Ryan and his family, along with Olica and the mother-daughter duo Teresa and Aurora, spent the night at Angron's estate. Ryan personally spent some time teaching young Devonhill how to harness his psychic abilities, then sent his son off to join Angron on a hunting trip in the Chalon Forest.
At Angron's estate, Ryan and his group settled comfortably into a two-story house with a small garden, perfectly sized for their group. After settling in and enjoying a lavish dinner, Ryan and Surya slipped away to the depths of the Chalon Forest, where they descended to the lakebed beneath Lily Island.
In a series of incubation pods, the five genetically engineered Grey Knights were nearing the final stages of their transformation, undergoing a rigorous process of indoctrination and psychic conditioning directed by Ryan himself.
These warriors would remember their families and childhood experiences, but the indoctrination ensured their utmost loyalty to their primarch and unwavering faith in the Emperor. Their reproductive instincts had been suppressed, leaving them as pure weapons of war, single-mindedly devoted to fighting until death.
Ryan marveled at the resilience of these five, who had miraculously survived the intense process, and mused briefly about giving them names like "Shun, Ikki, Seiya, Shiryu, and Hyoga."
"Are these your 'offspring'?" Surya asked, pressing her hand against the transparent cover of one pod, looking curiously at the five young warriors, who appeared to be in their twenties. "They all seem Bretonnian. Were they among the boys with magical talents that Lady Morgiana recruited?"
"Yes, they're 'Sons of Bretonnia,'" Ryan replied, gazing at the warriors with a mix of pride and detachment. He could feel a subtle psychic resonance between himself and his 'sons.' Still, unlike with Devonhill or young Frederick, he struggled to view them as his actual children; they felt more like tools or trusted servants.
He knew this perspective was likely ingrained in him as a primarch, programmed into his very DNA.
"How long until the final phase is complete?" he asked the Custodian, who oversaw the Grey Knights' development.
"At least another year," replied the Custodian, his tone slightly hesitant. "While your own modifications have greatly improved their stability, there's no guarantee all five will survive."
Ryan acknowledged this with a nod. "Very well, then. I'll leave it in your hands."
"Interestingly, it seems the Skaven are quite interested in something deep within Lily Island," the Custodian continued, sounding annoyed. He led Ryan and Surya to a corner where the skulls of Skaven assassins were arranged, their weapons cleansed and purified. "We've already dealt with multiple attempts, but I assure you, no one has made it through."
"Any further Skaven activity?" Ryan asked, holding up one of the skulls marked with a triangular Skaven symbol, while Surya took a few steps back, her face twisted in disgust at the sight.
"Not for the moment. It seems they've given up—for now," the Custodian replied with a stern nod, leaning on his halberd.
Ryan sighed, aware of how painfully slow the process of creating Grey Knights was. Years of preparation had finally brought him to this last step, after which these soldiers would become fully trained under his guidance, serving as his personal honor guard.
As they left Lily Island, Ryan clasped Surya's hand, savoring a rare moment of peace as the warm autumn breeze swept through the forest. "Surya, you'll be their mother in a way," he said with a smile.
Surya looked a bit wistful before her expression turned a little envious. "It's strange, but… I only gave birth to Devonhill, while Emilia has two of your children."
"Just giving birth to one is a huge achievement, my lady," Ryan teased, unable to keep the amusement off his face. "It's a merit worthy of recognition."
"Devonhill's a good child. He looks more like me," Surya mused with a soft smile. The boy's features indeed bore more resemblance to her.
"Frederick and Rem look more like Emilia. Sometimes I wonder if my genes aren't strong enough," Ryan joked, musing that none of his children seemed to inherit his own striking appearance.
They chatted idly for a while longer before Surya broached a more serious topic. "Ryan, what are your plans for Teresa and Aurora? Will they focus solely on intelligence, or continue with magic as well?"
"Whether magic is led by Veronica or Aurora makes little difference to us," Ryan admitted. "But Aurora has a tendency to act with her own agenda, whereas Veronica prioritizes our goals. As for Teresa, she isn't a strong administrator but has a knack for intelligence. I think she should focus on ice magic and research; I actually brought an ice magic tome back from the Phoenix Pyramid that could aid her studies."
"And Aurora?" Surya asked with a sly smile. "You've already entrusted her with quite a few important tasks, haven't you? She knows a lot about us now, so maybe it's time to tell her outright that she's bound to you. Make it clear that she's yours."
"Bold words," Ryan muttered, his brow twitching, though he chose not to dispute her observation. "Any suggestions, my lady?"
"I leave the details to you. Besides, Olica has already made some arrangements," Surya said with a sigh before changing the subject. "When will Karad and Tulas arrive?"
"Tomorrow," Ryan answered. He knew that Olica had likely placed some hidden restrictions on Aurora, but he considered it a necessary precaution.
Returning to the house, he saw young Devonhill galloping around the yard on a sabertusk, much to the tiger's visible irritation. The massive creature, over three meters long, reluctantly obeyed the boy's commands as Angron watched from nearby, a hunk of meat in his hand. When the sabertusk performed well, Angron would toss a small slice of meat for it to catch, each throw reaching the animal with precision.
