This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 294 - 272: Those Forgotten Heroes and Secrets

Chapter 294: Chapter 272: Those Forgotten Heroes and Secrets

Hildas glared angrily at Amberser; it was all because of this Lich that he had no way out.

Looking at Arthur Laine’s bewildered face, Hildas could only heave a sigh.

As Hildas walked into the room and sat in front of Arthur Laine, he said with a voice full of sorrow, "I originally didn’t want to tell you, because it has nothing to do with you. You’ve already given so much to the world, and your heroic spirit shouldn’t have to bear these sorrowful past events, which also hold no aid for the future."

"But now that this Lich has pushed the truth to this point, I will tell you what really happened. All of this, is related to the Magic Dragon Tyrant."

At that moment, Amberser chipped in, "Is it because of the Dragon Blood Curse?"

Hildas glanced at Amberser, then said, "It seems, your research into history is indeed quite in-depth, far beyond what I expected."

Amberser said proudly, "Of course, I’m no ordinary scholar."

The corner of Hildas’s mouth twitched, this Lich was anything but humble.

The Old Elf King didn’t want to listen to Amberser bragging and went straight to the point:

"Arthur, you are the most upright and selfless person I’ve ever met, and the country you’ve established is the same, supposed to be the brightest kingdom in this world. Sadly, during your last battle with the Magic Dragon, you were afflicted by the Dragon Blood Curse. The Magic Dragon’s bloodline melded closely with yours, and even fragments of the Magic Dragon’s soul hid within your own."

Hildas’s explanation made James Watson exclaim in shock, "Impossible! How could Your Majesty be tainted by the Magic Dragon, he has never exhibited any tyrannical behavior!"

Hildas said with a sigh, "That’s exactly what I admire about him. Originally, the bloodline of the Magic Dragon and its soul were hidden so deep within Arthur’s body and soul that he himself had not noticed. It was not until after the founding of Laine and the purging of the Dragon Worship Sect that Arthur, then in his sixties, discovered that the curse was beginning to take effect when he was already very frail due to his rejection of using Magic Potion for longevity and his old wounds from his earlier life. It was then he found me for help, nearly at his breaking point. He had been fighting against the curse for many years alone, his entire being already on the verge of death."

Amberser interrupted again, "Had the Lord of the Dawn not intervened?"

This time, it was Arthur Laine himself who replied, "Given my nature, it’s unlikely I would ask the Lord of the Dawn for help."

Amberser asked in surprise, "Why not?"

Arthur Laine explained, "I believe in the Lord of the Dawn because the path I wish to walk aligns with his teachings, but I have never asked for anything from him. If the Magic Dragon Tyrant could be dealt with by the grace of a deity, could not another deity help the Magic Dragon Tyrant? The Dragon Race has more than one deity; in this regard, their advantage is greater."

"Therefore, during our fight against the Magic Dragon Tyrant, no deity intervened, and it was because of this that we managed to deceive the Magic Dragon Tyrant and steal his Divine Artifact."

Amberser understood then; it was a tacit agreement among the deities to not interfere and see what their followers were capable of on their own. Otherwise, if one side received a blessing and the other a Divine Artifact, the intensity of war might escalate, possibly leading to the complete destruction of the continent.

"Even after the outcome was decided, the Lord of the Dawn still couldn’t intervene?" Amberser inquired.

The Old Elf King shook his head, "Actually, the outcome wasn’t clear at that time, because if the Magic Dragon Tyrant successfully took control over Arthur, it would mean the Dragon Race had won. He could have a hundred ways to destroy the newly established Laine and other kingdoms, reasserting the rule of the Dragon Race."

Now Amberser understood, what a cunning Magic Dragon, to be capable of such a turnaround.

Amberser continued, "So, Arthur Laine disappeared at the age of eighty, because by that time he could no longer suppress the will of the Magic Dragon and chose to abdicate and vanish rather than allow the Magic Dragon to succeed."

"How do you know this so clearly?" Hildas asked.

"I have deeply studied history."

James Watson could no longer hold back and pressed for answers, "You said His Majesty was controlled by the Magic Dragon, but how then did he return? The history books record that His Majesty actually traveled the continent before returning to the Empire at a ripe old age of one hundred, to then live out his final years in the Imperial Capital."

"The reason he came back was because Arthur lost," Hildas said with a pained expression, continuing, "The one who returned was not Arthur, but the Magic Dragon, having taken control of Arthur’s body."

Amberser interrupted, "Hold on! That’s not right! If the Magic Dragon had controlled Arthur Laine, why did he die? One sip of the Youth Magic Potion could have extended his life!"

"Indeed, the Magic Dragon had planned to do just that, but Arthur told me before he left that if everything went well, he would die in an unknown place, rotten away together with the Magic Dragon. If he returned to Laine, it meant he had lost, and I was his last resort..."

By this point, Hildas was already in tears.

Amberser guessed the cruel answer, "It was you who killed Arthur Laine, or rather, killed Arthur Laine controlled by the Magic Dragon."

James Watson stood up in agitation, angrily saying, "Is this true what the Lich says? Did you kill His Majesty?!"

Hildas’s face turned red as he shouted, "I killed him, it was my dear friend’s final request. I could only fulfill his last wish! But I didn’t know, I couldn’t be sure whether it was Arthur or the Magic Dragon who had returned. I had no other choice at the time but to kill him."

The aged Arthur Laine had no power left to resist, and even to the last moment, the Magic Dragon still tried to impersonate Arthur Laine, begging Hildas to spare him.

For many years after, Hildas would often question himself, could it be a mistake? Perhaps Arthur had actually won and simply changed his mind to return; had he wrongly killed his own friend?

