Chapter 30: Night Talk

The snowstorm intensified, with large flakes swirling through the forest. Tall conifer trees swayed as if shivering, and the wind howled through the woods, producing eerie sounds reminiscent of hellish screams and wails.

A phenomenon appeared. The snow swirled around Ryan, and white sacred flames ignited within the forest.

A great will descended, filled with ferocity, anger, savagery, and cruelty, yet also brimming with power, courage, honor, and conviction.

"Not a bad offering," a rough and hearty voice echoed in Ryan's mind. "A rare mutated boar?"

"Yes, I offer it to you, great Wolf God," Ryan thought, knowing Ulric would hear him.

A wave of satisfaction emanated from the void. The massive mutated creature greatly interested the Wolf God, who relished battle, drinking, and displays of courage and strength.

Ryan had single-handedly slain a powerful mutated boar using only melee combat. This was exactly what the Wolf God admired—displays of raw power and courage, killing prey with the most primitive and brutal methods.

White sacred flames gathered in the air, opening a portal to another world. A giant white wolf, as large as a buffalo, leaped out, quickly devouring the boar's corpse. The wolf then turned, holding the remains in its jaws, and leaped back through the portal.

Everything returned to silence, with only the lingering white flames indicating the Wolf God's envoy had visited.

"Not even a leg left for me!" Ryan complained aloud.

"A White Wolf Knight is not necessarily a White Wolf Knight, but a White Wolf Knight is always a White Wolf Knight."

— Grand Archbishop Malas-Beardhofen of the White Wolf Church

The first part refers to the title, and the second to the advanced profession. Like Ryan, his title was White Wolf Knight, but his advanced profession wasn't. Any knight could earn the title if they performed exceptionally and joined the White Wolf Knight Order. If a knight chose to advance as a White Wolf Knight, they had to become a member of the order.

Theoretically, the White Wolf Knight Order wasn't under Nord Kingdom's jurisdiction. Its headquarters were in Wolfenburg, the capital of Elector Count Manfred-Adalbert's Walric province, which bordered Nord and shared its harsh lands and weather. The densely forested land fostered belief in the fierce White Wolf God. The White Wolf Temple on the cliffs of Wolfenburg was guarded by numerous White Wolf Knights, with Nord's order merely two companies within the larger order.

The White Wolf God Ulric had existed for a long time, appearing on the continent during humanity's primitive era. The founding Emperor of the Empire, Charlemagne, reportedly received much of his aid. However, the capricious war god rarely responded to prayers, and his church provided little welfare or relief. Dangerous rituals and trials pleased him, leading to the church's decline over a thousand years.

Ryan brushed off the snow and mud, quickly descending the mountain. Luck favored him again as he struck a rabbit with a throwing knife.

Exiting the forest, he saw fires and smoke rising from the abandoned village. Estel, standing guard on the wall, spotted the returning knight and signaled the guards to open the gate. "Sir Ryan? We saw trees falling and lights in the forest. Was that you?"

"It was. Any other issues?" Ryan asked, entering the village with a sigh of relief.

"No, most people are cooking in the main building. We haven't seen any attacks," Estel said, leaping down from the wall gracefully. "Want to join?"

"No, I dealt with the bandits and that giant creature. The rest is up to you," Ryan shook his head. Joining the gathering would only turn him into a bard.

He walked to the assigned small house and pushed the door, finding it barred. "Teresa?"

"Ryan?" Teresa, dressed in a fur coat over a purple silk dress, confirmed it was him before letting him in and barring the door again. "You were gone a while. I've heated some water."

The room was lit with magical lamps, casting a soft yellow glow. Teresa had used magic to seal the wall's hole with planks and relit the fireplace, where a pot of hot water was heating.

"Ah, after a tough fight, coming home to a woman heating water for me is nice," Ryan joked, taking off his chainmail and sitting cross-legged on the carpet. "Why not some hearty soup?"

"You're such a pain," Teresa pouted, wrapping herself in a blanket. "The ingredients are ready. You cook."

Ryan didn't argue, using the caravan's corn, ham, and vegetables to make a pot of corn and vegetable ham soup. He skinned and prepped the rabbit, hanging it in the fireplace to roast.

"Teresa? How do you feel about this adventure so far?" Ryan asked, not stopping his work.

"Not as difficult as I imagined. Traveling isn't so bad," she nodded, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall, glinting faintly.

"Really?" Ryan smiled skeptically.

"Okay, okay, Ryan. I know you've taken good care of me. Thank you," Teresa pouted, "You know, aside from you, I've never been this close to any man, let alone sharing a small house at night."

