Warhammer: Return of the Dragon.

"Your Majesty, Victor has been brought here."

Following the words of the Flame Knight, Victor finally saw the Phoenix King again. The inexplicable encounter on the outskirts of Aldorf last time still made him feel strange.

Is that seemingly frivolous and proud elf really the monarch of all elves...

That strange impression was always inconsistent with the elves he saw at the summit. Victor once thought that he was bewitched by the Tzeentch demon and fabricated a fictitious experience.

The Phoenix King was dressed in a plain red and white robe, with almost no decoration except for some crude rune embroidery on the surface.

Two rings were worn on his left hand. One was a fiery red ring that demonstrated his supreme authority, while the other was a light yellow gem ring that looked a bit plain.

"Well, Boca Chiri you stay first."

"Yes." The Flame Knight stood calmly behind His Majesty. Based on past practice, he estimated that he would be the one to test Victor's strength.

Some warriors in Ulthuan who volunteered to become courtiers of the Phoenix King had to be better than members of the Flameborn Knights, which was very difficult... As a result, only a handful of people had joined the War Council through the Phoenix King's channels over the past hundred years.

Of course, losing does not mean there is no hope. When a soldier has fully demonstrated his strength, courage and will, there will always be a suitable position for him.

When Imrik turned around, Victor's expression suddenly changed. He vaguely felt that the figure of the elf in front of him overlapped with a statue, and the hoarse and bloodthirsty cry pierced his chest.

Silence is a silent statement. He did not respond to this. Smart people always deliberately blur some things. Especially in the complex situation of the empire, it is the best choice not to get to the bottom of some things.

Victor stood up straight, put his left hand behind his waist, and raised his right hand to his chest with a sword in his hand. "Victor Salzpyre, Templar Knight of the Silver Hammer, pays respect to you, His Majesty the Phoenix King."

Imrick squinted his eyes and looked at Victor, but did not respond immediately... As for the affairs of the little strong men, the Phoenix King was doing things based on some past impressions, so he naturally had some good feelings towards them.

But if we only consider strength, the cockroaches who can defeat the trolls together are not rare...

What the Phoenix King values ​​is a possibility. If they really follow the evolution of a certain world line, they might find the Eternal Castle hidden in the chaotic wasteland, the mysterious building that is closest to the anchor point of the Arctic portal in the mortal world.

The boundary between the other side and the mortal world is infinitely blurred in the Eternal Castle, just like a portal between the two poles... It is a place that cannot be found through experience and inference, like a gap in the world that may move at any time.

"Before we talk about other things, let me first talk about the little girl next to you... She is a person with an affinity for the wind of magic. Her original fate was to be framed in her hometown and eventually die in flames."

Elena subconsciously hid behind Victor, curled up and dared not stick her head out. She was very afraid of the elf in front of her, and the magical wind floating in the air was expressing fear to her all the time.

Holding Elena's head with his hand, Victor encouraged her to stand up, saying that he could not protect the little girl forever.

Elena, timidly, with her head tilted, stood half a step in front of Victor like a prisoner.

"She is a poor child. I cannot sit idly by and watch a young life being taken away by ignorance... King Phoenix, I hope you can explain to the church that Elena has no hidden dangers to her purity... and allow her to enter the Flame Academy in Altdorf."

Imrick took a quick glance at Elena. Her aptitude was average. Among the elves, she could barely get into the White Tower of Hoeth as an apprentice.

"I have no intention of having too many disputes with the Church of Sigmar. The current goal of High Priest Walkerma is to keep the church highly pure... If it were sixteen years ago, Elena would have passed your boring purity test." Victor's legs tensed up. If the Phoenix King was unwilling, he would have no choice but to ask for help from His Majesty the Emperor.

But the unexpected turn of events made the witch hunters feel a little more relaxed.

"Besides, the situation at the Aldorf School of Magic is that those who are recommended by witch hunters will be discriminated against. I have a better plan."

"Please say."

After a pause, Imrik walked to Elena and covered her head with his hand as the little girl resisted.

After a long while, he slowly said: "She has the qualifications to study the Akasha Wind... Princess Catherine does not have a suitable female courtier now, perhaps she can take over this position temporarily."

"Princess Catherine..." Victor muttered to himself, evaluating the feasibility of this plan.

Although Kislev is cold and remote, life in the palace is certainly not bad. At least it is much better than living in the open air with a witch hunter like him. And according to Catherine's behavior at the summit and the Phoenix King's attitude of not giving any instructions, it means that he regards the Ice Princess as the next Tsar.

As for whether the cold Kislev is suitable for the development of a flame mage, Victor didn't dare to think too much about it... If Elena learned more, she could become a counselor by giving advice, which would be much better than staying in the empire.

"I thank you for her kindness."

The witch hunter nodded, which made Imrick smile slightly: "Why don't you ask her opinion?"

"We often fail to make perfect choices, especially those that suit our own wishes. If Sigmar gives her guidance, she can live a better life beside Princess Catherine than in the Empire."

"That's right." Imrick called on Catherine's Ice Guards to take Elena away. Maybe in the next few years, she could learn something, or maybe not, and become a burden.

But it is better than dying at the hands of elders in your hometown due to ignorance and cowardice.

After a while, there were only three people left in the open space, and Imrik revealed the real reason for calling Victor.

The Phoenix King took out a double-tailed comet pendant and threw it to the witch hunter.

The simple iron pendant flickered in the air, as precise and swift as a meteor across the sky. When Victor held it, he felt his palm getting hot.

"What is this?!" Victor opened his eyes wide in shock. The double-tailed comet pendant in his hand emitted a strange golden light, and a thunderous roar came from his ears, just like...

"I visited Altdorf once one hundred and fifty years ago... or one hundred and sixty years ago. At the invitation of the then Elector, I attended an important ceremony at the Temple of the Twin-Tailed Comet.

This pendant may have been given to me as a gift from a priest, or it may have been given to me by Sigma himself... I am old now, and my memory is a little unclear."

This can't be an ordinary thing... Victor judged so in his heart. When he held the pendant, he felt endless fighting spirit in his heart. All the doubts in the past disappeared. A feeling of being there and not there wandered in his mind, just like Sigma's guidance. (End of this chapter)