Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Divergents, traitors in the eyes of the Papacy, are those who simultaneously believe in the Holy Light and other powers, which is tantamount to blasphemy against the Holy Light. The fate of Divergents is usually judgment.

Elian felt a wave of sorrow. Her finger bones pierced through her chest cavity, touching the bone that had turned completely black—a spot that was all too familiar to her.

"Are you going to judge me, Your Majesty Raymond?"

Raymond clenched his fist. "That depends on your story, Elian," he said, touching the girl's head atop the Iron Maiden, its empty eye sockets weeping silently. "Tell me, sister, what you experienced in your life."

“I am a nun from Cassandra. I possess the gift of seeing into people’s hearts, which my teacher called a miracle. After my period of monastic life ended, he kissed my forehead and placed me in Durham Abbey, a city that was at odds with the Holy Light. Before I left, my mentor told me, ‘Child, your power has destined you for a bright future. You will become a link between people’s hearts, pulling us, who are leaning towards the beast, back to the golden age before the Tower of Babel was built, when people trusted and relied on each other. You are our light.’ With this belief, I embarked on my journey.”

"But I was wrong. What stood in our way was not just differing opinions, but also selfish hearts that had become beasts. When I pointed out their true desires, there was no gratitude, no approval, only the anger of having their hearts spied on and the shame of their filthy desires being exposed to the public eye. Because of my arrival, scorn and intimidation came to the Dulai Monastery. My companions cowered in the corners, complaining in their hearts about all the panic I brought and loathing the upheaval I caused in their muddled lives."

“One day, the lord of Dulai saw me.”

“Do you know what I’m thinking, Sister?” he smiled, as if it were a joke.

"Betrayal, impurity, war, and fame. You do not love your wife, you covet your niece, you defy your monarch, you are plotting a treason."

“Under the light, I proclaim his guilt.”

"But it was I who was punished. I was falsely accused of being a wicked madman, a fallen witch, a black-hearted harlot. People applauded my verdict, and my colleagues remained silent with a sense of inner peace."

"I endured the Iron Maiden's torment, howling in agony day and night, until the last steel nail pierced my sixteenth vertebra, piercing the pillar of my life."

"I thought that as a lich, I would resent everything I had suffered."

“But I have seen you, Your Majesty Raymond. The suffering I have endured is nothing compared to the insults you have suffered.”

"A miracle not of this world, a vanished paradise, a fleeting sun."

"The Tragedy of the Holy Light, His Majesty Merok Raymond."

Chapter 117 An Extraordinary Thing

Karen held her long cane in one hand and gripped the edge of the black lifting plate with the other.

After finishing her conversation with Ariane, she walked out of the small dark room, satisfied. Good news: Aunt Ariane was still alive.

Karen had a vague sense of foreboding, especially since her father always stayed in his study, frowning and deep in thought. She had initially thought that something bad might have happened to the family.

A dark cloud appeared over Karen's tender heart.

"As expected, Father is going through menopause. Men like to beat their chests and stamp their feet when they reach a certain age." Karen smiled and skipped through the golden city.

The Golden City was devastated by some unknown event. Shattered silver mirrors in mid-air scattered fine, shimmering silver flakes. The golden roads had become bizarre due to the physical processes of melting and solidification. The entire city looked as if it had been kissed by a Category 12 typhoon.

But in Karen's cheerful mood, none of this mattered.

The elevator was broken in two and hung in mid-air like a maple leaf about to fall from a branch in early autumn, swaying listlessly.

Karen gave a soft hum, lifting the hem of her nun's habit slightly. Since it was a gift from Aunt Elian, she should cherish it. With a running start, Karen's footsteps created a crack in the stone wall, her body seemingly frozen in mid-air like a photograph captured in an old camera. Then, with a final burst of strength, the cracks in the stone wall spread like a spiderweb, and Karen, like a flying cannonball, grabbed the cable in mid-air. Her free hand gripped her staff, and a hammer of holy light snapped the lever hanging from the opposite short plank.

The gears groaned under the strain, sending Karen, who was swinging in the air, back to the top.

Outside Naslan's mausoleum, Karen stretched. It was said that Lord Lyle had defeated the vampires with the power of the Pure Ones, and the devastation in the dungeon was the aftermath of the battle. He was truly powerful.

Karen, you have to keep up the good work! You absolutely can't hold Lyle back. Following the shimmering light on the grass, Karen slowly moved forward.

As dusk approached, the dense forest before them seemed endless. If it weren't for the glint of light on the ground indicating that the path was clear, Karen would have been in serious trouble.

A noise came from behind the trees in the distance. Karen gripped her cane tighter. Was it a wild beast?

That familiar, slender figure came into view, his loose uniform covered with fallen leaves and petals. He emerged from behind the bushes, first looking into Guangchen's eyes, then meeting Karen's gaze.

"It's Lord Lyle! Did you wait here for me on purpose?"

Anyone with eyes can see they're not waiting for you, Lyle thought. After leaving the Naslan Secret Realm, it took quite a while to find the way back. Thank goodness, he finally found Lightdust and a lively Karen.

"It's so good to have met you, Karen."

"Whoosh! We defeated the vampire, Lord Lyle, you're amazing!" Karen used her Rocket Headbutt on Lyle, and the Water Water that had been defending against the vampire's attacks finally came in handy, leaving Lyle only knocked to the ground.

