The town of Ubersreik, located beside the crucial bridge spanning from Bogenhafen to the Deephold, connects downstream river trade towns like Altdorf and Greenburg, all the way to the imperial capital, Brunswick. Ubersreik may be the most significant town in the Grey Mountains, positioned at the river mouth making it a landing spot for merchants desiring to transport goods downstream from the mountains. This town is part of the territory of the imperial noble Graf Sigismund von Ronge-Freud, although unusually, not all decisions here are dictated by the Count. Merchants' guilds, by contributing a wealth of taxes annually, also hold some sway in municipal affairs. Additionally, dwarves hold a status here, their mining disputes having been appeased through compromises with the Count.
On this particular morning, the town had just repelled an attack by a horde of beastmen, its defenses severely damaged. The Count himself had to lead the defense at the front lines, his rule over Altdorf already revoked by the Emperor due to poor management and defense; he could not afford to lose Ubersreik as well.
Yet the outcome of this battle left the Count speechless, as a group of knights from across the mountains intervened. Leading them was a knight wielding a griffin warhammer who single-handedly decapitated the beastmen warlord and, with calm composure, crushed a shrieking shaman with his hammer.
They were knights from across the mountains, Holy Grail Knights! The garrison quickly recognized them and seized this rare opportunity to launch a full counterattack.
The beastmen warband collapsed; the vile creatures scattered and vanished into the mountains' depths, where many cliffs and crags were impassable to them, and the knights did not pursue further.
First, the Graf felt a sense of relief but then couldn't help but curse under his breath. "Holy Grail Knights from across the mountains are this strong? I'm breaking my back day and night to protect my town, and if only I had a Holy Grail Knight, would we have struggled this much?"
What were these knights doing in his city at such a critical time?
The imperial garrison, wearing iron helmets and red tunics under their standard breastplates, holding long pikes and covered by head poufs, although grateful to the Holy Grail Knights for their timely rescue, still extended their pikes, "Sorry, Holy Grail Knight, but you must present a pass or pay sufficient taxes to proceed."
"Greed-clad nobles won't easily part with any coin they can pocket," Julius said irritably to the guards. "We just saved your lives!"
"That is a separate matter, Sir Knight. With the territory on war footing, the gates remain closed. If you wish to enter, you must pay the required taxes or show proper documents," the imperial guards said apologetically, bound by the Count's orders.
Ryan, frowning, was about to retrieve his pass, but his hand was stopped.
Turning, he saw François holding him back. "My Duke?"
With an indifferent expression, François gestured upwards.
Ryan looked up to see atop Ubersreik's tall walls an imperial noble staring disdainfully at the knights who had just crossed the mountains. Crossbowmen and musketeers aimed their weapons at the newcomers.
The dark muzzles of muskets and sharp bolts pointed at Ryan and his companions, who had just aided the city against the beastmen assault.
"Let's leave, Julius, Gerard, and Ryan," François shook his head slightly, signaling for them not to enter the city but to head directly towards Hemgarte. "Even if you have a pass, Ryan, facing a lord who doesn't welcome us, what good would it do us to enter?"
"Father, how can they do this?!" Julius exclaimed in frustration, his face twisted with disdain. "We supported this city against the beastmen! How dare they tax us and refuse us entry?!"
"Yes, but so what?" François motioned for them to turn around and leave. "Did you think they would open the gates and welcome you as heroes?"
"Wake up; this is not Bretonnia, this is the Empire," François spoke plainly. "You can perform acts of kindness, but don't ever expect to be entitled to gratitude."
The four knights turned their horses and headed downstream, the cold seeping into their cloaks and collars. Ryan's robust constitution naturally shrugged off such chills, and although Julius and Gerard were not Holy Grail Knights, as legendary warriors, they too could easily withstand the mild cold.
They felt more a chill of disillusionment, particularly Julius, who ranted continuously, unable to maintain his usual stoic demeanor. "Father, these Imperial folk are too much!"
"Julius, you need to get used to this," François said softly. "This is the Empire, not Bretonnia. There is no
chivalric spirit here. In the Knight Kingdom, chivalric spirit and the Grail system are always the benchmarks for judging a knight's competency and devotion to the Lady. Nobles adhere to it... or at least pretend to follow the chivalric code."
Ryan picked up where François left off, the young Holy Grail Knight and the Lady of the Lake's chosen champion addressing his future brother-in-law, "But in the Empire, these do not exist."
"The Empire, at the heart of the Old World, is the strongest among human nations, but it is also constantly mired in chaos, surrounded by darkness and chaos creatures."
"Threats of death and war never leave this land, but amid the bloodshed and carnage, this great nation still stands, its vast cities and military fortresses forming a bulwark against the barbaric hordes," Ryan spoke softly of the Empire's tale. "Unlike Bretonnia, which faces much less external pressure, the Empire confronts direct threats from chaos, greenskins, and vampires."
Julius remained silent, while Gerard appeared thoughtful.
