the thought of meeting an online friend in real life, and Lyle gave what he thought was a friendly smile.

"Is my face a bit too ordinary, barely satisfactory?"

Elian's voice was like the melting snow in early spring. She shook her head. "No, although it was unexpected, the Plague Doctor is very good to me right now."

“Mr. Epidemic Doctor, you have violated Andrei’s regulations.”

Lyle shook his head with a wry smile. "I didn't expect to meet Ms. Elian here. I'd probably already been recognized in the city. I figured there was no need to pretend anymore."

She shook her head again, her voice tinged with confusion, "No, if the Plague Doctor hadn't followed me, I wouldn't have recognized you."

"Hmm? Could it be that Elian wasn't watching me from within the city?"

"No, I'm looking at the people near the plague doctor."

The conversation briefly fell into an awkward silence, but Ms. Ellian quickly broke the ice.

"Mr. Plague Doctor, are you investigating the recent vampire cases?"

"Yes, is Ms. Elian one too?"

She nodded. "The church in Narania is not very powerful, and the lords here don't have the habit of consulting the Holy Light. I decided to come and take a look, and also take care of some personal matters."

“The Baron’s eldest son is no longer the only victim in Nalania; other people have gone missing in recent nights.”

"Was it really the work of vampires?"

"Yes, a group of dark forces."

"Then I need to go back and have a good talk with Karen about the extermination of the vampires." Actually, there was another reason: he wanted to run away in shame in front of Elian. Recently, Lyle's mentality had become a bit arrogant, with a sense that the world revolved around him.

"Mr. Plague Doctor, from now on, please be careful about your disguise. You must not expose yourself even to your close friends and family."

"I will remember that." It seems Elian intends to keep my identity a secret.

"Dr. Epidemic doctor, please keep these words in mind."

"The flowers of Narnia are man-eating; they are beautiful but have sharp thorns. Stay away from beautiful things, even if they are very familiar to you."

Lyle kept those words in mind, and Elian clearly knew something, perhaps there was some deeper meaning behind them.

Lost in thought, he climbed over the city wall, so distracted that he ignored his surroundings.

Until that hand landed on his shoulder, Ralph's chilling voice could silence a child in the night.

Lyle turned around, trembling, and sure enough, he saw his cheap uncle's face, which was more gruesome than any corpse he had ever seen. Lyle also believed that he himself would be even more gruesome.

“瞧瞧，我可爱的大侄子，大半夜翻过十米高墙，我都不知道他有这身手，我在想，要把他揍到什么程度，他才会安心接受我的安排。”

He swallowed hard. "If I told you I went out in the middle of the night to meet a woman in secret, could you please be a little gentler?"

Ralph's eyebrows twitched noticeably. "My dear nephew, you are not a fool, nor is your uncle. Even if you want to survive, don't abandon your intelligence; it's the only thing you have to be proud of."

"I'm serious. After all, vampires and ghost wolves exist. In such a fantastical world, anything is possible, right?"

"Ha, if such a magical thing really happened, would I be able to hold my nephew's hand this year? Lyle, let your good uncle use violence to shut your mouth that's spouting nonsense."

"Spare me! I mean it!"

Chapter Ninety-Seven Inner City

A flash of holy light appeared.

The warm light shone close to Lyle's bruised face. Good heavens, Ralf hadn't held back last night; one slap almost destroyed Lyle's left ear, leaving a handprint.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Karen, why is your holy light so...fiery?"

It wasn't just scorching hot; it felt like a branding iron had been placed on his skin, making Lyle wonder if he would be permanently scarred on his cheek.

Karen nodded in satisfaction as she watched the bruises fade. “Paladins are soldiers. Compared to priests and monks, our holy light is primarily for injuring the enemy. It is dazzling and intense. Lord Lyle, you can think of this as battlefield first aid. If you want to experience the gentleness of the holy light, you’d better go find those nuns.”

Lyle looked at his profile through the water's surface and saw that it was indeed much better; the marks were hard to see unless you looked closely.

"I think I can tell the difference between a priest and a paladin now. If I had another chance, I would choose to keep the handprint on my face."

“We’re going to visit a baron next, Little Bühler. A neat appearance is the first step to being a good government official.” Violet held up a small bottle from which the fragrance of flowers wafted.

She used her index and middle fingers to apply a small amount to Lyle's face; the cool sensation seemed to alleviate the pain considerably.

"Thank you so much, Violet. What kind of painkiller is this? It works really well. I don't feel any pain anymore."

Violet smiled slightly. "Peppermint oil, extracted from various flowers, isn't good for your skin. Some of its components have mild hallucinogenic and anesthetic effects, so the feeling that you're feeling better is just your 'feeling.' We usually use it to treat post-traumatic stress disorder."

"If you like, I can give you this small bottle, but use it sparingly, as it is somewhat addictive."

Lyle, who had been breathing in the fragrance, immediately held her breath.

His comical expression tickled the ladies' funny bone.

Today's Violet is a little different; just as the thorns of a rose no longer prick, the maturity and maternal instincts of an older woman are better expressed.

“I’ve vented all my pent-up frustrations last night. Bringing prejudice to work isn’t my style. As a senior colleague, I should act like one. I need to work harder from now on, Lyle, Karen.”

Like a bottle of fine wine, Violet's youth and naivety have vanished from her face. Although she doesn't look much older, her smile always makes people trust her.

Lyle almost believed it.

Ralf knocked on the door, and Violet's smile was like a collapsing chasm; her original gentleness was now laced with malice, like a disguised demon beginning its hunt.

Ralf's gloomy, zombie-like face and Violet's maniacal smile kept the warmth of the sunlight at bay.

Coming from prestigious schools, these two are a perfect match.

……