As the black cloth was pulled away, a small griffon cub appeared in front of Ryan.
With the face of an eagle, the body and claws of a lion, silver mane, and a brown body, the small griffon cub was crashing around inside a metal cage. It emitted a piercing scream, its short, sharp beak filled with strength, and its black eyes brimming with hostility. It squawked loudly and then struck the iron bars with its claws, making a "ding, ding" sound.
"A griffon cub!" Ryan was slightly surprised; he understood why Anton was so sure that he would agree to help.
No one could refuse a griffon cub, just as no one in Brittany could refuse a hippogriff mount. Only Duke Connete Launcelot of Cornwall and Duke Berchimond of Bastonne had hippogriffs in their stables, with registered hippogriff knights in Brittany not exceeding thirty!
(The complaint here is about why not just use a full force of hippogriff knights for a straightforward push—that's why.)
"Wah, wah!" The small griffon cub stared fiercely at Ryan, who was watching it from in front of the cage. It issued sharp cries with its short beak and flapped its fluffy wings a couple of times, unable to fly at all.
"Ah! This is really!" Before Ryan could react, Sulia was already starstruck, her fingers interlocked, and her eyes filled with little stars: "It's... so adorable!!!"
A good mount was extremely important for a knight. Sulia's mount was a purebred Elven warhorse named Lexihofen, currently pregnant (with raisins), and sometimes she rode a Pegasus.
The Grey Mountains were renowned for producing high-quality mounts like Pegasuses and hippogriffs. Hunters from the Empire and Brittany often clashed over these, and knight-lords encouraged serfs to steal hippogriff eggs. Bringing an unharmed hippogriff egg to a lord guaranteed freedom and a substantial bounty.
Of course, the success rate was about one in a hundred, and even the most ignorant serfs knew how low their chances were. No serf would attempt such a foolish act unless absolutely necessary.
Like a little dog, the small griffon cub had Sulia glowing as she clung to Ryan's arm: "Ryan! This little griffon, it's just too cute!"
"This cub is from the mount 'Beastbane' owned by my father," Anton added as Sulia showed interest. "Now, I give it to you, as a symbol of our friendship."
"This gift is too precious, Anton." Ryan's face showed joy, but he instinctively wanted to refuse: "I cannot accept."
"This has nothing to do with our matters." Anton shook his head. "As I said, this is a symbol of our friendship. I came here to give this griffon cub to you, whether or not you agree to help."
Ryan bowed his head in silence, reaching out his hand toward the griffon cub in the cage as everyone watched.
Some griffon knights wanted to warn him of the danger, but remembering Ryan's strength, they held their peace.
"Wah!" Seeing Ryan reach out, the griffon cub pecked vigorously at his hand with its sharp beak.
"Hmm!" Ryan's tough skin made the cub yelp in pain, and the little one quickly realized that this human was not an easy opponent. It tearfully hid in a corner of the cage, still defiantly gaping at Ryan, as if to say it wasn't afraid.
It must be said, this truly was a gift Ryan could not refuse. After exchanging a glance with Sulia, he laughed: "Alright, Anton, I see your sincerity. No more insincere words are necessary, I'll persuade Duke François and Berchimond to remain neutral."
"That would be best." Anton nodded with satisfaction. A mount was a knight's second life; no knight could refuse a griffon mount. Electors pride themselves on having a griffon in their menagerie, let alone an earl like Ryan.
"Come here!" Ryan reached out again to the cub, his hand enveloped in pale blue psychic energy, causing the light of the psyker to sparkle throughout the hall.
The griffon cub looked confused by the psychic light, feeling an innate kinship with Ryan, and chirped several times.
Seeing this, Ryan opened the cage, and the cub flapped its wings and flew to Ryan's arm, babbling incoherently by his ear.
All the griffon knights gaped at this scene.
As everyone knows, griffon knights form one of the Empire's most powerful heavy (monster) cavalry units and are one of the three major knightly orders of the Old World.
