Chapter 33: Who's Paying Whom?
Outside the castle, a ragtag army had gathered despite the chilly winds.
Winter was coming, and the soldiers were shivering in their threadbare coats.
Ambrose paid little mind to this motley band, which had been assembled hastily by a few nearby lords, and instead fixed his attention on the paladin standing at the front.
It had been more than half a month since they'd parted at the tavern.
Ambrose hadn't expected a paladin of the Lyon Empire to be associating with these petty lords. It felt rather beneath his dignity.
This time, Ambrose made no pretense of being human. He had appeared in the castle clearing in the skeletal guise of a lich.
No sooner had he manifested than the Porcupine Knight rode forward and addressed him with righteous fury: "Filthy lich, I am Sir Aldrich Jais. You have bewitched my people with foul sorcery. If you don't return my subjects today, as a noble of Alkhemia, I shall declare war on you!"
Sir Aldrich was unusually confident for the occasion. Despite facing a lich hovering in the air, he thundered his accusation without a flicker of fear.
He had no need to worry—he was flanked by thousands of troops, advised by a court magician, and accompanied by a paladin of the Lyon Empire.