The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

In the following days, the Electors arrived in Brunswick one after another. While some of them showed no interest in the High Elves, others even wished that the High Elves would perish. Nevertheless, the name Tigris still held significant sway in the Old World, and regardless of their personal feelings toward this supreme archmage, the Electors were all invited to attend the imperial congress.

With two days remaining before the congress, Emperor Karl-Franz decided to gather his staunch supporters for a small meeting.

The attendees included the Emperor himself, the Standard Bearer Ludwig Schwarzhammer, Marshal Kurt Helborg, the Archbishop of the Church of Justice known as "the Resolute" Wickmar, the Grand Duke of Averland and Elector Umberto Corleone of Toscana, the Grand Duke of Ostermark and Elector Vamir von Rukov of Wolfrat, and the Grand Alchemist Balthasar Gelt.

These individuals were all die-hard supporters of Karl-Franz. Elector Umberto had deep familial ties with the imperial family, while Elector Vamir was particularly close to the Emperor—he had originally been the Grand Master of the Bull Knights of Ostermark, and upon the extinction of the previous Elector's family, the former Emperor Leopold had appointed Vamir as the new Grand Duke of Ostermark and Elector of Wolfrat.

In the narrow victory against Boris Todbringer, it was Vamir's relentless efforts that persuaded three other Electors to switch their support, securing Karl's victory.

The imperial "Iron Triangle" consisted of the Emperor, Marshal Rik and the Royal Chief Warlock. However, as had always been the case, Karl-Franz respected the current Royal Chief Warlock, Senus Gehrman, more than he relied on him, preferring to trust the Grand Alchemist Balthasar Gelt, whom he had personally promoted.

Gelt was not only powerful in magic and outstanding in strength but also possessed a logical mind. To the Emperor, the most precious quality of the Grand Alchemist was his loyalty.

Loyalty was paramount, as the Emperor was constantly troubled by the endless internal conflicts within his army and the imperial court. Karl-Franz understood all too well that everyone had their own demands and interests, especially the nobles, who, while being loyal subjects of the empire, were also members of various families always seeking more land and titles. The mages focused solely on their experiments and securing more funding, while the high archbishops of the churches had ambitions to spread their faith and build more temples.

As Emperor, managing different opinions, mediating disputes, and balancing major powers consumed much of Karl-Franz's effort. He knew why some materials and military funds suffered transport losses or "disappeared", but he was powerless to prevent it. Ensuring that major quantities remained correct was already a significant achievement.

But none of these concerns seemed to affect Gelt, who appeared to always consider the Emperor and humanity first. Beyond the common desire of all mages to become the Royal Chief Warlock and to increase their power, what remained in Gelt was loyalty. He even wrote a golden booklet that circulated and was studied by everyone at the Alchemy College.

The practice of morning lessons, prayers, and recitations of holy words had become routine at the Alchemy College, where the alchemists loudly proclaimed "for the Emperor" and "for Holy Terra," much to the personal comfort of the Emperor each time he heard them.

Loyalty indeed.

The Emperor looked over the entire imperial court and, after much thought, still felt that Gelt was the most loyal.

He had researched the ancient phrase "holy Terra" and understood it to mean "sacred earth." In his heart, there was no doubt that he was the heir to all the sacred legacies of Charlemagne, from the mountains to the seas.

The small circle gathered, eating and discussing the issue brought by Tigris.

Tigris had come to the empire primarily with two major suggestions and one minor, accompanying proposal.

The imperial palace was magnificent and had housed the Franz-Frederick family since Emperor Leopold. The wood floors, covered in high-quality animal skins, showcased the exceptional craftsmanship of the court artisans, and the room was decorated with luxurious and grand furnishings, featuring black furniture with gold gilded patterns made of real gold.

The dining table was laden with delicacies from the Old World, including pepper beef stew from Averland, Lake God cheese from the Duchy of Carcassonne in Bretonnia, roasted bear paw from Kislev, blueberry jam cake from the High Elves, and honey cinnamon spelt bread meticulously prepared by halfling chefs from Mootland. Of course, fresh vegetables from the fertile farms near Brunswick were also present.