Though these knights themselves were excellent warriors, their mounts were the true combatants. These huge, living weapons were fierce and bulky, standing taller than any Empire warhorse when upright, and their vicious, bloodthirsty attacks were more terrifying than any other Empire beast.
Only the most powerful Imperial knights were equipped with these fearsome creatures. Although the Empire had tried to initiate breeding programs to stimulate their mating and offspring, the low success rate and the monstrous offspring produced by the breeding programs made griffon knights rare, so the only way to increase their numbers was to capture griffons near the Griffon Duke's lands in the Black Forest.
This vast forest harbored many taboos and ancient fierce beasts, but none as noble and majestic as the griffon, which dominated this territory. Only a few knights could capture and tame powerful griffons, and it was not surprising that many ended up as bloody strips of flesh. However, those who managed to tame them were highly esteemed, not only gaining powerful and loyal companions but also greater prestige. These knights bore terrible scars and wounds from their mounts' attacks, like badges of honor proving their bravery and martial skill to their compatriots. In turn, these creatures were forever loyal to their masters, with numerous stories of loyalty—griffons relentlessly pursuing enemies to avenge their fallen riders.
The luckiest was the current Emperor Karl Franz, who, before ascending to the throne, happened upon a griffon egg during a hunt in the Grey Mountains. Since then, the massive griffon named 'Deathclaw' had accompanied him in battle to this day.
But what about Ryan? That such an orderly creature would voluntarily bond with him?
The griffon knights thought they had seen something truly remarkable today.
"Ah, there, there, little one, are you hungry?" Ryan picked up the cub, which resembled a small dog, and fetched some marbled beef from the table to feed it. The little one gobbled the delicious fried beef eagerly, almost choking.
"So cute! Ryan, let me hold it!" Sulia leaned in close to Ryan. As a knight herself, she had a special affection for powerful mounts, and the fluffy appearance of the little griffon made her irresistibly reach out to pet it, but the cub
immediately raised its head alertly, attacking Sulia with its sharp beak and claws.
The knightess had to withdraw her hand, yet Sulia remained highly interested in the little griffon: "It's so adorable~"
Ryan thought, where is this fierce little thing adorable?
"Let's name it, Ryan." Anton, seeing how easily Ryan had tamed the small griffon, was secretly amazed but kept a composed face and smiled.
"A name?" Ryan lifted the griffon cub, the pure psychic energy around him making the cub particularly willing to be close to him. He said to his fiancée, "Sulia, you pick a name."
The cub's fur was silver below and gold on top. Sulia gazed at the little one for a while before suggesting, "How about 'Imperius' for courage?"
"Great name! Little one, from now on, your name is Imperius." Ryan pinched the cub's face, causing it to screech in protest.
A grand banquet concluded in the castle hall.
...
Ten days later, in the Old World, the Imperial capital, Altdorf, in the Imperial Palace.
Duke Casvane of Paravion declared war on the Empire.
Karl Franz held a letter transmitted by a court wizard, authored by Count Anton Ferdinand, who reported his diplomatic achievements to His Imperial Majesty.
François, Berchimond, and Ryan had all agreed to remain neutral in this war, their reasons being substantial: this was Casvane's war, not theirs. Since there was no divine oracle from the Lady of the Lake, they would not participate.
The huge palace doors rose dozens of meters, the large architectural complex reflecting the Empire's endless glory from its foundation to the present. The Reiksguard and the Empire's elite garrison patrolled the palace walls, along with powerful wizards monitoring every movement inside.
Altdorf's permanent population was around 250,000, but the actual number exceeded a million. The directly imperial-controlled Reikland was the Empire's richest, most fertile, and most populous territory, boasting over five million inhabitants and the best weapons and army in the entire Empire.
