When Lorne-Leo Cornwall, titled the "Lionheart", Duke of Connacht, entered the mansion's living room dressed in an elegant men's shirt and riding trousers, with the ancestral sword of the Dukes of Connacht at his waist, Francois and Ryan both stood to greet him. Like them, he was a respected Grail Knight.
"It's been a while, Lorne," Francois said with a smile. "Congratulations on completing your trial and returning."
"It's a pleasure to see you, Lord Lorne," Ryan also said. "You must have something important to discuss, coming at such a late hour?"
"Indeed, I do."
Lorne appeared to be in his thirties, and his aura seemed slightly stronger than Ryan's high legendary rank, probably reaching the peak of legend. His blue eyes shone with devotion and wisdom, yet there was a hint of frustration. His tidy brown goatee was meticulously groomed, and he wore a white cloak of the Grail Knights with a golden badge: "May I speak to you in private? This isn't the right place."
Francois nodded: "Let's use that room."
The mansion owned by the Duke of Winfort was not very large, but it had a room specifically designed for private conversations, with only one door and three walls facing the garden and pond.
A round table was set in the middle of the small room, with some fruits, snacks, and tall glasses brought by the servant, who then bowed and left.
"What matter brings our Duke of Connacht to visit at this hour?" Francois asked calmly as they sat down, and Ryan also looked on curiously.
Neither Ryan nor Francois had a particularly close relationship with the new Duke of Connacht. Ryan had encountered Lorne, then a Questing Knight, on his way down the mountain after defeating the Doomsday Bull. They had a deep conversation, but Francois had never even seen Lorne before.
"I apologize for visiting so late," Lorne said, a bit embarrassed but calm. "I kept thinking and decided to consult with you, Lord Francois, especially since Ryan is also here."
"What is it?" Francois followed Lorne's lead.
"You must have heard about the recent warehouse fires in the Duchy of Connacht?" Lorne spoke quietly.
Both Ryan and Francois nodded, aware of the two warehouse fires in Connacht that had resulted in considerable loss of food and stored supplies: "Do you know the reason?"
"I do," Lorne's expression was serious, tinged with frustration. "It's my fault. As soon as I became the Duke, I ordered a thorough inspection of all warehouses for food, weapons, equipment, and supplies."
"You were impulsive, Lorne!" Francois immediately pointed out the problem. "Yes, you should check, but you shouldn't have done it immediately. You should have sent your trusted courtiers and loyal attendants to inspect the storage and management of each warehouse first. Announcing a full inspection as soon as you took office was bound to cause issues."
Ryan continued, "Clearly, the actual storage in these two warehouses was likely embezzled significantly. If it were a routine inspection, those nobles managing the warehouses could have shuffled resources around to cover up. But with your direct order for a thorough inspection... They burned the evidence, leaving no trace."
"You should understand this, Lorne. You're a duke now. You should be aware of these things. You can manage like Baudric, with joint administration by appointed officials, local officials, and priests of the Sea God, to avoid such situations. Or like Bohemond, who removes any official showing arrogance," Francois added.
"I understand, Lords Francois and Ryan. During the inspection, I found this," Lorne produced a note. "I personally dealt with a high vampire found during the inspection and found this note in his residence."
Ryan and Francois's attention was drawn: "These are words written in blood."
"It's the vampire language," Francois said. "We might need someone who..."
"For our master, or death, you understand, Ghur's true master is not you," Ryan read aloud.
"You know the vampire language?!" Francois said, surprised.
"Yes, my duke. That's all there is on the note. It seems like a warning," Ryan pondered, stroking his chin. The seemingly unrelated content seemed very odd to him: "Nothing else."
"Could this be a unification demand?" Lorne speculated. "A higher vampire commanding lower ones? But then, who is the 'master'?"
"For vampires and the undead, there is only one master," Ryan said solemnly. "The Lord of the Dead, Nagash."
Hearing this name, both Francois and Lorne's expressions turned very serious.
Ryan stood up: "Shall I go directly to the Grail Cathedral to report to Princess Morgiana?"
"Wait, Ryan!" Francois quickly said. "Don't be hasty. Acting now might not yield good results and could alert our enemies. Besides, what can we prove with just this message? There are countless vampires lurking in our upper society. Acting rashly won't benefit us."
"I think the vampires are plotting something," Lorne said, holding his chin and asking Francois, "Could it be Kemmler-Heinrich?"
Kemmler-Heinrich, the necromancer, had twice attempted to enter Britannia. The first time, he was defeated by Francois's army. The second time, learning from his mistake, Kemmler led an undead army intending to enter Britannia through the Athel Loren Forest...
