Ambrose had not ridden much despite his long career as an adventurer. He was a mage. If terrain posed a problem, he flew over it. He might ride on horseback for rare instances of long-distance travel, but that was it.

Riding a black panther was a first for him. The experience was terrible.

When Catherine rode, her body rose and fell in perfect rhythm with the panther's stride, as if the two were about to merge into one.

When Ambrose rode, he felt as though his bones were being shaken loose. If not for the fact that his agility now allowed him to leap straight up and spin seven and a half times in midair, he would have been thrown off immediately.

Only later did he learn that horsemanship was not included in a ranger's standard skillset. Catherine had honed that skill herself.

But she refused to impart her skill to him. Though she might not be able to win against Ambrose verbally, she still believed in her heart that he was enslaving Naomi.

She wasn't entirely wrong. A lich like Ambrose, accustomed to commanding and binding others, would never have formed this contract if Naomi hadn't been so deeply wounded by "family" that she submitted to him wholeheartedly.

One willing to command, and the other to be commanded—Ambrose and Naomi were truly a match made in heaven.

Even if both sides consented, Catherine wasn't wrong to claim that Ambrose was "taking advantage of her vulnerability."

Catherine might be clumsy with words, but her sensitive heart saw straight through Ambrose's intentions.

In the end, Ambrose resorted to cheating. He used flight magic to hover just above Naomi's back, clutching her fur and letting himself be dragged along. Even so, he still couldn't match Catherine's skill and was left far behind in their impromptu race.

But they weren't just running around aimlessly. After half a day, multiple teleportations, and a wide detour around the desert's sandstorm barrier, they finally entered a desert city under the control of the Lyon Empire.

There was no choice. The elves had confirmed that the artifact lay deep beneath the sea. To reach it, they would have to cross Lyon entirely and then pass into another kingdom: Norrea of the Emerald Dreamwood.

Only from this druid-dominated nation could they take the shortest sea route to the buried artifact.

The Emerald Dreamwood operated under a council system, much like Alkhemia. It was composed of various druidic circles, along with centaurs, goblins, giants, merfolk, lizardfolk, and other minor tribes. Each faction sent representatives to form the Emerald Council. They upheld a philosophy of harmony between civilization and nature, rejecting reckless expansion and unrestrained environmental transformation.

It was the complete opposite of Alkhemia's technocratic madness, and relations between the two nations were understandably abysmal. If not for the great distance between them, war might have broken out long ago.

The Emerald Dreamwood was an isolated domain with strict restrictions on visitors. A lich from Alkhemia, like Ambrose, would never be permitted entry.

Fortunately, he had Catherine around. If this former elven queen revealed herself, the druids of the Emerald Dreamwood would likely welcome her with banners and drums. As long as Ambrose kept his lich identity hidden, entering should not pose a problem.

The real obstacle was crossing Lyon.

Catherine's charm was formidable, and few would refuse her a favor.

But Lyon had a troublesome habit: every city was equipped with a massive magical array for "undead dispersion."

Weaker skeletons and zombies entering its range would immediately suffer the searing burn of holy light and flee in agony. Though the array would not significantly harm a powerful lich like Ambrose, the flashing bursts of holy radiance would clearly mark him in the crowd.

It would be the same as announcing to every citizen that an undead creature was attempting to infiltrate the city.

Then the paladin legions would arrive, and a few Sacred Slashes would turn the situation into a serious problem.

Unfortunately, the continental teleportation array was inside the city. Ambrose did not have months to waste detouring around it.

So how was he to enter?

Catherine proposed an idea. "What if you pretend to be a corpse? I can say I'm escorting a friend's body back to the Emerald Dreamwood and need to use Lyon's teleportation array."

Ambrose patiently explained the difference between a corpse and an undead.

He couldn't simply lie down and play dead. Any passing priest would expose him instantly. At that point it would become an infiltration incident, and they would be forced into open conflict.

Unless absolutely necessary, Ambrose had no intention of fighting paladins on Lyon's territory. That would be like attacking wizards inside their own towers: only idiots would make such a decision.

Catherine, admittedly unfamiliar with undead matters, sighed. "If only I had that enormous extradimensional space of yours."

Ambrose shook his head. "It's not that simple. Even if you can create a pocket dimension large enough, legends can't fit within."