"The Empire is so vast that since Charlemagne founded it, no emperor has truly ruled its expansive territory completely. The emperor rules directly only his own lands; each province is practically an independent kingdom. From the Skaven Wars, Emperor Mandred the Rat Slayer's bloody campaigns, the Three Emperors' Period, the reigns of Emperors Talabein, Reik, and Middenwolf that splintered the Empire, to the Vampire Wars and the reestablishment of the alliance just before the Great Crusade when a rural noble from Nuln united the Empire's forces, allowing a reformed, new Empire to replace the old under the Savior Ludwig," François stroked his beard. "If the knights of Bretonnia can unite under the Lady's name to fight, the Empire unites out of a hatred for greenskins and dark creatures far exceeding any internal conflicts."
"Still, it's a bit too much that the Count of Ubersreik won't welcome us into the city," Julius accepted the explanation but remained slightly resentful.
"Hahaha, that's why I brought you out here, Julius," François laughed heartily. "The vastness of the Empire ensures that whenever a noble warrior walks the highways, in the shadows nearby lurks a vile follower of chaos. Likewise, among the Empire's nobility, there are nobles as noble and passionate as Emperor Karl-Franz, and there are deceitful and faithless lords. We act heroically, vanquishing darkness; do we seek rewards? No, everything we do is for the Lady, and every dark creature we slay is a tithe we pay to her. Thinking this way, Julius, Gerard, you won't be so troubled."
After François's words, both Julius and Gerard felt much better.
Indeed, we abide by the spirit of knighthood, we vanquish evil, we protect order, for the Lady and the Grail, not for rewards.
The knights felt lighter as they proceeded along the river flowing down from the Grey Mountains, heading toward Hemgarte. They saw hardly any travelers on the way, and the occasional wild creatures that appeared were quickly scared off by the Holy Grail Knights.
Many creatures of the Grey Mountains are cunning; these dark beings, through centuries of experience, already know what they can and cannot confront.
Several hours later, when the knights crested a hill, the scenery before them changed.
"It seems we are warmly welcomed," Ryan said humorously.
"Yes, it's said the Empire offers flowers to friends and swords to foes," François smiled back. "Just not sure which side we're on now?"
Thousands of Imperial troops appeared on the other side of the hill, disciplined pikemen, relentless halberdiers, and spirited greatswordsmen advancing slowly under the cover of archers, crossbowmen, and musketeers. The loyal Imperial army formed several rows, waiting for the guests on their journey.
Knights in the finest plate armor, the heavy cavalry, provided a solid rear for the Imperial troops. They wore iron armor, crested helms, and large feathers, their grand attire hinting at their provinces of origin. Ryan, with a quick count, knew there were more than five knightly orders present.
This was no surprise; Reikland, the Emperor's direct domain, was the Empire's richest territory, with over fifteen knightly orders based there alone.
He even spotted some Demigryph Knights.
The arrival of the four knights caught the attention of all Imperial forces; they stood as if commanded, only their sharp gazes fixed on Ryan and his companions.
Then, the entire Imperial army's formation shifted artfully, the halberdiers and greatswords changing positions. The Imperial formation rippled like waves in the cold winter wind, and a narrow path emerged from the vast military array.
"Thud, thud, thud." Heavy
footsteps sounded along the path that could accommodate only one person at a time, a young nobleman of about thirty emerged in full Dwarven rune-forged plate armor "Silver Seal," holding the symbol of the emperor, Ghal Maraz, a massive feather fixed to his helmet, his back draped with a brown skull cape and a family crest cape, a golden falcon on his left shoulder, and on his right, a matching falcon forming the shape of a double-headed eagle.
The young noble with bright, clear blue eyes full of zeal and a gentle smile approached confidently out of the Imperial formation and stood before Ryan and his companions.
"Hello, fellow humans from across the mountains, I am Karl-Franz, many call me the Emperor," Emperor Karl-Franz approached Ryan and his companions surrounded by Imperial troops. Despite Duke Paravon declaring war against the Empire, this did not sour the Emperor's mood or breed hostility towards Ryan and his companions.
Ryan and his companions dismounted and showed respect to Karl-Franz. "Hello, Emperor Franz."
The Imperial troops instinctively aimed their weapons at Ryan and François. The renown of the Holy Grail Knights had spread far and wide, and the Imperial troops considered these two men dangerous. Their guns formed a forest of barrels pointed directly at Ryan and his companions.
"Hello, Duke François, we met over twenty years ago when I was just a teenager," the Emperor said with a hearty laugh, covering the awkwardness. He gestured for the Imperial troops to lower their weapons. "My father said you were a man of great understanding; I have to thank you for this occasion."
"I remember our meeting; I was over fifty, Emperor Luitpold was in his sixties. More than twenty years have passed in a blink, and the boy of those days has become a mature emperor," François spoke somewhat nostalgically.
"Indeed." Karl-Franz nodded, then turned his attention to Ryan. "First meeting, I've heard your name, 'Devotee' Ryan Makado, Count, victor over the Champion of Chaos, banisher of the Great Maggot Rider Nurgloth, the ender of the Crimson Duke, the Lady of the Lake's chosen champion. I led the Imperial army to support Myrmidenheim but just missed you. You accepted an invitation from Bretonnia to become a lord, which I regret, as the Empire lost a fine warrior."
"Hello, Emperor Karl-Franz," Ryan nodded respectfully. "Please forgive me for not addressing you as 'Emperor,' but I will refer to you as 'Your Majesty.'"
"Why???"
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