Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 182 - 173 Intimate Knowledge

Like a block of ice floating in the ocean, Lyle felt his emotions slowly dissolving, gradually becoming part of the dark tidal waters.

Tears flowed from the scars in his heart. This was probably the best ending, after all, he was just a monkey fishing for the moon’s reflection in the lake. Time would make that reflection in the lake disappear, wouldn’t it?

Lying down on the soft bed, he stretched out his arms, following the line of his arms to look at the blood-red moon outside the door, through the window. It seemed as if it were nestled between his fingers, yet in reality, it hung far away in the sky.

The blood-red figure replaced the moon.

Lyle sat up, his heart pounding.

"How did you get here?"

Alianna’s figure appeared at the door, her bright red skirt trailing on the floor, like the blood flowing from her body.

Her voice was ethereal, like a breeze drifting through a mountain valley at night.

"I can’t let you be alone, this castle is very dangerous, and with my power, I can protect you."

It was as if the unpleasantness between them earlier had never existed. Alianna walked into Lyle’s room, leaning against the wall, like a doll that had been placed there.

"Alianna..."

———————————

Kevin and William were still in the main hall, watching the pairs of noble men and women tirelessly dancing.

"Won’t you show off your elegant demeanor, my Lord Heir?" William teased, massaging his neck.

Kevin glanced at him, his eyes brimming with contempt.

"I’d rather dance with a coat hanger. At least it wouldn’t slather itself in makeup or drench itself in perfume to hide an unbearable body odor."

"That’s an excuse, a subjective impression etched in your mind," William retorted.

At this, Kevin smiled. "So, are you studying the objective impression of a female elf? My dear William, your gaze hasn’t left Fannila’s eyes."

"That’s not true! I was just... just making sure she hadn’t noticed me!"

"Ho ho, you should know that elves live much longer than we do."

"...Magicians have ways to extend their lifespans."

Kevin casually picked up a glass of red wine a servant offered, "My brave friend, why not step up, get in her face, and whisper to her..."

"Dear Fannila, I am the lecherous clown you’ve been yearning for. Hahaha!" Kevin laughed unrestrained, pounding on William’s shoulder, the carmine liquid swirling in his own glass.

"I can’t handle this, give me a moment." Kevin brought the glass to his lips, preparing to wet his dry throat.

A hand snatched the glass from Kevin’s mouth.

Beatrice appeared beside Kevin, her face dark and solemn. She looked at his astonished face with a chilly voice.

"Where is Alianna?"

Beatrice’s complexion was pale, not a trace of her previous drunkenness, like a queen awaiting the wails of her enemies before battle.

"Uh... She should be with the Plague Doctor. I’ve just seen them leaving the hall one after the other."

"Why didn’t you stop them! Don’t you know where this is! Or do you really think you’re Hamlet’s heir!"

Kevin didn’t know what he had done to offend this beautiful woman. It’s true what they say, every rose has its thorns.

"Relax, Beatrice, they’ll be fine..."

"You fool! They’re already in trouble! Gather your companions quickly! I need to find my sister."

—————————

The room was filled with silence, and as Lyle watched Alianna standing to the side, even though she was facing away and her eyes weren’t on him, he felt like he was receiving a harsh judgement.

Time seemed to stand still, and only the slight movements from Lyle from time to time proved the passing of time.

In the quiet, Lyle heard a faint sound.

Clickety-clack clickety-clack.

As Lyle searched for the source of the sound, the noisy clattering suddenly amplified.

Correspondingly, the sound of the door slamming shut boomed through the air.

Alianna immediately floated to Lyle’s side, grabbed his arm, and with her other hand raised the magic wand, aiming at the door.

"Double Roar!"

Two fully-formed specters appeared behind them, roaring as the sound waves they emitted battered the door.

The collision caused the entire room to tremble, and the red paint on the ceiling fell off in chunks, much like clumps of flesh dropping to the ground.

When all the flesh had fallen, what was revealed was a magic circle glowing with a bloody light. Under the illumination of the magic circle, the door remained undamaged.

Lyle finally discovered the source of the noise—it was coming from within the walls of the room.

The paint and wallpaper in the room transformed into peeling flesh, and behind that flesh were countless dark holes lined up along the walls.

Out of those dark holes crawled creatures the size of human heads, all red and with terrifying facial features.

Like mutated leeches with three pairs of legs, their bloated bodies covered in spiny shells, they emerged in hoards from the holes, their multitude of legs moving to create a disturbing clickety-clack sound.

Their bodies were enveloped in a sinister, evil, red glow.

The swarm of creatures surged towards the two of them, and Alianna raised her magic wand again.

"Requiem Symphony!" "Nia!"

Sonic blasts and tendrils armed with blades surged towards the swarm of creatures, like a pebble tossed into a lake, leaving only ripples behind.

"They’re immune to mental shocks, that layer of red light is protecting them." Alianna pulled Lyle back towards the corner of the wall.

"Physical attacks are effective, but only minimally so, their armor is too thick. Most importantly, there are too many of them!"

The sounds of the creatures gnawing on Nia’s projected tendrils and the unceasing clickety-clack were piercing, as if insects were crawling inside one’s skull.

As they were about to be surrounded, Lyle pressed the Andrey sigil in his hand.

"It’s no use, Plague Doctor, the magic circle has sealed this room into a whole, no magic message of ours can be sent out."

"Are we just going to watch as we are devoured by these creatures? There must be some way!"

Alianna looked at Lyle, who was growing anxious, and held onto him, her slender fingers conveying strength.

"You’ll be all right, Plague Doctor."

Alianna hurled the armor decoration across the room to the other side, where a recess tall enough for a person was deliberately designed not to disrupt the room’s aesthetic, placing the armor there.

Alianna tossed the armor into the swarm, and placed Lyle into the recess.

"Nia! Come to me!" Upon hearing Alianna’s call, Nia wriggled free from the annoying creatures and entered Alianna’s body.

"Just like in the coffin we rested in at Naslan Castle, Plague Doctor, a sleep will do."

Alianna’s body pressed close against Lyle, her bright red dress disintegrated, scattering like splashes of blood.

Amidst the fluttering fragments that resembled fiery butterflies, Lyle saw Alianna’s true form and the soulful blue flames in her eye sockets.

"Don’t look."

White fingers covered the lenses on the mask, and Lyle could only hear her voice.

The fragments of her disintegrating dress, like butterflies, perched upon Alianna’s bones, filled the gaps, and along with Alianna, they formed a cover for the recess.

Just like falling asleep.

In a daze, Lyle heard her voice whispering right by his ear.

"Plague Doctor, I can feel it, your heartbeat."

Soon after, the sound of the swarm engulfed everything.