As the last streak of sunset light disappears behind the windows of the Lady of the Lake's high tower, a thick fog begins to enshroud the entire structure and its surroundings once again.
On the fourth floor, upon a luxurious bed made of high-grade elven nanmu, Morgiana lies comfortably against Ryan's chest. Her cheeks are flushed with color as she sighs from a mix of sensations, "I always thought you'd come earlier."
Ryan thinks to himself that his visit wasn't exactly for the reasons she's implying.
Obviously, he couldn't voice that thought. Instead, he gently strokes Morgiana's back, softly speaking with her. After spending the afternoon together until dusk, it was time to rest.
"Morgiana, it should always be like this. You need to spend time with me every day," Morgiana says after refocusing her gaze, which had drifted. It seemed as if she was releasing bubbles of words, "Whatever we end up doing is one thing, but unless there's something extremely urgent, you should at least spend some time with me daily."
"That won't work," Ryan quickly refuses, bewildered by her request.
"You won't agree?! How can you not agree!!" Morgiana, seeming to find strength from somewhere despite her frailty, grabs the fabric of Ryan's shirt at his chest, biting her teeth, "Isn't what you get from being here significant? You didn't seem to mind enjoying it just now?"
"Princess Morgiana, I will spend more time with you, but doing this daily is too much—considering whether you can handle it, and it's also not quite appropriate!" Ryan hastily explains.
Their relationship must remain a secret; otherwise, it would be a scandal of monumental proportions.
Thus, their intimate encounters are strictly confined to the third floor's strictly off-limits prayer room and within the high tower of the Lady of the Lake. After nearly a year of recovery, Morgiana can now barely walk. Seeing her condition, she moved into the Lady's tower, which is absolutely safe, enveloped in the Goddess's protective fog.
But therein lies the issue. The Lady of the Lake's tower is a site of miracles, visited nearly every day by knights from across the kingdom and even pilgrim knights who come to pray for the Lady's blessing.
And he and Morgiana are involved in their activities here?
Ryan understands Morgiana's feelings, though. After nearly a year of recovery, being only able to walk a bit and far from regaining her full strength, Morgiana watches the kingdom's court embroiled in strife following Casfanel's defeat. She feels utterly helpless and hates her vulnerability.
Since discovering that intimacy with Ryan could speed her recovery, Morgiana has been eager to be with him daily.
Of course, deep down, she knows that speeding her recovery might just be an excuse... she dreads considering any other reasons.
"You have nothing else at night anyway, just spending time with that dark elf maid or your little maid. Your female courtier isn't here," Morgiana's voice softens, "I believe I am not lacking in appearance or figure compared to them, and now that I am in trouble... surely you should help me more, all for the sake of treatment..."
Ryan feels the conversation is veering off course. He sighs, "Princess Morgiana, let's compromise. One or two days a week, we'll say I am here for prayer and meditation to the public. If there's extra time, I'll arrange it, how about that?"
"Let's start with that, then. Pick me up, Ryan," Morgiana finally agrees, still blushing, and gestures for Ryan to lift her. Ryan nods, giving her a princess carry to the dining table.
After preparing a lavish dinner, Ryan lights silver candelabras and the room's magical lamps, sitting opposite Morgiana.
"So, the Empire demands a ransom of twenty thousand gold crowns for Casfanel?" Morgiana, dressed in a jasmine silk gown with a golden floral tiara, obviously took care in her appearance after getting up. Her exquisite features, laid-back and enchanting, she scoops up some soup, casually saying, "Karl-Franz's capabilities aside, Casfanel did his best. To combat steam tanks, nothing less than Grail Knights will do."
"The Empire is now fully equipped with firearms and artillery, my lady. Should we consider following suit?" Ryan cuts into a loaf of white bread, pondering, "I think it necessary."
"Firearms? You want to arm the serfs with firearms?" Morgiana lifts her goblet, fog billowing outside the window, but bright moonlight streams in, she thinks for a moment, "The Lady's decrees don't forbid the use of firearms, but it's better if the knights don't adopt them."
"I know. The knights will naturally stick to lances and melee weapons," Ryan agrees.
Most knights refrain
from using ranged weapons for good reasons. Firstly, firearms don't allow time for reloading in close-quarters combat. Secondly, due to the weight, carrying both a lance and a sword makes it impractical to carry a firearm as well.
Trying to have everything results in mastering none.
For the knights of Brittany, there's also the matter of faith in a world where belief can enhance strength. A knight who lacks confidence in his martial prowess isn't worthy of the title.
Conversely, firearms aren't as lethal as imagined. Empire guns barely penetrate knightly plate armor, except for a few dwarf-made blunderbusses, rare even within the Imperial armories.
After discussing this with Morgiana, Ryan moves on to the next topic, "My lady, have you been feeling better these days?"
"A bit better," Morgiana nods, now able to move around but easily fatigued.
She had been eager to leave the prayer room on the third floor where she had been recovering.
"Actually, I wanted to say, our treatment doesn't need to continue in this manner," Ryan ventures after some thought, "I mean, if we could transfer energy through hand-holding, the effect would be the same."
"No... it's not the same, Ryan. I know my body." As soon as Ryan finishes speaking, Morgiana's expression changes, she emphasizes, "Direct infusion and indirect transfer are different."
"It's actually the same..." Ryan tries to explain, but Morgiana reacts strongly, "Ryan, what are you trying to say? Do you dislike me?"
"No, Morgiana, listen to me," Ryan reaches across the table, taking her hand, "I enjoy our time together, but you might be misunderstanding the nature of my energy."
"Misunderstanding?" Morgiana seems slightly appeased by Ryan's explanation.
"My lady, do you think if I treated you every day, you'd recover faster?" Ryan asks with a smile.
"Not really," Morgiana blushes, whispering, "I mean, the energy on your dark elf maid came from you, right? And the... strange... pattern you carved on my abdomen also contains your energy..."
As she speaks, her voice becomes quieter. The mark Ryan made on her abdomen signifies something quite intimate, which is difficult for Morgiana to discuss openly. Despite her public pride and strength, she's quite shy in private: "I've also used your energy for casting spells before. I think I can handle it like Olica, Ryan. I've been recovering for too long."
Ryan understands.
Essentially, Morgiana can't stand feeling useless for so long. She desperately wants to do something, to occasionally regain her casting abilities with Ryan's help, like Olica.
Also, she wants to maintain her relationship with Ryan. He isn't surprised; Morgiana is a woman after all, and in their private moments, she feels respected and happy.
He feels it's necessary to clarify: "Princess Morgiana, your situation isn't like Olica's. For Olica, it was unavoidable; after being captured by the High Elves, her soul and casting abilities were destroyed using secret techniques. She can't generate magic on her own, so she relies on my power."
"You're different because you were drained of all magic by the Vampire Count Manfred due to the Ancient Tree Sap's effects. Your soul and body just need time to recover naturally."
Morgiana doesn't accept this explanation and retorts, "Exactly, which is why I need your energy to help me through this difficult time."
"No, no, no, Morgiana, you don't understand. My energy isn't like the Winds of Magic," Ryan holds her hand, continuing, "My energy is different from magic. If I continuously and intensely infuse you with my energy, it could erode your own magic. Over time, you wouldn't be able to cast spells independently, becoming entirely dependent on my energy."
"Is it really that severe?" Morgiana is visibly shaken by Ryan's words, hesitating, "Is that true?"
"It's true," Ryan assures softly.
In this matter, he isn't lying at all.
In the year since, the maturity of Morgiana's spirit marks has almost caught up with Veronica's.
"Alright then," Morgiana sighs softly, stealing glances at Ryan as he continues eating. She casually adds, "So, does this mean... we won't continue like this?"
"We don't have to stop completely; we'll just maintain it as is. If you're willing to continue direct infusions, we can do that," Ryan smiles after finishing his meal, standing up with a mischievous grin and walking over to the slightly panicked Morgiana, taking her hand, "Honestly, I enjoy our time together."
"That sounds like a lie," Morgiana scoffs, though her face shows delight. She puts down her utensils, "I'm done eating. Are you staying tonight?"
"I'll return tomorrow morning," Ryan speaks warmly, deciding to stay with Morgiana
.
This obviously pleases the Lake Witch, who now dislikes being alone. The solitude of the Lady's tower feels too cold and dull, "Then we can do other things."
"Other things?"
"Yes, other things," Morgiana manages to stand, albeit awkwardly—Ryan knows the afternoon's activities were too intense. He quickly supports her, receiving an annoyed glance but allowing his assistance, "Let's go to the third floor."
Outside the night window, Ryan notices the griffon chick, Empress, playing with the unicorn, Silphane.
In just a few months, Empress has grown significantly. If previously she resembled a small dog, now she is the size of an adult canine. The unicorn Silphane, Morgiana's mount, also injured in the Manfred incident, has recovered alongside Morgiana and now serves as her means of transportation.
Griffons must be tamed from a young age; otherwise, one must venture into the forests of the Duchy of Griffons to capture them, a costly endeavor. It's better to raise them from a young age.
Ryan estimates the young griffon will need more time before it can serve as a mount in battle.
"You mentioned experimenting with blessed cannonballs, and I've instructed the Order of the Holy Maidens to start trials," Morgiana says as Ryan supports her to the third floor.
In the hall, several large lead cannonballs are displayed, each blessed by the Lake Prophets. These aren't mere solid shots but shrapnel shells.
With magical enhancements from the Lake Prophets, these shells will explode upon nearing the ground, causing both magical explosions and shrapnel to inflict severe damage on
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT
the enemy.
This is why Brittany's divinely-favored trebuchets can rival the impact of Dwarven artillery. Blessed trebuchets can launch stones thrice the weight and add magical damage.
Now, Ryan believes, with a combination of Lake magic and Dwarven technology, the artillery's power could reach a new level.
All he needs is to test it.
After inspecting the cannonballs, Morgiana points to a device on the table, resembling a large astrolabe. In its center, a golden orb is surrounded by rotating rings and orbits. Morgiana takes Ryan's hand, activates the mysterious device, and signals him to channel energy into it.
"What is this?" Ryan follows Morgiana's instructions.
The golden orb slowly opens, revealing a familiar figure within.
It's the Grand Master of the Grail Knights, the head of the Couronne chapter, Yules!
This is a recording.
As the Grail Knight stationed in Couronne, Yules reports to Morgiana and the Lady of the Lake about the recent intense debates and maneuvers within the palace.
A significant political storm has swept through the kingdom.
Updated! Please vote!