When the first ray of sunlight shone on the roof beams, a new day had arrived. It was already time for Carolyn to wake up. However, Carolyn still buried her head under her pillow, as if she was trying her best to be a coward and lazing around in bed.
"I'm not getting up, I'm not getting up. That way, those annoying skeletons won't come looking for me."
Without her overly mature makeup and indifferent temperament, Carolyn would always make people forget about her age. Due to her noble birth, she had high expectations for everything she did. Therefore, she appeared to be more mature in the way she handled things.
But the truth was that she had grown up in the depths of the palace, so she was actually quite pure. Her hobbies were reading popular Knight novels and sewing. She would cry when she saw something that fascinated her, and she would often stay up all night reading novels. She was no different from an ordinary girl.
As for her social etiquette and excellent conversational skills, that was all thanks to her hard-working private tutor. If she had been allowed to do as she pleased, Carolyn would have long since become like the heroine of a certain Knight novel, rushing out on an adventure.
But this time, as the daughter of a duke, her father gave her a difficult task.
"Carolyn, you've heard about it, right? It's the will of the emperor that the upper echelons of the empire want to strengthen their relationship with the undead. This time, you've been chosen to bring the lich Rex on a tour. This is an opportunity for you to establish a good relationship with the undead, but don't make the local nobles look too bad. If you choose sides too early, it'll be bad for your reputation. "
Simply speaking, this was to ensure that Carolyn didn't appear too active in front of the human nobles. Originally, as the eldest daughter of a noble family, this level of socializing wouldn't be a big deal. Her private tutor had already repeatedly taught her various communication techniques. But only when she truly interacted with the undead did she discover how troublesome it was.
"… I heard that our city's Aloro Red Wine is quite famous. (A direct translation of how nobles beat around the bush: You haven't eaten lunch yet, have you? Why don't you go down and have a cup?) "
Alright then, when the soulfire within the skeletons was silently burning in front of you, even Carolyn knew that she had said something wrong. But she wasn't someone who would give up so easily.
"… I heard that the tailor master Kakarov's work is quite innovative, and he's even received good reviews in the capital. I heard that he'll be operating here for a while. (Your clothes are too old. Do you want me to accompany you to buy some clothes?)"
The lich Rex looked at his grey robe. This seemingly tattered robe was enchanted with at least five common defensive spells. It was extremely easy to use. Furthermore, it was an old friend that had accompanied him for over a hundred years. Could it be that there was a better enchanter here who could make better work?
However, he had to show some respect to a female's invitation. He also felt that it wouldn't be bad to take the opportunity to see the skills of a human enchantment master. Rex, who was a little hopeful, gladly accepted the invitation.
However, the development after that was very embarrassing. In the most prosperous commercial street of Anyton City, the Lich's hoarse soul voice was shouting, "Other than glowing and self-cleaning, there is no defensive effect at all? What kind of rubbish enchantment is this! What's more, the material isn't even spiritualized or armoured. "When everyone looked over in astonishment, Carolyn, who had come along with them, wished that she could find a hole in the ground and jump into it.
Carolyn wanted to find a hole in the ground to hide herself, but she still didn't give up.
"Did you hear about Agur's sister-in-law? How interesting. She and her uncle … "
Carolyn's green soulfire stared at him. She was quite imaginative to talk about gossip with a lich.
"… There's a charity event the day after tomorrow. Alright, I got it. I'll leave now. I won't disturb your research any longer."
Carolyn's soulfire, which had already turned blue, explained everything. Even Rex was having a hard time. Asking a lich to donate to an orphanage? Was this a special event for the Ghost Festival? What kind of lame joke was that?
Rex wasn't interested in socializing. Instead, he was interested in how to turn a living person into a dead person.
Dirty jokes and gossip? Although from a certain standpoint, this was indeed a trump card to shatter the lich's moral integrity and deadlock, wouldn't it be a type of mockery to a lich who was only left with his bones?
Talking about the international situation and religious beliefs? Were you sure you wanted to shout "For the Holy Light!" in front of a lich? That wasn't the way to die. If you wanted to talk about the international situation … with Rex's memories from three centuries ago, you would probably have to start with what kind of country the Bardi Empire was.
As the ultimate evolution of otakus, even if a lich was the classic antagonist in many legends, the storyline would always be some small team invading an ancient castle or a lich's mage tower, laboratory, or abandoned library. A lich would be a classic boss that wouldn't die unless it was suicidal. This also explained the ultimate characteristic of liches — they wouldn't go out even if they were beaten to death.
