"Morgiana... Is there really something so special between us that it needs to be discussed here? Why didn't you mention it during dinner with the lady?" Ryan was puzzled why Morgiana had specifically come to his room to talk instead of speaking earlier.
"It's nothing particularly important, just... out of curiosity, how did you come by that dark elf maid?" Morgiana motioned for Ryan to come to the bed. The Lake Goddess Witch had been in a bad mood recently, often reprimanding others for no apparent reason. She knew the reason why, but outwardly, she was reluctant to admit it. The excuse she had given herself was that it would be inappropriate to continue visiting him for treatments after his marriage.
Continuing the treatments was of utmost importance to Morgiana. She realized that even if she fully recovered, the treatments could not stop! Otherwise, there would be a risk of relapse.
She was adamant about this.
If this marriage wasn't arranged by the Lady of the Lake, Morgiana thought she would definitely find a way to annul the engagement. For someone like the Lake Goddess Witch, who wielded immense power in this country, it would be just a matter of finding an excuse and saying the word.
"This is a long story..." Ryan burrowed into the iris-scented comforter, lifted Morgiana onto his lap, and told her about his encounter with the head of the Luigi Commerce Association, Hadrian, and the series of events that followed. The story ended with Ryan obtaining a mithril mine, acquiring the dark elf maid, and gaining a business partner, while Hadrian opened the upper echelons of Malinburg to his ventures.
Ryan had always wanted to criticize Hadrian's method as it was extremely risky and could have backfired if he had encountered a hothead (like Anglong, Anglong, or Anglong). This merchant would not only fail his objectives but might also lose his life.
Hadrian later admitted that he had researched Ryan's character and knew he wouldn't act rashly, which is why he proceeded as he did. This was a big gamble, but to a merchant, greater risks come with greater rewards. Those who are unwilling to take risks cannot win higher returns.
Killing on a whim, drawing swords over trivial disagreements—such individuals are either devotees of chaos or rogue bandits because these concepts are ingrained in them from a young age. Well-educated knights would not resort to violence arbitrarily; many issues cannot be resolved by force.
In many eyes, violence is the quickest and most effective solution. If they disagree, they kill to resolve it; if they dislike someone, they kill to resolve it; if philosophies differ, they kill to resolve it; if it's not one of their own, they kill to resolve it.
Ryan thought such people would be perfect as devotees of the God of Tyranny, for that is exactly how devotees of tyranny behave. A knight's duty is to protect, not to destroy.
Getting back to the point, Ryan hugged Morgiana tightly: "My story is done."
"Why would you trust such a suspicious dark elf and let her be your personal maid? Aren't you afraid she might harm you with a dagger or a poisoned drink?" Morgiana found a comfortable position in Ryan's arms, leaning on his chest, and thought to herself that if it weren't for that damned dark elf, she would be the one spending every night with Ryan. "Dark elves are inherently evil, worshipping the Bloodhand God Cain, engaging in various taboo rituals, and occasionally raiding the coasts with barbaric tribes from the north... How can you be sure she won't harm you?"
The room's magic machinery operated, sending out cool air from the air conditioner. The window was covered with thick curtains, and only the bedside candle was burning. Ryan, holding the Lake Goddess Witch by the waist, looked at her with a half-smile: "Morgiana, you must want to know more about Olica, right?"
"I'm doing this for your good!" Morgiana's beautiful face showed dissatisfaction: "Keeping such a magically capable and mysterious dark elf will ultimately harm you."
"As for Olica's origins, I'm not entirely clear myself." Ryan gently untied the ribbon at Morgiana's waist: "But she can't harm me; she doesn't have the ability."
"So you don't know her origins either?" Morgiana raised her golden eyebrows: "You really are overconfident, Ryan. I remember that little maid of yours, Amelia, also has an unclear background. Do you really think you can control them? Ryan, you and they are not the same. Amelia is a human girl, but that dark elf..."
"... Morgiana, I know what you mean. Olica is indeed a dark elf, but that's not important. She didn't have the power to threaten me before, so I trusted her. Later, she regained her power, but
all her strength comes from me, Morgiana, just like this." Ryan playfully touched Morgiana's smooth abdomen.
Morgiana understood and blushed deeply, grabbing Ryan's hand: "Don't talk about that!"
