The guards opened the palace doors, and sunlight poured in, bathing Al in its glow.
The boy spread his arms in a welcoming gesture, taking a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air.
Just moments ago, he had reached a massive deal with a goddess who was quite eager to push her wares—even to the point of being a desperate tag-along.
She was beautiful, wise, gentle, merciful, honest, and caring... everything positive you could name.
His stepmother...
Lileath.
They had agreed on a deal of immense proportions.
Perhaps there would be negative consequences, perhaps it would take a long time for them to manifest... or perhaps not, perhaps it was minor, or Al would find a way to eliminate the hidden dangers before they erupted.
Or perhaps one day, Al would cry out in pain and deeply regret his past decisions:
"Lileath! Give me back my Empire!"
"And you too? My Mother..."
Regardless, the results of this massive "shareholding" and "investment" would not be seen for a very long time.
As for Al, the person involved, he felt like a cash-strapped entrepreneur who had successfully secured a massive amount of funding from a wealthy donor with hidden strings attached.
Having just signed the contract and walking out of the office with a copy, he felt both a sense of relief and hope for the future, yet also a massive, invisible pressure.
Neither side's promises could be realized immediately; the "elite talents" and material resources Lileath offered would have to wait until Al's southward march succeeded and he had established a foothold in the civilized regions—
specifically, when he drove the Greenskins' enslavement and devastation away from the locals.
The tribe would enter as liberators to establish a preliminary, effective rule over the Estalians.
Currently, the only legitimate government was far to the north, and the Southern Realms of Estalia were trapped in deathly silence and isolation after the fall of their prime city.
He would enter as an ally, a savior, and a protector, replacing the old Kingdom's control over various regions.
Only then would those elite forces enter the Southern Kingdom under a reasonable banner, such as "Chivalric Legion" or "Knightly Crusade," to submit to Al and serve him.
This left Al slightly dissatisfied; he had originally thought Lileath would find a way to send a batch of elites over right now.
That would have allowed him to construct and perfect the tribe's framework across all sectors as soon as possible.
Especially the Elves; it was a waste for their wisdom to be imprisoned in seas of books and isolated mage towers, or squandered on the endless bickering, conspiracies, and attacks at the Phoenix King's court.
Furthermore, everyone knows what professions like "mage" and "scholar" entail.
To a man, they can all be considered reserve cultists of Tzeentch. Taboo and corrupted knowledge, along with mysterious whispers,
constantly threaten the independent personality and mortal hearts of those who seek the truth.
Rather than waiting for the future tides of Chaos to rise and the corruption to return, turning them into insignificant puppets in the Lord of Change's path...
It would be better if...
As long as I submit to Chaos first!
Then Chaos can't corrupt me!
Tzeentch? No way!
All-Knowing Mom? Hell yes!
Our tribe is truly incredible!
Regarding Lileath's approach of "picking the fruit"—letting him lead the charge when the wind was against them and then rushing forward to claim victory—Al was dissatisfied but helpless.
After all, he was the one who needed aid, and Lileath's explanation had indeed convinced him.
[I cannot suddenly and excessively interfere in mortal affairs; it would draw the notice of the Gods. If They notice, it would inevitably cause unpredictable changes.]
[I need a legitimate reason to enter this place while minimizing Their reaction—for instance, the Fleur-de-lis, the Sword, and the Grail... My child, do you understand?]
In a word.
"You wouldn't want the fact that you are the Everchosen, the shared child of Chaos, to be known by everyone, would you?"
That last sentence was thought-provoking.
Al had always been curious about something but kept the question hidden in his heart.
The Fleur-de-lis and Grail Knights were a powerful combat force that, in any setting, deserved their own chapter and a glorious battle.
Yet they moved south over a thousand miles simply because of a "Lady's" revelation—whose true identity had already been exposed and whose dignity had been dragged through the mud—and the goal of "cleansing a stain."
They directly launched a blitz against the Skaven base in Estalia, who were clearly the true culprits behind the City Prince's assassination.
After a bloody battle and taking it down, they made no move to announce their victory to the world.
They came straight to Al, as if the assassination investigation was just a knock on the door or a token of allegiance.
The knights sacrificed themselves, a Skaven Undercity was burned to the ground, and Al gained a five-hundred-strong knightly unit...
As for the Estalians, Al was the one who proactively leaked the truth of the Skaven assassination to them.
The knights reacted coldly to the matter and offered no explanation; if Al hadn't requested it, they wouldn't have even bothered to send an envoy to Bilbali to explain in detail.
It was as if they didn't care at all.
In the end, Al got new troops, and the Estalians got a passable but hard-to-accept truth since the source was so mysterious.
Only the knights suffered losses, their stains weren't fully cleansed, and Al had no clue what the "World of Virtue" they touted even meant...
Coming all the way from Bretonnia... it looked like a world where only the knights got hurt.
Oh, right.
And the rats.
They lost an Assassin Master, a Warlock Engineer, and a pair of expendable Slave Rats, not to mention having an Undercity torched by the "tin cans."
Connecting everything, Al vaguely understood Lileath's concerns.
He was even suddenly struck by a terrifying thought—
Could that green-tea goddess have had a hand in the silent assassination of the Estalian City Prince, leaving behind a hidden knightly mark to throw dirt on the Bretonnians and trigger a standoff between the two nations?
Thinking too deeply about it was terrifying.
All just to get a high-combat-power knightly unit of five hundred into the heart of Estalia legitimately?
Al felt it was exaggerated, but considering Lileath's personality, it wasn't beneath her.
And there must be a crucial role behind it; a group of heavy-armored chads who are elite even among mortals would surely be of great use later.
So he had to keep a close eye on them.
Al didn't want to become the second coming of the unlucky Prince; that would be too pathetic.
He'd rather have his head lopped off by Archaon in the final battle.
The "return" Al promised Lileath would be realized even later.
And the difficulty seemed... hard to define, but likely even greater.
He had promised her a goddess...
Literally.