"Could it be Egil's axe?" Ryan casually said.
"Exactly." Veronica still wore a smile, as the witches of Garon had obtained plenty of magic ore: "Both of Egil's hell axes are made from vibranium. Your dwarven friend said that if you melt them down, you can refine a large chunk of vibranium. It's enough not only to make an axe for Brother Anglon but also a warhammer for you."
"Very good." Ryan was satisfied, and he instructed Veronica, "We can ask for less of other things, but we must try to get as much vibranium as possible."
"I've already secured quite a bit for you... Miss Veronica, Miss Theresa, you're both here." The door was pushed open again, and Sulia walked in. As soon as the knight entered, she saw the two witches, one leaning on Ryan and the other holding his hand. Sulia spoke with displeasure, "Ladies, didn't I say that Ryan is injured these days and you shouldn't stay overnight here?"
Sulia's tone was not very pleasant. Born noble and gentle, she understood Ryan having several lovers and never felt jealous; she was merely considering Ryan's well-being, who was currently injured and shouldn't share a room with anyone.
"Uh, we were just worried that Ryan might be bored alone, so we came to talk with him," Veronica quickly explained to avoid any misunderstanding, and Theresa nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Veronica was the main suspect, as Theresa hadn't shared a room with Ryan before.
Ryan noticed that both witches from Garon were somewhat afraid of Sulia. Although Sulia had only recently advanced to a legendary rank, this ducal daughter had already established her authority around Ryan and his domain, managing the affairs of the earldom efficiently. The prosperity of the earldom owed much to the knight as well.
After chatting for a while longer, Veronica and Theresa reluctantly left, leaving only Sulia and Ryan in the room. The beautiful and noble knight was dressed today in a Bretonnian noblewoman's fishtail dress in rain-washed grey, her delicate feet wrapped in black lace stockings and blue high heels. Her golden curls fell to her waist, and sapphire earrings sparkled. The scent of lilies filled the room as she sat next to Ryan, holding his hand, "Ryan, are you feeling better?"
"Uh, I feel much better after a few days of rest." Ryan held the knight's hand, "Thanks for your hard work, Sulia."
"Ryan~ Do we still need to speak of hardships between us?" Sulia gently pinched Ryan's hand with her slender fingers, her voice soft, "You lead the armies, you charge into battle, you duel the champions, and it was you who killed Egil. All I can do is support you from behind, help you. We're engaged; do we need to divide anything between us?"
Ryan didn't say anything, but he was deeply touched. Sulia's character was truly his favorite type. She always managed everything perfectly. Ryan was initially worried about his inner court, obviously, because Theresa and Veronica had a bad relationship and harbored grudges. Emilia and the two witches were on average terms with their own secrets, Olica didn't trust anyone but Ryan.
Yet Sulia easily solved these relationships by supporting one faction, striking another, and isolating one.
The knight first allied herself with Emilia, who was sensitive and delicate at heart. Sulia treated her like a sister, using warmth and gentleness to melt Emilia's defenses. After a few months, Emilia had already started calling Sulia 'sister' sweetly.
Olica, the dark elf and Ryan's personal maid, was the isolated party. Without any external support and utterly alone, she naturally had to bow her head to Sulia not wanting to leave Ryan.
The remaining two Garon witches were the targets of Sulia's actions. Among them, Veronica was clear about her role and surrendered early, while Theresa was still somewhat unwilling. Ryan guessed that the sorceress might have discussed privately with Sulia, and the outcome... need it be said?
"Ryan? What's wrong?" Sulia took off her high heels and climbed onto the bed, leaning gently on Ryan's shoulder, her ocean-blue eyes fixed on him, "You seem distracted?"
"I was thinking, you always tell Veronica and Theresa not to sneak around, but in the end, it's you who sneaks around!" Ryan said with a mischievous smile, his hand daringly slipping under the knight's skirt, touching her soft skin. Sulia quickly grabbed his hand to stop him from moving further up.
