Lich for Hire-Chapter 54: The Careful Paladins

Towering, majestic walls rose into view in the distance. Starfall, along with the other paladins, finally let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

After so many days on the road, they had at last reached Alkhemia, the City of Alchemists.

Starfall raised his right hand in a brief signal. At once, the Knights Penitent slowed in perfect unison, then came to a crisp halt.

They had come on official business and represented the face of the Lyon Empire itself. It would not do to enter Alkhemia looking travel-worn and dust-choked.

Suddenly, rain fell from the sky, drenching the heavily armored paladins to the bone.

This was no natural downpour, but a conjured shower that washed away most of the grime and dust clinging to their armor.

Coupled with simple spells to illuminate and polish, the holy armor forged by the Lyon Empire soon gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. In the blink of an eye, the group transformed from road-weary country bumpkins into dignified, awe-inspiring paladins.

Only then did they proceed toward Alkhemia at a measured pace.

The closer they drew to the city, the more palpable its prosperity became.

Though Alkhemia was mired in an economic crisis, merchant caravans still came and went in steady streams, and the skies above were thick with airships crisscrossing in every direction.

Yet amid such dense crowds, the Knights Penitent remained the most eye-catching presence of all.

Before they even reached the colossal city gates, a massive airship forced its way through the throng and descended directly before them.

A luxuriously dressed alchemist stepped down from the vessel and addressed the knights with a courteous bow. "Welcome, honored guests. I am Gustavo Flynn, Sixth Seat of the Alchemists' Council, here to receive the envoys of the Lyon Empire."

Starfall knew the name of Gustavo Flynn well.

Though Flynn was an exalted personage, Starfall could not help but feel that Alkhemia was slighting them by not sending out its mysterious council head. This suggested a lack of sufficient regard for the Lyon Empire.

Though the world nominally had nine great kingdoms, the truth was more like one dominant superpower surrounded by many weaker kingdoms.

The Lyon Empire was that sole superpower. Inevitably, Starfall carried a trace of pride when dealing with representatives of other nations.

Still, he did not let that arrogance show. He handled the exchange with Gustavo Flynn flawlessly, then led his teammates aboard the magical airship.

After a brief round of pleasantries, Gustavo arranged for the paladins to rest inside the ship.

Once they were alone, Starfall couldn't help but sigh. "Alkhemia's magitech really is impressive. My family owns magic airships too, but I've never seen one this large."

The vessel was enormous and could carry one or two hundred people with ease. With minor modifications, it could even serve as a formidable airborne fortress.

Another paladin shook his head. "Size doesn't matter. Airships are too slow. On the battlefield, they're just targets."

Starfall nodded. This was a fair assessment. Magical airships made for excellent transportation, but were ill-suited for war.

Magitech cannons were commonplace across nations, and every race and faction fielded fliers. Against such threats, slow-moving airships were easy prey. If one were shot down, the losses would be catastrophic. It was hardly worth the risk.

That said, they were quite useful for bullying monsters like goblins or gnolls in the wilderness.

"I've heard of this Gustavo Flynn," another knight remarked. "He's a renowned alchemist. He should be able to speak for Alkhemia—though it seems they're unwilling to commit to full cooperation."

The moment Starfall boarded the airship, he had raised the matter of rescuing Allen Watson. The response he received left him deeply dissatisfied.

Alkhemia's position was that Allen Watson had accepted a private commission and voluntarily attacked the lich's castle. Despite his defeat and capture, the lich's actions had not violated Alkhemia's laws. As such, the city had no grounds to demand Allen's release.

This explanation infuriated Starfall.

What sense was there in talking about laws with a lich? The proper response was to march in, tear down his castle, shatter his phylactery, and scatter his bones to the wind. As expected of a land crawling with heretics, Alkhemia possessed utterly incomprehensible rules.

After Starfall lodged his protest, Gustavo Flynn hinted, very obliquely, that if Alkhemia were to bend its own rules, the Lyon Empire would need to pay a far higher price. A mere diplomatic communiqué would not suffice.

After much hesitation, Starfall chose not to press the issue further.

On the surface, he was the Lyon Empire's envoy, but his purpose here was not to negotiate. The High Inquisitor had made his stance unequivocally clear: no conditions would be accepted. Even if the inquisitor's own son were to die at the lich's hands, the Lyon Empire would not stoop to bargaining.

Thus, Starfall did not insist on Alkhemia's cooperation. Instead, he accepted the relevant intelligence from Gustavo Flynn.

He now laid out the documents and discussed rescue plans with his comrades.

After carefully reviewing the reports, Starfall finally relaxed a little.

The records showed that the lich's reincarnation had occurred not long ago.

Though he was a legend, a young lich was far easier to deal with. The reason was simple: a lich's true power lay not only in spellcasting, but also in the vast undead armies it commanded.

And undead required corpses and souls to create. In particular, high-tier undead such as death knights demanded a long period of time and energy to cultivate.

This lich simply hadn't had the time to create a massive undead legion. That meant the undead forces previously spotted in the valley could not possibly belong to this Megaman Tiga.

This was the best news they could have hoped for. Without an overwhelming undead army to support him, the lich's threat was significantly reduced. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

One paladin suggested, "Should we attack the lich's castle directly? Allen has been captured for far too long. The sooner we rescue him, the better his chances of survival."

Starfall shook his head. "Even if Alkhemia has permitted such a course of action, that would be reckless. We've traveled too far for too long. We're out of stamina. We need to rest to return to peak condition. And Allen isn't weak. He had over a thousand militia and a priest assisting him, yet he was still captured. That lich is not as feeble as we might think.

"Besides, that castle is riddled with magical traps. A frontal assault may not succeed and would almost certainly lead to unnecessary casualties."

The Knights Penitent did not fear death, but every one of them was part of the Lyon Empire's future. No one could be sacrificed needlessly. As their leader, Starfall had to bear responsibility for them all.

"First, we need to find lodgings in Alkhemia. We'll split up to gather more intelligence and get a proper night's rest.

"Officially, Alkhemia won't send troops, but isn't the city facing an economic crisis? We can put up some gold. I'm sure plenty of people would be willing to take risks for the right price.

"We'll recruit some wanderers or rangers to infiltrate and scout ahead. That may help us avoid many dangers."

Starfall's careful, methodical plan earned the paladins' unanimous trust. With a leader this prudent, dealing with a mere legendary lich was surely well within their grasp.