Warhammer Divine Throne

The issue lies here: Laine is currently making waves in the kingdom, being the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lake Fairy. He killed the Red Duke and banished the Great Nurgle Demon, so the great nobles dare not openly provoke him.

Richard had to bite the bullet and send an official letter, demanding that Laine investigate the population within his domain, with the underlying intention of returning the escapees.

However, Laine is no fool. The importance of population goes without saying, and he certainly will not return the escapees.

”Returning them is not an option, it will never be an option in this lifetime.” Laine looked at the king’s letter and smiled at Amelia, ”Having children is too slow, only by sheltering escapees can the population be quickly expanded.”

”You’re annoying! Why are you suddenly talking about that, having children and all...” Amelia blushed, clearly thinking of something else. ”Laine, you’re really... We’re discussing serious matters here!”

Where was his little maid thinking? Laine frowned, turning his gaze to the female knight.

As it turns out, Surya’s face was also blushing, obviously misunderstanding as well.

”In any case, I definitely won’t return these escapees; it’s hard to come by such a population,” Laine quickly added.

”But... what about His Majesty’s order?” Surya furrowed her brow.

In Brittania, although Richard’s royal power is weak, the knightly spirit is deeply ingrained in the country’s bones. Unlike the Empire, where a powerful Prince-Elector can ignore or even dismiss the Emperor’s orders, Laine, as the king’s vassal, at least had to give a superficial explanation.

”Actually, it’s quite simple; everyone has some responsibility in this matter,” Laine said with a smile.

Yes, sheltering escapees was indeed underhanded on Laine’s part, but what caused the emergence of escapees? It was because the nobles themselves did not manage their peasants well, leading to this situation.

Can’t manage your own peasants? And now you blame me for sheltering escapees? What kind of logic is that?

”Indeed, all of His Majesty Richard’s letters do not mention escapees at all,” Surya said, picking up the king’s letter and reading it again. ”Look, Laine, His Majesty Richard only asks you to investigate the population, ensure security, guard against bandits, and monitor the movement of vagrants. He didn’t mention anything about escapees.”

”That’s true.” Laine nodded, beginning to share his speculations with the female knight and the little maid.

Richard’s letter reveals many pieces of information.

First, without a doubt, the northern peasant uprising has been quelled by the nobles, or at least they have basically controlled the situation. Only then could the nobles conduct a population investigation, discovering a large number of escapees, and realizing that southern nobles, led by Laine, were secretly absorbing escapees.

Secondly, Laine’s power has grown strong, and the northern nobles clearly fear him, so they dare not demand forcefully, but instead speak in a roundabout way.

”I have a bad feeling that the peasant revolt may only be temporarily suppressed,” Laine said to Surya. ”The nobles’ severe repression and moderate concessions can temporarily put the peasants on hold, but the fundamental contradiction has not been changed or shifted.”

The little maid and the female knight nodded silently, fully aware that as long as the fundamental Ten-Nine Tax issue remains, even if the peasant revolt is suppressed, it will only be temporary. The nobles’ losses need compensation, and the peasants’ future food insecurity will continue.

Laine believes the winter wheat harvest can temporarily ease the conflict between nobles and peasants. However, as the spring plowing season comes and goes, and the harvesting season passes, during the lean months of May and June, peasants will again face food shortages.

By then, when contradictions are rekindled, it will lead to even greater riots and turmoil, and Laine does not believe Chaos will remain indifferent to this matter.

He shared his assessment with the female knight and the little maid.

”Laine...” Surya looked worriedly at her fiancé.

”Prepare the army. I want to train an elite infantry corps that can hold the line because training more knights is no longer feasible,” Laine said softly, holding the female knight’s small hand. ”The revolt is not accidental; what we can do is to be prepared.”

”Hmm!” Surya nodded firmly, sneaking a glance at Amelia, who was still in the room, then decided to plant a kiss on Laine’s cheek. ”Let me help you.”

