In the year 2515 of the Imperial Calendar, the winter solstice festival had come around once again.
This year, Ryan chose to spend the winter at the ducal castle in Jean. He had only brought the halberd regiment of the Old Guard to act as his personal guard, but alongside them, his entire royal court and the First Guard Lancer Regiment had also been transferred to Jean.
Even though the winter solstice holiday was approaching, the court of the Knight Kingdom showed no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, Ryan continued to receive a steady stream of reports from all over the Old World. He held multiple internal meetings to address various matters. Due to the shift toward centralized governance, the workload for the king had increased significantly. However, thanks to the establishment of a centralized bureaucracy and a capable court administration, Ryan now had fewer matters he needed to personally handle.
It was a brisk morning, and Ryan was working in the ducal castle's office.
The Knight King sat in his tall, high-backed chair, handling matters of domestic policy. Behind him stood Olica, as usual, wearing her black-and-white maid outfit and attending to him. To his left, about two meters away, sat Veronica, dressed in a women's tailored blazer and a form-fitting pencil skirt. She was helping Ryan review various documents, selecting the most important ones for his attention.
Notably, Veronica's skirt seemed unusually short—more than 20 centimeters above her knees. Whenever there was the slightest breeze or disturbance, she instinctively pressed her hands against her skirt's edges, glancing around nervously. Occasionally, she cast a fearful glance at Olica. Her long legs, wrapped in opaque black fluorescent tights, were tightly pressed together, as if she were dreading something.
This year, Emilia, who was pregnant, did not join them. Meanwhile, Talia and Aurora had also been invited to the Ice Wizard Tower in the Forest of Châlons. However, the mother-daughter duo was preoccupied, seemingly concocting some sort of secret potion, and rarely made an appearance. Talia occasionally visited the castle, either to see Ryan or to deliver intelligence reports.
The Lady of the Lake was currently in the kitchen, learning how to cook under Morgiana's guidance. The Lake Witch seemed particularly proud, as she was the only one who could perfectly cater to Ryan's tastes.
Sulia, clad in a gray wolf-fur coat over a white button-up blouse, wore a pencil skirt in the same gray tone as Veronica's, along with opaque black fluorescent tights. Since receiving Sanguinius' blessing, her entire being radiated an even more holy and dignified aura. Unfortunately, aside from adding a little personal amusement for a certain someone, her newfound power hadn't seen much use yet. The queen was also reviewing documents. After finishing one, she looked up and said to Ryan, "Dear, do you think he's telling the truth?"
"He has no reason to lie to me," Ryan replied, looking up from his pile of documents.
Over the past month, a steady flow of intelligence had arrived from all corners of the Old World.
The first piece of news—and the most important—was that Sylvia was pregnant. Despite being a lower-ranking member of Ryan's court and receiving his favor infrequently, she had indeed conceived. Psychic verification confirmed it was a girl, whom Ryan had named Cecilia.
This news brought great joy to both Ryan and Sulia, but no one was happier than Sylvia herself. Although the head maid tried to maintain her composure, her joy was so overwhelming that it practically deformed her normally composed expression.
Sylvia had repeatedly insisted on no special rewards or care, but Ryan still found a pretext to bestow honors upon her. Her father, Vincent, was granted the honorary title of Baron of Châlons, along with an estate and a manor. Additionally, Vincent was formally promoted to the position of Bretonnia's Minister of Finance, a role he had previously held in an acting and advisory capacity.
Sylvia's father had truly risen thanks to his daughter.
Sylvia was now sent to the Lake Lady's tower to rest and prepare for childbirth. When Ryan had conducted the psychic verification, he finally understood what Olica meant by "training completed." The once-proud head maid had transformed into a helpless little woman before Ryan—stubborn in words but completely honest in her actions.
The second piece of news came from Raun. The remnants of Chaos near Erengrad had finally been cleared, and reinforcements—referring to the "next wave" of expeditionary forces—had arrived. Raun continued to push northward and had reclaimed the city of Zoschenk, but he was forced to halt further progress upon encountering a massive beast horde in the Troll Country. Fortunately, the beasts were preoccupied with internal conflict to elect a new "Troll King," meaning they were unlikely to head south for the time being.
