The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

When Belgar Ironhammer's hammer struck the head of the Skaven warlord Osed Deep Abyss, the warlord, whose armor was already full of dents, could no longer withstand the heavy blow and died on the spot.

Now, the dimensional gate collapsed into ruins before everyone's eyes. The Skaven troops that hadn't escaped were already doomed underground, with the sounds of explosions and collapses drowning out the voices of those present.

"We might be able to find something from this book." A white book hung at the Skaven warlord's waist. Belgar reached out and took the book. Then, the King of the Angrund clan raised his hammer and smashed Osed's head again.

The already shattered head of the rat warlord was smashed to a pulp.

"Alright, that should ensure it's truly dead." Belgar nodded and, with the air of someone who had been through many battles, said to Ryan and Heilberg, "When facing strong enemies, you need to learn to deliver a finishing blow, human friends."

"I always go for the decapitation," Ryan said, looking at the collapsed portal with some discomfort. The strength of the Skaven was undeniable. He was sure that if he hadn't effectively dealt with the Pit Abomination, the army might have suffered even greater losses.

And this was just a small clan of the Skaven.

"This is the only way to truly eliminate the Skaven threat, at least for a while." Belgar nodded, "We should retreat. Dwarves can resist the power of Warpstone for a long time, but humans cannot. My engineers will use explosives to collapse this place."

Ryan sighed, clearly fed up with the Skaven.

Sulia understandingly patted Ryan's hand and smiled gently to comfort her husband.

Fighting the Skaven involved constantly hearing endless, maddening whispers, the stench of countless corpses and blood, and the incessant "yesyes" sounds around them. Not just Ryan, almost all the human soldiers sighed in relief at Belgar's command. The physical pain was secondary; it was the mental anguish that truly tormented them.

This was Skaven corruption.

While Ryan himself was not corrupted, it didn't mean he didn't feel distressed and exhausted.

Only Sulia seemed completely unaffected, as the golden double-headed eagle wedding ring on her left ring finger continuously emitted a warm power, protecting the countess.

By the time the group emerged from underground, three hours had passed. On the snow-covered ruins of Helmgart, Emperor Karl Franz had prepared hot water and food, and a large group of battle priests were praying and administering holy water baths to the returning soldiers.

After a brief rest, Count Ryan Markado of Glamorgan, Countess Sulia, Emperor Karl Franz, Reiksmarshal Kurt Helborg, the Emperor's standard-bearer Ludwig Schwarzhelm, and King Belgar Ironhammer of Karak Eight Peaks gathered for a meeting.

This time, they were to discuss the fate of Helmgart.

Having bathed and changed into his count's attire, Ryan pulled back the curtain. Everyone was already seated.

The Emperor's golden tent was fully equipped, with a long table laden with royal wines and delicacies. Bright silver candlesticks emitted firelight. Belgar was feasting heartily, particularly enjoying the Emperor's malt beer and the abundant meat.

"Good evening, Ryan. You don't mind me calling you that, do you?" The Emperor, who had no appetite and was visibly troubled, forced a smile and gestured for Ryan to sit.

Unlike Bretonnia, seats in the Empire were arranged by rank. Ryan and Sulia were directed to sit in the second and third seats on the right.

"Good evening, Your Majesty Franz." Ryan and Sulia sat down in turn.

"Thank you, Count Ryan, Countess Sulia. You have saved Helmgart and are its heroes," the Emperor began, officially expressing his gratitude. "I would like to reward you, but I'm not sure what you need."

"Eliminating evil is my duty. I do not wish to ask for bloody rewards from you, Your Majesty, when the entire city has been reduced to ruins," Ryan and Sulia exchanged a glance and shook their heads together. "This is not what a knight should do."

"In that case, I have a chest here," Emperor Karl Franz signaled for the Reiksguard to bring up a golden chest adorned with an iron cross and skull. "Inside is part of the wealth accumulated by Count Reinhardt over the years. It is worth no less than a thousand gold marks. I present it to you as a symbol of our friendship and as a reward for your efforts in this incident."