"Should I feel honored as your bodyguard?" Ryan asked, amused by her rare, less aloof demeanor.

"As a teammate… Did you fight?" Teresa noticed the snow and mud on his chainmail.

"Yes, I encountered bandits and a mutated creature," Ryan recounted his experiences with the bandits and the silver boar, omitting details about the White Wolf God Ulric.

By the time he finished, the corn and vegetable ham soup was ready. Ryan served it to Teresa.

"It's strange. You spared those bandits, didn't kill them, nor help them, just gave them some bread?" Teresa asked curiously. "Their lives were in your hands, yet you didn't change their situation. That's unlike you."

"What could I do? Generously helping them is for the Church of the Mercy Goddess or the Moon Church. Killing them all is excessive, as they're still Nord Kingdom's people, my fellow citizens. As a knight, I can kill a few notorious ones, but killing them all without necessity is too much," Ryan shook his head. "This place can't support so many farmers. The presence of nobles means a limited capacity for people, decreasing over time."

"You don't want to spend your own money to help them, nor do you want to commit mass murder. That fits your style," Teresa nodded. Ryan respected basic morals, upholding the Eight Virtues of a knight, hating evil, and promoting justice.

However, unlike some pedantic paladins or priests of the Mercy Goddess, Ryan was cunning, never helping without benefit, and always bargaining for his own gain.

As her mother Aurora put it: "Ryan's trait is tolerance within rules and goodness at the baseline."

Young, powerful, humorous, and knowledgeable, he was a great travel companion. Compared to the young knights and nobles Teresa knew in Winterhold, Ryan made them seem like trash.

"What about that mutated boar?" Teresa was more interested in how Ryan handled it than the bandits.

"A powerful mutated creature, like griffons, manticore, and hippogriffs," Ryan explained, rotating the roasting rabbit. The scent of cooking meat filled the room.

Over a thousand years ago, the Chaos Gods descended on the Northern Wastelands, corrupting the land. Decades later, the first Chaos Champion "Unifier" Morkar appeared, leading an army of over 500,000 and opening the Chaos Gate. This lesser-known national defense war in the Empire was more brutal than any in its history, unmatched even by modern weapons.

Morkar's victories increased Chaos energy, spreading dark gods' influence across the Old World, transforming the material world into a chaotic realm.

The Empire's founding emperor Charlemagne, over 500 years old, gathered all imperial forces, dwarves, and divine legions for a final expedition. In a legendary battle, his greatest knight Roland sacrificed himself, paving a path to Morkar's stronghold. Charlemagne and Morkar dueled for a day and night, with Charlemagne narrowly beheading Morkar, collapsing the Chaos army.

Though the Chaos army retreated, its corrupting winds had deeply altered the material world, spawning many mutated creatures, like griffons, manticores, and hippogriffs.

"Chaos corruption brings decay and power, creating strong magic and creatures," Ryan nodded. "Have you seen dark elves?"

"I've read about them, but never met one," Teresa replied, enjoying Ryan's insights on the continent's unwritten rules and knowledge.

"Dark elves have beastmasters who tame these mutated beasts for battle. They're mostly women with whips, not just for beasts..." Ryan teased.

"Ryan!" Teresa's voice rose.

"Alright, alright. I meant humans do the same, like the Empire's elite Griffin Knights or the Bretonnian Duke of Lanstir, who rides a giant hippogriff. As for manticores... parts of them sell well," Ryan laughed, slicing the roasted rabbit. "That mutated boar is called a silver porcupine by imperial scholars, with ranged attacks and tough hide, but its soft underbelly is its weakness."

"Strange?" Teresa asked, nibbling on the rabbit. Ryan's cooking was excellent, the meat tender and flavorful with spices.

"Yes, it's strange. In such cold weather, wild boars shouldn't be in Nord's northern regions. Even mutated, their animal instincts should remain. They'd find warm shelters in this season, only coming out midday and afternoon. It roaming at night is unusual," Ryan explained, sensing something amiss

.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence, like running out of food?" Teresa shrugged, the room warming from the fireplace. She let the blanket drop, revealing her elegant neck adorned with a pearl necklace. Her relaxed, languid demeanor contrasted with her usual composed self.

"With you holding it off, my magic can send it to the Reaper," she said.

"But I'm worried, Teresa. Do you really understand Belt? Or what a witch hunter is?" Ryan asked.

"Uh... What is it?" she replied.

"Ulric's end was tragic too, defeated by Archaon, obliterated in body and soul," Ryan concluded.