Ryan, Sulia, and Morgiana stood atop the city walls, gazing out at the endless army. Morgiana nodded slightly, "This will be a glorious moment in the history of Bretonnia. Ryan, you have once again gathered the elite forces of the Bretonnian Kingdom. Every duke has sent their strongest troops."
Sulia, however, appeared slightly worried. The queen held Ryan's hand tightly. "Ryan, you must win! If you fail, the entire kingdom will collapse."
"I won't lose, and I can't lose," Ryan calmly replied, gently taking Sulia's hand. "Do you not trust me?"
"It's not about trust; it's about the stakes, Ryan. This grand expedition has already cost fifty thousand gold crowns just in the preparatory phase," Sulia responded with a hint of concern in her voice. "If you cannot maintain morale and the spirit of the kingdom through constant victories, your fate will be like that of John II. My husband, all I can do is support you—you mustn't fall!"
"Don't worry, Sulia. Without sacrifice, there can be no victory," Ryan said, looking up at the clouds on the horizon, where the Pegasus Knights were descending. "Wait for my good news!"
Sulia and Morgiana both nodded. After a brief moment of thought, Ryan advised, "Once I leave, Sulia, Morgiana, you should return to the Ducal Castle in Gene. Don't stay in Couronne. Laurent will manage the affairs here."
"I understand." Sulia smiled and nodded, having no intention of staying in Couronne for long. She naturally felt more comfortable in her own home. Morgiana also did not oppose Ryan's suggestion.
Ryan stepped up onto the city gate. Instantly, the entire plain of Bordeleaux erupted in thunderous cheers from the tens of thousands of knights and soldiers. Ryan's legendary exploits were well-known, and every knight aspired to achieve greatness and earn the favor of the Lady.
"My brothers!" Ryan shouted from the top of the city gate. "Knights of the Lady! Now, we have a chance, a new opportunity!"
"Traitor Matthew Bard is dead! Bretonnia is safe. We can sing praises to the Lady and enjoy peace on the land she bestowed upon us. We can take this time to pray and train. But before that, everyone, have we forgotten something? How did the Lady guide us? My knights, tell me, who helped us fight against the undead warlock Kemmler-Heinrich, using cannons, muskets, hammers, and axes to drive out the evil and undead from our land?"
"The dwarves!" The knights roared in response.
"And who, in the great battle to retake Mousilon, led from the front, fought alongside us, shared life and death with us, and fought against Matthew Bard and his undead army? Who, when the treacherous daemon Karlos invaded, led the warriors on the front lines and played a crucial role in saving Mousilon from corruption and destruction? Who, in the final battle to retake Mousilon, provided the gunpowder that brought down the entire city wall for Bretonnia?"
"Belegar! Belegar! Our dwarven brothers!"
"And who, during the post-war reconstruction, built our infrastructure and workshops, helped us construct new towns and walls, brought us advanced forging and smelting techniques, and ensured the prosperity of Bretonnia from one era to the next?"
"Belegar! King Belegar! Our dwarven brothers!!!"
"Belegar~ Belegar, Belegar!"
The deafening shouts shook the earth and pierced the clouds, causing even the river to tremble.
"Tell me, my brothers, what should we do?" Ryan continued his passionate speech, his voice, enhanced by psionic energy, reaching miles away.
"Repay him!" A ranger knight, his blood boiling with passion, stepped forward and shouted, "Repay our dwarven brothers, our true friends!"
"Repay him! Repay him!" Thousands of knights responded, pounding their chests with their fists and raising their lances in unison, as something deep within their souls was awakened. The ancient spirit that once made Bretonnia great had been rekindled.
"Knights, now we have a chance. We will once again embark on a grand expedition to face our enemies head-on. The vile and savage greenskins, the despicable and treacherous skaven, have destroyed the dwarves' homeland. King Belegar and his noble clan have become refugees. The greenskins rampage across their land, and the skaven run rampant underground. Knights, we must gather and unite to help King Belegar and his clan reclaim their home!" Ryan shouted. "This is a new chivalric crusade. We will journey to the Badlands, cross the treacherous deserts, and conquer one greenskin stronghold after another until we reach Eight Peaks Mountain! My glorious knights, the time has come."
