The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

"At that time, the barbarian warriors raised their shields and spears. It was truly intimidating, but I wasn't afraid. I followed right behind a White Wolf Knight, charging into the barbarian ranks. My beloved horse knocked down a barbarian scum..."

"Hold on, hold on. Stop for a moment, this... Mr. Eck? Allow me to correct a small mistake: the White Wolf Knights did not participate in the Battle of Wenler. At that time, the White Wolf Knights were resting in Winterfell. The cavalry that took part in the Battle of Wenler were from the White Bear Mercenary Corps, and they never charged," Theresa interrupted Eck's rambling without hesitation.

"Oh! No wonder I thought the wolves on the banners looked so fat~" The handsome man quickly corrected himself.

"The White Bear Mercenary Corps were only responsible for protecting logistics, alongside the Wenler Spearmen," Theresa continued, warming her hands by the fire. The heat felt very comfortable.

If only that man could be here to chat with her, it would be perfect.

"Ah, right! I thought the spearmen were quite strong and friendly. They even gave me some cured venison..."

"The Wenler Spearmen were a unit made up of merchant sons and craftsmen, notoriously weak in battle and stingy. They were known for extorting villagers along their march routes..." Theresa corrected again, her beautiful face full of helplessness.

"But there are always a few good people among them, aren't there? After that..."

"Theresa, feeling better?" A gentle voice interrupted Eck's endless monologue. Ryan, who had wandered off somewhere, had returned. "Anything I can help with?"

"Could you get me some juice, Ryan?" Theresa showed him a bright smile, like a red rose blooming in the snow. Then she turned to Eck with a smile. "Mr. Eck, please excuse me, my partner is here."

"Oh! Oh! Sorry to interrupt." Eck's gaze greedily swept over the White Wolf Knight badge on Ryan's chest, then he shrugged. "By all means, White Wolf Knight."

Eck then turned to another table, continuing to boast about his exploits. This time, he claimed he had skillfully coordinated the White Bear Mercenary Corps and the Wenler Spearmen during the Battle of Wenler, resolving their conflicts and single-handedly saving the logistics.

"Your admirer?" Ryan handed over a glass of juice.

"No, just a wandering knight," Theresa scoffed, taking the juice. "There are too many people like him. You must have seen plenty of these wandering knights, right?"

"Hold that thought, I came back because I forgot something." Ryan pulled a white wolf fur blanket from his space ring and handed it to Theresa. The sorceress felt a warmth in her heart and took the blanket to cover her legs. "Is this yours?"

"Yes, you know, I'm a White Wolf Knight. Occasionally, I need to show respect to the White Wolf Lord," Ryan nodded, sitting beside her.

Theresa knew about this. The White Wolf God, Yuric, was a deity who revered strength and competition. He emphasized eliminating the weak and venerating the strong. One significant way to please the White Wolf God was through the "White Wolf Trial," where the trial-taker entered the snowy wilderness alone, barehanded, to hunt a white wolf and offer it at the White Wolf Temple. The stronger the hunted white wolf, the happier the White Wolf God would be.

However, the trial had a high mortality rate. Many excellent young people never returned, leading nobles to dissuade their children from participating.

With the blanket wrapped around her legs, leaving only the tips of her white high heels exposed, Theresa felt as if she were back in her family's living room in Sky Fortress. Suddenly, the banquet didn't seem so bad. She initiated the conversation: "Another wandering knight. There have been quite a few of them lately."

"One hole, one radish, right?" Ryan laughed.

As mentioned before, those with titles and fiefs were kingdom knights.

Those with titles but no fiefs were ranger knights.

And those without titles or fiefs were wandering knights.

Compared to kingdom knights with fixed incomes, ranger knights, though without fixed incomes, were still recognized for their titles within their country's borders. They had no fief income or salary but had job income or military pay. They were also obliged to respond to the noble who granted their title when needed.

Wandering knights were in the worst position.

Wandering knights weren't truly knights. They came from various backgrounds, including bankrupt knights, former nobles stripped of titles, illegitimate sons without inheritance rights, and wealthy adventurers or soldiers who had worked hard to reach their current status.

Their common trait was having no title, no fief, and not even a position or salary. They only had basic equipment and a horse.

These wandering knights lived up to their name, wandering from place to place. Wherever they went, they would desperately market themselves, seeking positions or noble titles. If unsuccessful, they would prioritize fulfilling lord or church commissions, earning enough to get by and maintain their equipment and horse before moving on to the next place, continuing to wander until a noble granted them a title or they chose to settle down in old age.

Among wandering knights, there was once a famous figure, "Rose Knight" Taylor Forth. He was the illegitimate son of an imperial duke and a lowly washerwoman. After a dispute between the duke and duchess, Taylor Forth was forbidden from inheriting any of the duke's property. Upon reaching adulthood, the duke threw him a sword, brought out a horse, and said, "Taylor Forth, you are not an ornament on my coat. You have no place here. Go and wander."

And thus, the poor illegitimate son was cast out, marking the beginning of the legendary story of the "Rose Knight" Taylor Forth.

