"Everything is quite simple but hard to understand or accept to be more accurate." I began talking. "First of all, my real name is not Edward. It is Erwin."

Arthur nodded. "Go on."

"Then back to my answers, yes as you can see, I am a lich, capable of controlling undead, and yes, I am also not an undead as you may expect me to be."

"That's why my senses weren't alerted by your existence, but how can a human become a lich while still being alive? Doesn't that clash with needs to become a lich?"

"And that explains my existence. I am not from your world. Like the heroes, you people almost adore like prophets. I am sent here by an outside force."

Arthur got a bit angry. "You began talking nonsense, but go on. But remember to tell the truth this time." He pushed his sword a little bit closer to my neck.

My hands are tied, literally, but I still have a little trust, so I pushed the sword a little away from my neck.

"Then let me tell you everything. My name is Erwin, as I said before, and I am not from this world. The place where I came is called Confederation Of Northern Europe."

I got up from the ground.

"I am from a family with deep military connections and history. I am a soldier myself. I am here in this world because of a similar reason why gods send heroes. No stories are complete without villains."

"Then why shouldn't I kill you right here right now and end this story for good?"

"You can do it. It doesn't matter to me that much, it's been a long time since I had something worth living for, but there is one thing you cannot change. Gods will send another one anyways."

And once again, Arthurs swords tip is right next to my neck.

"You are talking too bold for a heretic who is in reach of my sword."

Why did this guy suddenly turn into a religious fanatic?

"I am telling the truths, and it doesn't matter if your sword is next to my neck. I, Erwin, the next lich king, chosen by the gods you are soo fond of to create chaos in this world."

"Lies!" Arthur shout.

"Truth," I said, then got up from the ground. "You can always prove that I am telling the truth. Go kill me, and another lich will raise anyways."

Arthur stopped moving.

"It is time to accept Arthur. Gods are not mortal beings like us. They do not share the same moral compass or view the world the same as us. The life you see so important is nothing for them. They created hundreds of evil, and they will create hundreds more, for what? To entertain themselves."

Arthur raised his sword to the air, ready to strike. Then he shouted and slashed his sword towards me.

"Like it will change anything."

But with an unexpected turn, the sword didn't cut me but rather the ropes tying my hand.

"I still need answers, and I will get them, but move quickly. We will finish our talk when went back to the town."

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Knights, under Arthurs command, were killed in the battle against rattoids, and heroes were escorted back to another place by elite soldiers called. Heavens Guard.

So, it is only Arthur and me who are left behind. Thankfully, the horses who carried us here are still alive, and we can ride them back home.

I am not a good rider, but like every high-class member of our countries society, I took riding lessons when I was a child, so I know enough to ride one in a path.

But that doesn't mean the road was enjoyable. At least small talks between Arthur and me are enough to make the road more bearable.

"So originally you were an engineer, but you joined the army because of certain events caused the death of someone you care a lot. That's a noble cause I can give you that."

We are talking about our pasts and bonding a bit in a weird situation.

"That was what I believed, but once I tasted the adrenaline and blood, I got addicted to it, and I spent the rest of my life on the battlefield."

I sighed. "The hands once hold a weapon with a noble cause were soaked with blood in no time."

"Yes, indeed, no one can leave a war without blood on his hands, but the question is, whose blood spilled on your hands?"

"Sadly, that's a question I can not answer without lying to myself."

Arthur looked at me with curious eyes for a moment. "Not every soldier is proud of what they did. Sometimes some people will be sacrificed for the greater good. That's normal."

Yes, if you look from the eyes of a country, the deaths of some civilians are nothing against the things countries gains, but in the moral standards of a human, it is wrong in many ways.

"Maybe if you are a king. Yes, the greater good is better than the lives of ones below you, but I am not a king, only an old tool, who is carrying unforgivable sins."

Arthur didn't even respond. His silence is enough for someone to think different things, but I won't ask more about it.

We stopped talking. It was clear that we both shared our fair amount of sins.

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It has been a long time since we stopped talking, and I am going to end it.

"So tell me, how long do you need to protect your nephew and niece?. I don't want to find myself in a civil war," I told this in a humorous tone.

"I don't know exactly, but longer than two weeks. Why did you ask?"

I sighed. "That could be because I am bored, were walking in this direction for a very long time, and we still di-"

"Shh." Arthur closed my mouth with his hand. "Can you smell that too?" He pulled his hand.

"I know this smell." And I am not happy with it" Essence scorched earth and ground washed with blood. This scent carries the bloodlust of a human inside.

"Go! Faster!" Arthur shout.

And after a short ride, we arrived at the town.

