"The conversation fell apart. What we feared most about was what we should do now? Are we going to crusade against him? This is clearly a trap that the dragons have dug for us!"

"But are we going to be neutral when humans crusade against the Lich Paladin? That would be an admission to everyone that the identities of the Lich and the Paladin can overlap. Besides, we still have a pact with the Lich Paladin. ”

"Isn't it up to us to admit that a lich can become a paladin? It turns out that he has never fallen, and not only that, but his faith has grown stronger. ”

"We can accept it, but how do we make humanity accept it? ”

"That's just a distorted set of beliefs, and we should go back to the roots of faith!"

But it's more effective than our pure faith, isn't it? Human beings are ignorant and short-sighted, and we can only divide the sacred from the dark in this simpler and more concise way. ”

"If the identity of the Lich Paladin is revealed, perhaps we can use the opportunity to promote the Divine Inclusion by promoting the fact that dark creatures can also be indoctrinated. ”

"Yes, but at the same time, all dark creatures can claim to have been indoctrinated and walk everywhere. However, we all know in our hearts whether this is the case or not. How do we prove that they are not civilized? We can defend ourselves against the threat of dark creatures, but what about humans? Can they resist it? This will be a huge hole that will break the dam that we have been building. Although the Holy See is far from meeting our expectations, you must admit that it has achieved something over the past 10,000 years. No one on the entire continent dared to claim that he was in collusion with Hell. While humans do not really come close to the divine, they must at least verbally acknowledge the correctness of the divine. If we openly admit the Lich Paladin, then it is foreseeable that Hell will use this opportunity to subvert the entire Divine Faith. ”

In the white expanse of holy light, the Holy Spirits have already exploded.

......

At the same time, in the abyss, discussions are also going on.

"Heaven may do something, and so must we. This would be a good opportunity. If they conquest a Lich Paladin, we should support him. Yes, whatever Heaven supports, we oppose. Whatever they oppose, we support. Hahahaha!"

"What if they didn't conquest the Lich Paladin?"

"Better yet, we'll expose the Lich Paladins and embarrass the Heavens!

"However, this was not what we had planned at the beginning. Through him we hope to split the Holy See into two. ”

"Yes, but now the situation is not going in the direction we expected. The presence of the Lich Paladin has indeed divided the Holy See and the faith, but he is more upright and resolute than we think. He already controls the Holy See, and if Heaven supports him and we support him, then he will soon purge the opponents from within the Holy See. When the time comes, the Holy See will remain one and the faith will be more pure, which could not be worse for us. ”

"No, I don't approve of that!"

In the midst of the noise, the black gas in the middle was rolling, and the demon lord was silent, thinking.

......

Just as Heaven and Hell were in an argument, Gray had already descended the steps of the Black Dragon Palace, took his sword from the hand of the black-armored attendant standing aside, and quickly left the Gustav Palace and rode onto Tenadas.

"Everyone, get on the horse, evacuate Black Dragon City immediately!"

The members of the Silver Moon Knights who were still distributing copper plates in the alley were stunned for a moment, and hurriedly scattered the remaining copper plates, and then rode on their war horses one by one, and the dwarves without war horses were tied to their backs by the Silver Moon Knights.

"Assemble ——!," Karl shouted, holding the Silver Moon banner.

The paupers all around looked at each other in a daze.

......

Jones, who was busy, suddenly stood up and nodded: "Okay, I understand." ”

As he spoke, he looked at Andrew, who looked dazed.

"Why are you going south?

"I don't know, just obey the order. Jones replied.

......

Gray rode his horse down the street, pedestrians avoided it, and the scattered members of the Knights of the Silver Moon began to converge in his direction.

The lichs lying in a row on the eaves watched Gray pass by.

"Where does he want to go?"

"Who knows?"

"Shouldn't we start immediately if the talks fall apart?"

"He's out of town, so what are we going to do?"

"Hurry up and chase it!"

The lichs turned around and went back to packing up. In fact, there is nothing to clean up, and the main "thing" is actually a certain author. After all, he can't be allowed to run.

......

