Even through the mage robe, Lynch could feel the elasticity of his mentor's skin and her warm body heat.
Annabella's slender body clearly stiffened for a moment.
However, given the urgency of the situation, she didn't throw him off immediately. Instead, she spurred the undead warhorse, weaving through the night at an even greater speed.
Lynch clung tightly to his mentor's waist, burying his face in her back to reduce the wind resistance, his face brimming with pure bliss.
If possible, he really wanted to hold onto her like this until the end of time.
Unfortunately, Annabella's undead warhorse was simply too fast. It was practically the Ferrari of the warhorse world, tearing forward with lightning speed on a bumpy yet thrilling ride.
In less than ten minutes, the warhorse darted into the nameless forest and located the devastated battlefield.
Upon arriving at the destination, the undead warhorse planted its four hooves, anchoring itself firmly to the ground like a wooden stake.
Annabella casually grabbed Lynch—who was still immersed in his bliss and clinging to her waist for dear life—and tossed him aside.
"Ouch!"
Caught off guard, Lynch landed bottom-first on a thick layer of dead branches and rotting leaves. It didn't hurt much.
He scrambled up with a sheepish smile, dusted the dirt and grass clippings off his clothes, and pretended that absolutely nothing had happened.
Annabella had no time for his antics.
She dismounted nimbly, her gaze immediately sweeping across the battlefield.
When she saw the four Holy Light apprentices lying not far away, their chests still rising and falling, she let out a faint sigh of relief.
With a casual wave of her magic staff, a giant hand formed of pale white energy materialized out of thin air. It plucked Barry and the other three from the scattered bone piles and gently set them down on a relatively flat patch of dry leaves nearby.
After a brief inspection to confirm they were in no immediate mortal danger, she redirected her attention to the rest of the battlefield.
Noticing the deliberately scrambled bone piles, Annabella frowned slightly and shot Lynch a sidelong glance. "Did you destroy the traces of the battle?"
"Uh, yes, Mentor," Lynch obediently admitted. "Things were a bit chaotic at the time, and I thought I should try to cover it up a little..."
"A clumsy cover-up. You only made it worse," Annabella remarked noncommittally, choosing not to press the issue. Instead, she asked, "So, where is the necromancer's corpse?"
"Hehe," Lynch grinned widely. "I recycled it. I turned him into a skeleton servant and hid him away."
Saying that, he quickly pulled out the rest of the loot and respectfully offered it to her. "Mentor, these are that guy's belongings. Please take a look."
Annabella didn't mind that he had converted the skeleton. After all, for a necromancer, it was incredibly difficult to resist the temptation of a corpse that had possessed great strength in life.
Just like how certain pubescent teenage boys found it hard to resist...
As her thoughts drifted, Annabella suddenly shot Lynch an exasperated glare. It wasn't until Lynch felt his skin crawl with anxiety that she finally withdrew her gaze and casually took the items.
She first glanced at the magic staff and the notebook, paying them little mind.
These were just standard equipment for a necromancer.
But when she saw the hastily scribbled sticky note, her brow furrowed instantly. She sneered. "Just as I thought. Someone in Saint Roland City was helping him cover his tracks and providing hiding spots... I was wondering why this guy was so hard to find."
Subsequently, her attention was drawn to the ancient map. She examined it carefully.
"Oh? This is actually the treasure map of the 'Ashbringer' Lester?" She looked a bit surprised at first, then couldn't help but mock it. "In this day and age, there are still people who believe in this crap?"
"Ashbringer? Lester's treasure map?" Lynch's curiosity was piqued. "Mentor, what is that?"
Annabella casually explained, "Lester was a notorious high tier necromancer from two hundred years ago. His strength had reportedly reached the Tier Thirteen Peak, just one step away from attaining sainthood.
"His greatest joy in life was opposing the Holy Light Church Court. The incident that made him famous in one fell swoop was when he abducted a quasi-saintess of the Bright Church Court and successfully transformed her into a powerful death knight. That incident completely enraged the entire Holy Light System."
"I..." Under his mentor's gaze, Lynch forcefully swallowed the 'fuck' that almost slipped out, his face full of awe. "That's freaking incredible. He's an absolute role model for our kind."
"Don't go saying that in front of the Holy Light crowd," Annabella warned with a glare. "Otherwise, when you get locked up in the dark dungeons of the Holy Light Court, I won't come to bail you out."
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right, Mentor." Lynch put on an obedient and docile expression, his eyes still shining with curiosity. "By the way, Mentor, what happened next? The Holy See definitely wouldn't just swallow that insult. What happened to that senior?"
Annabella continued, "Rumor has it that the Holy See dispatched a Holy Sanctuary powerhouse, along with many high tier Holy Light knights and priests, to encircle and annihilate him. After a massive battle, Lester was critically injured and on the verge of death, but he bizarrely managed to escape.
"Before completely vanishing without a trace, he left behind numerous treasure maps of dubious authenticity. He claimed that whoever was fated to find his hidden treasure would inherit his legacy and all his wealth.
"Once upon a time, these treasure maps were a massive fad. Countless adventurers, mercenaries, and even many necromancers and other professionals searched for the treasure like madmen, triggering quite a few bloodbaths."
Annabella sighed. "But after a long time passed, no one ever truly found the so-called treasure.
"As time went on, everyone came to believe that the treasure map rumors were nothing more than a prank Lester set up before he died, just to play everyone for fools and make people fight to the death over a legend. After that, these treasure maps gradually became worthless trash that no one cared about."
"I see." Lynch nodded in understanding.
Immediately after, he looked longingly at the loot that originally belonged to him.
