Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"If I were him, I'd rather not see that monster!"

Angelita is fully qualified to say this, because that is why she left the palace and is now standing here.

"Forget it. Unless you can turn back time and we don't come up again, this kind of if is meaningless." Leslough kicked the headless corpse at his feet away, feeling a little surprised that it didn't turn to ashes like its head. "Did you hear what this monster said just now? It seemed like... the bedroom?"

Almost all the rooms in the building had been destroyed, but at least the two could still find a few obvious pieces of furniture that could be called beds in the past, and in one of the rooms where they were placed, Angelita found a lot of processed herbs and biological parts.

A scroll, torn into dozens of pieces, lay scattered on the floor, its contents impossible to piece together. However, on the bedside table, a yellowed, moldy notebook was still faintly legible, containing a diary written in Imperial English. On the cover, bold, blood-red characters scrawled chaotically, a warning to those who followed, in the owner's final moments of lucidity:

"The codex is fake!"

"Yes, we all know this." Angelita turned the page and felt sad when she thought of Buddy who died here inexplicably.

"...This body is gradually failing to keep up with my thoughts. First the legs and feet, then the eyes, then the waist and hands, and finally the brain."

"I'm sure I have more, better ideas, but my mind is no longer what it used to be. I should be a better... me."

Angelita read the words aloud quietly. No doubt they had been written by Buddy's grandmother when she realized she was getting old.

The handwriting at the front of the diary was not beautiful, but at least it was neat enough. At the end of the long and tedious process, she decided to move to the city with her grandson. When Angelita turned to the next page, there was no longer any record of time.

But the handwriting was very new, just extremely messy, completely different from the previous one.

"I succeeded! The handwritten note passed down in the family is real! The puppet I secretly made can deceive my lovely little grandson. He won't know that his grandmother is not actually dead!"

"I have to do this. I've been trapped in this body all my life, trapped in the trivialities of family life. Why should my elf son-in-law be able to live like that? I originally thought that all this would come to an end, but I was wrong. Everyone was wrong!"

"I will complete my transformation here and be reborn!"

"...Today, a group of bandits came and took over my house! I summoned a strangler, and that monster can summon more companions to kill the invaders."

"But I can't go down to the cellar anymore. My waist isn't very flexible. Besides the first chokehold I summoned, the others are likely to catch me. I can't let such a terrible thing happen."

"Success! I can feel the energy of youth flowing through my body again! I have defeated aging! I need to move on to the next step immediately. I will give Buddy a surprise and take him to a more interesting place! His grandmother can always be with him!"

"In a sense, she did." Leslaufer twitched his mouth.

In a way no one expected.

"The rest... the rest are just a bunch of messy symbols." Angelita stopped reading at the top. She frowned and flipped through the contents of the diary page after page. It contained not only the fantasy of an old man who longed to be young again, but also a large number of experimental records. Presumably, they were some kind of ritual recorded in the notebook.

"Magician's stuff," said Raslaufer, not surprised. "I heard they—"

"No, that's not what I meant," Angelita interrupted him. She knew what the mercenary meant without Leslaufer continuing. "It's not encryption. It's a mistake. A complete and utter mistake."

"One of my teachers was a magician, Pol, remember? No matter how much a magician encrypts his spells, there must be a logic behind them. It must be decipherable, otherwise even the magician himself would not be able to understand his own markings."

"But the logic here is wrong, understand? It's chaotic, disordered, and cannot be—"

"Okay, okay, I understand, Your Highness," Leslough quickly raised his hands. "It's no use telling me this. Anyway, the point is that Buddy's grandmother performed the wrong ritual."

"But then, shouldn't it be completely ineffective? Why did she say it was working? And from what we've seen, she does seem to be making some progress."

"That's beyond my comprehension," Angelita said, trying to figure out the underlying situation. But after studying a diary with no reference for a long time, she had to give up on this unrealistic idea. "I'm not even a mage apprentice, Uncle Reslaufer. I only know some theories, but the theories here are all wrong."

"Then let's destroy it. No one needs to keep it in their memory now," Leslaufer and the other man agreed after a final discussion. "Since it's all wrong, keeping it will only harm others."