There was no obstruction, and there was no chaos, and in the blink of an eye, Gray had already galloped to the outskirts of Black Dragon City on horseback.

One by one, the Knights of the Silver Moon chased after them from behind.

"Talks collapsed?" asked the mallet, who was carried behind by Carl, in the midst of the frantic run.

"Yes. Gray replied casually.

"So what do we do now?"

"Back south, Salted Fish Harbor!I'm afraid they'll take action on Shelley and Richie!" Raising a hand aloft, Gray used the power of the Demon Lord to perform the Wind Spell on the entire Silvermoon Knights.

The Knights of the Silver Moon began to sprint wildly, non-stop, in the direction of Salted Fish Harbor. Vivien disappeared and followed Gray closely.

Of course, there was a large group of lichs carrying Morka behind and quietly following.

......

A minister hurried out of the Black Dragon Hall with the document that Cedric V had just issued.

"Gather all the armies at once! Remember! It's all! Paladin Gray has confirmed that they are lichs, and now, we are going to launch a crusade against them in the name of the Holy Spirit!"

"Lich Gray usurps the clergy! From today on, everyone is not allowed to call 'Paladin Gray' in words or letters, and must add the words 'Lich Gray'!"

"Support Gray the Lich, listed as illegal from today!"

"All those who defend Gray, their property, and all other rights will not be protected by the royal family!"

"Send a letter to all the kings of the continent! Let them immediately make their attitude clear, whether they are on the side of the Holy Spirit or on the side of the lich!"

"Issuing an order, all towns and villages in the Gustav Empire will post a notice that 'Gray is a lich' and let everyone know about it!"

"Allow the people to organize their own crusade against Paladin Gray to a certain scale, and the organizers will be rewarded by His Majesty!"

Gustav's powerful state apparatus was activated, and the news quickly spread to every corner of Black Dragon City, and even to the surrounding cities, neighboring countries!

"Oh my God...... He's a lich? I just got the flour he gave me......"

"His Majesty the Emperor said that it had been confirmed. ”

"How do you know that?"

"I didn't say it. ”

"Isn't that just no evidence?"

"Shhh ”

The man who was still holding the flour hurriedly covered his mouth.

"As long as Gray the Lich can stand in front of me and take off his helmet to prove that he is not a Lich, I believe he is not a Lich. ”

"But you said yesterday that you wouldn't believe Gray until he stood in front of you and took off his helmet to prove that he was a lich. ”

"No, it's different, isn't it?"

Public opinion is fermenting, and it has begun to move from the original private discussion to the stage, becoming more and more unfavorable to Gray.

......

The controversy in the Light continues.

"Maybe there's a turnaround, they don't have proof. There's no way the Lich Paladins can't get their hands on the evidence!, maybe, maybe, we can circumvent something......"

"But someone is constantly fueling the fire, and you want to watch the entire Holy Faith split and then turn into a complete civil war? The Lich Paladin won't let the other party get proof that he is a lich, but he also can't prove that he is not a lich, he can't put an end to the rumors, and he is not even willing to punish those who claim to be a lich!"

"Maybe we can change his lich form and become like his son...... It's a little hard, but it's not impossible, isn't it?"

"You have to think about whether he accepts it personally. ”

"Why wouldn't he accept it?"

"His goal from the beginning was to walk in the sun as a lich. Although he made a request to Hell to have children with his wife, and Hell fulfilled his request by giving him a son, he never asked for a body of flesh and blood. Don't you understand? He hated deception from the beginning and didn't want to live in it!"

"It's just terrible...... We couldn't do anything about it. ”

......

The discussion in the abyss continues.

"Divine faith was his greatest talisman, but it was also his greatest weakness. There is no compromise, no compromise, no possibility of negotiation. This means that Heaven has little room for manoeuvre, and they are pushing their faith into a corner. In any case, this will be the greatest victory of hell over heaven in 10,000 years!"

"Don't be happy too soon. If Heaven were to pull some tricks to steer the results to the better, then it would be possible for them to have a true Lich Saint at the same time, as well as a completely pure Divine Faith. ”

"How can they get it?"

