Morgiana stayed in Laing's castle. The Lake Goddess Witch lived in seclusion and spent most of her time recuperating in bed. The third floor of the Baron's castle was originally a private area, and only a few people knew that Morgiana was hiding there.
The Lake Goddess Witch's whereabouts in Brittany had always been mysterious. Many expeditionary knights were looking for her, hoping to find clues about the Holy Grail, but they were destined to find nothing. Morgiana announced to the Saint Lady's Order that she had been attacked and was seriously injured. The kingdom's nobles and the Knights of the Holy Grail received the news, and a team of about twenty Knights of the Holy Grail came to Laing's territory to protect the Lake Goddess Witch. Laing asked them to be stationed at the winery.
The Lake Goddess Witch's encounter caused great indignation among the Brittany knights. Many of them swore to take revenge on the Vampires and Dryads. They shouted and screamed as they rushed into the Musillon or Esolorne Forest, never to return.
In the evening, after dinner, Laing and Veronica took a walk around the castle, hand in hand.
The Baron's castle was now luxurious and magnificent. The walls of the castle were all repaired and reinforced. On the outer castle, the dwarf-made cannons were as bright as new, ready to rain death fire on the enemy at any time. Several teams of sergeants patrolled the walls. They were not only equipped with melee weapons, but also with crossbows.
The sergeants usually lived in the outer castle. There was an open space between the outer castle and the inner castle. Now, there was a huge stable there, decorated very luxuriously. It was the residence of the pure-blooded Elven warhorse, Grape. Several serfs slept with Grape to ensure that they could serve Grape's needs at any time.
To be able to sleep in the same stable as a pure-blooded Elven warhorse was the greatest honor of the serfs.
The armory and the training ground were where the sergeants trained. They were already professional soldiers in a sense. Laing stipulated that when a sergeant was in the territory, he would give them two days off every ten days. When they were stationed in the wild for a long time, they would be given one day off every ten days. There was no holiday during wartime, and they would take turns during holidays.
Outside the castle was a huge horse farm. There were already some domesticated horses in the farm. Today's training was over, and some of the horses were strolling around the farm. Of course, the one that stood out was Leon's mount, Grape. This pure-blooded elven warhorse had a very bad temper. Not only did it want a territory of its own, it also wanted to be free to roam around. Any serfs who tried to ride it would be met with a rude rejection.
Perhaps it was because of this that this proud pure-blooded Elven warhorse was able to carry Laing, who was fully armed. After a long period of war, Laing's psionic influence had further evolved. Laing was thinking about how to breed this horse with other mares.
This was a hard job. It was very troublesome to breed a pure-blooded Elven warhorse. It even required the help of the wood elves. These Elven warhorses had very bad tempers, and they would not even look at other mares. The serfs had to do everything they could to make Lord Grape happy, and then carefully let it choose a mares.
Veronica was wearing a champagne-colored dress made of wood elven silk that went down to her knees. She had a black scarf tied in front of her chest. Her dark brown hair was tied with a white bow, and she wore a pair of white suede boots on her black silk feet. Her sweet face was flushed with excitement as she enjoyed this moment of relaxation. "Chancellor Margarita said that when the teleportation array in my adept's tower stabilizes, she will send an entire class of apprentice adepts to your territory. They can help you in battle, craft magic potions and scrolls, and even experiment with all sorts of crops."
"When is your wizard tower expected to be completed?" Laing felt the night breeze rustling his hair and clothes. If there were no accidents, Winford's reinforcements would arrive tomorrow or the day after. This would be the last time they could relax.
"I don't know. So far, only two floors have been built. I plan to use the first floor for defense and storage, the second for storage and dining, the third and fourth for laboratories and magic workshops, the fifth and sixth for the apprentices' living quarters and library, and the seventh and eighth for my private quarters." Veronica introduced the contents of her wizard tower to Laing. "This will be the most luxurious wizard tower Councilor Garland has ever built before the age of 40. I plan to build a gigantic war machine on the top floor, but I don't have the budget yet."