From a certain standpoint, the seventeen-year-old princess was also a rich and beautiful woman (a person who had plenty of things to do in real life and was very popular). It would be rather difficult to expect a normal person to communicate with a lich who was the incarnation of an otaku.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to communicate with her. As long as the lich was interested in something, a research otaku would usually become especially talkative. But if the lich was interested in … "Necromancy Research Techniques", "How to use Void energy to roast squirrels", "Which is better for zombies, a Minotaur's heart or a Tigerman's heart?" It was likely that this girl would never be able to learn all of these.
"We need to look forward to the future. Every day brings a new sun … a dark history."
Carolyn kept trying to increase her shameful experiences. In the end, even the lich Rex couldn't take it anymore. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he would risk being punished by his superiors and turn her into a zombie that only knew how to count its own fingers.
After the frightening night last night, she learned many things.
First, she learned how to shout "Hit!" Before using her magic staff to knock away the lich's little mage. Then, Rex used a chicken leg to kidnap the Death Lord, and even used pudding to smear the Death Knight's face to create chaos and escape.
Carolyn did her best to maintain the situation, constantly scolding the idiot who dared to secretly laugh at the lich. But when she returned to her own room, she still laughed secretly for half the night. Now, she had no choice but to face reality.
"The lich seems to be living in a separate room. It's said that their senses are very sharp … Did I unknowingly do something wrong again? Ahhh, I don't want to get up! "
The only thing that made Carolyn feel slightly relieved was that the lich seemed to have a good upbringing. At the very least, he didn't get so angry that he used Death's Finger.
The sun had already risen. It was likely that she would have to face an enraged lich today. If she made any more of a joke, the lich's bluish-green soulfire might really explode.
"Sigh, I really don't want to go."
But it was likely that she had no choice. Her schedule was quite full. After finishing this stop, she would immediately go to the nearby Baron Matt's territory. She needed to discuss today's itinerary with the lich and set off as soon as possible.
But when Carolyn finished dressing up and opened her room door, she saw a scene that tested her logic.
In the hallway, the arrogant lich had been torn to pieces. The little mage that she had seen yesterday was currently holding the lich's skull and pouring Holy Silver and water into it. Carolyn then shook the skull vigorously as if it was a sieve. She even used the lich's hand bone to stir the skull.
How did she know that it was a lich? The lich's Epic-ranked Tombstone of Death magic robe was still on his body, but the familiar soulfire was about to be extinguished.
"Are you going to tell me or not? If you don't, I'll make your head into a chamber pot. Yep, I'll call it Gul 'dan … Rex's skull! Are you afraid? "
* Bang! *
Carolyn was certain that she had opened the door the wrong way. She slammed the door shut. After a while, she slowly opened the door a little.
But the moment she stuck her head out, she discovered that the soulfire in Rex's skull and the golden-haired mage were both looking at her. The golden-haired mage seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly laughed.
"It seems that it doesn't matter even if you don't tell me. We have a better person to ask."
The golden-haired youth tossed aside Gul 'dan … Rex's skull. He casually picked up a rib and smiled at her.
"Don't close the door. You didn't open it the wrong way. Yep, be more serious. You're not allowed to laugh! We're robbing you! Don't look down on my brother lich's thigh bone. Be careful that I don't give you a lich's touch. "
…
"Relax, I'm not here to cause trouble for you. I have a small plan that might be of some help to the current situation."
Back in the middle of the night at Sindy's temporary campsite, when the young man before them said that he had a method to deal with all of this, nobody believed him.
After all, the current situation was quite obvious. The Veji Merchant Guild had learned from their intelligence channels that the two countries had entered a state of war. This was far worse than the worst-case scenario.
"… What I originally considered was that some domain lord would eat too much as a commission, or that they would run into an undead army. In that case, as long as they had guards to help them escape, there wouldn't be any problems. But now, the two countries are actually at war … "
From the moment that the Lagraz Kingdom declared war on the Bardi Empire, the Lagraz people in the Bardi Empire were in great trouble. They naturally found themselves in an enemy country. Although it sounded cool to have the entire world as their enemy, if even a street vendor or a snot-nosed brat viewed you as their mortal enemy, that would never be a good thing.
