Chapter 257: The Lost Lake Goddess Witch

After a bath that was pleasurable in every sense, Ryan changed into the standard attire of a baron. He picked up the soft Dark Elf and returned her to his bedroom. Then, after some contemplation, he decided to visit Morgiana in the prayer room on the third floor.

The Lake Goddess Witch is the religious leader of the country, the first spokesperson of the Lake Fairy in the mortal world. Despite her current weakness, she still holds significant control over the Holy Maiden Convent and the Holy Grail Knights.

The castle was filled with the scent of careful repairs. Besides his own guards, Ryan noticed that more than a dozen knights from Sulia's family had also been stationed there. Seeing Ryan, they bowed in respect, which was not only due to his status as a Holy Grail Knight but also as a sign of respect towards the future son-in-law.

Moreover, many young ranger knights looked at Ryan with eager anticipation and fanaticism towards the Holy Grail, perhaps believing that getting close to Ryan was akin to getting closer to the Holy Grail.

Standing outside the prayer room on the third floor, the white walls and wooden door made Ryan hesitate, but he still knocked on the door: "Lady Morgiana? It's Ryan."

"Ryan? You're back? Please come in," Morgiana's cool voice came from inside.

Upon opening the door, the room's furnishings were simple: a round table, a bed made of cherry wood, several wardrobes, a few chairs, and some simple books constituted the entirety of Morgiana's living space. According to Sulia, the Lake Goddess Witch rarely leaves the castle, spending most of her time quietly recuperating in her room, though occasionally she would take walks around the castle, always protected by at least eight Holy Grail Knights.

Ryan noticed a bit of sorrow between Morgiana's brows, which eased slightly upon seeing him. Today, the Lake Goddess Witch wore a champagne-colored sleeveless dress, her delicate ivory skin emitting a faint glow. Her green eyes scrutinized Ryan, and seeing him unharmed, Morgiana extended her hand: "Ryan, you're back. Well done. Once again, you've protected the kingdom and ended the centuries of tyranny by the Red Duke."

"This was not my achievement alone. Without everyone's cooperation, sneaking into Mousilon and ultimately discovering the location of the vampire's siege camp, the war might have continued," Ryan helped Morgiana to stand, and she naturally leaned on him. He helped her sit behind the round table, then pulled over a chair to sit beside her.

Morgiana's gaze followed his movements, her expression warming up considerably, improving her mood. In the warm afternoon sun, Ryan slowly recounted the events to Morgiana, who listened quietly.

Sighing with the wind outside, Ryan spent about half an hour detailing the events.

Disguised entry into Mousilon, deceiving information out of the summer bargain, avoiding Mathew Bard's probes, negotiating with Old Dick, leaving the city to strike directly at the siege camp, Veronica summoning meteors, and then killing the Red Duke, staying behind, struggling against Manfred before finally escaping.

Ryan was articulate, making the story clear and uninterrupted, Morgiana just nodded and smiled faintly, conveying approval from the Lake Fairy and praising Ryan's performance. However, upon finishing the story, Morgiana's face showed more sighs than joy.

"What's wrong, my lady?" Ryan sensitively detected Morgiana's low spirits and took the initiative to ask.

Morgiana stretched out her hand to Ryan, signaling him to hold her.

Thus, Ryan gently took Morgiana's hand, lifting her onto his lap: "My lady?"

"You shouldn't have taken such great risks," Morgiana said softly, leaning on Ryan: "This war shouldn't have been like this, it didn't need to be like this. I should have been the one to unify the dukes' armies and swiftly eliminate the vampire forces, but..."

Morgiana didn't continue.

As the first chosen of the Lake Fairy and her spokesperson in the mortal world, Morgiana was incapacitated due to carelessness and now, still not fully recovered, was like a useless person, hiding in Ryan's castle for recuperation, unable to do much even for daily life. Ryan, Bodrick, Francois, and others were leading the army against the vampires at the front lines, while Morgiana could only get bits and pieces of news through messengers. How could the proud and self-demanding Lake Goddess Witch accept this?

