The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

After the meeting ended, Ryan left the tent alone. Before leaving, François patted him hard on the shoulder.

The Duke said nothing; he just nodded to Ryan.

Great deeds need no thanks.

Ryan shook his head indifferently. He also didn't want his newlywed wife Sulia to suffer the pain of losing her father.

As the Lady's chosen champion, Ryan naturally received the respect of all the knights in the camp. Many knights, however, privately pointed and whispered about him, jealous and envious of his status and glory, but Ryan remained unfazed by such things.

He returned to his camp. Under the moonlight and torchlight, his camp was lively. Although most people were already asleep, many still sat together chatting, comparing their battle achievements and boasting about their enemy kills.

The wood elf rangers serving Ryan had set up their camp under a distant tree. The proud Asrai disliked staying with humans. These wood elves joined Ryan mainly to gather information about the Old World, monitor the movements of major powers, and maintain trade relations with Ryan.

To them, defeating Kemmler was something to celebrate as it meant the undead wizard who had once brought destruction and painful memories to the wood elves could no longer threaten the forest.

This was all the wood elves cared about. They only wanted the forest to remain safe and kept unwelcome guests far away.

"Count! The wounded have been properly taken care of, and the soldiers have all gone to rest." Kingdom knight Hex's face was still wrapped in bandages. Thanks to the wood elves' medicine, his bleeding had stopped, but he might be left with scars.

"Well done, you should go rest too," Ryan nodded. "I'll handle the post-battle rewards... How is Olivier?"

His subordinate Olivier was seriously injured, with rusted halberd wounds to his waist and shoulder.

"Olivier is asleep. His injuries aren't serious but he won't be able to participate in the upcoming battles," Hex continued.

"And Veronica? And Imperius?"

"Lady Veronica was very exhausted and has already gone to rest early. The griffon Imperius is seriously injured. I've arranged for it to be escorted back to Gene for recovery."

"Okay, I understand." Ryan took out a jade cup from his pocket. "Is there a water source nearby?"

"Yes, about two hundred steps away, there's an upstream branch of the Grismori River," Hex said, though he was a bit curious, he didn't dare ask more.

"I'll be going out for a while."

Ryan left the camp alone. In the vast darkness, he walked in the direction Hex had pointed, stepping through the cold night. The day's battle left a heavy mark on his heart, like a weighty stone.

This was the strongest opponent Ryan had faced since Egil. The undead warrior's attack strength wasn't much greater than Egil's, but Ryan had no way to harm him. His hammer had struck the warrior's chest, shoulders, and arms several times, only to scratch the armor.

Ryan knew that to defeat Kemmler, he had to defeat that undead warrior.

How could he deal with such a powerful enemy?

Arriving near the stream, Ryan found a small pond. It was late autumn, and near the Grey Mountains, the water was very cold. The moist grassy area and small woods surrounded the pond, with the beautiful moonlight reflecting on its surface, the bright light rippling in the quiet night.

He recalled his first meeting with the Lady of the Lake at the Moon Lake near Nordland.

The Lady of the Lake, Lilith, was also the High Elf Goddess of the Moon.

"Here it is." Ryan held the jade cup, remembering Morgiana's instructions: "When you need me, come to a clean water source, use this jade cup to call me, and I will meet you."

Ryan placed the cup into the water, as Morgiana had instructed.

When Ryan's hand holding the cup touched the water, a slender jade hand reached out from the water, grasping his wrist. Surprised, Ryan immediately extended his other hand into the water.

Then, he felt himself grasp something familiar, bringing relief.

So that's how it is.

With a strong pull, the body of the Lake Witch Morgiana emerged from the water. She wore a loose moon-white silk gown adorned with raindrop-shaped stones, a floral crown on her head, and many ornaments on her body. She let Ryan lift her from the water, her gorgeous face showing a charming smile, her golden hair flowing over her shoulders, and her green eyes reflecting Ryan's image. "I already know what happened, Ryan. I will help you and François deal with Kemmler and his undead warrior servant."

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, saving him from recounting the whole situation.

On the way back, Ryan briefly explained the details to Morgiana, including the battle process and outcome.

"The Lady has already informed me of the specifics. I came here with a solution," Morgiana floated in the air, following Ryan. "That was Ghur, a former Chaos Champion."

"Ghur?! A former champion?" Ryan frowned.

Morgiana explained Ghur's background and continued, "Ghur is very powerful, controlled not only by Kemmler but also influenced by the will and magic of Nagash. Moreover, he retains the power of the Chaos gods, which is why neither you nor François could harm him."

"I remember that undead magic and Chaos magic are fundamentally different, and Chaos marks can harm vampires... Never mind, Chaos has no logic." Ryan finally understood his opponent. The Count sighed, "I thought Veronica's Light Mage Mount could deal with him."

"The Light College is indeed the nemesis of both undead and Chaos magic to some extent, but Ghur's power is very special." Seeing the camp ahead, Morgiana frowned before continuing, "Let's discuss this later. Ryan, do you sleep alone in your tent?"

"Of course." Ryan nodded.

"How big is your tent?" Morgiana pulled out a green hooded cloak, wrapped herself in it, and cast a spell, making herself invisible to ordinary people.

"About twelve square meters, why?" Ryan led Morgiana to the camp's deepest part, where his tent was set up on solid ground. The tent's flap was made of thick bear skin. Ryan, who disliked noise, naturally chose a quiet corner for his tent.

"Good, let's discuss this inside your tent."

"Alright."

Passing through the guards' wooden walls and sentries, Morgiana remained unnoticed thanks to magic. Ryan lifted the tent flap and let Morgiana in.