"What's with that look?" Annabella chuckled in exasperation at his petty demeanor. "Do you really think I'd covet this little bit of garbage you have?"
With that, she unceremoniously shoved all the items back into Lynch's arms, keeping only the sticky note.
"You can use the notebook for some reference, but don't let the messy ideas inside lead you astray. If there's anything you don't understand, just come ask me," she instructed, her tone bordering on nagging. "As for this treasure map, you can keep it as a souvenir, but don't put too much thought into it. It's a pure waste of time."
"Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you for the guidance, Mentor!" Lynch hurriedly agreed, carefully putting away his recovered treasures.
Although his mentor's words were always laced with a bit of disdain and nagging, Lynch could clearly feel the care behind them. She truly treated him as her student, which brought a faint warmth to his heart.
After a pause, Lynch asked again, "Mentor, what should we do next? I don't want to expose myself. It would be troublesome if the hidden faction behind that necromancer targets me. And I definitely don't want to deal with those guys from the Holy Light Court."
The Holy Light Court, in particular, always gave Lynch the creeps. After all, he harbored far too many secrets, and being targeted by them would be highly uncomfortable.
"Hmm, that's for the best." Annabella pondered for a moment before making a decision. "Keep quiet for now. Continue to focus on your studies and cultivation, and make sure you get some good results in the academy's unified exams for me.
"I'll handle the rest of the matters."
"Yes, Mentor." Lynch instantly felt much more at ease. It felt great having a mentor to cover for him, especially one who was so powerful and easy on the eyes.
After finishing her instructions for Lynch, Annabella swept her gaze over the dry bones littering the ground.
She casually raised her magic staff. With a mere thought, majestic and pure death energy surged from the tip of the staff, instantly blanketing the entire battlefield.
The next instant.
Under Lynch's dumbfounded gaze.
All the remaining skeletal bones on the battlefield began to move. Whether it was the relatively intact humanoid skeletons, the fragmented fishman bones, or even the tiny bone splinters, they were all seemingly grabbed by a pair of invisible giant hands, ruthlessly kneaded and pieced together.
One skeleton after another shakily stood up.
In the blink of an eye, a squad consisting of nearly a hundred skeleton servants appeared in the clearing.
The ground had been licked completely clean. Truly, not a single decent bone was left behind.
"Holy crap..." Lynch stared blankly, his mind filled with a continuous string of awe. "Mentor, you are so strong."
This casting speed, this coverage area, this level of control... Compared to his Skeleton Resurrection Skill, which required him to painstakingly chant a spell for half a day with completely uncertain results, the difference was like heaven and earth.
Furthermore, this was clearly not his mentor's limit. If not restricted by the number of bones, she could definitely raise far more skeleton servants at once.
Was this the power of a high tier necromancer?
Moreover, Lynch finally understood why his mentor said his attempt to clean up the traces was unnecessary. She had never intended to spare a single bone right from the very beginning.
Annabella seemed quite pleased with Lynch's shock. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, but she quickly reverted to her aloof demeanor.
She then mounted her undead horse with valiant grace.
With a wave of her magic staff, she used her magic to scoop up the Holy Light foursome. Without even sparing Lynch a glance, she led the massive, motley army of skeletons marching swiftly back toward the academy.
As for Lynch?
Naturally, he no longer received the special treatment he had on the way there. He could only bitterly mingle within the pile of skeletons, jogging on his own two legs to keep up with the procession.
Upon returning to the academy, Annabella led the skeleton army straight to the Chaotic Burial Grounds.
With a casual wave of her magic staff, all the skeletons instantly disbanded, CLATTERING as they reverted to a ground full of skeletal remains, providing the students with some fresh cultivation materials.
Afterward, she made a trip to the Holy Light System to hand the Holy Light foursome over to their respective mentor, before finally returning to her own villa.
Just as she reached her front door, she realized Lynch was still following closely behind her, looking as though he had something to say but was hesitating.
Annabella crossed her arms, asking in annoyance, "What, is there something else?"
"Well, um..." Lynch rubbed his hands together, pasting a flattering smile on his face as he looked at her with expectant eyes. "Mentor, you see... I kind of stumbled my way into making a teeny, tiny bit of a contribution this time, right? Hehe, um... isn't there some sort of substantive reward?"
"A reward?" Annabella paused, then looked Lynch's tall, muscular physique up and down with keen interest. Her lake-blue eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of seductiveness crept into her voice. "Then tell me, what kind of... reward do you want?"
"Wait, seriously? Why did the atmosphere suddenly become so ambiguous? I just wanted some money. I didn't expect something this good! No, this doesn't seem to fit Mentor's persona... But what if? Take a gamble, and a skeleton might turn into a bone dragon!"
At that thought, Lynch's heart began to pound uncontrollably, though his face maintained an honest and simple smile. "Well... whatever you see fit, Mentor. I... I can accept anything."
"Oh? You can accept anything?" Annabella dragged out her words, a foxy smile hooking the corner of her lips as she nodded. "Alright then. Tonight, you can stay over at my place. I'll personally give you a very thorough lesson."
"Wait, what?! Cutting straight to the chase without any buildup at all?"
Lynch was utterly shocked. This happiness had come far too suddenly. Still unable to believe it, he asked uncertainly, "I-Is that really okay?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Let's not waste time." Annabella gave a charming little laugh, suddenly reaching out a slender hand to grab Lynch by the collar, pulling with tremendous force.
Lynch felt an irresistible force pull him forward. Amidst his exclamation of surprise, he was dragged straight into the house.
SLAM!
The door was slammed shut.
Faintly, Lynch's startled voice could still be heard from inside.
"Mentor, please, please be gentle!"