"This is what a dark elf is like, huh?" Ryan sighed deeply.
It was truly...
"What happened, Ryan?" Morgiana, the Lady of the Lake, was still trying to piece everything together. Seeing Ryan in such a defeated and exhausted state, she instinctively felt displeased. "What is that dark elf up to? How did you end up like this?"
"Damn it," Ryan chuckled bitterly. "I almost fell into an abyss just now. She did it on purpose."
"On purpose? Ryan, what are you talking about?" Morgiana still didn't understand, but she quickly noticed how exhausted Ryan was. "Did Olica drain all your power? Why did you let her take it without any limits?"
"If I hadn't completely let go, she might not have been a match for her. But once I did, Olica easily lost control." Ryan shook his head with a bitter smile. "This is probably why most rulers prefer loyal but incompetent people over capable but uncontrollable ones."
"I don't understand what you mean..." Morgiana looked at Ryan's weakened state with heartache. "Alright, lie down quickly. I may not fully understand what happened between you and that dark elf, but it's clear that after draining your power, she ran off. Since that's the case, I'll take care of you during this time."
You might just end up making me even weaker, Ryan thought to himself, but the Sun King could only lie down and ask Morgiana to call Sulia over.
Morgiana didn't suspect anything. She helped Ryan lie down, carefully wiping the sweat off his body with a towel before leaving.
The empty training room was left with only a sigh.
After a while, Sulia arrived. "What's wrong, Ryan? I couldn't find Sylvia. I sent people to look for her and found her locked in the castle's wine cellar."
Ryan sighed and explained everything that had happened to Sulia and Morgiana.
"What?" Sulia was shocked. The Queen of Knights immediately said, "You're saying Olica..."
"That wretch! She actually wanted to kill you? You lent her all your power, and she wanted to kill you?" Morgiana was even more furious. The Lady of the Lake stood up, angrily grabbing her sacred chalice. "Alright, let's see how I deal with her!"
"Don't go, Morgiana. They have the numbers. Olica is now the supreme goddess of the underworld, the new Pale Queen. If you go looking for trouble, the only outcome will be her capturing you, brainwashing you, and most likely erasing your self-awareness, turning you into her slave." Ryan slowly shook his head, reaching out a hand to Morgiana.
Morgiana stomped her foot in frustration but had no choice but to put down her chalice and take Ryan's hand. "It's unimaginable. Olica is such a despicable person. After gaining so much from you, she actually wanted to kill you. From now on, we'll just pretend she never existed. Rest well, Ryan. You still have me, Sulia, and the Lady by your side."
Sulia looked at Ryan with deep concern. The Queen of Knights was wearing a dreamy white high-slit angel gown, paired with black seamless ultra-thin dark elf glossy stockings and a pair of bright red stiletto heels with pearl embellishments. Seeing that Morgiana hadn't moved, Sulia simply took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, letting Ryan rest against her ample chest.
"Ryan, I believe Olica isn't that kind of person," Sulia said earnestly. "Why would she kill you? She's been by your side for over twenty years. She's even a maid approved by your godfather. According to what you said, she became the new Pale Queen thanks to your full support. If she killed you, what would she gain? Could she escape the pursuit of Uncle Angron, Uncle Fulgrim, and Uncle Russ (Sulia now mostly followed Devonshire's way of addressing them)?"
"I understand Olica. She wouldn't do something that doesn't benefit her," Sulia concluded, shaking her head. The knight adjusted her position on the bed, letting Ryan enjoy her lap pillow. "She's a dark elf, right? My dear."
"Not necessarily. Dark elves are cruel, domineering, and advocate violence and brute strength," Morgiana interjected, envious of Sulia's position but still respectful of her. "It's not impossible."
"Hmm," Ryan nodded slightly, sighing softly. "Even though Olica said she would kill me, I know that no matter how I responded, she definitely wouldn't have killed me. Her words had another purpose."
"What purpose?" Morgiana was curious.
"Olica was actually here to break up with me," Ryan closed his eyes.
What?!
Both Sulia and Morgiana widened their eyes.
Olica wanted to break up with Ryan?!
"How could that be?!" Sulia was incredulous. The Queen of Knights anxiously said, "That doesn't make sense, Ryan. Even if all of this was part of Olica's plan, why would she want to break up with you?"
Ryan sighed softly.
Why would Olica, after successfully killing and devouring the Pale Queen, suddenly threaten Ryan by saying she planned to kill him? There were several layers to this.
