Warhammer Divine Throne-Chapter 554 - 241, Reinforcements Gather_2
That's called blatant jealousy.
The two walked along the road, passing by the Xinong River and walking alongside it. The rushing water slapped against the banks and rocks. The wind by the river was strong, and the road was quiet. This world was nothing like the densely populated world of Laine's past. At night, besides villages and towns, most places were empty of people.
"I've run into trouble, Veronica." Upon reaching a secluded spot, Laine motioned for the two to stop. The baron had a deeply troubled look on his face, his brows furrowing: "Her Highness Mogiana's severe injury has left the kingdom without someone capable of uniting all the dukes' forces. Although she has already delegated her powers to me, but..."
"But no one is paying attention to you, dear," Veronica giggled, her beautiful apricot eyes brimming with amusement as she helped Laine tidy his windblown hair.
Mogiana's injury has caused slight unrest within the kingdom. Since she is not personally in critical condition, overall it hasn't had a major impact, stabilizing the military and public morale. At least the Holy Grail Knights and the Great Nobles know that she is hiding somewhere to recuperate.
However, this leads to a problem: the serious injury of the Lake God Witch has deprived the kingdom of someone capable of rallying the Royal Nobility to fight against the invading vampire army.
Mogiana has indeed deferred her powers to Laine, and even cut a lock of her golden hair as a token. Yet, when Laine attempted to contact the dukes, he was resisted by the majority of the Great Nobles. No matter what, the Lake God Witch is the Lake God Witch, and Laine is Laine. A baron like him cannot command dukes, due to the disparity in secular status.
The baron's title isn't hereditary. In the eyes of the Great Nobles, a baron still falls short.
Facing the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lady, Laine, with his great reputation and prowess, the dukes naturally wouldn't be too forceful. They first emphasized their difficulties, the losses they suffered in the Knightly War, the various threats they are currently facing, and subtly expressed that they were not unwilling to help, but truly unable. Some dukes sent a few carts of black bread, others sent a few dozen soldiers, while some claimed their military duties were too demanding, sending instead a varying number of Gold Crowns, from a few dozen to over a hundred.
These contributions were a drop in the bucket in aiding Boldro, but they were better than nothing.
Laine felt quite helpless about it, and indeed, being a non-hereditary baron put him at the bottom of the Great Nobles and the top of the Knight Class. He's just an agent, not the Lake God Witch herself, and only a baron. It's already generous of the dukes to give him any attention, considering his brilliant battle achievements and illustrious reputation.
Only Duke of Winford, Francois, and Duke Bastogne, Bohemond supported him. The dukes themselves led over two thousand reinforcements, already on the way to arrive by tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after at the latest.
Bohemond's troops were led by Count Galament Kaled, about a thousand men, still on the way, planning to head directly to the front lines.
The sky approached dusk, and the river continued flowing with splashes. Due to the influence of the Lake Fairy Tower, the small river's water was incredibly clear, allowing visibility of fish and some plankton within. Laine was not too surprised by this. He was just a baron, with a lower secular status, and the dukes only gave him soft refusals, which could also mean they were sparing his feelings.
"Don't take it to heart, dear. Had this been the Empire or Nord, you'd likely be met with cold refusals, and perhaps they'd even turn away your envoy outright." Veronica said, walking shoulder to shoulder with Laine: "Achieving this much is already commendable. Don't forget you've only been in this country for two years."
"And, your future wife is a Marchioness, dear." Veronica stepped forward, her long legs wrapped in black silk moving with a hint of jealousy: "She is so beautiful, her family background excellent, and enviable."
"Do you like Surya then?" Laine asked casually, signaling they could return to the castle.
"From what I can tell, she shouldn't bully me... If she does, my Great Knight, you must speak up for me. I'm just a poor little witch, with no Holy Grail Knight father from a ducal family nor high status..." Veronica quickly feigned a pitiable expression.
