PS: I sprained my back when I was moving the equipment for my mentor yesterday. It hurts so much. I need to rest well for the next few days. Sob sob sob sob ~ I'm not asking for leave or anything. After all, other than lying down, all I can do is write and play games.
The black cloth was pulled down, and a small griffin cub appeared in front of Laing.
It had the face of an eagle, the body of a lion with sharp claws, a silver mane, and a brown body. A small griffin cub was bumping around in the iron cage. It let out a sharp cry, and its short beak was full of power. Its black eyes were full of hostility. It let out a cry, and then used its claws to hit the iron bars. Ding ~ Ding ~
"A griffin cub!" Laing was slightly surprised. He knew why Anton was so sure that he would be willing to help.
No one could refuse a griffin cub, just like no one in Brittany could refuse a hippogryph mount. In the whole kingdom, only Duke Lauan Leo Cornwall and Duke Bastogne Berchemund had hippogryph mounts in their stables. In Brittany, there were no more than 30 hippogryph knights registered in the whole of Brittany!
(Author's note: A book friend asked why he was unhappy with hippogryph knights. This was the reason.)
"Wah wah wah!" The small griffin cub stared fiercely at Laing, who was looking at it in front of the iron cage. Its short beak made a sharp cry, and its fluffy wings flapped twice, but it couldn't fly at all.
"Ah! This is really! " Before Laing could say anything, Suria's eyes were already shining. The female knight's fingers were interlocked, and her eyes were full of little stars. "This is really … too cute!"
A good mount was too important for a knight. Suria's mount was a pure-blooded elven warhorse named Richthofen. She was pregnant recently (raisin), so she would ride a pegasus whenever she needed to.
Pegasus and Hippogryphs were two types of excellent mounts in the Grey Mountains, especially the Pegasus. The hunters of the Empire and the Brittany often fought over it, and the knights and lords even encouraged the serfs to steal the eggs of the Hippogryphs. As long as the eggs were brought to the lords in perfect condition, all the knights were willing to offer the identity of a free citizen and a shocking amount of reward.
Of course, the success rate of this matter was one in a hundred. Even the ignorant serfs knew how low the success rate was. No serf would do such a stupid thing unless they had no other choice.
The little griffin cub was like a puppy. Suria's eyes were shining as she held onto Laing's arm. "Laing! This little griffin is really too cute! "
"This little griffin cub is the cub of father's mount, 'Calamity of the Beasts'." Anton saw that Suria liked it, so he continued, "Now, I'm giving it to you as a symbol of our friendship."
"This gift is too expensive, Anton." Laing's face was filled with joy at first, but he still instinctively wanted to refuse. "I can't accept it."
"This has nothing to do with you." Anton shook his head. "I've said that this is a symbol of our friendship. I'm here to give this griffin cub to you, whether you agree to help or not."
Laing lowered his head and did not say anything. Under everyone's gaze, he reached out his hand to the griffin cub in the iron cage.
A griffin knight was about to warn Laing of the danger, but he shut his mouth when he thought of his strength.
"Waa!" The griffin cub saw Laing reaching out his hand, so it used its sharp beak to peck Laing's hand.
"Ouch!" Laing's tough skin made the little griffin cry in pain. The little guy immediately realized that the human in front of it was not an easy opponent. It hid in the corner of the iron cage with tears in its eyes and opened its mouth at Laing, trying to show that it was not afraid of him.
It had to be said that this was a gift that Laing could not refuse. After looking at the female knight, he smiled and said, "Alright, Anton, I feel your sincerity. I won't say any more hypocritical words. As for Mr. François and Mr. Berchemund, I'll persuade them."
"That's great." Anton nodded in satisfaction. Mounts were the second life of a knight. No knight could refuse a griffin as a mount. Even the Kurfürsten were proud of having a griffin in their animal pen, not to mention a count like Laing.
"Come here!" Laing reached out his hand to the little guy again. The light blue spiritual energy revolved around Laing's hand, and the light of spiritual energy shone in the entire hall.
The gryphon cub looked at the psionic light in confusion. It instinctively felt a sense of familiarity from Ryan, and it squeaked a few times.
Seeing that, Laing opened the cage. The little griffin flapped its wings and flew to Laing's arm, whispering some incomprehensible words in Laing's ears.
