Warhammer Divine Throne-Chapter 498 - 213, Return to Tranquility_2

"So simple." A decayed, withered hand grasped the parchment detailing the special cure for malaria, but the words had already faded from the paper. The Merciful Goddess Archbishop struggled and said, "Who? Who are you?"

"I am honored to introduce myself. I am Akhan, ’Black’ Akhan, the Witch Demon King, the most loyal servant of the master." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Was it all done by you? Finding the recipe for the special cure too? And luring the Nurgle Army?"

"As I said, so simple." The man in black robes, or rather Akhan, exhaled a breath of foul air. His speech was filled with courtesy, each action gentlemanly and refined, like an elegant gentleman, yet he himself was a decayed corpse, which was very eerie.

Then the man in black robes and the Merciful Goddess Archbishop disappeared together in the secret chamber.

......

When Laine woke up again, it had already been two days.

Opening his eyes, Laine found himself lying in the suite of the Holy Grail Cathedral where he had previously resided.

Thick down quilts and blankets were piled high, with two feather pillows propped behind him. The early spring sunshine shone on his face. Outside the window, the flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom, birds were singing, and a few strands of weak sunlight fell on his face, which was somewhat glaring.

Laine judged that the time was either morning or afternoon, and based on the temperature he felt, he believed it should be the afternoon.

The fierce battle with the Great Demon was still vivid in his mind, and the pain in his chest and limbs was real. Laine was wrapped in thick bandages, underneath which was not only a burning pain but also a cold feeling, possibly from being treated with ointment.

His sword, warhammer, and damaged armor were placed on a table far away. The Spiritual Masterwork Power Armor was broken, but that wasn’t a problem as Laine’s power armor could repair itself with a significant infusion of spiritual energy.

This was Laine’s first time facing a Chaos Great Demon. Although he was ultimately unable to kill the demon completely due to exhaustion, achieving this level was already enough, as he was only twenty-six years old, and even a Primarch would need time to grow.

"Ugh~" Trying to move slightly, a tearing sensation came from his chest, his internal organs aching painfully, very painfully. Laine only felt parched. After trying a few times, he had to give up: "Is anyone here?"

"You’re awake?" The sound of light, hurried footsteps came from one side of the suite as Mogiana appeared with two Lake God Prophets. Her face was as cold as ever, but seeing Laine awake, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"You two, leave." Mogiana said to the two Lake God Prophets.

"Yes." The two Lake God Prophets left.

"Can I have a glass of water?" Laine said with a bitter smile. "I’m a bit...inconvenient."

Today, Mogiana was wearing a silk chiffon gown with a sheer veil, her fragrant wavy hair cascading over her soft shoulders. A golden crown inlaid with gemstones adorned her head, and a golden waistband encircled her slender waist. Her bare, delicate feet hovered in the air, gliding towards Laine.

She poured a glass of clear water and handed it to Laine: "Truly incredible."

Unable to reach for the glass, Mogiana did not say anything; instead, the Lake God Witch fed him the water.

Laine coughed several times, then asked with some curiosity, "Cough cough~ incredible?"

"When you were brought back to the Holy Grail Cathedral, you had already fallen into a deep coma. I was very confident in my Divine Art, but...almost none of the healing spells worked on you. On the contrary, it was your own body that proved effective." Mogiana placed the glass on the small wooden table beside the bed and sat herself at the head of the bed. Her green eyes fixed on Laine, her tone filled with an unusual emotion: "Emerging from such a near-death state, your body took only a few hours, and after only two days, you regained consciousness. From what I see, as long as you rest for a few more days, you could be walking again."

"The wounds you sustained, even a Holy Grail Knight would struggle on the brink of death for several days, and then need to be bedridden for months before being able to walk...truly incredible."

"Oh, that’s good news. I must share this with my friends." Laine’s face was haggard, with an unnatural pallor. He forced a smile, but it looked very unpleasant.

At least, Laine felt that his smile was no different from crying.

"Almost every Holy Grail Knight and dignitary in Kulona came to visit you while you were comatose. They gave you many gifts, which I’ve had stored in the warehouse." Mogiana gestured for Laine to lie down before continuing, "Additionally, Marchioness Surya came to visit you for three consecutive hours, and a woman who claimed to be your maid, Miss Amelia, even suggested staying with you but I sent her away."

"Uh... she really is my maid." Laine said awkwardly. "There was no need to send her away..."

"So what if she is your maid? Is the Holy Grail Cathedral a place she can enter at will?" Mogiana said bluntly, not holding back at all.

That’s why I don’t like staying in this place! Laine thought to himself. He could only sigh helplessly. What Mogiana said was certainly not wrong. The Holy Grail Cathedral is not a place to be entered lightly. There is the residence of the Lake God Witch and nearly a dozen Holy Grail Knights stationed nearby. Apart from the Lake Fairy Cathedral at the Kakasong Duchy, which hosts most of the Holy Grail Knight Order, this is possibly the third safest place in Brittania.

The safest place is Laine’s domain, unknown to everyone but himself.

"You’ll be resting here for the time being until the Knight Tournament concludes, and we head south together," Mogiana explained slightly. "As for your rewards, the kingdom’s upper echelons are still discussing, but most dukes favor honors and substantial material rewards. You were only knighted as a Baron last spring. Promoting you to Count immediately... would be rather fast. A First-class Grand Cross Medal is a certainty, and you can also choose a few items from the cathedral’s treasury, as well as receive a Gold Coin reward."

Knowing that he couldn’t be promoted in rank made Laine feel slightly disappointed, but he also understood that having been knighted as a Baron just last year, he had already risen dramatically. Being promoted to Count within a year would indeed be excessive. Granted, rank titles are very limited, and in Brittania, aside from the Duchy of Connaught fallen to enemy hands, every inch of land, even uninhabited places, is under governance. The normal process of ascending ranks often requires generations of effort, and many Great Noble ranks have remained unchanged for centuries.

Laine reminded himself not to rush; there would be many opportunities for warfare in the future. He had already achieved great merit twice, and for the kingdom’s Great Nobles to discuss advancing his rank meant he was very close to the title of Count.

Moreover, fighting against Chaos is a duty, a guarantee for survival, not a means of seeking fortune and rewards.

Mogiana seemed to have nothing else to do, so she leaned against the bed head, chatting idly with Laine.

"The Knight Tournament goes on as usual?" Laine said, looking rather lonely as he gazed at the setting sun outside the window.

"Yes, as usual. People need this tournament to heal the wounds of war, since you banished the Great Demon without taking too much time, the war losses aren’t severe. So, Richard and I discussed and decided the Knight Tournament should go on as planned." Mogiana glanced at Laine, her tone suddenly taking on an inexplicable quality: "Worrying about Marchioness Surya?"

"You will be presenting her with an award," Laine didn’t answer directly.

"Yes, she vowed she would bring this trophy back to you," Mogiana smiled faintly, her smile inexplicably cold, "If she can, then let her go for it."

Laine thought it seemed like Mogiana didn’t like Surya?

Strange, there’s no reason that there should be tension between the Duke’s daughter and the Lake God Witch. After all, she’s the legitimate daughter of Holy Grail Knight Francois, but Mogiana’s tone sounded dismissive of Surya?

At that moment, there seemed to be an unusual sound in the quiet corner of the suite. Laine, seriously injured, did not react, but Mogiana immediately sensed that there was someone else in the room.

An intruder!

Mogiana stood up, the face of the Lake God Witch turning pale as she shouted angrily, "Who is it?"