The Emperor's reinforcements had arrived!
There was hope for Helmgard!
With the addition of the reinforcements, the situation changed drastically. The cunning Skaven Warlord Oseid immediately gave up on the battle. The Ratman Warlord immediately fled with his tail between his legs, leaving behind a mob that had lost its commander.
Emperor Karl-franz wanted to chase after the Skaven Warlord, but in the end, he gave the order to support the survivors who were desperately resisting.
Now was not the time to be greedy. Saving the survivors was the most important thing.
Laing stood in front of the human frontline and completely destroyed the Ratman's final struggle. After that, the Gryphon Knights and the Rik Guards completely defeated the Ratman.
The Skaven Ratmen were chased out of the Church of Justice. The survivors could finally catch their breath. Many soldiers and refugees fainted on the spot.
The war continued. The Emperor's army marched into Helmgard and completely cleaned up the town under Karl-franz's command.
With the addition of the Great Swordsmen, the Ratman's defeat was inevitable. Laing didn't have to do it himself. The Chosen of the Lake Fairy heaved a sigh of relief.
Ryan had single-handedly defeated Gray Prophet Spat and his entire army, including the Plague Monk Army, the Gutter Running Rat Army, and the Dimensional Lightning Cannon, in Helmgard.
It was because of Laing's efforts that the Skaven Ratmen lacked the support of long-range troops and siege weapons when they besieged the Church of Justice. This was why the refugees were able to hold on until now.
"Is that so? Veronica and Teresa are both injured? " Laing let out a sigh of relief after knowing the cause and effect. He took Suria's hand and sat down. The Chosen of the Lake Fairy had fought hard for a day and a night, but his plate armor was as bright as new. It didn't seem to have been affected at all. "What about you? Suria? Are you injured? "
"I'm fine." The female knight shook her head. "The Ratmen couldn't break through my defense. I'm just a little tired. It's fine. You should go and see Miss Teresa. She's injured the most and has been poisoned."
"Alright, I'll leave this place to you. I'll go check on Teresa and Veronica." Laing patted Suria's shoulder. He didn't say much. The two of them were already husband and wife. He didn't need to emphasize anything to Suria.
Laing pushed open the door to the church's inner room. The smell of blood that greeted him made him frown. There were several Skaven Ratmen's corpses on the ground.
Veronica, who was wearing a fiery red leather coat, leaned back in her chair when she saw Laing. She smiled and said, "I knew you were coming."
"I'll definitely come." Laing smiled bitterly. Veronica's teasing gaze always made him feel very uncomfortable. "How is Teresa?"
The sorceress was already asleep. She was seriously injured, and Veronica's potion could only temporarily stop her bleeding and stabilize her injuries, suppressing the poison. If she wanted to completely recover, she would need a long time to recover.
"I really don't know what kind of bewitching potion you gave the little princess of Jialan. How many times has it been? She's really doing her best for you. " Veronica pulled her dark brown hair to the back of her head and said sourly, "I just went on an adventure with you once, that's all."
"Veronica, don't make it sound so bad. I know you're also willing to do your best for me." Laing hugged Jialan and placed her on his lap. He kissed her cherry lips. "You don't say it, but I understand."
Veronica humphed, but the blush on her face didn't fade. She let Laing hug her and stopped for about five seconds. "Alright, hurry up and cure Trovic. The dimension stone is poisonous. We all know that. Madam Suria wouldn't have taken such a big risk to pull it out otherwise."
"I know." Laing nodded. The dimension stone was highly toxic and chaotic.
"Go, I'll guard the door for you. That's weird. I wonder if Trovic did it on purpose." Veronica pushed Laing away and walked towards the door.
"She doesn't know." Laing shrugged.
"But she got what she wanted!" Veronica closed the door. Jialan seemed to have cast a small spell and the sounds outside suddenly quieted down.
Leon walked to the female sorceress's bed and sat down with a strange smile on his face. "Alright, Theresa, I know you've been awake all this time."
The pale-faced and bandaged sorceress opened her eyes. Her silver eyes were filled with panic. "I'm sorry, Laing. I …"
"I'm the one who should be sorry." Leon reached out and stroked the Sorceress' long black hair. He said gently, "Now, let me detoxify you."
