This Lich is a Better Landlord Chapter 35

Never fight a mage in his tower unless you're launching a surprise attack.

This was common knowledge, but life rarely goes according to plan.

Just like now. The battle had begun, and there was no turning back.

The castle's magical defense systems were all active. Countless bolts of necrotic energy shot out from the castle, raining down on the enemy army like artillery fire.

Mortals could not withstand such magical power. The slightest touch would corrode them into skeletons.

But the paladin and the cleric remained unharmed. The overwhelming power of the Antimagic Field dissipated all magic that entered its radius. For as long as the field lasted, the two of them were effectively immune to magic.

Unless one could cast a spell of divine-level power, there was no breaking through an Antimagic Field.

Here, the difference between a subpar Legend and a true Legend became apparent.

Every Legend was a demigod who had transcended the mortal realm and mastered a sliver of divine power.

Normally, a Legendary Lich like Ambrose could have taught these two young upstarts from the Ryan Empire a lesson with a single spell infused with divine power.

But having abandoned the path of Divination, Ambrose had no magic that could reach that demigod level. Faced with an Antimagic Field, his only option was to avoid it. Fortunately, this one was cast from a scroll, so all he had to do was wait for its duration to end.

Typically, a spell cast from a scroll like this would only last a minute or two.

Ambrose's leisure stood in stark contrast to the enemy's panic.

Harvey weaved through the raining necrotic energy, his unnervingly accurate intuition keeping him alive until the first wave of magical bombardment ended.

Though he was unscathed, Harvey was drenched in sweat. The slightest misstep, and he would have been another skeleton on the field. The negligible amount of mana a mage apprentice could muster wouldn't have even dented an attack of this magnitude.

Looking behind him, he saw that the Porcupine Knight had also survived by sheer luck. But of the other lords who had joined the crusade against the lich, three were dead, their bodies and horses corroded into bone.

The casualties among the soldiers were even more severe. Over two hundred were killed instantly. There were few wounded, as the magical assault was so terrifyingly potent that even a grazing hit meant certain death.

Such devastation. Harvey really wanted to ask them, why did you have to provoke him?

They had gravely underestimated the lich's power. The lords had positioned themselves far from the battlefield, at what should have been well beyond the maximum range of any spell.

Who could have guessed the castle's defenses were specifically enhanced for range?

Could it be, Harvey wondered, that this lich began modifying his defenses to target us right after he took in the freemen?

That was giving them too much credit. Ambrose had upgraded his castle's magical defense systems entirely because the Withered Rose had sent him a detailed schematic of the Ryan Empire's city defense network. It contained many excellent ideas worth borrowing, like this effect that increased spell range. It was cost-effective and practical; it would have been a crime not to install it.

And today, it had proven its worth marvelously.

Truly worthy of the Ryan Empire, Ambrose thought, mentally giving their magical engineering a thumbs-up as he surveyed his handiwork.

Harvey felt a sense of dread. As an advisor, he had suggested retreat more than once, but the lord wouldn't listen. Resentment was already brewing within him. If he survived today, he was definitely resigning.

But for now, he had to fulfill his duty as an advisor.

Harvey spurred his horse toward the paladin, shouting, "We're about to break! Do you have a way to deal with this lich or not? If you don't, we need to retreat now!"

The paladin asked in surprise, "You're breaking after less than twenty percent casualties?"

He had to admit he'd underestimated Ambrose, but were these petty lords from the City of Alchemy really this weak?

Barely twenty percent losses, and their morale was already shattered?

Even the weakest legion in the Ryan Empire wouldn't flinch at anything less than thirty percent losses.

Harvey desperately wanted to slap the paladin. But he held back, opting for the most efficient form of communication. "How can an army of common tenants compare to the faith-forged legions of the Ryan Empire? This is the reality. Do you have a plan or not?"

The paladin could only think that this trial was truly an eye-opening experience. But now was not the time for reflection. "Of course," he said to Harvey. "We just need to get into the castle and find his phylactery. Since your men can't hold, tell them to retreat. They'll only get in our way."

With that, the paladin, along with the cleric, resumed his charge toward the castle's main gate.

The Antimagic Field was still active. They could ignore all magical attacks and rush straight to the castle door.

Harvey looked at the sky filled with magical projectiles, hesitated for a moment, then followed behind the paladin.

His intuition told him that running now wouldn't end well for him. Perhaps charging in with the paladin was the right choice. He could only hope his intuition wasn't wrong.

Seeing Harvey charge with them, the paladin even offered a word of praise. "Your courage is commendable. May the Holy Light protect you."

If I'm going to pray to any god for protection, Harvey thought, as a mage apprentice, it should be Mystra, the Goddess of Magic. These religious fanatics never miss a chance to proselytize.

Under the effect of the Antimagic Field, all the magical traps before the castle gate were disabled. Simple pitfalls and crossbow traps were useless against the fully armored paladin, who casually deflected the incoming bolts with his longsword.

The three of them reached the castle gate, their only losses being two horses. But just then, the Antimagic Field began to flicker and soon dissipated completely.

Harvey, following closely behind the two, also arrived at the gate.

The moment he saw the three of them charge, Ambrose had wisely retreated inside the castle. Seeing the paladin at his doorstep, he smiled and pressed a mechanism.

Just as the paladin prepared to smash through the castle gate, a series of clicking and grinding sounds echoed.

None of the three knew what was happening, but the paladin decided to press forward. Holy light erupted from his longsword. Divine Smite wasn't just for slaying liches; it was also excellent for demolition.

The blade fell, shattering the heavy wooden door to splinters. The immense impact even cracked the ground beneath them.

As Harvey marveled at the paladin's strength, he suddenly said with a frown, "Wait, aren't there too many cracks?"

The words had barely left his lips when the ground before the gate completely crumbled, revealing a bottomless pit.

Caught completely off guard, the three of them plummeted straight down.

Ambrose watched them fall into the pit through his magical surveillance. He reached out and patted the Living Quicksilver beside him. "Little one," he said to the newly born creature, "it's your time to shine. If you can beat a paladin from the Ryan Empire, then this little venture of mine will have paid off handsomely."