This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Who Compensates Whom Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Who Compensates Whom Outside the ancient castle, a haphazardly assembled army stood in the cold wind.

The weather, approaching winter, left these militiamen shivering slightly.

Amberser paid no mind to this rabble pieced together by several nearby lords; instead, his attention focused on the paladin at the very front.

Since their parting at the bar, the two had not seen each other for over half a month.

Amberser had not expected this paladin to be mingling with the lesser lords nearby; a Laine Empire paladin associating with what’s-his-name Porcupine Knights seemed to be a bit beneath his dignity.

This time, Amberser had not taken on a human form but appeared directly in his lich skeletal stature.

As soon as Amberser appeared, the Porcupine Knight rode out from the formation, and spoke righteously to Amberser, “Filthy lich, I am Knight Aldrich Gaius, and you have beguiled my people with your evil magic. I now declare, in my capacity as a noble of Alchemy City, should you fail to return my people today, you will be inciting a war.”

The Porcupine Knight was brimming with confidence today, even in the presence of a lich hovering in mid-air, he could loudly rebuke his adversary without fearing for his safety.

This was because he had not only the backup of over a thousand troops but also a mage advisor, and more importantly, a Laine Empire paladin by his side.

If there were any profession most adept at restraining the undead, it would certainly be the paladins.

With a paladin willing to take action, he had nothing to fear.

Amberser scrutinized the people before him, then said, “Alchemy City matters, and the Laine Empire intervenes. Is this a prelude to war?”

The paladin replied gravely, “Master Ultraman, there’s no need to impute me with crimes. Presently, I am simply an adventurer, training in Alchemy City, and as an adventurer, being employed by a lord to hunt undead is in accordance with the law of Alchemy City. Furthermore, I must thank you for the lesson you’ve taught me before; adhering to local laws is indeed important.”

“Oh, it seems you too haven’t been idle during this time, nearly having investigated my background thoroughly, haven’t you?” Amberser inquired.

However, the paladin shook his head, “We certainly should have investigated thoroughly, it’s just unfortunate that the lifespans of mortals are so fleeting, and even the lords here only know of your transformation into an undead less than a century ago. Beyond that, I can find no other information.”

“You’re quite honest,” Amberser said.

This wasn’t surprising; it was the temporal chasm between immortals and mortals. In this world, where the average lifespan was only about thirty to forty, Amberser would often stay holed up in the ancient castle for decades at a time.

After a couple of generations of mortals, stories like “the ancient castle harbors a dreadful lich” or “no, I heard it houses a handsome vampire,” would rapidly evolve into a dozen different versions.

The lords nearby were not from particularly ancient and long-standing noble families; trying to investigate Amberser’s past was almost like reaching back through several eras to research the life of an ancient.

If it weren’t for the fact that Amberser had let slip the name Diga Ultraman—a name he commonly used—these paladins probably wouldn’t have even known the castle belonged to Amberser.

Only a few within Alchemy City truly understood the details about Amberser, and a mere paladin was not privileged enough to have these figures to provide him with information. As for those minor lords, they hardly merited mention; their status didn’t even compare to a paladin’s.

The paladin said with a devout tone, “Honesty is part of our creed, and I shall adhere to it strictly, even when facing the undead.”

Amberser, thoughtful, quickly made adjustments to the plan he had readied.

Amberser said to the group before him, “Time is Gold Coin, so let’s dispense with the nonsense. You are here for my captives, aren’t you?”

Captives?

The Porcupine Knight vaguely felt something was amiss but could only repeat, “Return my people to me, and make reparation in accordance with the law, then we can avoid war.”

These petty lords had gathered not only for the sake of the hundred or so fleeing freemen but more importantly to extort a sum of money from Amberser to tide over the current crisis.

In their eyes, those big nobles who had inherited their status for hundreds of years were super rich. You, an Undead who has lived for centuries, don’t have a large family to support, you earn more and spend less, you must be filthy rich. Maybe just a few Gold Coins slipping through the fingers of the Lich would be enough for them to feast on.

So, money was the key.

What the Porcupine Knight never expected was that Amberser thought the same.

Amberser floated in mid-air and said in an unemotional tone, “Humans, do you think you can avoid paying by concocting lies? What do you mean I charmed your people? It was clearly your humans who entered my territory and caused destruction. According to the rules of Alchemy City, it is you who should compensate for my losses!”

Everyone fell into an eerie silence. They had considered many scenarios, such as Amberser arrogantly declaring humans to be trash and then starting a battle, or Amberser being cautious and choosing to negotiate… They had thought of many ways to cope with these possibilities.

But they never expected Amberser to blatantly tell lies and even to make a counter-accusation!

It was a while before the Porcupine Knight angrily said, “There is no point in sophistry. If you hadn’t charmed them, why would they run into the territory of the Undead Creatures?!”

Amberser chuckled and retorted, “Then I must ask you, aren’t you their Lord? It was your people who ran into my territory and destroyed my Magic Traps. Who knows if it was under your orders?”

Amberser even took out a Memory Crystal on the spot and projected the image contained within, which distinctly showed Raul forcibly entering the castle and triggering the Magic Trap.

The Porcupine Knight, overwhelmed with emotion, said, “This is defamation! I never issued such an order. How do we know you haven’t faked this thing?”

Amberser, unconcerned, said, “It can be verified, though. Paladin over there, you can tell if this Memory Crystal is fake, can’t you?”

The Paladin sneered and said to Amberser, “Master Ultraman, I will not be fooled by you again. It is difficult to fake the images of a Memory Crystal, but if this human was under your charm spell, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to order him to act out this scene and then record it. Checking the authenticity of this Memory Crystal is pointless.”

Amberser laughed, “You’ve become smart indeed. It seems I must charge a tuition fee.”

The Paladin’s face was covered by his helmet, his expression unseen, but his clenched fists betrayed the turmoil within. Having been made a fool of by Amberser in front of everyone prior and then heavily fined was the disgrace of his life.

Amberser didn’t give the Paladin a chance to retort, continuing to address the Porcupine Knight, “It’s very clear now. I can present evidence of your humans entering my territory, while you can only resort to fabricating charges against me based on your conjectures.

“I don’t care what reasons you humans have, but since you’ve entered my territory, it is a provocation against me. And you human lords must pay for their actions!

“According to the rules of your human nobility, to redeem the captives, you pay up. The price for a freeman with a useful skill is at least thirty Gold Coins. But they damaged my Magic Traps, which cost three hundred Gold Coins, and they also stole and damaged my Skeleton Puppets, the repair costs need two thousand Gold Coins.

“Want to take your people back? Bring the money! Otherwise, his Soul, his body, his everything shall serve as the material for my experiments to compensate for my loss.”