Five hours earlier, in the Old World, Bretonnia, Mousillon Duchy, at Spire Palace.
A force of about four thousand troops was stationed at Spire Palace, responsible for its defense, with numerous sentries posted nearby for reconnaissance. Ryan initially thought the vampires would send scouts or attempt to raid the supply lines.
But there was none of that. Since the rear guard of Black Knights had been defeated by Ryan, Matthew Bard had ordered all his troops to retreat. From one perspective, this indicated that Matthew Bard had considered Spire Palace as "lost territory," temporarily abandoning any attempt to reclaim it.
Ryan also had no intention of launching an offensive. His forces were depleted; after the defense of Spire Palace, his original five thousand troops had been reduced to just over four thousand, even with the reinforcement of several hundred men led by Sulia's uncle, Antelm.
Additionally, after the previous battle, Ryan's troops were exhausted and needed time to rest and recover. Most soldiers and knights required three to five days of rest and training to gradually recover from their fatigue after the fierce defense of Spire Palace.
Generally speaking, if a unit could sustain over ten percent casualties without collapsing, it had moved beyond the stage of ragtag soldiers. If a unit could sustain over thirty percent casualties and still hold, it could be considered an elite force among humans. The peril of the Battle of Spire Palace was that the entire army's morale was solely upheld by the personal prestige of Ryan and Morgiana.
However, it's noteworthy that this standard doesn't apply to dwarves. Ordinary dwarf units could endure close to fifty percent casualties and still persist, with some elite units capable of fighting on even after losing over eighty percent of their forces.
Elves were somewhat less resilient than dwarves, but Ryan had witnessed the soldiers under Teclis and dared to say that even high elf militias would outperform human regulars. As for the Phoenix Guard, Swordmasters of Hoeth, and Everqueen's Handmaidens, human armies could only compare with the likes of the Holy Grail Knights and Gryphon Knights, with White Wolf Knights slightly below due to their lack of fine horses. The followers of the wolf god Ulric often lamented that if they had better horses, their combat effectiveness would rise significantly.
On this point, Bretonnia had a natural advantage. When the Bretonnians arrived on this side of the Grey Mountains, many pure-blood elven warhorses and their mixed descendants were thriving in this fertile land. The Bretonnians gladly inherited this legacy from the elves, much to the discontent of the Imperialists, who felt that the Bretonnians should share this elven legacy. Conversely, the Bretonnians resented the Imperialists for not sharing the dwarven gift—the secrets of gunpowder.
According to Belegar, humans were a race barely scraping by, desperately digging into the glorious past of elves and dwarves and extracting whatever nutrients they could to survive.
Though harsh and critical, Ryan thought there was some truth to it. Without the elves' pioneering and the spread of their civilization, humans wouldn't have risen from primitive slash-and-burn agriculture and wild consumption to their current level of civilization in just a few centuries. To this day, human laws, medicine, science, agriculture, and crafts are heavily influenced by elves. Even human writing and customs were adopted and mimicked from the elves.
The dwarves, on the other hand, brought metallurgy, architecture, mining, industry, and the secrets of gunpowder.
In the top floor of Spire Palace, in Earl Oakason's bedroom, Ryan was chatting with his female courtier, Teresa, about this topic.
After taking Spire Palace, Ryan planned to rest and fortify the defenses. If the vampires attacked, they would meet them head-on. If not, Ryan wouldn't launch an offensive either, as he needed to wait until after the spring sowing to gather a large army. Only with a substantial force could he advance along the Grismerie River and attack Mousillon Castle.
Ryan wasn't so confident to believe he could capture the fortress that had resisted Bretonnian assaults for nearly three hundred years with just four thousand men.
So, Ryan and his forces were resting at Spire Palace. He also took the opportunity to mingle with the soldiers and dwarves. Although Belegar didn't like living in a place where the sky was visible, the King of Eight Peaks had grown accustomed to wandering. According to Belegar, once he and his men had to hide in a troll cave, enduring the overwhelming stench for a whole night, which he promptly recorded in the Book of Grudges and later personally avenged by slaying the troll.
