The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

The entire inn had collapsed into chaos due to the sudden battle, leaving guests and the innkeeper fleeing in terror.

Federmond, Alfred, and Olica were all severely injured. At this moment, both Federmond and Alfred realized that the guards would arrive soon, alerted by the commotion.

Federmond's injuries were less severe. As a Holy Grail Knight, he could still stand. Although the mithril plate over his chest had been shattered, the armor had prevented the vampire's claws from reaching too deep. The wound was far from his heart, merely tearing through the skin.

Alfred, however, had taken a heavy blow. The Templar Knight's insides showed signs of internal bleeding. As Ryan had once said, Holy Shield wasn't true invincibility; the impact he took was very real. Alfred's entire body ached, and he even suspected his leg might be broken.

"It's unbelievable that the three of us managed to take down a high-level vampire!" Despite his injuries, Alfred remained optimistic. He exclaimed joyfully, "My Lord, if I report to Archbishop Vekmar that the three of us defeated a high-level vampire with no casualties, he'll surely reward me with at least three divine spell scrolls!"

In the Empire, such vampires were typically defeated through meticulous preparation and sheer numbers.

"Enough chatter. Can you stand? The guards will be here any minute; we need to leave now!" Federmond was exasperated by Alfred's thoughts of rewards at a time like this.

"I'm talking because I can't stand!" Alfred replied helplessly, looking towards Olica. "Lady Olica, can you teleport us out of here? Including the bodies of the rogue knight and the vampire?"

The dark elf had suffered the least. Landing in a haystack had spared her from severe injury, though her left cheek was swollen. Upon hearing Alfred's question, Olica closed her eyes to calculate the remaining mana in her soul sigils, the distance of the spell, and the number of people to be teleported.

After thirty seconds, Olica opened her eyes and nodded. "Barely enough. But be prepared; my dark magic will be quite unpleasant."

"Better that than getting thrown into jail by the guards." Alfred signaled Olica to proceed.

Though Federmond was displeased by both Olica's ambush tactics and Alfred's use of firearms, he understood how hard-won their victory was. He nodded to the dark elf, "Please hurry, Lady Olica."

Olica began chanting her spell. By the time the guards arrived, led by the innkeeper, the basement was deserted, save for the wreckage and debris.

---

That night, at the Codfish Inn in Bilbali.

The inn had been taken over by the Sea God Knights, serving as their temporary base. The heavily armed knights had taken up residence here for the time being.

The city was in chaos due to the explosion and the violent incident at the Red Bull Inn. Guards were scouring the streets, torches in hand, searching every house for clues or suspects.

Although the Codfish Inn also faced scrutiny from the city guards, the reputation and power of Bretonnia, coupled with the fear of the Sea God Fleet, meant the guards only dared to ask a few questions. They didn't dare conduct a thorough search.

This was the way of the southern realms, where nobles ruled autonomously without a unified front. Their fragmented power and satisfaction with local rule left them intimidated by the cohesive might of nations like the Empire and Bretonnia. The nobles of these lands often cowered and resorted to minimal protest when faced with such powerful entities, sometimes only seeking financial compensation.

Inside a well-lit room at the inn, two stone tables were set side by side, bearing the bodies of a dead rogue knight and a high-level vampire, now dismembered and with its heart removed.

"Ugh~" Alfred groaned. His injuries were severe; his leg was broken, and after an examination by the Sea God Knight's field doctor, he learned he would need about two months of rest.

Alfred was currently retching violently over the side of the courtyard, his face pale as he vomited up everything he had eaten.

The teleportation spell had been a horrifying experience for the Templar Knight, making him feel as though he had been flushed through the city's sewer system. Upon arrival, he nearly passed out and immediately began to vomit.

Federmond, although also feeling ill, had endured the Grail Quest. His willpower and resilience far exceeded that of ordinary men. He breathed heavily as he removed his armor, allowing the Sea God Knights to apply ointment to his wounds and bandage him. All the while, he kept a watchful eye on the vampire they had slain.