Under her long dress, a pair of legs covered in white stockings gently swayed, the thin stockings wrapping around Morgiana's tender feet, the delicate ankles shining like jade. Morgiana self-deprecatingly said: "Look, Ryan, I can't even step forward now. It's been over a month, and I'm still in this state."

Tears flowed down Morgiana's face as she lifted her head: "Ryan, am I very useless? You're fighting for the Lady on the front lines, while I'm hiding in your castle, even requiring a special team of Holy Grail Knights to protect me."

Ryan smiled bitterly, feeling helpless, and after hesitating for a while, he gently reassured: "My lady, you just need some time to recuperate, at most three to five years, and you'll recover. Rest well during this time, leave everything to me, I'll help you."

Morgiana suddenly looked up, first glaring at Ryan, then resting her face on his chest and sighing: "Yes, thankfully, I have you. Without you, I might have been turned into a vampire and sacrificed to Nagash. That would have been a disaster for the country."

Ryan said nothing, understanding Morgiana's feelings. The Lake Goddess Witch sat on Ryan's lap, and the two remained silent, maintaining a calm atmosphere.

After about five minutes, Morgiana gradually regained her spirits, the cloudiness on her face fading away.

Yes, as she said, it's good to have someone to rely on. For the proud and cold Lake Goddess Witch, this was a new experience, but not a bad one. Having someone to discuss and confide in was nice.

"Alright, I should go now, my lady. Rest well," Ryan said, indicating he needed to leave soon: "If you need anything, you can directly tell me, or tell Olica to inform me."

"Are you in such a hurry to leave?" Morgiana's tone was strange, carrying an indescribable oddness: "Am I that uncomfortable to be around?"

"Uh..." Ryan remained seated, gently stroking Morgiana's back and her golden hair: "My lady, you're being a bit too sensitive. I've just returned to my domain, and there are many matters needing my attention."

Morgiana also realized her overreaction, murmuring to herself: "I've been a bit emotionally unstable lately, sorry, Ryan."

"It's okay, I said, I understand."

"Thank you, I feel much better with you here." Morgiana leaned on Ryan's chest, continuing: "Um... do you have time tomorrow afternoon? My recent emotional instability might be because the poison hasn't been completely cleansed... could you purify me one more time?"

...

When he came out from the third-floor prayer room, Sulia had been waiting for him for a long time. The female knight

 curiously asked: "Why did it take so long? Did Lady Morgiana have any new instructions?"

"I reported all the details of the war to Lady Morgiana," Ryan said helplessly: "Her mood isn't very high."

"Ah, that." Sulia nodded understandingly: "Ryan, Lady Morgiana is very disappointed in herself."

"Yes, I can understand," Ryan said, sitting across from Sulia.

"No, Ryan, you only understand part of it." Sulia shook her head, her face carrying a shallow smile but speaking seriously: "Lady Morgiana must be extremely disappointed that she couldn't personally participate in such an important war."

Ryan frowned slightly, signaling Sulia to continue.

"The authority of the Lake Goddess Witch in Brittany is unparalleled. She possesses immense power and can often ignore the law. About four hundred years ago, the Lake Goddess Witch Marianne confronted the court wizard of 'Young' Louis, the king at that time, turning him into a frog in just one minute because she suspected him of practicing black magic," Sulia continued: "And as you know, twenty-seven years ago, Lady Morgiana led the Holy Grail Knights into the palace of Corona, dethroning 'Tyrant' John II."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Ryan nodded. In this country, the power of the Lake Goddess Witch surpasses that of the king, a well-known fact.

"So, every Lake Goddess Witch has extremely high demands on herself. She not only has the power to change the fate of the country but also must bear the responsibility of protecting it. With great power comes great responsibility. Therefore, in public, Lady Morgiana is always proud and cold, unpredictable, and no one knows what she's thinking," Sulia explained further: "Her demands on herself are very high, because any relaxation could potentially lead the kingdom into the abyss."

Proud, cold, unpredictable? Ryan frowned. Was this Morgiana? How come it didn't quite match with his impression?

