"The High Elven Moon Goddess Lilith possesses an artifact bestowed upon the entire Elven race, known as the Amulet of Solar Fire," Olica said with keen interest. "This amulet is a gift from Lilith, and during the golden age of the Elves, Lilith gave this amulet to the Elven race. Its power lies in bringing endless hope from despair. If we can obtain this amulet, its power should be able to help this cursed soul."
"In addition to the Amulet of Solar Fire, another crucial item is located on the Isle of Flame in the inner sea of Ulthuan, the mystical sea of the High Elves. There stands the temple pyramid of Asuryan, the chief god of the High Elves and all Elven deities, where the Flames of Asuryan burn eternally…"
"You want me to send someone to steal the sacred fire of Asuryan?" The Emperor interrupted Olica, his cold, emotionless voice echoing through the forest. "Unless I go personally, which is impossible... You want to exploit my power."
"Alright, let's take a step back then," Olica maintained her smile, though she mentally scoffed at the Emperor's response. She continued, "We have an alternative. The Lord of Phoenix, Asuryan, once chose a reckless High Elf noble as his champion. His name is Caedroin, and he leads the Phoenix Guard. Caedroin carries a scroll written with the Flames of Asuryan, a powerful tool for purging Chaos corruption and curses. If we can acquire this scroll, along with the power of the Amulet of Solar Fire, I am at least 80% confident that I can expel the Chaos curse from Saint Gilles' soul."
"Asuryan… He was once the chief god of the Aeldari, but he perished during the Fall of the Aeldari. In the next age, he was reborn in this world, and later, a virtuous and powerful warrior sacrificed himself to complete Asuryan's phoenix rebirth." The Emperor pondered deeply, revealing knowledge far beyond mortal comprehension. "As for Lilith, she escaped the Fall of the Aeldari. The Amulet of Solar Fire, Lilith's Crown, and her Moon Staff are relics she brought from the previous era to this one, so if they are lost, they are lost forever."
Olica's amber eyes sparkled with interest. She bowed respectfully again. "Thank you for your guidance, Father. I've told you everything I know. What should we do next?"
"...Well done." The Emperor held the soul of Saint Gilles in his hand. After a brief pause, he nodded slightly. "What do you want in return, Elf?"
"What would Father be willing to give me?" Olica smiled sweetly. She had already obtained what she desired, but her greedy nature as a Dark Elf compelled her to ask for more.
The Emperor lightly swiped through the air, sending a multicolored ripple protected by golden light into Olica's forehead. "During the Great Crusade, I acquired many Aeldari relics. Now I bestow some of them upon you. These will be useful for your future plans. If you can master even 5%, your chances of success will increase by another 10%."
"Thank you, Father. If there's nothing else, I will take my leave." Olica could feel a vast ocean of knowledge flooding into her mind.
"I will plan how to obtain the Amulet of Solar Fire and the Asuryan Scroll. For now, you will keep Saint Gilles safe." The Emperor returned the soul of Saint Gilles to Olica and signaled that she could leave. The Dark Elf bowed once more, slowly exiting the forest. She couldn't stay away for too long; she needed to return to Ryan's side as quickly as possible.
"...Saint Gilles." After Olica disappeared, the Emperor closed his eyes. His long black hair moved without wind, and the autumn breeze rustled through the forest, scattering dead leaves around the Lord of Mankind.
"There is always hope."
The golden light within the abandoned Grail Chapel faded, and the chapel returned to its dilapidated state. The nearby serfs and even knights who had come in hopes of witnessing a divine miracle left disappointed after finding no relics or signs of the Lady.
However, on the overgrown steps leading to the once-mighty temple, a new seedling had sprouted. It broke through the solid stone and grew vigorously, defying the natural laws of the deep autumn.
When the Emperor returned to the "Horn and Dagger" inn, the chaos had already subsided. The group was still feasting, with the only exception being Logar, who was holding a vampire's head in one hand, smiling. The once-arrogant Draco Von Carstein now knelt before them, his eyes vacant, his arms severed. His soul was being dragged into a psychic vortex by Logar, where it would face interrogation and judgment.
"Did he repent?" Johnson asked, holding a turkey leg, as he looked at Logar.
"I don't know," Logar chuckled. "His soul is filthy, but fascinating. This undead creature's life was full of indulgence, intrigue, betrayal, and chaos. And his fondest memories were of serving under someone named Vlad Von Carstein. For over a thousand years, he's been reliving those good old days every single day. Can you imagine? This vampire lives on memories!"
"Many people live on memories. Like Angron, like me, and even Guilliman." Clarkson spoke in a cold tone. "Guilliman has often said how much he misses his time on Macragge, where his foster father and mother showed him the grandeur of human ideals and aspirations."
"You and Guilliman are the same, don't lump me in with you!" Angron shouted loudly. "What do I have to reminisce about?"
"Your brothers and sisters!" Logar laughed mockingly. "Remember when we returned to your homeworld together? Oh~ Angron the Oathbreaker, oh~ Angron the Betrayer~ Hahaha~ And you say you don't live in the past?"
"****!" Angron, enraged and embarrassed, grabbed his beloved axes, "Butcher's Nails" and "Meat Cleaver," ready to teach Logar a lesson. Vulkan quickly stepped in, throwing his arms around Angron in a massive bear hug. "Hey, brother~ Calm down, don't scare the kids!"
"Devonshire is asleep!" Angron felt embarrassed by Vulkan's hug, especially since he couldn't break free. He could only grumble in a frustrated voice.