"This vampire was from the Lahmia Sisterhood," Federmond noted after inspecting the high-level vampire. Sitting wearily on a bench, he panted, "Why would a vampire from the Lahmia Sisterhood be here?"

"They were here to silence witnesses," Olica said, her swollen face reflecting her injuries. Her veil had been removed, revealing multiple wounds. The fight had drained most of her stored mana, and her soul was hurt, preventing her from replenishing it.

"Silence witnesses?" Federmond echoed, his eyes filled with suspicion and distrust.

This battle had left Federmond dissatisfied. He disapproved of the dark elf's treachery and the Templar Knight's use of firearms. In his view, this was no honorable duel.

Fortunately, the opponent was a vampire, so there was no need to adhere strictly to chivalry. Federmond's discontent was mild. As the future heir to the Duke of Bordeleaux, he had received an excellent court education and would not show minor displeasure openly.

Federmond also began to gain new insights, feeling that adherence to outdated codes could be detrimental, especially when dealing with non-human races.

The eldest son of Duke Bohemond felt he needed to learn more from Ryan. Perhaps this pragmatic approach distinguished a chosen champion from an ordinary Holy Grail Knight. Federmond realized that asking Ryan for help had been a good idea.

"Yes, they came to silence witnesses." The beautiful dark elf extended her gloved hand. Her cold demeanor surprised both Federmond and Alfred.

Olica began to desecrate the rogue knight's corpse, summoning his soul with dark magic and cruelly extracting his memories.

The process was brutal. The rogue knight's soul screamed in agony, twisted and tormented, forever unable to find peace after being desecrated.

"Cruciatus!" Olica intensified her dark magic, forcing the soul to divulge everything it knew. Under her torment, the spirit writhed and twisted, driven to the brink of madness by the unbearable pain.

"Legilimens!" The dark elf then used another sinister spell to delve into the rogue knight's thoughts and memories. She seemed well-practiced in this method of interrogation, executing it with disturbing efficiency.

"No! You can't do this! Dark elf! You're desecrating a knight's soul. The Lady will curse you, and you'll never find peace!" Federmond shouted in fury.

Alfred, pale and exhausted, glared angrily at Olica from his position near the window.

"Shut up. I don't believe in your goddess. If you want to complete your mission and find out where your family's heirloom has gone, let me finish this," Olica responded coldly. "Or, if you insist, I can stop now, and we can lose our only lead."

Federmond and Alfred were silent, forced to turn away and pretend not to see.

A while later, Ryan and Veronica returned. Assessing the situation in the city with their years of adventuring experience, they immediately deduced that Federmond's team had made significant progress. "What happened? What's going on?"

"Well, well, I come back to find three patients," Veronica remarked, noting the state of the room. The Garland Witch's gaze landed on the stone tables, filled with astonishment. "My goodness, did you actually take down a high-level vampire?"

Seeing Ryan enter, Olica ceased her brutal interrogation. Her cold demeanor melted into vulnerability as she leaned into Ryan, feigning injury. "Master~ The enemy was so tough. I've almost exhausted my mana~"

Ryan's concern for the dark elf was evident as he signaled his attendants to prepare hot water. He applied ointment to Olica's swollen cheek and gently kissed her forehead. "It's okay. Rest well. I'm here."

"Mm!" The dark elf blushed and nestled into Ryan's arms.

Both Federmond and Alfred looked on, their expressions puzzled.

Something seemed off.

"How are things, Federmond? Are you hurt?" Once Ryan had settled his dark elf maid, he turned to assess the situation.

"We investigated the inn. The rogue knights had already left, but they left someone behind in the basement. We found the man waiting there…" Federmond gestured to the rogue knight's corpse. "He was dead, killed by the high-level vampire."

"A high-level vampire from the Lahmia family?" Ryan nodded. "You defeated her? No wonder you're all injured. Did you find anything useful?"

