Lyon was the sworn enemy of the undead. Naturally, Ambrose paid close attention to all news concerning the empire.

The white-haired Silvermoon Knight was a legendary figure. Though Ambrose had never seen him in person, he had certainly heard of him.

Master Morgan, the great artificer who had pioneered the field of spirit golems, had died at this man's hands, reduced to ashes.

Yet seeing him now, Ambrose found it hard to believe that legend.

The famed Silvermoon Knight looked... frail.

His steps were unsteady, his complexion sallow, his breathing short and labored. He looked every bit a man at death's door, hardly the empire's strongest paladin.

As the entire tavern rose up in salute, the Silvermoon Knight merely waved a hand lightly and said, "Leave."

The young paladins dared not question him. They departed at once. The remaining patrons, sensing trouble, hurried out as well.

Catherine hesitated. Should she slip away with the crowd? But it was too late. The Silvermoon Knight sat down opposite her and greeted her politely. "Your Majesty Queen Catherine, the next time you visit, please inform us in advance. The inadequate hospitality we have shown you is a tremendous discourtesy on Lyon's part."

"Ah? What did you say?" Catherine panicked and began reciting her prepared script. "Sir, you must be mistaken. My name is Irene, the only daughter of a minor noble family. I've come here to—"

"That's enough, Catherine," Ambrose sighed. "We've been recognized. Denying it further would be impolite."

His skull rose from within the living mercury slime. The rest of his body flew out from his extradimensional space and reassembled in midair.

As he manifested in full, Sandshadow's grand anti-undead array immediately reacted. Vast amounts of holy light gathered to purge Ambrose entirely.

He was about to cast a counterspell when the Silvermoon Knight softly chanted an incantation. The accumulating holy light gradually dispersed.

"You're not planning to fight me?" Ambrose asked bluntly. "I was ready to self-destruct."

The Silvermoon Knight coughed before replying, "The empire has no grounds to act against you. Did you not know that your name has been removed from the wanted list? You are Master Megaman, yes?"

Ambrose frowned. "Lyon actually deals with undead according to such notices? Your paladins usually kill undead on sight. Since when do you care about due process?"

"We always have," the old knight replied evenly. "Imperial law states that all discovered undead are presumed hostile. If they cannot be slain on the spot, they are reported and placed under a bounty."

He paused to cough again. "However, no undead has ever had their bounty rescinded before. You are the first. There was no precedent to follow."

"I consulted the High Inquisitor personally. His ruling was final: unless you initiate hostilities against any citizen of Lyon or commit atrocities against humanity, Lyon will not attempt to purify you.

"This is your reward for mediating the war and saving millions of human lives."

Ambrose didn't know how to respond. He was likely the first undead in history to have been commended by Lyon.

Still, that sounded dangerously close to treason. If word spread, would other undead accuse him of betraying his kind?

He snorted. "You should've said so earlier. I wouldn't have bothered sneaking in. I'd have strutted through the gate and enjoyed the look on those paladins' faces, unable to stand me but unable to touch me."

"Had you done that," the Silvermoon Knight replied calmly, "I would not have shielded you from the holy light. You would have endured continuous bombardment."

Ambrose grinned. "Even better. Walking into the city under holy bombardment would look even more impressive, and the paladins would be even angrier when it failed to work."

The old knight studied him. "I believed you a benevolent sage who disliked conflict. Instead, you are as petulant as a bristling wildcat."

Ambrose laughed coldly. "If this conversation were leaked, I would be known as a lich who rejected Lyon's overtures and denounced your hypocrisy with righteous fury. Other undead wouldn't call me a traitor then. Sir Paladin, I still have to survive within my own circles."

"Leaked?" The Silvermoon Knight seemed puzzled.

"For all I know, you could be recording this with a memory crystal," Ambrose replied. "If you broadcast it after I leave, then every undead might direct their hatred of Lyon at me instead."

The Silvermoon Knight fell silent.

That possibility had never crossed his mind.

This lich was certainly an experienced schemer, if such schemes came to him so effortlessly.

The old knight glanced at Catherine. How had an elven queen ended up traveling with a lich?

When Ambrose entered the city, the holy array had detected faint undead fluctuations—minor, but any such detection was given the maximum-alert classification. The report had reached him immediately.

Through the monitoring array, he had seen Catherine's disguised appearance and instantly sensed something amiss. Confirmation had come quickly: this was the legendary elven queen herself.