The knights' fervor suddenly quieted as they exchanged glances and whispered among themselves. A small number of them displayed doubt on their faces. As Ryan had said, the distance to Eight Peaks Mountain was vast, far from Bretonnia's borders. To mobilize the entire kingdom's elite and even take out loans to repay the dwarves—was it really worth it?
Ryan continued without pause, striking his warhammer with his gauntlet. "Knights, soldiers, my brothers, I know what you're thinking. Eight Peaks Mountain is indeed far away. And yes, in the kingdom's long history, our relationship with the dwarves has never been as close as with the Empire. Many knights have never received any help from the dwarves. These are all true. If you refuse my call, no one in the kingdom can blame you. Your ancestors' honor will not be tarnished, your noble family crests will remain untarnished, and your serfs will not see you as unworthy knights or lords!"
"But do you still remember the Lady's teachings and the glory of our ancestors? Which vile race's evil invasion prompted Duke Arthur of Bastonne to form a coalition and eventually establish the Knights' Kingdom? In our long history, who left us the pain and scars of the Black Plague and the Red Pox? The twelve founding battles recorded in the Holy Grail Cathedral—have you all forgotten them?" Ryan roared in fury. "Have you forgotten the very foundation of our kingdom? Speak up, I can't hear you!"
"No! No! Never forget, never forgive!" A wave of unrest spread among the knights below. They felt deeply insulted and roared in anger, expressing their outrage.
"In this dark age, there is no place in the world where one can enjoy peace and stay out of harm's way. But when we help King Belegar and his clan reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain, restore his throne, and rebuild his ancestors' sanctuaries, we will also be defending the ports of Bordeleaux, the fields of Carcassonne, the walls of Couronne, and the lighthouse of Le-Angoulême!" Ryan shouted. "The time has come. The time has come for the golden fleur-de-lis to bloom in the Badlands and the mountains. The time has come to cleanse those evil lands in the name of the Lady. We will destroy the evil beyond our borders. We will spread the kingdom's banner and spirit across the land and sea!"
"Ryan! Our king!" The crowd below shouted in unison.
Ryan, our king!
Our king!
The Lady's chosen champion!
Ryan~ Ryan~ Ryan~ Ryan!
"This expedition is destined to be arduous and incredibly brutal. We will be far from home. Our enemies are more powerful than we can imagine. The greenskins and skaven have both nearly destroyed the world before. But tell me, my knights, have we ever feared death? Have we ever shown any cowardice? Death is not to be feared; to be forgotten is. I can tell you, my knights, that countless treasures, endless riches, are buried beneath Eight Peaks Mountain. These are the accumulated wealth of King Belegar and his people over thousands of years. Now, the dwarves are willing to share their wealth with us, and countless greenskin strongholds within the Badlands are ours for the taking! They used to rob us; now it's our turn to rob them!"
"Our bodies may perish in war, our souls may fade in time, but our stories, the echoes of our souls, will become legends, remembered and passed down until the end of the world!"
"Let us bring war to the Badlands and bring wealth and glory back to Bretonnia!"
"Aye! Aye! Aye!"
The chivalric army erupted in cheers. The knights drew their swords, sang ancient songs, and roared with pride. The voices of tens of thousands drowned out everything, as they stomped the land and the sea underfoot.
"For the Lady! For Bretonnia!"
The king looked upon the scene with satisfaction.
He was the king of this nation. He would lead Bretonnia's cavalry to liberate the world from the clutches of evil and shadow.
He was the king!
Turning back, Ryan noticed that from Sulia down to his other women, they were all gazing at him with starry eyes, even Olica, who had faced countless trials, couldn't help but show admiration. His knights looked up at him with devotion, while Belegar stood to the side, gently wiping tears from his eyes with his meteoric iron gauntlet.
