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

“How could that be?” Paul smiled wryly. “Lord Raslaufer, do I look several hundred years old? Only then could I possibly meet him.”

“But in fact, even so, the possibility is not high, because what is buried here is not some kind of immortal being, although he did pursue immortality,” Pol walked to the front of the hidden compartment, looking up at the dark pit. “Your Highness, let me test you: what could it be?”

“Not an immortal being, not pursuing immortality… the box,” Angelita’s heart skipped a beat. “You mean, a lich?”

Buried—no, slumbering—in this stone coffin is a lich?!

No wonder that cook died so badly that even his soul couldn't escape! And what about them...?

“To be precise, it’s more likely a half-lich, or worse,” Paul nodded. This was not a piece of knowledge that Angrita needed to learn; he was already very satisfied that His Highness could make the connection to a lich. “Otherwise, none of us would be able to escape—or even get close.”

“Even if it’s you, it won’t work?” Daisy blurted out.

“You overestimate me, young lady. My lifelong wish is to complete my research on 'divination',” Paul sighed. “And what you just mentioned is truly a piece of cake for a lich.”

"Liches are mostly former powerful mages who sacrificed everything in pursuit of immortality or power, storing their souls in caskets. Although they may never take the ultimate step in their fantasies, they are still as different from mortals as clouds and mud. However, excessive rationality can sometimes be a bad thing; they often seal themselves in tombs so that they can focus more on their work."

"But they forgot that the life box needs souls to nourish it. If souls are not sacrificed regularly, it will gradually decay until it reaches its final end. And the so-called 'half-lich' is the transitional process in between."

“I saw the skeletons outside. Perhaps in an earlier period, the owner of this place, although he forgot about the sacrificial life box, still retained the ability to defend himself and fight back. Those tomb raiders might have occasionally provided him with supplies. Unfortunately, waiting to be fed is ultimately just a mirage, and in the end, it all comes to nothing.”

Looking at the stone coffin in front of him, Paul sighed, "Look, now he can hardly even leave his own coffin. Perhaps after some time, when people open the coffin again, there will only be a pile of ashes left inside, not even bones."

“But let’s leave that to future generations,” Leslaufer understood what Paul meant. “Right now, we can’t be sure whether he will come out and attack us if we really touch his precious life box where he stores his soul.”

“To lift the coffin and rise up!” Daisy nodded firmly. “That would be too terrifying.”

“It’s more than terrifying, it’s terrifying,” Paul added. “Come on, let’s leave. Since he has forgotten his own immortality, he probably won’t care if we take his property. Let him stay here and wait for the same end as everyone else.”

"May Serak also take his soul."

“Uh, isn’t it Angola?” The poet looked at Paul with some doubt. “I don’t seem to remember that Serak also governs death.”

“But the gods will choose suitable souls to return to their respective divine kingdoms. Although the existence of liches is inherently wicked, they are ultimately pursuing the path of knowledge.” Pol was almost talking to himself, perhaps because even he knew that beings like the owner of this tomb could only fall into the arms of the Light-Drinker Angora.

Heeding Paul's advice, the group did not touch the casket. Instead, they made sure to close and bury everything they could before leaving, so that the time when it would see the light of day again would be delayed as long as possible. By then, the immortal in the tomb would probably be truly dead.

“Thank you for taking care of the princess for so long. Without you, we really wouldn’t know what to do,” Paul said, bringing up the matter of payment once they were far away from the dead tree outside the grave. He looked at Raslaufer and put his hands in his sleeves. “Just name a price. I will pay you no matter what.”

The mercenary didn't answer, but kept scanning the somewhat comical-looking mage, making the latter feel uneasy: "Sir?"

“I have a question,” Raslaufer began, “I trust you will pay, but then what?”

"And then?" Paul's expression turned slightly cold. "It's best if you don't pry too much into what happens next—I know you, or your friends, aren't you perhaps on someone's commission to make another quick buck?"