Outside the abandoned winery, two people, one big and one small, held a "grand" cremation ceremony for Buddy's grandmother. Her headless body and her diary were thrown into the fire and burned. At the end, Angelita collected as many fragments of the notes as possible that could no longer be deciphered and threw them into the flames.

A twisted, angry face exploded from the flames the instant the codex was reduced to ash, yet it frightened no one. In fact, both Reslaufer and Angarita dismissed it as a normal phenomenon caused by incomplete combustion and paid no attention to it at all. The codex, passed down through countless generations of the Antichi family, was destroyed in the hands of two outsiders.

But...what should they do with Buddy?

Chapter 33 Buddy Antich

"I'm very sorry, but I can't cure this 'patient'."

The priest of Kiranda Town looked at the two "families of the deceased" in front of him with embarrassment: "Although I can cast a spell to resurrect the dead, this gentleman may have suffered an evil curse in his lifetime. I really can't do anything about it."

As expected, Leslaufer and Angelita exchanged glances, neither of them expressing much surprise.

If Buddy was eaten alive by his grandmother, that might be good news. After all, she might be able to bring him back to the mortal world through magic.

But now, there was no way for this young half-elf, whose skin was ashen blue, to wake up again.

"If you two wish, we can help investigate his cause of death," the pastor observed the man across from him for a moment and said cautiously, "But Mr. Buddy isn't a believer in our Lord. Perhaps it would be better to leave the relevant matters to the church he's committed to."

He is the best priest here, and perhaps the most powerful one in the entire Kiranda, but this does not mean that he can interfere in other people's affairs. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't - there are only a limited number of coffins and tombs for believers. After burying a pagan, is he going to let his own believers' bodies be exposed in public?

"We don't know his beliefs," Angelita tilted her head, deliberately letting the other party see her disguised pointed ears. "My uncle left him very early, and he probably didn't receive any elf education. Can you think of a solution from the perspective of human cultural traditions?"

"Even though he's not a believer in the goddess of resurrection, Klesir, you certainly won't sit idly by and watch him go, right?"

The priest of the righteous god sighed. Half-elves' affairs have always been troublesome, but he had not expected that the central part of the empire would also be troubled by such things.

"We do have cremation services, and we can give you two an urn... but I don't think you would—"

"I agree," Angreta's reaction caused the priest's eyes to widen in shock. "Can we start now?"

"We have other things to do and can't waste time here," Leslaufer shrugged. Because he had a preconceived notion that the short girl was an elf, the priest had no way of determining who she was to Angrita, and it was difficult to ask directly. "Under special circumstances, let's both take a step back."

The pastor, unable to offer any other solution, could only agree on this approach. A moment later, Leslough brought a large urn and led Angarita straight to Buddy's home. Buddy's inheritance naturally included the key to his own house.

"Your disguise actually works!" As soon as she entered the house, Angelita couldn't wait to tear off the disguise on her ears. "These are just two lumps of mud. How did it do that?"

"It should be 'How did you do that?'" Leslaufer snatched the two lumps of 'mud' from the girl's mouth. "This was given to me by a real elf. She has a deformed ear and used it as a disguise."

"Luckily, you and Buddy have similar hair colors, and you don't have a beard. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy to hide it from the pastor."

Most of the priests are locals, but the one who can cast the resurrection spell just now may have studied in their higher-level temples - maybe he even has an elf or half-elf friend.

But it doesn't matter, Leslaufer also knows elves well, at least he won't let Angarita reveal her true identity in the brief contact.

"Ears?" Angelita curiously skipped the last half of the sentence. "So what's she using as a disguise now?"

The mercenary shrugged. "She's accepted it, so when you hear her name now, it usually has 'One Ear' in front of it."

"Okay, let's send him back to his own home. I'll go find his cash box."

"Take the balance? It seems like we haven't completed the mission yet, right?"

"Of course I'm taking it all—are I leaving it for him to spend in the jar?"

Leslaufer left and came back quickly. The good news was that the mercenary was not particularly greedy. The money he collected was not even enough for the amount that Buddy had promised before his death. The bad news was... this was all the money Buddy had at home.

"That guy tricked us," Leslaufer said, his tone not sounding happy. "I've searched everywhere I could, and this is all I could find."

