Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 463 - 425

William realized he had been deceived.

When he awoke again, his head was not resting on a soft bed but on the wooden floor wet with red wine, emitting a pungent smell. The barrels of wine on both sides of the tavern had been destroyed, and the wine accumulated under the broken wood stung William’s aching brain like flames.

His undergarment was still on, and all his clothes were neatly worn, even preserving the stains of water and vomit on his coat, which were now emitting an unpleasant stench in the damp cellar.

He had been discarded in the cellar of the Bloody Rose Bar like a piece of trash—not to mention the scent of Gulelia’s hair or the wonderful feeling of her ample, scale-mixed body. Aside from the sticky wine, he had not touched anything else.

Without the company of a lover, the only thing that joined him in sleep in this crime scene-like cellar was a naked Stone Monster, naturally grown sharp stones that could have punctured him, oozing some black, oil-like viscous substance from its cracked mouth corners. This Stone Monster’s specialty drink, rich in minerals, had now become an indelible part of William’s flamboyant robe.

Gulelia had deceived me once again!

Enduring the headache caused by the hangover, William stood up. His physical condition was quite good, and even with aching head, his steps were not unsteady. He felt no sense of deflation in his body—nothing had happened!

William grew even angrier.

Just then, the cellar door was opened from the other side. His former colleague, the bartender Loren, was dressed in the Bloody Rose’s exquisite uniform, his Little Mustache smooth and slick, and with a standard smile, he greeted William.

"Good morning, William, how was last night’s revelry?"

"Good morning, Mr. Loren. Just look at me—I’m sure you already know the answer," William shrugged, his disgrace irrecoverable. William brushed it off lightly. "Just another prank by the Succubus Anna. I’m just happy she didn’t strip me naked and throw me here like a pig in a garbage dump."

Mr. Loren chuckled, "William, I believe you’ve misunderstood Anna’s intention. As for your current state, that’s the result of a series of accidents."

"Accidents?"

"Yes, Anna came to me dragging you, completely drunk, asking me to prepare an area for you to rest. She still had work, perhaps planning to take you away after she was done."

"I placed you in the cellar because it’s the safest area in the Bloody Rose Bar, at other times."

"I was busy with other matters at the time, and a group of revelers ended up breaking into the cellar, indulging in another celebration here. On the night of no restraint, they destroyed the entire cellar. Oh, and they also caused you some trouble while you were here."

"I believe Anna meant to come see you, but she ran into Beatrice, who looked somewhat angry. Yes, your companion was taken away by our Madame Rose. As you know, Miss Succubus doesn’t have much resistance to Lady Rose."

"So, you’ve been stood up."

"Considering the series of tragic events you experienced, out of humanitarian concern, I did not wake you up but decided to postpone your bad mood until now."

Mr. Loren’s strange logic did leave William somewhat speechless.

"Thank you for your mercy, Mr. Loren, but now I need to find a certain young lady for some well-deserved compensation. And I need to change my clothes."

Loren did not agree with William’s words.

"Regarding your plans afterward, that’s precisely why I came to find you, Mr. William. Someone outside the bar is looking for you."

"It’s one of your Arcanist colleagues, and it seems quite urgent."

Arcanist? Looking for me? William immediately thought of his promoter, the Lord Mayor. Although he didn’t wish to disclose his name, his care for William had indeed been quite thorough, even though they had not been in contact for about a month.

A surprise? A special task or something else? Regardless, William was ready to complete the job with dedication.

Lyle woke up.

Apart from the nausea from the hangover, there was no other sensation in his body. Lying on his back in a soft bed scattered with rose petals, Lyle could not find Alianna’s figure anywhere, though the remaining warmth on the bedclothes proved that Alianna had been by his side.

Lyle still vaguely remembered his conversation with Alianna laced with teasing undertones, but the memories that followed were consumed by alcohol.

Did I really do something? Lyle was engulfed in deep confusion.

The door was slammed open, and it wasn’t a smiling Alianna or the bar owner Beatrice who appeared behind it. It was Nia, her body swollen into a huge mass as if she had swallowed several people, enthusiastically tapping Lyle with her tendrils to greet him.

"Lyle! Lyle! Look! Nia drank so much!"

Those inflating Nia’s body were countless alcohols from the Bloody Rose, and now Nia looked like a moving waterbed, with plenty of alcohol yet to be absorbed; even a demon’s body couldn’t dissolve it immediately—God knows how much Nia had drunk the night before.

Wanting to spend some alone time, Lyle had arranged for Nia to leave him earlier and join the festivities in the Light and Shadow Zone. To prevent accidents, Lyle had even deliberately sealed the door gaps with his flesh and blood nails.

"Why did you drink so much?"

"Beatrice took me drinking, she promised me that, after we listened together at the corner of the wall, Beatrice took me to drink a lot, a lot, and then she gave the wine cellar key to Nia and left."

"Wait, listened at the corner of the wall?" Did Nia and Beatrice stay outside the door all night last night?

A guilty feeling sprouted in Lyle’s heart. Nia was still a child; what indecent things had he let her see?

"Nia, did you hear anything?"

"Nia didn’t hear anything," Lyle’s sigh of relief was cut short, "Nia saw everything, Nia assimilated the flesh Lyle left behind, and saw directly what Lyle and Alianna were doing!"

"Sss, Nia, didn’t you notice the ’Do Not Enter’ message hidden in the flesh?"

"Nia saw it, oh, but Nia didn’t enter the room, Nia just saw."

I’m truly a failure, in every sense of the word.

"I’m very sorry, Nia, for letting you see those things."

Nia scratched her head and gently patted Lyle’s head with her tendrils.

"It’s okay oh, Nia is very magnanimous. Nia and Lyle have slept hugging together many times, Lyle can hug Alianna oh, Nia is very generous, not petty like Beatrice."

What? Is it just that?

"Nia, I... I and Alianna...we just hugged each other to sleep?"

"Yes oh, Alianna even greeted me after seeing me. She looked at Lyle’s face and lay sideways watching all night."

Lyle sighed with regret.

It was just a hug, just sleeping.

Ashamed, Lyle covered his face, recalled Nia, and prepared to leave the Bloody Rose Bar.

"William?"

At the half-transparent windowpane, Lyle happened to witness this scene.

After talking with another Arcanist, William draped a new, shining silver robe over himself with gratitude. William shrouded his head in a hood and followed that Arcanist as they both left together.

William’s figure disappeared from sight.