"Get up quickly, we need to get back to Narania before dark." Brushing the fallen leaves off his clothes, Lyle found it hard to look directly into Kallen's adoring gaze. The vampire was defeated by Mr. Raymond, yet he, merely a charlatan, was being worshipped by the warrior Kallen.

I need to become stronger so that I can live up to this respect, even if it's just my necromancy that I need to become stronger.

Before dusk, the two returned to Narancia and had the privilege of attending the Bennet family's dinner party.

The kind-hearted Mr. Bennett didn't mind Karen and Lyle's young faces and treated them with the same hospitality he would show to heroes.

It seems that Violet has told her father everything about what happened, and the wealthy businessman expressed his sincerest gratitude to the two of them.

After they finished eating, the two saw Ralph.

It wasn't in Violet's boudoir, otherwise Ralf would probably be incomplete by now.

It was a place that was originally a guest room. Waiters and maids stood outside the door to wait for him. Ralph lay on the large velvet bed with curtains in the center, just like the place where a princess in a fairy tale would lie.

His older sister, the prince, sat on the edge of the bed, her hands caressing his long, slender fingers as if trying to scrape off the calluses on them.

"Violet, how is Uncle?"

Violet stopped touching him and put her finger to her lips. "He needs to rest."

"Lyle, come here." The sleeping beauty didn't listen. Ralf called his nephew's name weakly. Although his tone was still strong, he couldn't even get rid of Violet's harassment.

"I'm here, Uncle."

Ralph stretched out his hand in the direction of the voice and touched Lyle's arm. "Are you alright?"

He struggled to open his eyelids, but closed them again after seeing Lyle for only a few seconds.

"No, Uncle."

Ralph became extremely weak, likely a side effect of the plague infection, even though it had only been in his bloodstream for a few dozen seconds; he had already become weak.

"Lord Lyle, please be careful, Commander Ralph has the scent of dark magic on him."

Karen offered a timely reminder.

Of course, I know perfectly well that I did it.

"Can the Holy Light cure it?"

Karen looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Of course, Lord Lyle. As long as you use the power of the Holy Light, it should be a piece of cake for you."

This is quite awkward; what reason should I give to refuse?

Lyle saw the expectation in Violet's eyes.

"Perhaps... there's no rush to treat him. It would be a good opportunity to give my tired uncle a sick leave."

Violet wholeheartedly agreed, and she even launched an offensive towards Karen, "Kalen, why don't you stay in Nalania for a day tomorrow? How many rose cakes do you want? I'll treat you."

"I love Violet the most!"

The crisis seems to have been resolved.

Lyle exhaled, only to be pulled down by Ralph and brought close to his ear.

Ralph made a sound.

"You did this?"

Uncle Ralph found out? But wasn't he knocked unconscious at the beginning? Lyle felt uneasy.

In which aspect?

"The death of a vampire."

"Forget it."

"How I look now."

"...I guess so."

"Will I feel better tomorrow, feeling so weak and listless?"

"It should be better soon. That was a side effect; I had no choice but to use magic."

"Dark magic?"

"A little bit of darkness." Necromancy, reviving the undead, can I say for sure?

"What's with that holy light?"

"A little trick."

Ralph scoffed, "I knew it. You stupid nephew, running out in the middle of the night to research some holy light, you're not cut out for it."

Lyle could only nod silently, trying not to make a sound; he had just accidentally seen something incredible.

After dealing with Ralf for a while, Lyle, covered in sweat, and Violet left the room.

"What is my uncle wearing?"

“An ice-silk nightgown,” Violet’s lips curled into a wild smile, “a pink girly collection.”

"I don't know anything, I didn't see anything."

"Don't worry, I won't betray you."

Chapter 118 The Old Swindler

Ralph recovered much faster than expected.

In the morning, Karen ate breakfast under Ralph's gaze. Although Karen's act of knocking herself unconscious might have been wise, the cold-blooded Ralph didn't need a reason to blame others.

Karen, like a frightened little squirrel, huddled under Ralph's silent gaze. There was no blame, no punishment; it was precisely this cold indifference that was most terrifying. Karen couldn't even enjoy her meal; after hastily filling her stomach, she hid behind Ralph.

Lyle used a spoon to support the bowl of mushroom soup. Narancia food all had a sweet taste; you might like it the first time you try it, but after a while, all that lingers on your tongue is a cloying sweetness. Lyle's fingers were trembling slightly, thankfully Shui Shui had secured his arm beforehand, preventing this from becoming obvious.

Ralf was wearing his familiar black sheriff's coat. Lyle didn't know if he had noticed the girl's nightgown, or if he was angry about it. Ralf wore the cold expression that came with his arrival in Narancia, while Violet wore the same serene smile as when they first met. The two adults kept their secrets to themselves.

"After breakfast, we'll be leaving. Violet will coordinate with Baron Tyron regarding the follow-up to Vampire Karent. Our mission is complete, newcomers."

There was no further scolding. Even as the three boarded the carriage for their return journey and said goodbye to Violet, Ralf didn't utter a single word, as if lingering fatigue still clung to him. So Lyle and Karen remained silent, watching Ralf's head rest against the windowsill, his eyes listlessly staring at the sunlight streaming through the curtains.

Lyle looked at Ralph's profile and a strange feeling seemed to form in his mind.