Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 103 - 99: Clue

"They are lying! Shameful traitors! And now they even occupy lands that don’t belong to them!"

Lyle kept backing away as the old man in front of him grew more agitated, his spittle flying like the spray from a Naranya gardener’s watering can. The bulging veins on his scrawny neck seemed as if they would burst at any moment.

These elders, who had been staring at the distant mountains and forests, seemed rejuvenated when Lyle approached with a forced smile to inquire about the curse of Naslan. Faced with those weathered faces, Lyle felt immense pressure, fearing that in their excitement, these elders on the verge of death might accuse him of murder.

"It is Naslan’s blessing, not a curse! They should be grateful to return to the family!"

Lyle’s smile froze on his lips. He had done more forced smiling this morning than in the past twenty years combined. Massaging his aching cheeks, Lyle breathed out.

Unreliable Karen.

In the end, the four of them split into two teams following Verlet’s suggestion. Embracing the virtue of being beneficial to others, Lyle cast his vote in favor since, after all, even cabbages dream of pairing with pigs.

The night before the split, Butler and his nephew came together.

Ralph clapped Lyle on the shoulder, "While I do advocate for impartiality in official matters, you are in the prime of youth, and romantic entanglements are inevitable. Since you also have this desire, you must seize the opportunity and strive to bond with Karen. For the future of the Butler family, give it your all! This is the first time I’ve seen you take initiative; you really have grown up, kiddo."

A smile uglier than crying made the corners of Lyle’s mouth twitch.

It’s true, the player is blind, while the bystander sees clearly.

The protagonist of the drama thinks to watch the play from the stage; indeed, sometimes a man’s eyes are mere ornaments.

Lyle put on a brilliant, superior smile, "Yes, Uncle, let’s both give it our all!"

"???"

The teams were thus decided.

Lyle and Karen focused their attention on the elderly men sitting silently on the stone steps.

They sat in silence, like a faded oil painting. Time seemed to slow down around them; their frail bodies had been stripped of moisture by the sands of time. A weak loneliness clung to them like a perfume, spreading their scent to the passersby.

Karen volunteered first, moved by a young girl’s simple sympathy. Considering that these aged elders might appreciate such a lively and charming girl, Lyle decided to let her try.

In front of Lyle, Karen, like a little lady, straightened the hem of her nun’s habit and tucked a few strands of her mischievous golden hair under her hat. Clutching her staff in both hands, she advanced toward an elderly man with a gentle smile warmed by the morning sun on her face.

The old man with white beard and a round cap had a dark complexion and might once have been a serf to a lord. Karen’s figure had clearly entered his field of vision; he stopped paying attention to the mountains and forests beyond the high walls and looked straight at the little angel approaching him step by step.

Good job, Karen! Lyle thought to himself, pleased with this promising start.

The subsequent development exceeded Lyle’s expectations.

Karen came to a halt; she had seen something that altered her route.

"Thief!"

A roar burst from Karen’s small frame, the contrast as stark as an air-raid siren whistling from a tiny toy.

Clad in her nun’s habit, Karen stamped her foot angrily, the vibration and the dust she kicked up palpable. A halo of sanctity coalesced into armor around her, and her staff, now a long battle hammer, trailed on the ground.

She shot forward like a cannonball toward a walkway entwined with morning glory vines, then disappeared from sight after several leaps.

Only the slowly settling dust remained, along with Lyle and the old man staring at each other wide-eyed.

Great, now Lyle had not only to gather intelligence but also to calm any possible fright.

After all, a little girl had just turned into a human cannonball in front of him, leaping ten feet into the air.

Unreliable Karen.

Lyle wiped his face, removing sweat and possibly someone else’s spit.

In the eyes of these elders, Verlet’s story was a different version. In the Naslan catastrophe, the ancestors of Naranya were shameful traitors; they avoided the family’s disaster and shamefully coerced a group into a disgraceful split. They portrayed a mad family leader in the survivors’ tales, whose terrible magic brought about the family’s demise. They fashioned themselves as the heroes who rescued the survivors, but some did not buy into this narrative; they held them responsible for their kin’s deaths and even saw the misfortune of Naranya’s eldest child as a deserved punishment.

A story has two sides, just like a mirror. What’s done cannot be undone.

But Lyle began to question the content of the story. Was the Naslan family truly annihilated?

Lyle still remembered that haunting figure and her name, Alianna Naslan.

Vampires, devilish charm, the Naslan family, the secluded woods—all these elements were converging like stars in the sky, leading his thoughts to sinister possibilities.

Lyle still remembered the way Alianna looked that night when he left.

"Beatrice has never let us down, she has always been a sister I’m proud of."

Lyle’s eyes narrowed slightly, Beatrice, let’s just hope Karen’s disappearance doesn’t have anything to do with you.

Shoving the unpleasant speculation to the back of his mind, he needed more information.

...... 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As Lyle roamed somewhere in the Inner City District, Shuishui tugged at his sleeve again.

It was a trapdoor hidden at the edge of the castle, with a guard stationed in front.

His eyes met Lyle’s directly from beneath the iron helmet.

"Halt, this is Baron Tyron’s private wine cellar, passage is forbidden."

Lyle waved a hand dismissively, "Of course, I was just looking for a cool place to rest; I will be going immediately, sir. It’s really hot today."

Lyle promptly rose to his feet and left with the guard’s counsel.

What remained was a puddle-like shape that, under the guard’s neglect, seeped through the crack of the trapdoor.

......

Shuishui returned to spherical form behind the door.

The rich aroma of wine was mixed with the damp, hot air. The scent here was clearly too strong, as if someone had chiseled open the wood allowing the fragrant wine to pour onto the straw.

Shuishui shook her body, turning the grape-red bubbles into transparent ones.

Moving towards the source of the aroma.

There were two voices, one deliberately lowered to prevent eavesdropping, the other a normal swallowing sound, as someone was drinking.

"Young master, you should leave."

"Leave? Why? This is my home."

"It once was, but now, you are in this state."

"This state? Becky, I have never heard you dare to make a judgment about the former me. You really, do quite well."

"I’m sorry, my young master, but for the sake of the baron, please do not harm anyone in Naranya."

"Heh, you truly are a loyal dog, Becky."

"I would have become your loyal dog in the not-too-distant future as well."

"You seem quite dissatisfied with my rebirth."

"I don’t understand why you’re protecting her. She’s here and has already harmed many, they’ve become, just like you..."

"Enough, Becky, before I rip you apart. Your vision, like bugs in a sludge, is vulgar and obsolete. Even my father was but a sparrow too fond of its own feathers."

"The baron did it for the sake of the family."

"Ha ha ha ha, what a joke, locking me in a tower for twenty years, and now wanting to kick me away."

"Take it easy, my good Becky, I have no interest in tearing off the fancy feathers of my father. What I want are all the ancient Naslan books passed down in Naranya. Once I get them, I and my mistress will leave this tiny place."

"I will gather them all by tomorrow and hand them over to you. I believe the baron has had enough of them as well."

"Very well, then I will bring you relief tomorrow."

"Young master Karent, there’s a new sheriff in Naranya. The master had to report it, and Miss Sharan came with him. When you leave, please conceal yourself well."

"Sharan, such a familiar name. Rest assured, I will remember past kindness and not harm them, provided I don’t encounter them."

"You will, I’ll let them know to attend the castle’s gathering tomorrow."

"That’s great, Becky."