Chapter 100: The Plan of the Lake Fairy

"What???"

Ryan suddenly looked up. He saw the Lake Fairy appear before him with a faint smile in her eyes, while the person he was speaking to, Emilia, looked frightened by the Lake Fairy's appearance, hiding behind a piece of furniture with tears in her eyes, trembling.

"My lady, this is a misunderstanding. I thought I was being greeted by Emilia," Ryan immediately knelt on one knee and hurriedly defended himself. "I was unaware of your descent."

"Now you know." The Lake Fairy, of course, knew Ryan had mistaken her for someone else. The goddess did not mind this and gestured for Emilia to come out from behind the furniture: "Come out, maid. I will not harm you."

"Greetings, Lady of the Lake!" Emilia then cautiously came out from behind the furniture, the little maid holding her skirt hem, performing a respectful curtsy.

My God, today I've seen a real deity appear before me!

Today, the Lake Fairy wore a classical, elegantly forged white pear blossom dress, a floral crown on her head, her beautiful face always carrying a slight smile, her bare, delicate feet suspended above the ground. The Holy Grail, coveted by countless knights, was held in her hands. She gestured for Ryan to rise: "I've said I would often come."

"Uh... Welcome, my lady." So, Ryan stood up.

"I've toured your new home. It's nice. Apart from the scenery and environment, I can feel the warmth in this home. A warm home enables knights to fight more bravely on the battlefield," the Lake Fairy nodded. "Let's go upstairs to talk in detail. I have something to tell you."

"Yes!" Ryan led the Lake Fairy to the guest room next door.

The Lake Fairy unhesitatingly sat on a single-seat sofa, gesturing for Ryan to sit down. Her face, previously wearing a faint smile, turned serious: "Ryan Macado?"

"That's me!"

"That sword... is it the legendary thirteenth Holy Sword—Goddess of Vengeance?" The Lake Fairy's face was inscrutable.

"Yes." Ryan did not need to lie; his response was straightforward: "I do not know if I am the thirteenth Carolingian knight, but this sword is undoubtedly the Goddess of Vengeance."

The Lake Fairy's expression subtly changed as she murmured to herself: "Only a grey horse can battle a red horse... The thirteenth Carolingian knight, the savior... The Goddess of Vengeance has appeared..."

After a while, the Lake Fairy's stunning face turned pale: "Indeed, my prophecy was not wrong."

"My lady?" Ryan was confused, sensing that the Lake Fairy had much to tell him.

"Is the Holy Sword—Goddess of Vengeance your exclusive weapon? Can it only be wielded using the pure subspace energy within you?" the Lake Fairy continued to inquire.

"Exactly." Ryan nodded. Regarding this, the battle with the Champion of Tyranny was witnessed by the Lake Fairy; there was no need for secrecy.

"Then there is no mistake, Ryan. Your appearance signifies not just the arrival of an outsider to this world but also indicates that this world is about to face another test of its end times," the Lake Fairy shook her head. Speaking softly, she added: "The birth of the third Eternal Champion of Chaos signifies the approaching doomsday."

The Lake Fairy's ethereal voice recounted a piece of history: "Chaos, immensely powerful yet unfathomable, full of destructive power yet plagued by internal strife, advocates for war and bloodshed. The tyrannical despisers of decadence, the deceitful and ever-changing tricksters, and the corrupt and conservative filth, these four Chaos Gods wage eternal war within the realm of Chaos, seldom paying attention to the outer world, allowing us in the material world to struggle for survival."

"The demons and followers of the four gods have clear stances; they never tolerate fighting under another deity's banner. The only way to unite everyone is to fight under an uncontroversial name, and that name is..."

Ryan picked up the Lake Fairy's thread: "The Eternal Champion of Chaos."

"Yes." The Lake Fairy nodded gently. "Every few hundred years, a mortal champion of Chaos is destined to gather the greatest blessings of the four Chaos Gods, becoming the Eternal Champion of Chaos. The endlessly quarreling northern barbarian tribes will rally under his banner, and soon, the time of the end will arrive. The Eternal Champion will rise from his dark throne, ready to destroy the world, and mankind will face the tumult of northern armies or vermin from below. We can only fight to the death, clinging to the last hope for a chance at survival."

"My lady, you need not be so pessimistic. The world has faced several Chaos invasions, and each time they have been thwarted," Ryan tried to console the Lake Fairy, sensing her pessimistic tone. "Haven't we successfully repelled the Chaos armies every time?"

