This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 251 - 232: The Funeral of the Silvermoon Knight

Chapter 251: Chapter 232: The Funeral of the Silvermoon Knight

In the Imperial Capital of Laine, the low, mournful sound of the horns had echoed for three full days.

The citizens spontaneously took to the streets to mourn the departure of the Empire’s hero.

The life of the Silvermoon Knight had long been known to the people of Laine, with many youths able to recount every victory of the Silvermoon Knight as if they were precious treasures.

He was such a revered hero, a guardian deity of the Laine people for a century.

This grand and solemn funeral was what the hero deserved.

The casket of the Silvermoon Knight entered through the city gates of the Imperial Capital, carried by ten Legendary Paladins, and was taken all the way to the plaza in front of the Royal Palace. Instead of the silver-white drapes that usually adorned the palace walls, black ones had been hung. The Young Emperor of Laine approached the casket to read the hero’s eulogy in a grieving tone.

A somber atmosphere permeated, and no one knew when or from where it began, but the sound of weeping gradually became one, with tens of thousands of Laine people who had come to see him off crying with reddened eyes.

After the Emperor finished reminiscing, the Silvermoon Knight’s casket was taken directly to the cemetery, where he was buried in the central position.

Originally, another general from hundreds of years ago was buried here, but the Emperor had personally ordered for this general’s grave to be moved to the side to let the Silvermoon Knight rest in this spot, to highlight the merits he had achieved.

However, this command led to the suicide of the descendants of the other general.

Unable to protect their ancestor’s honor, being forced to move their graves, this humiliation seemed only washable through blood.

Of course, this was but a minor issue for the Empire, and not many knew about it. Those who did, didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

After the funeral, the Empire would observe a month of silence, banning any large-scale entertainment. It was best for passersby not to show a smiling face on the street, and even if a child was born, one could not laugh, or else they would risk being attacked by the crowd.

When the Laine people proclaimed that their Empire valued people above all, they had to accept the other consequences that came with this extreme.

The funeral over, the Young Emperor of Laine returned to his palace.

Allen’s father, the Supreme Decree of the Empire, reported to him with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, due to Winston’s accident, we must temporarily halt our offensive against the Orcs. The morale of our army is not suitable for attacking now; we can only do our best to hold the cities we have conquered."

The Young Emperor rubbed his brow and asked, "Is the Empire really incapable of defeating the Orcs without him?"

The Supreme Decree, James Watson, calmly said, "It’s not that we can’t defeat them. Laine’s national power towers above other kingdoms, and we have the strongest army, the most steadfast faith. It’s just that continuing now would lead to very large casualties."

The Emperor’s mouth curled into a mocking smile and he asked, "Casualties? When did my Empire become afraid of casualties? I’ve heard since I was a child that even if the Laine Army suffered more than half casualties, it wouldn’t impact their morale in the slightest. The war has already begun, why shouldn’t we seize this opportunity to take down the Orcs? How many more years would we have to wait?"

James Watson furrowed his brow and explained, "Your Majesty, our army is not afraid of casualties, but unnecessary casualties are the folly of a commander. It is indeed not the right time to continue fighting, at least until those young men get used to Winston’s absence."

Those words were quite direct and sounded a bit impolite, but James Watson dared to say them.

In recent years, Laine had been changing emperors too quickly, and he as the Supreme Decree had already served three emperors.

This Young Emperor was only sixteen years old, having ascended the throne less than three years ago. Young and not particularly intelligent, he truly struggled to command respect.

Realizing James Watson’s disrespect, the Young Emperor angrily said, "James Watson, you are but my subject, do not think that because you wield great power, I cannot replace a Supreme Decree."

James Watson, not wanting to waste his breath on the Young Emperor, said indifferently, "Then please, Your Majesty, choose a suitable replacement quickly. I am old, and it’s time for someone else to take on this heavy responsibility."

The Emperor did not expect James Watson to be so resolute, and now he felt somewhat stuck. If he didn’t agree, wouldn’t he lose face? But if he agreed, where would he find someone to take over the duties of this old man?

Watching the Emperor’s angry yet hesitant expression, James Watson sighed inwardly.

This youth was originally a side branch of the Imperial Family, leading a life with no expectations, without receiving much of an education, not even qualifying to become a Paladin. He should have lived an average and ordinary life like other nobles. Who could have thought that within the Imperial Family today, only he could elicit a slight reaction from the Magic Dragon Armament?

After he took the throne, the only thing he needed to worry about was having children, and James Watson couldn’t even remember how many kids he had anymore. After the birth of the sixth son, the Supreme Decree stopped caring.