"I can pay you extra to keep quiet, but you can't—"

“Teacher!” Angelita interrupted Paul. “Uncle Raslaufer isn’t that kind of person. If he really wanted to sell me, he would have done it already!”

Angelita and Paul explained in detail about the bear goblin who was known as the "lone beast," and the old man's tense expression relaxed slightly after listening.

“We are so lucky to have met such an upright person as you,” Paul said, feeling his face burning again. “I’m sorry, I’m a stranger here, so I’m a little…you know, a little sensitive.”

He was getting old, and the journey from the Empire to this place had amplified this feeling. He was truly terrified that something might happen to his students.

“You can rest assured about that,” Leslaufer nodded. “Although there may still be people who want to do business with me in this area, I don’t think East Inassis can afford the prices I’m asking for.”

"I just want to know what your plans are for her. You also said you met with quite a few people recently, right?"

“Yes, yes,” Pol no longer concealed, “I found a disciple of a student of one of my former classmates’ teachers… He said he could arrange for Your Highness to study at the Serak Church School, with no problem with food, clothing, or lodging. Although Your Highness is not particularly talented in spellcasting, at least your theoretical knowledge is fully qualified. In a few years, you should be able to start as a lecturer, and if you can advance further in the future, I will also…”

As the patron saint of researchers, Serak and His Church are entirely trustworthy. Once the internal strife in the Empire subsides, Angrita might still have a chance to return to her homeland. While Paul may not know much about other matters, he is unlikely to be easily deceived, at least in the field he has dedicated his life to—he has taken care of everything before and after his death.

The only problem is that Angelita doesn't like this arrangement.

“I don’t want to go there, teacher,” Angelita raised her hand in front of Paul, and as her clenched thumb and index and middle fingers slowly opened, the old mage’s eyes immediately reflected arcane sparks. “And you see, I have already learned how to cast spells.”

Chapter 414 The Demonologist of Eastern Inassassins

The old mage stared intently at the magic flowing through Angelita's fingertips, not uttering a word, as if lost in thought. But suddenly, he shook his head, as if trying to shake off some idea.

“No, no, Your Highness, please don’t lie to me. This will do you no good,” Paul’s gaze fell on Angelita’s long poem of will. “I can sense elven magic power in this sword. Such a small trick can’t fool me…”

“Of course, Professor Paul,” Angelita replied immediately, handing her sword to Mary beside her, “please bear witness.”

As she spoke, she suddenly stopped, and a flaming arrow, trailing a long tail of flame, streaked through the cold winter air, leaving a trail of white mist, and struck a rock by the roadside with precision!

"this--"

The old mage was utterly speechless. He opened his mouth wide, and steam slowly rose in front of him: "Your Highness! You've actually learned how to cast spells!"

This was a major problem that he and several other professors at Magpares Academy couldn't solve back then! They were absolutely certain that Angelita had the talent for spellcasting, but no matter what they did, they couldn't get her to use even a single trick. In the end, they had no choice but to report to Richard VII that "Her Highness does not have the talent for spellcasting"—otherwise, how were they supposed to solve this problem?

Princess Enlightenment's teachers are all incompetent? That's one thing, after all, Pol's own skills are only flight and some rudimentary divination spells. But what if none of the lecturers and professors at the best academy in the empire, or even the world, escaped? That would be a disaster! That would be a slap in the face to every single person on the wall of the palace and the academy!

Moreover, it was absolutely unacceptable to bind a princess for experiments, given her noble status. Although everyone Paul knew believed that "in-depth research" would reveal the root of the problem, this was equally absurd. Ultimately, unable to find the problem theoretically, they were forced to abandon their research.

But now, after leaving the empire, Her Highness has somehow learned magic without any instruction? What... is that?

Is the corn from Inasas nourishing?

"I don't know if I should ask, but how did you learn that?" Paul couldn't help but voice his doubts. "You've certainly not signed some kind of agreement you shouldn't have, have you?!"

“Don’t worry, teacher, that’s not true at all,” Angelita smiled brightly, creating another small air explosion. “These spells were all taught to me by you personally.”

