This Lich Requests More Remuneration-Chapter 172 - 159 Allen Takes on a Great Responsibility
Chapter 172: Chapter 159: Allen Takes on a Great Responsibility
Chapter 172 -159: Allen Takes on a Great Responsibility
Amberser agreed readily; the intelligence was not wrong—once the Lich had agreed on a price, he was willing to undertake any task, even if it meant cooperating with the Laine Empire.
No wonder the Empire treated this Lich differently; if harnessed correctly, he might indeed become an Undead mole inside the Empire.
However, this was not something for the Silvermoon Knight to consider. He was a general, a warrior who charged into battle, not adept at these political machinations.
The Silvermoon Knight could only hope that the new generation of the Laine Empire would grow up quickly to face future crises.
But these young Paladins were such a disappointment; they became so excited after achieving an unimpressive victory that a sense of impetuousness hung over the entire Sandshadow City’s Laine Army that couldn’t be easily dissipated.
It was clear from the details of their everyday training—they held their swords less steady than before, their faces often wore frivolous smiles, and they paid more attention to their appearances, favoring decorative but useless adornments.
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The Silvermoon Knight had the intention to rectify these issues but had yet to find an appropriate opportunity.
After a victory, it should be a time for rewards, not criticism; otherwise, it would only backfire.
Coincidentally, the arrival of Amberser provided the Silvermoon Knight with an opportunity.
The Knight had no idea how the Lich would attack the city, nor would he give any hints to anyone within. He wanted these young generations to understand war’s cruelty. Without the protection of Legendary heroes and facing unbeatable foes, would they still maintain their courage to face death? Would they still adhere to the teachings of the Lord of the Dawn?
Without the baptism of fire, soldiers will forever remain recruits.
The threshold of a thousand casualties wasn’t a casual remark by the Silvermoon Knight; it was the standard of the Laine Empire—one thousand, comprising half of Sandshadow City’s garrison.
When Allen Watson led little Lords to attack Amberser’s castle, he was surprised that the morale of the allied forces crumbled after only suffering ten to twenty percent casualties. Because the standard of the Laine Empire was that regular forces should maintain combat effectiveness even with over half of their numbers lost—anything below this threshold was merely support troops at best, fit only for logistical duties.
If the current Sandshadow City garrison couldn’t meet the standard, the Silvermoon Knight would send all of them back for retraining and ensure their former officers were punished.
The path of the Holy Light is treacherous; if they couldn’t even meet this basic requirement, it was better to live as civilians for a lifetime rather than dying senselessly on the battlefield.
Thinking of this, the Silvermoon Knight sighed again, “Those Dwarves are truly too weak.”
The planned grand training exercise lost its meaning due to the enemy’s weakness and had to resort to employing the Lich Amberser at additional expense. It was truly a loss.
But the Silvermoon Knight had done his calculations. Even if Amberser captured all the Paladins, regular troops, and Militia, it would cost no more than three million Gold Coins at most, which was within his authority, so there wouldn’t be any issues.
With heavy footsteps, he returned to the barracks and entered his tent, where a blond Paladin was already waiting.
Upon seeing the Silvermoon Knight return, the Paladin hurried to offer support.
“General, you’re finally back. Please rest for a while.”
The strongest Paladin of the Empire now seemed like an old man weak from a long illness, allowing the other to help him up and into a chair.
The Silvermoon Knight coughed twice and said to the young Paladin, “Allen, there’s no need to fuss over me.”
If Amberser had been there, he would have recognized this young Paladin; he was his first Paladin captive—Allen Watson.
The son of the Supreme Decree, once a highly regarded second-generation figure in the Empire, Allen had lived up to expectations, becoming a Paladin at a young age and earning laud from many of the Empire’s higher echelons.
But that was all in the past.
Since his capture by Amberser, a shadow had been cast over Allen’s life.
This shame would follow him for life unless he could personally slay Amberser to wash away the disgrace.
Finally returning to the Empire, Allen volunteered to join the desert expeditionary force as a means of escape and a different kind of experience.
The Supreme Decree, though appearing indifferent to Allen, privately requested the Silvermoon Knight give him some care. Fond of this faithfully devout and exceptionally talented young man, the Knight decided to keep him close as a personal soldier.
Excited to serve under the legendary figure of the Silvermoon Knight, Allen was very dedicated.
Then, Allen discovered the Knight’s secret—a secret that perhaps wasn’t so secret anymore.
The Silvermoon Knight was not going to last much longer.
Laine did not permit its high-ranking officials to use Magic to extend life, not even the Emperor, and naturally, the Silvermoon Knight strictly adhered to this rule. Now at over one hundred and fifty years old, even with the most powerful Holy Light force, he was at the limit for humans.
His life was burning out, and the Silvermoon Knight could fall any day without warning, surviving almost purely on willpower.
He was the Empire’s strongest Paladin, the Empire’s general, the spiritual pillar of the army.
He needed to prepare a suitable successor to ensure a smooth transition of the Empire’s military forces, but his disciples… had almost all been sacrificed.
Those deemed worthy of the Silvermoon Knight’s personal training naturally made excellent Paladins, with devout faith and courage to sacrifice themselves for the Empire. They perished on the battlefield in one campaign after another, the youngest of them only seventeen when he died in Gloomyland.
When the Silvermoon Knight’s time was nearing its end, he turned back only to find that the suitable successors were no more.
And the other youngsters had not yet matured, all too impetuous to carry significant responsibilities.