All the griffin knights opened their mouths wide when they saw this.
It was well known that griffin knights were the most powerful heavy (monster) cavalry in the Empire and one of the three knight corps in the old world.
Although these knights were excellent warriors themselves, their mounts were the real fighters. These huge living weapons were ferocious and burly. When they stood, they were taller than any warhorse of the Empire. Their brutal and bloodthirsty attacks were more terrifying than any other beasts of the Empire.
Only the strongest knights of the Empire could be equipped with such terrifying creatures. Although the Empire had been trying to carry out breeding programs and stimulate them to mate and have children, the griffin knights were rare because of the low mating rate and the terrifying monsters created by the breeding programs. Therefore, the only way to increase the population was to go to the black forest near the Griffin Duke's territory to capture griffins.
A lot of taboos and primeval beasts were hiding in the enormous forest, but none of them controlled the territory as nobly and majestically as the griffins. Only a few knights could capture and tame the powerful griffins. It was not surprising that many knights could only end up as bloody shreds of flesh. However, the knights who managed to tame the griffins were highly praised. Not only did they gain strong and loyal companions, but they also gained greater prestige. However, those knights were all left with terrible scars and wounds from the attacks of their mounts. Like an honor badge, they proved their bravery and skills to their compatriots. In turn, these creatures were always loyal to their masters. Stories of loyalty could be found everywhere. Griffins were reluctant to kill enemies to avenge their dead knights.
The luckiest one was the current Emperor of the Empire, Karl-franz. This terrifying new emperor had coincidentally obtained a griffin egg in the Gray Mountains before he ascended to the throne. Since then, a huge griffin called Death Claw had accompanied him in battle to this day.
But what about Laing? A creature of order like the griffins actually took the initiative to get close to him?
The griffin knights thought that today was an eye-opener.
"Hey, good, good, little guy. You must be hungry, right?" Laing picked up the young griffin that was like a puppy and fed it the snowflake beef on the table. The little guy used its mouth to swallow the delicious fried beef and almost choked.
"So cute! Laing, give me a hug! " Suria poked her head out from beside Laing. As a female knight, she also had a special preference for powerful mounts. She couldn't help but reach out to touch the fluffy appearance of the young griffin. However, the little guy immediately raised its head and attacked Suria with its sharp beak and claws.
The female knight had no choice but to retract her hand. Even so, Sulia was still very interested in the little gryphon cub. "So cute ~"
Laing thought to himself. How is this fierce little guy cute?
"Give it a name, Laing." Anton saw that Laing had easily subdued the young griffin and was secretly shocked. However, he didn't show it on his face and said with a smile.
"Name?" Laing picked up the young griffin. The pure spiritual energy on his body made the young griffin very willing to be close to him. Count Glamorgan said to his fiancée, "Suria, you give it a name!"
The young griffin's fur was silver and gold. Suria's beautiful face looked at the little guy for a while before she gave an answer. "How about Imprius (Courage)?"
"Good name! Little guy, you'll be called Imprius from now on. "Laing reached out and pinched the young griffin's face, causing it to squeal in dissatisfaction.
A grand banquet came to an end in the hall of the castle.
… …
Ten days later, in the Old World, the capital of the Empire, the Empire's palace in Brunswick.
Duke Kasvann of Palawon declared war on the Empire.
Karl-franz was holding a letter sent by a court wizard. The owner of the letter was Count Anton Ferdinand. He reported the results of his diplomacy to the Emperor.
François, Berchemund, and Laing had all agreed to remain neutral in this war. Their reasons were very good. This was Kasvann's war, not theirs. Since the Lake Fairy didn't give an oracle, they wouldn't participate in the war.
The huge palace gate rose tens of meters from the ground. The tall buildings showed the endless glory of the Empire since its establishment. The Brunswick Guards and the Empire's elite guards patrolled the palace walls. There were also powerful wizards monitoring every movement in the palace.
Brunswick had around 250,000 permanent residents, but the actual population exceeded one million. The Brunswick Territory under the direct control of the Emperor was the richest territory in the Empire. It had the best climate and the largest population. This territory had a population of more than five million. It also had the best weapons and equipment in the entire Empire and the most elite army.