"First, having great power naturally breeds the desire to kill. Olica successfully obtained the Pale Queen's divine status, divine essence, and divine duties. She is now the supreme goddess of the underworld. With such immense power and an army at her disposal, Olica instinctively wanted to test her strength. She couldn't help but want to display her authority. She felt as if she had become independent and no longer needed to rely on me. That's the first layer."
"Indeed, any bureaucrat, upon taking office or being promoted, instinctively seeks to explore the boundaries of their power and display their authority," Sulia nodded in understanding. "But..."
"Let me finish," Ryan gestured for her to wait. "Then, Olica enjoyed the thrill of overthrowing her superior, which felt wonderful to her. So, she couldn't resist wanting to try it again."
"..." Sulia and Morgiana remained silent.
Ryan continued.
The third layer was Olica's initial hint, her opening statement: "I've already taken care of her for you, Master" and "Anything useless is better off discarded." This was a very dark elf-like test, probing whether Ryan still considered himself worthy of being her master.
At that moment, Ryan was shocked and, due to his severe loss of strength, his mind was too muddled to think clearly. However, Ryan knew that in that situation, if he had immediately begged for mercy and admitted defeat, he would no longer be worthy of being Olica's master.
If Ryan had tried to act tough, playing the hero against overwhelming odds, criticizing the dark elf for being dishonorable, he would also have been unworthy of being Olica's master. The so-called "unyielding in the face of force" might move a knight like Sulia, but it meant nothing to a dark elf.
In that critical moment, Ryan could only respond with "I don't want to drink right now" and "You succeeded?" meaning "I truly can't oppose you in this state" and "Your power comes from me."
He needed to buy time to think.
Then Ryan expressed disappointment, disappointment in Olica's betrayal and in his own decision. This made Olica hesitate, as she still had deep feelings for Ryan, along with other factors. The new Pale Queen began to reconsider her decision.
After that, Olica revealed the truth to Ryan. This conversation was meant to reclaim the initiative in the discussion. Olica aimed to tell Ryan that while he had indeed been good to her and she loved him, their relationship was ultimately one of mutual benefit. She candidly admitted that her initial goal had been to use Ryan. If they broke up, they would remain allies, but no longer lovers.
Seeing the conversation being completely steered by Olica, Ryan had to forcefully interrupt her rhythm by slapping the bed and calling for help. Otherwise, if he had let the dark elf continue, Olica's arrogance would have flared up, and Ryan, in his weakened state, would have struggled to respond. For thousands of years, dark elves had been influenced by the Bloody-Handed God Khaine's madness, often acting on impulse without considering the consequences.
Olica's burgeoning arrogance was interrupted. Then, the fourth layer emerged: Olica hinted to Ryan that she didn't like sharing a man with Lileath. Now that she was also a goddess, she wouldn't tolerate another goddess in Ryan's life.
At this point, Ryan, his mind still foggy, finally understood. Olica was here to break up. He sarcastically said, "Thank you for sparing my life."
If you want to break up, just do it! No need to test me! The initiative is yours, not mine.
Sure enough, these words stung Olica, bringing her back to her senses.
Did Ryan really need to thank Olica? No, obviously not. On the contrary, wasn't it Olica who should be thanking him?
Thus, her feelings for Ryan once again took precedence in Olica's mind. After some thought, the supreme goddess of the underworld and the new Pale Queen finally made her decision. She told Ryan, "Let's not break up after all," and "Don't overthink it. I was momentarily confused. I will always be your dark elf maid."
This was the fifth layer.
With this, the intricate game of words and probing between the Grey Knight Primarch Ryan Malcador and the new Pale Queen Olica Discortia came to an end.
After this long "reading comprehension" and "thesis defense," Ryan and Olica, following Olica's rapid rise in power and status, managed to reestablish a stable and solid relationship.
Olica ultimately decided to still recognize Ryan as her master, even though she was no longer the same and had become the supreme goddess of the underworld.
After saying all this, Ryan, who had finally passed the test, was drenched in sweat.
This is the dark elf way.
They excel at using subtle and tactful words to convey their reasoning and enjoy manipulating emotions to steer conversations in their favor. Their silver tongues can soothe past wounds, and their clever words can compensate for previous losses and sacrifices.
In some ways, Olica is even more dangerous and harder to deal with than Lileath.
Ryan was certain that if not for the legacy of Malcador's spirit marks in his mind, today's conversation would have drastically altered his relationship with Olica after her ascension to godhood. Even if they hadn't completely broken up, their master-servant and romantic relationship would never have been the same.