Most mages could manipulate space to form a pocket realm, but its capacity would be limited. Even if it were physically large, energy density mattered. Too much mass or too much power would overload it, sometimes catastrophically.

Ambrose, at least, had never heard of a pocket realm that a legend could fit within.

His castle-sized private domain was the result of a Wish spell, an advanced construct bordering on a miniature divine realm. Even Catherine, blessed by the gods, could only envy it.

But it wasn't transferable. Otherwise, Ambrose could easily hide from the Lyon Empire's scrutiny within.

After long contemplation, inspiration finally struck. Ambrose summoned his living mercury slime.

The silver-white little creature bounced happily around him. It seemed slightly larger than before.

"This is a living mercury slime I created," Ambrose said. "A true living creature. It won't trigger Lyon's detection array. So if I..."

He reached toward his jaw and gave it a sharp tug.

As Catherine screamed shrilly, Ambrose detached his skull and placed it inside the living mercury slime.

Being enveloped in mercury felt unpleasant, but his skull was bone, not metal. There was no risk of dissolution.

The living mercury possessed exceptional magical resistance. Perhaps it could evade the array's detection.

Catherine stared at the skull sinking into the silver mass, utterly speechless.

Undead were absurdly convenient.

For a lich, the soul was what mattered. As long as there was a vessel to contain it, size and form were irrelevant. A skull fit perfectly inside the slime.

"I won't be able to speak later on," Ambrose said from within. "You're on your own. Catherine, can you lie?"

She puffed up confidently. "How hard could that be?"

Heh. Nine out of ten overconfident rookies failed spectacularly at lying... Still, with her charm aura, perhaps she would be fine.

It wasn't as if there was a better option.

To increase their odds, Ambrose reminded her not to approach the city as an orc. She had to take on human form.

Catherine was thrilled. She crafted an elaborate identity for herself.

A human ranger from Alkhemia, she had spent years traveling in the Court of the Silver Moon, explaining her elven mannerisms.

Her parents were alive, her father a merchant, her mother a ranger. Inspired by her mother's adventures, she had chosen to be a ranger herself. Her family had set a condition: if she failed to earn one hundred thousand gold within ten years, she had to return home and marry.

An arranged fiancé awaited her, but she disliked him. She escaped, traveling incognito, determined never to return.

Her mercury slime was something she had encountered in the sewers of Alkhemia while she was adventuring. She found it amusing and had taken it as her companion.

Her goal was to become a legendary ranger.

Her current journey to the Emerald Dreamwood was to help her beast companion evolve, since druids were rumored to possess such methods.

Reviewing her notes, Catherine felt immensely satisfied. The details were airtight.

Thus prepared, she arrived at the desert city of Sandshadow.

Though it was once a dwarven city, only humans remained. The walls stood unchanged, but platinum-white light flickered constantly overhead. The entire city lay beneath a vast holy array.

Even before she entered, she could hear hymns to the Lord of Dawn.

Newly reclaimed by Lyon, Sandshadow was steeped in fervent evangelism.

After reviewing her notes one last time, Catherine approached the gate.

She appeared as a young human woman in light leather armor, wrapped in a desert cloak that covered most of her face. Only her eyes remained visible.

Yet even so, the guards froze. Her eyes were astonishingly beautiful. A single glance alone could enrapture them.

She stepped forward to introduce herself, only for several beams of holy light to descend from above, circling the living mercury slime as if having sensed something.

Catherine's heart lurched. Wasn't the living mercury supposed to resist magical detection?

The guards sensed the anomaly as well. They drew their swords and began chanting prayers.

In Lyon's territory, every devout believer could call upon holy light, even children. This was sacred ground, land forbidden to undead.

Catherine desperately tried to think of an explanation, but her carefully prepared booklet had no contingency for being detected.

Then the living mercury slime hiccupped and spat out a small bone fragment.

The holy light instantly converged upon it, purifying the dark-tainted shard into ash.

"Hic—sorry," the slime said feebly. "Swallowed a few skeletons on the road. Still digesting..."

It spat out another fragment and triggered another burst of holy purification.

Only then did Catherine react. "Ah, yes! I almost forgot! The desert's been dangerous lately. We encountered quite a few undead."

The guard looked at her and believed her almost immediately.

"I see. Ranger, your valor is admirable. I'll issue you a certificate to avoid any trouble during inspection. May I ask for your name?"

His eyes were shining as he asked Catherine that question.