Sure enough, he knew something would go wrong! True to the reputation of a cult, even a phone call had to be made with a secret code. This was way too ceremonial.
Nol quickly regained his composure. He had limited knowledge about the Eternal Church and naturally considered the possibility of being exposed—as long as the target was alive, the plan wouldn't be dead. Rather than switching from Plan A to Plan Z, Nol preferred to treat it as a flexible game.
[Don't make a move yet,] he instructed Teest mentally.
Teest clicked his tongue loudly inside Nol's mind.
"Do you respond to every gesture of a subordinate?"
Nol tried to use his most sinister voice. "Besides, I can tell you still doubt me. Why not use that girl to prove it?"
Lord Swain looked at him deeply. "Thank you for your understanding."
The Lord's close aide quickly brought the child. The little girl, as skinny as a chick, couldn't break free from the grasp of the aide. From the newsboy cap and overalls she wore, it was obvious it was the street urchin Hannah.
Nol: "..." Kid, why is it always you?
On the way to the City Lord's mansion, he and Teest were extremely cautious, making sure no one was following them. It seemed that Hannah's tracking a few days ago wasn't to monitor them, but she seemed more interested in the case itself.
[Interesting, what are you planning to do?] Teest asked with interest.
[Prepare the spell to conceal our presence,] Nol responded calmly. [I need your cooperation.]
[You've finally decided to confront this guy?]
[No. I'll perform a trick for you first.] Nol flexed his fingers, silently preparing his spell.
Hannah suppressed the tremble in her body and bared her teeth at Nol, the "huge monster". Her green eyes were wide open, full of hatred and fear.
"Fuck you! Monsters!" she cursed hoarsely. "Pussy liars, murderers, you all will meet a bad end!"
As Hannah cursed, she nervously looked around, trying to find a way out.
"This is my gift to you," Lord Swain finally regained control and said politely. "Would you like me to kill her, or will you do it?"
Nol didn't answer. He just stretched out his right hand and gently pulled.
Hannah, as if grasped by an invisible hand, was forced to walk step by step towards Nol. She screamed in both fear and anger, flapping her limbs like the final struggle of a drowning person.
Sadly, her struggles were in vain.
A cold wind swirled in the room, billowing Nol's cloak, its tattered hem rolling incessantly. Like a vampire, Nol opened his cloak and wrapped Hannah inside, then tightened his arms across his chest.
Given the difference in their sizes, it was a terrifying embrace. A sinister light shone around the cloak, and the aura of death permeated. To Lord Swain, it seemed not to be a living being but an evil god.
The girl's struggles and curses ceased. The cold wind dissipated, and Nol silently released the cloak.
There was a crisp sound. Ribs scattered, the skull bounced, leg bones rolled away—a child's skeleton fell to the ground, shapeless.
The bones were pale and clean. Next to the scattered bones, the masked monster looked up, with blue flames flickering in its eye sockets.
Such a void death, Lord Swain didn't even smell the blood.
When did the church get such a strange character? Or was it that he was too low-level before to encounter…? Either way, he couldn't afford to offend this creature. For what's to come, he would need him… or it.
Lord Swain, who had just straightened up, bent down again quietly.
"I like this gift," Nol whispered. "Want to continue testing, Swain? Or do you want a polite embrace too?"
Swain swallowed hard. "My apologies, My Lord. Please give me a chance to make up for it."
Got him! Nol sighed in relief internally.
Behind Nol, Teest was holding the unconscious girl, almost laughing out loud. The moment he embraced Hannah, Nol had relayed the plan into his mind. If Teest didn't know Nol's tricks, he might have been stunned too.
…The sequence of moves by Mr. Mage was comically terrifying.
Telekinesis, a life-class spell: Consumes 20 MP; moves objects within 100 kg over a short distance; only used for non-living targets.
So, while the girl was pulled over—Hannah couldn't be the target, but her clothes could.
Cool breeze, a life-class spell: Consumes 10 MP; releases a cold wind within a radius of 1 meter around oneself; the cold wind lasts for 10 seconds and has no attack power.
Players would call it the "mage's air conditioner". Nol used it to set the atmosphere and cover his actions.
In the flutter of the black robe, Teest quickly grabbed Hannah from inside the robe, knocking her unconscious. His movements were incredibly smooth. The aura of the "Fallen Knight" disappeared, and Nol's invisibility spell took effect at the same time, successfully hiding the girl.
Finally, there was the necromancer summoning, Nol's original spell. Accompanied by a dim glow, he summoned the skeleton of a 13- or 14-year-old girl.
According to Nol, these skeletons weren't even standard skeleton soldiers. They had no combat power, and their intelligence was limited. But when they heard that they were helping peers of the same age, they responded particularly positively.
Nol chose the best actor among them.
It was hard to imagine that someone could combine these seemingly weak spells to be so terrifying.
A good trick, Teest thought. It was indeed more interesting and safer than directly attacking the City Lord. This Lich was more dangerous and… more entertaining than he imagined.
What could Mr. Mage do if he wasn't suppressed by a curse? Teest became a bit curious.