And then there was no more. Kemmler was not confirmed dead.
"Possibly, but not certain," Francois said, now taking the matter seriously: "So, what exactly are the vampires looking for?"
"A book, a volume recording the life's magical achievements of Nagash, the Lord of the Dead," Lorne suddenly said. "You must remember when I, in rags, interrupted my father's banquet to ask for his help."
Ryan and Francois nodded. The story was well-known among Grail Knights and even the kingdom's great nobles. It was a tale of triumph since Lorne ultimately became a Grail Knight; otherwise, it would have been a joke.
"A necromancer, Madron, led an undead army from an underground river north of Connacht towards Kurona," Lorne recalled, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I discovered this and knew no one would believe me about the undead marching through an underground river, so I returned to my family's castle to ask for my father's help."
"Sixteen knights and I stormed into the underground river caves. We suffered heavy casualties. Everyone died, including my best friend Burkhard, killed by Madron. Only I was left," Lorne said painfully. "In despair, I charged at Madron and we fell into the river, sinking into an underground lake. As the evil sorcerer screamed in despair, I learned his goal was to obtain one of the nine volumes of Nagash's Book of the Dead left in Britannia."
"Then, when I awoke, I found myself at the bottom of the lake, unharmed. I knew the Lady had saved me. Her power was still healing my wounds. So I clutched her blessed sword and ran Madron through in the water," Lorne concluded his memory, clearly feeling guilty for the sixteen family knights who followed him to their deaths.
"Honor to you, Lord Lorne," Ryan paid his respects, and Francois also expressed his admiration.
Knights recognized by the Lady of the Lake are unquestionable in their eight virtues and strength.
"So, to sum up, the undead come to Britannia to find one of Nagash's nine volumes. Their current goal is to concentrate power?" Francois asked Lorne. "We'll send people to investigate this. It's difficult to approach Princess Morgiana, so Ryan will be responsible. Any news, report immediately to Sir Eugene, the commander of the Grail Knights in Kurona. I'll personally take action!"
"I understand!"
At that moment, thunder rumbled outside.
"It's raining." The patter of rain began. Ryan and Francois saw Lorne out, and the new Duke of Connacht swiftly disappeared on his horse, vanishing at the street corner even in the rain.
"Prepare yourselves. This tournament might not be peaceful. Lorne is trustworthy," Francois said to Ryan. "If he weren't loyal, Louis wouldn't have confidently passed the dukedom to him, nor would the Lady have recognized him."
"I'm not worried about that," Ryan shook his head, feeling something was amiss. "The Grail is the Lady's gift, of course. I'm just worried... what if the vampires aren't seeking the Book of the Dead, but something else?"
"What do you mean?" Francois pondered, having fought vampires several times. "Is seeking the book just a diversion?"
"No, the book is indeed priceless to vampires, but... could something else be attracting them?" Ryan's mind raced with possibilities, recalling Morgiana's powerful curse of undeath and the incidents in Breton and Blood Night.
Could these be connected to the vampires' scheming?
No one knew.
...
More and more knights flowed into Kurona for the tournament, with at least five or six hundred young Errant Knights estimated to participate.
Young knights from Winfort also arrived to register, joining knights from twelve duchies.
The registration site was crowded, young knights shouting their names and heraldries. Behind the white stone archway, an elderly marquis oversaw the ceremony, and knights queued for two blocks. To show their devotion and virtues to the Lady, all knights, including ducal daughters, were fully armed and personally lined up, with Sulia standing far back in the crowd.
Ryan, Francois, and Julius stood at a distance. Seeing the elderly noble, Francois's face showed a strange smile: "Hard for him, indeed."
"Hard for him? My duke, who is he?" Ryan asked curiously, noticing even the usually stern Julius trying to hide a smile.
"He's Charles, the eldest son of Richard and Marquis of Le Angouleme, first in line to the Duchy of Le Angouleme," Julius explained. "From a certain perspective, he's also the Crown Prince and Prince of Wales. If Richard designates him as his heir and Morgiana agrees, he'll be the next king."
A crown prince? Looking as old as seventy or eighty? Ryan thought he hardly had any hair left, how could he be king?
"Is he really Richard's eldest legitimate son? Why does he look even older?" Ryan commented.
"That's because he's only at the elite mid-rank. At seventy, he naturally looks very aged," Francois added, his smile strange. "He was established as the first heir to the dukedom at three, and at ten, he was titled Marquis of Le Angouleme."
"But sixty-seven years have passed since then. The child who once toddled has become an old man, but Charles still hasn't seen the day he inherits the dukedom. And he's still waiting for Richard to pass the crown to him."
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