Ryan glanced away, content to let his son run free.
Inside, Olica was busy crafting magical scrolls, while Teresa and Aurora, fresh from a bath, were seated in the study, absorbed in a magical tome that Ryan had "borrowed" from the Phoenix Pyramid. Entitled On the Origins of the Ancient Ice Relics and the Use of Ice Magic in the Far North by Kalador the Dragon Tamer, the book had become a treasured resource for the mother and daughter.
Since neither of them could read Elven script, they often turned to Olica or Ryan for help. Ryan, however, lacked both the time and the depth of knowledge to translate, so Olica had done a bit of translating for them.
After bathing, Ryan joined Teresa, where he and Olica assisted the two women in translating a section of the tome. Surya, seeing her husband at work, took her leave to go upstairs and read.
"Oh, Ryan," Teresa said suddenly, pulling out a document. "Recently, the Empire's court has seen an increase in activity from two strange new organizations. They've used the recent harvest and the barbarians' distraction to host numerous parties and charity events."
"What are these organizations called?" Ryan asked as he scanned the papers.
"One's called Epstein's Island, and the other is the Sea Dragon Pleasure Park," Aurora added. "They operate mainly around Marienburg, Altdorf, and Nuln."
Ryan frowned at the names, feeling they sounded oddly familiar but dismissing it as coincidence. "Keep an eye on them, but don't invest too much energy for now. The Empire has countless secret societies, and each has its own secrets and agendas—including your own Intelligence Section."
"Understood," Aurora and Teresa replied with a nod.
After a while, Ryan wrapped an arm around Teresa's waist, causing her to tense up. "Teresa?"
"R-Ryan…not with my mother right here," she whispered, a blush coloring her face. "Help me with one more passage, and then… you can do as you wish?"
"Deal!"
Seeing this, Aurora tactfully excused herself to prepare some warm milk in the kitchen. She added a generous portion of white powder to Teresa's cup, muttering to herself, It's for her own good, and it's for our future.
Come on, Teresa, make me proud! Aurora cheered silently, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Secretly, she had already begun planning a backup strategy.
You brought this on yourself, dear daughter.
The next day, Karad and Tulas, along with Ugroth General Belial, arrived at Angron's estate. Over the past months, Belial had been skillfully outmaneuvering the Imperial Suppression Committee of Marienburg, forcing Emperor Karl Franz to eventually disband the committee entirely due to the high cost in manpower and resources. However, Karl Franz still managed to extract a sizable sum from Marienburg's upper and lower chambers as compensation.
Ryan met with Karad and Tulas to discuss the army's deployment along the northern front. He also assigned Belial as the political commissar for the Northern Army, entrusting him with overseeing logistics and maintaining discipline.
Under the autumn canopy, Ryan, Surya, Karad, Tulas, and Belial gathered around a long table in the estate's courtyard. "You two will be in charge of the strategy, troop formations, and battlefield tactics," Ryan instructed. "As for maintaining discipline and handling negotiations with local nobility, Belial will assist you."
"Understood," Karad said earnestly. Though celebrated as a hero, Karad knew his strengths were on the battlefield, not in administration. "What should we do if some
duchies send more troops than the assigned numbers?"
"Select the best from each batch." Ryan nodded. "The quota remains at 700, no more. As for Mousillon, I'll assign you the Coldstream Guard, as well as Belial's Ugroth Regiment, all under your command."
"I don't suppose you'd lend us a company of the Old Guard?" joked Marquis Tulas with a smile. Though a powerful Sainted Grail Knight, he was well aware of Karad's reputation.
Ryan chuckled and said, "If you can convince my lady, I'll send a company of the Old Guard with you." The comment drew a playful glare from Surya, who pinched his cheek in mock annoyance.
With that, the group laughed it off, understanding that Ryan's elite guard would not be easily sent away.
"Oh, by the way, my lord… Catherine is pregnant," Karad announced somewhat bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "I joined the campaign to drive the greenskins from Black Mountain for three months, and when I returned, I discovered she was over a month along."
"Ah…?" Ryan raised an eyebrow, briefly wondering if someone else had fathered the child.
"No, no, she was with me the entire time," Karad quickly clarified. "Catherine followed the army to the front. Our son was born healthy and strong, though without any magical talent. I've named him Duranni de Galamont."
"Congratulations, Karad," Ryan said with a warm smile. "The House of Galamont finally has an heir. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes, I would like your support in legitimizing my marriage to Catherine," Karad replied solemnly. "But I'm facing strong opposition from the nobility due to her being a sorceress."
Ryan nodded. "I'll do what I can."
"Thank you," Karad replied gratefully.
"Until then, keep Catherine and Duranni here at Angron's estate," Ryan said. "This place is safe, so you can lead the troops without worry."
The meeting concluded, and under Karad, Tulas, and Belial's command, the northern army marched from the capital, ready to fortify the northern border against any potential threat.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]