"… Don't rush. Do it one by one." The first floor of Veronica's wizard tower covered an area of more than 150 square meters. If it weren't for the 50 gold coins (50,000 crowns) she obtained from exterminating the Aesthetes in Marlinburg, she wouldn't have been able to build such a luxurious wizard tower. The first floor of a normal wizard tower only covered an area of 50 to 80 square meters.
"No wonder Theresa was so jealous when she saw your wizard tower. She spoke in a weird tone. Recently, she has been borrowing money from her mother. At the same time, she also wants to borrow some money from the merchants in Marlin Castle. She wants to build a wizard tower that is not inferior to yours." Leon recalled the look on the sorceress' face when she saw Veronica's wizard tower and wanted to laugh.
It was pure jealousy.
The two strolled along the road, passing by the Shinon River. The rushing water slapped against the river bank and rocks. The wind was strong, and the road was quiet. This world was completely different from the one in Laing's past life. At night, most places were empty except for villages and towns.
"I'm in trouble, Veronica." When they reached a secluded place, Laing signaled the two to stop. The baron's face was filled with deep distress. He frowned. "Her Highness Morgiana's injury has caused the kingdom to lose a person who can unify the power of all the dukes. Even though she has handed over the power to me, but …"
"But no one cares about you, my dear." Veronica smiled. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were filled with joy. She helped Laing tidy up his messy hair.
Morgiana's serious injury caused some uneasiness within the kingdom. As she herself was not seriously injured, overall, it did not cause too much of an impact. At least the Holy Grail Knights and the great nobles knew that she was hiding somewhere to recuperate.
However, there was a problem. The lake goddess' injury had caused the kingdom to lose a person who could unify the nobles to resist the invasion of the vampires.
Morgiana had indeed handed over her authority to Laing and even cut off a strand of her golden hair as a token. However, when Laing tried to contact the dukes, he was rejected by most of them. No matter what, the lake goddess was the lake goddess while Laing was Laing. A baron like him couldn't command the dukes. That was the difference in status.
Barons weren't hereditary. In the eyes of the nobles, barons were still lacking.
Faced with Laing, the champion of the Chosen One, the dukes naturally wouldn't be too forceful. They first emphasized their own difficulties, such as the losses they suffered in the War of Chivalry and the many threats they faced recently. They then tactfully expressed that it wasn't that they didn't want to help, but that there was nothing they could do. Some of the dukes sent carts of black bread, some sent tens of soldiers, and some said that they were busy with military affairs and sent tens of crowns.
That was a drop in the bucket when it came to aiding Baldro, but it was better than nothing.
Ryan was helpless about this. Indeed, the title of baron was not hereditary. This title could be regarded as the lowest level of nobility and the highest level of knighthood. He was just an agent, not the Lake Goddess Witch herself. He was just a baron. The Dukes had already paid attention to him because of his outstanding military achievements and his illustrious reputation.
Only François, Duke of Winford, and Berchemund, Duke of Bastogne, expressed their support. The duke himself was on the way with more than two thousand reinforcements. They would arrive tomorrow at the earliest, and the day after at the latest.
Berchemund's army was led by Carad, Count of Garament. There were about a thousand of them, and they were still on the way to the frontlines.
It was almost dusk, and the river continued to flow. Due to the Fairy Tower in the middle of the lake, the river water was very clear. One could see the fish and some plankton in the water. Laing wasn't too surprised by this. He was only a baron, and his status in the world was relatively low. The dukes only gave him a soft rebuff, but it wasn't as if they didn't want to give him face.
"Don't mind it, my dear. If you were in the Empire or Nord, you'd definitely be rejected. They might even chase your messenger out," Veronica said. Veronica walked side by side with Laing. "It's good that you can do this. Don't forget, you've only been in this country for two years."
"Besides, your future wife is a marquess, my dear." Veronica walked with her long, black legs, and said with a sour tone, "She's so beautiful, and she comes from a good family. I'm jealous."
"So, do you like Suria?" Laing asked casually. He signaled that they could return to the castle.