This kind of blind breeding, akin to that of animals, seemed to be more of a desecration.

What the great Founding Emperor had left behind, be it the bloodline or the glory, was almost completely dissipated.

James Watson started to doubt whether the Imperial Family’s criteria for selecting people were no longer appropriate for the times.

But James Watson was helpless; the election of the emperor was controlled by the imperial family. Unless he, as the Supreme Judge, wanted to rebel, he had no right to voice any opinion.

Luckily, the power within the Empire was clearly delineated. The Supreme Judge had control of the judiciary, which even the emperor could not meddle with unless the Young Emperor was determined enough to replace him.

Obviously, this emperor did not have such resolve and simply said, "I’m tired," before storming off from this resplendent hall in a huff.

After the emperor left, the Supreme Judge approached the throne, gazing at the relief on it and falling into deep thought.

The carving on the throne depicted the Founding Emperor slaying the Magic Dragon and establishing the Empire, commissioned by the second emperor after Arthur Laine’s death. Arthur Laine himself did not favor such displays of personal adulation. According to the records, this Founding Emperor had almost no flaws, apart from being overconfident in his appearance. He was the most perfect sovereign of Laine.

Who could have guessed that a thousand and seven hundred years later, an emperor sitting on this throne would take such a form?

James Watson said to the embossed image of Arthur Laine, "Your Majesty, your descendants are no longer capable of managing this Empire. What would you do if you were here?"

The carving would not give James Watson any answer; his question was actually directed at himself.

Yet, he himself had no answer.

All James Watson could do was look up toward the window illuminated by the morning light and silently pray for guidance from the Lord of the Dawn.

However, the light of the Deity did not appear, as if James Watson’s doubts were of no importance to the Lord of the Dawn.

At that moment, James Watson remembered his youngest son, far away in the Orc Mountains, who had recently received a Divine prophecy from the Lord of the Dawn. Perhaps it was time to bring him back and ask him some questions.

But military matters were also beyond the Supreme Judge’s purview; all he could do was send his regards to the newly appointed Supreme Commander of the Empire. This new commander was Anren Right, the grandson of a Silvermoon Knight, over seventy years old, a veteran in the military, who quickly rose to his new position given his background.

It was merely a ceremonial role since the supreme military leader of Laine usually had no authority over the army. Only when needed would the emperor appoint a Supreme Commander to lead the war effort, and the command would be relinquished once the battle concluded.

Only because the Silvermoon Knight himself was exceptionally unique did he possess absolute control within the military.

Now, it seems the Laine Army must readjust to the old ways.

A flood of troublesome thoughts suddenly overwhelmed James Watson, leaving him feeling weary, yet he had no time to rest; he had to return to the judiciary to start his day’s work.

But when he arrived back to the judiciary, he noticed an emerald green letter resting beside the towering stack of documents.

The letter, with its appearance, was clearly a magical correspondence from the Silvermoon Tribunal. The seal on it could only be broken by the recipient.

Under normal circumstances, letters from the Silvermoon Tribunal would not come in this form. Subordinates would open them, review the contents, and report the important parts to James Watson. If he had to personally examine each letter, there simply wouldn’t be enough time.

But a magical correspondence was different; it must contain something extremely confidential and was meant for James Watson’s eyes only.

"Is there a problem with the Elf Tribe?"

James Watson did not dare to delay, as the Elf Tribe was Laine’s greatest ally and essentially its only one. Such an important letter surely contained no trivial matter.

Carefully opening the letter, James Watson found only a brief sentence: "I have news about Arthur Laine; come to the Silvermoon Tribunal for a full discussion."

As James Watson finished reading the letter, the words quickly ignited, reducing the entire letter to ash.

No pleasantries, just one enigmatic sentence. Arthur Laine had ascended to the Divine Realm many years ago; what did it mean to have news about him?

If the letter had been sent by anyone else, James Watson would have ordered a severe punishment meted out to the perpetrator of the prank.

But the letter was signed with the name "Hildas Tera," the previous Elven King. It was well known that Hildas Tera was a close friend of Arthur Laine; they had traveled together extensively across the continent and were among the heroes who had united to oppose the Magic Dragon Tyrant.

James Watson also had a good private relationship with the former Elven King, exchanging letters frequently.

The same sentence from different people could elicit entirely different effects.

James Watson had to seriously consider this invitation. As the Supreme Judge of Laine, and with the recent burial of the Silvermoon Knight, he simply could not leave at this critical time.

Looking again at the documents on his desk, James Watson sighed and cast an enhanced version of the Vitality Spell on himself. He had to finish his duties as quickly as possible before applying to visit the Silvermoon Tribunal.