Alan had been backed completely into a corner by Catherine's one-two punch of a sacred oath and a phylactery.
A grievously wounded lich, a stolen phylactery, and the backing of a legendary powerhouse like the Elven Queen... If he still refused to mobilize troops under these conditions, he would be reviled for the rest of his days. Worse, he would likely be dragged before the tribunal, where cowardice and desertion carried a sentence of at least ten years.
Yet would that terrifying lich truly make such an enormous blunder? How could something like a phylactery ever be stolen so easily?
Wait—a phylactery?
Alan recalled something. When they had returned home from the City of Alchemy, his father had brought back an entire carriage packed full of items. He seemed to remember his father muttering under his breath: "That lich is utterly ridiculous—how could he possibly have so many phylacteries?!"
Back then, Alan was in disgrace and had not dared to ask, assuming he had misheard.
Looking back now, could that entire carriage have been loaded with phylacteries?
Alan could not help asking, "Is this phylactery genuine?"
Hearing this, Catherine felt an immediate surge of panic.
Ever since entering the city, her heart had been pounding, and her voice had not stopped trembling.
It was not that she had never lied before, but Anbaixiu had always been beside her in the past, ready to cover for her at crucial moments.
Now, however, she had to carry the performance entirely on her own. Worse, she was using her original identity, which prevented her from letting her creativity and imagination run wild. It was simply too difficult.
The Blur spell concealed not only Catherine's charm, but also her face, flushed red from nerves.
Fortunately, Anbaixiu had woven a "truthful" lie for her—one so airtight that even the gods could find no fault with it and could only affirm it.
Amidst her nervousness, Catherine felt a thrill of excitement. Outsmarting an opponent with intellect was far more amusing than simply crushing them with raw power.
*That fellow can even manipulate the gods. He's truly formidable.*
Now, hearing Alan's suspicion, Catherine grew tense, terrified that he would spot a flaw. Before she could offer an explanation, however, Knight Simon standing beside them could no longer bear it.
"Alan Watson, you've been looking for excuses nonstop! Are you scared, or aren't you? If you truly are terrified, hand over command to me, and you can stay inside the city!"
Alan clenched his fists, yet found himself powerless to retort. Even he could no longer tell whether he was being prudent or simply terrified. All he knew was that Anbaixiu was his living nightmare, a shadow he could never shake.
Alan looked around at the others. Seeing the sneers and contempt plastered across every Ryan face, he knew he had no choice left.
Even if he insisted on staying put, the others would band together to strip him of his command.
Helpless, Alan said, "If that is how it must be, I hand command over to you, Simon. But I hope you will stay to guard the city with half our men, while I accompany the expeditionary force."
Aside from Alan, Simon was the highest-born and highest-ranking paladin present. If Alan rode out, only Simon would be capable of keeping Sandshadow City under control. Alan remained worried that they were falling into Anbaixiu's plot, so he wished to leave part of their garrison behind to guarantee the city's safety.
Simon replied firmly, "Don't you dare try to snatch my glory."
In the eyes of everyone else, Alan was already a total joke, and Simon had no intention of listening to him. A heavily wounded lich that had even lost its phylactery was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
How many paladins ever had the chance to slay a legendary undead before reaching legendary rank themselves?
Simon had seen Anbaixiu's "grievously wounded" state with his own eyes, and he would never allow anyone to rob him of that honor.
Alan ground his teeth. "Sandshadow City is what matters most! There are tens of thousands of people living here!"
Simon refused to yield an inch. "As long as we destroy that lich, Sandshadow City will be safe! If you want to stay behind, you can stay all by yourself. I'm certain everyone else agrees with me!"
No paladin could resist such temptation. They were heroes returning in triumph, and now they had a chance to add another glorious chapter to their service record.
As the two argued endlessly, Catherine spoke up. "I have heard that the Ryan Empire can transform the faith of its people into tangible power. Sandshadow City is indeed vital, so why not let them protect themselves? If all the residents in the city are mobilized, wouldn't the gathered strength be more than enough to handle any unexpected disaster?"
Simon quickly agreed. "Precisely! The Holy Light magic array can absorb the faith of everyone. As long as they pray devoutly, they will continuously supply power to the array. Not even a legendary lich could break through it! It's only for a single night—let them hold out for one night until we return!"
Faith conversion was the Ryan Empire's greatest asset, transmuting the populace's belief in the Lord of the Dawn into substantial Holy Light. Every city in the Ryan Empire was equipped with such a magic array.
For non-devout followers, this conversion consumed their lifespan. Geronimo's serfs, for instance, could not possibly have become true believers after only a few days of memorizing scripture, meaning their conversion had relied entirely on burning life force.
Sandshadow City, however, had been reclaimed for some time, and a large number of migrants had relocated from the Ryan heartland. When so many devout believers gathered together, it was impossible for them to fail to hold out for just one night.
"Simon, don't you think this is going too far?!" Alan demanded, struggling to suppress his rage.
It was a blessing that these men had returned safely, but how had this suddenly turned into a reckless gamble, wagering the fate of the entire city?
"Shut up, Alan Watson, you coward! Don't forget that we are not obligated to follow your orders. I am taking our brothers out right now to crusade against the lich. You are free to wait here! Whether you mobilize the residents to reinforce the magic array is entirely up to you!"