The Lake Witch gracefully entered Ryan's tent. The soft yellow magic light illuminated the interior, showing a wooden bed, two chairs, a small round table, and a rack with Ryan's hammer and armor.

"Please sit down. The tent is simple; during campaigns, I keep things minimal," Ryan said self-deprecatingly. "I don't think it's necessary to complicate things while on campaign."

"Your tent is indeed small compared to the others," Morgiana teased. "At least François's tent is much bigger. You're the Lady's champion, living in such a small tent?"

Ryan's tent was a simple 3x4 meters, while his father-in-law François had a luxurious 5x8 meter tent, occupying forty square meters.

Morgiana walked around Ryan's tent, taking in his presence and feeling comfortable. She spun in the air, her moon-white silk gown billowing, and then sat on Ryan's wooden bed, satisfied with the surroundings. "When I return, I'll have the Sisters of the Grail make you a better tent."

"No need for that, a tent is just for sleeping," Ryan moved a chair over and sat across from Morgiana. "So, how do we deal with Ghur? That almost invulnerable undead Chaos Champion?"

"A ritual," Morgiana replied, seeing Ryan's lack of interest in the tent. "I will cast a powerful spell to create a potion of holy water. By applying this water to your weapons, you can temporarily break Ghur's protection."

"Understood." Ryan nodded, then asked with concern, "Are you sure your magic is up to it?"

"It's fine, just requires more rest afterward." Morgiana shook her head.

After some casual conversation, Ryan noticed Morgiana showed no signs of leaving. With a playful look, he stood up as if to leave. "In that case, I'll leave you to rest, Lady Morgiana."

"Wait! Leave? Where are you going?" Morgiana asked in surprise. "Isn't this your tent?"

"I'm going to find Veronica. You should rest well," Ryan said with a smile. "My tent is small, just right for you. It would be crowded with both of us."

"You want to find that witch with me here?" Morgiana's expression darkened, her green eyes glinting dangerously. "You're starting this again? I'm staying here tonight, and you're not going anywhere."

"Is that an order?" Ryan asked mischievously, embracing Morgiana. They both fell back onto the bed.

"It's a condition," Morgiana said, removing her crown and kicking off her soft boots, then hugging Ryan's neck and burying herself in his chest, blushing. "Also an order. I came because you were here."

With a soft, warm beauty in his arms, Ryan said no more. After the battle, he indeed needed to relax.

... The camp was quiet that night ...

The next day, Morgiana's presence greatly boosted the knightly army's morale. The Lake Witch's power was known to change the fate of the entire nation. She brought the Lady's oracle, expressing joy for the victory at Blackstone Keep and bestowing the Lady's blessings.

Morgiana also brought a method to deal with Kemmler and Ghur. Extending the Lady's divine power, she would use her magic and divine spells before the battle to enchant the knights' weapons

 with holy water, allowing them to break through the undead Chaos chosen warriors' special protection and nullify Ghur's special power.

Morgiana declined François's offer to take command, stating she was there only to help purify the undead taint.

After a day and a half of rest, the army broke camp and marched towards La Maisontaal Abbey.

A few days later.

The army advanced, with Ryan riding his pureblood elven steed, Grape, holding Veronica in his arms. Veronica didn't look well. After exhausting her magic and ammunition during the battle, she had been listless, almost falling asleep on horseback. Seeing this, Ryan let the sorceress ride with him.

Seeing his consort's poor state, Ryan felt pity. "You've worked hard, Veronica."

"It's alright. I've felt better after a few days of rest," Veronica, unwilling to share a carriage with Morgiana, who always made her feel uncomfortable with her tone and authority, replied. She knew prolonged contact with Morgiana would lead to conflict, and she would surely lose.

Especially when she tried to find Ryan last night, only to find Morgiana answering the door.

Which led to a rather embarrassing situation for her...

As for François, the commander of the knightly army, he only showed surface-level respect to Veronica. Her father-in-law didn't particularly like the sorceress, keeping interactions polite and brief.

Such is the fate of spellcasters, often isolated and discriminated against. Veronica preferred staying in her wizard tower, conducting research. Ryan could only offer comfort: "After this war..."

"Shut up!" Veronica quickly covered his mouth, tapping his forehead in exasperation. "Don't say such things! If you really want to make it up to me, spend a few more days in my tower this winter, or we can stay at your brother's cabin, but don't make empty promises!"

"Hahaha~ alright, I promise." Ryan laughed heartily. "Wars are won by armies, not by what is said before a battle. I have confidence in myself. It's just... this war could have been better prepared."

Veronica nodded. The original plan was to attack Blackstone Keep early next year, allowing for more thorough preparation. However, Kemmler's sudden assault forced Ryan and François to hastily mobilize. Sorceress Teresa and knight Sulia had been left to defend their territory. If Teresa's ice magic had been available, it might have frozen the undead warriors, giving a better chance to defeat Kemmler.

Thinking about it now was pointless. Ryan pushed aside such thoughts.

The vanguard began to cheer.

"We're here!"

"It's just ahead!"

"By the Lady, the abbey is there."

"Prepare to face death, Kemmler and your undead army!"

In the distance, nestled in a canyon beneath the snow-capped peaks of the Grey Mountains, one of the sources of the Grismori River, stood a grand military fortress, quietly watching the approaching visitors amidst the mist and towering peaks.

La Maisontaal Abbey lay just ahead.

Updated! Please vote. The next battle is about to begin.

_________________________

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] [[email protected]/INNIT]