As to why Belegar hid in the troll cave, he mentioned it was a strategic relocation. The stench effectively hid them from the "green skinned scum," avoiding a meaningless victory.
Ryan understood.
Old Belegar had a tough life, always fighting and always losing, yet always persevering.
He was discussing a topic related to high elf knowledge with Teresa.
Today, the sorceress was wearing an Estalian sea-blue layered dress, her black hair and butterfly-patterned glasses lending her a serene and charming air. She wore a white fox fur shawl over her dress, and under it were her long legs in flesh-colored thick stockings and silver high heels. She was complaining about her challenges: "Only after obtaining the original elven manuscripts did I realize how much we lost over two thousand years of inheritance!"
Ryan had known Teresa for over ten years. The sorceress had matured and started to hold her own. Neither Teresa nor Veronica needed a man's support; they could handle their affairs independently. For instance, Veronica had become self-sufficient after establishing her wizard tower with Ryan's help, and he no longer needed to intervene.
Teresa was slightly less adept than Veronica in this regard. Unlike Veronica, she didn't know how to "leverage power" or was unwilling to use her identity as Ryan's courtier to handle matters.
Ryan appreciated this trait in Teresa. She clearly intended to establish her own branch from scratch. As an ice sorceress, choosing to come to Bretonnia was a significant sacrifice.
The sorceress placed a thick book on the table: "This is the original 'Galen's Book'."
She then produced an equally thick old book: "This is our version of 'Galen's Book'. I compared the two, and over eighty percent of the content is different."
Ryan leafed through the books, chuckling bitterly.
The origins of medicine in the Empire and the Old World nations were often attributed to high elf scholar and medical master Galen. Before Emperor Charlemagne founded the Empire, illiterate humans decided to inherit many elven writings, including 'Galen's Book,' a comprehensive herbal guide frequently cited in medical diagnoses.
However, after two thousand years, all original manuscripts had been lost. No one knew the contents of the first edition, nor could anyone confirm if countless copyists over the centuries had understood the author's intentions. Most of the content in the human version of 'Galen's Book' had been extensively altered, for better or worse. Despite its distorted state, humans still treated it as medical doctrine, beyond question.
"According to Galen's theory, we should treat it this way."
—"Incontestable" medical assertion
Thanks to Ryan's connection with Teclis, Teresa had obtained the original 'Galen's Book' from the high elf kingdom of Saphery's White Tower. Teclis also sent numerous medical and magical research outcomes from the past two thousand years. The sorceress aimed to relearn and correct many aspects.
"This is excellent, a monumental contribution to medical history." Ryan nodded approvingly, smiling. "I'll speak to the Church of the Merciful Goddess to support you… Aurora should have taken the copies back to the Garlean Council?"
"Yes, my mother promised not to exploit the high elf materials for profit. However, these valuable books will significantly aid the council in establishing its own medical system." Teresa shyly added, "I forgot to mention, I..."
"It's fine." Ryan shook his head, taking the sorceress's hand. "Since it's Teclis's sharing, you and Veronica have the right to manage them. I can't micromanage everything. Teresa, I hope you'll be like Aurora."
Teresa's eyebrows rose at this: "Are you saying I'm not as good as my mother? Or that you prefer her over me?"
"I didn't mean that. Please don't misunderstand." Ryan laughed, quickly explaining, "I mean I have high hopes for your future, dear Teresa."
"Humph~" The sorceress huffed lightly, brushing off the issue. After some thought, she softly gripped Ryan's hand in return. "Do you have time tonight? I've made some intriguing discoveries in 'Galen's Book.' Could you come listen to me?"