"From the looks of it, she won't bully me … If she does, my Great Knight, you have to speak up for me. I'm just a poor little witch. I don't have a Grail Knight who's a Duke as my father, and I don't have a high status …" Veronica quickly put on a pitiful look.
"… Just don't look for trouble. I'm worried about you, my great witch. Olica is a quiet person. Emilia and Suria are very close. Teresa … Forget it. Let's not talk about her. I'm worried about you." Laing squinted at Garland. "With Suria's personality, she won't take the initiative to provoke you, but you …"
"No." Veronica shook her head gently. "It's not easy to get to this point. You know, Laing."
"That's good."
When the two returned to the castle, the conversation was still going on. In the master bedroom on the third floor, Veronica pulled down the zipper of her boots and changed into slippers. At the same time, she continued to talk to Laing. "Actually, I think there's another reason why the Dukes don't want to send troops to help Duke Bordero. It's not because of you."
"The conflict between vampires is not like a personal conflict. This is a threat to the whole kingdom." Laing frowned. He also changed into slippers and sat opposite Veronica. "What do you want to say?"
"What I want to say is that Bodrick de Bordero, Duke of Bordero, is the prince of the Sea God Mannen and the commander of the Sea God Knights." Veronica said softly, "He has two faiths."
"Yes! That might be one of the reasons. " Leon nodded approvingly. He stroked his chin and said, "This is arrogance and prejudice. Yes, that's right. The dukes have been dissatisfied with Duke Bordero for a long time. Why can he enjoy the favor of the Sea God Mannen alone and have the chance to become a Knight of the Holy Grail?"
"And don't forget, my Grand Knight, Bordero has the best port in the kingdom. But there's another port in the north that doesn't lose to Bordero's. That's the giant lighthouse castle in Le-Angoulan. The current king there is Duke Richard of Le-Angoulan. So, do you know why Richard hasn't sent troops yet?" Veronica smiled.
"The vampire army has swelled to 20 thousand. Duke Bordero is currently leading seven thousand duchy soldiers, including two thousand knights. The army is stationed at Turis Castle near Bordero's side of the Grismori River. That's about 70% of Bordero's forces." Laing took out a map and frowned. "The two armies are only separated by a river. I don't know why the vampires' main target is Bordero, but …"
"Don't forget, Laing. The vampires lost an entire squad of Blood Knights when they attacked your territory." Veronica pointed at the interior of Chalon Forest. "They're afraid."
Magus Garland tucked her long hair behind her ears. Her long wood elven gemstone earrings swayed with her movements, making her look even more charming. "The vampires are afraid. If an entire squad of blood knights can disappear during an attack on your territory, what if even more of them are useless? A single Blood Knight needs hundreds of years of training. The Blood Duke can't afford to lose them. So, he'll choose to attack Bordero, who's easier to deal with and closer to him. Bordero's capital, Bordero, is only a hundred kilometers away from Muxilon. "
Laing nodded slowly. He had to participate in this battle. Protecting Bordero wasn't just helping Duke Bordero. More importantly, it was protecting himself.
But before that, he had to wait for François to arrive so that they could discuss the details of the plan.
The next afternoon, Duke Winford led more than eight hundred knights and two thousand soldiers to Baron Zeon's dominion. The baron's four-hundred-strong army had also been assembled. There were also more than two hundred soldiers sent by other dukes. They were all serfs, a few sergeants, and not a single knight.
In the baron's castle's meeting room, François brought his two children and a tall, handsome knight with a goatee. He held a cross helmet with a shining unicorn sculpture on top. His white cape and silver unicorn armor made him look even more outstanding. He looked no older than forty. His eyes were cold and sharp, which made his originally elegant face look a little different. Laing asked curiously, "Who is this?"
"He's my cousin, Sir Jerrold." François first introduced him to Laing before turning to Jerrold. "Laing, Laing Macado. No need to say anything. We're family from now on."
"Hello, Jerrold."
"Hello, Laing." Jerrold shook Laing's hand and squeezed out a smile. It was obvious that he wasn't used to smiling.
"Alright, let's discuss this war!"
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