Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 237 - 224 Different Treatment

Having let go of his obsession with the soul’s shrieking, Lyle felt a lot lighter. He tickled Nia’s little belly as she curled up in his arms, listening to her giggles.

"Nia, let’s go see Ralph."

Walking back into his little house felt like a lifetime had passed, nothing had changed except for a thin layer of dust on the only wooden table. The grapes had gone with him to Naslan, where the Illusion Forest better suited that nominal adventurer.

Nia kicked her little shoes, her chubby hands clutching Lyle’s trouser leg, her sparkling eyes captivated by the brightness and bustle outside the window. She pointed at the door, demanding to go out and play immediately.

"Alright, Nia." Alianna was not happy with Lyle’s original clothing, so before Lyle returned to Cassandra, Alianna had used her own aesthetic sense to change both father and daughter into a set of outfits appropriate for Naslan’s character.

This was probably the feeling of returning home in glory, but unfortunately, he couldn’t flaunt the Spine Wheel. With a mix of anticipation and excitement, Lyle opened his home’s door.

The lavishly dressed pair drew the eyes of passersby, especially Nia, the adorable little one. Wherever she ran, people facing her made way with smiles warm as spring. Shopping with Nia was not an easy task, especially when she set her eyes on pretty goods by the roadside, and Lyle had to buy those flashy but impractical items. It was a prior agreement between them: Nia would visit Ralph maintaining her guise as a little child, and Lyle would obey her, under normal circumstances.

Lyle smilingly took the mud-stained onion from in front of Nia’s mouth as the girl was about to chomp down on it raw. With the shop owner looking on in shock, Lyle smiled and led her away by the hand.

"Lyle, you’re not listening!"

"Have you ever seen anyone eat an onion raw while maintaining the guise of a child?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"But I just ate an apple, why can’t I have an onion?"

"Can an apple and an onion be the same?"

Nia puffed up her cheeks defiantly, looking like a little pufferfish, "But they are both big and round."

Dragging a reluctant Nia to the security office, it was rare to see Ralph at rest in his room. When the new young constable led Lyle to the VIP room, Lyle smiled gently. He had seen a few former colleagues, but they didn’t recognize him. After declining the invitation to join a circle of nobles for tea, Lyle slightly turned his agate cufflinks and pushed open the door to the office.

Mr. Gareth was immersed in his work as always. Hearing the noise at the door, he put down his documents. "Respected sir, what can I do for you?" Standing up, Mr. Gareth looked like a sturdy black bear.

"Mr. Gareth, it’s me."

Recognizing the familiar voice, Gareth inspected the noble young man with a gentle smile, the familiar face framed by golden epaulettes finally merged with that of the delicate, polite boy. "Little... Lyle?"

Of course, Lyle knew what Mr. Gareth tried to avoid saying. He took off his felt hat and bowed to Gareth, "Please call me Little Butler as before, Mr. Gareth." Lyle pulled Nia, who was looking around restlessly, to his side, stroking her soft hair. "I’ve come to see my uncle, Mr. Gareth."

Mr. Gareth let out a hearty laugh. "You speak as though the bastard’s already an old wreck who can’t get around." Mr. Gareth instructed another constable, "Willy, go to Duncan District and bring Ralph back, say it’s my order, urgent! Remember! Don’t take the main road; look for him in the dark alleys. Don’t worry about danger; it would be a joke if the bad wolf can’t manage his own hunting grounds. And if you sense someone following you, don’t turn around. Call out Ralph’s name first and make your identity clear."

Mr. Gareth briefly explained to a puzzled Lyle.

"After you and Karen resigned, Ralph turned into a lone wolf. His work efficiency increased a lot, but, well, there were a few colleagues who accidentally wandered into his patrol area and might get injured, knocked out and tossed out. He says it’s a lighting problem, but I can’t always count on Cassandra’s clouds to take pity, can I?"

Gareth took Lyle back to the VIP room, and the two, along with Nia, chatted for a short while. Mr. Gareth clearly did not see Lyle simply as a child visiting a relative anymore. As Alianna said, the dignity of nobility was like a garment that couldn’t be taken off.

Ralph didn’t keep Lyle waiting too long. When he opened the door, he was like an iceberg breaching a window, towering and majestic. Ralph hadn’t changed much, just as Lyle remembered him.

"Ralph, where’s Willy?"

"At the church. He was attacked from behind by some unidentified dangerous elements. I used the Atonement Voucher you gave me to exchange for a treatment for the poor guy."

"...I’ll take your word for it. Look who’s here, Ralph."

Ralph’s cold eyes swept over like the gleam of a sharpened blade, and Lyle felt as if he had entered winter.

"Lyle."

"Uncle Ralph."

"You look good in those clothes."

"I think so, too. I came to see you this time..."

Ralph interrupted Lyle, "I’m busy. (No need to come see me)."

"With Nia," Lyle finished his sentence.

"Nia!" Ralph’s expression stiffened for a moment, and he swiftly turned to look at Nia, who stood by the plate, attempting to take a pastry.

Nia didn’t put down the food in her hand, but she energetically responded to Ralph, doing him the courtesy.

"Ralph!"

Ralph’s expression melted like ice and snow, and he walked over in big strides to pick up Nia and hold her tight in his arms. "Nia came to see me, Ralph is really happy. Nia is so great."

Watching Nia giggling in Ralph’s arms, Lyle felt a lot more at ease and couldn’t help but tease.

"Nia is full of energy. She was running around all the way here, and I’m exhausted."

Ralph’s mood turned frosty again, and he shot a dangerous look at Lyle.

"You made my Nia walk all the way here? She’s still a child, boy. Did you walk such a long distance when you were this big? Did your brain get squashed by a door? Don’t you know what a carriage is!"

Faced with the suddenly furious Ralph, Lyle hurriedly tried to excuse himself.

"I just didn’t think it was necessary. Nia thought it was fine, too."

"I think it’s very necessary! Lyle, next time Nia comes to see me, you just stay away. Seeing you just irritates me."

"..."