And the most troublesome part was that the enemy wouldn't just be random bandits, but an entire country's elite army. This was especially true when the enemy was a powerful country's border army. In that case, just the border would become a natural barrier.
I casually opened up a map and pointed at a spot to the south. That was the Asha Canyon that we had just passed through, which was also the largest border crossing point between the two countries. Of course, the Bardi Empire's Hasraven Fortress was also located there.
We had easily passed through the border crossing point when we first came here, and we even had me, an unregistered merchant with a questionable identity. All we got was a bit of a bribe, and the Veji Merchant Guild had a good relationship with the Bardi Empire's guards. But if we turned back … that would likely be a dead end.
Turning a blind eye during normal times and accepting a small bribe to let illegal merchants pass through was completely different from allowing foreign merchants to pass through during wartime. The former was an unspoken rule that everyone understood, and the latter would likely be related to treason. After all, nobody could guarantee that there wouldn't be any spies or intelligence agents among the merchants.
If we were foolish enough to contact the Bardi Empire's guard, he would probably be the first to execute us. After all, no matter how much gold there was, one would need to be alive to enjoy it. He would probably be the first person to cut ties with us.
"… It's definitely impossible to turn back, but it's probably the same for other border crossings that lead to 'enemy countries.' Of course, there are also border crossings that aren't guarded. However, those are most likely natural strongholds or extremely dangerous areas, such as the Forest of Dreams where Black Fairies are rumored to appear. I trust that none of you would be foolish enough to take such a gamble. No, with your current strength and equipment, entering such a super dangerous area wouldn't even count as a gamble. It would definitely be suicidal. "
Although nobody replied, judging from the awkward silence and the fact that some people were unable to hide their astonishment and whispers, I was probably correct.
"In that case, the remaining choices are quite simple. There are only two. You can either pass through another country's border and think of a way to return to Lagraz, or you can find a mountain village and hide in a forest to see if the situation changes. As for all of you, you can only choose the most pessimistic option. "
Even Sindy was unable to hide his astonishment upon hearing this. This sudden incident had just occurred, and he had only just received the information. He hadn't even made a final decision yet, but Sindy had already seen through his plans.
"Actually, it's quite easy to guess. It's quite simple. The former option is more dangerous. If you want to pass through another country's border crossings, you'll be traveling within the Bardi Empire. Since the Bardi Empire is currently in a state of war, every country will definitely be on high alert. It's far too risky to travel within an enemy country without sufficient information. If you end up being intercepted by a certain army, it'll be impossible for you to survive. But if this option doesn't work, it's likely that you won't be able to return home for the time being. "
Everyone fell into a strange silence as they exchanged awkward glances. Everyone understood this point, but nobody was willing to bring it up.
"… But have you thought about it? Finding a place to hide and see how the situation changes? It seems like the safest option, but it's actually the most dangerous one. As a mega empire, do you really believe that we don't have the ability to control our own territory? The Bardi Empire is famous for being excellent at intelligence gathering. You can hide, but how long can you hide for? The worst part is that you still want to protect the goods at such a time, and you actually dare to escape with the goods? Do you really think that Lord Samuel will let go of such a fat piece of meat like you? "
Seeing that everyone was obviously wavering, I naturally struck while the iron was hot.
"No! Definitely not! Based on my understanding of greedy nobles, they'll definitely pounce on us like a rabid dog and swallow the goods for themselves. Then, they'll take our heads and pretend to be spies for rewards. And based on the current situation, they don't even need to contact the higher-ups of the Bardi Empire and send out professional spies. All they need to do is follow the wheels of the carriages. Perhaps they're already on their way here. "
I intentionally paused for a moment. As I expected, everyone was looking at Sindy. There was no need to hide the dissatisfaction and anger in their gazes.
As a merchant, Sindy's insistence on escaping with the goods already made the mercenaries quite dissatisfied. However, the rich were the bosses. Unless they were at the end of their rope, the mercenaries wouldn't be willing to disobey their employer's orders and ruin their hard-earned reputation.
However, nobody here was an idiot. This detail wasn't difficult to guess. It was just that the situation was too sudden, and there wasn't enough time to think things through. Even if I hadn't mentioned it, someone would definitely have figured it out in a while.
At that time, the mercenaries and merchants would definitely disagree. No matter if it was the merchants who decided to abandon the goods, or the mercenaries who decided to try their luck, both sides would definitely be at odds.
