Medieval Gacha Lord
Chapter 90: The Ring of the Gargoyle

Chapter 90: The Ring of the Gargoyle

Chapter 90: The Ring of the Gargoyle

The afternoon was a period of intense and hurried preparations. Mobilizing an army for an expedition was a tedious affair, fraught with countless tasks.

It wasn’t until evening that Lothar finally found a moment of leisure.

As it happened to be a fast day, which forbade the consumption of meats, Lothar had only eaten a single meal at noon. He returned to the main hall in the evening with a rumbling stomach.

However, Leonard had already made preparations. A plate of pigeon eggs and grilled fish seasoned with spices was waiting for him. It was likely some kind of sea bass; peeling back the scorched, golden-brown skin revealed snow-white flesh that was quite palatable.

The former castellan of Jorklusborg was not skilled at training soldiers, nor was he a talented leader, but he was certainly competent in the role of a steward.

After finishing his dinner, Lothar leaned back on his lounge chair, gazing into the distance.

Tomorrow would mark the start of the largest-scale battle he had faced since... well.. ever. To call it a battle wasn’t quite fitting; it was a war.

And he would be participating in the role of a cavalry commander.

He had gotten along fairly well with the knights of the Royal Knights Order these past few days. The thought that so many lives now rested on his shoulders still weighed heavily on him.

But pressure was just pressure. He would no longer be as constrained by it as he had been at the beginning.

On the battlefield, life and death were decided by fate. A commander who couldn’t accept this would never be a qualified one.

Fringilla was hanging upside down from the ceiling, her snow-white hair dangling down. She grumbled with some dissatisfaction, "Is that woman not here yet? Milord, she isn’t going to stand us up, is she?"

Banu was still sitting with her legs crossed, reading a book. Her posture seemed somewhat languid.

Unlike Fringilla, who got drowsy just by looking at a book, Banu exuded a rare scholarly aura when she read. It was a stark contrast to her ferocity in battle and her usual indifference.

Is this what they call... an intellectual beauty?

She suddenly closed her book and said softly, "Little bat, your perception is truly lacking. Don’t you think that you have been slacking off too much recently?"

"Ah?" Fringilla exclaimed in surprise, then belatedly realized. "Oh, yeah, she’s already here! Right, I was wondering why I had this feeling of irritation, like smelling the scent of some old crone."

"Little girl, to speak so rudely to a guest, you truly have no manners."

The candlelight flickered. A black spot materialized on the wall and, like ink dropped onto white paper, rapidly spread.

Anna, in a red dress, slowly emerged from the shadows behind Lothar.

"Lady Anna." Lothar gave her a slight nod.

Fringilla eyed her with hostility, a scarlet ripple quickly spreading across her eyes. The magical power from deep within her bloodline surged upwards, the leaking energy causing her robes to puff out like an angry pufferfish.

Unlike Lothar, Fringilla could clearly sense the threat emanating from the other party. This was a powerful witch, far stronger than her current level.

"To think you have two witches by your side... and besides them, two other supernaturals with mystical powers. What are they? Favored by a pagan god?" NovelFire

Anna pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Lothar.

Banu rose impassively and came to his side. On the black shield that never left her hand, the demonic relief began to come to life.

Even though Lothar had long said that this witch was most likely not an enemy, it was absolutely necessary to be on one hundred percent alert when facing such an opponent.

"Favored by a pagan god, what is that?" Lothar’s brow furrowed. "Are there really gods in this world?"

After saying that, he quickly added, "I mean, other than the Heavenly Father, are there other gods?"

Anna smiled. "Don’t be nervous. As a sorcerer, it would be a rare thing indeed to be a devout believer. I can tell you with certainty that there are indeed gods in this world, but they are not omniscient and omnipotent."

"In fact, pagan gods are no nobler than sorcerers. I have traveled through Scandinavia and the Rus’ states. Those lands are barbaric and primitive, filled with all sorts of pagan deities, as well as traces of giants and dragons. In a sense, pagan gods are just powerful, unusual life forms, much like dragons."

Lothar fell silent for a moment before asking the question that concerned him most: "What about the Heavenly Father?"

Anna looked up at the mosaic icon of the saint on the vaulted ceiling and smiled as she shook her head. "I don’t know. But even if He exists, He wouldn’t be as described in the scriptures."

"I see."

"So, have you made your decision?"

Anna clasped her hands and got straight to the point. "Join our Witch Association—who knows maybe we will change the name to the Sorcerers’ Association."

Lothar nodded. "Of course, I’ll join. Not just me, my two friends will join as well. This is Banu, my most trusted partner. The other one is Fringilla."

Fringilla raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing provocatively at Banu, clearly displeased at being mentioned second.

"It is my honor!"

Anna’s face beamed with happiness, a pleasant surprise like someone just gave her a "buy one, get three" deal.

"I really didn’t expect such an unexpected delight. Good fortune truly favors the beautiful."

She opened her hand, revealing several miniature shield emblems engraved with a yellow cross on a red background and a golden double-headed eagle. "This is the association’s crest. By infusing it with magical power, you can contact me—though it might not necessarily be me. After all, as the association’s president, I am very busy. But someone will definitely reply to your message."

