It was a dark ceremony that was strictly given by the God of Darkness. At the same time, it was also an inevitable release of desire. Egil's tent shook for several days in the Temple of the Goddess in the Lake on Landry Island.
There was no doubt that they would give birth to a Son of Darkness. With the blessing of Khorne, the child would be born in two months or even less.
Now, the Chosen of Khorne champion Egil, the Chaos wizard Chakoi, the Chaos champion Korwendev, and Egil's nephew, the Chaos champion Egil Yar (hereafter referred to as Yar), gathered in the ruined temple to discuss their next move.
"We will go south and kill any Brittany we see. We will destroy everything we see until my child is born. I will celebrate the birth of my son with the blood of countless southerners." Egil sat on his black skull throne and said to the Chaos Champions and Chaos Wizard Chakoi, "But before that, I need to wait for the rest of the army to arrive. Korwendev, tell me, how long will it take for my army to arrive?"
"About five more days." The Chaos Champion Korwendev put his axe at his feet. His face was engraved with many oil paints and the Mark of Chaos, which was the symbol of his status as the Chaos Champion.
"Then let's wait a little longer." Egil decided to wait for the arrival of Scalins' army.
Without a doubt, the five thousand barbarian soldiers around Egil were elite warriors. However, Egil knew very well that although they were brave, they lacked heavy siege weapons. This was an undeniable fact.
When the Chaos Mammoths and Chaos Dwarves in the North arrived at the front line, it would be the end of the southerners!
…
Duke Dalhead of Lyonasser still knew nothing about what was happening in the North. Dalhead was busy in his palace. The serfs in the North had started a riot and occupied the castle. He was still planning to reclaim the lost land. He did not particularly care that he had lost contact with Landry Island, which was on the coastline.
Duke Dalhead was still planning how to organize an army to suppress the serfs' rebellion.
At the same time, in the branch of the Holy Grail Knights in Colona, Holy Grail Knight Captain Ulles received a message from the Goddess in the Lake.
A large barbarian army had landed in Landry Island!
After hearing the news, Ulles, who knew the severity of the matter, quickly got up.
It was still in the wee hours of the morning, and the sky was still dark. Culona was extremely quiet in the wee hours of the morning, and there were no pedestrians on the streets. Uhles woke up from his sleep. He clutched his chest and gasped for air.
"My lady … you have entrusted such a heavy responsibility to me … I will definitely not disappoint you." Jurus muttered to himself. The quilt was pulled away from his body, revealing his body that was covered with scars.
Jules stroked his beard. He was already a few decades old and wasn't young anymore.
A pair of white jade-like arms stretched out from behind him and wrapped around his neck. "What's wrong, dear? Don't you want to sleep a little longer?"
A beautiful woman in a gauzy nightgown hugged the Grail Knight from behind.
"I've received an oracle from the Lady. Anna, I'm going to the palace to see His Majesty Richard." Youles reached out and pressed his hand on the woman's hand. His burly body was displayed in front of the woman. His eyes emitted a dazzling light, and the room was filled with spiritual light.
"An oracle from the Lady?!" This woman was Uhles's lover, Annara. She was the sister of Count Calade of Bastogne. She knew something big was going to happen after hearing the oracle from the Lady of the Lake.
"It's urgent, Anna. I'll leave first. You can continue to sleep." Jules got up and began to change his clothes.
"No, the Lady's orders are above everything. Let me help you." Annara got up as well. Her eyes were shining with love, and she began to put on a full set of equipment for Jules.
A set of gorgeous plate armor that was comparable to a work of art was taken off. Every inch of the armor's surface was covered with intricate details. Ancient scriptures were pasted on it, and every detail was inlaid with exquisite silver craftsmanship. A sparkling blue cloak fluttered in the wind. The cloak was lined with soft fur, and the belt of the cloak was fastened to the chest by a large golden brooch in the shape of a holy cup.
After Annara put on countless prayer ornaments and holy items for Jules, she patted his shoulder. "Alright, it's time for you to go."
