Chapter 545: Landuin, Knight of the Lake

"Thank you for your support in this war, King of the Forest. I offer you my respect and sincere greetings," Ryan expressed his gratitude to Orion during their retreat.

Although Ryan had expected the Wood Elves to assist, he still felt the need to express his thanks.

"You owe Esla." Orion's ferocity was evident, and his words were filled with an untouchable majesty and wild primal anger. This anger could be directed at Chaos, Greenskins, Beastmen, or even Dwarfs and Humans.

Historically, many Human exploration teams and Dwarf prospecting teams were massacred upon entering the forest, with the Wood Elves usually leaving only one survivor to return.

These people were known to be so mad that they would even kill their own. Athel Loren Forest was divided into twelve territories, each governed by a woodland lord, and the states of these territories varied. They had different cultural heritages, worshipped different gods, and even had differing environments and time flows.

For example, the famous Evernight Woodland was in perpetual darkness, having not seen dawn for centuries. In contrast, the Heart of Winter had been in a constant winter for thousands of years.

Thus, King Orion and Queen Ariel of the Wood Elves could only truly rule over the central King's Glade in Athel Loren Forest. The twelve woodland lords formed the High Lord Council to manage Wood Elf affairs.

These Wood Elves enjoyed peace and were absolute isolationists. They only wished for the outside world to leave them alone, leading secluded lives behind closed doors. Therefore, in the Old World, Wood Elves were mostly legendary figures or characters in plays. Only Bretonnia and the High Elves had minimal diplomatic relations with the Wood Elves. The High Elves' relationship was due to the efforts of the "Sea King" Finnubar, while Bretonnia's was out of necessity due to their proximity to Athel Loren, requiring them to establish diplomatic relations with the Knight Kingdom for mutual protection.

Orion's extremely arrogant remarks caused almost everyone to feel displeased. The Bretonnian knights, especially the proud Grail Knights, glared at the Wood Elves with anger.

Despite having signed treaties of mutual assistance and non-aggression, Bretonnia and the Wood Elves did not always get along. They had previously fought a full-scale war because the roots of the Age-old Oak covered a Grail Chapel. The war resulted in the death of five Grail Knights and a woodland lord, with the Wood Elves retreating after losing over a thousand warriors.

Additionally, the border between the Duchy of Parravon and Athel Loren was ambiguous. Many serfs often tried to establish settlements in the disputed area, to which the Wood Elves responded with a Wild Hunt that destroyed the villages and their inhabitants. Decades later, the serfs would forget the previous tragedy and attempt to rebuild, only for the Wood Elves to conduct another Wild Hunt to destroy everything again.

Ryan waited calmly for Orion to finish speaking. He felt a burning pain from his wounds. The slap from the Weaver of Fates was not something he could easily withstand. Had it not been for the Great Vortex and the Great Guardian suppressing the Chaos Daemon's power, the slap would have killed Ryan.

Ryan wasn't joking; his opponent was a Chaos Greater Daemon!

Chaos Greater Daemons were not ordinary enemies, let alone the Weaver of Fates, Carlos, the foremost Daemon of Tzeentch. The battle prowess of Chaos Greater Daemons fluctuated due to the instability of the Winds of Magic. With Carlos establishing a stable energy transmission channel through a relic, he alone could fight an entire army.

"Esla also owes you." Orion took a long pause before speaking again. "We will help you defeat Chaos and the undead. This is Esla's promise. We will fulfill it, and please abide by our trade agreement!"

Ryan was Esla's only trading partner.

Over the years, the Wood Elves had obtained a significant amount of needed materials through trade with Ryan. Ryan's excellent diplomatic skills and good relations with major forces in the Old World allowed the Wood Elf trading posts to get whatever they wanted, including large quantities of food, Dwarf-made tools and fine weapons, marble, pottery, salt, iron, wood, wine, and livestock.

The Wood Elves reciprocated with furs, handicrafts, precious Wood Elf medicines, exquisite elven jewelry, wildly popular Wood Elf fruit wines and handcrafted clothing among the upper nobility, and various precious gems. They also provided guidance and assistance in breeding pureblood elven steeds.

The Wood Elves were very satisfied with this arrangement, which was a significant reason they helped this time.

In contrast, previous Bretonnian trading partners found by the Wood Elves... were quite lacking. Since the Wood Elves only traded with Grail Knight lords, the situation often played out as follows:

Wood Elf: "I need this, this, and this."

