I became a legion lich

212 Pre-trial settlements

The elders knew about the gods’ non-intervention agreement, but they didn’t know that Eirin and Canan were one. Eirin didn’t trust any of them to share such an important, intimate secret, so they were oblivious to her unique status.

To the elders of the Order of Magic, Canan was the Emperor and God of the Makima Empire, while Eirin was his younger sister and demigoddess, as well as the founder of the Order of Magic.

It made no sense to them that she should not participate in the war, as the non-intervention agreement was not supposed to stop her. They were assuming she would be busy fighting Setlan and the Fae alliance’s attempt to retake their territories from the Makima empire, but she has yet to be seen on the battlefield.

“A couple of masters of magic should be enough to keep an eye on him, though not enough to defeat him in battle. We could also use energy signature tracking spells to ensure he can’t run away.” Eirin suggested.

Two masters of magic wouldn’t be able to defeat an elder, but they would be enough to hold him back for a while while they called for reinforcements.

The two elders began to think about her words, wondering if it would be enough to arrest an elder. They both had power to deal with at least six masters of magic, but that would take a lot of time and require them to be at their peak.

A pair of magic masters wouldn’t last long against either of them, but it would buy time while they called for reinforcements. The order stipulated that during the war against Doravon at least two elders should always be on hand to offer reinforcements at any time, so the chances of him escaping greatly diminished.

Furthermore, the dark elder’s strategic value also needed to be taken into account. Unlike other elders, he had an army of his own, in addition to undead generals. If his own magic was taken into account, he would be one of the strongest elders in the order of magic.

‘Now is the time to make the offer.’ Canan spoke in his mind, noticing that the elders looked hesitant.

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“Furthermore, I have an offer for you, should you decide to help me. I am willing to share some of my runesmith knowledge with you, air Elder. And as for you, fire Elder, I can teach you how to overcome your growth bottleneck, or even help her in her research.” Eirin said in a silvery voice, hoping that would be enough to convince at least the air Elder.

“I appreciate the offer, supreme elder, but I must overcome my limitations alone. As for my research, it is something I intend to keep for myself and my disciples. But I can still see the logic behind your argument.” Valk spoke and Eirin’s expression brightened for an instant, but she quickly controlled herself.

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“Instead of helping me with my research, I’d like to propose a different deal.” Valk suddenly looked anxious, but masked it almost perfectly, only Canan’s trained eyes picking up on her intentions.

“What kind of deal?” Eirin asked as her eyes narrowed.

“I want you to give me control of Dune Volcano and the region surrounding it. The region belongs to the empire, but I’m sure Supreme Elder can easily achieve that. If you promise me control of the volcano, I will support your decision at trial, whatever it may be.”

Eirin racked her brain as she tried to remember where the volcano was and if it held any resources important to the order of magic or the Makima empire, but the name was unfamiliar to her.

‘It is an active volcano that is close to the coast of the empire, in the extreme south of the continent. The volcano erupts every 4~5 years, so there are no towns nearby. The volcano also spews obsidian, so miners travel to the region a few months after the eruptions are over and collect the stuff.’ Canan explained, vaguely remembering the region.

Obsidian was a magic metal rich in fire element and a rare resource, but it wasn’t something that essential. They had dozens of other mines of the same metal, so giving up a single one wouldn’t be such a big loss.

‘Is the region important to the empire?’ Eirin asked quickly, as she drummed her fingers and pretended to be doing mental calculations.

‘No, we can give it away easily. The amount of obsidian it produces is minimal and the value of the region itself is low, so feel free to cede the volcano.’ Kanan replied.

“Okay, I’ll negotiate with the emperor for the Dune volcano.” Eirin said and offered her hand, which Valk readily accepted.

“What about you? Do you accept my offer or do you have something different in mind?” She turned to the golem next and asked.

“What kind of knowledge are we talking about? There’s no point negotiating just to have you teach me something I already know.” the golem spoke, scratching its beak with its left wing in a thoughtful pose.

“I will teach you the method of mixing different magical metals without their different natures conflicting with each other.” Eirin spoke, causing the magic stones in the golem’s eyes to glow, the equivalent of eyes widening in surprise.

‘Are you sure you want to do this? This is an important secret worth more than the ass of a bastard like Louis.’ Canan spoke doubtfully, but Eirin was firm in her decision.

‘I wouldn’t have made that offer either, if it weren’t for that golem in front of us. It is made of mithril mixed with golden copper.’ Eirin spoke, surprising Canan.

She had been sneakily investigating the small golem since he entered the room, much to Canan’s surprise. At the level they were at, mana vision was no longer necessary and they could see mana normally and with a depth that mana vision was unable to match.

They spent most of their time suppressing this ability, as it would be a nuisance to see mana in everything they looked at. Identifying a magical metal and its quality by the amount of world energy and elemental energy was simple for them.

‘Air Elder is already starting to learn to mix different magic metals. He still hasn’t figured out how to combine them perfectly, but it’s just a matter of time. We’d better sell the secret of how to do it while it’s still worth something.’ Eirin explained, barely resisting the urge to puff out her chest with pride.

Just like she said, the golem was made of mithril and its interior coated with golden copper, a magical metal rich in the element of air. The metals weren’t perfectly connected and the mithril was rejecting the excess air element in the gilded copper, but they were definitely connected.

“Are you sure you want to share this?” The golem asked in a clearly anxious voice, as the light from the magic stones narrowed. It was what he had been working on for the last few months and the only piece he needed to finish his masterpiece, but the elder suspected that the offer was too big for something so simple.

“Yes, I have. Do you accept the offer?” Eirin offered her hand and the air elder touched it lightly with his metallic wing.

‘I don’t know why she is so interested in protecting the dark elder, but I won’t look the gift horse in the teeth.’ The air Elder thought as he accepted Eirin’s offer.

‘To our surprise, the two agreed to help her. Shouldn’t you try to contact the light Elder to organize a defense?’ Canan spoke in her mind, but Eirin denied it.

‘I don’t mean to defend him. I’ll let the opposition slaughter him all they want and then offer Elder Louis to fight and offer knowledge as compensation for his crimes. The more crimes that are revealed, the more we can demand of him.’ Eirin explained.

‘The elders are only here to make sure he won’t be accused as a traitor and executed.’ Canan nodded in understanding.

“Supreme Elder, the other elders have just arrived and the trial will start in 10 minutes.” The same assistant mage knocked on the door a few times and spoke.

“Our time for discussion is over. Go back to your rooms and we’ll meet at the trial.” Eirin ordered and both elders stood up and nodded, leaving the room and separating afterward.

Eirin spent the next few minutes drinking and trying to predict what kind of tricks her opponents would use, until there was a second knock on the door and the mage announced that the trial was about to begin.

The mage guided Eirin to the judgment seat and she took the opportunity to take a look around, as it had been a long time since she had been here.

‘Nothing seems to have changed since I built this place.’ Eirin thought, looking up at the walls and ceilings made of steel. The entire prison was made of metal, so it was impossible to use earth magic to escape.

There were magic lights in the ceilings, but no windows, giving any claustrophobic a panic attack. They were currently in the guards’ area, so the place was being well taken care of, but Eirin knew the same couldn’t be said for the prisoners’ area.

The dungeon of the forgotten was the place where they brought the worst beings of different races that could not be killed for some reason. Either because they have important information or because they had value as a hostage.