The Grand Sister rode on horseback, advancing side by side with the female knight.
The news was first spread into the city by the angry Expeditionary Force, and it quickly spread among the residents.
Because of the stupidity of the Veling people, they were facing the possibility of perishing alongside this foreign city!
The Shaman's angry accusations outside the city finally let the defenders know the reason. All people with moral conscience and a demand for conviction and honor deeply despised this action, feeling a profound sense of humiliation that it happened to them, in their city, as well as the anger of being deceived and misrepresented.
"Fuck them! The rich fat cats in the council! We die on the front lines, and they treat our lives like chess pieces in the rear!"
"Fuck the forests and mountains! If I'm going to die, I'll take a few of the council's leeches with me before I go!"
"Peace! Tell the tribe, what the people of Veling want is peace!"
Residents blocked both sides of the road, hoarsely pouring out their various thoughts to the new delegation. They constantly cursed and condemned the previous envoy and the people who ordered him to do such a stupid thing, but everyone shared a common demand:
Tell the tribe, the people of Veling are not enemies!
If the city defense forces weren't still somewhat rational, the angry residents would have overthrown the council. The Speaker seemed to have kept Partridge and the others to monitor them, putting on a front that they would perish together if necessary; in reality, he also didn't dare to show his face in public anymore.
At the end of the day, he was the Speaker. If he hadn't nodded, or at least tacitly consented, such a thing would never have happened.
Urged by all sides and amidst the surging public outrage, the Grand Sister of the Order was nominated to join the delegation, holding full authority to represent the will of the defenders.
Soldiers and residents shouted: "We have bled enough for the city and the kingdom. If the council does anything stupid to enrage the tribe again, please have them clearly distinguish between those who want to be friends and those who are damned fools!"
The people also pleaded with the Sister: "Grand Sister Helen, we believe in you, just as we would believe in a Grand Sister of Myrmidia. We entrust you with full authority to represent the opinions of the Veling people. Please keep a close eye on the fools in the council for us, and convey our true voices!"
And so, bearing the hopes of the vast majority of the people, the Grand Sister, with two companions, shouldered her warhammer, mounted her warhorse, and joined the delegation.
Out of anger and distrust toward the council, the Expeditionary Force aggressively inserted their own envoys as well. The entire delegation numbered around thirty to forty people, ten of which were from the Imperial Expeditionary Force, half of whom were from the previous five-hundred-man cavalry unit.
They were genuinely terrified of getting screwed to death by the inexplicable, bizarre maneuvers of the Veling Council.
That would be far too unjust.
Originally, the female knight had not joined the delegation. But ever since she came into contact with the tribe, she had always felt a sense of déjà vu; those suspicious red-skinned beasts closely resembled the ones she had seen before.
It was just that the former numbered far more.
There was also that rarely seen Beastlord, of whom she had caught only a fleeting glimpse during the previous battle, who made her feel a sense of familiarity.
After leaving Grand Sister Theseus, Celestine always felt as if she was missing something. It was as if a profound memory had been gouged out, leaving behind an illusory facade, making her memories of the time before and after it somewhat blurry and unclear.
And Al didn't know that on the night he claimed the Paladin, he had simultaneously participated in a blasphemous ritual far away in a temple outside Bilbali, completing a grand, corrupted revelry.
From afar, he could see the unrest occurring within the city. The defenders had focused their attention on the traitors and fools inside the city, relaxing their vigilance and letting their defenses slacken.
If previously he still needed to plan out a siege strategy to minimize casualties, now he could just steamroll right over them. How could a militia with no will to fight, exhausted to the bone, resist the Beastman vanguard who rejoiced at the scent of battle and reveled in combat?
The appearance of the delegation was also within his expectations. He immediately had the Beastmen move, adopting an even more aggressive posture, while having the Shaman and guards ride the Great Stags to meet the envoys.
On one side, a ruined city;
On the other, a majestic, imposing legion;
One side was exhausted and fraught with internal strife, while the other was full of energy and high morale.
The representatives of both sides met on the dirt path on the plains between the legion and Veling.
