Chapter 524: Matthew Bard's Decision

"Frederick?" Ryan's expression wasn't pleasant. "I remember that was the name of an Emperor of the Empire."

"The ninth Emperor of the Empire, who once single-handedly slew a dragon in the Black Mountains," Morgiana added. She briefly relayed the news from the Lady of the Lake to Ryan: "This baby boy has been declared the legitimate heir of Elector Emanoli, and she has the support of Emperor Karl-Franz."

"Alright." Ryan sighed deeply, climbing the wooden spiral staircase without saying more.

"You don't seem very concerned about your child?" Morgiana followed Ryan, a bit puzzled. "Is it because Emanoli chose to leave you?"

"That's not it." Ryan shook his head and continued, "It's just... I don't know how to put it. This is my first child, but I wasn't there for his birth, nor was I by Emanoli's side. I always wanted to visit Nuln, but Emanoli always refused me. Now the child is born, but we're at war with Mousilon. Until we fully reclaim Mousilon, it's impossible for me to go to Nuln."

Ryan sighed again, feeling the regret of a father. He couldn't change it because the kingdom needed him, his army, and his people needed him.

Morgiana sensed Ryan's emotional shift, her gaze softening. She walked behind Ryan. "It's okay, you still have me, your wife Sulia, and your child who will be born at the end of this year."

"Hmm..." Ryan suppressed his worries and said to Morgiana, "My lady, can you sense where the Holy Grail of Potions is?"

Morgiana closed her eyes and sensed for a moment. "It should be upstairs, in Earl Ocarson's master bedroom."

"No time to lose." Ryan nodded. The Holy Grail of Potions was extremely important to Morgiana, as the legacy of the Lady of the Lake depended on it.

The legacy of the Lake Witch was always very mysterious. Since the founding of the kingdom by the first knight king Arthur and the twelve first Holy Grail knights, the cult of the Lady of the Lake became the most important religion of the knightly kingdom, and the Lake Witch appeared as the earthly embodiment and chosen one of the Lady of the Lake, overseeing religious matters.

When Arthur died of illness, the first Lake Witch placed his body on a wooden boat, which vanished forever into the misty Lady Lake.

After that, the Lake Witch began to reincarnate. When an old Lake Witch died, the Lady of the Lake would select one of the strongest Lake Seers to reincarnate through the power of the Holy Grail of Potions. The new Lake Witch would inherit all the magical powers and knowledge of the previous one, growing stronger with each generation.

Along with the increasing power came the growing authority of the Lake Witch. Initially, the Lake Witch assisted the king and provided magical guidance. However, after the deaths of the second king "Reckless" Lewis and the third king "White Death" Guillaume, the Lake Witch's authority swelled, continuing for a thousand years.

For Ryan, though, Morgiana's presence wasn't a big problem. First, he could directly discuss matters with the Lady of the Lake. Secondly, Morgiana's body and mind were now completely...

"What's wrong, Ryan? Why are you looking at me with that strange expression?" Morgiana felt a peculiar reaction in her body under Ryan's gaze and hurriedly pushed him. "We've arrived. Open the door. You can do whatever you want tonight, but for now, retrieving the Holy Grail of Potions is the priority!"

"Alright!" Ryan just thought idly; he didn't plan to stay with Morgiana that night.

Opening the door, they found Earl Ocarson's master bedroom decorated in a typical Bretonnian noble style, filled with various looted treasures and decorations, including some rare items from high elves.

A portrait of the first Duke of Mousilon, Landuin, hung on the wall. The portrait showed a handsome, tall Landuin with gem-like eyes, wielding the lance "Unbreakable Lake Light" given by the Lady of the Lake, riding a tall pureblood elven warhorse, battling a giant dragon.

Each of the twelve founding Holy Grail knights and Arthur himself had a lance bestowed by the Lady of the Lake. Among them, Arthur's "Dragonfire Lance" and Landuin's "Unbreakable Lake Light" were the most outstanding. The Dragonfire Lance was stored in Bastogne Castle, to be used only in the direst circumstances. Duke of Red Dragon Berchimond would retrieve the lance from the ancestor's temple, which never dulled and could breathe dragonfire, countering all evil.

The Unbreakable Lake Light also never dulled, shining like moonlit lake water. However, after Arthur's death, Landuin defeated Sylrulf in a champion duel, leaving a hideous scar on his face with the lance, never using it again. Its whereabouts remain unknown.

The Holy Grail of Potions, which Ryan and Morgiana sought, was placed before Landuin's portrait. The grail, brimming with potent magic, was set in a sturdy black iron stand by Earl Ocarson, with a bouquet of iris flowers in front.

"Finally!" Morgiana quickly stepped forward, taking the Holy Grail of Potions in her hands, feeling its power. "This is great."

"I feel this was too easy," Ryan casually commented. "I thought we'd face a huge monster, overcome it together, and find the grail hidden in a secret mechanism, full of traps."

A golden halo surrounded Morgiana, holy light radiating from her, and waves of magical power surged like ocean tides in the room.

The Lake Witch, nearly captured by Manfred due to the treachery of tree spirits, finally regained her full strength with the Holy Grail of Potions.

The shadow over Morgiana lifted completely. In high spirits, she motioned for Ryan to sit. "The Holy Grail of Potions contains millennia of accumulated magic. It's not easily corrupted by vampires. Its presence greatly affects the surrounding land, repelling evil. So the vampires must have placed it where it wouldn't affect them, like the Pinnacle Palace. I don't think the vampires ever considered we'd counterattack."

