Chereads / The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy / Chapter 177 - Chapter 177, Invitation

Chapter 177 - Chapter 177, Invitation

"This is the head of the vampire witch, my baron." The witcher Abel placed a head with auburn hair and a face full of ferocity and blood in front of Ryan: "She was hiding in a nearby forest, often attacking passers-by at night. She disguised herself as a beautiful woman, inviting men into the forest to enjoy themselves, and then took the opportunity to suck their blood dry."

"Ah, I see, great job, you've done well." Ryan nodded. He had dealt with these vampire species before, and then he gestured for Abel and Jule to sit down. He noticed that Jule was injured, the young witcher's arm weakly hanging in front of his chest, firmly bandaged: "Could you briefly describe what happened? I'm all ears."

"Sure." The two witchers sat down in the baron's castle hall, Abel slightly organized his thoughts, and then said: "As Mr. Carsenberg said, about two weeks ago, serfs rumored that a beautiful woman was doing some flesh trade on the small road near the forest. It was originally insignificant, but the gentlemen who accepted the invitation had little memory of that night and all showed symptoms of excessive blood loss."

"Hah, it seems that the vampire witch disguised herself as a human to drink blood." Ryan nodded, he was familiar with the tactics of this vampire witch.

Under such tactics, the victimized serfs or citizens often dared not to make a fuss about it, mostly choosing to remain silent. This gave the vampire witch an opportunity. As long as she controlled her bloodlust and didn't kill the person at once, she could secretly lurk near the town.

Ryan's expression showed some helplessness as he sat in his main seat.

Vampirism was a serious problem in Bretonnia.

These midnight nobles were lurking in large numbers within the knight kingdom, drinking human blood. Some vampires truly grew tired of the endless wars and wanted to settle here, but others, like the Red Duke, wanted to overthrow the entire knight kingdom.

And the knight kingdom's control over vampires was not strong. Many vampires hid among the common folk, and the serfs even tried to protect them.

Here, the collapse of the serfdom system must be mentioned. Many vampires followed the principle of baiting for a big catch, often bestowing small favors on the serfs, facilitating their continued bloodsucking. Some vampires even regularly gave silver coins to the "blood donating" serfs.

For serfs oppressed by knight lords to the point of not being able to survive, selling blood became a new way to live.

"My baron, are you listening?" Abel noticed that Ryan seemed to be lost in thought and reminded him.

The baron's steward, Carsenberg, gave the witcher a stern look. The tall and thin steward, with a bald head and round glasses, was not friendly to witchers, thinking they were somewhat impolite.

"Yes, I'm listening, please continue. How was this matter discovered under such silence?" Ryan asked.

Abel knew Ryan was listening. The witcher nodded and sighed: "My baron, the vampire witch is not a high-class vampire. Sometimes she can't control herself with reason. This time it happened like this."

"A young boy couldn't resist the temptation of the vampire witch and followed her into the abandoned cabin in the forest."

"During the bloodsucking process, the boy's blood was too delicious, and the vampire witch couldn't resist. She sucked the boy dry into a corpse."

"The boy's parents discovered this and decided to report to Mr. Carsenberg. Although many serfs advised against making a fuss, he was their only son..." Abel didn't go on, just sighed.

Witchers often experienced many cruel and crazier events, accustomed to ordinary vampire activities, so their faces didn't show much pity or sadness. People always think witchers are cold-blooded, but in reality, they've seen too much.

"So, how did you deal with the vampire witch?" Ryan continued to ask. He had seen a lot of such cases too.

"People's tales of garlic, sunlight, and crosses actually don't harm the vampire witch much." Abel nodded, continuing: "Vampire witches don't like to eat garlic just like humans don't like to eat bark. It's just a dislike and can't cause them substantial harm. Vampires hate walking in the sunlight, but that's just a dislike too."

"The real weapons against vampires are holy water blessed by the church and silver weapons. Those are the real tools for fighting vampires." Abel finally added, then the two witchers fell silent.

"Very well, Witcher Abel, you've fulfilled your promise, and now it's my turn to fulfill mine. Carsenberg, give them their reward." Ryan signaled Carsenberg to deliver the reward.

The steward brought forward a tray, on which were fifteen gold krona and fifty silver shillings.

The witchers didn't hesitate, they needed the money: "Thank you, Lord Ryan."

"What's due to you will not be shorted." Ryan nodded. "My promise stands. We leave for Duke Boldro's banquet in about ten days. You can stay in town or look for other tasks nearby. We'll depart a day in advance."

"Jule will go to Helen Hilde to see if there are any jobs to take on. I'll stay here," Abel replied.

"Very well."

After the two witchers left, Ryan remained seated in his chair without moving, Carsenberg inquired, "Baron, is there anything else?"

"Carsenberg, what do you think if I allow witchers to establish a guild in this town? Would that help control the spread and corruption of vampires?" Ryan stroked his chin and said.

