Morgiana continued, "It was then that a massive army of greenskins invaded the Count's domain of Galamont, rampaging across the land. Calrad and his brothers faced their first battle in life. They mounted their warhorses, raised their lances, and, alongside countless knights, fought to defend their homeland."
"It must have been a grueling battle," Ryan could imagine the difficulty of the fight.
"The knights around them fell one by one, but Calrad and his brother held on. They managed to push back the greenskins' vanguard into the forests. However, the young knights soon realized that they had only eliminated a small part of the massive greenskin army. When the greenskins attacked again, the exhausted and heavily wounded knights were defeated. They had no choice but to hold up in their castle and stand their ground," Morgiana continued, watching a brother and sister chatting in the courtyard, sighing softly.
"After two days of defense, reinforcements finally arrived. The Grandmaster of the Holy Grail Knights, Eules, led the kingdom's knights to their aid. The arrival of Eules turned the tide of the battle. With the spirit of glorious knighthood and the wrath of the Lady of the Lake, the greenskin army was defeated, and Calrad was reunited with his sister."
Ryan nodded repeatedly, "By this time, Lady Annala must have become an outstanding Lake Prophet. Since she had come out to battle with Lord Eules, she must have been his lover by then."
"Yes, Annala and Calrad were reunited on the battlefield. The knight army finally defeated the greenskin army. But when Calrad returned to the castle, he received shocking news. His father and stepmother were poisoned to death. Upon investigation, the one who presented the poisoned wine was none other than his fiancée, Elizabeth. Elizabeth told Calrad that she had always been worried about his father and stepmother being harmful to him, potentially taking away his right as the primary heir. So, for their love and future happiness, Elizabeth took matters into her own hands and poisoned his father and stepmother," Morgiana's eyes filled with anger.
"How sad and yet, a common situation. I've seen it too often in Nord and the Empire," Ryan sighed.
"After Bishop Berchmond's judgment, Calrad was declared innocent. However, he was deeply pained by the situation. Facing his beloved fiancée, he couldn't bring himself to kill her. Instead, he banished Elizabeth from his domain. His brother swore never to forgive his fiancée's actions and also left him. Amidst sorrow and pain, he was forced to take up his father's title as the Count of Galamont."
"As the Count, Calrad had no desire to fulfill the duties of a lord. He often absented himself from banquets, hunts, tournaments, and noble gatherings. He preferred to follow Eules, fighting as an ordinary kingdom knight," Morgiana took Ryan's arm, "Sorrow and pain gave Calrad strength. He has become a legendary kingdom knight."
"Adversity and setbacks always make us stronger," Ryan commented nonchalantly, breaking away from her grasp and feigning contemplation.
...
Despite days of searching, the Archbishop of the Goddess of Mercy remained untraceable. Morgiana reluctantly called off the search, aware that the Archbishop was likely dead. Attempts to find Matthew Bard also turned up nothing, even without the support of the Britannian royal family led by Richard. The king refused to issue a wanted order, with Richard believing Matthew Bard, the runner-up of the Knight's Tournament, innocent without solid evidence.
By the end of April, Ryan and Morgiana finally set off for home. The Lake Witch would return to her Lake Goddess Tower behind the Cathedral of the Lady of the Lake in the Duchy of Cacason, while Ryan would head back to his domain.
Accompanying them was Calrad, who, after completing his mission, continued to be stationed at the Holy Grail Knights' subdivision in Kurona, replacing Sir Eugene, the Knight Commander injured in the Plains of Kurona battle.
In the thriving and lush fields of Britannia, Morgiana rode a unicorn named Silphienne, with Ryan riding alongside on a horse, and Calrad following behind.
"The Duke of Montfort has accused you," Morgiana told Ryan. "He believes that your harboring of dwarves and elves is an offense against the kingdom's history and traditions. He has negotiated with the king to have you punished, a suggestion supported by the Dukes of Paravon and L'Anguille."
Ryan frowned, "The reason is simple. My workshop produces a large number of dwarven-made weapons and equipment, and there's the elven trading post. They're just jealous, affecting their income, hence the sanctions. The Duke of Paravon has always wanted to trade with the elves, only to suffer heavy losses. Montfort has the best craftsmen in Britannia, but even their finest work can't compare to the dwarves' precision engineering. Since they can't beat me in quality, they're trying to sanction me through these means. It's normal."
"Jealousy prevents them from approaching the Grail," Morgiana nodded. "I've ordered them not to bring this up again. If they try anything behind the scenes, Ryan, you can come directly to me."
"This is unfair, Lord Ryan," Calrad said indignantly. "It's always like this now, lords suspecting each other for profit, knights exploiting serfs to the extreme. I've heard about your success in elven trade. That's your glory, not theirs."