Simon turned and marched away with his subordinates, not giving Alan the slightest bit of face.
Alan wanted to stop them, but looking back at the soldiers around him, he saw their eyes shifting away, none of them daring to meet his gaze. These men were utterly unreliable. Alan had taken over Sandshadow City too recently, leaving him no time to establish genuine authority.
Following behind Simon as they departed, Catherine finally let out a sigh of relief, marveling inwardly: *That fellow truly calculated every last detail. No wonder he acted with such theatrical flair and made himself look so miserable earlier. They really did end up fighting over this.*
When "rescuing" Simon and the other Ryan soldiers, Catherine and Anbaixiu had put on a wildly thrilling spectacle. They had fought from the ground into the heavens, and from the heavens deep beneath the desert sands. In the end, Anbaixiu had "fled with severe injuries" while Catherine had been "grievously wounded," though she had luckily snatched away the phylactery he carried on his person. It had been a battle between legends; Simon and his men had possessed no way of discerning truth from fiction, feeling only that a single stray strike would have ended their lives.
Precisely because Anbaixiu's performance had been so convincing—his skeleton frame falling apart all over the ground—Simon was firmly convinced that this was an extraordinary opportunity.
And for that very reason, the intense conflict between Alan and Simon had erupted, allowing Catherine to fulfill Anbaixiu's other objective: turning every soul in Sandshadow City into a soldier.
*That lich truly will do anything for money,* Catherine thought with a silent shake of her head.
Back when Anbaixiu had negotiated with the Silvermoon Knight, militia members were priced at one thousand gold coins each, while ordinary citizens did not count. But if the common people were brought into the city's defense, they became militia.
When the time came, Anbaixiu could point to the entire population of the city and settle accounts with the Silvermoon Knight.
Sandshadow City was home to tens of thousands of people.
The Silvermoon Knight's expression was bound to be magnificent.
Catherine could not help but smile. Even though Ryan and the elves were allies, she felt an odd thrill at the thought, likely because she had played a part in making the scheme reality.
Simon's stubbornness left Alan with no alternative. He could not risk the city falling, so he had no choice but to sound the warning horns, waking the residents and directing them to pray to the Lord of the Dawn to take over the paladins' duties.
Although many citizens grumbled, the vast majority complied, gathering at the various altars throughout the city to begin their prayers.
Holy Light flared brilliantly across the city as dozens of paladins led nearly all the soldiers charging through the gates, setting off in pursuit of the "heavily wounded lich."
Catherine naturally slipped into the ranks and left the city as well. Before departing, however, she had deliberately taken a few strolls through the streets, quietly leaving behind a few small gifts.
Having thoroughly broken with Simon and the others, Alan chose simply to remain in Sandshadow City.
Even if he was cursed as a coward, it no longer mattered. The dread in his heart grew heavier by the moment, and staying within the walls was the only sensible choice.
Watching the expedition march away from Sandshadow City, Alan could not help thinking that it might serve them right if they suffered a crushing defeat at the lich's hands. At least then they would finally understand who had been correct.
The instant the thought crossed his mind, Alan struck himself with a punch.
As a paladin, how could he harbor such dark, spiteful thoughts toward his own compatriots?
*That lich is simply too terrifying. Even without seeing him, merely thinking about things tied to him is enough to blacken my heart.*
Alan hurriedly recited the sacred dogmas under his breath, striving to purge every trace of darkness from his spirit.
Minutes turned into hours, yet no word came from the paladins who had marched out.
Alan's unease deepened. Had the lich managed to escape? He did not care if they came back empty-handed, so long as they returned safely.
He waited until the sky neared dawn.
On the distant horizon of the desert, a tiny golden speck appeared, gradually expanding.
When Alan could finally see it clearly, the heart that had been suspended in his chest plummeted into utter despair.
It was an enormous Golden Throne, and seated upon it was that terrifying lich—waving cordially in Alan's direction.
"It really was... a trap all along! It was all a scheme laid by that lich!"
Alan slammed his fists against the battlements until blood dripped from his knuckles, yet the sharp agony in his hands could not begin to drown out the burning fury in his chest.
Over a hundred paladins and two thousand soldiers had almost certainly met a grim fate.
Yet Alan could not help feeling a flicker of relief. Fortunately, he had remained in the city. Fortunately, he had assembled the entire populace the previous night to pray and reinforce the Holy Light magic array. With the faith of the entire city gathered, it should be able to hold off the lich for several days.
By then, reinforcements from the imperial capital ought to arrive.
Come to think of it, nearly a full day had passed since he sent his call for aid. Why had there not been a single reply?
As Alan was trying to devise a plan, sudden cries of alarm erupted from within the city.
He whipped around to look and saw over a dozen dazzling beams of light shooting up from inside the streets. These pillars, brimming with immense magical power, instantly fractured the seamless operation of the Holy Light magic array.
As if waiting for this exact moment, the instant the array was thrown into disarray, the Golden Throne teleported directly into the sky above the city.
Alan's vision went black as thick, suffocating darkness engulfed him.
It was not just him; the entire city of Sandshadow was plunged into absolute darkness. Devout prayers were shattered, panic tore through the streets, and shrill screams rose one after another.
Alan collapsed limply to the ground.
"It's over! Sandshadow City is completely finished!"
Chapter 162