”All right!”

Amelia adjusted her skirt, her face changing colors. Finally, she quietly got up and also kissed Laine’s cheek. ”Laine, don’t worry, Surya Sister and I will both help you.”

After doing this, Amelia hid her face with a pillow on the sofa, becoming an ostrich.

......

Laine’s response quickly reached the Kulona Palace.

The Count’s attitude in his reply was quite ambiguous. He first questioned why the northern nobles failed to manage their subjects, causing a large number of them to head south, affecting the security of his domain and resulting in serious chaos.

Then Laine’s reply stated that from a broad perspective, he did not intend to pursue the northern nobles for this issue anymore. He ”graciously” said he wouldn’t hold them accountable, and that he would handle the security issues himself.

Finally, Laine ”kindly” indicated that the escaped peasants flowing into his lands were not as many as they imagined, though indeed there were some. He mentioned he would return about three to five hundred escapees, sending them back to their original duchies.

But in reality, the escapees Laine returned were all found to be idle and lazy. Laine didn’t want them at all. Returning them was not an issue for him.

Richard was speechless with anger, and the northern Dukes and great nobles temporarily had no energy to bother Laine; many of them hadn’t even finished harvesting their winter wheat, and the chaotic security was forcing the lords to dispatch large armies to resolve it.

No noble dared to trouble Laine at this moment.

Unknown to anyone, while Brittania was busy dealing with its internal affairs, the Northern Wasteland across the sea was stirring, particularly the Skalings Tribe.

The Skalings Tribe was honored as one of the northernmost cunning yet strongest tribes. Since the descent of Northern Chaos, it had loyally served under the banner of the God of Darkness, becoming followers of the Evil God.

This was a barren, frozen strip of land in the Northern Old World. Legend has it that this place was once blessed by the immortal gods, being the eternal home and nest of countless nameless, shapeless monsters.

Men and women of the northern tribes devoted themselves to the God of Chaos, all of them fur-wearing warriors and wild, hairy strongmen, without exception, were mighty warriors.

But even among these strong warriors, the king of the Skalings Tribe, ”Red Eye” Egil Steelbjorn, could still be considered one of the greatest warriors. He worshipped the Blood God Khorne and self-identified as the ”Soul Hunter” and ”Norsca Butcher.” After challenging and killing his father, he led the entire tribe for several centuries. Whether other Barbarian Tribes or Chaos Champions, powerful Doomsday Dragon Demons, northern terrifying Beastmen, or giant sea serpents, this great king annihilated them all, adding a new chapter to the bloody halls of Khorne.

For this, he earned Khorne’s favor. Khorne chose him as his Divine Chosen Champion, and blessings from the Blood God granted him extraordinary longevity and immortality.

The regret of this Khorne’s Divine Chosen Champion was that he had no heir. Innumerable Barbarian warrior women were willing to become his consorts and share his bed, but they all, without exception, only bore daughters, not a single woman could give him a true Barbarian warrior son.

For having slain tens of thousands of enemies for the Blood God, he never succeeded in having a son.

So, the Divine Chosen Champion of Khorne decided to set out alone, crossing the Chaos Wasteland, slaying countless demons and even a Chaos Great Demon. Afterwards, he returned to the Skalings Tribe, clad in red Chaos Armor, wielding a Hell Battleaxe, his armor adorned with iron strands decorating his flowing golden hair and beard poking from beneath the armor, his pale eyes gleaming with Khorne’s fury, and his splendid armor hanging with skulls as trophies of his brutal victories, offering these skulls to the Blood God Khorne.

He then prayed on an altar made from countless skulls to the Supreme Blood God.

The Divine Chosen Champion of Khorne desired a son.

His plea was answered by Khorne; the Blood God’s oracle descended upon him.

”The woman who can bear you a son is in the south, in Brittania.”

”Go forth, destroy the southern inferiors, and bring true civilization to them, my champion.”