"…Just as long as you don't make trouble, I'm more worried about you, my Great Witch. Ollica is a quiet one, Amelia and Surya get along well, Teresa... let's not mention her. My biggest concern is you." Laine cast a sidelong glance at the Jialan Witch: "Surya's personality isn't one to provoke you, but you..."
"I won't." Veronica shook her head lightly: "It was hard enough to come this far, you know, Laine."
"That's good."
When the two returned to the castle, their conversation continued in the master bedroom on the third floor. Veronica leisurely unzipped her long boots, changing into slippers, and continued speaking with Laine: "I actually think there's another reason why the dukes are reluctant to aid Duke Boldro, and it isn't because of you."
"The vampire conflict isn't like a personal feud, it's a threat to the entire kingdom." Laine frowned, also changing into slippers, sitting across from Veronica: "What do you mean to say?"
"I mean to say, Duke Bodric de Boldro is the Sea God Manannan's prince, the Grand Master of the Sea God Knight Order." Veronica said softly: "He has dual faith." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
"Ah! That may indeed be a significant reason." Laine nodded appreciatively, stroking his chin: "This is pride and prejudice. Yes, right, the dukes have long been dissatisfied with Duke Boldro, why does he get to solely enjoy the Sea God Manannan's divine favor and also have the chance to become a Holy Grail Knight?"
"And don't forget, my Great Knight, Bodlukes has the best port in the entire kingdom, but in the north, there is another port that rivals Bodlukes, which is the gigantic lighthouse castle of Le Anglong. The current king is Duke Le Anglong Richard, so do you understand why Richard has hesitated to mobilize?" Veronica giggled.
"The vampire army has swelled to twenty thousand, and Duke Bodric currently leads the seven thousand ducal troops including two thousand knights. The army is stationed at Turis Castle near the Grismore River on the Boldro side, which is almost seventy percent of the Boldro Duchies' military strength." Laine took out the map and frowned: "They are only one hundred kilometers from Musillon, so it might seem easier to target and closer than other places."
Laine nodded slowly, acknowledged by this logic: "Indeed. This might be an important factor. Let's not forget, my Great Knight, Bodlukes holds the kingdom's best port, but there's a port up north just as good as Bodlukes, in Le Anglong's massive lighthouse castle. The current King is Duke Le Anglong Richard."
"And besides, when the vampires attacked your domain, they lost a whole banner team of Blood Knights." Veronica pointed with her small hand to the inside of Charon Forest, the long wood elf gemstone earrings danced with her motion. "They are scared now."
The Jialan Witch tucked her long black hair behind her ear. "A Blood Knight needs centuries of honing; the Blood Red Duke cannot afford such losses, so he will choose a target that seems easier to conquer, nearer to Boldro, as Boldro's capital, Bodlukes, is only a little more than a hundred kilometers away from Musillon."
Laine nodded slowly; the evening was drawing near. The river water gushed endlessly under the influence of the Lake Fairy Tower, running very clear, revealing fish and some plankton beneath. Laine wasn't particularly surprised by this. He was just a baron with a lowly secular status, so the dukes refusing him with soft rejections wasn't entirely disrespectful.
"Don't worry, dear, had it been the Empire or Nord, you'd probably be turned away at the door." Veronica and Laine walked shoulder to shoulder: "You've done well to get this far; don't forget you've only been here two years."
"Moreover, your future wife is a Marchioness, dear." Veronica moved her long black-stockinged legs with a hint of acidity: "She is truly beautiful, has a great family, making her a figure to be envied."
"So, do you like Surya?" Laine asked casually, indicating that the two of them could return to the castle.
"From what I can tell, she shouldn't be too mean to me... If she is, you my Great Knight, will you speak on my behalf? She's just a poor little witch, without a Holy Grail Knight for a father, nor high status..." Veronica quickly put on a pitiful look.
"I'm sure it won't happen." Laine shook his head gently: "We've come a long way, and you've done an excellent job. Don't forget, you've only been in the kingdom for two years."
"And your future bride is a Marchioness, darling." Veronica moved, her voice tinged with a hint of jealousy: "She is so beautiful, from such a good family, it's enviable."