"Although I was unable to cast arcane spells at the time, I memorized all the incantations, actions, and casting materials."

Even so, Pol was not entirely at ease. He quickly cast several spells and asked Angelita and the others a whole host of questions. Finally, feeling that there was no more room for indirect questioning, the mage breathed a long sigh of relief, confirming that Angelita's gains were entirely through reasonable means.

“Perhaps this is what they call accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing it,” Pol nodded. “But I still don’t understand. If you’ve already learned how to use arcane magic, shouldn’t you be taking it to the next level? Why don’t you want to go to the school of the Church of Serak?”

"Although it can't compare to Magpares Academy, it is still bathed in the glory of the god of knowledge, where you can hone your skills undisturbed..."

“Because I believe that even the problems that Magpares Academy couldn’t solve will be the same here,” Angelita shook her head. “Theories alone cannot solve problems. Just like the contract between Uncle Raslaufer and us, it will never become real gold coins without going through a long journey. My magic is the same.”

"Perhaps only through repeated trials in adventures can my strength truly improve and become stronger."

“Your Highness…” At this moment, Paul truly felt that his student had changed. He was unmarried and had no way of knowing what this meant—perhaps this was what his colleagues often referred to as “the child has grown up.”

“Since that’s the case, then I won’t insist anymore.” If Angelita had no ability to protect herself, Paul would have tied her up and brought her into the church, or even made her become a nun if necessary. But given the current situation, everyone can avoid all that trouble. “However, I have another question—the one you mentioned when you recounted what happened earlier.”

"And I've also noticed—Lord Leslaufer, what's with those spirits around you?"

Asking Raslaufer this question was the right question to ask. How could Dopler possibly explain this phenomenon from an arcane perspective? All he could remember were the victims and the time of the massacre.

“I think this is a problem,” Paul said, naturally unable to draw any conclusions from these fragmented descriptions. He thought for a moment and looked at Leslaufer. “Sir, I wonder if you have any time later? If so, I know of a scholar in Eastern Inassassin who specializes in the study of souls. Perhaps I could ask someone to introduce me.”

He could disregard Raslaufer's life or death, but since it concerned Angelita, he had to take all necessary precautions, or he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"Sorry, I don't have..." "Don't worry, it won't cost you a penny."

“Oh, what I really meant was that I have no reason not to go,” Leslaufer laughed. “But I want to know who he is first. Can you tell me?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I just spoke with him recently,” Paul said, fully understanding Reslaufer’s caution regarding matters of the soul. “His name is Heinrich Spegor. In fact, he is a demonologist, upright, humble, and most importantly, very knowledgeable.”

“I’m not too surprised by this…” Daisy muttered under her breath. “In fact, there’s a mage in Shinwood City who studies necromancy and demons, and well…”

Paul paused for a moment, not quite hearing what Daisy had said, and needed Angelita to explain. After a moment, the old mage stroked his beard and smiled: "That's not a problem. He's not the kind of person who lives in seclusion, or rather, he's keen on attending gatherings precisely because of that. Unless the entire church school is possessed by demons, if he does anything unusual, everyone will definitely notice."

"If His Excellency Raslaufer agrees, I will begin contacting him shortly."

Chapter 415 Bohr's Arrangements

"Nine hundred and ninety-one, nine hundred and ninety-two..."

Paul was a reputable employer, and even if he wasn't, he would honor his contract for the sake of his students' reputation. Therefore, after learning of the dangers and hardships they had encountered along the way, he ultimately offered a fee far exceeding the original quote.

A few days after returning home, counting his hard-earned reward, Raslaufer felt as if he were in paradise.

"I said, are you really planning to count them one by one?" Daisy, still half asleep, poked her head out from the edge of the bed. "Old Ray, they delivered them to you in packs of twelve, just count the stacks, right? Do you think that old Mr. Paul would cheat you?"

After counting to exactly one thousand, Raslaw lifted his eyelids to look at Daisy: "Guess why I counted it that way?"