Kislev had entered a harsh winter, and the troops were exhausted and needed rest. Raun had established a series of outposts and defensive lines to counter this threat, but the Northern Marshal still required assistance from Bretonnia.
Ryan promised to send additional troops in the spring to support Raun. Erengrad had to remain under their control.
The third piece of news came from Beria. The Tsarina, Katarin, had arrived in Altdorf with her court, two undispersed regiments of Romanov Guards, and a unit of Imperial Greatswords and Bretonnian knights acting as her personal guard. She was actively engaging in social activities, attempting to persuade the Empire to help her "restore her nation." Some of the Empire's noble military class believed a northern buffer was indeed necessary. However, the Empire currently lacked the resources and manpower to assist her, so large-scale aid was unlikely. Nevertheless, small-scale support continued to trickle in.
Katarin seemed to have realized that her bureaucratic system was flawed and began personally managing the treasury while promoting General Bagramyan to the position of Minister of Finance.
The fourth piece of news came from the Lady of the Lake and Talleyrand. A new sect appeared to be spreading among the elves, promoting something called the "Seventh Path." However, the response had been minimal. Both the High Elves and Dark Elves had quickly declared the sect heretical and launched purges to eradicate it.
"Death Cults recruiting again?" Ryan quipped upon hearing the news. "Who in their right mind would sign up for your group suicide pact?"
The fifth piece of news came from the vampire baron Hal Harris. Over the years, as people's attention shifted toward countering Chaos invasions, the last Vampire Count, Mannfred von Carstein, had rebuilt an undead army in Sylvania. However, its exact location and Mannfred's intentions remained unknown. The cunning Mannfred trusted no one.
There was no news from Arkhan. Since the disappearance of the high priestess of the War Goddess, Isabella, Arkhan seemed to have vanished.
According to Hal Harris, Neferata had suffered a devastating blow following her defeat at the Gates of Valaya. Despite several years of recovery, her Lamian army was only at 20% strength and severely lacked elites. However, the Silver Peak Mountains were highly defensible, reinforced by decades of undead sorcery, and located on the far side of the World's Edge Mountains. Reaching them required crossing hundreds of kilometers of mountains and a vast desert, making it nearly impossible for mortal armies to penetrate Silver Peak.
The sixth piece of news came from the Empire. Vilitch the Curseling, a champion of Tzeentch, had used sorcerous fire to burn the Ostermark town of Zseskagrod to the ground before vanishing. He escaped before the Knights of the Everlasting Light and the Death's Head Regiment could arrive.
The final piece of news came from Gelt and Alfred. Both reported similar issues within the Church of Justice. One of the two Grand Theogonists, Esme III, seemed to believe that Archbishop Vikmar had held his position for too long and ought to "retire." Both sides were rallying support among cardinals, patriarchs, and warrior-priests. Meanwhile, Casimir IX, the Grand Theogonist of Nuln, remained neutral, backed by Emilia.
Every family has its troubles. Ryan understood that Sulia's question about trust referred to the vampire baron's claim that Mannfred had rebuilt a massive undead army. The Knight King remarked, "He has no reason to lie about this. Whether or not it's true, he gains nothing from it. We're not likely to send an army across the Empire into Sylvania to hunt for Mannfred. Even if the Empire allowed it, playing hide-and-seek with him in Sylvania would drain us completely."
Sulia nodded in agreement. Indeed, while Sylvania technically remained Imperial territory, it had effectively been outside the Empire's control for over a thousand years since Vlad von Carstein had usurped the Elector Count's title.
After the Vampire Wars, the Empire superficially reclaimed Sylvania. But no one had been able to address the persistent undead corruption and rampant black magic there. The Grand Duke of Stirland only remembered Sylvania when it was time to collect taxes, sending armed tax-collection teams composed of witch hunters, warrior-priests, tax collectors, and a handful of provincial troops.
Even then, such expeditions often didn't return.