"It's a slim hope, but it's a possibility. Those lowly human beings need to be saved not by their bad lives, but by their inferior intelligence. They hope for a savior, but they often burn him to death with their own hands. Perhaps Heaven will want to start with this and reach another agreement on the condition that 'the identity is revealed but not triggered by the human crusade'. ”

"Then we should unleash all the emissaries to further aggravate the distortion of the Divine Faith, incite humanity's hatred of the Lich Paladin, and prevent Heaven from turning the tables in this way. ”

"Yes, as long as we block this way out, then we will always have the upper hand! This result is certainly not as good as we thought at the beginning, but this is undoubtedly the best choice at the moment!"

The Demon Lord remained silent, thinking. However, the other demons have already begun to act.

......

Gray led the Knights of the Silver Moon in a non-stop rush in the direction of Salted Fish Harbor, and the entire Lich Council followed closely behind, and Morka was about to be turned out of trouble.

Time passed bit by bit, day after day.

At the same time, the situation was snowballing, not only in the Gustavian Empire, but even in the entire North, spreading to the South. Even the nobles of the South began to hesitate.

"It can't be, there's no evidence that Paladin Gray is a lich. If he were a lich, of course I would send troops against him, but there is no proof yet, is it?"

......

"If the paladin is not a lich, why doesn't he prove it to us? Just take off his mask, and he can prove it! He is not willing to do such an easy thing! There is only one answer—he is indeed a lich!" a man shouted from the square.

"But he has a guardian angel and can perform holy arts, which many people have seen. Someone whispered.

In the corner, a demon quietly wears a ring similar to Gray's. The next moment, a holy light descended from the sky and fell on the instigator.

Suddenly, an earth-shattering exclamation rang out in the square.

The instigator cried out, "See! This is a revelation from the Holy Spirit! The light of Gray the Lich is fake, and so are the angels!

Fueled by the demons, fires against Gray were lit everywhere, and the news began to spread at a faster rate.

......

From Black Dragon City to Salted Fish Harbor, it only takes about half a month for the Silver Moon Knights to go full speed. However, they are fast, and the news spreads even faster.

"I heard that Gray took off his helmet in the Black Dragon Temple, and that he is indeed a lich. ”

"The Holy See has declared Gray a lich, the spokesman of darkness. Sacred arts and angels are fake!"

Gray found his identity exposed, and he had begun to flee south. ”

All kinds of rumors, true, fake, and colorful, fill every corner, making people dizzy. The entire continent is already in turmoil.

......

"Now everyone is asking, it's not the whispers it used to be. The guard admonished Camilla, "We must have a response." ”

Looking at the civilians watching under the city walls, Camilla said coldly: "All those who declare Paladin Gray a lich, whoever it is, will be executed immediately. ”

......

"This can't be, how can a Paladin-sama be a lich?" Bob screamed.

"But we've never seen him for what he really is, have we? we can't even vouch for him. Benedict II looked out the window helplessly: "I'm surprised why only paladins could perform holy magic before, but now it's everywhere. If those holy arts were not fakes, then there must be a powerful organization that wanted to bring him down. We don't know anything about this now. ”

Under the balcony, a large number of people are boiling.

......

With the exception of Gray's stronghold of Salted Fish Harbor and White City, sudden changes are taking place everywhere, and the people are boiling with resentment. The more people who like Gray, the more hostile they are to him. One by one, the suppressed forces are rising, and they are in harmony with the demons.

......

Just eight days after Gray left Black Dragon City, when the entire continent had already spread the news that he was a lich and concocted countless conspiracy theories. Gray discovers him and loses the power of the Demon Lord.

"So, our agreement is no longer valid, right?" shouted Gray, looking at the sky.

There was no response.

Yes, not at all. The communication with the demon lord seems to be the same as the communication with the Holy Spirit.

"We all know it's going to be like this, aren't we?" The black cat said helplessly, "When even the Holy Spirit can't be relied on, how can the Demon Lord be reliable?" Gray was silent and stood quietly.