Allen was another young man he valued; had the Knight been twenty years younger, he could have trained him properly, but now, the Silvermoon Knight could no longer take on disciples.
Unaware of the Silvermoon Knight’s inner thoughts, Allen earnestly recited prayers, with Holy Light Condensation, infusing the Knight with life force, dispelling accumulated fatigue.
The Silvermoon Knight breathed a sigh of relief and, after regaining his composure, said to Allen, “War is almost over, what are your plans? Do you want to return to the Imperial Capital and join the Conviction Knight Order?”
Unlike regular troops, the Conviction Knight Order is an elite among elites, specifically established to counter legendary powerhouses. Although they have suffered a significant blow, it remains the best destination for a Paladin.
Allen pondered for a moment, then said, “I want to continue training in the army for a while. This time, I had hoped to redeem my disgrace on the battlefield, but the Dwarves were defeated too quickly, barely putting up any resistance. I came here to be tested, but I only ended up with merits, which I truly feel ashamed of.”
“It’s rare for you to think like this, the other guys are all ready to go back and receive flowers and praise.”
Calm and not arrogant, able to see the situation clearly, such qualities are indeed rare.
Unable to help himself, the Silvermoon Knight offered a piece of advice, “It’s good that you can see these things, but Sandshadow City is not as safe as you imagine. Danger could well be lurking nearby, and you must be ready at all times.”
Upon hearing this, Allen quickly stood at attention, saluted, and responded loudly, “Yes, sir!”
Just a warning, that’s all I can say now, any more would be unfair to others.
The Silvermoon Knight sighed inwardly, then ordered, “I’ll return to the Imperial Capital to report shortly. The troops in Sandshadow City will be temporarily under your command.”
“Ah? General, am I qualified to take over? I fear others may have objections.”
Currently just a Paladin seeking atonement, Allen was fortunate to have caught the favor of the Silvermoon Knight, and by rank, he was unqualified to take command of the troops.
“Don’t worry, they’re all too eager to return to the Imperial Capital and enjoy the hero’s treatment. No one wants to stay here and eat sand. Allen, do well, you are protecting the Laine Empire’s territory.”
Allen nodded excitedly, ready to put in his utmost effort to fulfill this responsibility.
The Silvermoon Knight nodded and, after a short rest, entered the Continental Transmission Array, handing over command of Sandshadow City to Allen in front of the remaining personnel.
Sure enough, as the Silvermoon Knight had said, none of the qualified Paladins had objections to overseeing the city, and many even wore expressions on their faces that suggested it was only right. Allen’s past ordeal was well known, and this appointment seemed more like a punishment.
Allen paid no attention to the gazes of others and conscientiously performed his duties.
He began a meticulous inspection of Sandshadow City, making a round at each defensive position, and engaging earnestly with the soldiers, hoping to remember all of his subordinates as quickly as possible.
But before he could complete this task, a harsh horn sounded from the city walls.
That was the horn signal for enemy sightings!
Taken aback, Allen swiftly made his way to the top of the city wall.
He picked up binoculars and looked towards the city outskirts, where a group of Jackalwolf People, salivating, was rapidly approaching Sandshadow City. The Jackalwolf People are a vicious species that, apart from killing and destruction, have no other hobbies. They delight in slaughtering weaker creatures and like to fashion the bones of their prey into ornaments and armor.
They are the embodiment of pure chaos and evil, devoid of any morality or conscience.
“Commander, they’re just some Jackalwolf People,” a soldier on the city wall said to Allen. “We can go out and deal with them.”
Allen put down his binoculars, but his brow was furrowed.
Jackalwolf People normally only attack targets that are obviously weaker than themselves. Sandshadow City, such a massive fortress, was an unlikely target for the Jackalwolf People; something was amiss.
To the dark-skinned soldier beside him, Allen asked, “What’s your name, and are you a local?”
“Reporting, Commander, I am Omoss, a local resident.”
“Do the desert’s Jackalwolf People also attack cities en masse like this?” Allen inquired.
Not being an expert on monsters, Allen was unsure if the desert’s creatures were different from those in other regions, or perhaps the desert’s Jackalwolf People were simply not intelligent enough to understand they were attacking a city.
But hearing Allen’s question, Omoss also fell into deep thought and after a while replied, “The Jackalwolf People have never actively attacked Sandshadow City, at least not in my memory.”
Hearing this, Allen’s suspicion grew, and he ordered, “Something’s not right, close the gates immediately, let’s observe first.”
“But, Commander, it’s just a group of Jackalwolf People, and not many of them at that.”
Although Omoss felt something was off, he wasn’t particularly worried. He had witnessed the might of the Laine Empire’s troops; just a few Paladins could slice these Jackalwolf People up like dates.
The new commander ordering the gates to be shut tightly seemed overly cautious, didn’t it?
However, Allen stated firmly, “That’s an order, carry it out immediately!”
Omoss complied without further dissent, but inwardly, he felt that Allen might be making too much of a minor issue.
But it wasn’t just Omoss who thought this way. As the city gates slowly closed, almost shut, a squad of Paladins charged out of the city.
Seeing this, Allen exclaimed agitatedly, “What’s going on?! Who gave them permission to leave the city?!”
However, no one could answer his question.
Because the Paladin squad that had left the city was not part of Sandshadow’s garrison; they were “heroes” waiting to be transferred back to the Imperial Capital for their decorations.
The heroes, disregarding Allen’s orders, took the initiative to leave the city and confront the Jackalwolf People, and no one could stop them.