"It's best not to, my baron." Carsenberg immediately shook his head vigorously: "Just post tasks on the notice board when you need witchers. If our territory has too many witchers, it will raise objections from merchants, travelers, and even nobles. My baron, you need to find a balance."

"Hmm, I understand." Carsenberg had a point, and Ryan also thought too many witchers could indeed affect the economy.

"By the way, how's the construction of the tower going?" Ryan asked about the progress of the Lake Fairy's tower.

"It's still underway, my baron. The detailed blueprints you gave to the craftsmen caused some complaints. They think it's slowing down the progress and stifling their creativity. Perhaps you could give them more design freedom." Carsenberg suggested: "If it continues at this pace, it might only be finished by this time next year."

"Then let it be finished by this time next year." Ryan stood up and walked to the window with Carsenberg. A spire about thirty meters tall was under construction, conservatively estimated to cost Ryan over three thousand gold krona.

The baron's castle would have a corridor along the wall leading to this spire, and there would be no other entrances. Built against a mountain and shrouded in mist, it looked quite mysterious.

"Let everything be completed according to the blueprints. The craftsmen's ingenuity certainly has its place, but not here." Ryan spoke firmly: "I hired them, not the other way around."

"Understood, my baron. I'll continue to oversee the construction." Carsenberg immediately bowed, acknowledging he understood.

"How's the preparation of the third-floor guest room?" Ryan continued.

"It's being cleaned. As per your orders, we've decorated the room with the best carpets and artworks, and the furniture is high-quality cherry wood custom-made from Helen Hilde's carpenters. I assure you any guest will be satisfied." Carsenberg led Ryan to the guest room, opening the door.

The room, about fifty square meters, had a soft carpet laid on the floor, all furniture was brand new, and the variety of paintings on the glazed windows showed the host's enthusiasm and earnestness.

"Alright, let it be."

The castle's renovation was in full swing, and Baron Jean's serfs were sowing winter wheat under supervision. These crops would not be ready until next May or June, generally left alone after sowing.

The vast farmland was not entirely sown, as humans had learned fallow and rotation cultivation from the Church of Life centuries ago. Undoubtedly, Bretonnia was a livable land. Otherwise, elves wouldn't have colonized here. Only the excessive taxation that drained the serfs' income and the entire nation's strength used to support knights led to many social phenomena.

At that moment, Ryan heard the neighing and landing of a pegasus.

It was Sulya; she had brought Amelia back. Ryan immediately got up and went to the castle to welcome them.

"Mr. Ryan!" Amelia jumped down from the tall pegasus. The girl had already changed into her thick winter uniform from the academy. Seeing Ryan, she happily ran towards him: "Mr. Ryan, I'm back!"

"Welcome home, Amelia!" Busy with campaigns, Ryan hadn't seen his little maid for a while. He extended his arms and gently hugged her petite body: "How is your study at the academy?"

Before Amelia could answer, the knight behind her spoke up. Sulya wore a lake-green winter coat and a black pleated miniskirt, paired with over-the-knee high-heeled boots and thick beige tights, a touch that brought it all together. Seeing Ryan asking, Sulya smiled and said, "Amelia is very diligent. She ranked first in this courtier exam, even her father praised her skills."

"Ah! Sulya sister, don't say that, it's embarrassing!" Amelia retreated shyly.

Seeing this, Ryan and Sulya exchanged a smile. Ryan took the initiative: "Then... would you like to come in? You don't have to hurry off, Miss Sulya?"

"Since it's your invitation, Ryan, of course I'll stay for a while." Sulya seemed to be waiting for Ryan's words. Her smile bloomed like an iris, then walked beside Ryan into the castle.

Frequent visits to Ryan's castle made Sulya familiar with its interior. Ryan never treated her as an outsider. The two stepped into the third-floor living room and sat down. The dark elf Olica served steaming coffee: "Miss Sulya, please."

"Thank you, Miss Olica." The knight smiled, accepting the coffee with both hands, holding it close. She suddenly noticed the dark elf seemed different than when she first met her.

As for what was different, the nineteen-year-old knight couldn't quite tell, but she felt an inexplicable hostility towards the dark elf.

Damn, why should I feel any hostility? She's just a maid. Sulya immediately dismissed the thought from her mind.

Amelia quickly changed into her maid outfit and stood beside Ryan. For some reason, the little maid also found Olica different but held back from asking.

The dark elf only responded with a smile. Having shared the bed with Ryan these past nights, she naturally differed from her former self, both in temperament and body.

The conversation between the Holy Grail knight and the duke's daughter was always pleasant, but today was different. After a few words, the knight immediately sensed Ryan had something to say. Sulya promptly took the initiative: "Do you have something to say to me, Ryan?"

"Truly, I can't hide anything from you, Miss Sulya." Ryan was a bit embarrassed. The usually mature and stable Holy Grail knight hesitated slightly before standing up seriously, performing an inviting noble gesture towards Sulya, extending his hand.

"Then may I have the honor of inviting Miss Sulya to be my companion at the banquet?"

"This…"

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