The beverage was "Civet Coffee" from the Kingdom of Tilea, priced at a hundred gold marks

 per small jar.

"Lord Tigris has brought two proposals," began Karl-Franz. "The first is that he hopes the empire can unite to save itself, as Ludwig taught us that a united empire is much stronger than a divided one. Now, with Egil dead, the fighting capability of Norsca has significantly weakened. We need to concentrate our forces to help resolve the threats from the Central Mountains and the beastmen tribes in the Drakwald Forest."

The Emperor's implication was that he wanted to centralize the power of the Electors under his command.

"Heresy must be purged," stated Archbishop Wickmar. "All evil must be cleansed by fire."

"The army needs time to rest, my liege," Marshal Kurt Helborg raised an objection. "We have just defeated the barbarians."

"Hochland indeed needs help," said the Grand Duke of Ostermark and Elector of Wolfrat, Vamir, whose province bordered Hochland. Historically, these two provinces had often fought side by side.

"...I think we need to pay more attention to the movements at Black Fire Pass, Karl. Those damn greenskins could come back at any time," Elector Umberto offered a differing view.

The Emperor's smile faltered.

Despite both Vamir and Umberto being his supporters, the Electors were still primarily concerned with their own interests. Why did no one mention Drakwald? Because the Electors had subconsciously forgotten about that region, which was owned by Boris Todbringer. Without any benefits, the Electors would not send troops.

"Gelt, what do you think?" the Emperor asked the Grand Alchemist.

"My liege, now is not the time to discuss sending troops," Gelt pondered before continuing. "The problem with the Central Mountains has persisted for thousands of years, and historically, imperial forces have failed multiple times to retake the Brass Fortress. As for Black Fire Pass, the dwarfs have not reported any significant movement by the greenskins. Instead of hastily forming a coalition army, we should hold a military parade in the imperial capital and invite representatives from all imperial provinces to participate."

The Emperor's eyes lit up. Indeed, a parade! This was something all Electors could accept and would also aid his centralization efforts. Compared to the Emperor's eagerness to form a coalition army for a campaign, this idea was much better.

"Let's do that then."

With the first matter discussed, they moved on to the second topic.

"Lord Tigris proposes that humans, elves, and dwarfs form a new alliance called the 'Council of Light,'" the Emperor continued. "Should the Eternal Electorate of Chaos indeed move southward, the elves, dwarfs, and humans will unite and fight side by side, obeying a unified command."

The real drama began. Tigris's suggestion was precisely why he had come to the Old World.

To establish a cross-species grand alliance in preparation for the arrival of the Eternal Electorate of Chaos!

"No! Absolutely not! The order of mankind shall not allow the alien to interfere!" Archbishop Wickmar was the first to speak out, angrily stating, "Charlemagne watches over us! We will not allow the empire's domestic affairs to be interfered with by elves!"

"The elves will not interfere with the empire's internal affairs. Lord Tigris hopes we can form an alliance to confront the threat of Chaos," the Emperor emphasized.

However, this proposal, which the Emperor found appealing, was met with indifference by the others. Elector Umberto mumbled something, but no one understood what he said.

Standard Bearer Ludwig was not fond of speaking much, and Helborg disagreed as well.

"The Council of Light? Then who would be the chair?" Marshal Kurt's long beard trembled in the candlelight and the pale yellow magical light. "If an elf is the chair, then should we listen to the elf or to Your Majesty when the time comes? If the elf asks us to die for them or to cover their retreat, should we obey? If a human is the chair, when we need the elves to sacrifice or cover our retreat, would the pointy ears accept it?"

"Lord Tigris is not that kind of person..." the Emperor continued to argue, but Helborg countered sharply: "But Tigris cannot represent all elves! He is not the Phoenix King! And even if he were, what about the Eternal Queen of the High Elves?"

This statement hit the nail on the head. Everyone present nodded, and even Emperor Karl had to admit that Helborg was right.

"I think I also find it difficult to accept fighting alongside elves. I mean, we can form an allied army with the elf troops and cooperate in combat, but you're talking about mixing our units... I think I cannot accept that," Elector Vamir muttered. "My soldiers wouldn't accept it either."