But so what? Death wipes out debts. The followers of the Goddess of Resurrection have personally confirmed that Buddy Antich cannot repay his debts. Leslaufer can only give up. Instead, Angarita, after a moment's thought, comes up with another idea.

"Uncle Leslaufer, do you think I'll continue to be tracked?"

"They will definitely arrive. The only difference is when they arrive," Reslaufer replied without hesitation. "The guy before is dead. This will at least delay them for a while."

"So we're not actually safe now. Even if I change my clothes, they can still smell me."

"indeed."

"What if we change not just clothes but people?" Angelita suddenly smiled slyly. "For example, 'Buddy'?"

Buddy has no family left, and the only people who know about his death are the guards on patrol and night duty and the priests in the Church of the Goddess of Resurrection. He is the perfect candidate!

Besides, they didn't plan to stay in Kiranda Town any longer. As long as they left here, who would know the details of a half-elf? No one!

"Angelita, you're a genius!" Leslough clapped his hands. "Buddy, you died a good death!"

Women dressed as men, humans dressed as half-elves, and the roles played by almost no one knew about, which meant that they would be almost impossible to be exposed! Angarita immediately got busy, quickly digging through Buddy's house and finding several men's clothes that didn't take the wearer's body features into consideration. Leslaufer fiddled with the camouflage mud again. It was uncomfortable to stick to the skin, but this time there was no need to use too much, just a little work on the outline of the girl's ears.

After all, half-elves have mixed human blood, so it is much easier to shape them than elf ears.

The two came under the moonlight and left quietly under the moonlight. From then on, there was only an urn in Buddy's house. Outside Kiranda, there would soon be a half-elf traveler who claimed to be from this town and also named "Buddy Antichi". The town of Kiranda seemed to be completely unaffected by such a little episode.

But in the late night, in a blacksmith shop called "Old Mountain Forge", a dwarf suddenly opened his eyes while half asleep and half awake.

Chapter 34 Uninvited Guest

Vondar Halfhill always had a good sleep quality, or most dwarves had a good sleep quality. He rubbed his eyes in confusion and turned over to sit up in bed.

The sound of two apprentices snoring one after another came from next door, which made the old dwarf nod with satisfaction, thinking that the two "Los beasts" were not slacking off today.

But it was unlikely that he would be woken by such a noise. Perhaps he was just thirsty, the dwarf consoled himself in his heart, and decided to get up and pour himself a glass of barley wine.

Excessive drinking can make people dizzy, but a little alcohol can actually boost the spirit. After drinking half a glass of wine, the dwarf suddenly stopped and tilted his ear as if listening.

There was a sound coming from outside, from the direction of the shop in front.

Thief? The dwarf craftsman was immediately furious. He grabbed a hammer from the corner of the wall, opened the door and walked out quietly.

As a blacksmith, it certainly makes sense to have a hammer in your bedroom.

In the rumors of the human world, dwarves are usually synonymous with thick skin and flesh. Ordinary blunt force blows are unlikely to leave marks on them, and even some magic and poisons are ineffective against dwarves. However, what few people know is that dwarves can also be masters of stealth, and cunning is no stranger to them.

The tall dwarf, whose body was slightly shorter than a human, crouched as he walked through the corridor and finally stopped at the back door of his shop. There was no light in the shop, but that did not prevent the dwarf from seeing.

A tall figure was standing in the shop in the dark, picking up weapons and protective gear from the shelves one by one with his hands, playing with them for a while and then putting them down again. The sound the dwarf heard came from this.

"Put your things down! I'm closed." The dwarf stood at the door for a moment, then realized he wasn't being noticed. He strode forward with a fierce look on his face. "Get out of here right now! Or I'll call the guards!"

Vondar swung his hammer, as if to strike the intruder on his anvil like a blacksmith, but to his surprise, the other party did not seem afraid at all. He just turned his head and looked at the dwarf with interest with his eyes that hardly reflected light in the dark.

"How rude! I'm a customer." He casually pulled another rapier from the shelf. "Nice workmanship, Master Vondar. How much is this sword?"

"This isn't for sale, and my craftsmanship doesn't need praise from a thief like you!"