"Ryan has military matters to discuss with me tonight, so he can't come to you, Miss Teresa." Before Ryan could respond, the sound of high heels clicking on the wooden floor approached. The Lake Witch Morgiana appeared, dressed in an elegant ivory gown with a classical charm. When alone with Ryan, Morgiana's demeanor was more serene and gentle. Her green eyes first fixed on the intertwined hands of Ryan and Teresa, then on the sorceress's attire.
It was clear that this woman had dressed up specifically to meet Ryan! Morgiana knew Teresa disliked wearing dresses and stockings, only doing so when with Ryan.
"Oh? Lady Morgiana, you've been 'discussing' military matters with Ryan for a week now?" Teresa retorted sarcastically. "Every time I come to see Ryan, you're discussing military matters. After a week, haven't you reached a conclusion?"
"War is inherently unpredictable," Morgiana responded cold
ly, sitting next to Ryan. "I must continually assess the situation with Ryan. This isn't your area of expertise, is it, Miss Teresa? Besides, didn't I let Ryan spend the night with you two days ago?"
"This isn't according to our agreed schedule!" Teresa protested.
"We're at war. There's no schedule. Everything serves the goal of victory! To reclaim Mousillon, to fight for the Lady!" Morgiana countered, emphasizing the current wartime context.
Ryan tried to interject, but both women glared at him, signaling that this wasn't his concern.
In this matter, Teresa couldn't argue with Morgiana. After a private discussion, the sorceress stood and left.
As soon as Teresa left, Morgiana nestled into Ryan's arms, sitting on his lap. Her feet, wrapped in white stockings, swung back and forth. "What would you like for dinner? I'll make it for you."
"Anything is fine." Ryan smiled, holding Morgiana's waist to make her more comfortable. He inwardly sighed. After taking Spire Palace, Morgiana had arranged for them to stay in the top-floor rooms, ostensibly in separate rooms. During the day it was fine, but at night, she clung to him, never letting go until he had fully satisfied her.
As the Lady of the Lake's foremost chosen, Morgiana had immense stamina. If not for Ryan's exceptional physical and mental endurance, he wouldn't be able to keep up with her demands. Even so, Ryan found it both painful and enjoyable.
A harem was no easy task to manage.
After some time of intimacy with Morgiana, a knock came at the door. Ryan gently indicated for her to get up. "It's Juan; the supplies have arrived. I need to go out for a bit."
"Alright, I'll wait for you to come back." Morgiana, aware of the situation, blushed, adjusted her dress and smoothed out her stockings, and retreated to the inner chamber.
Opening the door, a young face greeted Ryan. "Lord Ryan, the transport convoy has arrived!"
"Good, let's go check it out."
Together, they descended the tower. Outside, the golden sunset bathed the streets of Spire Palace in a beautiful glow, turning them a warm gold.
In the distance, the harmonious chanting of hymns praising the Lady of the Lake could be heard.
Walking along the broken streets of Spire Palace, Ryan and Juan headed out to inspect the hundred new muskets brought by the convoy.
Fully armed in his entire Sun Knight armor, Juan looked at the setting sun and dusk, breaking the silence.
"It feels so peaceful, no vampire troops nearby. It's so different from Magritte."
"Indeed, it seems they've moved all their forces to Richard Castle," Ryan replied offhandedly.
"But none of that matters now!" Juan exclaimed enthusiastically.
"You're in a good mood!" Ryan remarked, noting the young man's energetic demeanor.
"Of course! Mousillon will be liberated soon, and everyone is working hard for it!" Juan replied cheerfully. "So, I must work hard too!"
"Ah, yes." Ryan lowered his head, contemplating.
He had been planning the attack on Mousillon for many years. Now, as soon as spring sowing ended, he would gather his army to finally eradicate the threat that had plagued the knightly kingdom for nearly three centuries.
Juan was right. My efforts haven't been in vain. Bretonnia is revitalized through my endeavors.
And in the future, as long as we keep moving forward, the path will continue to extend...
Ryan's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of several wagons from the convoy rushing out of the forest path, followed by the sharp sound of brakes.
"Huh?!"
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