"Who is more stubborn, a man from Ostermark or a dwarf? I

 think it must be the dwarf, because dwarfs always live longer."

—An Empire Joke

The people of Ostermark were famously stubborn and vengeful, as well as famously patriotic and strong. The red bull flag had guarded humanity in the north for two thousand five hundred years. Before Charlemagne established the empire, this flag had stood against the Chaos invasions from the north in the Old World.

For two thousand five hundred years, the people of Ostermark had stood firm, and the red bull flag with its black and white checkerboard shield had never fallen in the empire's north. It was a song of loyalty.

Elector Vamir's will represented the will of the northern people of the empire, causing the Emperor anxiety. He felt that many things were taken for granted. In the more civilized, enlightened, and prosperous southern parts of the empire, the people might be willing to accept elves participating in the war. However, in the north, where the people had been fighting barbarians for thousands of years, the northern temperament was foul and hard, and they were extremely hostile to foreigners.

"We need an alliance, but not one of humans, elves, and dwarfs. It should be an alliance between Your Majesty, Count Ryan, and Lord Tigris," Grand Alchemist Gelt suddenly spoke, expressing his view with sincere conviction. "Lord Tigris has deep ties with the empire, which everyone knows, but you have overlooked some important factors."

"What insights does my loyal Grand Alchemist have?" the Emperor asked with a smile.

"This important factor is Earl Ryan Macado of Glamorgan," Gelt said with his metallic, eerie voice. "You all know that the main reason Lord Tigris came to the Old World is not to establish some Council of Light, but to attend Earl Ryan's wedding." This showed that Earl Ryan held a place in Lord Tigris's heart even before the empire.

"Being able to kill Red Eye Egil Stilbjorn, Ryan is a capable man, but obviously, he has many more secrets," the Emperor said calmly. "You all must know about the wedding, right? Ryan has seven brothers, real brothers."

"These seven brothers are all demigods," Elector Umberto whispered. "Although we do not know the exact strength of these seven demigods, since the brothers are all demigods, then Earl Ryan, in the future, will definitely be a demigod or even a true god!"

"His biological father must be a true god who left his child to be raised by mortals," Archbishop Wickmar added. "And his father is definitely not a malevolent god, which we can trust."

Demigods vary in strength; some are very strong, while others are relatively weaker—it varies from person to person. However, it is universally acknowledged that Ryan's future will be that of an incredibly powerful demigod. From his debut to the present, Ryan's military exploits have been numerous, and his future prospects are an open secret to everyone.

The guests at the wedding stirred much speculation among various powers, although such topics were seldom discussed. In a world where true gods exist, gossiping carelessly can easily attract divine punishment.

"Earl Ryan's future is not just that. From his rise to becoming a sanctified figure, it only took a few years. Don't forget, he is only thirty years old this year. Tigris is betting on him, and it's clear the two have already formed an alliance. Therefore, our empire should go with the flow and also ally with Earl Ryan. Whether the Council of Light is a reliable proposal, we do not know, but allying with a future demigod or even a true god is absolutely necessary!" Gelt declared righteously. "Ryan is a noble of Bretonnia; he has no chance of infringing on your interests. And gentlemen, think about it, if we have such a prestigious and personally courageous Champion of the Gods as our ally in the fight against evil, how much more confidence could we gain?"

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Yes! Even if Ryan's personal bravery is strong, he is ultimately a human, our kin. He will stand with us. Moreover, he is not only a noble of Bretonnia but also the Chosen Champion of the Lady of the Lake!

This shows that Ryan is already tied to the knightly kingdom across the mountains; he cannot significantly affect the interests of the empire's people!

This alliance is feasible!

Even Emperor Karl-Franz thought this suggestion was very feasible. The Emperor himself suddenly laughed.

"That's why I let Emanuelle stay by his side as a maid."

"Too bad his marriage was arranged by the Lady of the Lake, otherwise..."

—Updated! Today's chapter is substantial and rich, isn't it? So, please vote for it!

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