Undead were hardly likely to say anything flattering about Lyon.

After all, undead and Lyon were antithetical to one another. To Ambrose, Lyon was nothing but a pack of religious fanatics who killed without blinking: spot a non-human race, howl "Holy Light!" and rush in, blade swinging.

Still, out of respect for Arthur Lyon, Ambrose tried to present the empire's situation as objectively as possible.

There was no need to embellish. Lyon was famous. Over the centuries, even its unofficial histories alone would be more than enough to fill libraries.

He had barely outlined the empire's history when Arthur Lyon hurriedly stopped him.

"Wait. You're saying the Lyon Empire practices racial discrimination, and not just against the undead?" Arthur looked stunned.

"You seem surprised," Ambrose said.

"Of course I'm surprised!" Arthur replied, agitated. "In the Tyrant's era, every race was oppressed. If I founded an empire only to oppress other races in turn, how would I be any different from that Tyrant?"

"You're not joking, are you?" Ambrose asked in disbelief.

"What's there to joke about?" Arthur said firmly. "When I adventured in my youth, I had elves, dwarves, and orcs as companions. We trusted each other with our lives. Why would I found a nation to enslave my friends? Besides, my master was an orc.

"There were no racial divisions in my era. We were all insects to the dragons, merely their toys and slaves. Except the elves. The Court of the Silver Moon managed to remain relatively independent. It was the utopia of everyone's eyes."

Ambrose had to admit this was a convincing argument, logical and consistent. As a former serf from the Tyrant's era raised by an orc, Arthur Lyon should not have been a racial supremacist.

Ambrose fell into deep thought. The revelations he had received were explosive in nature.

Who else could have founded the Lyon Empire? Surely it couldn't have been... the Dragon Tyrant in disguise?

The ridiculous thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

The Dragon Tyrant might be able to deceive mortals, but he couldn't deceive the Lord of Dawn. The immense power of holy light that sustained the Lyon Empire was no illusion.

The Lord of Dawn would never assist a dragon in deceiving the world. Wouldn't He be afraid of shattering His divinity and returning to mortality?

Gods could speak in riddles, but could not act against their divine domain. Shielding a blood-soaked tyrant would disqualify the Lord of Dawn from wielding holy light altogether.

The Arthur Lyon who founded the empire must have been the real thing. That glory could not have been misattributed. So how had the empire become what it was today?

"By the way... the Court of the Silver Moon still exists, doesn't it?" Arthur asked, a hint of unease in his voice.

Over a thousand years had passed. Everything felt unfamiliar to him. Of the Nine Kingdoms, only the Court of the Silver Moon would remain somewhat recognizable.

Ambrose understood and reassured him. "Not only does it still exist, your old friend is still alive. It was he who directed me to seek the sealed artifact. If he knew you were still here... well, not exactly you, I suppose."

The real Arthur Lyon had long since died.

This heroic spirit had been condensed from his will. Though it inherited the original's personality and memories, as Ambrose had once told Aige, it was merely a fake. No matter how similar it was, it could not be the original.

Arthur waved it off. "Doesn't matter whether I'm the real thing or not. My mission is complete, so it's time to find a new goal in life. I'd like to reunite with old friends. Though I do hope you'll help me—at this point, I'm so weak a breeze might scatter my body."

"That's not impossible," Ambrose said. It wouldn't hurt to do the heroic spirit a favor—and by extension, the elves.

When the old elven king saw his old friend's spirit, he would at least owe Ambrose a word of thanks.

Speaking of which, Ambrose suddenly remembered something. "I can't contact your old friend right now. But I do happen to know your, ah, great-great-granddaughter, several generations removed. Would you like to speak with her?"

"...What?" Arthur looked utterly bewildered. He still thought of himself as an unmarried young man. How had he suddenly acquired a descendant, let alone one so many generations removed?

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Perhaps... not. I'm not the true Arthur Lyon. Showing up and claiming kinship would be rather impolite."

To think the legendary sage-king would turn out to be such a decent fellow...

Ambrose had rather hoped to see Black Rose shout "Grandfather!" in shock. Now it seemed he would have to tell her about his adventures himself.

He pulled out a stack of history books from his extradimensional space and handed them to Arthur, letting him catch up on the major events over the past millennium.

Then Ambrose opened the Necromantic Codex and posted in the group chat, [Megaman Tiga: Friends, who here knows Lyon history well? I have a few questions.

Heki Stone, the dwarven vampire, replied first. He probably spent all day idling and waiting for conversation.

[Human-Hater: Me! I know Lyon history extremely well.]

[Megaman Tiga: I mean real history, not tabloid nonsense.]

[Human-Hater: Bah! You're the one who likes gossip. I'm a serious historian! I've published hundreds of papers in Legendary Spellcraft!]

Ambrose was genuinely surprised. Appearances were deceiving, he supposed. [Megaman Tiga: Impressive. You must have a stack of publications as tall as you are.]

Gareth chimed in with a string of laughter. [Dullahan's Crown: Hahaha! Dwarves do have a natural advantage there, don't they?]

[Human-Hater: ******! Duel me, Gareth! I'll mount a pig's head on your neck!]

[Dullahan's Crown: I wasn't mocking your height, just explaining the joke.]