"Uncle Angron, what are you and Uncle Vulkan doing?" A small voice came from behind Angron. Young Devonshire stood not far away, rubbing his eyes. He had woken up after a nap.
"Huh? Oh, your Uncle Vulkan and I are just playing! It's a way to show affection!" Angron quickly dropped his anger and motioned for Vulkan to release him.
"That's right. It's a way to show affection. We're close," Vulkan added smoothly.
Devonshire yawned, nodded in understanding, then went back to sleep after relieving himself.
"Hah, that reminds me of Guilliman. His childhood was just as happy," Angron grumbled as he pushed Vulkan away, indicating he was no longer angry. He sat down, poured himself a full glass of dark beer, and downed it in one gulp. "Maybe that's why he wrote those damn tomes."
"Tomes? You mean the Codex Astartes?" Vulkan asked as he sat back down, resuming his meal.
"I have something to tell you, brothers," Vulkan said. "Guilliman once privately sought my support for him and his Codex."
"Hah, you're always so straightforward." Clarkson leaned back in his chair. "I bet you gave him your standard response, right?"
"That's right. I did just that," Vulkan replied, showing a standard polite smile that revealed eight white teeth. The contrast between his white teeth, charred skin, and bloodshot eyes made his smile seem anything but kind.
"Done~ Sylvania, huh? I hope I get to visit it someday." Logar, still laughing, grabbed the vampire's head and yanked hard. A twisted, corrupted soul was pulled out of the vampire's body and dispersed into the psychic vortex with screams of agony, leaving nothing behind. The Primarch, known as the Deceiver, clapped his hands and sat back down to eat.
"The Codex Astartes and Guilliman himself are both complete nonsense!" Johnson's tone was dismissive, as if discussing garbage. "Guilliman came to me as well. We all did the same—played along on the surface, but we all knew what we were really doing. We'll stick to our methods! We won't change just because some fool regent of the Imperium orders it!"
"Exactly!"
"Agreed!"
"Absolutely!"
The remaining Primarchs chimed in, agreeing with Johnson's words. They all enjoyed hearing such talk, especially Angron.
Only Inquisitor Schultz felt a cold sweat running down his back. He wondered if he had overheard something too dangerous, something that might get him killed.
Just then, a flash of golden light filled the room as the Emperor returned. "Where is Devonshire?"
"He's asleep." Angron handed the Emperor a mug of dark beer. "Here, take this."
The Emperor took it, drained it in one go, and then placed the mug on the table. Without a word, he walked into the inner room where young Devonshire was sleeping soundly. As Ryan and Sulia's child, the boy's features carried strong resemblances to
both his parents, though he took after his mother a bit more.
A minute later, the Emperor returned and shared the news about Saint Gilles with the group.
"Wonderful, we'll get to see Saint Gilles again!" Angron was the most excited, slapping his thigh lightly. "I knew that dream wasn't for nothing! It must have been Saint Gilles' soul visiting me in a dream!"
"So, we have two issues to solve now. First, how do we retrieve that scroll from under the watchful eye of the xenos god? And second, how do we ask the other xenos god who's with Ryan where his artifact went?" Clarkson was clearly just as invested in the situation.
"Breaking into the sanctuary created by the Old Ones for the High Elves, the domain of the Phoenix Lord Asuryan, is not a wise choice," the Emperor said coldly and without emotion. "It's no different from going into Nurgle's Garden to drag out Mortarion. The closer you get to the Great Vortex, the more your power will be restricted. And if you disrupt the Vortex, the Chaos Daemon legions will immediately descend upon the mortal world, which would ruin my plans."
"As for the Amulet of Solar Fire, it was lost nearly a thousand years ago under that xenos god's watch. At the time, the High Elven Phoenix King, 'the Reckless' Morvael, insisted that his son Alarviel carry the amulet on a journey, but both the amulet and his son were lost at sea." The Emperor relayed the information Olica had given him. "No one knows where the amulet ended up."
"So, what can we do for our great brother, Father?" Logar asked directly. "You must have some idea of what we should do."
"No, you will not be involved in Saint Gilles' matter," the Emperor said flatly. "You all have other tasks to focus on. The mission to find the Amulet of Solar Fire and obtain the scroll will fall to Ryan, Fulgrim, and others. This matter cannot be rushed; it must be carefully planned."
"Our duties here are finished. We leave for Lustria at dawn."
"Understood!"
…
Ryan did not find out that the Emperor and the Primarchs had been there until the next morning when Angron entered the palace carrying a massive box. It seemed the Emperor deliberately avoided meeting him this time, attending only as an observer. The Emperor had visited Emilia's quarters first to see young Frederick and baby Rem, then returned to the inn to see Devonshire before heading to Lustria early in the morning, leaving behind Angron and Schultz.
The giant box Angron brought contained custom-made armor for Ryan's purebred Elven steed, Grapes, and his griffon, Impryz, crafted by Vulkan himself as a coronation gift for Ryan.
However, Ryan didn't even have time to unpack the gift or test the armor on Grapes and Impryz. On the second day after his coronation, the new Knight King was already swamped with work.
That same day, the Imperial Parliament, led by Karl Franz, officially issued a proclamation recognizing Ryan's legitimacy and right to the throne. The Empire was the first nation in the Old World to recognize Ryan as the Knight King.
Afterward, both sides formally signed a new treaty in the meeting hall of the Couronne Royal Palace.
The "Empire-Bretonnia Friendship and Mutual Assistance Treaty."
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]