Participating in the meeting were the Archbishop of the Church of Justice, "Fortitude" Wickmar Beckman; the Elector of Vollrich and the Grand Duke of Midden, "One-eyed" Boris Todbinger; the Elector of Tuscany and the Grand Duke of Ivy, "Sun Lion" Umberto Corleone; the Empire's Great Alchemist, Bayershazer Gelt; the Emperor's Flag Bearer, Ludwig Schwarzhammer; the Empire's General, Kurt Helberg; and Emperor Karl-franz himself.
"That's great news. So, our only enemies are Kasvann and his Pegasus Knights." Boris Todbinger stared with his only eye and said, "If you ask me, the believers of Urick will never fear any enemy. But Laing is different. You know that he used to be a White Wolf Knight, and he's someone that our Lord values very much. In the Battle of Culona Plain, he even killed a great demon. I don't want to fight with him unless I have no other choice."
"We only kill those who are enemies of the Empire." Karl-franz said with a hint of humor, "No matter if it's Laing, François, or Berchemund, they're all people who understand the big picture."
Umberto nodded and said, "I've fought with Berchemund before. His fiery dragon lance left a deep impression on me. François's unicorn sword is the nemesis of the undead. These powers should be used to fight against evil, not in a human civil war."
"Human civil wars are always sad." Vicmar, the Archbishop of the Church of Justice, raised his golden double-headed eagle scepter and said, "But those who dare to offend the Empire must be severely punished! No matter if it's the Brittany knights, the mercenaries from the southern kingdoms, the Bear Cavalry from Kislöw, or the country bumpkins from Nord, as long as they dare to challenge the authority of the Empire, we must let them know the power of the Empire! "
The nobles present all nodded. No matter what, the authority of the Empire was inviolable.
"Where's Richard, the Knight King? Helberg? " The victory in diplomacy slightly reduced the pressure on the Emperor. He then looked at the general of the Empire, Helberg. Helberg was a noble officer that he had recently promoted. He was known as the best swordsman in the Empire. Ever since he was appointed as the general of the Empire, he had made a lot of contributions. Recently, he was leading an army of the Empire to fight against the Brittany knights led by Marshal Roland on the road to Colona.
"I've received news that Richard and Duke Lauen had a few meetings with Duke Dalhaid. For the sake of stability, Richard doesn't want to start a war with the Empire. He emphasized that this is a war between the Empire and Kasvann, not Brittany." Helberg's cold face had a hint of sarcasm, "As expected."
"Yes, as expected." The Emperor nodded. Based on Richard's personality, the Emperor's courtiers and the professors of Brunswick University had held several meetings. After repeated deductions, everyone came to the conclusion that Richard, who had a cautious personality and prioritized stability, would not participate in this war.
The only thing that couldn't be deduced was Laing, the champion of the Chosen of God. Mortals couldn't guess the thoughts of gods, but from the current situation, the Lake Fairy didn't seem to support Kasvann either.
"This time, I'll ask the paladins and ascetics not to participate in the war. Lord Vickmar, this is a war between us and Kasvann, not a war between Charlemagne and the Lake Fairy," the Emperor first discussed with the archbishop of the Church of Justice.
Vickmar, the Resolute, nodded silently. The Church couldn't interfere in the civil war between humans. There were many believers in the God of Justice in Brittany, so the Church couldn't participate in this war. The Emperor was giving him a way out.
"Midland won't participate in this war either," Boris said in a rough voice. "Kasvann didn't declare war on us, so the White Wolf Knights won't participate."
"Ivy will participate in this war! I messed up the negotiations. I'll send out my most elite troops to wipe out the knights on the other side of the mountain! "Umberto said loudly." I'll make Kasvann understand! "
"Then … prepare for war! We'll snipe Kasvann and his Pegasus Knights at Helmgard! "The Emperor himself stood up. His face was only filled with enthusiasm and determination." Helberg? "
"As you command, Your Majesty!" Helberg stood up.
"Gather the Guards of Brunswick and my army. Prepare for war!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"My flag bearer?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Flag bearer Ludwig Schwarzhammer stood up to receive the order.
"It's time to pull out those steel monsters from the warehouse for a walk."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
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