The system allowing serfs to buy back their freedom had begun its trial implementation in Ryan's County of Glamorgan and François's Duchy of Winford. All conscripted serfs were granted the right to purchase their freedom.
The announcement of this decree filled all of Bretonnia with hope. People rejoiced, believing it to be another blessing from the Lady of the Lake. Combined with the impact of the Old Guard's knighting ceremony, the serfs across the kingdom began to believe that they might truly change their fate and become knights themselves.
In just the first month after the decree was issued, nearly a thousand serf households in the Duchy of Winford bought their freedom. They came to François's ducal castle, handed over piles of gold, and received certificates of manumission under the witness of the Lady of the Lake's prophetess. From that moment, they were free men. These new freemen were soon received by François himself. The duke, noble and gracious, personally welcomed them into his court in waves, hosting grand banquets and elaborate ceremonies to thank them for their contributions to the duchy and his family over the years. He assured them that, even though they were now freemen, his city and duchy would always welcome them.
The freemen were deeply moved. As descendants of "The Pure" Redmond, one of the original twelve Grail Knights, and as followers of a high-ranking Grail Knight and noble duke, they were overwhelmed by the honor bestowed upon them. Many wept with gratitude, bowing repeatedly and choosing to remain in the Duchy of Winford. Some became workers in workshops, others took up trades or opened shops in the towns, while many chose to lease land from François, gathering labor to develop farms and estates. These individuals were no longer subjected to the tithe system but instead only had to pay the shield tax (a military protection fee) and a tithe, making them wealthy farmers with some control over their own production.
With the large labor force provided by these freemen, François followed Ryan's example, pushing forward with industrialization, which yielded excellent results.
At the same time, François established the Unicorn Guard based on the former Winford fugitive band, promising them knighthood, which sparked a wave of eager enlistment.
The lines between social classes began to blur, and as a beneficiary of the manumission system, François collected over thirty thousand gold crowns from the freedmen. François couldn't help but smile at the wealth, as even a Grail Knight wouldn't mind having more money.
Similarly, Ryan's territory collected over ten thousand gold crowns from the freedmen. The treasury in the ducal castle was so full of gold and silver that there was no more room, leaving Sulia and the Lady of the Lake in an excellent mood, often counting the wealth together in the treasury.
The reform had reached a point where, seeing François enjoy the enormous benefits, several dukes who openly or secretly supported Ryan could no longer sit still. Ryan had anticipated they would come to him, and the reason Duke Huebald of Carcassonne didn't was simple—Carcassonne was genuinely poor and faced significant military pressure. Huebald's support of Ryan's reforms and the Lady of the Lake Church was a kind of "exchange." In return, Ryan continued to provide military and material support to him.
It's worth noting that Morgiana faithfully carried out her duties. When a new freeman was unjustly beaten by an old knight, Morgiana ruled in favor of the freeman in the ecclesiastical court, ordering the knight to pay fifty gold crowns in compensation and publicly apologize. This action by the Lady of the Lake Church gave the serfs a significant morale boost—they were no longer mere property to be exploited; they were free!
The Lady blesses Bretonnia!
The Lady of the Lake Church also benefited from the manumission system, collecting a tithe on the manumission payments. Morgiana alone received nearly five thousand gold crowns.
After meeting with Morgiana, Ryan was still some distance from his ducal castle, but Teresa's wizard tower was already in sight. The seven-story tower was surrounded by a large estate. Ryan hesitated for a moment before asking Teresa, "Teresa, will you and Aurora return to the ducal castle with us?"
"No, Mother and I need to take care of some pressing matters first. We'll join you in a few days," Teresa shook her head. The sorceress rode her half-blood elf warhorse, Laurel, to Ryan's side and kissed him lightly. "You go on ahead."
"Alright." Ryan didn't press further, agreeing simply and nodding to Aurora, who responded with a cold huff. The Sanctuary Witch had inexplicably become hostile toward him again.
Ryan shrugged and turned to Morgiana. "Let's go."