However, Sulia's explanation made him fully understand why Morgiana was in such a poor mood.

With great power comes great responsibility. Protecting the kingdom is the duty of the Lake Goddess Witch, and she faces it bravely without evasion. But Morgiana is now severely injured due to the vampire's scheme, unable to participate in the battle against the vampires at the front lines or in the stealth mission into Mousilon, which Ryan led, risking life and limb. She could only observe from the sidelines.

For the proud Morgiana, how torturous and painful must this be?

It's like an emperor, helplessly sitting on the golden throne, watching his empire crumble without being able to do anything.

"I understand now." Ryan fully grasped the situation. His time in the Knight Kingdom wasn't long, and clearly, his understanding of the Lake Goddess Witch wasn't as deep as Sulia's.

Seeing his realization, the light in Sulia's sea-blue eyes flickered briefly before disappearing. She smiled again: "What would you like for dinner? I'll arrange for the chef to prepare it."

"For dinner, I'd like..."

...

Five days later, in Brittany, in the throne room of the Kingdom of Corona.

The aged Knight King Richard was reviewing documents.

To the north of the kingdom, raiders from the northern wastelands continuously harassed the kingdom's coastline. To the south, Duke Berleon was engaged in another contest with Count Tobalo of Estalia, seeking to reclaim his territory.

The western coastline of the kingdom, where the Dark Elf pirates had been relatively quiet recently, gave Richard some relief. However, his brows furrowed again when he looked at the Grey Mountains to the east.

Between the Duchy of Connaught in Brittany and Marienburg lies a stretch of disputed territory spanning hundreds of kilometers, known as "Corona's Road." The ownership of this territory has been unclear historically because Brittany was once part of the Empire. Before Charlemagne established the Empire, over a dozen tribes moved from what is now the Empire's territory to the other side of the Grey Mountains, forming the Bretonnian people. After the Empire was established, more people moved over, mixing the bloodlines of both sides, making them indistinguishable.

Therefore, both the Empire and Brittany have legal claims to this territory. Currently, Brittany's Knight General, Roland Marshal, is leading three hundred knights and thousands of troops, working hard to build castles and villages on this desolate swamp and forest land, aiming to claim this large area as their own. Likewise, the Empire, not to be outdone, has sent its capable general, Kurt Helborg, with Imperial troops to build castles and villages, creating a standoff.

To the south of the Grey Mountains, Duke Cassvan of Parravon and the Empire's Reikland are increasingly at odds. Knowing Duke Cassvan's volatile nature, Richard prayed to the Lady that Cassvan would remain sensible and not cause more trouble.

Next, he came to the report on the Battle of Tourist Castle, sent by Duke Bodrick of Bordelaux. Bodrick proudly and angrily stated that Bordelaux had repelled the vampire forces on its own, without needing the king's support. Additionally, the report highlighted that Baron Jean, the champion of the Lady and the leader of the Holy Grail Knights, Ryan, had completely ended the Red Duke, eliminating this vampire lord who had plagued the Knight Kingdom for centuries.

"Again... Ryan?" Richard frowned, turning to an attendant beside him: "The Red Duke has been completely eliminated, Armand. It seems I will lose you."

"Yes, I swore an oath to the Lady that I would swear fealty to whichever knight could kill the Red Duke," said a knight attendant with black hair, appearing to be in his thirties.

This was Armand de Aquitaine, the king's standard-bearer, the last bloodline of the original Duke of Aquitaine, Fredmond.

"Well, well, the kingdom is praising Ryan for eliminating the Red Duke, applauding and cheering. Now, with enemies on all sides, since Ryan Macado achieved such a feat... let's make him a count!" Richard shook his head helplessly. The king really didn't like Ryan, but he knew to prioritize. From a stability and morale-boosting perspective, it was indeed time to make a gesture.

"So, what count title would be appropriate for him?" Richard's hand moved across the map, eventually settling on the interior of the Charlon Forest. There was once a count title there, but it was later abandoned.

"I remember the ancient name of this place... was it Glamorgan?"

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