[Megaman Tiga: Don't you malign me, Gareth. That wasn't my intention. I really do want to ask about the Lyon Empire.]

[Human-Hater: Two hundred thousand gold per question is my standard rate. Since we're friends, I'll give you a 2% discount.]

[Megaman Tiga: Thanks, but no thanks. I'll look it up myself.]

[Human-Hater: Hey! You just made hundreds of millions off the elves!]

[Megaman Tiga: But that doesn't mean I'll waste it. I'm not sure you're worth the price. How about two free sample questions so I can test your expertise?]

[Human-Hater: One. One free question.]

Ambrose considered, then asked, [Megaman Tiga: Are you aware of Arthur Lyon's origins?]

[Human-Hater: Ha! You're asking the right person. Though the Lyon Empire claims Arthur Lyon was of noble birth, my research shows that before the empire's founding, his noble house did not exist. There is no evidence whatsoever to support his so-called family history. It's likely been fabricated to glorify the founding emperor. I'd wager he wasn't a slave, but perhaps at most a commoner.]

Ambrose was impressed. He had only learned of the fabrication directly from Arthur himself, yet Heki had deduced it independently.

[Megaman Tiga: Wow, you're good. Next, Arthur Lyon's master was an orc paladin. How did Lyon end up being so human-centered?]

[Human-Hater: First, a second question will cost you gold. Second, who told you his master was an orc? What kind of wild rumor is that?]

Ambrose smiled. [Megaman Tiga: You didn't even know that? Forget it, then.]

It looked as though Heki wasn't lying about being a historian, though the extent of his knowledge wouldn't be enough to answer Ambrose's questions.

Heki erupted in a barrage of censored curses, then demanded, [Human-Hater: Where did you even read that nonsense?!]

[Megaman Tiga: Arthur Lyon told me about it himself.]

[Human-Hater: *******! Are you afraid your bones will rust if you don't make up nonsense on a daily basis?!]

Ambrose sighed. [Megaman Tiga: You're still biased against me. Last time, when I told you the elven queen paid me to work for me, you didn't believe me. Before that, when I said I went to Lyon's capital and that paladins knelt and gave me gold, you didn't believe that either. But I was telling the truth both times. I've never lied to you. Why won't you trust me?]

[Human-Hater: You! Are you even human?!]

[Pale Little Skeleton: Are you stupid? He's a lich. Your envy is showing.]

[Dullahan's Crown: My wife's absolutely right!]

Heki's pride took a hit. [Human-Hater: Look at what he's saying! Arthur Lyon's been dead for over a thousand years. He's long since ascended to the Lord of Dawn's divine realm! How could he be chatting with Tiga? If he's telling the truth, I'll twist off my own head and affix it to Gareth's neck!]

Ambrose was just considering having Arthur record a short video to post in the group chat—after all, perhaps Gareth really could use a new head—when the usually silent Mute spoke up.

[Mute: I can confirm he's telling the truth. We unearthed this Arthur Lyon from a seal dating back seventeen centuries. He's a heroic spirit.]

An awkward silence followed.

If anyone else had corroborated Ambrose's tale, Heki would have argued against it. But Mute was acquainted with the society's president. Heki had never even seen the president. His only interaction with him was when the president had muted him from the chat.

But if Arthur Lyon had become a sealed heroic spirit, then who had founded the empire? Heki felt as though a continent-shaking secret lay before him, waiting to be unveiled.

[Dullahan's Crown: Are you going to deliver your head yourself, or am I going to have to come fetch it?]

Heki Stone: "..."

Ambrose decided not to let a fellow member be bullied. [Megaman Tiga: Don't worry, Gareth, we're just joking. Heki's head wouldn't fit on your neck, anyway. Back to the point. The Arthur Lyon we dug up only has memories of what took place before Lyon's founding. Much of what he says doesn't match Lyon's recorded history. I'm trying to understand precisely when Lyon became so radical. If we figure that out, perhaps we can do something about it.]

Heki exhaled in relief. Perhaps he had misjudged the lich. Maybe Ambrose wasn't out to get him, after all.

[Human-Hater: What're you planning to do to Lyon, bro?]

Bro, huh?

[Megaman Tiga: Lyon looks to be trying to unify the continent. Do you think we undead will be able to lead peaceful lives afterwards? I'm wondering whether we can help them rediscover their ancestor Arthur Lyon's racial inclusivity and to stop them from making enemies of undead all day.]

The group found this reasonable. Though most of its members were powerful figures in their own right, the mere mention of Lyon's paladins was enough to make anyone uneasy.

[Human-Hater: Don't worry. I'll help. I remember someone did a study tracking changes in Lyon's racial policies over the years. I'll look for it. By the way, that heroic spirit of Arthur Lyon... could I talk to him sometime?]

[Megaman Tiga: Of course, bro. Two hundred thousand gold per question. Since we're bros, I'll give you a 2% discount.]

Heki Stone: "..."

He hadn't misunderstood at all. The lich was absolutely targeting him!

While teasing Heki, Ambrose waited for Black Rose to appear. She would never ignore a discussion about Lyon.

But in her continued absence, he frowned. He sent her a private message. To no avail.

Strange. What could she be busy with?