The perplexity slowly became shackles, causing Hildas to age more rapidly than other elves. Many elves of the same age appeared to be only in their forties or fifties, yet Hildas was already full of wrinkles, as if he might die at any moment.

Others only thought that the Elven King was so busy with his duties that he had drained too much of his vitality, unaware of the secret hidden within his heart.

Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit looked at the crazed old elf and patted his shoulder, saying, "Hildas, do not blame yourself, you did the right thing. The promises I have made have never been left unfulfilled. The Arthur who came back so suddenly must be an impostor."

Upon hearing Arthur Lain’s words, the old elf, his hair now white, cried like a child. He had carried the guilt of killing his dear friend for over a thousand years and had not expected there was still a chance to hear the other forgive him.

Amberser strongly agreed with the Heroic Spirit’s words. This Heroic Spirit had guarded the Divine Artifact for more than a thousand years, and when Amberser found him, there was not the slightest lax in his spirit.

If this was the case with the Heroic Spirit, then the person himself must be the same.

Arthur Laine, truly deserving of the hero’s name.

Amberser initially just thought the man was quite formidable, but the more he learned about him, the more he admired him. Not just for his strength, but more importantly, for his willpower and spirit of sacrifice, which had surpassed that of most mortals.

Only when Hildas had calmed down did Amberser continue to ask, "I still have three questions. First, why does Arthur Laine conceal himself instead of coming to the Silvermoon Tribunal to seek your help?"

The question did not require Hildas to answer, as the Heroic Spirit explained, "If it were me, the reason would be simple. I would be afraid that after spending much time with Hildas, he would not notice that I had changed. Because during this time, the Magic Dragon would also be observing Hildas, and eventually, its impersonation would become flawless.

"Therefore, a binding promise is the best proof. An Arthur Laine who breaks the promise must be a fake."

Amberser expressed his admiration, that was truly ruthless.

"The second question, why didn’t you make this secret public after the death of Arthur Laine?" Amberser continued to ask.

By now, Hildas too, had recovered and explained in a hoarse voice, "Because that would have led to chaos across the continent. Too few know about the Dragon Blood Curse, and I killed Arthur based on a promise that only the two of us knew.

"The Laine People might not believe it, and once suspicions begin, it would trigger a grand war. Another point is, if this secret were known to all and everyone believed it, then Arthur’s lineage would be severed forever. No one would risk allowing the Magic Dragon’s bloodline to continue in this world, so all of Arthur’s descendants would be killed."

Amberser asked in surprise, "Aren’t you afraid that the lineage of the Magic Dragon might truly continue?"

Hildas replied, "Lineage is lineage, soul is soul. Many beings in this world carry dragon blood, but which one has become a Magic Dragon Tyrant? We cannot treat a hero with such disdain because of this slim possibility, and let Arthur die without heirs."

Amberser laughed and responded, "It seems you were wrong after all. The lineage of the Magic Dragon is corroding the Imperial Family of Laine, turning them into new tyrants."

Hildas fell silent, unable to refute.

"Hahaha, I was wondering why the Lord of the Dawn would watch Laine become like this, without so much as giving a divine oracle to correct things. Now I understand. This war has continued to this day. Over the past thousand years, the Magic Dragon is still using his bloodline to fight for control over the Laine lineage.

"The war hasn’t settled, so the Lord of the Dawn still cannot intervene. He can only influence the outcome through indirect means. No wonder Laine has not collapsed over the years, for all the Paladins and Priests promoted are upright people, which is why only the Imperial Family has fallen into decay, and not the Empire’s high councilors.

"The Lord of the Dawn is using this method to maintain the stability of Laine. It all makes sense now."

Having unraveled the greatest mystery, Amberser finally understood that the gambit of the divinities continued to this day, still with no victor in sight.

Could this impending world-shattering change be related to that gambit?

Is it that a significant shift will occur in the gambit or say... will the gambit come to an end?

Amberser’s analysis startled everyone present. The war with the Magic Dragon Tyrant had persisted for over a thousand years without conclusion?

Hildas spoke with excitement, "It seems that the methods of the Lord of the Dawn are quite effective."

However, Amberser countered, "What good is blocking? The Magic Dragons are winning this war. Their extreme ideology has tainted Laine, and now it is just one step away from complete collapse."

Hildas agreed with Amberser’s opinion. Laine was indeed in grave peril, seemingly on the verge of total collapse.

"You said you had three questions. What is the last one?" Hildas inquired.

"Oh, I just figured out the answer to that question. I was going to ask about the story where the demons fight over the Holy King’s body, which I suppose has a double meaning. One refers to the Magic Dragon’s bloodline fighting for Arthur Laine’s body, and the second, it refers to the Magic Dragon Armament, made from the Magic Dragon’s body, correct?"

Hildas nodded in acknowledgment, telling Amberser, "Correct, for the Magic Dragon to fully resurrect, it would certainly need to use the Magic Dragon Armament. In fact, Arthur had talked, before leaving, about his wish to have the parts of the Magic Dragon Armament stored separately in every kingdom, to prevent the resurrection of the Magic Dragon. Unfortunately, his son, unaware of the full situation, thought it was the most powerful Divine Artifact of Laine, and thus declined the arrangement."

Amberser realized with a start, "So that’s why the representatives from the various countries were arguing with Laine at the funeral. No wonder relations between Laine and the other nations took a steep downturn after the funeral. The second Emperor of Laine believed that the other kingdoms were fighting over the Empire’s Divine Artifact at the time of his father’s death, hence he developed a grudge against foreign races. Influenced by the Magic Dragon bloodline, he began to become extremely xenophobic."

After unraveling all the secrets, Amberser turned to James Watson and said, "Now that I’ve figured it out, trading the Magic Dragon Armament for Arthur Lain’s Heroic Spirit shouldn’t be a problem anymore, right?"