Upon meeting, the Shaman asked murderously: "Treacherous humans, have you come here to surrender to the tribe?"
"If so, my Lord will still await you with mercy. We shall level Veling in retaliation, but those who offer no resistance may take their property and families and find their own way."
"This is the utmost leniency my Lord can bestow upon oath-breakers, but Veling must be destroyed."
Having said its piece, the Shaman shut its mouth, observing the newcomers with cold eyes.
The envoys had no choice but to send forth their most eloquent members, ceaselessly explaining the twists, turns, and misunderstandings involved, begging for an audience with the leader of the tribe.
The Shaman's emphasis on the word "treacherous" caused many in the delegation to show expressions of guilt and shame, which was exactly what Al had specifically instructed it to highlight.
Using such words to continuously reinforce their image as the victim, making the Veling people feel guilty, ashamed, and willing to compensate. Then, Al would generously step forward and declare:
Although you did blah blah blah, due to our common enemy blah blah blah, the tribe can temporarily overlook your actions blah blah blah. We cast aside past grievances to jointly fight the foreign enemy.
Under these circumstances, the Estalians' wariness and resistance toward him would likely decrease, making it easier to accomplish Al's plan of integration and assimilation.
Therefore, the "victim monument" had to be built solidly, but it couldn't be too extreme—like the Dwarf stunties, clinging to a grudge and never letting go. Ultimately, it was a tool to fight for benefits, whether those benefits were tangible or illusory.
He had to channel the anger of both sides onto the so-called "small handful of stubborn xenophobes." A misunderstanding occurred, the truth finally comes to light, a small group of saboteurs was causing trouble, the ice of friendship is broken, the alliance continues, the Veling people secure their lives and property, and Al gets what he wants.
A win-win!
Then the boy saw Celestine, riding side by side with another female warrior who had short white hair, cradling her helmet, her face full of resolute fortitude.
Oh crap!
The contact with the Expeditionary Force had been too mundane, causing no ripples, which made Al somewhat forget the most critical point!
The centaur!
The female knight might not know what the Khorngors meant, but she would absolutely remember Alina, who had almost killed her!
And as luck would have it, the centaur girl, wearing her helmet, was standing right behind Al.
Al had thought his physique and appearance were too young, not enough to intimidate the humans...
Okay, fine, he just wanted to cosplay.
The Everchosen has an extraordinary bearing, but the halberd-wielding centaur behind him, now that is a true hero!
She's wearing a helmet... so she shouldn't be recognizable?
Al looked at his adoptive mother.
The centaur girl's red pupils shrank. With a tacit understanding, she immediately realized what her adopted son was trying to say. She irritably pawed her hind hooves, turned, and walked behind the guards.
Al felt a bit guilty. He had wronged the centaur again. With his adoptive mother's temperament, if the centaur girl were leading the army, she would already be building skull pyramids out of resistors' heads in the city right now.
Then, through the mental link, his adoptive centaur mother sent a message: "Come with me tonight."
Al instantly felt his mouth go dry.
Out on a military campaign, the only close people around were the adoptive mother and the boy. The rest were subordinates. He did bring a few sturdy Beastman maids, responsible for personal daily care.
The centaur girl had chopped off a pile of Greenskin heads, which served as a bit of a vent, but clearly it wasn't enough to satisfy her.
She needed her adopted son to soothe her using another kind of combat method, off the battlefield.
The matter at hand was still resolving this dispute.
Even though the actual goal wasn't to squeeze a certain amount of compensation from them, the Veling people had to pay a sufficient price. Otherwise, a lesson without pain wouldn't be remembered for long.
Al riding a Griffon truly made the eyes of many envoys light up with envy, such as the Imperials—especially the Imperials.
What warrior born in the Empire didn't want a noble, dangerous beast companion?
Skulls, warhammers, Griffons, and the Twin-Tailed Comet.
Throughout the entire Empire, only these four totems were the most widespread and irreplaceable.
Compared to the fierce beast he sat upon and the murderous bodyguards surrounding him, especially those terrifying three-meter-tall Minotaurs, Al sitting on the Griffon girl's back actually didn't look very conspicuous.