"Little girl, tell me, should I show him some sincerity?"
In a corner invisible to Nol, Teest leaned down and mouthed words to the unconscious Hannah.
"Like… um, consider him a half-friend."
...
Before Hannah opened her eyes, she smelled a sweet scent.
She found herself lying on a large soft bed, with floral fragrances coming from the window. In Hannah's memory, it was still night, but now the bed was covered with morning sunlight.
Fortunately, she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. There was no pain, and all her limbs were intact. The moment she opened her eyes, Hannah instinctively jumped up and leaned against the wall.
Across from her, Nol was holding peaches boiled in sugar water, while Teest was busy packing things in the room—to say he was packing, he only had one backpack.
"The City Lord thinks you're dead, so it's best to lie down for another two days and not rush out." Nol placed the peaches on the bedside table.
Hannah looked at Nol in a daze. Nol sighed and made a horn gesture on his head.
"That's me. I used a little disguise trick," he said. "We knew there was something wrong with the City Lord, so we had to take action."
Hannah opened her mouth, then sniffled hard, holding back her tears.
"Thank you," she said with a heavy nasal voice.
After packing his backpack, Teest gently sat next to the bed.
"You'd better not frequently see the witch. It's clear that you care about the disappearance case. I guess you have some clues. You don't want to inform the Temple because you fear implicating the witch, right?"
Hannah shifted backward, clearly wary of the cunning of the old. "We are very careful."
"Really? I suspect the Investigation Knights are monitoring all exits from the city. They didn't act before simply because you are children," Teest said. "Everyone knows that the Eternal Church doesn't use children as couriers."
Nol was amazed. This must be the ruthlessness of hardcore Players, interrogating an underage girl who just woke up.
"You, Margaret Swain, and that puppet witch."
Teest's gaze was focused. His golden eyes that in the sunlight, seemed devoid of warmth. They no longer looked like gold but resembled dead leaves.
"How are you all connected… Ouch!"
Before Teest could finish, he was pulled into Nol's arms.
"Sorry, Miss Hannah." Nol gripped the struggling Teest, gritting his teeth with a smile. "This guy's emotional intelligence fluctuates a lot, and he's currently at a low point."
"It's not like—" Teest awkwardly tried to break free, his voice muffled by Nol's chest.
Watching the two bicker, Hannah relaxed a little. After a few moments, her viciousness returned.
"Since you risked your lives to save me, I can tell you about Margaret. I don't like owing favors."
She made certain that they treated her as a human before cautiously providing information. It was very likely that Witch Lynn taught her this.
"I have something to say." Teest struggled restlessly against Nol's chest. "Let go of me first—"
Nol reluctantly released him. "Be gentle."
"Your account may not be trustworthy. I want to look directly into your mind," Teest said.
Nol: "..."
Such a gentle remark; he shouldn't have let this guy go.
"Of course, I mean using magic to see. You just need to fall asleep normally." Sensing Nol's piercing gaze, Teest explained.
[I will use "Dream Manipulation."] He added telepathically.
Nol: "…?! "
His astonishment was evident.
Wait, brother, how do you have a succubus's skill?
Dream Manipulation, an exclusive skill of the succubus, could only be used on intelligent humanoid beings.
If the target was unsuspecting, the user could enter the target's dream, retrieve their memories, or control the content of the dream. Even if the target was awake, "Dream Manipulation" could create suggestions or illusions. The higher the target's affection for the user, the easier it was to be influenced.
But Players couldn't even choose the succubus race. Though Teest had the looks, he seemed entirely human.
[Before being cursed, I acquired this ability through… certain means.] Realizing Nol was about to find his succubus tail, Teest moved away a bit.
Is there such a method? Nol pondered.
Whether it was a Player or a human NPC, they couldn't acquire monster skills; hence, they needed to form contracts with monsters.
Considering the quest AI had gone haywire and R18G quests were available, receiving some bizarre rewards wasn't impossible. Moreover, "Dream Manipulation" wasn't too extraordinary; some black magic could produce similar effects…
[Let's go with Dream Manipulation.] Nol decided to accept reality.
...
No, he didn't want to accept it.
In the dead of night, in front of the double bed, Nol suddenly understood how Teest felt when being "proposed to"—Do we really have to do this? What's it all for?
Hannah was a young girl, so the two adult males should avoid suspicion. Now that Hannah was sleeping in Teest's bedroom, Teest naturally had to spend the night in Nol's room.
And also…
"To bring you into a dream, we both need to be asleep, and I need to have physical contact with you… There's no other way since you can't do 'Dream Manipulation'," Teest explained with a shrug.
The author has something to say:
Teest: Hmm, half-friends, let's add a little succubus shock.
Nol: (Pupils frantically quaking)
Hahaha, the great Miss Hannah will have a bedroom all to herself. The two of you should sleep in the same room. It's against the law for couples not to—
————————————
Many years later.
Teest: I just thought of something.
Nol: Hmm?
Teest: Back then, in the eyes of Lord Swain, did you eat Hannah's clothes, shoes, and everything in her pockets…
Nol:
Nol: Monsters can do anything!