Number two is dead!

In the evening.

Wearing a new traveler's coat and carrying a simple bag, Xiaoman stood in front of the small building.

The herb gardens on both sides still bore fresh traces of her last care. The bestial disguise had been adjusted and stood again between the longer gray-black hair. The short, almost lifelike hair on the wolf ears fluttered slightly in the evening breeze.

Lazarus changed into another much more formal black robe, stood in front of her, and bowed his head to straighten his disciple's collar.

After completing this ritual, the uncovered bony hand gently fell on the girl's shoulder.

"Let's go." The lich's rather inhuman face gave his disciple a completely warm smile.

"Teacher hopes that you will have a smooth road ahead, but I know that you are not afraid of danger, so... I wish you get what you want."

"Of course I will. You too, teacher." Xiaoman gave this beautiful blessing back to the teacher with a very solemn expression.

The girl looked at the teacher, at the small building behind him, and around the fields and steps that she had measured with her steps. She remembered it all deeply, then turned around and walked away from the "home" where she had lived for three months.

This was a very nice place, just for her and her teacher, but it was time for her to leave.

Because she has personally traveled through the vast countryside, climbed to a high place to overlook the busy city streets, and walked through the dusty mining city roads with friends.

The warmth provided by the lich is only a rest stop on the protagonist's journey, not a starting point. She is not a simple student who knows nothing about the real world and cannot choose to hide beside her teacher and stay away from the outside world.

The teacher taught her to master magic to protect herself and fight. It was time for her to put it into practice.

After walking a distance, Xiaoman stopped and looked back——

With the help of those external elements that she is already familiar with, she may not be able to express a few precise theories, but she already has the perception that matches that of the caster.

As agreed beforehand, layers of gorgeous and beautiful strange light rose from the ground and descended from the sky, slowly enveloping and sealing off the entire large area including the small building and the courtyard. It was expected that it would completely disappear from the eyes of the world after completion.

This scale is undoubtedly a grand project that only a teacher of this level can actually use. Xiaoman looked at it for a while, then walked steadily through the woods with peace of mind and continued to move towards the main road.

She didn't know that these spells were performed by scrolls prepared in advance, and she didn't know that after his disciples left, Lazarus soon became unable to continue and had to rely on the trunk of a lush oak tree to support his body.

No longer suppressed, and unable to be suppressed any longer, the dissipation began from the bony fingertips of the right hand, which had already been most severely corroded by death. The complete snow-white bones slowly disintegrated into a strange crimson gray at a speed visible to the naked eye. The runes engraved on the surface of the exposed bones quickly blurred and faded after emitting the last tiny halo of light.

The flesh, which had seemed no different from that of a living person except for being too pale, was now withering away, starting from the right side of the body, and the bones underneath were slowly becoming visible as they were crumbling.

It was as if all the time he had stolen had now been cleared and recovered.

Fortunately, I did not die alone the second time, and a friend came to my funeral.

Lazarus seemed to be comforted by this and looked very calm, without any resentment.

Standing in front of him, blocking a large area of ​​afterglow, was of course Bernaludos.

The Dragon King wore a dark grey cloak over his exquisite and luxurious clothes, like a funeral garment. His handsome face looked even darker than that of a dead person.

"I remember now."

Lazarus spoke to him, no longer using that distant attitude, as if he were chatting with a friend.

"—Six hundred years ago, I was at my wits' end."

He didn't get an answer, of course. The pair of intimidating dragon eyes hidden in the shadows only locked onto the lich's body, which was almost half collapsed, and had already reached its shoulders and neck as the process progressed.

The spellcaster who originally chose to transform into a lich to save his life continued to talk to himself:

"Don't feel sorry for me. It was the flesh-/-body that reached the end of its lifespan before, so it was still possible to find a way. This time it was the soul that couldn't hold on."

"I am very lucky to have come this far. You know it very well, Belu. My qualifications are not the best among any generation, at least not in line with my later achievements."

"…So this time, I finally have no reason to prolong my life at all costs. You don't like to talk about the same topic over and over again, but you will do what is entrusted to you, right?"

He even winked at the Dragon King without fear.

After all, since the return of death also made the worn-out memories clear again, Belu was still his friend.

There's nothing to be afraid of a creature like a friend. No matter how gloomy it looks, it's just a guy who will bury his head in a down pillow, sulk, and throw things around. Even if you poke it, it will only emit a powerful but cowardly roar of warning. Just continue to pat it and tease it casually.

Bernaludos responded as his friend expected: "Yes. From now on, I will certainly protect the cub you care about for you."

The deceased with long dark red hair smiled peacefully.

——Yuan Qian, who was currently working on a friendship script with two characters, was still paying most of his attention to the Lich, who was experiencing another completely real death. The default dialogue should have ended here, but something unexpected happened.

"Because……"

The Dragon King briefly lost control, and during those few seconds he bowed slightly, his expression changing into a genuine smile that could be described as pleasant.

The blood-red sunset seemed to be reversed into bright sunshine.

This smile, like a child receiving a favorite gift, was reflected in the dark red pupils that were gradually losing their luster, while the earth-colored dragon pupils clearly contained the friend's heart, which had long been dead and blackened, as his bones and flesh turned to dust.