Grail Lord: "I only have one kind. I don't have the others. You're asking for too much; I don't have that many things."

Wood Elf: "Can't you get them for me?"

Grail Lord: "No, I can't."

Wood Elf: "Don't you have supply channels? Can't you negotiate with other lords to get them for us?"

Grail Lord: "I don't know where to get them. I don't know how to do this."

Wood Elf: "..."

Trading with Ryan was different. Oliver, the president of the Oliver Trading Company with exclusive rights to Wood Elf trade, warmly received the Wood Elf envoys, fully listened to their trade needs and special requirements, and could generally fulfill their requests. If the demand was exceptionally large, Oliver could easily source goods from the entire Kingdom of Bretonnia or even from Marienburg.

Trading with Wood Elves was truly profitable. Over the years, Oliver had become one of the wealthiest merchants in the Old World.

After saying this, Orion said no more and returned to the ranks of the Wood Elf army, where Eternal Guards and Woodland Guards marched side by side. Wild Riders and Glade Riders mingled together, and Waywatchers and Wardancers kept watch for enemies. This army of thousands of Wood Elves clearly trusted no one.

The Twilight Sisters, riding their Forest Dragon, coldly watched the human and Dwarf coalition. Few knew the origins of these sisters. Even the Wood Elves only knew them as Nestra and Arahan, one with white hair and the other with black. Both had incredibly beautiful faces and graceful figures, adorned in enchanted scales forged by the elven god of smiths, Vaul.

It was said they were the daughters of Ariel and Orion, representing pure nobility and primal wildness, respectively.

The humans and Dwarfs' pointing and whispering made them very unhappy. At their command, the Forest Dragon spread its wings and soared into the sky.

Ryan gave up trying to communicate with the Wood Elves. It was already remarkable that these reclusive people were willing to help him.

He walked alongside François, chatting intermittently. During the previous battle, François had fought tirelessly against the Chaos Daemons to protect the artillery, unable to spare any effort to support Ryan and his group. Thanks to François and the Quenelles Champion Knights' bloody struggle, most of the artillery had been well-protected.

"How is Sulia?" Ryan asked with some embarrassment.

"Sulia is doing very well," François smiled and nodded. "She is in good physical condition and has a large group of people taking care of her at all times. The Lady often accompanies her, keeping her in good spirits and health."

"That's good." Ryan's face showed some guilt as he shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm really an incompetent husband and father. Sulia is pregnant, yet I can't be by her side. This feeling is truly awful."

"But you are fighting to protect humanity and the kingdom," François understood. He patted Ryan on the shoulder. "Without your efforts, there would be no peace. Sulia understands this as well."

"Ah, no one could have foreseen things turning out this way," Ryan's expression was somewhat dejected.

Landuin's Tomb was close to the battlefield. The army marched for just over two hours before arriving at the tomb.

It was a very simple stone tomb. In front of it lay a large swamp, surrounded by low shrubs.

The tombstone, overgrown with wild grass, bore the birth and death dates and name of one of the founding twelve Grail Knights. The tomb was almost completely covered by weeds and bushes, with only the inscriptions faintly visible.

"The embodiment of knightly virtues, the model of chivalry, Duke of Mousilon, one of the greatest Grail Knights, Landuin rests here. May his spirit always be with us."

- Second Knight King "The Rash" Louis

The army halted before the tomb, and most of the Bretonnian knights knelt in the swamp.

This was Landuin's Tomb.

He was once the brightest star of the Bretonnian Knight Kingdom, the most powerful Grail Knight. It was said his strength surpassed even that of the first Knight King, Arthur.

His soul had long returned to the goddess's realm, and his body was sealed with molten iron. After the failed resurrection, both the undead and Chaos had lost interest in this tomb, which remained abandoned, only occasionally visited and tended by knights on pilgrimage.

"Landuin, great ancestor, true paragon," Bérchmond felt his sword Stone Cleaver trembling in his hand. The Red Dragon Duke knelt devoutly before the tomb. "I salute you, Knight of the Lake."

"I salute you, Knight of the Lake!" François also stepped forward, kneeling on one knee before the tomb.

The Grail Knights each took turns to pay their respects, and Morgiana chanted the holy words of the Lady, bestowing blessings.

Even King Orion nodded.

 In his rough voice, he said, "Noble human warrior, I will always remember our time fighting side by side. A thousand years have passed, but the strength and virtue you displayed back then remain etched in Esla's memory. The Wood Elves will not forget your story."

