Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 76 - 73. Bar Owner Beatrice

The mask’s bright red smile cracked all the way to the ears; one could imagine how chilling it must have appeared to the succubus.

William shook the piece of parchment as if the succubus’s fragile body were drifting in the harsh reality of existence.

"This is a succubus, the popular character from those forbidden fantasy literatures. You can imagine the drool those noble sons would leave behind, no, probably all men would be smitten. As a mid-level demon race, born with magic power, it also makes a pretty good familiar. And to repay a kindness by offering oneself is only natural, right?"

Could a person be so shameless?

Just as Lyle was reevaluating his companion, the succubus was struggling with itself.

"I’m very sorry, sir, but I’m afraid I can’t meet your expectations because I am only a half-demon. My father is an ordinary human, and apart from inheriting my mother’s appearance, my strength is probably not greater than that of an adult man."

"Besides, my appearance has caused trouble for others in the past, but I am a boy."

"..."

"..."

William scrutinized the succubus carefully.

There were no demon horns on his head, but there indeed were small crystalline patches on the side of his neck that looked like faint tattoos. However, that face, no matter how one looked at it, was filled with a soft and charming beauty. Should one marvel at the Creator’s miraculous handiwork?

Indeed, all the cute ones are boys.

"It’s okay, a boy can do it if you want," Lyle said teasingly.

No response.

William put the scroll back into his pocket.

"My current mood feels like I’ve suddenly received a huge inheritance..."

"Only to find it’s all counterfeit."

"Sir, um... what should I call you?"

"Candy."

"...Nice name," Lyle said, stupefied for a moment, then automatically completed the flattery with his body’s etiquette switch, though it seemed rather forced at this moment.

"My sister named me."

William quickly came to terms with the fading of his riches.

He looked at Candy.

"Well, making things difficult for a man isn’t gentlemanly, but Candy, shouldn’t you at least show some gratitude, even if just a token gesture?"

Candy propped up his cheek with a hand, tilted his head in thought, and the black medium-length straight hair slid across that innocent face like a clear stream over pebbles, "Perhaps I can take you gentlemen to have a drink at the Bloody Rose Bar, I’m a waitress there."

"A free drink?"

Candy shook his head, "I can’t do that, but I can serve you without tips for free."

"Are you drumming up business for them?"

Candy quickly waved his arms, "No, it’s just that, apart from simple tasks like serving drinks, I don’t know what else I can do."

As the succubus fell into dejection again, Lyle looked at William.

"Shall we go then? To the Bloody Rose."

"No objections, a free local guide; as for the destination, we have no leads anyway, so it doesn’t make much difference."

The three of them formed a team.

"We still don’t know how to address the two of you,"

"Plague Doctor."

"Surprise."

The clown mask on William’s face made the nickname quite appropriate.

"Why not ’Scare’?"

"Surprise can make people let their guard down."

Before leaving the City of Sins, the two were stopped, the reason being that smuggling was rampant here, so the Secret Pivot Council had designed barriers at the checkpoint, and those without identities would be blocked or even detained.

Lyle could produce the Andrey emblem, but what about William?

"Officer, the two gentlemen are with me," Candy said, stepping up at the crucial moment, "Here is my employee card; I am Candy of the Bloody Rose Bar, and these two are our guests."

The hooded human clad in armor scrutinized the credentials closely, "Recently, there have been several major cases where ill-intentioned civilians have impersonated Andrey members causing significant damage to the academy’s reputation. The Secret Pivot Council is now conducting strict investigations. I’m sorry, sir, could you briefly explain your identity within Andrey? A few short sentences will do."

The guard’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s, his gaze piercingly fixed on William.

"We are apprentices of Spirit Summoning Studies at Andrey; our mentor is Mr. Dragon. Our trip to the City of Sins was to purchase corresponding materials. Is that sufficient?" Lyle’s hand emanated a light grey Magic Power, and the cold breath of death was like a chilling wind.

"No further questions, sir," the guard stepped aside, allowing passage and it was evident that a few drops of cold sweat had formed on his forehead.

When the three reached the teleportation circle in the Dark Third District, William complimented Lyle on his performance.

"Brilliant, Plague Doctor. Your act was flawless, as real as it gets. Did you see the guard’s expression? Haha."

"Haha." Of course it was perfect; after all, I excel in telling the truth.

Candy lead the two onto a teleportation circle.

"We’re heading to the Light and Shadow Zone, which is the boundary between Light Tenth District and Dark Zone 10. It’s both literally and figuratively the Neutral Zone and also the commercial center of the City of Wandering, with a significant number of races from both the chaotic and lawful sides."

"The Bloody Rose Bar is indeed a place that caters to all races. Our boss is Miss Beatrice, but everyone prefers to call her Lady Rose, or Goddess?"

"Sounds like a very exceptional person."

"Yes, Lady Rose is the most perfect person I’ve ever seen. Her enchanting looks, powerful strength, and sparkling smile; for me, it’s an honor to have such a boss."

"Is she good to you?"

"Lady Rose is good to all employees, even willing to offend customers over our grievances. I’ve heard in the City of Wandering there’s no shortage of those who both love and hate her; she is the jewel of the Light and Shadow Zone."

"It seems the bar will be quite bustling."

"Indeed, the Bloody Rose is definitely one of the top bars in the City of Wandering. There was a time when dark gangs fought over the right to collect protection money from it, as everyone knew it meant a significant income."

"So what happened in the end? Which gang emerged victorious?"

"That’s one of the outcomes of Lady Rose’s strength; there were no winners in that competition as she firmly kept everything about the bar in her own hands," Candy’s eyes swept over the two, "publicly claiming to be borrowing the power of Andrey."

"But I think it’s for another reason, that these bad guys don’t have the nerve to mess with the boss. Miss Beatrice is one of the three Succubus sisters."

"The Succubus sisters? What’s that?"

"It’s a nickname, its origin uncertain. It’s used to summarize the members of Miss Beatrice’s family; her sisters have miraculously coincided with some characters from ancient mythology, hence the widespread moniker."

Candy lifted his head quietly, his emerald eyes gleaming like a child sharing his own secret. He tried hard to convey a sense of mystery, but his soft voice only revealed adorableness.

"Miss Beatrice is known as Pandora."