This Lich Requests More Remuneration-Chapter 120 - 113 Mourner and Poet

Chapter 120: Chapter 113 Mourner and Poet

Chapter 120 -113 Mourner and Poet

To understand a person, the best method is naturally to spend time sending someone to get to know them.

But the Elf Tribe didn’t have the luxury of time, so Naya, as Amberser’s messenger, was quickly brought into the Royal Palace, where the Elf Queen and the previous King awaited to interrogate her in person.

When Katherine asked Naya, “You have seen that Lich, tell me about him,”

Naya recalled for a moment, then exclaimed, “That Lich, he’s not even human.”

Those words made Katherine frown, wondering if the child had suffered some sort of torture that had caused her mind to become troubled, why else would she speak so incoherently?

Naya seemed to realize that she had blurted out something pointless and hastily explained, “Your Majesty, that Lich is extremely terrifying, he seems to be able to read other people’s thoughts. I didn’t even say a word, but he already guessed everything.”

Just thinking about the horror of Amberser made Naya shudder.

Katherine spoke to Naya gently, “My child, do not be afraid, you’re safe here, that Lich, however formidable, cannot hurt you.”

Katherine’s voice had a soothing effect. Naya calmed down quickly and said with great remorse, “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, our strategic plan was guessed by that Lich, it is my fault.”

Katherine felt as if her heart had been pricked by a needle, this child didn’t even know the real plan, yet she was here blaming herself.

Katherine continued to console her, “Do not worry, Naya, you just need to tell us what you know, leave the rest to us.”

Only then did Naya begin recounting her experiences bit by bit.

From the assassination attempt on Viscount Leiteman to encountering Amberser, Naya described the battle in great detail.

After listening, Katherine understood the kind of opponent Naya had faced. This Lich was definitely of Legendary Rank; it was no wonder the Dusk Guard had failed repeatedly against him.

“…and then, I was captured. After being taken prisoner, I kept my mouth shut and said nothing. But that Lich just held me and began talking to himself, and I don’t know what happened, but he quickly guessed that the Magic Contract was your power, my Queen. He even guessed what the consequences of violating the contract would be, I swear to the Deity, I didn’t mention a word of these details.”

Katherine felt puzzled by Naya’s words. Elfkind were not susceptible to charm spells, and very few things could stir their minds, leading them to act against their hearts.

But after repeated questioning, Naya’s answers were consistent, with no signs of falsehood that could have arisen from emotional turbulence. Katherine offered some words of comfort, then let Naya retire to rest, assuring her that she would rescue Cicero and the others.

While facing Naya, Katherine maintained a confident appearance, which greatly reassured the young elf maiden. But once she left, Katherine could no longer hide her inner shock.

What was this mind-reading effect all about?

Katherine asked the old King, “If it’s a Legendary Rank Mage casting a thought-detection spell, is it possible to read an elf’s thoughts?”

The old King shook his head and said, “Unlikely.”

This blessing came from the Elven Gods; let alone Legendary beings, even deity themselves would find it difficult to alter an elf’s will.

“Then what exactly is the situation with this Lich?” Katherine grew more curious.

The old King sunk into deep thought, pondering over the words Lich and Undead. After a while, he spoke a specific term.

“Elegy Poetry Society…” mused the old King. “This Lich is very likely a member of the Elegy Poetry Society.”

“Elegy Poetry Society?” Katherine, who had never heard this name, had to inquire, “That sounds like an undead organization, could it be under the Rose Queen of Gloomyland?”

Though the Nine Great Kingdoms did not include Gloomyland in their count, everyone was aware of a powerful Undead Queen dwelling there. Her territory might be limited, but the power her kingdom held was considered mid-level among the Nine Great Kingdoms.

Katherine had never met the Rose Queen, but she had a certain degree of understanding of her.

If it was a member of that Queen’s subordinates, having some unique method might be conceivable.

However, the old King shook his head, “No, you have it the other way around. That Rose Queen is also just one of the members of the Elegy Poetry Society.”

Katherine’s expression turned to one of shock; the Rose Queen, who held a status equal to hers, was just a member of this organization—how terrifying this organization must be.

Katherine exclaimed, “This is unbelievable.”

The old King nodded, “Indeed, I was also surprised when I first heard about the Elegy Poetry Society. It is a very powerful undead organization, with the minimum requirement for its members being Legendary.”

“The minimum requirement is Legendary? How many of them are there?” pressed Katherine.

“Unknown, I’m afraid only the president of the Elegy Poetry Society knows the identity of all the members. I also only learned of the Elegy Poetry Society’s name from a member with the codename ‘Poet’ whom I met during my travels,” said the old King.

Scenes from many years ago flashed before the old King’s eyes, back when the Magic Dragon Tyrant still reigned. The young Elven King, a free-spirited Ranger, had met the freshly divinely inspired Arthur Laine during his travels across the continent.

Both youths were graced with remarkable talents and quickly became friends who adventured together.

When Arthur Laine slew his first dragon, the young elf was by his side, bow bent and arrow nocked.