Jules nodded silently.
When the sky was slightly bright, this Grail Knight relied on his privilege as the head of the Grail Knights' branch in Kurona to force his way into the palace.
An hour later, in the dining hall of the Kurona Palace.
The table was more than ten meters long, covered with a white tablecloth. There was bread and breakfast, as well as honey and cheese, on the table.
The white-haired Richard was wearing casual clothes. He picked up a cup of hot milk and said to the Grail Knight sitting next to him, "Jules, you shouldn't disturb me at this time."
The old king coughed a few times. He had not been sleeping well recently. Even though the king could sleep on the softest bed in the entire kingdom, with a down pillow imported from the high elves, Richard had been restless at night. Perhaps it was because of his age, or perhaps it was because of the recent series of events that had caused him to toss and turn in bed.
At the beginning of the year, Kasvann's defeat caused a huge political upheaval, a tug-of-war that lasted for weeks, and then there was the serf riot and the emergence of a large number of runaway slaves. There were even serfs who openly rebelled and occupied the castle.
All these things made Richard feel mentally and physically exhausted. The king was trying his best to maintain the dangerous relationship in the kingdom. This was not only between the knights and the serfs, but also between the knights and the knights.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but the Lady has sent an oracle. A large army of barbarians has landed on Landry Island. They have slaughtered thousands of people and destroyed the Lady's temple. We must immediately organize an army of knights to reinforce the Duchy of Lyonnasay. Otherwise, Sir Dalhead's army will not be enough to fight against this terrible Army of Chaos. The Lady told me in a dream that the enemy this time is stronger than ever." Jules did not say much and went straight to the point. The Grail Knight put down his knife and fork and said to Richard.
Clink! Richard's hand trembled, and the silver fork fell to the ground.
"Why … Why do bad things always happen together?" Richard's face was filled with worry and anger. "The scum of Chaos … They really know how to find opportunities. The kingdom is very weak now, Jules, do you know?"
"I understand." Jules was not ignorant of the political situation. On the contrary, he was very clear about the current predicament that the Knight King's Kingdom was facing.
"You understand … You understand, you don't understand. My dear Jules, the Grail Knight of the Lady, the north of the kingdom has suffered heavy losses in the serf riot. The security is unstable. I need a lot of troops to maintain security, and now you want to take them away." Richard shook his head, and the king slowly said to Jules, "Do you know how big of an impact this will have?"
"Your Majesty, we have no other choice. The invasion of Chaos must be contained. We must face the enemy head-on!" Jules' eyes were glowing, and he looked at Richard with determination. "Your Majesty, Chaos is the greatest enemy of the Knight King's Kingdom. They must be eliminated first, or the whole kingdom will be in flames of war, and countless people will be slaughtered!"
"I don't need you to remind me. I know what is urgent. I know which enemies are the real enemies that the kingdom needs to pay attention to!" Richard retorted somewhat angrily. The king picked up the silver knife and fork and slammed it on the table. "My father has told me about the threat from Chaos since I was a three-year-old child!"
"… Your Majesty, I have been rude." Jules was surprised by Richard's angry look. He immediately realized his rudeness and quickly apologized.
Richard pursed his lips and closed his eyes. His body seemed to be trembling with anger. He was trying hard to control his emotions.
Jules' face was serious. His posture was like the sun, radiating the light of devotion. He came with the will of the goddess, and he would fulfill his loyalty and duty to the Lady. He was waiting for the king's answer.
"Yulles, it's not that easy to dispatch troops … I've said it before. The kingdom is very weak now, and the long period of chaos has made public order very unstable. If I announce that I'm summoning troops because of the invasion of Chaos, it will definitely cause panic … The number of knights and troops in Culona has dropped to the lowest level in the past twenty years." Richard took a deep breath and continued, "Also, there is an important problem. There is not much food left in the granary."
Jules nodded seriously. Many of the food that had just been harvested in the north had been looted or burned by the rioters before they could be handed in. Even if they had already collected the food, the workers sent by the merchants in Marienburg had to be paid. This cost more than the serfs who harvested the food themselves.
