23 023 Cute Skeleton Maid_1

The wind chime at the door rang, and Lin Ge's gaze shifted to the bar's entrance, his eyes filled with anticipation.

He couldn't wait to use the new magic he had learned to make drinks for the customers.

Come on, whatever creature enters, I'll mix the best wine for it.

However, the customer who walked in once again surprised Lin Ge, and even though he had mentally prepared himself, he couldn't help but show an astonished expression.

The person who entered the tavern wore a maid outfit with black and white checks, the black skirt rimmed with a circle of white lace, and underneath the skirt were fair and slender...

Leg bones!

White and bony, devoid of any flesh.

Below those slender leg bones, she wore a pair of brand new, shiny black maid shoes.

Stretching out from the sleeves of her top were slender arm bones, ending in a pair of delicate and dainty bone claws, clutching a broomstick.

Protruding from the upright black collar was a slightly curved neck bone, and above it, a luminous white skull, with a round and smooth crown that was adorned with a black maid's hat, embellished with bright red ribbons.

Was this a skeletal maid?

Lin Ge stood agape.

Seeing Lin Ge's expression, Lanya, curious, turned her head back.

When she saw the petite skeletal maid wearing a maid outfit, she jumped down from her chair, her eyes lit up as she exclaimed in delight, "Wow, what an adorable skeletal maid! I really want to sign a Soul Contract with her!"

Lin Ge was very curious. How could she tell whether a skeleton was cute or not? And signing a Soul Contract with an undead creature, wasn't that something a necromancer would do?

But upon closer inspection, the skeleton's bones were pure white and as translucent as jade, especially the skull, which was as refined as a piece of artwork, fit to be displayed in a museum.

And its body proportions were well-coordinated; the more you looked, the less horrifying it seemed.

When combined with the exquisitely tailored maid's outfit, it really did seem somewhat inexplicably adorable.

It was just a little too... bareboned.

The adorable skeletal maid seemed to be frightened by Lanya's enthusiasm as she shyly lowered her skull, the mandible trembling slightly as the two rows of teeth clicked together, making a clacking sound.

Lin Ge actually understood what she was saying.

"I'm sorry, I am already Lady Elvie's maid, and I cannot sign any contracts with you."

Lanya immediately looked disappointed.

Iris seemed the most composed, as though she was greeting an ordinary customer. She stepped forward and said:

"Welcome to the Emerald Bar. May I ask what kind of drink the guest would like? Would you like to try our newly introduced cocktail? That bartender over there with eyes bulging like a frog, although he seems silly, his drink-mixing skills are quite decent, and won't disappoint you."

The skeletal maid seemed a bit nervous, clutching her broomstick tighter, as her teeth began to chatter again.

"Why is this establishment located inside Lady Elvie's castle? I just wanted to come in to clean. The door I should have opened was the storage room," she said.

Iris, smiling, explained, "It's not that this tavern is inside your lady's castle. The door you opened was simply connected by that magic door, becoming one of the exits of this establishment." Iris gestured toward the wooden door behind the skeletal maid.

The skeletal maid fearfully asked, "Can I still go back then?"

"Of course, there's no problem. Just open the door, and you can return to the familiar surroundings of your castle. But are you sure you don't want to have a drink?"

"No, there's no need, even if I were to drink it, it would all leak out, and I still have a lot of work to do."

"Then come for a drink next time."

"This..." The skeletal maid scratched her skull with a finger bone, seemingly perplexed.

Just then, the door was suddenly kicked open violently, and a sexy Headless Knight clad in black armor, shrouded in dark flames, burst in holding an aged man's head.

"I've come to reclaim my sword!"

The man's head spotted the black great sword hanging on the wall at first glance.

"Ah, my sword."

Iris stepped in front of the Headless Knight who tried to retrieve her great sword.

"Dear brainless guest, please refrain from kicking the door and attempting to take anything from the establishment, or else I will have to eject you once again."

"Your establishment's item? That's clearly my Darkflame Great Sword!"

Iris, with a smile on her face, replied, "Now it's part of our tavern's decor."

The man's head held in her hand suddenly furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, then realized, "I get it now. It seems I have to beat you to reclaim my sword."

The Headless Knight threw the man's head up, and as it took to the air, it did not land, but instead hovered below the chandelier of the bar, looking down at Iris from a lofty position.

The body left on the ground then lifted its arms, bowed slightly, and took a combat-ready stance.

"Come on, fight me with your strong fists. I will not give up until I defeat you," the head floating in the air said eagerly.

"What's wrong? Why don't you attack? Come on, hit me hard, pah, no, I mean, fight me!"