"… That's why I said, if I have a way for you to successfully leave the Bardi Empire and also protect the goods, will you listen to me?"
I had successfully recruited the mercenaries. After I showed them my power, the mercenaries unhesitatingly obeyed my commands. Our first step was to eliminate the threat before us and begin our counterattack.
It was likely that Samuel wouldn't have expected that the merchants he had chased all over the mountains and plains would come back for him in the second half of the night.
"An Epic-ranked mage robe? Oh my, it even has' Iron Skin 'and' Dimensional Door. 'Little lich, your power level is lacking, but your equipment is quite good. "
As I tried putting on the mage robe, I adjusted the Time Distortion Ring on my finger. From youth to adulthood, from adulthood to old age, from old age to … after death!
That's right, this ring could only change one's physical appearance. It couldn't change one's internal appearance at all. I was still a living person, but my physical appearance had already transformed into a corpse. Then, my rotting flesh would fall off and finally transform into a moving skeleton.
What surprised me was that the little lass didn't pee her pants in fright when she saw the horrifying scene of a living person transforming into a dead person right in front of her. Instead, she had an excited expression, as if she was delighted that she had finally gotten involved in something big.
"Are you going to pretend to be Lord Rex? Are you going to pretend to be like the Knight of Winter's Two-Face? But you don't have any soulfire or death magic, so you'll be easily exposed. "
"What a strange little lass. Come, take another look. "
My highly concentrated mental energy was ignited in my eye sockets. Green soulfire began to burn fiercely, and I snapped my fingers with my right hand, causing countless skeletons to appear in a black mist.
I laughed. Although I was surrounded by a thick power of death, the waves of ice between my fingers were dancing. The lich floating in midair was snarling soundlessly. My incarnation was now even more similar to a great lich than Rex himself.
"So interesting … so not good. Although I don't know how you did it, your makeup is practically perfect. You'll definitely be able to fool me. So what do you intend to do next? Threaten me to listen to your commands and come up with a shocking scam? Let me say this first: I won't submit so easily. I don't care about physical punishment or whatever, but I'll only submit if you threaten to harm my family. "
I was rendered speechless. She was saying that torturing me would be useless, and that a few verbal threats would be enough? She was even telling me how to conquer me? What kind of hostage was she?
"… Relax, we have a better choice. From today onwards, she's Carolyn A. Milan."
A woman walked out from the shadows. She also had the signature light-green hair of the Milan royalty. Judging from the shape of her face, she actually looked 70% similar to Carolyn herself!
"Even if you look like me, it won't work. I have a secret treasure of the Milan royalty here. His Majesty Emperor Milano bestowed it to me. Only the Milan royalty's bloodline can make it shine … Eh? Why is it even brighter than when I was holding it!? "
The pearl necklace that Lilith Milan had stolen was now glowing brilliantly, as if it was a God Equipment that had met its true master. Lilith Milan carefully put the necklace back on her neck, and only then did the pearl slowly dim down.
"… If you don't finish the kidnapping process, and if you don't threaten or bribe me, I definitely won't tell you the information you want!"
Just as I was once again certain that this woman had some mental issues, Lilith revealed a dangerous smile filled with evil charm as she approached me.
"Relax, you'll tell me …"
Lilith Milan's slender fingers were already undoing Carolyn's sleeves, and her red lips and fragrant tongue were already at the back of Carolyn's neck. Lilith Milan's other hand was already sliding down even more dangerously.
"You, you, what are you doing!! This is completely different from what I read in novels! This is molestation! You can switch out … "
"Aren't I asking you about your body? I'm asking about your body … Yep, not bad, there's unexpectedly good material. I've truly met a treasure. Milord, although I don't mind you watching me eat, and I don't mind if you're interested in joining, aren't you worried that Lady Heloise will tell on me to Lady Eliza? "
Alright then, I felt rather regretful. I had almost asked "Can I really join?", but Lilith Milan's gaze seemed to say "You're in the way." I knew that this "invitation" was probably just "teasing you."
Although I regretted that I wouldn't be able to watch a good show, I could only helplessly leave with Rex's head. It would probably be difficult for me to forget the tempting moans that followed.
"Hmph, women have their own ways of communicating. Let's have a little bit of communication that belongs to liches … such as soul interrogations, soul searching, and psychological attacks."
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