After reuniting with Morgiana, Ryan initially planned to leave Chalon Forest and reach his ducal castle before nightfall. However, Morgiana insisted they visit the sacred site of Lily Island in Chalon Forest, where the Lady of the Lake had once descended, for a brief stay and prayer. Because of Morgiana's insistence, Ryan's journey was delayed, and by the time his army left the forest, it was already dusk. Seeing this, Ryan decided to disband his troops and, with Morgiana, head to Redfish Village to spend the night at Angron's estate.
By the time they entered the estate, it was pitch black outside, and it was still snowing. The livestock were huddled in their pens for the winter, and the estate was almost deserted during the idle season. The crunch of Ryan's boots and Morgiana's soft-soled shoes on the ground was the only sound, and the cold wind chilled them to the bone.
"I wonder if my brother is here," Ryan said as he and Morgiana walked toward the estate. "But no matter what, we have a place to stay, which is nice. I didn't expect you to come."
"Her attitude is just too much," Morgiana remarked, referring to Aurora. "Ryan, you are the Lady's chosen champion. She shouldn't treat you this way. If you need…"
"I know what you're thinking, Morgiana," Ryan interrupted, turning to see the self-satisfied look on Morgiana's face. The Lady of the Lake's witch had also dismissed the Grail Guardians, and if there were no one else around, she would have surely taken Ryan's arm. "Not a good idea? The church has plenty of ways to deal with witches. If you take her to the tower, give me a month or two, and I'll have this Sanctuary Witch obediently kneeling at your feet. This is my territory; she's no match for me."
"…I don't want to discuss this further," Ryan said with a sidelong glance at Morgiana. He knew all too well that Morgiana was pursuing a personal vendetta.
Seeing that Ryan didn't want to continue the conversation, Morgiana's mind raced with thoughts before she nodded, seemingly giving up on the matter.
"Brother? Are you here?" Ryan called out, having circled the estate without finding Angron.
"Brother? I'm over here," came Angron's voice from a farmhouse. Ryan opened the door and was met with a smell that made Morgiana wrinkle her golden eyebrows.
Inside the farmhouse, Angron was petting a tiger.
The massive saber-toothed tiger lay on the ground, exposing its belly to Angron, purring and rolling around. Angron was playfully scratching the tiger's chin and belly, and the tiger seemed to enjoy it immensely, eyes half-closed in contentment, tail swishing. Angron was also feeding it boiled meat. Without even looking up as Ryan and Morgiana entered, he said, "Back already, brother? I've been keeping your room ready. Want some dinner?"
"No, I've already eaten. Just wanted to say hello." Ryan tried to approach, but the saber-toothed tiger flipped over, eyeing him warily and baring its teeth in a menacing display.
"Get some rest; I'm aware of what's been happening lately." Angron gave the tiger a light slap, and the mighty beast that had been exuding such an aura of intimidation whimpered, rolled back onto its belly, and resumed its previous position, letting Angron scratch it again. "Brother, stay sharp. Tzeentch's schemes aren't so simple; he won't give up easily."
"I understand," Ryan nodded. He also suspected that Tzeentch's schemes were far from over.
"And I'll be heading out for a while soon," Angron added, sounding cheerful as he finished petting the tiger. "I've made plans with Brenner to explore the ancient elf ruins beneath the city-state of Tobaro in the Southern Realms. I'll see if there's anything good to bring back for my dear nephew."
Brenner, one of the only three Sanctuary mercenaries in the Southern Realms, had previously met Angron in the Withered Marsh. Recently, Brenner had taken on a significant commission to explore the ancient elf ruins beneath the Duchy of Tobaro in Estalia, a perilous mission with a reward of ten thousand gold crowns plus many other benefits. Brenner didn't have the confidence to do it alone, so he enlisted Angron's help, agreeing to split the profits evenly.
Angron had agreed, not because he cared about the money, but because he loved adventure. The ancient elf ruins piqued his interest.
"Alright, as long as you're happy," Ryan said after a brief chat with Angron. He and Morgiana then returned to the guest room in the estate, where they shared a long, relaxing bath before preparing for bed.
Morgiana, looking languid, leaned against the headboard,
pulling the covers up as she gazed thoughtfully at the magical lamp beside the bed. "Ryan?"