"Cure … cure? W-what are you going to do? I heard Veronica's words … "Theresa's face instantly turned red. The female Warlock stuttered," Could it be … "
"Yes, it's exactly what you think." Laing's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle. Also, haven't you been looking forward to it for a long time?"
"But I don't want to be here. What kind of place is this?" Theresa complained softly. "I'm still injured!"
"There's no helping it. Your body can't wait. The poison has to be cured as soon as possible." Laing held Teresa's left hand. "I know you want to have good memories. I don't want this either. But you don't want to have any side effects or scars, right?"
"Then … alright." Teresa hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes.
In her mind, countless memories flowed like water in a long river of memories.
From Coldwinter to Karzenhaven, from Mjoden Haven to Marlinburg, from Skyhold to Count Glamorgan, from Brunswick to Helmgard …
She couldn't remember anymore because Laing kissed her gently.
The feeling of the world spinning drowned the sorceress's will.
… … (omitted) … …
When Laing settled everything and came out of the church, it was already noon.
Emperor Karl-franz of the Empire was leading an army to camp in Helmgard. The purple-gold four-cornered tent was fully set up. Tents covered the open space in front of the church and the city walls.
The Gryphon Knights and Rick Guards guarded the Emperor's tent. The atmosphere in the camp was very tense. The soldiers brought water and food to the refugees. The refugees threw down their weapons and buried their heads in eating and drinking.
In addition to the joy of surviving a disaster, there was endless sadness left.
Helmgard was close to destruction. The fire in the city drowned the former prosperity. Less than ten percent of the hundreds of houses were not destroyed. The corpses of humans and Ratmen were everywhere. The prosperous market a day ago had been destroyed. All the goods in the market had been plundered. When the Empire's army cleaned the city, only bones were seen.
Bones that had been eaten clean by the Ratmen.
The Earl's castle had been razed to the ground. The Skaven Ratmen had taken everything they could from the castle and destroyed everything they could not. The Great Swordsmen searched in vain for any possible descendants or surviving relatives of the Earl, but they could only find corpses and the walls that were riddled with holes.
The slums built by shacks had become a huge cesspool and smelly ditch. There were piles of feces and mud, as well as the poison of the Dimension Stones that belonged to the Skaven Ratmen. The shops of the merchants and the terraced houses of the rich had been destroyed. The refugees were looking for their relatives and property under the protection of the army. The whole city was filled with cries.
After the search, the Empire's army would completely "purify" the city, razing it to the ground with fire. Then, they would consider whether to rebuild it.
Laing walked silently to the Emperor's tent. He noticed that the two recruits of the Reik Guards, Rudolph and Wagner, were treated like heroes. They were surrounded by the Reik Guards in the middle of the crowd. They were able to fulfill their mission in such a critical situation. Not only did they complete the task of protecting Laing's family, but they also gathered the remnants of the army to tenaciously resist and wait for reinforcements to arrive. They proved their ability. This battle was the battle that made them famous. Even the strictest Marshal Helberg had a straight face. He patted Rudolph and Wagner's shoulders twice and said, "Well done!"
Rudolph and Wagner almost didn't recognize Helberg. Both of them were flattered.
The captain of the Empire, Huber, also received preferential treatment. He was now the highest-ranking survivor in Helmgard.
"Mr. Laing, you're finally here. The Emperor is waiting for you in the tent." Seeing Laing appear, Helberg stopped admiring him and said seriously, "Please hurry up. His Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time. Please follow me."
"Sorry, my female courtier is injured and poisoned," Laing explained.
"That's not important. What's important is that His Majesty has been waiting for you. I have no intention of asking you why you were delayed." Helberg didn't appreciate it at all. His face was like a stinky stone in a cesspool. The fully armed Marshal Reik walked very quickly and said, "Please hurry."
Laing shook his head and quickly followed Helberg. He noticed that the Kurfürst's holy sword, the Rune Tooth "Hater", was hanging on Helberg's waist.
The one who harbored hatred was Holy Sword, the Kurfürst of the Sol Hill, a province of the Imperium in the past. However, in the era of the Three Emperors, "Iron Claw" Gobard, a famous green-skinned warlord, invaded the Imperium from the Black Fire Pass and fought all the way to Brunswick. Duke Adric, the Kurfürst of the Sol Hill at that time, was killed in a one-on-one battle with Gobard. The Kurfürst crown and the rune tooth were both taken away.