"So, we just pretend not to know?" Veronica protested. The Speaker of Garland had two remaining goals in life: to avenge her predecessor by killing Tzeentch's chosen champion, Kairos Fateweaver, and to surpass Margarita in magic to become the greatest witch. With the newly established Sorceress Assembly stable, Veronica was eager to act. "Are we just going to let the Vampire Counts and their undead armies rise again and again, only to be defeated temporarily each time?"
"If only we could just watch," Ryan sighed, leaning back in his chair. "That's the undead's greatest strength. We operate in the open; they operate in the shadows. As long as they don't want to reveal themselves, regions like the Badlands, the Wasteland, and Sylvania are almost impossible to control. I remember the Green Knight once mentioned that Arkhan has hidden massive underground reserves of troops all over the world."
"Troop reserves?" Sulia's curiosity was piqued.
"Yes. The Lich King buried countless mass graves in secret locations, including the remains of large beasts and even dragons. Whenever needed, he could raise an enormous undead army from these pits." Ryan nodded, his brow furrowing. "So, what are Mannfred and Arkhan up to now?"
"We'll need to assign more people to investigate. Otherwise, any action we take could make things worse."
As Ryan had said, without a clear understanding of the situation, and with Bretonnia just recovering from a grand expedition, they could only hold their ground for now and focus on uncovering the undead's movements.
Naturally, this responsibility fell to Aurora and Talia's Section Seven intelligence agency.
After a heated argument with Veronica, Aurora stormed back to the wizard tower she shared with Talia.
Since Talia had acquired her own wizard tower, and Aurora had lost her Skyhold, the mother and daughter now shared one. In addition to training and teaching apprentices there, Section Seven's work and intelligence gathering were also based in the tower. Aurora focused on collecting intelligence, while Talia organized and analyzed it before delivering unified reports to Ryan.
This dual role ensured their continued prominence in Bretonnia's upper circles.
However, unlike Talia, who was content with her current situation, Aurora harbored a deep sense of insecurity, especially after recent events.
She desperately wanted to do something.
The clicking of high heels echoed from outside the door.
Aurora Trovik's elegant and mature figure appeared at the doorway. The Sanctuary Witch had changed into conservative loungewear, exposing only her calves. Still, her ripe, peach-like beauty, intellectual air, and captivating charm were undeniable. Her flawless legs, prominent chest, and slender waist exuded an irresistible allure. Letting her ponytail down, her hair cascaded over her shoulders, enhancing her graceful and noble demeanor with an added touch of sophistication.
"Talia, are you here?" Aurora opened the door and found her daughter sitting at her desk. Talia, wearing a tailored suit and straight pencil pants, looked sharp and professional. Her elegant black velvet heels complemented her tall and slender figure. Her delicate feet, encased in thin gray stockings, were hidden beneath her pants, with only a sliver visible at her ankles and the tops of her feet, faintly glowing.
"Mother? What's the matter?" Talia asked curiously, looking up.
"Do you have any new intelligence?" Aurora's mind suddenly conjured strange images—Olica's smiling face and some peculiar black magical artifacts.
The Sanctuary Witch shook off her confusion and remembered her purpose. "What's the situation with the Wood Elves?"
"The Wood Elves remain as difficult as ever. The Council of Forest Lords has flatly refused our request for a meeting. They've declared that they're currently at peace and see no need for a royal audience," Talia replied. "Our agents in Stirland and Mootland haven't returned yet either."
"I see." Aurora sighed. Instead of leaving, she pulled up a chair and began complaining. "Daughter, you should stand up for your mother! Veronica is one of Ryan's court members, but so are you. You need to support me!"
Talia looked puzzled. "Mother, hasn't this matter already been settled? Ryan approved Veronica's proposal. What else is there to discuss? If you want to contest it, do it yourself—I won't."
"But…" Aurora tried to argue further, but Talia had already dismissed her. "Mother, there's no need to revisit this. Do you have anything else to discuss?"
"Nothing." Aurora could only sigh and give up.
The core of the conflict between Aurora and Veronica lay in their approach to training sorceress apprentices, leading to a major dispute between the two.
And the root of this disagreement was tied to the nature of wizarding bloodlines.
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