"How about this one? I'm very rich—" The man picked up another one and swung it up quickly. The trajectory of the hammer was blocked by his "brothers and sisters" made by the same forger, and he let out an angry roar.

"I won't sell you a single nail from my shop. Get out of here!"

If Reslaufer was only proficient in using blunt instruments, then Vondar was definitely an expert in the field. He wielded an iron hammer with great vigor, forcing the uninvited guest to retreat continuously. Several times, his brain was almost shattered by the small hammer head.

However, the dwarf soon discovered that the opponent did not seem to be a weakling either. He had his own understanding of various weapons and could easily pick up any weapon in the store to block the dwarf's attack, and could even take measures to counterattack.

When Vondar's hammer approached the opponent's forehead several times, the weapon in the thief's hand was pointed at Vondar's chest from time to time.

"who are you?!"

After a moment, the dwarf craftsman realized something was wrong and suddenly stopped, jumped aside cautiously and asked.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I know who you are." The uninvited guest didn't take the opportunity to expand his advantage. Instead, he pulled out a magical device from his pocket. After activating it, a familiar girl's face was outlined in a faint blue light in the darkness. "I want to know who she is."

is her!

Feng Dahl immediately recognized her. This was the girl who had been practicing in his shop a few days ago. Had she really gotten into trouble? That was why—

damn it!

Vondar understood that as long as he said this, the other party would leave immediately and no longer bother with him, but his mouth refused to perform such a simple task.

"Is this your mother? You want to go find her to nurse? It's a pity I've never seen her!"

The dwarf spat and swung his hammer again.

"Then I've seen it," the uninvited guest continued to fight with Feng Dahl calmly, even finding time to speak. "I advise you to cooperate obediently. As long as you are willing to speak, no one will embarrass you. Your two apprentices are much more sensible than you."

"It was them?!" Fengdal Banqiu was shocked and angry. "Those two Los beasts! How dare they betray me!"

"They didn't betray you, Master," the newcomer easily dodged the dwarf's hammer and used his sword to pierce the dwarf's pajamas, leaving a shallow gash on his abdomen. "This girl has nothing to do with you, right? Why can't you just cooperate?"

"You want me to cooperate? Dream on!" The stinging pain from his wounds aroused the dwarf's anger, but it didn't make him lose his mind. After taking several more blows, Vondar suddenly leaped back, overturning two weapon racks. "Don't even think about getting an answer from me!"

He immediately turned around, but instead of moving towards his residence, he ran straight into the shop. That was the room where he had given Angelita the studded leather armor.

"Stubborn." The uninvited guest shook his head, leisurely wiped off the dwarf's blood on the tip of his sword, and followed closely behind.

"You can't escape, Master Vondar," the voice of the person who came soon came from the door of the room where Vondar was hiding. "You may be able to see clearly in the dark, but you still can't defeat me."

"Are you thinking you can defeat me with just a few magic items? Give up, this is nothing but wishful thinking."

With his acquired superb eyesight, he could also barely see in the dim light, and with his excellent hearing and positioning skills, he could even outperform dwarves in the dark. He walked into the room with a proud look, and looked around with interest at several unusual-looking magical equipment.

The dwarf had dropped his hammer by now and was pointing a dagger at him.

"Master, you may understand weapons, but you don't understand combat," the uninvited guest said regretfully. "Simple magic can't save you from your disadvantage. A dagger? You think you can defeat me with that?"

"Yes, use this." Feng Daer knew that he had a strange smile on his face, but he was not worried that the other party was prepared. "Do you think you have a sure win? You are only one person!"

Is there help? The uninvited guest was suddenly startled. According to the information passed on by his colleagues, Her Royal Highness was indeed accompanied by a man who looked like a mercenary. Could it be him?

In that moment of distraction, the visitor saw Vondar's free hand suddenly reach behind him and pull out a fist-sized iron sphere. Before he could react, the object flew straight towards his face. A giant flaming hand suddenly burst out of the air and grabbed him. The last thing he saw was the dwarf activating the magic dagger in his hand, forming a magical force field around him!

"Say hello to my friend for me, you fool!" the dwarf shouted and laughed exaggeratedly. "It's called 'Smoke Powder'!"

Chapter 35 Bird Hunter