Dead bodies of soldiers from two different factions living on the ground, rivers of blood flowing on the earth, and screams of civilians, and sounds of clashing iron are still coming from inside the town."

Arthur stopped for a moment. Bodies of his dead comrades terrorized him, but I could sense one thing, something more going on inside.

"Whose soldiers are they?" I asked.

"Looking at the banner, probably from Duke Andersons. He is known for his hunger for power. I doubt if he misses a chance to gain some. Come inside. I might need your help."

We began to move inside the town carefully.

Buildings are either burned or demolished and dead bodies of people, people who I once saw on the streets, happily walking, are lying around. It is a disgusting view that no one should see.

Arthur moved towards a body. "Death is weird, isn't it. All of these people, I can still remember their voices, but now here they are lying in the ground, without moving an inch of their body."

"It is inevitable and will come for everyone in one day. It is the only truth we know in this universe." I gave my idea about the concept of death.

Arthur nodded and began to move towards the mayor's house. I believe he still hopes to find Markus and Maria but just looking around and how they massacred every life in this town. No, there is still hope.

We got in front of the mayor's house. Two knights were impaled to the walls of the building by giant bolts that penetrated their chests.

Arthur didn't even check his dead comrade's bodies and rushed inside. As we moved inside, the dead bodies of the servants who worked inside this house blocked our way.

I don't want to describe what happened here, but I hope some of them didn't die that easily.

Arthur opened a hidden door and rushed inside, I tried to follow him, but his voice stopped me. "It is too late. They found and killed Markus, civil war began. I failed to stop it."

"And what happened to Maria?" I asked him this question hoping there for a way to stop the civil war.

"I don't know. There is no sign of Maria, but I doubt if she survived this massacre. Just give me some time okay,"

I left the mayor's house and directly headed towards the tavern. Fluffy and my money are still there, and I need both of them.

I passed the streets full of dead bodies and rushed inside the tavern.

As I expected, people gave a good fight inside here. Still, all of them died in the end. Olie, Ruckus, rangers that I don't know their names. They all died with a weapon in their hand, and their dead bodies were smiling while looking at the enemies they killed.

I moved to the floor where my room is. I reached the end of the corridor and saw the broken door of my room. Someone did it, probably by force, but what they were searching inside, maybe loot?

The dead body of Fluffy was lying in the middle of the floor, his body was full of scars from different weapons, but four enemy soldiers were also lying on the ground next to him.

Just like everyone here, Fluffy also took some of their man with him.

I put my hand to Fluffies head. "You did good, my friend," I whispered to him. "Now you can rest."

The chains I used to lock the wardrobe were broken, with little hope to find something inside. I opened the wardrobe door and saw something both good and surprising.

"Maria. You are alive, but how?" That was the niece of Arthur. She was alive and well, but what was she doing here?

"Before bad guys killed everyone, I was playing with Fluffy in the streets, but suddenly Olie Uncle grabbed me and brought me here with Fluffy. He said I should hide somewhere and told Fluffy to guard me. I don't know the rest other than screams coming from floors below."

So this dog is not only loyal but also intelligent. I looked at the Fluffies dead body. Sadly, I lost him.

"Okay, that's enough, now follow me. Arthur is waiting for you." I grabbed the girls hand began to move towards the mayor's house

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I found Arthur standing in front of the mayor's house with tens of freshly killed soldiers around him.

Arthurs armor got soaked in blood as his sword, and the dead soldiers were sliced and diced from every angle you can imagine.

This guy is a power to be recognized.

"Arthur, you couldn't believe who I found!"

Arthur looked at his young niece, who he thought to be dead. His broken eyes began to shine with a new hope.

He rushed towards the little girl and hugged her. "Maria, you can't know how much you scared me. After losing everyone and Markus, I can't handle losing you too."

He was crying.

"So, we stopped the civil war?" I asked with one last hope.

Arthur stopped hugging his niece and got up. "Sadly, no. Heir to the throne is dead, and Maria can only claim her rights on the throne if someone supports her."

"But there should be at least something she could do?" I asked with the last hope I had about stopping this war because I already found myself inside this, and I won't take a step back.

"There is one if a lich is a willing fight under the banner of a human, but it will create a problem."

"Because I am a lich?"

Arthur shook his head as a no. "Because you are the Lich king, if the things you said are true, necromancy is not that forbidden long as it's used in battlefields and not in people's graveyards."

I nodded. "I will help, but if I am taking this risk, I will also want great rewards in exchange."

"Long as you don't go too far, the deal is sealed."

We shook hands.

"Then shall we start by raising an army of death from all the fuckers still alive inside this town." I smiled.

Arthur laughed before answering. "You just read my mind."