After a brief one-day pause in Bordeleaux, the Sea God Fleet was ready to set sail. Over the years, the Bordeleaux Sea God Fleet had undergone multiple expansions and had grown into a formidable force, divided into the First Fleet and the Second Fleet. Only this fleet could carry the massive chivalric expeditionary force to the Gates of Sea.
Before this, Ryan had contacted the Duchy of Magritte in Estalia, the Duchy of Luccini in Tilea, the Duchy of Sartosa, and Miragliano in the Border Princes. The Sea God Fleet would follow a predetermined route and resupply at these ports. Both the Oliver Trading Company and the Hadrian Trading Company had made all the necessary preparations. The Church of the Lady of the Lake had also reached a cooperation agreement with the Church of Myrmidia, the Goddess of War.
Ryan spent some time with his wives, Sulia, Morgiana, Emilia, and Teresa, before leading his retinue aboard his flagship, the Bordeleaux great ship *Landuin,* which officially set sail after two days in Bordeleaux.
In late October, during the transition from autumn to early winter, the *Landuin,* along with the Sea God Fleet, departed from Mannan's Drydock amidst a grand send-off. Sulia, holding little Devonshire, waved to Ryan and the others at the stern. "Devon, your father is going to war. Wave goodbye to him."
"Goodbye, Daddy! Goodbye, Daddy!" Little Devonshire reluctantly said. "Daddy's going to war, but when will he come back, Mommy?"
"Daddy will return victorious, but it might take a while," Sulia said, holding her son tenderly. "For now, it'll just be you and me at home. But don't worry, Mommy Lilith will be coming to stay with us soon!"
"Great! I love Mommy Lilith!" Little Devonshire shouted happily, but then quickly realized something was wrong. The queen's expression darkened noticeably. "So you love Mommy Lilith more, don't you? You don't love Mommy as much?"
"I... I love you too, Mommy~" Little Devonshire quickly conceded, saying weakly, "I love both of my mommies."
Hearing this, Sulia still felt a bit unhappy. This was her son, and she needed to keep him closely tied to her. This was crucial for maintaining her position as queen, so from a young age, Sulia had placed high expectations on Devonshire.
The Lady of the Lake, however, had a different approach. The goddess treated Devonshire more like a beloved toy or pet, expressing her maternal love without concern for his education and indulging his every whim. Naturally, Devonshire preferred Mommy Lilith.
Fortunately, there was Uncle Angrund. Ryan's brother, deeply committed to martial prowess, would be a reliable influence on Devonshire. Sulia thought that as Devonshire grew older, she would quickly send him to Calard to receive proper knightly education.
"Well, Sister Sulia, I'm preparing to return to the Empire as well," said Duchess Emilia, who, looking refreshed and radiant, walked up to Sulia. She exchanged a rare cheek kiss with the queen. "Next time, I'll bring Rem and Frederick to visit you!"
"Goodbye, Emilia. May the Lady guide your path," Sulia replied, thinking that Emilia never missed an opportunity to show off her children. She returned Emilia's gesture with a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye."
"We'll be leaving too, Lady Sulia," said Teresa and Aurora as they prepared to return to the Ice Wizard Tower in the Forest of Chalon. Sulia gave a brief farewell before leading a small contingent of troops with Morgiana back to the ducal castle in Gene.
Dressed in a white, dew-dappled, pleated gown that reached her ankles, with only her petite feet in white silk visible beneath, Morgiana held the golden potion chalice in her hands as she rode on her unicorn, Silphorn. The Lake Witch, her face flushed, spoke somewhat awkwardly to Sulia. "François didn't dispatch his Unicorn Guard, did he?"
"The Unicorn Guard won't depart now; they'll leave a bit later with the second wave of serfs," Sulia said, still a bit worried. "Such a massive expedition... it will require at least two waves."
"We can only trust him now. This is his decision, and Ryan has never let us down, right?" Morgiana, unlike Sulia, had an unwavering trust in Ryan.
"Of course. As the pillars of the kingdom, we must support Ryan," Sulia nodded slightly. "Lady Morgiana, we must unite now more than ever."
