Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Handsome men and beautiful women strolled all the way to the north of the city, their leisurely demeanor a stark contrast to the busy people around them who were trying to make a living.

There was a row of food stalls along the river. Rowling bought another serving of candied fruit, ate one herself, and stuffed one into Alphonse's mouth.

"Is it sweet?" Rowling asked.

"It's too sweet," Alphonse said.

"Then I won't give you any." Rowling hugged the paper bag to her chest.

Alphonse laughed and tried to snatch it, but Rowling turned away to avoid it. The two of them joked around by the river for a while, their laughter carrying far away.

Alphonse just wanted to live like this forever.

You don't have to think about anything, and you don't have to care about the infighting in the academy.

Rowling squatted in front of a flower seed stall, looked through a packet of seeds, and asked the stall owner when was the best time to plant them.

The stall owner was an elderly woman who patiently explained to her which flowers preferred shade and which needed more sunlight.

Alphonse stood behind her, watching her hair being blown by the wind.

The sunlight fell on her profile, making her look clean and gentle.

He felt a warmth in his heart, realizing that perhaps he was just overthinking things.

Just then, the nameplate in his sleeve trembled.

He took it out and glanced at it; it was an announcement from the college.

"Lynn, the Lord of All Things, will take over as the chief instructor of the Soul Department. The appointment ceremony will be held in the academy in three days."

Alphonse was stunned.

He thought he had misread it, so he looked at it again.

The title was correct, the name was correct, it was the Lynn he knew.

But Lynn... became the chief mentor of the Soul Department?!

"How is this possible..." His composure shattered instantly, and he blurted out.

The people around him were startled by his shout.

The stall owner's hand trembled, and the flower seeds spilled all over half the stall.

Rowling also looked up and stared at him strangely.

"What's wrong?" Rowling stood up.

Alphonse came to his senses and, seeing that all eyes were on him, quickly put away the nameplate, grabbed Rowling, and left.

"We'll talk about it when we get back," he said in a low voice.

The two walked briskly back to their lodgings.

They didn't live in the upscale district or the wealthy district, but instead rented a quiet little courtyard in a secluded alley in the north of the city.

The courtyard wasn't large; it had an old locust tree planted in it, and the walls were covered with green vines.

Alphonse closed the gate and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" Rowling poured him a glass of water.

Alphonse revealed the details of the announcement.

When Rowling heard the name "Lynn," a cold glint flashed in her eyes so quickly it was almost imperceptible.

She paused for a second before asking, "Chief of the Soul Department? I remember your mentor, Marfa, wasn't she the Chief of the Soul Department? How did it become Lynn?"

"I don't know either," Alphonse said. "That's what I can't understand the most."

He took out his communication device: "Don't rush, let me ask someone I know in the academy."

Alphonse naturally wouldn't contact Lynn directly. Although their relationship was alright, it wasn't so good that they wouldn't "make a phone call" if something came up.

He dialed a familiar deacon in the Soul Department.

Alphonse was exceptionally gifted, becoming a full-fledged wizard after just over a decade in the academy. He was a prodigy in the soul-based class, and naturally, many people were willing to befriend him.

Moreover, working under Marfa alongside some soul-type deacons and apprentices inevitably led to interactions, which also helped him accumulate a considerable network of connections.

The other end answered quickly.

"Alphonse?" the deacon's voice came. "Weren't you stationed out on duty? You're back?"

"I'm asking you, what's going on with the chief of the Soul Department?" Alphonse said.

The deacon sighed and recounted the events.

Marfa conspired with the Chaos Egg to ambush Lynn, but was instead killed.

Now everything in Marfa has been taken over by Lynn – the shops, the old subordinates, the positions, nothing is lost.

"We former subordinates all went to the banquet a few days ago after receiving an invitation from Lord Lynn."

"Except for a few stubborn ones who didn't go, everyone else swore allegiance to Lord Lynn."

At this point, the butler asked curiously, "Why didn't you come? Aren't you afraid Lord Lynn will make things difficult for you later?"

Alphonse opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Going to an appointment? What appointment? I don't know!

So much has changed since he left the academy, and he received no notification whatsoever about the banquet the deacon mentioned.

He realized after a moment's thought that Lynn had intentionally not called him.

They entered the college on the same day and had a fairly good relationship.

It was indeed a bit much to ask Alphonse to swear allegiance at the banquet.

"I understand," Alphonse said.

He asked the deacon a few more questions before hanging up.

Rowling, who was standing nearby, looked very unhappy; she had obviously overheard the conversation as well.

"What's wrong?" Alphonse asked.

Rowling shook her head: "It's nothing. I just never expected that the little apprentice from back then would actually kill your mentor and become the new chief."

Alphonse didn't actually have much affection for Marfa.

In his attempt to resurrect Rowling through Malfa, he participated in numerous experimental projects, using his body and soul to do many things he would rather forget.

"I didn't expect it either, but Marfa is dead, and I'm at peace now," Alphonse said.

Upon hearing this, Rowling gave him a stern look and asked, "What's next? Are you going back to attend the ceremony?"

Alphonse thought for a moment and said, "Lynn is not the same as before, and the gap between us will only widen in the future."

"While we still have some ties, we should keep in touch more often; who knows, it might become a source of support for us in the future."

He paused, then said, "The reason I befriended him back then, even spending magic stones to befriend him, was because I valued his talent."

"Looks like I had a good eye. Now that he's in this position, I have even more reason to go. He's my boss now."

Rowling's expression changed slightly, and she said in a low voice, "Then you go by yourself. I haven't been feeling well lately, so I don't really want to go."

Alphonse quickly put down the nameplate, touched her forehead, and then used his mental power to examine her again, but found nothing unusual.

"You're not sick," Alphonse frowned.

Thinking about the changes in Rowling during this time, he became even more worried.

"No, you're coming with me," Alphonse said. "It'll be a good opportunity for a tutor at the academy to take a look at you."

Rowling opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to refuse.

But seeing Alphonse's insistence, he finally nodded.

"Okay, I'll go with you," she said softly.

The two packed a few changes of clothes, took the necessary items, locked the courtyard gate, and Alphonse led Rowling toward the teleportation array in the city.

Rowling remained silent throughout the journey.

Alphonse thought she was just tired and didn't think much of it.

He was still thinking about what to say when he saw Lynn, and what kind of gift to prepare that wouldn't seem too shabby.

Unfortunately, there's not much to gain by stationing troops in this small town. If they had chosen to station troops at those resource points, they probably wouldn't be in such a predicament.