In the end, Gobard was defeated in Brunswick. After the Sol Hill's inheritance was cut off, the whole province was merged into the Weissen Hill and became a part of the Weissen Hill. Many years after the loss of the Rune Tooth "Hater", it was accidentally discovered when the dwarves raided a green-skinned stronghold in the Roof of the World Mountains and was sent back to the Empire.
Since then, the Rune Tooth "Hater" had become the status symbol of Marshal Reik. The Kurfürst's holy sword was not only a status symbol, but also an extremely powerful artifact. The main reason for the defeat of "Iron Claw" Gobard was that Adolphus, the Kurfürst of Brescia and the Grand Duke of Avey Hill, had deeply penetrated Gobard's chest with the Rune Tooth "Mother of Destruction" in his hand before he died in a heroic battle, severely injuring the strongest green-skinned warlord in history. The wound caused by the Kurfürst's holy sword couldn't be healed even after a long time. Affected by the injury, Gobard's strength was greatly reduced, and he could no longer unite the green-skinned army. In the end, he was defeated.
(The green-skinned creatures almost had no sense of pain. Their injured limbs would automatically regenerate. Only the most serious injuries could make them feel pain.)
Laing shook his head and tried to ask Helberg, "I didn't expect the Empire to react so quickly. It's easy for the knights to gather quickly, but the great swordsmen are also so fast?"
The emperor and his army set off from Brunswick and marched for a day and a night before they arrived at Helmgat.
"The Griffin Great Swordsman Legion is not the city garrison of Brunswick. This great swordsman legion is the private army of the Emperor's Franz - Frey Drich family. They are supported by His Majesty's private wealth. Therefore, as long as the Emperor gives an order, these soldiers must be mobilized overnight, or the Emperor will expel them from the army. This is His Majesty's private money. He does not raise useless people." Helberg said in a rough voice, "The same goes for the Brunswick Royal Half Griffin Guards."
"Private funds?" Laing nodded. Every Kurfürst had their own private guards. Of course, the Emperor would have his own private guards as well.
Opening the tent with the Golden Griffin Family's coat of arms, Emperor Karl-franz was already seated. He was talking to the great teacher of the demon hunters, Ernst.
The great teacher of the demon hunters, Ernst, was already more than four hundred years old. He was born in the era of the three emperors, experienced the War of Vampires, and participated in the great Holy War. The great teacher of the demon hunters who appeared in front of Laing was tall and had a head full of white hair. His face was bottomless, and only a pair of murderous eyes hid a deep murderous intent. "Your Majesty, I still don't understand. Why did you let those refugees live? You should have burned them all on the stake to ensure the purification of the city."
"Calm down, Master Ernst. Someone has vouched for the refugees. He believes that the remaining refugees have built up a strong will when they fought against the Rat Tide. They won't be corrupted so easily. Based on the current investigation, the refugees who stayed in the church are basically healthy." The Emperor sat on the chair, his face very ugly.
Right under his nose, the Skaven Ratmen had actually destroyed an entire city in his territory. How embarrassing. According to what he knew, if it weren't for the fact that Ryan and the others happened to be in Helmgard, he and his army wouldn't have been able to arrive here before the entire city would have been destroyed.
"Vouch? Who? "
"Me." Laing walked in under Helberg's lead. He said to the great teacher of the demon hunters, "I vouched for them. The remaining refugees have been purified by my power. I've already solved the problems."
The great teacher of the demon hunters still wanted to say something, but Rick's guard came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Count Reinhardt has been found."
"Where is he?" The Emperor gestured for Laing to wait. Karl-franz's face was slightly angry. "I gave Helmgard to him, and he gave me a city like this?"
"He …" Rick's guard pursed his lips. The veteran lowered his head. "We only found his body. And, Your Majesty, we all agreed that there was no need to bring it here."
"Why?"
"Count Reinhardt's body was stuffed into a tube with a diameter of more than ten centimeters by the Rat Men, and it was pulled to a length of more than ten meters … We recognized the rotten flesh as Count Reinhardt through the ring." Guard Rick's face twitched as he continued to report the situation.
"Well, find a place to cremate him. He and his family are history now." Emperor Karl nodded helplessly and gestured for Rick to leave.
Just as Rick left, he opened the curtain and came in a few seconds later. "Your Majesty, a group of dwarves has come. They want to see you and Sir Laing."
"Dwarves? Let them in! "
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