Public order was unstable, the number of troops was insufficient, and the food reserves were low. If the Knight King's Kingdom were to gather an army of knights, they would have to face the fear and low morale. The security level that had just recovered might be severely tested again.
However, just as Richard said, the king also knew the threat of Chaos. In the face of the invasion of Chaos in the north, the king had to respond to the call of the Lady of the Lake and send out reinforcements.
After a long silence, Richard told Jules about the difficulties he was facing. The Knight of the Holy Grail was not an idiot who did not know how to adapt. Jules thought for a while and said to the king, "Your Majesty … We can ask for help from the dukes in the south. The political situation in the south is relatively stable. Whether it is His Excellency Berchemund of Bastogne, or His Excellency François of Vanford, or other dukes, their territories are stable and prosperous. They have the spare power to support us."
"Ah, I understand. In the face of the enemy, personal grudges and political opinions should be put aside first. The most important thing to fight against Chaos is unity." Richard nodded slowly. "I will write a letter to the south and ask for military and material assistance."
"… Gather the troops! Jules! No matter what, we must not let Chaos set foot on the land of the Goddess! " Richard stood up. His old body seemed to erupt with the vague shadow of the past. "I will summon the army in the name of the king. This army will be under your command. Take as much food as you can from the granary."
"I only have one request for you, Jules. Bring back victory."
"Yes!" Jules stood up proudly. He looked up at Richard, then turned and left the palace.
Richard looked at the sound of Jules leaving and nodded.
"The land of the Goddess shall not be trampled on by the scum of Chaos!"
The king finished his meal hastily and went to his throne room. He began to write a letter. In the letter, he asked for help from the dukes in the south. Several letters were sent to Berchemund, François, Bodrick, Theodoric … and Laing.
After writing a few letters, Richard picked up the parchment. He took out a quill and dipped it in ink. But soon, he put it down again. Looking at the words for help written on the parchment, he smiled bitterly.
The quill was repeatedly picked up, put down, picked up, and put down. The trembling fingers and the constantly changing expression on Richard's face told of the king's struggle.
From an emotional point of view, the king did not want to write a letter for help. It would be a blow to his personal prestige and royal power. But Brittany was different from the Empire. In the Empire, the powerful Kurfürst could directly ignore the emperor's orders, whether the orders were reasonable or not.
In Brittania, the dukes also enjoyed an independent status, but because of their chivalry and devotion to the Nymphs of the Lake, Richard knew that if he wrote a letter asking for help, the dukes in the south would respond.
The king silently raised his head and looked back. The portraits of the Knight King were behind him, watching him. The first Knight King, "The Unifier" Arthur; the second Knight King, "The Reckless" Lewis; the third Knight King, "The White Reaper" Guillaume; the fourth Knight King, "The Green-Skinned Killer" Ronn; the fifth Knight King, "The Young" Louis; the sixth Knight King, "The Mighty" Philip … until his last Knight King, "The Tyrant" John II, who was brutally pulled down from the throne by the Holy Grail Knights led by the Lake Goddess Witch.
John I and John II were both denied by the Lake Goddess and were stripped of their titles as Knight Kings. Therefore, in the official records, Richard was the ninth Knight King of Brittany. His last Knight King was the Rose Knight Tayloff. The portraits of John I and John II were erased, leaving only a white frame.
"The most difficult word in the world to write is your own name." Richard suddenly sneered. He took a deep breath, grabbed his right hand with his trembling left hand, and finally wrote his name.
"Someone, send these letters to the Holy Grail Cathedral!"
"Yes, sir!"
… …
Gathering the army took more time than Uhles expected. It took a week or even longer to gather more than half of the knights in Culona. Uhles had expected three thousand knights and twenty thousand soldiers, but now he only managed to gather two thousand knights and thirteen thousand soldiers.
He now understood why Richard was so hesitant.
"We can't wait any longer! Gather the army! "
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