With Sandshadow's war over, he had been preparing to depart. Yet figures of such magnitude had appeared hours before his intended departure.

He had no choice but to investigate personally.

The moment he entered the tavern, he sensed the undead aura hidden within the mercury slime.

An elven queen and a legendary lich traveling together was far too strange to ignore.

"Queen Catherine," he said at last, "may I ask as to the purpose of your sudden visit?"

Seeing that further concealment was pointless, Catherine dropped her act. "We only wish to use the continental teleportation array. Our destination is the Emerald Dreamwood."

The Silvermoon Knight frowned.

An elven queen and a legendary lich sneaking into the city just to use a teleportation array? It sounded implausible.

"Allow us access to the array now and we'll leave immediately," Ambrose said. "Who would choose to linger in Lyon?"

After a moment's thought, the old knight replied, "Her Majesty may certainly use the array. But you..."

Ambrose chuckled. "I knew it. You're raising the price, aren't you?"

He knew this tactic well.

"Catherine, cover the difference for me."

Obediently, Catherine produced her small purse stitched with gold thread. "How much more is required?"

The Silvermoon Knight fell silent.

Their dynamic was stranger than he'd imagined. They almost resembled master and servant.

"I'm not asking for money," he replied. "In fact, I would like to request your assistance, Master Megaman. It is rare to host a legendary lich. Would you be willing to participate in a military exercise with Lyon?"

Ambrose blinked. "You want me as a sparring partner? To use the opportunity to kill me?"

This lich truly did assume the worst.

The Silvermoon Knight shook his head. "I will not violate the High Inquisitor's ruling. The dwarves collapsed too quickly in this desert campaign. Our young paladins faced little hardship before their victory."

Ambrose's jaw dropped. If the dwarves heard that, they might die of shame.

Yet it was true that Lyon had crushed them from start to finish.

If not for Alkhemia, the Golden Kingdom might already have been done for.

"This was their first battle," the old knight continued. "Victory came too easily. They have grown frivolous and complacent. Such attitudes will cost them dearly in a true war. Since you are passing through, perhaps you could teach them a lesson.

"I've heard you excel at taking captives. If you agree, I will provide a letter of recommendation guaranteeing smooth passage through Lyon."

That caught Ambrose's interest. Reaching the Emerald Dreamwood required three additional transfers all within Lyon's territory. A letter from the Silvermoon Knight would eliminate considerable trouble.

"You want me to stage an undead assault?" Ambrose asked.

"However you see fit. War takes on many forms. Use any methods you wish. Simply ensure that the casualties remain under one thousand."

"One thousand? You're ruthless."

"Those gate guards allowed you entry despite detecting an undead, and even wrote a guarantee of safe passage. If any other legendary lich had snuck in, Lyon would easily suffer over a thousand casualties. I am deeply disappointed in them."

For a brief moment, the frail old man radiated iron-blooded authority. Even Ambrose felt his pressure.

Still, the knight overlooked one fact: there might be another legendary lich in the world, but there was surely no second Catherine.

"I won't refuse outright," Ambrose said. "Beating paladins thoroughly is a rare pleasure. But one recommendation letter isn't enough."

Deploying his full capabilities would require gold, and lots of it.

"I have heard of your... preferences," the Silvermoon Knight replied carefully. "Compensation can be negotiated."

Ambrose smiled. "Very well. To ensure I don't hold back, we'll base payment on results. Ten thousand gold per captured Lyon citizen. Agreed?"

The old knight immediately shook his head. "With a thousand-casualty allowance, that would cost at least ten million gold. Impossible."

Ten thousand gold per captive was ridiculous. Even the Silvermoon Knight would be court-martialed at that rate.

"Relax. Ten thousand per paladin. One thousand per regular soldier. One hundred per civilian. How's that?"

The Silvermoon Knight did some hasty calculations in his head. The majority of the paladins in Sandshadow had been transferred out, and fewer than a hundred still remained. Even if they were all taken captive, it would cost him no more than a million gold. There were perhaps two thousand regular soldiers, for a maximum of another two million gold. That much was acceptable.

And Ambrose could hardly take the whole city captive.

"Civilians are excluded in this exercise," the knight said firmly. "The other two rates are acceptable."

"What about militia?"

"Count them as regular soldiers."

Sandshadow had only a small local militia, numbering perhaps about a hundred. The terms were manageable.

Ambrose nodded, satisfied. "Excellent. Swear it by the Holy Light. I promise Lyon an unforgettable lesson."