After a long time, he whispered, "Let's go back first." ”

So saying, he mounted his horse and continued south. Now, he just wanted to see Shelley and Richie earlier.

However, he soon encountered a town that was unwilling to let him pass.

The townspeople erected a fence at the junction because they had heard that Gray was likely to pass by.

You know, the last time Gray passed through here, he was warmly welcomed.

The mayor shouted, "Paladin, we heard some bad news, we didn't believe it at first, but now even the Holy See says so!"

"Holy See?" Gray was stunned for a moment.

"You shouldn't give up on the Holy See Hill. The black cat said weakly, "Those cardinals hate you to death, and they will definitely stand opposite you." ”

After a moment of silence, the mayor shouted loudly, "As long as you take off your helmet and prove to us that you are not a lich, then we will love you as much as ever!"

The crowd stood on the other side of the fence and looked at Gray, and the two sides were at a stalemate.

After a long time, Gray could only whisper, "Let's take a detour." ”

The Knights of the Silver Moon slowly circled the town's outskirts.

"Soon there will be new rumors. The black cat said helplessly.

In fact, Black Cat was right. Because every town that follows, refuses to let Gray in, unless Gray is willing to take off his helmet to prove himself.

And whenever Gray decided to go around, someone would spit on him from afar, and someone would shout, "Lich!

These people used to love him so much.

As there are more and more places to detour, there are more and more places where he is not welcome.

Everyone is like getting the same script, repeating the plot over and over again.

When it was time to enter the border of Isaac, a group of cavalry stopped in front of the Knights of the Silver Moon.

The armor Gray in the lead recognized, and it was a coincidence that it was the Silver Knight who was searching for Gray in the town at the beginning.

"Gray the Lich, stop! you...... You don't want to pass through me!" the knight in silver armor was still trembling as he spoke.

Greller took the reins and spun in place, looking at him. The entire Silver Moon Knights were silently watching the cavalry that suddenly appeared.

Drawing the sword at his waist, the silver-armored knight roared loudly: "Today, unless you take off your helmet and prove to me that you are not a lich and that you are on the side of justice, I will kill you in the name of the Holy Spirit!"

After a long silence, Gray asked softly, "Is it really that important if I'm a lich or not?"

"Doesn't it matter?" the Silver Knight asked rhetorically, snarling.

"Isn't the most important thing justice, isn't the most important thing the holy faith?" asked Gray, in a loud voice.

"The Lich's Righteousness is not Justice! The Lich's Faith is Not Faith! The Lich is evil, and what the Lich does, even if it seems righteous, must be a huge conspiracy!" replied the Silver Knight in a loud voice. After answering, he smiled, probably feeling that it was the first time in his life that he had said such profound words. The soldiers around him applauded.

Gray was stunned when he heard this, and stood quietly, looking at the silver-armored knight in the distance.

Everything is reincarnated repeatedly, and it is back to square one. That chased, panicked night, as if it were just yesterday.

In five years, he did a lot, but it was as if he had done nothing. He's still a shunted lich.

At this moment, he had no heart, but he felt pain.

Silence, silence for a long time, as long as if a century had passed. Gray stared silently at the silver-armored knight opposite.

"Take off your helmet, and if you prove to me that you're not a lich, I'll let you go!" the knight in armor on the other side was still urging.

Gray slowly raised his hand.

"Gray, what do you want to do?" the black cat screamed in fright.

Before the others could react, Gray reached out and took off his helmet and tossed it aside. A skull that barely appears in the sun.

It was as if the laughter had been stifled.

In an instant, the cavalry team on the opposite side, and even the entire Silver Moon Knights, were stunned. The Silver-Armored Knight's expression twisted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The wind was blowing softly, stirring the green leaves around them.

Belinda and Zeda, who were floating in the sky, were stunned, and even the Lich Council, which was hiding far away, was stunned.

Ignoring everyone's horror, the soul fire in Gray's eye socket was blazing. He asked softly, "Alright, now I'll prove to you that I'm a lich." I'm not going to run away anymore, what are you going to do to me?"8)