The meeting included the Grand Theogonist of the Church of Sigmar, "Stalwart" Vikmar Beckmann; Elector and Grand Duke of Middenland, "One-Eye" Boris Todbringer; Elector and Grand Duke of Averland, "Sun Lion" Umberto Colleoni; the Empire's Grand Alchemist, Balthasar Gelt; the Emperor's Standard Bearer, Ludwig Schwarzhelm; Imperial General Kurt Helborg; and Emperor Karl Franz himself.
"That's good news. So, our only enemies are Casvane and his Pegasus knights," Boris Todbringer squinted his one eye. "As far as I'm concerned, Ulric's followers fear no enemy, but Ryan is different, you know, he was once a White Wolf Knight, and particularly valued by our Lord. He even killed a Greater Daemon in the Battle of the Couronne Plains. Unless absolutely necessary, I'd rather not fight him."
"We only eliminate those who oppose the Empire," Karl Franz's words carried a touch of humor. "Whether it's Ryan, François, or Berchimond, they all know the bigger picture."
"The Sun Lion" Umberto nodded: "I've clashed with Berchimond, and his dragon lance left a deep impression on me. François's unicorn sword is a bane of the undead. These forces should be used against evil, not in human civil wars."
"Human civil wars are always tragic," declared the Grand Theogonist "Stalwart" Vikmar, holding a golden double-headed eagle staff. "But those who dare offend the Empire must be punished severely! Whether they are knights of Brittany, mercenaries from the southern realms, Kislevite bear cavalry, or Norscan yokels, anyone who tries to challenge the Empire's authority must know the power of the Empire!"
The gathered nobles nodded in agreement; after all, the Empire's authority was inviolable.
"What about King Richard? Helborg?" With diplomatic victory easing his burden, the Emperor then turned his gaze to Imperial General Helborg. Helborg, a recently promoted noble officer renowned as the Empire's finest swordsman, had distinguished himself in multiple campaigns since his appointment. Recently, he had been leading an Imperial Legion on the "Couronne Road," facing off against Marshal Roland and the Brittany knights.
"I've heard that Richard, Duke Launcelot, and Duke Dalheid have had several meetings, aiming for stability. Richard doesn't want to fight the Empire; he emphasized that this is Casvane's war with the Empire, not Brittany's," Helborg's cold face carried a hint of scorn: "As expected."
"Yes, as expected," the Emperor nodded. Based on Richard's cautious nature, the Emperor's courtiers and professors from the University of Altdorf had met several times, and after repeated simulations, everyone concluded that the stability-oriented Richard would not join this war.
What was truly unpredictable was a divine champion like Ryan; mortals could not guess the thoughts of gods, but from the current situation, it seemed the Lady of the Lake also did not support Casvane.
"This time, please ask the Templars and the Flagellants not to participate in the war, Grand Theogonist Vikmar. This is our war with Casvane, not one involving Charlemagne or the Lady of the Lake," the Emperor first consulted with the Grand Theogonist.
"Stalwart" Vikmar nodded silently. The Church could not intervene in human internal conflicts, and there were many followers of Sigmar in Brittany. The Church was naturally not supposed to participate in this war; the Emperor was giving him an out.
"Middenland will not join this war either," Boris spoke gruffly. "Casvane has not declared war on us; the White Wolf Knights will not participate."
"Averland will participate in this war! The negotiations were botched by me; I will dispatch my most elite troops to ensure complete annihilation of the knights across the mountain!" Umberto spoke loudly: "I will make Casvane understand!"
"Then... prepare for war! We will ambush Casvane and his Pegasus knights at Helmgart!" The Emperor stood up, his face showing only zeal and determination: "Helborg?"
"At your command, my Emperor!" Helborg stood up.
"Mobilize the Reiksguard and my army, prepare for war!"
"Yes!"
"My Standard Bearer?"
"Here!" Standard Bearer Ludwig Schwarzhelm stood up to take orders.
"It's time to bring out those steel monsters from the armory."
"Yes!"
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