"Ryan! You rascal! Why is your mind always filled with such dirty thoughts?" Sulia blushed, immediately rising to her feet, "If you keep this up, I'm leaving!"
"Don't, don't,
don't!" Seeing that he had "teased" Sulia a bit, Ryan immediately changed his tune, "It's so boring alone."
"As long as you're alright." Sulia then settled down again, leaning on Ryan's shoulder, "If your injuries are stable, I plan to stay here for three more days, then we'll return to the Earldom of Glamorgan."
"Sounds good, I'm fine. Now, I'm actually worried about something." Ryan looked up at the window.
The curtain partially covered the window, the room lit by candles and magic lamps, the deep night sky enveloping the Castle of Lyonaisse. The duchy's former glory had become the past, leaving only ruins. Even with this victory, Ryan felt little joy, for the moment of the end was drawing near. The increasingly frequent chaos invasions were a harbinger, and this victory was crucial for him. The threat from the northern barbarians was temporarily dissolved, giving him precious time to develop and recuperate.
"Are you worried about the kingdom's northern defenses?" Sulia, brushing her dazzling hair behind her ear, spoke softly, "The good news is, the pressure from the barbarian raids in the north has greatly reduced. The beastmen in the Aden Forest are no longer a threat, and the nobles only need to guard against raids from the dark elves, which is relatively less stressful."
"Um... about my last suggestion, did you talk to François about it?"
Ryan now commonly referred to his father-in-law by his name. In the former Celestial Empire, this would be highly disrespectful, but in this world, only those close to each other would use first names, and such mutual address indicated a good relationship.
"I did, and father considered your proposal. He doesn't oppose your idea, but he insists that the candidate must be fully proven in courage, strength, and faith before being eligible for nomination," Sulia said softly.
"Rightly so."
...
Old World, Bretonnia, capital Couronne, within the royal palace.
In the banquet hall, several esteemed guests and the Knight King were dining together.
Duke Winford François sat on the right with his son Julius, while Duke Laon-Leon Cornwall sat on the left, and Duke Richard Le-Anglon, who was also the Knight King, sat in the center.
"We all know the situation. This war ended in a Pyrrhic victory for us. Dalheid is severely injured, Yules died in battle, and Lyonaisse lost more than half of its forces. Couronne's army also suffered losses of nearly forty percent. François, we owe you our thanks for bringing three thousand knights and a substantial amount of provisions to aid us. Otherwise, I was really worried that news of defeat might have caused a lot of chaos here," Richard said to François, his face etched with deep concern, "The kingdom has suffered grievous losses, and Lyoncol, I also thank you for bringing your people and supplies to help."
"You're welcome, my liege. It's my duty," responded Laon-Leon Cornwall, spirited. The duke had just assumed office and was eager to make his mark. He was also a champion knighted by the Lady of the Lake. Although slightly inferior to Ryan, the chosen champion of the Lady, he was undoubtedly favored by the goddess. After completing the Grail Quest and returning to Connacht, the new duke began reforming his domain.
Laon could not participate in this war because the cunning Egil had sent several small tribes to harass the coastal shores of the Duchy of Connacht, tying down Bretonnian forces. Laon had to remain in his castle to command the defenses and repel those tribes.
Unlike François, Laon's junior seat was not occupied by his progeny. Usually, during such formal meetings with the king, Bretonnian nobles liked to bring their heirs or heiresses to gain exposure. However, Laon, in his early forties, had neither children nor even a wife or lovers, living a solitary life.
The person sitting next to him was a trusted subordinate, a Grail Knight named De-Leoness.
In Bretonnia, it was not easy for nobles to meet with the Knight King, especially in private. If the king did not offer the opportunity and a knight wished to meet the king, they had to submit a formal written request through various levels of scrutiny or bribe the king's attendants to pass on their request for a meeting.
Those attendants who served the king at meals or attended to his personal needs were most sought after because they often had the chance to speak privately with the king and could take the opportunity to speak on behalf of others. Hundreds of errant knights arrived in Couronne daily, seeking an audience with the king in hopes of obtaining their own fief and ascending to knighthood or even baronage. It was hard to say whether the errant knights whom Richard met each day through the
introduction of his attendants were all granted an audience through bribes. People only knew that attendants of high moral standing would inevitably refuse such bribes.