"What is it, Morgiana?" Ryan replied, leaning back against the soft pillow, lost in his thoughts.
"I never imagined I would end up like this," Morgiana sighed contentedly, placing the Holy Grail of Potions to the side. "But I have to say, this feeling isn't bad at all. I enjoy being with you, Ryan. I like talking to you, sharing meals, spending time together. It always makes me happy. I don't know if this is love; I've never experienced it or understood it, but I truly…"
"I feel the same, Morgiana… You know, it all started with an accident." Ryan smiled ruefully as he gently stroked Morgiana's golden hair. "But you've been so good to me. What else can I say?"
"I was really worried back then," Morgiana shook her head, her face tinged with a lovely blush. "I was afraid the Lady wouldn't approve of us… But all she said was to be careful not to get caught."
Ryan found this amusing. In hindsight, Morgiana and Sulia were like two ropes in the hands of the Lady of the Lake, used to firmly bind Ryan. Why would the goddess object? Morgiana's unintended fall into Ryan's arms due to an undead conspiracy turned out to be a pleasant surprise, as Ryan valued responsibility and duty highly.
"Any important news lately?" Ryan asked after a few more minutes of conversation, noticing that it was getting late. He wrapped his arms around Morgiana's slim waist.
"Yes, there's some news from Kislev, but I'll tell you tomorrow," Morgiana replied, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Let's just…"
"Hmm."
…
The next day, in late December of that year, Ryan and Morgiana set out from the estate, returning to his ducal castle.
Morgiana, who had spent the night with Ryan, couldn't hide her well-satisfied and glowing complexion. Even she realized this wouldn't do. Shortly after entering Jean City, the Lake God Witch rode her unicorn, Silverfawn, ahead to inspect the construction of the new Grail Chapel.
When Ryan returned, he was greeted by his wife, Sulia, and his father-in-law, François. François, dressed in his blue and white ducal attire emblazoned with the unicorn and pegasus emblems, was the first to speak, slapping Ryan's arm heartily. "Ryan, no trouble I hope? You shouldn't have had any issues suppressing things in Mousillon."
"Nothing serious, just some unpleasantness," Ryan replied, shaking his head. Halfway through his words, his chubby little son, Devonshire, ran out. "Daddy~ Daddy, you're finally back! Daddy, I want a present!"
"Daddy went to fight, so what present could he possibly bring back?" Ryan laughed, lifting little Devonshire into his arms and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Were you good while Daddy was away?"
"I was good! Both Mommies said so!" Devonshire cheered.
"Both Mommies?"
"Sulia Mommy and Lilith Mommy!" Devonshire waved his little fists excitedly.
"Little Master, playtime is over. You have a literacy lesson this morning," head maid Sylvia sternly reminded, approaching with a firm expression.
Devonshire obediently nodded and followed Sylvia away. Ryan took Sulia's hand, pulling her close, then turned to François. "Where are the other dukes?"
"Berchmond, Lau, and the others are in your castle's war room, conducting a war game," François replied, stroking his goatee with a smile. "They're simulating the recent war in Kislev, the largest conflict of late."
"What war?" Ryan asked, intrigued, recalling that Morgiana had mentioned it.
"It's a war in northern Kislev, led by Kislev's Marshal of Bear Cavalry, Vroshilov, against the barbarian tribes of the Bersoon Forest on the other side of the Mourning Mountains," François explained. "We received detailed intelligence from Kislev, and Lau, Berchmond, Bodrick, and the others are using it to simulate the conflict."
"Sounds like it was a fierce battle," Ryan commented, growing more interested.
"It was indeed," François agreed, shaking his head. "Marshal Vroshilov launched an offensive, suffering over twenty thousand casualties, including the loss of 120 Bear Riders, 1,500 Ungol Horse Archers, 700 Kislevite Shooters, and 50 cannons, but managed to defeat a barbarian army of over 5,000 from the Bersoon Forest, reclaiming some northern outposts. In a decisive battle at the Korvozer Ice Lake in a mountain pass, they drove the Bersoon tribes back across the Mourning Mountains."
"This war is being called the Winter War."
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