"Me..." The bard's face twitched. "Could someone have actually done that before?"

“It happened a long time ago, and he was a mage,” Raslaufer lowered his head again, “but he was later sawed alive, and his magic couldn’t save him.”

"He was buried in two halves, with half of his body made of clay from each half. It is said that this was to prevent him from having the means to resurrect. This way, his magic would determine that his master was 'intact and unharmed' and did not need to be resurrected."

Daisy stuck out her tongue: "Then I guess no one will dare to renege on their debts after that, right?"

“Ha, I wouldn’t dare take that bet,” the mercenary shook his head, “One, two, three…”

With someone counting gold in the middle of the night next to her, Daisy couldn't sleep no matter what. But fortunately, as a spellcaster, she had plenty of ways to keep herself energized. When she finished meditating at dawn, the gold coins by the bed were gone, leaving only Raslaufer lying fully clothed on the floor, snoring.

The reward offered by Paul was slightly higher than Reslaufer's estimate, so he wasn't in a hurry to go out and find work again. He could relax for a while, but this time, it wouldn't be easy for him to visit his mercenary friends again.

Aside from having guests at home, it was also to make it easier for the old mage to find him—after settling the payment, Paul left immediately to schedule a meeting with the demonologist.

Raslaufer had never intended to expend much energy on this. Those spirits did not harm him, and his thirst for killing and blood did not come from those numb spirits—at least until he was accidentally drawn into the Nine Hells, Raslaufer believed this.

But... if it really is just an ordinary being, why would a demon lord be so... wary of it?

Raslauver wouldn't say exactly how terrified Belial looked, nor had he ever hoped so, but the other man did display extreme disgust, along with other emotions, and the addition of words like "ominous sign" inexplicably gave Raslauver a slight sense of anticipation.

However, he didn't know any authorities in this field, and being on a journey at the time, he simply assumed it didn't exist. Now that someone had made an introduction, Raslaufer naturally wouldn't resist getting an answer.

Those who provided the answer likely received a reply soon.

A few days later, at noon one day, a duck waddled in from outside, quacking loudly, and headed straight for the dining table. As Mary was about to catch it, Angelita recognized it as her teacher's magical pet and quickly rescued it to prevent the little guy named Cole from becoming a new dish on the table.

A few minutes later, the old mage finally arrived, landing from the air in front of Raslaufer's house.

“The feeling of using magic without restraint is truly addictive,” Pol chuckled as he entered. “In the Empire, especially in Magpares, such opportunities are far too rare.”

“I never expected that our barbarian lands would catch the eye of an imperial mage, that’s a great honor,” Leslaufer said. Instead of rising to greet them like the others, he grabbed an unopened bottle of ale from the side. “It’s not as warm up in the sky as it is on the ground, is it? Want a sip?”

“No need for that, I have my own ways to keep warm,” Pol shook his frost-covered robes. They weren’t winter clothes, and without magic, a dignified mage would probably freeze to death very quickly. “The matter I told you about before has been settled. You can choose a time and place in the next few days, on the third floor of Ironforge, which is the location of the Serak Church School that I mentioned before.”

"It's just a seminary; the arcane academy is on another campus."

Unlike church schools run by other deities, the Church of Serak, as the deity in charge of knowledge and arcane arts, teaches both theology and arcane arts. Other subjects such as military affairs, culture, and art are also covered, but those courses are not very relevant to those of you here.

Bohr looked up and quickly spotted a masterpiece that had recently been hung on the wall: "Ah, 'The Emperor's March'! Who would have thought that a masterpiece by a top master could be found in an old house in this desolate village?"

“If anyone were to come to visit, there are so many things they wouldn’t expect, teacher,” Angelita chuckled. “And thankfully I didn’t agree to go. I’ve heard Uncle Raslaufer say that Ironforge is very unsafe.”

"But you just said... 'you guys'?"

