Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 111 - 107: Lineup Adjustment
After resting, Lyle and his companions decided to split up.
Verlet, powerless against vampires, took the unconscious Ralph back to Naranya to seek treatment, while Karen, with her tracking abilities, and Lyle, possessing the "Power of Holy Light," continued to pursue the fleeing Porifan to prevent any future threats.
Deep in the Naslan forest was an endless sea of greenery, every branch and tender leaf around appeared the same to Lyle. He couldn’t help but miss Echel; following in the wake of his cloak, within the dense woods, you would always remember that you were the master of the forest.
"Well done, Lord Lyle," Karen’s joyful voice reached his ears just as Lyle’s mind was drifting off.
Have I done something? Lyle wondered, turning his head in confusion.
He saw scattering of light dust on the grass leaves, like phosphorescence on the surface of a lake, stretching from in front of them into the depths of the forest.
"Lord Lyle, you’re truly amazing! With your power, we can surely obliterate that monstrous woman."
The trails of Holy Light seemed to be Lady Aryan’s handiwork, and Lyle sighed in relief. It seemed he was still able to wield the descending Holy Light. With Aryan’s help, their pursuit became much safer.
The repeating scenery of trees, blocking the sunlight with their shadows, could easily make one lose track of time when moving through such dense woods. After an unknowable duration of walking, the only signs of their long journey were the sore swelling in Lyle’s legs and the blisters on the soles of his feet, which had been rubbed raw. That pain had been alleviated, and the moisture of the blister fluid spread a chill over his feet, making Lyle feel as if he were wading through deep ocean waves.
He glanced at Karen, who walked beside him, her armor of light and shadow still intact. Although unsure of its exact weight, the sunken mud where she tread indicated that her progress must be more strenuous, but she persisted without making a sound.
I’m really not cut out for close combat, Lyle thought to himself.
The structure before them resembled a ship stranded on land, or perhaps an ancient artifact half-dug out of the earth. The huge arching edifice was embedded in the ground, covered completely with dense vegetation, merging it with the surrounding forest; from behind, it might be mistaken for a raised hill.
A crypt.
Amid the dangling vines ahead, Lyle saw the emblem, three slender arms crossed and holding an apple – the coat of arms of Naslan.
"This is the crypt of Naslan."
The two exchanged glances and pushed open the ornate iron gate.
The crypt of Naslan was much more aesthetically pleasing than that of Andrey, almost as if it were intended for the living.
Who would have thought that behind those thick doors lay a space akin to a living room?
It was made of pure silver.
This led Lyle to question the rumors about the last Duke of Naslan being a master of Alchemy.
While other nobles were still using marble, he had built himself a small silver room.
The wall grooves held exquisite candle holders, and those yellow candles were well preserved, their scent detectable in the vicinity.
A small side door led to the inner chamber. Without lingering in the silver world, the two proceeded inside.
Lacking light, the interior was much darker, barely revealing a protrusion in the darkness.
Was it a lever?
"Please be careful, Your Highness Lyle, there is something strange about this crypt," Karen warned, her hands radiating Holy Light that illuminated the darkness. The path they had taken, the section of metal floor distinctly different from other areas, and the lever atop the metal flooring became visible.
Karen extended her Holy Light further ahead, but the darkness did not change; there was nothing illuminated before them, as if there were just empty space ahead.
"It must be magic, Lord Lyle, a kind to avoid detection of the crypt," Karen suggested.
"It seems that pulling that lever is the only way, after all, Porifan fled inside. This means there is a path forward."
"Alright, but please let me pull the lever, Lord Lyle."
Karen thickened the phantom armor on her arm and pulled the lever.
The sound of chains sliding around them, gears turning. As the mechanism was activated, hidden lighting devices in the sealed stone walls revealed themselves, pieces of ore glowing with a yellow radiance.
The puzzle before Karen, which her Holy Light could not illuminate, was solved.
The reason they couldn’t find anything was because there was simply nothing there from the start.
The two found themselves in a small notch on a vertical cliff.
Lyle looked down at the scene below.
"My Power of Holy Light." The Duke of Naslan, within his tomb, had built an Underground City.
That special iron plate was an elevator, and standing on it, the two watched the city in front of them grow larger and larger.
The city above was fixed with many huge silver mirrors, the smooth surface reflecting the light from those luminous stones, enveloping the entire city in golden hues—this Undercity was golden.
Commercial districts, residential areas, the lord’s castle, the architectural style was identical to that of Naranya, even the plants and flowers had gilded and gem-encrusted replicas.
Aside from people, it encompassed everything that Naslan had to offer.
"His Highness Lyle! We still need to pursue the vampires!"
As Karen called out to him, Lyle’s eyes were fixed on an agate bee perched on a golden rose, its wings comprised of several silk pieces overlaying a golden frame.
"Okay, Karen." After Mr. Dragon’s treasure baptism, Lyle’s resolve had improved significantly.
The two headed toward the Inner City District, just like in Naranya, it was on one side of the city. The difference was that while Naranya was adjacent to the mountains and forests of Naslan, this golden city was next to a huge metal disc, resembling the door to a bank vault, but dozens of times larger.
Lyle recalled his and Karen’s encounters while patrolling the Inner City District of Naranya, unwittingly stirring up uncomfortable memories.
Curiously, history seemed to repeat itself.
"Thief, the rogue who stole my armor!"
Lyle was stunned for a moment, tempted to doubt whether Karen had made a mistake. How could there be such a persistent thief, stealing your Silver Knight armor and taunting you time and time again?
Lyle looked in the direction Karen had rushed towards, his pupils dilating in an instant.
The thief hadn’t fled, she was standing before a gem-embedded fountain, facing the two of them. The silver knight’s armor appeared dull against the backdrop of surrounding jewels, but the lady’s demure grace was enough to make her the centerpiece amidst these treasures.
Lyle’s lips parted slightly, his exclamation of surprise so faint due to amazement that it was almost negligible.
"Ary... Aryan, milady?"
Was Milady Aryan the one who had stolen Karen’s armor? Was the Silver Knight armor she always wore the Karen Family heirloom?
Facing Karen’s charge, Aryan seemed composed, even as the Warhammer in Karen’s hands began to gather power.
It was about time.
Aryan took a small step back, plucking a garnet from the edge of the fountain.
Sounds of a mechanism activating came from below, and perfectly seamless flooring between the two opened up to reveal a gap that just happened to be right under Karen’s feet.
"Despicable, despicable, despicable!" Karen’s echo came from the dark void.
Aryan placed the garnet back in its spot, the crack closing as if nothing had ever happened.
Aryan walked up to Lyle, disregarding his astonishment.
"The wealth of this city is tied to mechanisms, you’d best not touch anything carelessly, Plague Doctor," she advised.
"Milady Aryan, Karen... you..."
Maybe Lyle’s stuttering slightly displeased Sister Aryan, as she cut him off.
"That girl is fine. What’s to come next is still too much for her capability. From now on, I’ll be acting as a team with the Plague Doctor. The mechanism isn’t dangerous, it will just hold her for a while; I’ll let her out later."
"Let’s hurry, Plague Doctor, there are vampires waiting to be dealt with." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
"...Okay."
"Put on your disguise properly, Plague Doctor. To avoid accidents, you should be accustomed to hiding your identity."
"Okay."
