"This is so embarrassing!" Kai mumbled under his breath. Alexandra, hearing the interaction, giggled to herself which broke the tension in the air.
"Alas, I will let you in my home upon my daughter's request," Lloyd said and added: "You will behave yourself, there will be no second chances."
Kai scratched his head and awkwardly laughed, "Well, also, do you know where can I find more of that emerald? It was very delicious!"
"What?!" Lloyd interjected and immediately turned his head to his daughter, only to see her neck sporting a necklace without its pendant.
"Your mother's necklace…" Lloyd said in a sullen tone.
If Kai actually had a face, they could clearly see his face shifting from a smile to surprise, and to absolute horror.
"Right, then," Kai said as he slowly backed down. "I had some business in town, I'll let you guys figure that out."
Lloyd looked incensed and Alexandra had a few teardrops on her face, even though she wore a smile.
"Remember when I saved your daughter from certain death?" Kai yelled as he put some distance between one another and entered from one alley to another. Even if he had no choice but to return there, he at least didn't want to be when the City Lord could randomly decide to kill him.
Kai ran through one alley after another, and not long after leaving the City Lord's mansion, he heard a loud crash and a swirl of dark energy rising into the sky.
Kai took care to hide his face and body under his robes as he listened to the conversation of two city residents in the corner.
"Ah, someone angered the City Lord again for sure!"
"Hear ya. When do you think we'll be attacked again?"
"Tomorrow, I reckon, but who knows?"
Kai interjected at this point, defeated by his curiosity.
"Hello fine gentlemen, may I ask, why are we being attacked?" Kai asked.
The first guy spoke again and replied with some anger, "Are you stupid? How do you not know?"
"Ah, you see," Kai continued speaking in an eloquent tone as to gain their trust, "I used to live outside the cities, I barely know anything about provincial matters."
At this point, both citizens' eyes bulged out and both spoke up at the same time in shock.
"You survived outside of the city?!"
Kai suddenly remembered the wasteland that he saw outside of the city. Even though he had yet to explore the entire place, it didn't seem like the roads would be safe.
"No…" he could only awkwardly mutter.
"Show us your face," one of the men yelled and reached to pull Kai's robes.
Kai, to avoid risking being exposed, had to think fast. He wondered what kind of a scenario would be acceptable in this world to reject him. Kai steeled his resolve and did the only thing he could think of. He raised his skeletal hands covered by the robes and brought them down on the man's face.
"Ah! Pervert!" Kai yelled with a sharp tone.
The man hit by Kai lost his balance and collapsed on the ground. Even though Kai hadn't used enough strength to kill a man, it seemed it was still enough to keep him out of commission.
"Ma'am, are these men bothering you?" another voice suddenly joined in.
The voice belonged to a goliath standing at 2.5 metres and boasted muscles that looked as if they could turn stones into dust with a single squeeze. Furthermore, he donned a thin armour that looked exceptionally durable and tough albeit how slim it is.
"I, Gort, am here to-" Gort suddenly stopped speaking as he saw one of the men knocked out and the other trying to drag him away in fear. The second man was speechless due to his fear.
"You won't escape, villains!" Gort yelled and brought down his dulled practice sword on those two fools. After quickly apprehending them and handing them over to lower-ranked guards, Gort finally turned to Kai, who he stood at the same height.
"You know," Gort said, giggling somewhat. "I never actually meet any women of my size…" he added and tried to caress Kai's face through the robes, only to touch bones. He instantly disrobed Kai with a pull of his hands.
"Right, you see, for all you know, I am a female skeleton."
…
"Father, let him stay! I gave him my word!"
Alexandra's begging was always enough to move Lloyd's heart, but he was incensed this time.
"But Andra, that necklace was a memento of your mother. The most important-"
"You think I don't know that?!" Alexandra cut in with a harsh tone and although she no longer had a voice of begging, actual tears dropped from her eyes in a stream from both her eyes as she said, "The only thing I had to remember my own mother by is gone. I have traded her memento for my life, and I'm not going to feel bad for it!"
City Lord looked at the statuette of a noble mare, the gift he had given his late wife and sighed.
"You are right," Lloyd said, "I guess he can stay until we figure out what to do with him."
"What about his instability?"
"I'm not going to lie, he is an extraordinary example to work on. If we can find a way to replicate his circumstances-"
"You'll have an immortal army capable of siege warfare, is that it?" Alexandra said with a scoff.
"Come on, Andra, the monthly attack is almost upon us, wouldn't you like our people to be free? Instead of living inside these walls like prisoners?"
"Whatever."
In the middle of their conversation, a guard approached them both.
"If I may."
"Speak," Alexandra took the initiative and ordered the guard. Albeit puzzled for a moment, the guard still abided by the command.
"Captain wants to urgently see you, he says it's about the monthly raids."
"Send him in," Lloyd said and turned to Alexandra, "Andra, I need to take care of this, I promise you I'll send someone to fetch him right away. I'll also figure out a way to treat his condition if that's what you want."
"I'll be in my room," Alexandra said and started walking away until she heard yet another voice.
"Let me go, do you know who I am?!"
Alexandra glanced back and saw Kai, bound with an unbelievable amount of rope, dragged inside by the Captain.
"City Lord, I have discovered one of the elite undead who infiltrated the city."
"Thank you, Gort, but that's probably not an agent of the enemy. You can leave," said Lloyd and turned to Kai, who was yelling obscenities at Gort as he laid on the ground.