"...I cannot foresee the future direction of the world, but each time, the world has been but a step away from destruction." The birth of an Eternal Champion of Chaos unifying all barbarian tribes would take a long time, and it seemed the Lake Fairy wished to change the subject. "You've eliminated another Champion of Tyranny, well done. Little by little, we must weaken the dark gods. The gods of Chaos have watched you and the Champion of Tyranny's battle more than once. The fog of potion holy water successfully thwarted their scrutiny, but you must still be cautious. You have attracted the attention of the Chaos Gods, and they will not rest easy. The Champions of Chaos you've fought and killed were all followers elevated to their positions; the true demons of Chaos are far more powerful... Oddly, the most curious of them all, always keen to spy on the material world, seems to be the quietest and weakest..."

"Thank you very much." Ryan expressed his gratitude for the Lake Fairy's protection.

"I've already arranged your fiefdom, located north of the Duchy of Kakasong, west of the Duchy of Wimford, and east of the Duchy of Boldro. Your current strength already surpasses that of an ordinary Grail Knight. When spring arrives, the invitation from the King of Knights will reach Marlinburg. Until then, you just need to wait, Ryan. Patience is a virtue. I've arranged a prosperous barony for you," the Lake Fairy nodded. "As for a larger fief, you'll have to earn it yourself. Do you know about the Duchy of Connaught?"

"Isn't that place overrun by a horde of vampires and undead?" Ryan remembered something, his expression turning strange: "It seems that the current King of Knights, 'Tiger' Denoa-Jean-Richard, has assembled armies to attack it five times, losing three marquises, and still hasn't been able to reclaim it."

About two hundred and seventy years ago, the Kingdom of Knights experienced the famous "Doltar Tower Incident," also known as the "False Grail Incident."

At the time, the King of Knights was Jules de Leonnais, who died in battle while repelling the northern barbarian landing forces without appointing a successor for the Lake Fairy to approve. This forced the Kingdom of Knights to initiate a King Selection Meeting. The Lake Fairy's spokesperson, the Lake Witch, and the dukes each went to the Westminster Palace to hold the meeting and decide on the next King of Knights.

However, the Duke of Connaught, Mordred, made a bold decision. With the help of a black wizard (later confirmed to be a Chaos trickster wizard), he cunningly captured and imprisoned the unguarded Lake Witch Morgianna in Doltar Tower, a black granite tower far from the coastline, constantly battered by waves.

Then, the black wizard Malfer created a "false Grail" and boldly declared to the entire Kingdom of Knights that Mordred had received the Lake Fairy's approval and would become the next King of Knights. The dukes and Grail Knights were full of doubts, but unable to question the Grail. Since the Lake Witch was sealed, cutting off the Lake Fairy's link to the mortal world, the Lake Fairy couldn't directly declare the Grail a forgery. She could only instruct the Grail Knights in dreams to obstruct Mordred's coronation. As a result, many disillusioned ranger knights and kingdom knights were seduced to join Mordred's ranks, plunging the entire nation into civil war.

The civil war continued until a wandering knight passed by Doltar Tower. If readers recall, he was previously mentioned as the greatest wandering knight, the "Knight of Roses," Taylorford.

When Taylorford passed by Doltar Tower, the Lake Fairy used all her strength to draw his attention to the oddity at the tower. Taylorford attempted to approach the tower when a giant dragon ape appeared, attempting to kill Taylorford to prevent him from rescuing the Lake Witch. Taylorford spurred his warhorse into battle with the giant dragon ape. After more than a hundred exchanges, he finally plunged his lance into the dragon ape's chest, rescuing the Lake Witch. The Lake Fairy descended immediately, and Taylorford, through his own strength and bravery, became a Grail Knight. Taylorford and the Lake Witch went to the Grail Knights' camp, and under the Lake Fairy's blessing, Taylorford married the former king Jules's orphaned daughter, inheriting the Leonnais duke title and was immediately crowned King of Knights at the camp. Mordred was declared a rebel, his duke title revoked, and his army collapsed. His castle was besieged. The brutal siege lasted three years, turning the entire Duchy of Connaught into ruins.

The only beneficiary of this war might have been Taylorford, as it's generally believed that the Doltar Tower Incident marked the beginning of the decline of the Kingdom of Knights.

(Taylorford: How did I, a bastard son of an imperial duke, become King of Knights?)