He looked at his friend who was dying, smiled and said:

"You belong to me."

——Control recovery.

Coincidentally, at the same time, the second character named Lazarus was scrapped.

Yuan Qian's attention shifted to the Dragon King. He seemed to have regained his proud expressionless look and stood there silently, but in fact, he felt a chill on his back.

"You...you suddenly added to the drama. Say hello first next time." He meowed weakly at the adjutant who unplugged his power without any warning and took over the task himself.

It would be fine if they took over, as this is the function of the system. But not only did they steal the number, but they also ran away after being naughty. This is really a bad behavior. We cannot not protest!

[Ah, there's nothing I can do. I just got inspired.] The adjutant's tone was still relaxed and casual. It didn't sound like he had just made a big decision on impulse, and he had no intention of apologizing.

Who told him that it was a fake cracked in-app purchase system? Even if Yuan Qian wanted to complain, there was no place to do so.

[Don't just stand there like an idiot. Once the seal is complete and you're locked inside, we'll have to remove it again.]

This guy came to the next topic in an instant and reminded Yuan Qian diligently.

"……oh."

Yuan Qian, who was staying in the Dragon King's shell, left the magic cage as instructed and found a place where he could see the road.

When he got outside the seal that was being gradually strengthened, he realized that even though he had made sufficient preparations in advance, he could not completely prevent the death that was set to be delayed for six hundred years from coming so quietly and majestically.

Even though the seal was completed quickly, some aftereffects still lingered, causing the forest to wilt slightly without being noticed.

With the dragon race's excellent control over the environment, he could easily find that the weak green grass and tender buds had shrunk a little as if they were sick due to lack of water, and the hyphae and delicate mosses hidden in the fallen leaves and humus were withering in large areas near the lich's residence.

A flock of birds started flying in the boundless forests and mountains, crashing into the afterglow in a confused and disorderly manner.

Those wings cast terrifying shadows, flashing across the Dragon King's sharp eyebrows.

Yuan Qian was busy discussing with his adjutant, and was also thinking about how the comic would be updated to depict the previous scene, so he asked Bernaludos to remain silent on the surface, and watched from a high place as Xiaoman's back gradually appeared and disappeared among the branches of the bushes as he slowly transitioned from the woods.

Suddenly someone approached from another direction, and their target was... Lazarus's residence.

Then the Dragon King turned his gaze and looked from afar at the two boys and girls who were running towards him from the countryside.

"Is it her?" Long Tong caught the appearance of the younger girl and Yuan Qian recognized her.

The little rabbit girl named Lania who visited not long ago got lost in the woods and was brought back by Xiaoman to eat something.

The previous comics briefly depicted some memories of Lania making a bet with her friends, so Yuan Qian quickly realized that the dark-skinned boy with goat horns who was accompanying her was a member of the family in their village who made a living by hunting.

Because different beastmen have different characteristics, combined with skin color, hair length, and clothing that doesn't change much for civilians, even if comics and reality are not exactly the same, it's easy to recognize people if you remember these characteristics.

It seems that the little girl has learned her lesson this time. Although she insisted on running this way, at least she found an experienced companion to accompany her.

Wild animals are much more sensitive than ordinary intelligent but undeveloped orcs, and they will avoid the area where Lazarus died for a short time, so as long as they don't lose their way again, there will be no danger.

Ordinary people cannot see through those advanced seals. All they can see is the unspoiled wilderness. Every tree looks as if it has taken root and grown here for many years.

Therefore, Yuan Qian just watched the young hunter boy and the little girl wandering around in a small area in the forest. Even though Lainya was about to cry in anxiety, he did not go to contact the two passerby children.

Who made him Bernaludos now? Xiaoman was gone, the kind-hearted lich was also dead, and the arrogant dragons had no reason to pay attention to two unfamiliar little creatures. They were staring at them because they were wandering outside their friend's residence.

When the sunset faded and it was almost dark, Lenia finally turned back after her companions' patient persuasion.

I'm late. Yuan Qian shook his head.

In the night, the dragon spread its broad wings, the same color as its golden hair, and went leisurely to look for food.

"Where do you think we're going?" he asked.

[Go to the city and get some golden, crispy little things!]

The adjutant readily cooperated.

As a monster from another world, this guy's account level in the comics forum is already higher than that of Yuan Qian, who plays multiple supporting roles in comics. Moreover, he integrated directly into the forum without any adaptation process. Now he can connect with the readers as fast as they can, which makes Yuan Qian sometimes confused as to whether the people who connect with him to provide support are silly netizens from his hometown, or an orthodox demon king who likes to throw meteor explosions at his enemies' heads without any preparation.

Well, let’s consider the friendly and authentic communication atmosphere as part of the service.

Thinking so, Yuan Qian actually went to the bustling Flora City, found a good-looking stall, sat down and ordered, carefully following the Dragon King's preference for low-end, high-calorie street food.

I am very sad to have lost an important friend today, so let's eat first. Yuan Qian thought carefully and thought that this was very dramatic, so he ordered three sets of super-large steaks with sweet and sour jam, and received a plate of stuffed cakes as a gift.