Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 160 - 153: Three Men Walk Together

Lyle finally realized what Ralph meant by unreliable; perhaps he had spent too much time with Kevin. His enviable appearance had taken up too much space in Lyle’s brain, so much so that he had adopted an attitude of ignoring Kevin’s unreliability.

One person, relying on intuition and planning to undertake a journey in a world where thieves are more common than weeds with just three people—no novel would dare to write it like that!

Kevin also noticed the skeptical look in Lyle’s eyes, which couldn’t have been more obvious, but our Mr. Kevin couldn’t explain this intuition in his heart. Therefore, when logic fails, we can talk about loyalty.

"Trust me, my brother. For our friendship, I wouldn’t hesitate to take a knife to the ribs!"

Lyle learned to imitate Ralph’s disdainful look perfectly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I feel like stabbing you with two knives right now. You’re crazy to drag me into this, and you want to use a brother as a cushion for your suicide mission. Stabbing you twice doesn’t seem too much."

Kevin was clearly provoked, his pupils dilating like an enraged lion, glaring fiercely at Lyle.

"It’s not suicide, I really have a strong intuition—trust me!"

Lyle felt his own head must have had some problems too; amid Kevin’s pale but firm and convincing declaration, he actually began to waver inside.

"You really want to do this?"

"Of course, this trip, I will only bring the three of us. My intuition tells me it’s the best solution."

"I can’t understand your intuition, but I won’t let my good friend lie dead in the wilderness. When does your journey start?"

"The day after tomorrow morning. I still have to prepare some legal documents regarding proof of identity and inheritance. Lyle, my brother, you’ll be glad you made the right choice."

"Only if we all die out there can it prove my choice is correct."

...

When Kevin, full of high spirits, appeared at Lyle’s door with two tall horses, Lyle was just instructing Butler about the details of what to do after he left, nothing more than small tasks like closing the windows and locking the doors. Nia and Medusa crept into Lyle’s sleeve.

"Lyle, I’ve brought you a treasure. Don’t worry, the steed is gentle. I believe it won’t be long before you learn to ride it. These days, it’s inconvenient to not have a mount."

Lyle smiled inwardly; he had a necromancer-created mount, which was much cooler than any horse.

However, now that he was in the city, there was no need to use such a big creature.

Barely climbing onto the horseback and following behind Kevin, it seemed that Kevin, liberated from his father’s watchful eye, grew wilder. His lips seemed to hide a few chattering sparrows, as he hadn’t stopped talking all along the way.

"Oh, about that rival of yours, my father’s investor, I’ve asked him to wait at the city gate. My intention is for you not to be overburdened with psychological pressure. Just perform well—you are, after all, representing my face."

Kevin let out a sly laugh.

"Once we reach the wilderness, two against one, we’ll make him call to heaven in vain, and earth unresponsive. Give him a good pounding."

This so-called rival appeared to have a decent relationship with Kevin and wasn’t much older, suggesting he was also a mystic, capable of providing some protective measures for Kevin, just like Lyle himself.

Unknowingly, the two riders had reached the city gate, and on a small mound next to the official road, a youth in black led a fine horse, gazing into the distance.

His golden locks were not as profuse as Kevin’s, tied at the back of his head into a small ponytail, his features handsome, like a prince out of a fairy tale.

Another person who’s all looks and no substance.

"Mr. Dolgette, my friend has arrived. He’ll join our trip. Let me introduce you—this is..."

"No need, Mr. Borey. I happen to know Mr. Butler. Long time no see, Lyle."

"It’s been a long time since we last met in the City of Wandering, William."

Kevin looked at the two exchanging pleasantries.

"You know each other?"

William smiled at Kevin, patted Lyle’s shoulder, and said in a light tone,

"Friends through thick and thin, Lyle is my good buddy."

Kevin burst into laughter.

"Ha-ha, Lyle’s brother is my brother. How fateful for the three of us to be together like this. William, I will definitely take good care of you."

Kevin set off with the two, chatting enthusiastically with William, as if his competitive imaginings regarding Lyle and behind-the-scenes evil plans had never occurred.

"William, how did you... get involved with the Borey family? Does Kevin’s family also have a Mystic?"

William’s face showed an expression that spoke volumes.

"After being duped by the Succubus of the Bloody Rose last time, I was penniless and couldn’t even afford materials for magical experiments. With no other choice, I picked a wealthy noble in Cassandra to swindle and maintain my basic living needs, and that’s how I ended up as the Borey family’s magic consultant."

As he spoke, something seemed to dawn on William. He turned his head to look at a stone-faced Kevin, wishing he could slap himself. What have I done, speaking the truth in front of my employer’s son? Meeting someone familiar and just spilling my guts, I am such a fool.

"Mr. Borey, let me explain..." William really wanted to cast a charm spell at that moment, but unfortunately, he only had talents for elemental magic.

"You don’t need to explain, Mr. William..." Kevin’s eyes glowed with an exciting shimmer, "You’re really something, brother William. Teach me how to con my father. I’ve been getting less and less funds to use lately."

When one’s mind is in a state of shock, they seek out someone who seems a bit more lucid as a third party to confirm that what they are experiencing is real. William looked at Lyle walking beside them, his eyes full of question marks.

"As you can see, he’s a piece of work. If you can think of a way to make Baron Borey go bankrupt, he might even join in."

The mutual teasing and mocking brought the three closer together.

"Lyle, I have a question. You rarely leave your home, how did you come to know Mr. William, the mage?"

"Because Mr. Lyle and I are similar."

"Are mages and paupers the same?"

"..." "..."

William looked at Lyle, "Haven’t you told Mr. Kevin your real identity yet?"

"No."

"Well, now might be a good time. We’ll definitely need to use our abilities on the next part of our journey. It’s better to prepare him early. Mr. Borey only brought us along, presumably for secrecy, to give us the most room to maneuver."

Lyle pondered for a moment, recalling Kevin’s past experiences. It seemed that telling him his true identity wouldn’t be a big problem.

"All right, Kevin, besides being a sheriff and a doctor, I’m also a necromancer."

Surprise spread across Kevin’s face, but instead of fear, he wore a look of sudden realization.

"I get it! Mr. Ralph must be a zombie you’ve reanimated, right?"