"Indeed, it's clear we agree," Morgiana nodded. "With Ryan away, it's up to us to manage his lands and his kingdom."
"We expect to conscript at least fifty thousand serfs," Ryan, dressed in royal attire, said from the deck of the flagship to Calard, who was fully armed. "I even suspect fifty thousand may not be enough. If we need more, we'll have to conscript from the nearby Border Princes or even the Empire."
Beyond the harbor of Bordeleaux, the turbulent waves crashed against the ship's sides as the mighty Sea God Fleet sailed along its route. The howling sea breeze and cold air, along with the cloudless sky, offered the knights a unique view.
Today was a good day.
"This will be an epic campaign. For the first time in decades, the chivalric army will bring judgment to the Badlands," Calard sighed deeply. "To be honest, the dwarves have helped us greatly, my lord. We owe them this."
"Repaying them isn't the only reason I'm leading such a large army," Ryan shook his head, leaning on the ship's railing. "That's just one reason. What truly made me decide was the astonishing wealth within Eight Peaks Mountain. Belegar has promised to share at least a third with us."
"Share?" Calard stroked his goatee, understanding Ryan's thinking. He looked around before speaking cautiously. "I understand your intent, my lord, but... dwarves are notoriously greedy and stubborn. Are you sure King Belegar won't change his mind out of regret?"
"He swore an oath to the Dwarf Chief God, Grungni," Ryan said with a hint of irony. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have launched this chivalric expedition."
"I wonder if there's anything in the ancestral shrines of Eight Peaks Mountain suitable for me?" Veronica, dressed in a delicate, white, petal-sleeve, body-hugging dress with a fur shawl draped over her shoulders, said as she leaned on Ryan's arm. The king's chief lady-in-waiting and magic advisor pouted playfully. "Darling, can I pick first when the time comes?"
Veronica's outfit today was bold, with the skirt stopping just fifteen centimeters above her knees, highlighting her graceful figure. Her long, slender legs, clad in black silk, were fully exposed, and she wore a pair of eight-centimeter-high red satin heels. Her brown hair, styled in waves, cascaded over her shoulders, and her sweet almond-shaped eyes sparkled with excitement. Clearly, she was proud to be part of this grand expedition.
"Come on, don't get ahead of yourself. Let's focus on conquering Eight Peaks Mountain first," Ryan said with a smile. "We've just set out, and you're already thinking about dividing the spoils? That's not how wars are fought!"
"But isn't that why we're going to war~?" Veronica said, genuinely pleased with the situation. She was now the chief lady-in-waiting and magic advisor to the King of Knights of Bretonnia, one of the two most powerful human nations in the Old World. This position was equivalent to the Imperial Court's Chief Wizard, giving her considerable influence and the power to seek support from the knightly armies. Moreover, Margarita, the head of the Garland Council, had sent a congratulatory message, designating Veronica as her successor.
Of course, this didn't mean Veronica would smoothly take over from Margarita. She still needed to wait for the next Garland Grand Assembly's election by the Council and the Elders. The next Garland Grand Assembly would be held at Sky Castle during the Winter Veil Festival next year. Veronica wondered if she would make it in time. If not, she'd wait for the next one. After all, Margarita could live for several more decades, so there was no rush. Besides, unlike Aurora and Teresa, Veronica had no particular attachment to the Garland Council, nor did she have fond memories of it. She had been rooted in Ryan's domain for over a decade.
What pleased her even more was the congratulatory message from Balthasar Gelt, the Imperial Court's Chief Wizard, publicly acknowledging her status as chief lady-in-waiting. To Veronica, this was even better news than Margarita's message.
"Thank you, Lady Veronica, for sending an entire coven of witches to assist us," Calard politely smiled at Veronica. "Your participation adds confidence to our war effort."
"No need to thank me, Lord Calard. Eliminating evil and purifying the land is the duty of every Bretonnian citizen. Since coming to the Kingdom of Knights, I've been well cared for and received ample resources. It's only right that my coven and I stand by to assist in your war efforts. This isn't just your war; it's our war," Veronica said seriously, holding Ryan's arm. "With rights come responsibilities."