Imperial General Dietrich and Boris von Zhukov also bowed their heads in silence.

Bretonnia's rise and prosperity coincided with the Empire's decline. The subsequent wars of the Black Plague, the Three Emperors' Era, and the Vampire Wars spanned hundreds of years, during which Bretonnia was the strongest human nation in the Old World.

After the Dol Tower incident, the Knight Kingdom declined, while the Empire rose under the leadership of Ludwig the Savior during the Second Great Chaos Invasion, ushering in a great era of prosperity that allowed the new Empire to surpass the old.

History always cycles, endlessly repeating.

After paying their respects, the army dispersed, leaving only the Lake Witch Morgiana, the Grail Knights, several Wood Elf commanders, and Belegar, the chieftain of the Angrund clan. The rest of the army was ordered to leave the site.

Ryan also knelt before the tomb. Landuin's contributions to the Knight Kingdom during those tumultuous and war-torn years deserved Ryan's highest respect. Moreover, as the claimant to the Duke of Mousilon title, Ryan needed to pay homage to Landuin to assert his legitimate claim.

After completing the ceremonial rites, Ryan stood up, taking out the Hammer of Thunder. The goddess's champion looked at the tomb with deep sadness. "Forgive me, Sir Landuin, forgive me."

The Grail Knights remained silent, and Morgiana closed her eyes.

"Boom!" The Hammer of Thunder struck Landuin's tomb, shattering the tombstone.

"Boom!" Even the molten iron-sealed tomb could not withstand Ryan's warhammer. Stones and iron fragments flew.

"Boom!"

With repeated heavy blows, Landuin's tomb was opened, revealing the remains of the once greatest Grail Knight.

A thousand years had passed, and Landuin's bones had long decayed. Only some putrid flesh and liquefied substances clung to the bones. However, within Landuin's remains, a strong will and chaotic corruption still clashed. Next to the remains lay Landuin's sword, "Knights Do Not Die Unarmed," and his lance, "Unbroken Light of the Lake."

"What is this?!" Everyone looked at Landuin's remains in shock.

Only Ryan remained unfazed. Ignoring the chaotic corruption, he stepped forward, placing his hand, ablaze with psychic fire, on the bones, purifying them.

The sacred light of the goddess opened the sky. The goddess's power pierced the heavens, and the Grail Knights reverently chanted her name. Their mistress smiled at them, her gown of honeydew and water muses highlighting her perfect figure, her ankle-length golden hair radiant. She extended her hand, and a soul left her divine realm for the mortal world.

This soul shone with purity and brilliance. Its golden halo inspired awe and reverence in all who saw it.

In the gaze of all present, it descended upon Landuin's remains.

He was a handsome knight, noble and pure, enveloped in the goddess's divine power. The heroic spirit looked sorrowfully at his tomb and Mousilon's corruption and decay, saying nothing.

He was Landuin, the first Duke of Mousilon, Arthur's best friend, and a great Knight of the Lake.

Ryan and the others stepped back, awaiting his reaction.

"In the end, I have been awakened," Landuin said slowly, his face etched with deep sadness. "I am a sinner, beyond redemption. It is my fault that Mousilon has become what it is."

"But I have a mission to complete." Landuin suddenly grasped his sword, howling as he slashed at his own neck.

The heroic spirit's body was cut open, and a thick blood mist emerged from the wound.

Ryan was left speechless by this sight.

The blood mist grew larger and denser. Soon, a strong arm of flesh and blood emerged from the wound, gripping the sword "Knights Do Not Die Unarmed." A tall, middle-aged Grail Knight in full enchanted silver plate armor, draped in a black and yellow fleur-de-lis family crest cloak, with black mid-length hair, stepped out of the destroyed heroic spirit's body. The knight's iron boots landed in the swamps of Mousilon.

He shone with a silver light, like a deity from ancient myths battling Chaos Daemons, standing proudly between heaven and earth.

"This is the Lady's will. I must fulfill it. I have committed too many sins. I must atone for my mistakes."

"Ryan Malcador! Champion of the Lady! Come at me! If you truly wish to become the Duke of Mousilon, defeat me! Defeat me, the first Duke of Mousilon, and prove your worth!" Landuin, in his prime, raised his sword and shouted at Ryan, "Draw your sword, Ryan Malcador!"

Ryan calmly nodded, signaling everyone to step back, and gripped his sword hilt.

The Vengeance Goddess was unsheathed.

"Then, please instruct me!"

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