Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Obsession

“The corpse can speak…”

Once they reached a secluded spot, Alvis and his reanimated corpses swiftly subdued Duke in no time. Then Alvis began absorbing the lingering memories from the corpse and commenced the process of refining it into a reanimated puppet.

Alvis moved with unparalleled skill. Due to the urgency of the situation, he hadn’t even fully processed Duke’s residual memories before hastily transforming Duke’s body into a reanimated puppet.

As the reanimated Duke rose from the ground, he began to wield a new sorcery developed by Alvis.

Sorcery: Puppet Rebirth Technique!

Alvis found a large stone to stand on for leverage, then pressed his forehead against the reanimated Duke’s. After a short while, the life force within Alvis’s body began to wane, while the puppet’s eyes grew increasingly lively. The characteristic pale-blue hue of the reanimated face, along with the distinct fangs and nails unique to the undead, gradually faded away...

At last, Alvis’s body lost all signs of life completely, but Duke’s body began to resemble his former self so closely that it was indistinguishable—except that the soul inside now belonged to the deceased Alvis.

The development of the Puppet Rebirth Technique was greatly aided by the assassination attempt on Peter that very morning. Because Stein’s lingering obsession as a reanimated corpse had dissipated, Alvis was able to extract more remnant memories from the corpse. Among these memories was an exceptionally clear set of sorcery formation data concerning soul reincarnation.

Although within Stein’s memories it was a reincarnation formation, Alvis, with his determination to resurrect her, had spent years deepening his understanding of life and death, soul and body. With his expertise, he transformed the formation data into a usable sorcery during his journey back to the capital.

Alvis, now wearing Duke’s appearance, stretched his arms and legs, adjusting to the newly acquired body. He meticulously erased all traces of their presence before grinning triumphantly and muttering to himself, “From now on, I am Duke!”

His voice was identical to the original Duke’s.

Just as he finished, he noticed someone approaching. It was members of the capital’s Enforcement Squad, who had detected sorcery fluctuations in the area and came to investigate.

Within the Azure Phoenix Society, there was a running joke: “The Enforcement Squad always arrives last.” Seeing this situation, Alvis couldn’t help but recall that saying.

Though a joke, the Azure Phoenix Society had never underestimated the Enforcement Squad. They had carefully observed and analyzed their behavioral patterns, estimating the minimum time it took for them to respond to sorcery fluctuations in various locations. The Society’s regulations stipulated that if sorcery was used here, one must vacate the area within that timeframe!

To be cautious, Alvis had actually completed the Puppet Rebirth using only half that time, yet the Enforcement Squad arrived so quickly that he had no chance to escape.

Much of this was due to him. Now that the capital had uncovered the Azure Phoenix Society’s contact point and Alvis remained at large, tensions were running high. A citywide manhunt order had been issued. Enforcement officers were dispatched far and wide, patrolling and searching for clues.

This explained their rapid detection of the sorcery fluctuations. One squad member happened to know Duke, having participated in the operation to dismantle the Azure Phoenix contact point and, due to his limited abilities, had been assigned to lookout duty outside.

Since they were acquainted, the conversation was notably easier. Upon hearing “Duke” explain that the sorcery fluctuations were caused by his release of tracking sorcery intended to locate the fugitive Alvis, the officer casually exchanged a few pleasantries and dropped the matter.

He even patiently advised Duke to return quickly to the academy and collaborate with their Discipline Society members. Searching for the vicious fugitive Alvis alone was dangerous.

To ensure Duke took the warning seriously, the officer emphasized just how ruthless Alvis was: a man who had grown up among corpses, harboring a grotesque appetite for them, and whose most terrifying habits were also tied to the dead...

Alvis, inhabiting Duke’s body, felt veins bulge in his forehead, itching to kill the man on the spot, but prudently restrained himself.

“Hey, why the long face? Feeling unwell? Want me to take you to our Enforcement Squad medic for a checkup? I could even share some stories about Alvis and the dead—those tales have been spreading through our squad ever since the manhunt order was issued...”

A rush of blood surged to Alvis’s head. His mind was consumed by the officer’s words: “...those stories have spread through the Enforcement Squad...”

Struggling to maintain composure, Alvis took several deep breaths, then expressionless, said, “No thanks, I’ll handle this myself.” With that, he ignored the officer and walked away.

Behind him, the officer muttered, “What a person! Doesn’t recognize a good heart. When your backing falls, what’s the use of your bravado!”

As Alvis walked, he slowly processed the residual memories within Duke’s body. Soon, he understood what the officer meant by “backing falling.” But there was little time to dwell on that—he had discovered an even graver problem with this body.

“Damn it!” Alvis groaned. He had just sensed a lingering obsession within this body. If that obsession wasn’t resolved, his power in this reincarnated form would stagnate. Moreover, the Puppet Rebirth Technique had an extremely long cooldown—one whole year!

This obsession was particularly vexing: Duke harbored a forbidden desire for Flora Orianna, the lover of Vice Dean Hilary Clarke of the academy. Yet due to the vast disparity in social status, he had been suppressing these feelings relentlessly...

Alvis knew precisely how to deal with such obsessions, but he would have preferred if Duke’s fixation were on killing the Grim Academy’s dean instead. Being emotionally invested made this situation all the more distasteful. Besides, Alvis had always found courting more challenging than killing.

Gritting his teeth, Alvis thought, “From what I recall, Flora isn’t particularly strong. If push comes to shove, I can overpower her. It’s just a matter of enduring for a while...”

He resolved to play it by ear. The immediate priority was to integrate himself into Grim Academy under Duke’s identity.

Soon, relying on Duke’s memories, he arrived at the outer campus’s Discipline Division branch, only to be told by the staff on duty that Captain Dyna had summoned him to report to the inner campus.

Following the memories, he proceeded to the inner campus’s Discipline Division. Along the way, Alvis carefully rehearsed Duke’s speech patterns and demeanor, striving not to reveal any flaws.

Before long, he reached the inner campus headquarters. As he approached the main gate, his brow furrowed—he saw his own wanted poster!

Alvis stepped forward for a closer look. After reading, he cursed inwardly, “Damn it, only a five-thousand magic stone bounty? Pathetic.”

Disinterested, he knocked on the door. After being granted entry, he pushed it open. The moment he stepped inside, he was stunned.

Captain Dyna and Byron, from Duke’s memories, were escorting a bald man and a woman out the door. The woman’s poise and beauty were unparalleled—her face like the autumn moon—none other than Flora.

Upon seeing Flora, Alvis’s gaze sharpened!