"Thank you."

Lothar handed two of the shield emblems to Banu and Fringilla respectively.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I can answer three of your questions for free."

"You charge for answering questions?"

Anna held up a finger. "That counts as the first one. Equivalent exchange is the primary principle of the association. The association will not place any restrictions on you, and likewise, pies won’t just fall from the sky."

Lothar played with the exquisitely crafted miniature shield emblem in his hand. "So that’s how it is. I got a magical item for free. If I go around and sell it as gold, I think that I can make a pure profit?"

Anna’s eyes widened. After a long moment, she said resentfully, "Go on, ask away. But let’s be clear, I’m only staying here for a quarter of an hour."

"Lady Anna, why do I always feel that the supernatural creatures of this world and ordinary people exist on two parallel lines? If a dragon were to invade a human kingdom, how would the king and his knights deal with it? Surely not with Magic-Resistant gold?"

"Of course. The suppressing effect of Magic-Resistant gold on magical power is extremely significant. At the same time, many sorcerers and human lords depend on each other. You should have noticed that in recent years, there have been very few ancient legends of knights slaying dragons, right?"

"Sorry, I haven’t had that feeling."

Not long ago, Lothar had heard a legend from a bard in a tavern about an adventuring party of knights slaying a dragon that devoured maidens.

"Ah, people are still telling those old-fashioned stories?"

Anna seemed a little helpless. "That sort of thing used to happen, but in the last hundred years, the number of dragons has dwindled, and most of them live in sparsely populated areas. Besides having supernatural abilities, those creatures are also excellent potion ingredients in the eyes of sorcerers. The supernatural beings near densely populated human areas have been almost completely wiped out."

Lothar let out a slight sigh of relief. "So, I don’t have to worry about a day when my enemies send a cavalry of dragon knights descending from the sky?"

"A cavalry is impossible. A single one, perhaps."

Anna shrugged. "Who can say for sure? Just because it hasn’t happened in so many years doesn’t mean it never will. Otherwise, why would those European monarchs all keep sorcerers in their employ?"

"I understand."

Lothar looked at Fringilla. "For the time being, Fringilla, you should take this opportunity to properly ask Lady Anna for her knowledge on sorcery."

By the time he saw Anna off, far more than a quarter of an hour had passed.

Sorcerers were indeed more like scholars than combatants. Even a slacker like Fringilla could rattle off a series of spellcasting theories that sounded like arcane scripture to Lothar.

And Anna, naturally, had developed a deep interest in the different system of blood magic, which led to her making a pact with Fringilla to communicate via the crests before she left.

Then the system notification sound chimed.

[You have completed the milestone "Witches’ Coven."

Reward obtained: One new card draw opportunity.]

Lothar didn’t hesitate. He was no longer like he was at the beginning, needing to pray devoutly before drawing a card.

When you’ve drawn enough cards, you become numb to it.

A cyan light flashed. Streams of light swirled, coalescing in Lothar’s palm, revealing a golden ring engraved with a ferocious demonic face.

[You have obtained a 4-star item: Ring of the Gargoyle.]

[This is an heirloom item of the Țepeș clan, royalty of the Blood Court. It can summon two Vampire Guards in a designated area. They will possess the template of 3-star retainers and the combat power of standard adult vampires.]

[Vampire Guard: As true vampires of a higher rank than blood slaves, guarding the Blood Court, they are often transformed by the vampire nobles they serve.

They often lack the talent for learning blood magic, instead they fight with agile movements and the vampires’ "hard to kill" characteristic.

During slumber, Vampire Guards are responsible for guarding their master’s coffin. When facing external invasion, Vampire Guards are responsible for sacrificing themselves to awaken their slumbering master prematurely.]

[Quality: Rare (3-star)

Level: 1

Affection: None

Strength: 13

Agility: 20

Constitution: 20

Endurance: 8

Spirit: 5]

[Talent:

Bloodfall: Vampire Guards constantly have the blood magic known as Bloodfall active within their bodies, consuming blood as a cost to maintain this magic.

Skill:

Blood Explosion: Detonate the vampire blood within their bodies, instantly exploding into a cloud of highly corrosive mist that envelops the enemy.]

Profile: As death warriors, Vampire Guards never mind paying the price of death to repay their liege lord for the gift of their eternal life. Though this is often seen by outsiders as some kind of evil bewitchment.

But "immortality" always comes at a price, does it not?]

Fringilla exclaimed in surprise, "Milord, how did you summon the ring I kept in my study drawer? This thing is purely an ornament; what use can it be?"

Banu’s slightly sarcastic voice sounded, "Fool. To you before, it was an ornament. But to you now—heh, how many low-grade blood-kin can you even beat?"

Fringilla raised her voice. "You big dummy, are you looking for a fight? Don’t think I’m afraid of you just because you’re a little stronger!"

Lothar rubbed his temples.

Fight, fight, as long as you don’t ask me to arbitrate, anything is fine.