Warhammer Divine Throne-Chapter 642 - 283, First Meeting_2

They felt more disheartened, especially Julius, who kept cursing incessantly from start to finish, unable to maintain his usual serious poker face: "Father, these Imperial people are too much!"

"Julius, you need to get used to this." Francois said calmly, "This is the Empire, not Brittania. There is no knightly spirit here. In the Knight Kingdom, the knightly spirit and the Holy Grail System are always the benchmarks to evaluate whether a knight is competent and devout to the Lady. Nobles will follow... or at least outwardly adhere to the code of knightly path."

Laine took over Francois' words, the young Holy Grail Knight, the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lake Fairy, spoke to his future brother-in-law: "But in the Empire, these don't exist."

"The Empire is located in the heart of the Old World, it is the most powerful among human nations, but it is also a country constantly in turmoil, surrounded by darkness and Chaos creatures."

"There are always threats on the lands of the Empire, death and war haunt these lands incessantly. Yet amid the bloodshed and slaughter, this great nation stands tall, its massive cities and military fortresses forming a wall against the Sea of Barbarism." Laine's low voice narrated the Empire's story: "Unlike Brittania, the Empire has to face threats from Chaos, Greenskin, and Vampires. Compared to the Empire, the external pressures we face are much less."

Julius remained silent, and Jerald seemed thoughtful.

"The Empire is so vast that since Charlemagne founded the Empire, no Emperor has truly ruled the entire vast territory, the Emperor can only govern his direct domain, each province is essentially an independent kingdom. The Skaven War, the bloody battles of Emperor Mandred the Rat-Slayer, the Three Emperors Era, Emperor Talabein, Emperor Rick, and the Midland Wolf Emperor split the Empire completely. The alliance was reestablished during the Vampire War, until the eve of the Great Holy War, when a rural noble from Nuer unified the forces of the entire Empire, leading to the reformation of the Empire, and the new Empire replaced the old one, that was Savior Ludwig." Francois stroked his beard: "If the knights of Brittania can unite in the name of the Lady to fight, then the reason that the Empire unites is their hatred for Greenskins and Dark Creatures far exceeds the conflicts among their compatriots."

"Even so, it was still a bit excessive for the Count of Ubeseric to not welcome us into the city." Julius accepted this explanation, though he was still somewhat indignant.

"Hahaha~ that's why I want to bring you out for a walk, Yuri." Francois laughed heartily: "The vastness of the Empire ensures that whenever a noble warrior walks on the main road, there's a despicable Chaos Cultist lurking in the shadows nearby. Similarly, among the Empire's nobles, there will be noble and passionate figures like Emperor Carl Franz, but there will also be despicable and faithless noble lords. Do we act righteously and eliminate darkness for rewards? No, everything we do is for the Lady, every Dark Creature we kill is a tithe we pay to the Lady. As long as you think of it like this, Yuri, Jerald, you won't be so bothered."

After Francois' guidance, both Julius and Jerald felt much better.

Indeed, we uphold the knightly spirit, we eliminate evil and guard order for the Lady and the Holy Grail, not for rewards.

The knights' steps became much lighter, and they proceeded towards Hemgart along the river flowing from the Gray Mountain Range. They barely saw any pedestrians along the way, and any occasional wild beasts were immediately scared off by the Holy Grail Knight.

The many creatures in the Gray Mountain Range are cunning, these Dark Creatures have been tempered over thousands of years, long aware of what they can and cannot handle.

Several hours later, when a few knights crossed a hill, the scenery before them changed.

"Looks like we received a warm welcome." Laine said humorously.

"Yes, it's said that the Empire gifts flowers to friends and greets enemies with sharp swords." Francois also smiled: "We just don't know which side we belong to."

Thousands of Imperial Army troops appeared on the other side of the hill. The disciplined spear-wielders, the merciless halberdiers, and the majestic great swordsmen advanced slowly under the cover of archers, crossbowmen, and musketeers. The loyal Imperial Army lined up in several rows, waiting for the travelers.

Dressed in the finest plate armor, the noble warriors forming the heavy knights provided a solid backing for the Imperial Army. Wearing iron armor and kite helmets, with large feathers and ornate clothing indicating which Imperial province they hailed from, Laine quickly counted and realized there were over five Knight Corps present.

This was not surprising, as the Emperor's direct Rick Territory is the richest domain of the Empire, with over fifteen Knight Corps based in Rick Territory alone.

He even noticed the presence of Half-Griffin Knights.

The appearance of the four knights drew the attention of the entire Imperial Army, who stood still as if ordered, merely watching Laine and the others with sharp eyes.

Then, the entire Imperial Army's formation shifted like an artwork. The halberdiers and great swordsmen rearranged their positions, the Imperial Array rippling and undulating in the winter cold wind, and a narrow path appeared from the vast army formation as if out of nowhere.

"Tap~ tap~ tap." The heavy footsteps echoed along the path, wide enough for only one person, as a young great noble adorned in full Dwarf Masterwork Rune Plate Armor "Silver Seal", wielding the Human Emperor's Symbol Gail-Malaz, his helmet adorned with a huge kite feather, and cloaked in brown skeleton and family emblem, with a golden falcon shoulder armor on his left shoulder, while the falcon on the right shoulder seemed to form a double-headed eagle.

In his thirties, the young great noble appeared before all, his eyes bright, filled with supreme passion, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, he walked calmly out of the Imperial Array and approached Laine and the others.

"Hello, fellow human across the mountains, I am Carl Franz, many call me Emperor." Emperor of the Empire Carl Franz approached Laine and the others, escorted by the Imperial Army. Even though the Duke of Paragon declared war on the Empire, it did not affect the Emperor's good mood, nor did it cause him to harbor hostility towards Laine and the others.

Laine and the others dismounted and showed respect to Carl Franz: "Hello, Your Majesty Franz."

The Imperial Army almost instinctively aimed their weapons at Laine and Francois. The renown of Holy Grail Knights spread throughout the Old World, and the Imperial Army classified these two as dangerous individuals, forming a forest of weapons aimed at Laine and others.

"Hello, Mr. Francois, we met more than twenty years ago when I was just a teenager." The Emperor of the Empire used hearty laughter to cover the awkwardness, motioning for the Imperial Army to lower their weapons: "My father said you are a sensible man. I want to thank you for this matter."

"I remember when we met, I was in my fifties, His Majesty Luitpold was in his sixties, twenty years flew by, and the young boy has now become a mature Emperor." Francois remarked with some emotion.

"Indeed." Carl Franz nodded, then his gaze shifted to Laine: "Nice to meet you, 'Pious' Count Laine Macado, the Victor of the duel with the Chaos Champion, the Exile of the Great Magician of Nurgle, the Terminator of the Blood Red Duke, the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lady of the Lake. When I led the Imperial Army to support Mijordenhaven, we narrowly missed each other. Lastly, you accepted Brittania's invitation to become a lord, which I regret. The Empire lost an excellent warrior."

"Hello, Your Majesty Carl Franz." Laine respectfully nodded in greeting: "Please forgive me for not addressing you as Emperor, but I will call you Your Majesty."

"Why???"