Ryan hesitated. The Emperor continued, "Please don't refuse. I know your two court ladies were injured because of this. I don't understand magic, but I know it takes a long time and considerable cost for wizards to recover from injuries."

This left Ryan speechless.

As the head of a growing household, Ryan often had to consider the interests of his entire faction. He couldn't just act on his whims. Theresa was seriously injured, and Veronica also needed a month or two to recover her magic. Ryan couldn't let them suffer in vain.

Ryan accepted the chest. It was heavy, filled with gold and jewels, and made a sound as the coins clinked together.

"Thanks to your and Helmgart's military's perseverance, the Skaven did not take away much loot. Apart from food, most of the lost treasures have been recovered from the Skaven camp, lessening our losses more than I expected," the Emperor continued, seeing Ryan accept the chest. "Rebuilding will be a huge task, but humanity will not bow to difficulties. The Empire is ready to rebuild Helmgart."

"What about the refugees? How will they be handled?" Ryan asked softly.

"Master Ernst has already gone to solve the distribution of refugees. Those willing to stay and rebuild Helmgart will receive a small portion of land and property. Those unwilling to stay in this tragic place will be relocated elsewhere," the Emperor continued. "Temporarily, the Axebite Pass trade route will be closed for a while."

"If Bretonnia needs help, just let me know," Ryan knew this was the Emperor negotiating with him.

Karl Franz looked at Ryan.

In recent years, Ryan had become the most powerful noble in southern Bretonnia. Though only a count, the network and group he led were steadily forming, with the full support of the Lady of the Lake behind him. Even the king was extremely wary of him.

If Ryan were an Elector Count of the Empire, Karl Franz would undoubtedly suppress and exclude him, as the Emperor could not tolerate a challenge to his authority.

This wasn't a matter of intelligence or morality but of position.

But Ryan was different. He was a major noble in Bretonnia, and rather than being a threat to the Empire, he could be a strong ally in this dark era. The Empire was surrounded by enemies. The Emperor knew that having someone like Ryan, a Holy Grail Knight and Champion of the Lady who fought against internal threats and evil, would be good news for the Empire.

"Very well, let's set aside Helmgart's matters for now. Our dwarven friend, King Belgar's men have deciphered the Skaven warlord Osed's diary." After receiving Ryan's response, the Emperor skillfully changed the topic.

Both Ryan and the Emperor were smart enough to understand things without needing further discussion.

"The white book? A diary?" Ryan scoffed, "My God, the Skaven keep diaries?"

"This Skaven clan is called Clan Pestilens. Under orders from their master, they attacked Helmgart," Belgar began explaining the contents of the diary.

After the last meeting of the Council of Thirteen, under the orders of the Great Horned Rat, the main Skaven forces focused on preparing to attack Lustria and the Empire's Helmgart, planning to spread corruption and disease through the Axebite Pass to both the Empire and Bretonnia.

Clan Pestilens was responsible for this objective. They had quietly taken over the deep mines of Montfort and the underground mines of Helmgart, planning to slowly infiltrate and spread the plague.

However, the clan's patriarch was extremely dissatisfied with this strategy. He was unhappy with the Council of Thirteen's grand plan to mobilize the main army to attack Lustria.

These schemers decided to take matters into their own hands, aiming to destroy Helmgart directly, believing the Great Horned Rat would notice their great deeds and bless them.

This led to the current catastrophe, with Helmgart being destroyed.

The diary also contained other information. Belgar's men learned that Osed Deep Abyss, under the incessant urging of his subordinates, launched the attack prematurely before the army was fully prepared and the dimensional gate was stable. Seeing this, the Grey Seer Skraeling followed suit and launched his own attack.

In other words, this clan was not fully prepared and rushed the attack for loot and glory, even bringing their rat mothers to the front line.