"A certain degree of interest is necessary, Lord Calrad," Ryan shook his head gently. "Knights need warhorses and a full set of knightly equipment to go into battle. Lords need social interactions and sufficient military pay. Serfs need enough food to at least not starve. We need to find a balance between interests and faith. Blindly pursuing virtue is not the mark of a competent lord. Chasing only profit will distance you from the Grail, from the Lady's teachings."
"Thank you, Lord Ryan. Your words have enlightened me," Calrad said, admiringly. Even at over thirty years old, the kingdom knight appeared as a junior in front of twenty-six-year-old Ryan.
"This is life, Lord Calrad. How to find a balance between managing your domain and honing yourself is also a test given by the Lady. Even Holy Grail Knights have their own lives. We can't just survive on water or mend armor by praying. The path of the Grail is not just about devotion and bravery; wisdom and adaptability are equally indispensable," Ryan smiled.
In fact, ordinary Holy Grail Knights consume 3-5 times more food than an average person. These creatures, while never tiring, also have a large appetite. Knights require a lot of meat, especially Holy Grail Knights.
"Taught me a lesson, Lord Ryan," Calrad said admiringly, the thirty-something kingdom knight appearing as a junior in front of twenty-six-year-old Ryan.
Morgiana nodded repeatedly, her azure eyes lingering on Ryan for a long time. This was her ideal champion of the Lady.
With just three of them, they advanced quickly. In this dangerous world, a sanctuary's Lake Witch combined with two legendary knights could ensure safety in most situations. Initially, Ryan was cautious, but they encountered few troubles along the way.
Upon reaching the domain of Bastogne, Calrad bid farewell to the two, having been away from his own domain for several months. Despite his reluctance to assume the role of a lord, he knew he had to return and see to his lands.
With only Ryan and Morgiana left, their pace quickened. Ryan needed only four to five hours of rest per day, and in urgent situations, he could even continue riding his pureblood elven steed, Grape, without stopping. Morgiana's unicorn mount, Silphienne, also seemed almost tireless.
Two days later, they arrived at Ryan's domain.
Since he became Baron Jean, the land had undergone radical changes. Tall aqueducts brought river water to the fields, and swathes of new buildings rose up. The already fertile land was even more populated. From afar, they could see the thick smoke rising from village chimneys, indicating new farmlands had been cultivated and already had owners. Many serfs were busily tending the land, and a patrol unit was moving away in the distance.
Near the village, construction was booming. The village, initially comprising only twenty to thirty low wooden houses, was expanding. Merchant caravans were entering and leaving his domain, and wood elves were leaving with carts full of ores and dwarf-made arms.
"What a prosperous domain," Morgiana exclaimed. "This is completely different from what I saw in Cacason. There, the serfs always seem lethargic. Lords even have to specify how deep ditches must be dug, or the serfs will shirk their duties."
"I'm not sure who managed it in my absence, maybe my brother or Veronica," Ryan pondered briefly. Before leaving, he had arranged for Veronica to supervise behind the scenes, with Gaspard handling taxation, Carsenbourg in charge of internal affairs, and Anglaron overseeing the military. However, Anglaron had the authority to command Veronica.
"No matter, I think we'll find out soon enough," Ryan quickly gave up the thought, feeling no need to dwell on it. "Lady Morgiana, if you're not in a hurry to return, perhaps you could rest at my castle tonight. I think it's necessary to check the seal again."
A blush crossed Morgiana's face as she instinctively touched her abdomen.
The seal Ryan had left seemed to be heating up, burning intensely.
Perhaps it was indeed time for a check. The Lake Witch did not refuse. "I understand."
A wild screech from above caught their attention.
"Griffins!" Morgiana grabbed the reins, the Lake Witch cried out, and a sword appeared in her hand.
"What are griffins doing here?" Ryan exclaimed, raising his war hammer while calming his startled pureblood elven warhorse, Grape: "Shhh!"
The griffin swooped past them, gliding in a large circle in the sky before landing in front of them, screeching and spreading its wings in a display of intimidation.
Then a man clad in a giant bear pelt cloak and full-body armor, bald-headed and massive, jumped down from the griffin: "Hey, brother, you're back?"
"Brother?!" Ryan stared in disbelief at Anglaron appearing before him, quickly signaling Morgiana not to attack. The Lake Witch, seeing this, lowered her sword.
"Ha, brother, let me introduce you. This is my new mount," Anglaron laughed heartily, pulling out a piece of raw meat from his belt and feeding it to the griffin, which screeched and gulped it down.
Ryan: "???"
Anglaron stroked the griffin's head, boasting to Ryan: "Seems like many lords want a griffin as a mount, so I thought I'd get one too. Hey, I was lucky, it only took me five days to tame one. Now I'm a griffin knight too, hahaha~ It was too easy."
Ryan: "??????"
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