Hehe, Henry Clark grinned foolishly and, facing the grief-stricken Derek, said with a smile, “Sorry, hypnotized patients are usually a bit slow.”

Todd stood at the cellar door, utterly stunned. To so easily control an undead archmage as a puppet in battle—this was something that only happened in legends, and yet today he had witnessed it with his own eyes! This event alone would be enough for bards to pay handsomely just to hear about it from him.

Henry Clark let out a gentle breath and stepped out from behind the already battered death shield. “Dark elf, are you his friend?” Henry Clark pointed at Walter Reed.

When an undead mage is under hypnosis, both their reactions and their control over necromancy are greatly diminished, their strength not even half of what it is when awake. With the dark elf’s archery skills, she had plenty of chances to take out Walter Reed when he attacked her, but she would rather put herself in danger than attack Walter Reed.

The dark elf named Patrick pursed her lips, ignoring Henry Clark, just staring blankly at Walter Reed. The shock and grief in her eyes gradually faded, and she completely ignored both Henry Clark and Todd present. In a tone full of affection, she slowly said to the undead mage, “You know, my dear, you almost hurt me. But it’s okay, it’s okay. I’m not afraid of pain or death. I’m only afraid that when you wake up and find out you hurt me, you’ll be heartbroken…”

To the murderous Henry Clark and Todd, this scene seemed a bit absurd. Meanwhile, Walter Reed’s gaze was dull, standing motionless.

Lord Todd wanted to curl his lip, but hearing the emotional words of the Derek, he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

The originally wanton and lascivious expression on Derek’s face had been drowned out by the deep affection in her eyes. Her beautiful gaze shifted as she turned to look at Henry Clark, and she said sincerely in a low voice, “Please… please let Walter Reed go. He’s innocent.”

Henry Clark said nothing. Lord Todd snorted heavily, spat a thick wad of phlegm on the ground, and said disdainfully, “Innocent? How many people has he killed? I doubt anyone could count them all.”

Derek shook her head sadly and looked at Henry Clark. “He only learned necromancy and became an undead mage for me. He’s been desperately trying to get stronger for my sake…”

Seeing Henry Clark unmoved, Patrick sighed softly, a flash of resolve in her eyes. “You can kill me and take my head to Doomsday Canyon to find the Drow Queen. You’ll get a reward far greater than capturing Walter Reed. As long as you swear to release Walter Reed after you get the reward, I’ll kill myself right in front of you. Otherwise, I’m fully capable of destroying myself and taking Walter Reed with me. In that case, you’ll get nothing.”

The little lunatic’s delusional mind was so thick-skinned that she easily switched the scene from an action flick to a melodrama, grinning and saying, “Doomsday Canyon? Drow Queen? So you mean you’re a drow traitor?” Henry Clark had a rough understanding of the continent’s geography from books and knew that Doomsday Canyon was a huge rift in the western mountain region.

Patrick shook her head, her tone full of resentment. “I’m not a traitor! I was originally the Drow Queen’s only daughter, the rightful heir to the drow throne! But my despicable aunt, my mother’s own sister, Claudice, colluded with my mother’s lover to kill her and usurp the throne!”

Henry Clark could only give a wry smile. Among lunatics, he was definitely considered cultured and had read plenty of world classics. “You might as well just say you’re Hamlet!” Derek’s story was basically a female version of Hamlet.

Unexpectedly, Derek froze for a moment, puzzled. “How did you know my name is Hamlet? My name is Patrick Hamlet Huey!”

Damn! Henry Clark was on the verge of a breakdown.

Todd had never heard of Hamlet, nor did he know Shakespeare. Standing next to Henry Clark, he pointed at the undead mage and asked Derek, “And him…”

Derek gave a slightly sorrowful smile. “After my aunt killed my mother, she wanted to kill me too. I escaped in the night, and on the run, I met Walter Reed. At that time, he had just become a mid-level mage. To be honest, the first time I saw him, I didn’t pay any attention to this little guy at all. But he kept pestering me, and while the dark elf experts were constantly hunting me, he foolishly followed me everywhere. There were several times I almost killed him in a fit of anger…” As she spoke, the dark elf seemed to gradually lose herself in the memories, gazing at the undead mage with nothing but tenderness in her eyes.

Walter Reed’s gaze was still vacant, but as Hamlet spoke softly, his expression gradually twisted, the veins on his gaunt face writhing like unwilling worms. Henry Clark understood that his consciousness was desperately resisting the pressure of hypnosis, trying to wake up.

That’s why Henry Clark had no doubt about Derek’s words. Only the most genuine, fundamental emotional touch could possibly make a hypnotized person resist the spell.

“And then what happened?” Lord Todd stood behind the undead mage, unable to see Walter Reed’s expression, focused solely on hearing the rest of the story.