If he had gotten angry right away, or been too shocked by Olica's revelations to think straight, or if he had stubbornly clung to his pride, constantly reminding her of his status as the Sun King, the embodiment of knightly virtues, and a Primarch, the negotiation would have failed.
It didn't matter if Sulia and Morgiana didn't understand. Ryan explained it to them himself, because this level of "encrypted dialogue" only existed within the countless intrigues of the elven courts and the probing exchanges among the High Lords of Terra.
"Ryan, are you really human?" Morgiana felt dizzy, shaking her head involuntarily. "The deepest, darkest court intrigues I've seen don't even come close to the riddle-like exchanges between you and Olica."
"My dear, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but how do you even choose your maids? An Elector Countess is your maid, and now a dark elf goddess is your maid!" Sulia's political acumen and wisdom were naturally far beyond Morgiana's. She had already figured it out. The Queen of Knights crossed her arms, her expression a mix of concern and reproach. "Look at you, almost causing a huge mess. The Lady warned you long ago, but you didn't listen!"
"Have some faith in me, Sulia," Ryan sighed again. The Sun King was truly exhausted. "Sometimes, when faced with a problem, there are ten solutions—nine normal ones and one optimal one. But due to various constraints, I might not be able to immediately choose the optimal solution. Only my brother, the former Wolf King Horus, could do that. All I can do is solve the problem as quickly as possible, whether it's a normal solution or the optimal one. In that situation, there was no time to overthink. You can't always demand the optimal solution for everything."
Sulia and Morgiana both smiled at this. Yes, Ryan was still human. He couldn't be held to the perfect standards of a saint every time. Even his brother Fulgrim couldn't do that.
"Will Olica be able to help us in the upcoming war?" Sulia, distressed by Ryan's weakened state, stopped criticizing his decisions and instead focused on the potential consequences.
"She definitely will, but it will take some time," Ryan nodded. "She needs time to rally and gather the Pale Queen's followers, and to assemble and train the Pale Queen's underworld army."
"But we don't have time," Sulia said anxiously. "Ryan, Lauren sent a message from the front lines."
"Even with the support of the Ostland and Ostermark armies from the Empire, our northern forces are barely holding on. When the next Chaos tide comes, Praag will surely fall."
"Send orders to our northern forces. They must hold out for a few more months, until winter," Ryan said solemnly. "Also, notify Marshal Calard and Marshal Rokossovsky to begin organizing the troops. After the autumn harvest, they are to march immediately to Erengrad and head to Karak Kadrin via the Dark Water River. Inform the Norse Dwarf King, Thorgard Redbeard."
"You're planning..." Sulia's eyes lit up.
"Prepare for the Great Evacuation Plan."
"The operation is codenamed—Steam Engine."
... I am the dividing line of the Steam Engine operation ...
Meanwhile, in the distant and frigid land of Naggaroth.
The dark elves' northern fortress wall had been destroyed. The heads of 86,000 elite dark elf border guards were piled into a Khornate skull pyramid taller than the obsidian walls.
A Chaos army over a hundred kilometers long, led by the Blood Queen, the Bride of Khorne, and the Norse Valkyrie Valkia, was advancing deep into Naggaroth. As they progressed, the army split into two. One force attacked the main temple of Khaine and the Executioner's City of Har Ganeth, ruled by the Bride of Khorne, Hellebron.
The other force, led by the Bride of Khorne herself, marched straight for Naggarond, the capital of the dark elves and the city of the Witch King.
Across the barren wasteland of Naggaroth, a fast horse galloped, passing only rocks, streams, mountains, and ice.
The towering black walls, gates, and spires of Naggarond loomed like a colossal monster in the heart of Naggaroth. This was the jewel of the Witch King, the capital of the dark elves.
With the Witch King absent, the captain of the Black Guard, Kouran Darkhand, received terrifying news from a messenger.
"Our northern defenses have fallen! Almost all our troops have been routed or slaughtered!"
"In five days at most, the Blood Queen and her Chaos army, with an incalculable number of troops stretching dozens of kilometers, will arrive at the gates of Naggarond."
This explanation is provided to help readers understand the "riddle-like dialogue" between Ryan and Olica.
I hope readers who are quick to criticize Ryan for his perceived shortcomings can be a bit more patient.
Moreover, even the Emperor is human, and the Primarchs are human too. They have their own emotions, joys, and sorrows. They have moments of strength and weakness, and they make mistakes. This is inevitable. Deifying the Emperor and the Primarchs, treating them as saints or perfect beings, is something the Emperor himself despised!
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.