Typical Skaven behavior, Ryan thought. He should find a way to inform his brother, Fogen, about this.

"Even so, victory is still victory. We repelled the Skaven's attack and destroyed the portal. At least for a while, the Skaven will not reappear in the Empire or Bretonnia," Belgar said softly. "I say, the rest is no longer our concern. I should return with Ryan."

"King Belgar, would you not like to see more of the Empire?" Emperor Karl Franz had wanted to invite Belgar to visit Altdorf.

"No need," Belgar shook his head repeatedly. He had already inspected many villages along the Grey Mountains in both the Empire and Bretonnia. The King of Karak Eight Peaks was stubborn and proud but not a fool.

Belgar

 found nothing he desired from the Empire. In terms of infantry and artillery, he was unimpressed with the Empire's forces. The infantry was too fragile, likely to collapse under a strong orc charge, and the artillery was inferior to dwarven craftsmanship. Perhaps Altdorf's or Nuln's foundries had some special war machines, but the Empire probably wouldn't lend them.

The only things Belgar found acceptable were the Imperial Knights and the Emperor's guards, but the knights couldn't match Bretonnian ones, and the guards wouldn't be deployed.

After the plague incident, Belgar had no desire to continue his inspection. He wanted to return to Breeze Castle, gather his people, and discuss how to borrow more knights from Bretonnia to retake Karak Eight Peaks.

And this Holy Grail Knight before him, he must bring along. Such a powerful figure should handle the Pit Abominations. Belgar thought, looking at Ryan.

"I don't intend to stay long either. I'll return to my territory early tomorrow," Ryan said to the Emperor. "I've been away long enough."

"Then I won't keep you," Karl Franz nodded.

After Ryan and Belgar left, the Emperor sat in his golden tent, pondering for a long time. He relaxed in his chair, holding the warhammer Ghal Maraz. This artifact, over two thousand years old, still brimmed with unparalleled power.

"Did you see it with your own eyes?" After a long time, the Emperor asked the Reiksmarshal behind him.

"He is indeed very strong," Reiksmarshal Heilberg's stern face flickered in the firelight, only his long mustache moving. "He is clearly stronger than Ludwig. In the future, he will either be a great ally to the Empire or a formidable enemy."

"He is a Holy Grail Knight," the Emperor repeated.

"Yes, thankfully, he is a Holy Grail Knight," Heilberg echoed.

The golden tent was very quiet, the Emperor, standard-bearer, and Reiksmarshal deep in thought.

"His actions follow the Lady of the Lake's will," Ludwig, the standard-bearer, spoke.

"But he is very powerful. As a Holy Grail Knight, his combat ability is already among the best. By the way, Ludwig, how does Ryan's strength compare to Duke Francois of Montfort?" Heilberg pondered Ryan's performance on the journey.

"About the same... maybe slightly weaker. I've seen Francois in action. He once broke through an entire undead army and severely injured the necromancer Heinrich Kemmler," Ludwig said roughly. "As it stands, Ryan's strength might not yet match Francois, but the gap isn't large."

"These in-laws are truly terrifying. No wonder Francois married his daughter to Ryan," the Emperor chuckled helplessly. "Why, why doesn't the Empire have so many powerful legendary knights? How can we match Bretonnia's three hundred Holy Grail Knights?"

"But we have steel, cannons, and faith," Heilberg shook his head. "Your Majesty, please don't say that. Your subjects have never bowed to darkness."

"I'm thinking about how to bring Ryan into our fold," the Emperor changed the subject. "We share common enemies: Chaos, greenskins, and undead."

"Difficult, but not impossible," Ludwig said, then fell silent.

"This will have to fall to Emanuelle."

Indeed, many problems are a matter of perspective. It's like playing CK2: if you're the king, you want to weaken your vassals and centralize power. If you're a vassal, you want to cause trouble and hope the king dies so you can take over.

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