After the war, a black knight emerged from the ruins, claiming to be the Duke of Blood Red. The undead souls of those who died in the brutal siege heeded the call of this vampire knight, and since then, Connaught became a land of undead and curses, deserted by the living. Since then, no matter how hard the Kings of Knights tried, they were unable to reclaim the Duchy of Connaught, leaving a cursed land within Britannia.

"Indeed, due to the heavy casualties, I ordered Richard to stop the attacks. But you have given me confidence. I believe you can reclaim Connaught. Your own land must be taken by yourself. Prove to all the knights that you can do it, my champion," the Lake Fairy's lips curled up. "I believe you can do it."

"I will not let you down."

After the serious matters were discussed, the Lake Fairy suddenly realized she was not in a hurry. Ryan still had plenty of psychic energy, so she asked a strange question: "So, the witch has left?"

"Yes, Veronica was urgently recalled by Galan." Ryan nodded. The Lake Fairy could see he was somewhat uncomfortable, so she said: "Actually, this is not a bad thing. Galan's witches do not subscribe to the knightly virtues. I will not interfere in your personal affairs, but a wizard is not suitable as your partner. If you need answers to magical questions, Morgianna and her handmaidens can help you."

Indeed! Veronica's claims of the Lake Fairy's disdain for her were not unfounded, Ryan thought.

A lord chooses his vassals, and vassals choose their lord. Ryan had already demonstrated his immense strength and potential before the Lake Fairy, especially since he was still very young. His potential was boundless. In this situation, the Lake Fairy was undoubtedly very averse to Veronica being around Ryan, fearing the witch might try to influence Ryan's worldview and shake his loyalty to the Lake Fairy.

So, this was actually an interference in Ryan's personal matters, albeit phrased very diplomatically by the Lake Fairy.

There's an unwritten agreement between gods and mortals: what belongs to the gods remains with the gods, and what belongs to mortals remains with mortals.

However, the Lake Fairy was different, possibly one of the deities most deeply involved in mortal affairs, as easily seen in how she arranged Ryan's fief. She also openly discussed Veronica's matter.

"I will be careful, my lady," Ryan's response was subtle. It seemed he heeded the Lake Fairy's advice, but his answer might not have satisfied the Lake Fairy.

At twenty-five, already a legendary mid-tier, with the Goddess of Vengeance's blessing, killing legendary high-tier Champions of Tyranny without difficulty, given time, he was sure to become a great Holy Knight. The Lake Fairy had several thoughts cross her mind, taking this matter seriously.

After a few more simple exchanges, the Lake Fairy finally instructed: "Also, I will be temporarily leaving for a while to deal with some matters in the elven godly realm."

"The elven godly realm?" Ryan was curious.

"Like humans, elves have their own pantheon, and... the disputes among them are far more numerous than among humans," the Lake Fairy said somewhat helplessly. "As you know, there are three types of elves, and the relationships between these three types... are far from peaceful and quiet."

"Then let me give you this gift to wish you a happy Winter Solstice, my lady!" Ryan suddenly took out a flower from behind him.

An iris.

Seeing this flower, the Lake Fairy's azure eyes shone brightly.

Normally, as a deity, the Lake Fairy had seen all sorts of treasures, hardly moved by the offerings of her followers.

But the iris in Ryan's hand was different. The Lake Fairy could feel that this iris was formed by Ryan using his psychic energy and crystallization! Only the purest subspace energy possessed by Ryan could condense such a beautiful, such a pure flower!

The flower had six petals, scientifically presenting six colors, each color representing a touching flower language. Under Ryan's psychic energy crystallization, this flower would never wither, always blooming with the brightest six colors, emitting a touching fragrance.

"Oh! I like this gift." The Lake Fairy took the Winter Solstice gift from Ryan's hand, her smile charming as she extended her hand to take the flower from him.

The Lake Fairy's smooth fingertips brushed Ryan's hand, and he smiled: "My lady, you are the world's unique flower."

"Ha~ My champion, it seems you're not just a powerful knight." The Lake Fairy was also a woman, and Ryan's apt flattery could not help but make her bloom with joy. She had not felt this way in hundreds of years. So, she stretched out her hand, showed a captivating smile, and gestured for Ryan to come closer: "Since that's the case, I won't be stingy. Come, my champion, come to my side~"

Emperor: Subspace psychic energy can do anything, my son.

Ryan: I understand, Father.

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT