Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 238 - 225: Holy Light Ceremony
Raymond did not disturb Ralph as he enjoyed his family bliss; instead, Lyle ventured alone onto the main street, seeking some quiet contemplation. Passersby glanced at this idle figure of affluence, and even those arguing loudly at the front seemed to lower their voices unconsciously.
Looking at the dark clouds behind the distant tower, just beyond the broken weathervane. Despite having seen the sight for twenty years, a strange new feeling arose within him; it seemed as though he no longer belonged to Cassandra. His innate human adaptability had been exhausted by accepting the influx of new knowledge from Andrey.
He had thought that Ralph would help him reconnect with a sense of home. Yet in reality, he did not; there was no deep uncle-nephew bond, and Ralph’s life — lacking Lyle — had not changed. Lyle could only console himself with the thought that his uncle was not good at expressing feelings, but the fact was that donning this new attire also covered the last trace of his connection to Cassandra — in the vast city, not a single person remembered his name.
The sheriff, accompanied by a knight clad in armor, passed by Lyle. It was a paladin, but much too short, as even with the plume on his helmet standing erect, it did not surpass Lyle’s own height. It seemed they were about to enter the sheriff’s office, and Lyle subtly stepped aside to clear the way for them. The sheriff, rubbing the back of his head, soon entered, but the paladin in armor lingered, standing in front of Lyle and examining him for a long time.
"Detect Evil!"
"It’s Karen." Feeling the familiar sweep of the Holy Light over his body, the warmth let Lyle recognize the identity of the petite paladin.
"It’s the Purifier His Excellency! It’s Lord Lyle!" The joyous female voice from within the armor confirmed Lyle’s guess; Karen hadn’t abandoned her habit of detecting evil. "Lord Lyle! I have finally found you."
"Is there something you need from me, Karen?"
"Lord Lyle, in the upcoming Waxing Moon, the Holy City of Lokarot will host the celebration of the Holy Light, which is the annual festival for the seekers of the light! I beseech you, please join me in this ceremony and under the witness of the Holy Light, convey the news of the return of the Purifier to our brothers and sisters."
"You must agree to this, Lord Lyle!" Karen clanged her armor as if pleading or perhaps threatening — it was unclear if a hammer of the Power of Holy Light would smash down on him the moment he refused?
"I promise you, Karen, I will attend the Holy Light ceremony." Better to agree now, but when the time comes, I’ll be with Andrey — neither your approval nor your disapproval will affect me then.
Karen cocked her head, the sound of her helmet scraping against her shoulder pauldrons creating a sour pressure.
"I always feel like Lord Lyle is thinking about something else. But breaching the promise is not acceptable oh, and I had Mr. Ralph give you a cross, which by now you must have received. Lord Lyle, that cross is a symbol of the oath and also an entry ticket to the Holy City of Lokarot. If you fail to appear on the agreed day, Lord Lyle, I will hunt you down following the mark of the cross!"
"Ah? Alright, I will not break my promise." So that nanmu cross has such troublesome significance?
Seeing Lyle’s repeated assurances, Karen finally relaxed and bid farewell after paying her respects to Lyle.
"We shall meet again in the Holy City, Lord Lyle."
Karen left in a rush, as abruptly as she had arrived.
"I’ve been avoiding that girl recently. With your affair with Alianna, she’s a good girl," Ralph sighed from behind Lyle, "but kid, don’t you pray to the God of Holy Light or the God of Magic if you cause any trouble for Nia’s upbringing with your love life, because neither will save you."
A weary Lyle returned to Andrey, nearly at dusk. After Karen left, Ralph had questioned him about his thoughts like interrogating a criminal, and given him a set of psychological questions supposedly to assess the likelihood of a man cheating. After a series of tests and getting satisfying results, and after a reluctant farewell to Nia, Lyle was finally released.
Lyle knocked on the great door with white surfaces and golden filigree. Regarding the Holy Light ceremony and the marked cross, of course, he needed to consult a professional.
"Plague Doctor!" Mr. Raymond, swinging his arms like a giant light bulb, returned from the passage behind him.
"Mr. Raymond," Lyle could not overlook the object in his hand — a gleaming golden human skull, wearing a bit radiating with the Power of Holy Light, clamped in Mr. Raymond’s sturdy arm brace, emitting a wooing sound like a distress signal. "What is that?"
"Ah, that’s the president of the Psychology Research Society. He’s been so engrossed in his studies that he’s overworked his brain, so he entrusted his head to my care for a few days, along with treating his headache. This bit? He’s got a condition where he’ll die if he’s without it — I simply had to extend a helping hand for the unity of Andrey. I ask for your forgiveness, Holy Light, for using you in such a manner."
"..." I’ll pretend Mr. Raymond is Andrey’s savior then.
Raymond banged the chapel door open and, while proceeding forward, did not forget to gesture to Lyle to follow.
"Plague Doctor, is there something you need?"
"Does Mr. Raymond know about the rituals of the Holy City Lokarot?"
"The Holy Light Ceremony?" Mr. Raymond released his hand, which was drilling holes in a skull, upon hearing this term. "Has it already been the tenth waxing and waning moon of the year? Yes, I’m well aware of the ceremony. Are you interested?"
"Actually, I’ve received an invitation from a Paladin, and I might go to Lokarot to attend this event."
Mr. Raymond nonchalantly tossed aside the skull he had said needed to be carefully preserved; it rolled into a corner of the chapel, ignored by everyone.
"Good, that’s wonderful news, Plague Doctor! There’s a great chance that participating in the ceremony could awaken your Power of Holy Light. You should go and see, the ceremony will indeed be extraordinarily beneficial to all humankind."
"But, Mr. Raymond, I fear my Spirit Summoning Skill could be exposed. You know, wandering around the stronghold of the Holy Light as a Necromancer is just too foolish."
Raymond stroked his chin, "It seems I do need to give you some protection." He raised his arm and with a swish in the air, sprinkled a small cluster of light dust on Lyle.
"This will prevent you from exposing yourself. Travel in Lokarot with peace of mind, Plague Doctor."
"Thank you, Mr. Raymond. My Spirit Summoning Skill shouldn’t get exposed now, right?"
"As long as you don’t use it, nobody will pay attention to the power inside you. I’ve mainly shielded your abilities as a Purifier, the perception and inspiration of the Holy Light, in case you don’t want to cause a great disturbance at the ceremony," said Raymond.
After expressing his gratitude, Lyle left.
Aryan approached Raymond, holding the skull that Raymond had carelessly discarded just moments ago.
"Couldn’t you just put this thing in a random place? My sister, why did you pick it up again?"
"Your Excellency Raymond, it’s not about just putting it aside; I don’t want to search the chapel for a randomly discarded bone when the complainant comes knocking."
Raymond waved his hand impatiently, "That’s all trivial. Right now, I’m more interested in who from the Holy Light has been in contact with the Plague Doctor. Now that he’s joined Andrey, his advantage as a Purifier will become a burden. The fewer people from the Holy Light that contact the Plague Doctor, the better." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"The person who has been in contact with the Plague Doctor, I know who it is."
"Who is it, Aryan?"
"My niece."
"???"
"Karen Pembai, a young girl who grew up watching the war chronicles of your Crusader leaders. If you had put in a little more effort into telling those stories, my niece would not be acting like a fool right now, Your Excellency Raymond."
"...That George, he never puts his heart into his work."