"Earl Ocarson wasn't a very cruel ruler," Ryan stood up, walking to the window with a frown. "Under his rule, serfs near the Pinnacle Palace rarely starved. Unfortunately, we're enemies. To quickly take the Pinnacle Palace, he had to die. I have no intention of accepting a human who served the undead as a slave."

Outside, dwarves were trying to hoist cannons onto the walls with simple wooden structures, with little success.

"We have little time, at most a day, before Matthew Bard and his undead army attack. This viper of Mousilon won't tolerate the fall of the Pinnacle Palace." Ryan continued seriously, "The Pinnacle Palace is too important to Mousilon."

Morgiana also looked out, noticing the difficulty of getting the cannons onto the walls. "At this rate, we won't make it..."

"That's why, dear Morgiana, I'll leave the castle's defenses to you for now." Ryan suddenly smiled. "I have other matters to attend to."

"Other matters?"

Ryan didn't explain, heading downstairs. Minutes later, a strong figure appeared among the laborers transporting the cannons. He single-handedly carried a thousand-kilogram dwarf heavy cannon up the wall. "Hurry! We must position the cannons before nightfall!"

"Yes!"

…Scene Shift...

Old World, Bretonnia, Mousilon.

"What? The Pinnacle Palace has fallen?!" Matthew Bard, seated in Melowen Castle, was incredulous as he listened to the Pinnacle Palace guard who had rushed to Mousilon overnight. "A castle with two thousand defenders, reinforced twice, fell in a day?"

"Yes, my lord. The Pinnacle Palace is lost. No one knows what happened," the guard, kneeling before Matthew Bard, trembled with fear. "I really don't know. I was awakened by the campfire's glow at night. By the time I was alert, the castle had already fallen!"

"You don't know? You know nothing? What about Ocarson?" Matthew Bard's fists clenched in anger and confusion. "Where was Ocarson? Explain!"

"Earl Ocarson went out hunting that day. He left in the morning and didn't return when the castle fell. The weather was strange that day..." The guard knelt on the cold ground, trembling. "The earl took all his close attendants and elites. When the castle was attacked, all the guards..."

"Enough! I understand!" Matthew Bard closed his eyes, piecing together what had happened. "You may go!"

"Yes!" The guard glanced at Matthew Bard and quickly left.

"Damn it! Damn it!!!" Once the guard left, Matthew Bard didn't hide his rage, grabbing a parchment from the table and throwing it. "Two thousand defenders! Hundreds of knight retainers! That incompetent Ocarson lost the Pinnacle Palace in a day! He must have been killed while hunting!"

The room was silent for ten seconds. As Matthew Bard panted with rage, a vampire lord in black armor, pale-skinned with blood-red eyes, emerged from the shadows. "The Pinnacle Palace cannot fall. That's my advice to you, young man."

"I said, Melowen, I don't need your guidance!" Matthew Bard glared at the vampire, former Duke of Mousilon, "Mad Duke" Melowen. "I know the importance of the Pinnacle Palace!"

"The Pinnacle Palace lies in the heart of the Mousilon duchy, a vital transport hub connecting the territory's east and west." Melowen's voice

 carried a hint of annoyance. "More importantly, the lower Greismore River flows fast, but the waters near the Pinnacle Palace are calmer. Southerners can build a floating bridge there, one of the few places to do so on the lower Greismore River. Why did you entrust it to a useless man like Ocarson?"

"Ocarson had never disappointed me before!" Matthew Bard stood, pacing anxiously. "He had two thousand defenders! Damn, the Holy Grail of Potions was also placed at the Pinnacle Palace!"

"The Holy Grail of Potions of the Lake Witch?! Why did you place that artifact at the Pinnacle Palace?" Melowen realized the gravity of the situation, questioning, "Didn't you and Manfred know the grail's significance to the Lake Witch?"

"Where else should it be? The energy in that artifact could purify you into ashes! If kept in Mousilon, our power would weaken in less than two years!"

Melowen fell silent. After the rebellion, he had once battled the Lake Witch of that era, Marianna, and even as a vampire, he wasn't her match and was killed.

After a moment of agitation, Matthew Bard miraculously regained his composure, exhaling deeply. "There's no point in discussing this now. The Pinnacle Palace must be retaken! Bellitus!"

"Present!" A young vampire entered, Bellitus, the half-brother of Carad.

"Lead Mousilon's standing army and immediately attack the Pinnacle Palace! We must not let the southerners fortify it!" Matthew Bard ordered first. "I will gather the main force and follow."

"Yes!" Bellitus swiftly obeyed and left.

"And what about me? I won't stand idly by in this war," Melowen expressed his frustration. "I want revenge on this country. That was our deal."

"Melowen, go to Richard Castle in the north." Matthew Bard commanded. "That's an order!"

"But the southerners have invaded the Pinnacle Palace, and you send me to Richard Castle?!" Melowen protested. If the Pinnacle Palace was the southern gateway, Richard Castle was a crucial northern stronghold.

"The Pinnacle Palace has fallen. We can't let Richard Castle fall too!" Matthew Bard looked north.

"Some people, upon hearing of the Pinnacle Palace's fall, will definitely act. Even if it's time for spring plowing, they and their army will launch an attack."

"So we must retake the Pinnacle Palace and fortify Richard Castle before the situation worsens."

"Now, let's move separately."

I've been experiencing writer's block lately and am not in the best condition. I might need to adjust slightly.

_________________________

🔥 33% OFF on Patreon!From May 26 to June 3, use code EA00B for a discount on all tiers.

Join now and get early access to chapters!

[ w w w . p @ t r e o n . c o m / I N N I T ]