Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 524 - 478: Bizarre

"You dug up the grave of a deceased friend and turned his bones into weapons..." Silvette leaned back, her emotions a complicated mix as she observed Ralph speaking with such ease and indifference.

"Is grave-robbing as easy for you as paying a visit?" Although Silvette had come to recognize the cruel aspect of the wolf from Ralph’s behavior, she still held on to a little girly fantasy—that the hero of the story always has a righteous side.

"Yes," Ralph stared at Silvette, watching discontent ignite in her purple eyes, "To me they are the same, equally difficult. I am not a person fond of making social calls, unless it is for work."

"The living are more important than the dead, I merely did what was right."

Verlet pressed against Ralph’s chest, her billowing red hair interrupting their gaze. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Mr. Barkin had predicted this, hadn’t he? Such a nice man, I think this is what he wanted to see." Verlet rubbed her head wildly against Ralph’s jawline, then turned to look at Silvette, "My dear, the Sage’s Stone can save us a lot of trouble, Degonris needs these. You’re a kind girl, Silvette."

"So, Ralph, have you tried it? The power of the Sage’s Stone, turning lead into gold or immortality? Dear, does immortality affect fertility?" Verlet shifted the serious topic into her unique brand of humor, eliciting a warm and helpless smile from the grim man.

Even if it was just for a moment.

"No, I’ve turned all the Sage’s Stones I obtained into bullets. It was a pretty laborious process, its hardness is exceptional, the polishing work is simply not something humans are meant to handle."

Verlet sighed with disappointment, "Not even a little bit left? Forget wealth, are you not interested in eternal life?"

Ralph plucked the red hair that had tangled into his collar, and used a ribbon from his collar to tie the bunch of burgundy hair on Verlet.

"I am more interested in destroying others’ immortality."

"That’s so like you, Wolf." Verlet’s fingertips were rough, but Ralph could not stand her palms caressing his neck.

"It’s getting late, more people have to die tomorrow."

"Okay."

...

Cemeteries are inherently spooky places, but the Degonris cemetery was a tad worse. Sickly green weeds stood a foot tall, and if it weren’t for the wooden sign hanging on the twisted iron frame at the entrance, no one would guess that the resting place of Degonris was this desolate land.

Furthermore, how many dead were buried beneath this cemetery was still unknown.

Shards of stone were embedded in the gray soil, and from the partially regular edges and scratches, you could imagine the original appearance of these tombstones and the tragic fate of their owners.

The Tomb Guardian is a profession meant to prevent the living from disturbing the dead, especially as this era is rampant with tomb raiders.

"In Cassandra, this guy would be fired." Ralph pressed the broken stones further into the ground, casually chatting with the two ladies. The Sage’s Stone seemed to have changed the sheriff’s hunting demeanor, "Even though the Tomb Guardians in Cassandra are also terrible, they are not quite at this level."

"When I was digging up Old Barkin’s grave, the Tomb Guardian in Cassandra was asleep in his little house, less than half a meter from the nearest tombstone. On the other hand, that could also count as a very excellent quality."

"If Barkin were buried here, I certainly wouldn’t find his tombstone so quickly." Because here, nothing but waste, the weeds have erased all features of the landscape.

"But the soil here is quite soft, the digging is definitely easier; I might not even need a shovel."

Ralph, contrary to his usual silence, talked non-stop after entering the cemetery, recounting his experiences digging up the grave of the deceased Alchemist Barkin. He even went into every detail, but the two ladies were uninterested in these topics. They had heard the stories of the Alchemist Barkin, a dead legend, and Ralph’s narrative allowed them to vicariously experience the process of grave digging, an unpleasant feeling indeed, to which even Verlet could only return a stiff smile.

But Ralph’s voice continued on, as if obtaining the Sage’s Stone was a process worth reminiscing.

"Look at this, this is a freshly turned mound, I can tell. From the color and moisture of the soil here, hmm... it was dug up a day ago, just one day ago."

"I take back my comment, this Tomb Guardian is very hard-working. He must be an outstanding farmer."

"See the size of the soil particles on top, moderate and well-suited; I could never rebuild a grave as beautifully as this, after all, I’ve only done it once."

Time and time again, the young girl just couldn’t bear it anymore.

"Why do you have to keep repeating this story about you digging up your friend’s grave? Do you think we find it interesting? Do you think I don’t already know you’re a heartless bastard?!! What are you trying to achieve by doing this? Why do you want to make me feel so disgusted!"

Silvette yelled in the cemetery, her young voice rebuking the man’s indifference, and the absurdity within her heart.

It wasn’t like her to think this way; he wasn’t supposed to be that kind of person.

Ralph... returned to calm.

"That’s because, some naive little noble girl seems to still harbor some unrealistic ideas," Ralph’s eyes were like blades as he glared at Silvette, who just shouted herself red in the face.

"You are the leader of Degonris, and a leader governs their territory, not through fairy tales. You’ll be faced with choices, and when you encounter a situation like mine, needing to choose between a friend’s peace and family’s safety, you must be cold."

"I will save Degonris, relying on my friend Barkin’s sacrifice. It was my disgusting decision that laid the groundwork for the future of Degonris."

"You better remember that, girl, there always has to be a villain."

It made sense now.

That was Ralph’s aim, to shatter her inner naivety in a self-deprecating way.

Silvette savored the feeling inside her at the moment, that awful feeling.

"I’m sorry..." Silvette squeezed out a few words with a sorrowful sob in her voice.

In this man’s eyes, she must hold a special place for him to remind her in such a way, a strange kind of gratitude mixed with respect and resentment.

"This is wrong," an icy voice emerged from behind the three of them.

The black coat was tattered at the edges, disheveled pale hair covered his face like a large hat, a black uniform tightly wrapped his strong body, and a huge iron shovel was held in both hands, soil still clinging to its edges.

The Tomb Guardian revealed an evil monocle.

"Human evil originates from conflict, an instinct of individual differences. You should not give in," the Tomb Guardian stretched out a finger, pointing at Ralph, looking at Silvette. "Deep down you don’t agree with his ideas, ask yourself, you are actually very angry, a frustrated rage lies within your mind."

"The true way to resolve a dispute, you should fight him, and the survivor can then tell their own truth."

The Tomb Guardian seemed to be in a certain state, constantly repeating his bloody method of eliminating the dissimilar.

By now Silvette had run behind Ralph, facing the two men off against each other.

Ralph’s face was cold.

The Tomb Guardian’s face was cold.

Dragonfire and the shovel were raised, and Ralph revealed a sinister smile.

"I hate it when someone interferes while I’m educating the next generation."

"Heh, let’s do it your way then," he said.

"I’ll kill you and let you and your trash opinions, along with your disgusting body, be buried together, Tomb Guardian."