His size relative to the beast beneath him was simply too petite. Wearing armor, he barely reached the chest height of an adult male. If he leaned down against the Griffon's back, he would be almost invisible from a slight distance.
But as long as the envoys weren't blind, they could tell from the positioning, attitude, and aura who the leader here was.
The envoys from the Expeditionary Force struck first to break the awkwardness.
This group of knights dismounted, drew their swords, and amid a suddenly rising tension, plunged their blades into the earth. Placing their right hands over their hearts, they knelt on one knee to Al on the hill.
"We offer our highest respect and gratitude for the tribe's assistance—you saved a city, and the tens of thousands of human residents within it."
Various diverse greetings then rang out from the delegation. Even Grand Sister Helen, who was currently locked in an internal struggle between heaven and humanity and suffering a splitting headache over crises of faith, lowered her warhammer and called out to Al: "May Sigmar bless you and me."
Al thought to himself, a blessing is highly unlikely. It's enough if the old man doesn't just call down a smite to obliterate me.
However, according to the traditions of the End Times, in the future, Al might even have to personally lead an army on a northern expedition to rescue Sigmar's Empire and His descendants. (Sigmar is probably a virgin god).
It wouldn't be too late to give a blessing then.
Maybe I could even take a seat as an Elector Count:
Elector Count of the South, Al the Everchosen.
Sounds very interesting.
Strong claim on the Empire obtained.
Beastman War pre-ordered.
As Al thought this, he didn't neglect his actual business in reality. He deliberately lowered his voice, speaking in a muffled tone.
"After such betrayal and humiliation, I believe."
"Veling no longer has the qualifications to be an ally of the tribe. I cannot entrust the backs of my people to the protection of those with ulterior motives, because I do not know when they might sell me and my tribe out to the enemy."
The Grand Sister temporarily suppressed her chaotic thoughts and stepped forward. She left her warhammer on her mount, empty-handed to indicate she was no threat.
"Commissioned and requested by the people of Veling, I have come to meet the leader of the reinforcement army that saved this city, to convey their true voices."
Al lifted his chin at her, signaling her to continue.
Mature women always hit the boy's sweet spot, especially when the other party had the unique attribute of a short-haired Sister Warrior.
The Grand Sister swept a glance over the still-silent council envoys and said firmly: "The vast majority of the people, at least as far as I have seen, desire to form a solid alliance with a faction as powerful and true to its word as the tribe. The Veling people are also willing to give everything they have to show their gratitude, even though that would not be enough to repay your kindness to this city."
"Regarding the council's previous offense against the tribe—the people of Veling knew absolutely nothing about it!"
"If it is your will to seek revenge and punish such humiliation, then please distinguish right from wrong, and identify the innocent."
The council's envoys panicked. The moment they arrived before the tribe, she slid into a kneeling apology while simultaneously clearing the people's names, leaving only the council to take the blame.
Al chuckled deeply and said:
"I have always loved and pitied all sentient life. You and we are no different."
"Are not a tribesman and a Veling citizen both simply members living on this land of Estalia? We both possess wisdom, we both have civilization, and most importantly, we have a common enemy—the Greenskins!"
"As long as the people of Veling truly knew nothing of the previous events and hold a disapproving attitude towards them, then I can forgive you. However, the matter of an alliance will require re-evaluation."
"As for our friends from the Empire, we fought side by side, so I trust you. Please do not worry, and this includes those from the five hundred cavalry who previously attacked the Greenskins alongside the tribe."
Al assumed a very high posture. At the same time, he dismounted the Griffon, patted his butt, sat down on the sunny side of the small slope, and placed his gaze on the final group of people.
"Then, now I want to know, that deceit, that arrogance, that humiliation!"
"Who did it come from!"
The Everchosen's words seemed to carry a terrifying magic, shredding the mental defenses of those harboring ulterior motives to pieces, especially the council envoys.
Standing to one side with the Grail Knight, watching the entire scene, the Grand Sister's face suddenly turned pale as the chaotic thoughts continued their melee in her mind.