"Heh, truly spoken like Lady Veronica," Calard nodded in appreciation, stroking his goatee. "My lord, you have an excellent chief lady-in-waiting."
"Heh, I think so too," Ryan said, glancing at Veronica, who was
leaning on him, her body pressed against his. He smiled meaningfully. "It's just a shame we don't have more. It would be great if we had more battle mages."
Indeed, though Veronica's Dawn Witch Coven was described as an entire coven, it was actually a small group consisting of one domain witch, one legendary witch, about a dozen formal witches, and several dozen witch apprentices. For such a large chivalric army, this was far too few—too many mouths to feed and not enough to go around. In terms of numbers, this coven didn't even match one unit of kingdom knights, which typically numbered between 100 and 120 men (excluding Holy Grail Knights and Pegasus Knights, which usually had 20 to 30 men per unit).
Ryan also wanted to complain about Blackheart Rep's so-called "Bretonnian Independent Regiment." This mercenary leader claimed to have over three thousand swords, but in reality, he had fewer than six hundred able fighters. Even so, with his four hundred infantry and a little over a hundred pistol cavalry, Blackheart Rep had managed to dominate a large area near his domain. The Border Princes simply lacked any decent armies, and Rep's excellent command and formidable personal combat skills, along with Ryan's support, had allowed him to grow quickly. It was said that he had already drawn the hostility of Miragliano and Auchendorf, the largest cities in the Border Princes.
"Magic is a rare resource," Ryan said with a sigh. "Calard, you should have a lady-in-waiting of your own, but now we have to assign a witch to you. You're wasting public resources."
"That's not something that can be forced," Calard said, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. He rested his hands on the railing and lowered his head. "Ever since the incident with Elizabeth, I've been troubled by this. I know I can't let my family line die out, and I can't stay single forever—you've told me this before—but it just… doesn't feel right. I can't describe it. I just have a fear of repeating the same mistake."
"Maybe you need to open up more, Calard," Ryan said with a smirk. "Or maybe you don't need to worry about it at all. You just need an heir, right? So why be afraid of repeating the same mistake? You just need to—"
"Alright, alright, my lord," Calard blushed, quickly changing the subject. "Are you joining the poetry session in the cabin tonight?"
"No, I'll spend the evening in my room," Ryan shook his head. "My poetry skills are terrible. If I'm there, everyone will feel too constrained. You go ahead, and have a good time."
"Thank you, my lord. Enjoy your evening," Calard nodded, bidding farewell to Ryan before leaving. "Excuse me."
Watching Calard leave, Ryan turned to Veronica. "Shall we return to the room?"
"Let me think… whom should I assign to Lord Calard?" Veronica mused, her sweet face showing a thoughtful expression. "We need someone suitable, someone who works well with him. Otherwise, the witch's power will be greatly reduced."
"It'll take more than a month to reach the Gates of Sea, so you have plenty of time to think about it," Ryan said with a nod. "With Calard on board, we're more confident in this grand expedition."
"Mostly because..." Veronica began to say, but just then, a gust of sea wind blew across the deck, lifting her skirt. The Garland Witch shrieked, her face turning bright red. She quickly pressed down her skirt and crouched, squeezing her black silk legs together. "Damn it! Ah, it's freezing! Ryan, you scoundrel! It's all your fault—it feels… so cold!"
"Hahaha~" Ryan laughed mischievously as he slowly helped Veronica up, wrapping his arm around her waist and giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Dear, that's all in your head. These Wolford velvet tights are thickened—you shouldn't feel cold at all!"
Veronica's face was crimson. Embarrassed and annoyed, she pinched Ryan's arm. "You! It's all because of you! Oh my god, I must be crazy. Let's go back to the room before I really get angry."
"Alright, alright, we're heading back right now," Ryan said, seeing no one around. He decided to scoop Veronica up into his arms. "Olica should have the room ready by now."
"By the way, I want to discuss with you how the coven will coordinate with the chivalric army in battle."
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