“Yes,” the old mage nodded slightly. “Your Highness, although you are unwilling to go to the academy, I think there are still some people you need to meet. After all, Lord Raslaufer will certainly have other important matters to attend to and cannot always provide you with assistance. Making some new friends in a new place is always more beneficial than harmful.”

“I understand,” Angelita didn’t resist it; social skills were something she had been trained in since childhood. But after a moment, the princess suddenly realized something, and her expression became a little strange. “Wait, Professor Paul, what kind of ‘new friend’ are you referring to, ‘friend’?”

“Uh…” The old mage visibly became embarrassed. He subconsciously raised his hand to scratch his rough, wrinkled cheek. “It’s mainly because of the connections I had with my classmates, mentors, and students back then, and the continuation of that connection. After all, I’m getting quite old, and I’m afraid I can’t stay by your side forever.”

At this, not only Angelita, but even Mary and Daisy narrowed their eyes: "Mr. Paul, among your connections, there must be some promising young talents, right?"

"This, this, this..." The old mage wasn't a politician, and he still couldn't evade the main issue without batting an eye. "You see, actually this is an upcoming academic conference, just like in Magpares. Most of the participants will bring their students to broaden their horizons. That's it... I guarantee it."

Chapter 416 Departure, Iron Fortress

“You are my teacher, so if you say so, then it is.” Angelita didn’t press further; in fact, she already had the answer.

But what does it matter? Perhaps she was panicked and uneasy back then, but now, let them arrange things however they want.

The carriage that had come from West Inathas was rather dilapidated, so the group chose a new one and exchanged the remaining warhorses for draft horses, so that the poor creatures wouldn't have to continue doing work they weren't good at.

Although there was no one skilled in driving, and no druids who could command creatures in a language animals could understand were around, they still avoided the trouble of hiring a driver again—Blackclaw, no one expected that this Deinonychus could actually take on this job.

All it takes is for it to stand beside the horses. After the initial panic, the livestock, knowing they cannot escape, actually obey Blackclaw's will. Blackclaw can also generally understand the commands of Raslaufer, the "head dragon." As a result, the draft horses are even more docile than in the hands of ordinary coachmen.

After all, even they understand that if they only resist the coachman, they will at most get a beating and punches, but when it comes to predators, Black Claw is really looking forward to actually biting them!

“This is truly…unbelievable,” even Paul was speechless with astonishment as he watched the horses pulling the carriage and moving about obediently under Raslaufer’s orders on the day of departure. “Perhaps I should have left the court a few decades earlier and seen more of the outside world.”

“A creature like Black Claw is probably something you wouldn’t even be able to see even if you came out beforehand,” Angelita chuckled, after all, Black Claw wasn’t a creature of this world. “Besides, if you just left like that, what would I, your student, do?”

Although Paul neither accompanied her nor secretly protected her on the subsequent journey, without him and Lady Grandin, Angelita wouldn't have even been able to leave the palace, let alone meet Raslaufer.

Perhaps Angelita was Richard VII's daughter, but in reality, both Paul and Grandin were probably more like family to her than her father. If Angelita and the Emperor truly had a deep father-daughter bond, even if the princess discovered those unspeakable secrets, she probably wouldn't have been determined to flee Magpares, or even the entire Empire.

Therefore, even if Angreta dislikes the decisions that Bohr makes for various reasons, she will not complain or criticize them—the old mage is genuinely doing it for her own good, and she fully understands that.

However, the decision ultimately rests with her.

The specially commissioned, spacious carriage quickly departed the lands of Dole, swaying and rattling along the road towards Ironforge. Behind them, the land that had once been divided in two now had only one mistress. By the king's appointment, she no longer needed the formality of "managing the land in the name of her mother"; she was now the undisputed Countess Dole.

Even if she were to marry a new man while she was still young, the inheritance of this territory would fall to her children who would later take her surname, Fitzgivar.

However, that would be a great disrespect to Raslaufer, who is now the "godfather" of the two children, and Skuld clearly did not mean that.

Raslaufer withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to what was happening behind him. He looked at the old mage in the carriage, intending to say something, but ultimately held back.