This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 357 - 332: Allen’s Allies_2

Chapter 357: Chapter 332: Allen’s Allies_2

Frodo, although trying hard to appear tough, couldn’t conceal his frailty from anyone who listened.

Allen didn’t hide anything and got straight to the point, "I’m looking for like-minded people. You’re Frodo Ols, right? I think I remember you. You took your oath in the Imperial Capital’s Temple before me."

Taking an oath in the Imperial Capital was a privilege of the Laine second generation, and the only ones allowed to take their oaths in the main hall of the Temple of the Lord of the Dawn had to come from notable families. Although it was a form of destiny, Frodo wasn’t too pleased about it. Even though he too had sworn his oath in the Imperial Capital, there were differences.

Allen’s father was the Supreme Decree, so Allen must have sworn his oath in the main hall, in front of the Divine Idol of the Lord of the Dawn. Frodo, however, could only swear his in a smaller prayer room, before a smaller idol of the Lord of the Dawn.

Officially, they said there were too many Paladins taking oaths to fit into one hall, but in reality, it was about class separation, something Frodo was well aware of.

Now that Allen brought it up, Frodo felt like he was bragging.

However, Allen didn’t continue on this topic. As if he just wanted to find some common ground, he then asked, "Frodo, what do you think about the current state of Laine?"

Frodo was caught off guard; he hadn’t expected Allen to ask such a question.

Even if you are a traitor, isn’t that a little too direct?

Frodo didn’t hesitate to express his great satisfaction with the Laine Empire and continuously praised the Empire and the Lord of the Dawn.

Allen didn’t argue but just watched Frodo in silence until he awkwardly closed his mouth.

"Frodo, why did you stop? Aren’t there many more words of praise from the Dawn Ceremony?"

Frodo was silent. He didn’t know why, but today, he couldn’t continue reciting the usual praises that he could normally recite all day. In the end, Frodo could only choke out, "You know them too, so I don’t feel like reciting them."

The events that followed were a bit fuzzy in Frodo’s memory.

He vaguely remembered sitting with Allen in the forest for an entire night, where Allen caught two rabbits, and they roasted them on the spot.

Frodo couldn’t remember what the roasted rabbit tasted like. He only remembered the first rays of sunlight breaking through the treetops in the morning and falling upon Allen. Clothed in the dawn’s light, Allen radiated a holy presence all around, and Frodo’s heart, which had been in turmoil all night, suddenly calmed down.

Then, he couldn’t help but ask Allen, "Do you think, when we die, we can enter the Divine Realm?"

Allen shook his head and said, "I don’t know, but I guess we probably can’t."

Frodo asked, agitated, "Why? I’ve achieved so much for Laine, I’ve done so much, why can’t I enter the Divine Realm? I’ve kept my oath, never slackened, how come I’m going to Hell?!"

Allen sighed and said to Frodo, "Frodo, it’s not just you. I’m going to Hell as well, because I haven’t yet atoned for the mistakes I’ve made."

"You’re a traitor; of course, you’re going to Hell. Why should I be the same as you?" Frodo, angry, clenched the handle of his sword, nearly drawing it to strike Allen.

Allen ignored his hostility, simply saying calmly, "Have you ever thought that the wars we’ve been involved in are unjust? The Lord of the Dawn only told us to keep hope, never to bring despair to others. I’ve been part of wars in the Orc Mountains, and I’ve seen orcs slaughtered. They had parents, wives, children, friends. What reasons did we have for slaughtering the orcs?"

Frodo blurted out, "We are the righteous avengers; the Orc Kingdom is our sworn enemy."

"Sworn enemies? But who started this feud? Do you know when the orcs became enemies with Laine, and for what reason? Even if this is an old grudge and doesn’t need to be considered, does a war that spares not even children make sense?

"Frodo, you followed the Ironblood General and have slaughtered many, right? I’ve heard of your accomplishments. You’ve conquered cities in the Dwarf Kingdom, and only infants who couldn’t speak were left alive. Did your sword ever strike down those defenseless women and children?"

"I didn’t, they were all..."

Frodo wanted to explain that he was only responsible for charging into battle; the massacring of the cities was done by the soldiers below, the Ironblood General’s guards didn’t need to bother with such exhausting tasks.

But at the end of the day, he was a Paladin, and such self-deceiving words were something Frodo couldn’t bring himself to say.

In the theater of war, Frodo, like everyone else, was part of a collective. Whoever killed the vulnerable, stained Frodo’s sword with their blood.

If this were in the past, Frodo would have scoffed at Allen’s words; when had the Laine Empire ever been wrong? All its wars were just.

As a Paladin, he took pride in Laine and wouldn’t allow a single blemish on its glory. If anyone dared to speak out, they were taken straight to the Court of Judgment. Whatever slaughter there was, Frodo could find a hundred ways to convince others and himself, all taught by the General.

But now, there was no power of the Holy Light coursing through him.

Frodo was no longer a Paladin blessed by the Holy Light; he had become an utterly ordinary person.

And Allen, the power of the Holy Light within him was so abundant that it could be felt even with eyes closed.

If a traitor could possess such power, could it be that he, Frodo, was the one who was wrong? That he lost the power of the Holy Light not only because he had been turned into an Undead, but also because his own actions had betrayed the Holy Light?