"Don't get too emotional, Brother Belegar," Ryan smiled, patting Belegar on the shoulder.
"I'm not crying, it's just the wind is too strong, and I'm rubbing my eyes!" Belegar insisted, "Ryan, my brother, you chose a terrible time and place. The wind is
blowing right in my face, making me uncomfortable. Don't do this next time."
"Heh~ I'll keep that in mind," Ryan laughed, not arguing.
"Ryan, my brother..." Belegar hesitated, feeling awkward. After a pause, he said, "In any case... thank you."
"Save that for when we win."
"Of course!"
The army began to assemble. Ryan's chivalric army consisted of:
King of Knights, Lady's chosen champion, Mid-Domain Holy Grail Knight, Ryan-Malcador.
Mid-Domain Light Fire Mage Veronica-Bernadotte and her Light Magic Chariot.
Dark Domain Great Mage, the Pale Queen's favored, Olica-Korundia.
Holy Grail Knight, Count of Galament, Calard de Galament.
Holy Grail Knight, Count of Quenelles, Anthelm.
Holy Grail Knight, Baron of Bordeleaux, Fedmond.
All of Ryan's knights and nobles, except for Baron Oliver.
An entire regiment of the Garland Council's sorceresses.
One unit of the "Red Dragon Knight Brotherhood" Holy Grail Knights.
One unit of "Swift Lance of the Heavens" Royal Pegasus Knights.
Two units of "Paravon Spear" Pegasus Knights.
One mixed unit of the "Quenelles Champion Knight Brotherhood" Holy Grail Knights and Questing Knights.
One reinforced regiment of Old Guard infantry, one regiment of musketeers, and one regiment of dragoons.
One unit of the "Lionheart Knights of Lyonesse."
One unit of Sun Knights led by Juan-Carlos the Sun Seeker.
Eight units of regular kingdom knights.
One unit of "Carcassonne Guardians" ranger knights.
Twenty units of regular ranger knights.
One unit of "Montfort Watchers" mounted yeoman archers.
Three units of Ulgol archer cavalry led by General Ivan "The Fury of Ursun."
One regiment of the "Bastonne Beast Butchers" infantry squires.
Twelve other infantry regiments.
One unit of forest rangers led by the half-elves Dais and Estelle, called "Green Wind."
One unit of "Novigreen Iron Warriors" Ironbreaker warriors.
One entire regiment of the "Dugan Ironhide Black Powder Corps," including two magical crystal cannons, "Morgiana's New Toy" and "Ryan's Hammer," as well as over a hundred cannons of various sizes, and one regiment of dwarf thunderers.
One entire regiment of the "Blackheart Rep Free Cavalry" (mostly pistol cavalry).
This was everything Ryan had.
Belegar's Angrund clan also deployed all of their elite forces:
Dwarf Legendary Lord, King of Angrund Clan, the undisputed King of Eight Peaks, Belegar Ironhammer.
Chief Engineer Halhav Goldseeker.
Clan Chief Berek Northstar.
Chief Runesmith Sludd Honestheart.
One unit of "Angrund Oathguard" Ironbreaker warriors.
Three units of dwarf warriors.
Two units of dwarf warriors (heavy weapons).
Five units of dwarf rangers.
One unit of "Eight Peaks Crossbows" dwarf heavy crossbow rangers.
One unit of "Northstar Axes" Ironbreaker warriors.
One unit of "Iron Brotherhood" Ironbreaker warriors.
Two units of "Runelord's Will" longbeard veterans.
Two units of dwarf thunderers.
Five units of dwarf miners (equipped with dynamite).
One entire regiment of "Belegar's Wrath" dwarf artillery, including twenty cannons and eight organ guns.
Belegar also committed all his fighting forces to this expedition.
The Grand Expedition to Eight Peaks Mountain would decide the fate of both kingdoms.
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