At that time, he had no idea that the paladin before him would become the Founding Emperor of the Laine Empire, nor did he expect him to achieve the formidable feat of driving out all the giant dragons.

During their adventures, they once went drinking in a tavern.

Having just completed a mission, both of them were in high spirits and drank a good deal of wine. Caught up in the excitement, they forgot all the propriety that was due.

“The bard in the tavern sung so poorly that I, having drunk too much, went up and mocked him a few times. Arthur did the same, completely forgetting the decorum of a paladin, patting my shoulder and laughing loudly at the bard… and then we discovered we had provoked the wrong person.”

Even figures who would come to shake the world had their foolish and immature moments; they simply had bad luck that day, running into a bard with a particularly nasty temper.

“That bard, was he a member of the Elegy Poetry Society?” Katherine asked.

“Exactly, his alias was ‘Poet,’ something I found out later. That night, both Arthur and I got a ruthless lesson.”

“Arthur and I faced the greatest defeat of our lives, but we both thought it was just because we were drunk and didn’t perform well. So the next day, we went to trouble that bard again. I have to say, it was a very foolish decision.”

“Even though Arthur had the strength to slay a giant dragon, he was still played with harshly by this individual. Had it not been for the bard’s lack of intent to kill, the Laine Empire may well have ceased to exist, and I would not have had the chance to inherit the throne of Silvermoon Tribunal.”

The old king touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly, as though he could still recall the agony when his nose was broken by the lute.

The young geniuses who were to be renowned across the continent took a hard fall and were then taken home by the “Poet,” forced to listen to poetry for three days and nights. It counted as a humiliating chapter in their lives.

The young elf was exceptionally adept at poetry, so he talked a lot with the “Poet,” from whom he heard of the Elegy Poetry Society, and this formidable “Poet” was but one of its members.

“The Elegy Poetry Society has a mysterious president, known only by the alias Mourner. The ‘Poet’ I encountered seemed to have an unusual relationship with this Mourner, claiming to be a mere member of the society. However, judging by their aliases, this Poet appeared to hold a position akin to that of a deputy leader. I’ve always suspected that he might be a deity.”

Katherine asked hastily, “The god of the undead, do you mean the God of the Liches or the Master of Bones?”

“No, neither of those deities have such a jesting nature; if we had encountered an incarnation of either, we would have been turned into undead long ago.

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“The impression I get from the Poet is not only that he’s undead but his powers seem even more ancient. I couldn’t even guess his race; he admitted to being undead himself, rather than me figuring it out. And he didn’t have that unrelenting hatred for the living, as free as a true bard.

“It’s just that, his poetry was truly abysmal, as awkward as a goblin’s love letter.”

Katherine’s expression turned awkward at the old king’s words. This sounded very much like a person who had lost trying to regain some face for himself, and she hadn’t expected this from the mature and steady old king with such a past.

“Alright, back to the main point. You should be able to grasp the power of the Elegy Poetry Society. The Rose Queen of Gloomyland is a member, as is that mysterious poet. By that comparison, one can imagine the strength of this lich. Even if you, Your Majesty, were to ascend to Legendary Rank a second time, you might not be his match. Moreover, he possesses the special ability to read the thoughts of elves, and he most likely is another Godfavored. Therefore, this negotiation…”

The old king was not yet finished when Katherine interrupted, “I must go, please forgive my stubbornness, but I need to find the strength to continue living.”

Katherine clasped her hands over her chest, her complexion turning extremely pale.

“Your Majesty, you…” The old king recognized that something was amiss; her symptoms were somewhat akin to dying of a broken heart.

Most elves are sensitive and delicate by nature, and when the mental pressure becomes unbearable, their hearts are prone to shattering which leads to their complete death.

The crisis of extinction and the heavy burden of guilt left Katherine gasping for air, her spirit nearing collapse. If confessing could save the entire Elf Tribe, Katherine would have long exposed her secrets and delivered herself to the scaffold.

But she absolutely couldn’t speak, for there was no cure for her addiction to magic, and exposure would trigger nationwide panic. If that happened, more than just Katherine would die of broken hearts, and the Elf Tribe would quickly disintegrate and utterly perish.

In such circumstances, the lives of Cicero and his companions were the last thread holding Katherine’s spirit together; she had to save at least one to find a reason to keep going.

“Sigh.”

The old king sighed. When he chose Katherine as his successor, it was because he saw her sense of responsibility, but now, it seemed this very responsibility could become the reason for the elves’ destruction.

“Very well, negotiations will continue, but before we start, we need to know more about this lich. I’ll have someone prepare a ritual to divine the lich’s past and future. So, please bear with it until we have sufficient intelligence,” the old king comforted.

Katherine gratefully said, “Thank you.”

The ritual mentioned by the old king was a unique magic of the Elf Tribe that could use the power of divination to see into someone’s past and future, which would be much clearer than Naya’s word, and might even reveal the adversary’s weaknesses, giving them an advantage at the negotiation table.

Under the power of prophecy, all that is hidden will have nowhere to hide.

Then, they would be able to understand what exactly the lich planned.