Laine slowly nodded, acknowledging this reasoning. He took out a map and frowned, "The vampire army has expanded to twenty thousand. Duke Bodric of Boldro currently leads the seven thousand troops of the duchy, including two thousand knights. The great army is stationed at Turis Castle, near the Boldro side of the Grismore River, making up nearly seventy percent of the Boldro Duchy's forces."
"And don't forget, my Great Knight, that during the attack on your domain, the vampire lost an entire Blood Knight Banner Team." Veronica said softly, pointing a small hand at the interior of Charon Forest: "They were scared."
The Jialan Witch tucked her long hair behind her ear, her dangling wood elf gemstone earrings swaying with her movement: "The Blood Red Duke cannot afford such losses, it takes centuries to hone a Blood Knight, so he will choose a target that appears easier to conquer, like Boldro, which is just a little over a hundred kilometers away from Musillon."
Laine slowly nodded, acknowledging the situation: "The vampire army has grown to twenty thousand strong, and Duke Boldro currently commands seven thousand, with two thousand knights. It's still only seventy percent of the entire army of the Boldro Duchy."
Verification from maps confirmed this to him, stated with furrowed brows: "The army is stationed at Turis Castle, on the Boldro side of the Grismore River. That's nearly seventy percent of the ducal forces."
He turned the matter over in his thoughts: "And Bohemond's forces, led by Count Galament Kaled, numbering around a thousand, are still en route to the front lines."
"Veronica," he said, as they began their walk back towards the castle: "Why are the dukes so reluctant to support me in aiding Duke Boldro?"
"My love, don't worry. Remember that in the Empire or Nord, you wouldn't receive any help at all, they might even turn your envoys away at the door." Veronica walked shoulder to shoulder with Laine: "You've done well to achieve this much. Don't forget, you've only been in this kingdom for two years."
"Plus, your future wife is a Marchioness, dear." Veronica moved on with her long black-stockinged legs, her voice tinged with a hint of jealousy: "She's so beautiful, with a good background, one to be envied."
"Do you like Surya then?" Laine asked casually, gesturing for the two to return to the castle.
"I don't think she will bully me... If she bullies me, dear Great Knight, you should speak up for me. I'm just a pitiful Little Witch, with no Holy Grail Knight father who's a duke, and not much of a status..." Veronica quickly feigned a pitiful look.
"I'm sure that won't happen," Laine shook his head gently: "It's hard to reach this stage, you've done well enough. Don't forget, you've only been in this kingdom for two years."
The next afternoon, Duke of Winford led over eight hundred knights and more than two thousand reinforcements to arrive at Baron Gene's Domain. The baron's domain had already gathered more than four hundred men along with two hundred other miscellaneous soldiers sent by other dukes, all of them peasants and a few sergeants.
Bodric led his army of seven thousand soldiers, including two thousand knights, already stationed at Turis Castle, near Boldro on the Grismore River. The majority of the forces were from the Boldro Duchy, which had mobilized almost seventy percent of its forces to the front.
The sky was getting dark, the river continuously gurgled as it flowed. Affected by the Lake Fairy Tower, its water was very clear, with fish and some plankton visible under the surface. Laine was not too surprised by it. He was only a baron, a commoner by status, and the dukes simply gave him a gentle rebuff, which was not entirely without regard for his impressive military achievements and fearsome reputation.
"Don't worry about it, dear, if you were in the Empire or Nord, you'd surely be snubbed, and maybe they'd even drive your envoy away." Veronica walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Laine: "You've done well to achieve this. Don't forget, you've only just come to this country two years ago."
"And, your future lady is a Marchioness, my dear," Veronica moved her long legs in their black silk with a hint of jealousy: "She's so beautiful, has a good family background, it's enviable."
"So, do you like Surya?" Laine asked casually, hinting that they could return to the castle.
"It seems she won't bully me... If she does, my dear Great Knight, what will you say for me? I'm just a Little Witch, with no Holy Grail Knight as a husband, and not much standing..." Veronica quickly feigned a woeful expression.