"Mr. Eck has thick calluses on his index and middle fingers, indicating he is a skilled swordsman," Ryan observed the wandering knight boasting to clueless soldiers. He turned to Theresa with a mischievous smile. "I bet he approached you because of your attire. Having a noblewoman as a friend can be quite beneficial for future adventures."

"Ryan, don't tell me you've picked up the bad habits of those wandering knights?!" Theresa suddenly thought of something, her silver eyes flashing dangerously.

"Hahahaha!" Ryan burst into laughter, tears almost streaming down his face.

Indeed, wandering knights were an unruly bunch who quickly found a "shortcut" to success.

That was becoming the lovers of lonely noblewomen.

"So, I actually dislike these guys. You know, I often hear my White Wolf Knight colleagues complaining about suspecting their wives of having affairs with wandering knights in their territories," Ryan grumbled. "Don't they know in their hearts whether it's true?"

"Maybe they just don't want to admit it~" Theresa chuckled, glancing at the man beside her. Her eyes sparkled with interest. "You don't have any affairs, do you? I've heard you had a relationship with Princess Caroline, the king's granddaughter..."

"Nonsense! I've only met Princess Caroline once," Ryan seemed unwilling to continue this topic. "Can you tell me about Garon's progress? Any breakthroughs in the relic excavation?"

"No, since Rohart died inside, Aunt Martha decided to halt the deep exploration," Theresa shook her head, sipping corn and ham soup with a silver spoon she brought.

"Rohart the Scourge is dead? He's the third legendary warrior you've led to death," Ryan scoffed. He knew what Garon was up to.

"Let's not talk about that." Theresa seemed to recall something. "Can you tell me about Belt? How did a demon hunter master fall into the embrace of chaos?"

"Belt? His life is usually divided into two phases," Ryan sighed. "Before he turned thirty-six, he was an outstanding demon hunter, purging corruption, destroying evil, cleansing unclean entities with his saber and gun, earning respect as a demon hunter master."

"Thirty-six? What happened then?" Theresa enjoyed the setting, feeling like a fireside chat. The noise around them seemed less bothersome.

"A plague took his family—his wife and daughter. After that, Belt became withdrawn, seldom speaking or interacting with others. He locked himself away. By the time Archbishop Innocent realized something was wrong, it was too late," Ryan shook his head. "Tonight is a banquet. I don't want to discuss this. We can talk another time if you want."

"Mercy bestowed upon us the thin priest and fat doctor, cheers~ Ryan," Theresa raised her juice.

"Cheers!" Ryan chuckled at the saying.

The saying hinted that a thin priest wouldn't give much aid to the poor, and the fat doctor's treatment wouldn't be very effective.

Medical standards in this world weren't great. With elven medical books as reference, they were better than Earth's dark medieval times but still limited. If not for his psychic abilities to purify bacteria, Ryan thought he might have been troubled by diseases.

The conversation was pleasant, Ryan's humor making Theresa laugh. The sorceress's beautiful face glowed by the fireplace, occasionally turning to see Ryan's handsome features, feeling her effort to dress up was worthwhile.

Time slipped by, and someone interrupted them. "Mr. Ryan?"

It was Oliver. The imperial merchant had found an opportunity to speak with Villard, but unfortunately, Villard refused to send troops to escort them. However, the lord made some concessions, so Oliver sought out Ryan urgently.

As soon as he started speaking, he felt Theresa's intense, hostile gaze. The sorceress's eyes felt like needles piercing him, causing a real headache.

This wasn't an illusion; Ryan could sense Theresa's magical aura.

She had recovered significantly.

Seeing Theresa's displeased

 face, Ryan patted her gloved hand. "Theresa, business is important."

"So, we haven't been doing business?" Theresa turned her head, her silver eyes behind butterfly-patterned glasses staring at him, purple eyeshadow shimmering.

"We'll have plenty of time to chat after this, won't we?" Ryan whispered in her ear. "I'd love to spend more time with you."

"Let's go together then." Theresa nodded, the immense mental pressure on Oliver easing. The merchant sweated, feeling for the first time that traveling with a sorceress wasn't always pleasant.

Her anger could easily destroy his fragile life.

Due to constant exposure to magic, sorcerers' personalities often changed. Theresa's ice magic made her aloof and reserved, while the fire archmage in Marienburg was known for his explosive temper. Other sorcerers, like earth magic users, were stubborn. Stories of interacting with sorcerers circulated among merchants and adventurers, with a popular handbook, "How to Get Along with Sorcerers," selling well.

When Ryan and Theresa reached the discussion table, the men were amazed by Theresa's beauty and elegant attire. Each felt a sharp pain in their heads, quickly regaining composure.

"Welcome, Mr. Ryan, Miss Theresa." A hoarse voice came from a small, middle-aged man with straw-like hair that hadn't been washed in a long time. His shabby cloak looked ill-fitting on his thin frame, resembling a farmer.

A dangerous man. Ryan guessed this man was Bilger, leader of the Gray Blade Mercenary Group.

Interesting.

Happy New Year, everyone!