The Headless Knight took a step forward, spread her arms, appearing to welcome Iris's offensive.

Iris showed a look that one reserves for a weirdo, disgust written all over her face as she stepped back.

"If you're not going to act, then I'll make the first move!"

The Headless Knight suddenly extended his right hand, wrapped in pitch-black flames, and launched an attack at Iris's chest. Lin Ge only saw Iris's right leg move slightly before the Knight's voluptuous body headed straight for the door.

Before the headless torso struck the door, the bar's door automatically opened, and it flew straight out. Then, a booming sound came from outside, as if a wall had been broken through.

The disembodied man's head that had been floating under the light suddenly seemed to lose its support and fell to the ground, rolling to a stop under the skirt of the skeleton maid.

"Huff, huff... this feeling is just too great, too fantastic!"

The man's head gasped for breath, his face flushed with excitement, as if some secret craving had been immensely satisfied.

"Lady Elvie, you..." the skeleton maid looked down at the man's head, hesitating to speak.

"Oh, Cani, it's great you're here. Quickly, take me away from here; I can't move my body just now."

"Yes, yes, Lady Elvie!"

The skeleton maid, called Cani, immediately dropped her broom and picked up the man's head, rushing out of the door.

The man's head could be heard outside: "I'll come back to challenge again!"

Iris's eyes twitched twice. Although she had managed to blast the troublemaker out, she couldn't feel any joy. Instead, she felt somewhat dazed and thought:

"My power, it's been tainted..."

Her face suddenly twisted into a ferocious expression, and her fists made a crackling sound.

"If he comes again, I must explode his body, so he can never appear before me again!"

Lanya, still thinking of the petite skeleton maid in a maid outfit, looked out the door with a look of loss and murmured quietly, "The cute skeleton maid, will she come back?"

Lin Ge was thinking, can't we get some normal customers for a change, even if they're not human, at least some who can appreciate my mixology? Skeletons and Headless Knights, please don't come again!

After the door closed, the bar quickly returned to calm.

Lin Ge wiped glasses, occasionally glancing towards the bar's entrance, looking forward to new customers arriving.

Lanya lay on the counter, listening to the music in the bar, leisurely swinging her legs, and suddenly said:

"That redhead, that bad woman, hasn't shown up for two days. Wonder what she's been up to."

Lin Ge responded, "I hope she's ashamed of her actions, reflecting on them, and feels too embarrassed to show her face here."

Iris's voice came from across the bar.

"Then you're underestimating her. That woman doesn't know the meaning of shame, just like that headless pervert from before."

Lin Ge had long been curious about the true gender of the Headless Knight, so upon hearing Iris's comment, he took the opportunity to ask:

"That Headless Knight, are they male or female? Why does their body appear female but carry a man's head?"

Iris clenched her teeth, her fists hardening again.

"I don't want to discuss anything about that freak."

She suddenly stood up and walked into the resting room.

That left only Lin Ge and Lanya in the hall.

"I know, though," Lanya said, blinking suddenly.

"You know?"

"Headless Knights, being elite undead, possess powerful souls in life that don't die even in death. As long as the soul isn't utterly destroyed, they won't truly die.

Thus, Headless Knights hide their souls within their original heads, stashing them away in secret places where they won't be found, never revealing their true faces."

Lin Ge mused, "So the head that Headless Knight was carrying isn't their real head?"

"Of course not, it's just a fraction of their soul residing within that head, serving as eyes and ears for that body."

"And the body?"

Lin Ge poured a glass of water for Lanya, who took a sip and then continued:

"Generally, Headless Knights wouldn't easily give up their original bodies. Their original bodies retain memories of combat from their living days, making them most convenient to control and enabling them to wield greater power.

Even if they controlled another creature's body, no matter how much stronger the foreign flesh, it might not surpass their own."

"So she's female?"

"It's a safe bet. Headless Knights were knights in life, valuing honor and dignity. If it were a man, he definitely wouldn't show himself with a female body.

This is my first time seeing a female Headless Knight too, and she's kept her body in excellent condition, that skin more radiant than the living. The Headless Knights I've seen before were all somewhat decayed, some even reduced to skeletons."

After listening patiently, Lin Ge nodded slightly, then suddenly asked:

"Lanya, you seem to know a lot about undead creatures?"

Lanya hastily covered her little mouth.

Oops, I've said too much.

Seeing Lanya's reaction, Lin Ge couldn't help but laugh.

She had said earlier that she could see her own soul, a statement he didn't understand at the time, but last night, while flipping through a magic book, he stumbled upon a description of a special group related to the undead. Combining that with her behavior today, he had confirmed her identity.

"Lanya, you're actually a necromancer, aren't you?"