The Lake Goddess Witch was actually very tender and shy when alone with Ryan. As long as Ryan took the initiative, Morgiana would silently comply with anything, hiding her face unless they were kissing.
I really have...
"By the way, there's something else I need to tell you." Morgiana remembered something and signaled to wait: "After Lauren's failure, I sent someone to investigate Mousilon again, and the Lake God Oracle Clement brought back a valuable piece of information for me."
"A valuable message?" Ryan became serious, as any information Morgiana considered important was certainly critical, especially regarding Mousilon.
As for the credit and rewards for Ryan's killing of Eigel, the Knight King and his court, along with the dukes, were still deliberating. It was difficult to reward such merit, as Ryan was already an earl, had received a first-class medal, and was the champion of the Lady of the Lake's chosen. Richard did not know what else he had at hand; after much discussion, it boiled down to three options: granting a dukedom, adding a title, or giving material rewards.
Both Richard and the kingdom's court immediately rejected the idea of granting a dukedom. Firstly, Ryan's credentials were too recent, and although the laws of Bretonnia allowed the king to create unlimited duke titles, Ryan could not become a "landless duke" as a duke needed corresponding lands, and Bretonnia had no lands left to grant.
Adding a title was also useless; what title in the kingdom could surpass the champion of the Lady of the Lake?
In the end, Knight King Richard rewarded Ryan with four thousand gold crowns, two purebred elven warhorses, fifty sets of knight armor, and ten carts of food, ensuring the reward looked respectable and ordered the merit to be recorded in the archives.
The underlying message was: we'll note this merit for now, and you can keep the reward.
The reward had not yet reached Ryan.
However, Ryan looked further ahead; he was interested in the land of Mousilon and the title of Duke of Mousilon. To claim the title of Duke of Mousilon, he first needed to recover Mousilon, which required long-term planning.
"Clement discovered through investigation that after the Blood Red Duke's death, the Lich King Arkaim and the Vampire Count Manfred both left, leaving Matthew Bard, the traitor we analyzed last time, in charge! He almost stole the title of winner of the Knight's Tournament, and I even personally encouraged him!" Morgiana was so annoyed recalling this that if not for Ryan, she would have been sacrificed to the Master of Necromancy, Nagash: "He now calls himself Duke of Mousilon, becoming the ruler of Mousilon."
"Hmm, I know. What's changed? Matthew Bard, his strength was only at the beginning of legend at the time. Even if he advanced quickly over two or three years, he would at most be at the middle level of legend. How could he command Mousilon's vampires?"
Vampires are a treacherous lot, only following the strong. The Blood Red Duke ruled Mousilon for years, his high legendary strength barely sufficed, so how could Matthew Bard, a non-vampire knight with only the beginning legendary strength, govern Mousilon?
"Matthew Bard's strength has soared to high legendary." Morgiana recalled her own betrayal, capture, and near transformation into a vampire, her voice both cold and trembling. Since her recovery, the Lake Goddess Witch had been frequently awakened from nightmares; each time, she dreamed of being tied to an altar, facing Manfred's shiny head and pale pupils. Only when with Ryan could she sleep peacefully, free from nightmares: "Do you know why?"
"What happened?" Ryan's eyes widened.
"Duke Lauren, who was killed in the campaign against Mousilon, didn't dissipate or get expelled, but all his power flowed into Matthew Bard." Morgiana shared the results of her divination: "Matthew Bard absorbed all the power of the dead Black Grail Knight, his combat skills and experience, and successfully broke through to high legendary. And that's just from one Black Grail Knight; it's hard to imagine if all the Black Grail Knights were defeated... If it weren't for the circumstances, I would definitely call for a grand knightly army."
"The kingdom no longer has the capacity to attack Mousilon." Ryan nodded with a wry smile: "It will take at least five years to restore the kingdom's military strength and number of knights. Fortunately, Mousilon has also been greatly weakened. The vampires can't do much, and Lord Lauren has already strengthened the outposts and quarantine bands, also causing great damage to Mousilon.
What we need to do now is take the time to recuperate... Morgiana, what's wrong?"
Morgiana's face was pale; she remembered her careless capture again. Every time she thought about it, the Lake Goddess Witch felt terrified: "That... Ryan, I've been plagued by nightmares again recently."
"This is indeed a problem." Ryan gently stroked Morgiana's delicate, soft back: "You need to overcome it, Morgiana, I'm here."
