"Eat up, eat to your heart's content. It's all yours, a reward for you," Selles said with a smile, gazing contentedly at the painting on the easel.

After a moment, he turned to look at Lawsen, only to see him focused on gnawing the roasted chicken, not touching the sheep's milk beside him.

Selles' eyebrows twitched slightly and he said with a smile, "Why are you only eating the chicken and not drinking the milk?"

Lawsen cursed inwardly, 'How would I know what you put in there?'

According to common sense, if one wanted to secretly poison something, it would most likely be placed in a liquid food, as it was easy to slip in unnoticed.

The roasted chicken, cooked directly over an open flame, was unlikely to be problematic.

So Lawsen only ate the chicken and did not drink the milk.

He had guessed at first, but now seeing Selles' reaction, he was fairly certain something was wrong with the milk.

Of course, he showed no outward sign, hurriedly explaining, "Master, fresh sheep's milk tastes too gamey. Back in my village, every time I drank it, I'd throw up. Even forcing it down would give me the runs."

"Is that so?" Selles stared unblinkingly at Lawsen.

"I'll drink it, Master!" Lawsen put on an expression of resignation. Pinching his nose with one hand and picking up the milk jug with the other, he carefully brought it to his lips.

Just as he'd tipped it halfway, his face suddenly flushed red. With a loud clank, he put down the jug, swiftly pulled out the chamber pot from under the bed, and lifted its lid.

The unemptied, rancid filth within immediately released a pungent stench.

That was the last straw for Lawsen.

Bent over the pot, he began retching violently, even bringing up the chicken he'd just eaten until nothing remained.

Between heaves, he couldn't help apologizing, "Sorry, Master... I really can't hold it back..."

With his mouth covered, the vomit spurted out of Lawsen's nose.

Seeing this, Selles felt intensely nauseated. He waved his hand vigorously. "Get out and puke outside! Go! Get out!"

Lawsen immediately covered his mouth and rushed out the door.

Outside was the second floor hallway, clearly not an appropriate place to vomit either. So he ran down the stairs to the first floor lobby.

In the lobby, Lilyss was still seated in a corner, whispering with some female companions. Seeing Lawsen rush down the stairs, curiosity lit up in her eyes.

Of course Lawsen saw Lilyss too. Just as he was about to greet her, he had to quickly cover his mouth again, only able to wave at her apologetically.

He hurried out of the inn to a secluded alley beside it and crouched down, heaving violently.

In the midst of this miserable retching, Lilyss' curious voice suddenly sounded behind him, "Lawsen, what's the matter?"

After spending the morning together in the room, they were now acquainted. As he vomited, Lawsen waved a hand behind him, "Don't come over... I'm filthy here!"

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Lilyss had seen it all, of course. She stood at the mouth of the alley, three meters away, holding her nose.

"What happened? You were fine just now. How did you get so sick all of a sudden? You're not pregnant, are you?"

'As if you'd know if I were!' Lawsen cursed inwardly, then vomited a few more times, bringing up all the chicken he'd just eaten. Finally he turned around, looking utterly miserable as he began explaining.

"Master wanted me to drink sheep's milk, but it must've gone bad from sitting too long. The taste was so strong, I just couldn't take it. Urp--"

He turned and retched some more, but his stomach was empty now, yielding only a bit of clear fluid.

Lilyss hadn't left. After Lawsen finished and turned back towards the inn, she actually came up to him, smiling and asking, "Feeling better? Got your appetite back?"

Lawsen smiled wryly, rubbing his belly. "I'm starving, but I have no appetite at all. My stomach feels awful too."

"Good that you're hungry. Come on, after working so hard for me this morning, let me buy you a good meal."

"I shouldn't... Master is waiting for me to get back."

"Don't worry, just eat in the lobby here. I'll go explain to your master."

"Well... alright then."

Once in the inn's lobby, Lilyss signaled to the front desk, "Josh, a thick bread stick, a bowl of pickled sausage slices, and a serving of carrot and vegetable soup."

"Coming right up, Miss Lilyss."

Lilyss smiled again, "There you go. I'll just have a word with your master."

"Thank you, Miss Lilyss."

"You're welcome, kiddo."

Lilyss gently patted Lawsen's head, giggling as she headed upstairs.

When she reached the second floor hallway, the casual smile instantly vanished from her face, the coquettish mask gone without a trace, replaced by an icy coldness.

Knock knock knock.

She tapped lightly on the door.

"It's unlocked, come in," came Selles' voice from within.

Pushing the door open with one hand, Lilyss kept her other hand hidden behind her back. Upon entering, she saw Selles stretching a canvas onto a wooden frame.

Glancing up at Lilyss, he immediately sensed danger and stopped what he was doing, his face darkening. "Miss Lilyss, I did not invite you."

Lilyss' gaze fixed on the jug of sheep's milk on the table. She sniffed deeply, already knowing the result.

"A double lethal dose of bowelbane, plus furnace licorice to delay the effects. My, aren't you ruthless towards your own apprentice, Mister Selles."

Seeing his scheme exposed, Selles dropped the pretense. He let out a cold chuckle and resumed preparing the canvas.

"He's my apprentice after all. I can do as I please with him. Even if I killed him, it would be my private affair. Even Lady Pessy has no say."

Lilyss brought out the hand hidden behind her back.

It was not a human hand, but blue-black, armored with hard chitinous plates and sharp, backward-pointing barbs that glimmered with an eerie green light.

"I wouldn't interfere with how you handled things before our partnership. But now that we've joined forces, I must protect my own interests. Sssss..."

The final laugh was bizarre, completely lacking a young girl's bright tone, instead resembling the soft hiss of air flowing through a narrow cavity.

Selles' expression changed slightly as he scrutinized the spider claw. "You're an arachnid emissary?"

"Sharp eyes, mage."

As Lilyss spoke, the abnormalities in her body gradually faded away, leaving only the exquisite, alluring features of a young girl.

"You may have thought to secretly take Lawsen away while we weren't looking, Mister Mage. But I must tell you, too late!"

Lilyss slowly retreated to the wooden door, her voice growing heavier.

"From now on, Lawsen is no longer your apprentice. He belongs to me. Of course, you must feel unwilling. But I'm not unreasonable. I'll compensate you 20 crowns."

Selles could no longer remain calm. His face darkened like gathering storm clouds. "Miss, threatening an accredited mage is unwise. Aren't you afraid I'll expose you to the temple?"

"Hehe, if you were an upstanding, accredited mage, we Nightingales would naturally not dare threaten you. But for a accursed mage like you, with heaps of filth beneath you, we have no fear."

Selles' body shook violently. "How do you know about that?"

"Hehe, the Nightingales know far more than you can imagine. Those vile men will say anything for a bit of pleasure in bed."

Having said this, Lilyss reached into her skirt and fetched out a silken money pouch, casually tossing it onto the floor with a slap, like a resounding slap to the vagabond mage's face.

"20 crowns for you. Consider the extra your lodging fee."

"Begone, cursed mage!"

Without waiting for Selles to respond, she opened the wooden door and departed.

Within the room, Selles' expression fluctuated through many changes before settling into calm indifference.

But this did not signify surrender. Because in his murky gray eyes, a sinister, gloomy light continued to flicker.

"The Nightingales! A band of prostitutes dares threaten me?!"