"The kingdom's urgent task is to recuperate. We should immediately send a diplomatic note to Emperor Karl-Franz, asking for the quick release of those knights who have been captured, suspend the initiation of new knightly wars, restore our knightly numbers, and order some of the knightly crusading armies currently on expeditions in overseas and new worlds to return home. Otherwise, the kingdom's north is too exposed," François advised Richard. Despite the conflicts and differences in political views between the two, these were internal issues. At this juncture, as a Grail Knight, François hoped everyone would unite to overcome this difficulty.
"I understand, and I am already arranging it," Richard, thinking of Yules dying in Lyonaisse, felt a pang of pain. The Knight King struggled to utter a few words. François knew of Richard's sadness and discomfort, so after finishing their meal, he took the initiative to leave, "Then, Julius and I will take our leave."
François and Julius departed, but Laon stayed behind. Richard walked ahead, and Laon followed, both coming to the palace gardens.
Among the lush irises and lilies, Laon said to Richard, "Uncle, Duke François's opinion is quite reasonable. I think it's worth considering."
Richard and Laon were related by blood.
Richard's father's cousin was Laon's grandfather's cousin, making Laon, in terms of family hierarchy, Richard's cousin once removed, which meant Richard was the son of Laon's father's father's cousin's cousin.
"François?" Richard shook his head; more wrinkles and white hair appeared on his face, "He is an excellent Grail Knight and an exemplar of chivalry. I indeed don't like him, but I won't reject his proposals out of personal dislike. Lyoncol, what I want to teach you is, you can dislike someone, you can hate someone, but you shouldn't instinctively oppose their views just because you dislike them. You can't oppose for the sake of opposing. Just like I don't like Ryan Macado, but I still made him an earl."
"I've noted it." Laon nodded, standing under the night sky with the Sword of Coron hanging at his side, his tone filled with deep regret, "I really can't believe that Yules just died like that, such a powerful man…"
"Death isn't frightening; what's frightening is dying namelessly." Richard also looked up at the night sky, where only a few dim stars shone, "We will always remember Yules in our memories and epics. He's just gone to another world, continuing to fight for the Lady. This time, we also have to thank Ryan Macado. If he hadn't killed Egil, we might have been preparing for the defense of Couronne by now."
"For the Lady!" Laon prayed devoutly.
Richard turned to look at Laon for a while, then suddenly smiled, "Lyoncol, do you know, I once planned to arrange a marriage for you, either with Duke François's daughter Sulia or perhaps with the granddaughter of Duke Behemond, Eva."
"Why suddenly mention this?" Laon was somewhat puzzled. It was true he wasn't married, but as a Grail Knight, he could live well over a hundred years, so there was no rush for marriage. And even if he really wanted to marry, Richard had no reason to interfere to this extent.
"François is a very wise and visionary man. He had his sights set on Ryan early on," Richard continued without responding to Laon's comment. "The marriage between Marchioness Sulia and Earl Ryan is well-matched and has also received the Lady's blessing. It's a marriage blessed by everyone. When the time comes, I'll trouble you to attend as a guest."
"Of course." Laon was still somewhat perplexed, but seeing that the king did not wish to discuss further, he promptly agreed, "Ryan is a very outstanding young man, also the Lady's chosen champion, and has repeatedly made significant contributions to the kingdom. I should certainly attend."
"…" Richard looked at Laon's response, neither approving nor disapproving, just silent, and Laon could only follow suit in silence.
The king and the duke stood under the night sky for five minutes.
"Uncle, it's cold on a spring night. You should go back and rest earlier," Laon suggested, seeing Richard unresponsive for a long time.
"…Laon, if, I mean if." Richard finally made up his mind, turned around, and said with a determined look, "If I announce my abdication this year and designate you as the next Knight King, what do you think?"
"What?!"
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