"You're here? You'll be gone soon!" Morgiana said sourly: "Even if you get married, our agreement still stands, right?"
"Yes, I'll keep my promise." Since he had promised, Ryan would keep it; this was one of the knight's eight virtues.
The Grail Knight's word was law; they rarely made promises, but once they did, they would do everything to fulfill them. Many "smart people" liked to mock knights as "fools" who willingly walked to their deaths, not realizing that if everyone were a "smart person," the world might have long been destroyed by chaos.
"...," Morgiana found her own words meaningless.
"It's time to rest." The two had been talking for a long time, and Ryan knew Morgiana was not planning to leave that night. The earl pulled the Lake Goddess Witch's small hand and lay down: "Let's start."
Morgiana finally heard the words she wanted to hear; she rolled over onto Ryan, offering her sweet kiss. Her silk-stockinged feet hooked around Ryan's legs.
The bedside candle was blown out.
... (the rest is omitted) ...
Over the next three days, Targarys condescended to personally instruct Teresa and Veronica in magic, even requiring Olica and Morgiana to attend. Targarys' knowledge of magic was vast and profound; whether it was the Garon witches or a saintly archmage like Morgiana, they could benefit immensely from learning even a little from him.
On another note, Ryan and Anglong commissioned the dwarf rune artisan Grandmaster Clark the Grim to forge a weapon, which was now complete.
Since the dwarf had begun work, Anglong had been eagerly waiting. When the dwarf finally opened the workshop doors and stepped out, Anglong was the first at the workshop entrance: "Master Clark? My weapon?"
Covered in soot, the dwarf rune artisan touched his beard: "Dwarfs never break their word."
A pair of vibranium dual-wield battle axes was placed before Anglong.
The vibranium battle axes, split into two, shimmered under the summer sun with their silver blades, adorned with a dozen blue mystical patterns engraved by Clark the Grim on the blades, linked by golden patterns. The axe handles were inlaid with rune stones passed down from the dwarf's golden age thousands of years ago, containing terrifying energy.
"Vibranium battle axes, artifacts. As you wished, I have named them Cleaver and Ripper." Clark the Grim placed the axes on a large wooden table: "I used fifteen different dwarf enchantments. They're heavy, very powerful, and have a strong killing effect, just as you imagined. If you exert enough force, this weapon has an energy-cutting effect."
"Hey! I like it!" Anglong picked up his vibranium battle axes, testing them in place. The whirlwind from the axe blades made the nearby knights and high elves retreat in alarm.
"In addition, I've enchanted these two axes with special effects." Clark the Grim continued.
Anglong then carefully examined the axes, noticing slight differences between them. The left axe had three blood grooves, and the runes on the axe body differed: "The left-hand axe is named Ripper. Ripper's axe body has special runes that make wounds difficult to heal and continue bleeding."
"The right-hand axe is called Cleaver. I've added 'Bloodthirsty' special runes that allow you to absorb the enemy's flesh and blood power during combat, growing stronger as you fight."
"Awesome! This is exactly the weapon I wanted!" Anglong was extremely satisfied; he finally had a weapon that suited him.
"Finally, let's complete it, Mr. Anglong. Drop your blood on the rune stones on the axe body," Clark the Grim was also satisfied with his work, continuing.
Anglong did as Clark instructed, dripping his blood onto the rune stones. A red light flashed on the rune stones, and Clark immediately tapped the rune stones on the axes with his vibranium hammer: "Now, my work is completely finished."
"Throw the axe, Mr. Anglong."
"Alright~" Anglong shouted and hurled one of the vibranium battle axes. The newly created artifact broke the sound barrier, blasted a pile of stones to smithereens, raising clouds of dust, and then embedded itself deeply into the ground.
"Then call its name in your heart and reach out your hand to welcome its return."
Anglong followed Clark's instructions
.
A miracle happened; the embedded vibranium battle axe rose into the air, spinning, and the axe handle instantly returned to Anglong's hand, firmly grasped.
"NICE!" The World Devourer beamed: "Master Clark, thank you very much!"
"No need to thank me, I said, dwarfs never break their word." Clark then brought out a magnificent two-handed warhammer from the workshop: "Where's your brother?"
"I'm here!"
Updated! Vote for me at the start of the month!
___________________
(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