"Ask your dark elf maid. She knows the most," Alfred responded with a sarcastic tone.

Federmond remained silent.

The Holy Grail Knight suddenly felt deep sympathy for Ryan's situation.

What kind of people surround the Lady's chosen champion?

Having such a dark elf maid must be a constant torment for Sir Ryan, the Lady's chosen champion, a model of chivalry. The thought of enduring the presence of such a dark elf must be a profound ordeal for him.

Federmond gazed at Ryan with newfound empathy.

Such self-sac

rifice was truly admirable.

"This vampire came to silence witnesses. Master, the Sea God's Trident was stolen by them," Olica explained. "These rogue knights were incited by the high-level vampire to steal the trident."

"So it was them!" Federmond growled, his previous thoughts forgotten. "What next?"

"Then this vampire came to silence the witness." Olica looked at the slain high-level vampire. "In a week, on a plain twenty kilometers outside the city of Magritte, the mercenary group hired by the vampire will meet with these rogue knights to exchange the goods."

"I see!" Ryan stroked his chin, pulling out a blood-stained eagle standard from his coat and sharing his findings with the group.

The revelation that the Knights of Magritte still existed shocked both Federmond and Alfred into silence.

Ryan gave them a moment to absorb this news before concluding, "The vampires must have convinced the hidden Knights of Magritte that the power of the Sea God's Trident would enable them to launch another crusade into Araby!"

"That makes sense! It's all a vampire's scheme!" Veronica nodded emphatically. "We must retrieve the trident before the rogue knights hand it over to the Knights of Magritte. If we fail, we risk triggering a full-scale war between Estalia, the Empire, and Bretonnia!"

"No." Ryan shook his head sharply. "We're not in our own country. This is Estalia. Even if we capture the rogue knights, what if we can't find the trident?"

Alfred, pale, leaned against the window. His blond hair peeked through the open pane. "That would be tantamount to declaring war. We'd be accused of seizing valuable goods, and we'd have no defense."

"So we must strike at the trade site. We need to catch them red-handed. That way, the Estalians will have no pretext to intervene." Federmond agreed, producing a conch shell. "I'll contact my father immediately. The Sea God Fleet will land north of Magritte!"

"Good. We'll rest here until the day after tomorrow, then prepare to head to Magritte," Ryan said, lifting Olica into his arms. He glanced at the vampire's corpse. "Any way to dispose of these bodies?"

"I'll handle it. My flames can reduce them to ashes," Veronica offered, flames flickering at her fingertips. "And with a bit of alchemy… we can scatter the ashes into the sea."

"Excellent. It's late; let's get some rest." Ryan carried the dark elf to the bath.

"Mm, everyone rest up. Good work today," Federmond concluded. "Tomorrow, we'll take a day off and organize the guard rotation."

"Yes, sir!"

---

Meanwhile, in the Black Mountains, near the Estalian border.

A formidable Imperial army of over ten thousand soldiers was steadily advancing into the land renowned for its spirit of freedom. This force was equipped with an array of firearms and artillery, including a dozen cannons and mortars, and even a Hellstorm Rocket Battery, all under the guidance of Imperial engineers.

The force comprised ready Solar Knights, resplendent Greatswords and Halberdiers, and disciplined Handgunners marching in tight formations across the wilderness.

Leading this army was the Empire's Supreme Alchemist, Balthasar Gelt. He rode his pegasus, "Quicksilver," the golden mask obscuring his face, his thoughts unreadable.

"Supreme Alchemist, we've crossed into Estalian territory," reported Captain Bernhardt. "Though the Emperor has sanctioned this operation, we must tread carefully. We don't want to provoke a war between Estalia and the Empire."

"That's of no concern. My sources tell me the Sea Gold Amulet has surfaced in Estalia, near Magritte!" Gelt's voice resonated with metallic clinks and vibrations as he raised his golden staff, a gust of golden wind sweeping through the sky.

"The Sea Gold Amulet belongs to me!"

_________________________

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