Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 506 - 468: Luck Fails?

The person (creature?) standing in front of me was the very antithesis of the Holy Light. The bandages wrapped around his entire body seemed crude, as if they had been used for a long time. Yet despite his exaggerated movements, they did not fall apart but remained intact. Through the gaps in the bandages, one could see a black torso—so utterly black that the bright light of the Church of Holy Light dimmed in its presence, like a black hole hidden underneath that devoured all light. The dark figure was tall, and by human standards, he would be among the most robust, but his frivolous and crazed tone somewhat devalued his warrior-like stature. From the gaps near where the head should be, Kevin saw two small glowing eyes nestled in the darkness, which shone like twin flames strong enough to illuminate even the light-swallowing darkness.

Before this darkness spoke, it was a large, sinister monster casting an intense oppressive aura.

After it spoke...

The movements of the dark figure had been stiff for quite some time, and after several minutes of silence, it lowered the hand that had been covering its face.

"Can I get some reaction here..."

"Ah, ah? Oh! Hello, Mr. Dark!" While clapping his hands, Kevin greeted this darkness he was meeting for the first time, until the awkward applause caused Mr. Dark to shiver with anger.

Nameless’s cold stare further chilled the atmosphere to freezing point.

Mr. Dark glanced at Kevin in front of him, and the center of the bandage on his forehead sunk in, mimicking the furrow of an angry brow.

"A mere human?"

"Yes! That’s right." Kevin was too embarrassed to admit that he had been frightened by Mr. Dark’s "face" work.

Mr. Dark reached out and hooked one hand on the back of Kevin’s collar, lifting him up, "Andrey is not a place for you to come, go back to where you came from, I’ll mercifully give you a ride."

Was this guy taking revenge on him? Kevin kicked wildly in the air, but the shadowy arm that seemed soft was as hard as steel, rendering his struggle useless.

"Brat from the Advanced Magic Research Society, put down what’s in your hands before I get angry," Mr. Dark said, glancing at Nameless, who already had the simulated celestial body in his grasp.

"Kevin is my friend, I won’t ignore your actions. Even if Mr. Dark’s power is on par with Apocalypse, it won’t do."

"Kikikiki, threatening me, Andrey? Except for that fool, I’ve never been afraid... I’ve never been afraid of anyone," Mr. Dark retorted as he placed Kevin behind him. "However, do you even qualify to be friends? Friendship isn’t maintained through deception."

"I won’t let Kevin be hurt, that is a promise from Nameless of the Advanced Magic Research Society," Nameless said, setting down the celestial body. "We have urgent matters to attend to, which concern the safety of Purifier Lyle."

"The Fallen Light? My Fourth Knight in trouble? Spill it out, I’ve got it covered," Mr. Dark declared, setting Kevin down and leaning against the massive door of the Church of Holy Light, casually writing on it with void energy. "Whatever Raymond can do, I can do, and whatever Raymond can’t do, Dark can also do."

Bullshit, Kevin thought but didn’t say out loud. Out of everything Lyle had not mentioned, it was the fact that someone named Mr. Dark got beaten up daily by Raymond the Fool.

With a smile beaming like sunshine, Kevin bowed respectfully to Mr. Dark.

"We need the assistance of Lord of Darkness. Right now, Lyle is trapped in a vampire’s castle, in Degonris. The vampires there are too powerful. We need the strength of Lord of Darkness to resolve this crisis!"

"Degonris, vampires? Never heard of them," replied Mr. Dark, who left the mark "Raymond the Fool" on the Church’s door and then shrugged his shoulders lightly, "Strong, are they? Then I’ll need to take a little walk down memory lane."

"That is the territory of the Loshutar Blood Clan. Degonris is a town ruled by them, where they have set up a seal, and Lyle is trapped within it..."

"Loshutar Blood Clan? A familiar name indeed." Mr. Dark’s arms dropped, and his eyes stared at the blood moon in the night sky; he was like a frozen statue.

"Mr. Dark, are you familiar with this family of vampires?"

Mr. Dark crossed his arms and returned to his casual demeanor.

"I suppose you should know by now, if they are involved... I’ve decided not to go,"

"Eh, but since Mr. Dark understands them, doesn’t that mean there’s an even greater chance to help Lyle?"

"It’s precisely because I understand them that I feel there’s no need to go. Loshutar is just a small family with little capability, there’s no necessity for me to intervene. That sort of trash is just right for the trial of becoming a Plague Doctor. Raymond the Fool is tied up with other matters now, and even if he were here, I reckon he’d make the same choice as me."

"So Loshutar will serve as Lyle’s trial, honing his own abilities."

"Alright, alright, I understand the situation. Kevin, you should head back now. You won’t find any assistance in Andrey, off you go, quick."

Mr. Dark, who clearly showed no interest in helping Lyle, seemed very keen on hurrying Kevin along. He followed Kevin all the way to the Cup of Luxury, stuffed him back into the teleportation portal leading to Cassandra, and watched closely until Kevin was teleported away. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Cassandra has the Holy Light Forces, and if you make too much of a scene, I’ll pass word of your death to your mentor," said Mr. Dark, sitting in the chair at the Cup of Luxury, lightly tapping on a porcelain cup with a spoon to produce a clear sound.

"Don’t die out there, Mr. Nameless."

Once the teleportation portal was set up, Nameless bowed within the glowing lights.

"I will measure my actions carefully, Mr. Dark."

The light from the teleportation array vanished, and the room in the Cup of Luxury was engulfed in darkness.

In the darkness, Mr. Dark whispered softly,

"Loshutar, ah, it’s better for that guy Raymond not to meet them..."

Nameless and Kevin stepped out of the Grand Ducal Mausoleum in Cassandra, with Kevin appearing quite irritable. Save for Mr. Nameless, Kevin ran into obstacles everywhere. Was that academy cursed? Why wasn’t his luck working at all? Lyle’s trust only made Kevin, who had failed his mission, scratch his heart out with anxiety.

"Heh, a trial, if Lyle could handle it, would he need to ask for help? Those stubborn old fools, especially that Mr. Dark, how can someone be so inflexible? He’s truly a baffling character."

Kevin’s irritation made him want to point something out, but considering there were people beneath those large tombstones, he restrained his urge. Nameless followed beside him like an underling.

"Mr. Dark has his own considerations," Nameless pinched his chin, "Perhaps it is indeed a trial, but there might be something we’ve overlooked."

"Forget it, Mr. Nameless, let’s go back to my manor and regroup. At dawn, we’ll set out on our own to assist Lyle in Degonris!"

Nameless followed Kevin to the Borey Manor.

As a visiting magician, Nameless received Baron Borey’s hospitality, while Kevin, as the family’s black sheep, received a thrashing from his furious father. The valet Matt, having been recuperating for a day due to a cold, still insisted on personally handing the riding crop to the baron.

The next day, a carriage carrying Kevin and Nameless set off for Degonris, with Kevin completely collapsed inside, covered with medicated plasters, still grimacing in pain at any movement.

With a twisted smile, he handed a letter to his servant.

"I’ve sent a letter to someone skilled at solving Lyle’s troubles," he said.

"Ha, Loshutar, I can save him myself!"