Downstairs, the music and dancing continued. Upstairs, before the seats, there was nothing but silence. Only Seiya followed the music, tapping on the railing and lightly humming the melody of "Scarborough Fair".
The brief few seconds felt as long as a century to them.
After a long while, the Vice-Director of the Royal Factory, Sir Ice Baron, finally spoke slowly,
"Your Excellency demands to swallow everything whole... don't you think... that's a bit too greedy?"
"You think it's excessive because my lord is merciful. From the moment you attempted to scheme against the king, you should have expected this outcome."
Seiya did not speak.
The one who did was Ena Seishuin, who had come up from downstairs. As Seiya's shikigami, his most loyal hound, she was always the first to tear into anyone who displeased her master.
Seeing Ena Seishuin appear before her instead of Erica, Liliana suddenly understood the difference between the two.
As a Godslayer, Seiya was not their equal to begin with. He could laugh off their schemes and offenses; he truly had no need to stoop to their level. But as the king's vassals, there are naturally subordinates loyal to the king who will stand up in his stead to teach the commoners who offend the king's authority a lesson!
Ena Seishuin played this role.
She was a twisted product of the culture of that tiny island nation, Japan, molded from the moment of her birth into a Hime-Miko completely loyal to her lord—once she had determined the object of her allegiance, she probably wouldn't even blink if ordered to draw her sword and kill her own parents.
This was why the Seishuin family, despite being one of the former Four Great Families, had managed to stand firm in the new era—all because of Ena Seishuin.
"I cannot make decisions regarding the king's affairs, so why not settle this with swords? I recall you Easterners have such a tradition," Sir Ice Baron said, looking at Ena Seishuin, then at Seiya's profile. "I am a knight of His Majesty Alexander, and your vassal is also present. If I am defeated, I will naturally tell you everything I know. If I am fortunate enough to win, I trouble you to temporarily return to Japan. Let the outcome speak for itself."
Sir Ice Baron looked at the Saint before him with a gaze brimming with fighting spirit, awaiting Seiya's response.
He could feel that Ena Seishuin was also eager for a fight.
At these words, the seventh Godslayer finally turned his head. He looked at the Holy Knight, a man on par with Erica's uncle, Paul.
The next moment, the corners of his mouth lifted, but an intense feeling of dread instantly swept through the hearts of everyone present.
Sir Ice Baron instinctively wanted to draw his sword, but his body was as stiff as if filled with lead; he couldn't even move a single finger. He could clearly feel that his body no longer belonged to him, and he instantly realized that an Authority had been activated.
The phantom of the Wheel of Friendship materialized behind Seiya. After devouring Stella's flesh, blood, and divine soul, the shared Authority of Love was now in motion. With absolutely no time to react, the power of this Authority had completely captivated everyone present.
From the very beginning, Sir Ice Baron, Princess Alice, and even Alexander had all misunderstood one thing. From the moment Alexander disappeared, they no longer had any room to refuse.
With a single thought, everyone in this manor had become Seiya's vassals. Of course, Seiya would set them free after the matter was concluded.
"Speak. Tell me everything you know," Seiya finally said slowly.
It was not a negotiation, but a compulsory command.
At this moment, only the witch Alice, who stood at the pinnacle of heaven and earth, could still offer some slight resistance.
But she did not attempt to escape. With a wry smile, she took the initiative to speak:
"This matter... also concerns Lady Guinevere and Lord Lancelot. Since the Middle Ages, the high-ranking witches have formed a unique network, holding regular gatherings similar to a 'Night of the Witches.' The one who wove this web was the Witch Queen of that era—the previous generation's Lady Guinevere."
"The previous generation's Guinevere?"
"Yes. The Lady Guinevere who raised you now is the second generation, who completed her reincarnation several decades ago. Are you familiar with the legend of King Arthur?"
"Continue," Seiya nodded.
King Arthur, Arthur Pendragon, was the most legendary great king in British history. People's knowledge of him comes more from Celtic myths and legends and medieval apocryphal literature. Legend says he was the leader of the Knights of the Round Table, a nearly mythical figure known as the Eternal King.
Though he is very well-known, there is a problem. Judging from his legendary tales, it's a stretch for him to even ascend to the realm of a deity.
"The first Guinevere was born several centuries after the 'Last King'—the prototype of the King Arthur legend—went into slumber. She was killed in the twelfth century. The War God who went by the name Lancelot was her protector, and he also protected the high-ranking witches under her command."
The Last King.
Seiya heard this name again.
It had many titles.
The War God who annihilates Demon Kings, the Demon King Slayer, the Last King to manifest in the world, the Strongest Steel, the God of Demon King Annihilation, the Child of Fate, the King of Kings, the great hero with the noblest destiny, a tiger among men, the supreme Hero.
The great enemy of all Godslayers, the Last King said to have been born to end the irrational existence of Godslayers. He possesses power that surpasses that of a Godslayer, with stats exceeding theirs by a hundred or even a thousand times. His mere descent would lead the world to its destruction.
"But as a Lord of Steel, after He slays an Earth Mother God, He is compelled to turn her into a Divine Ancestor subservient to Him. The very first Lady Guinevere was such a case, and to this day, she continues to strive for His revival."
As the Authority of Love gradually encroached upon her, Princess Alice could not lie and revealed all the secrets.
"Rather than those old tales, let's first discuss the War God Lancelot. The chapters about Sir Lancelot in the stories of the Knights of the Round Table were all created by a group that propagated the Arthurian myth under the direction of the first Guinevere... Many characters were added based on the works of Chrétien de Troyes, so trying to decipher Lancelot's original divinity from those myths would likely yield only a few hints at best."
"So you're saying that the prototypes for King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot were all other deities?" Seiya said.
"Yes. Based on our current intelligence, we can roughly determine that Lancelot's true identity may be an Amazonian War God, and King Arthur possesses a portion of the lineage of the God King Nuada. And the legend of King Arthur is precisely one of Guinevere's attempts to resurrect the Last King."
"Then what is it you plan to do? And why did Alexander steal the Reverse Scale of Heaven?"
Sir Ice Baron spoke up,
"Alexander believes that matters must be handled in secret, so we were not privy to much. But based on fragmented information, it's likely that he intends to open the legendary Avalon, find the Last King's Divine Sword of Salvation, and use it as a trap to utterly slay the Divine Ancestor Guinevere."
At this moment, Sir Ice Baron's face was ashen, and he closed his eyes in pain.
Seiya lifted the brim of his hat and gave a slight nod to the people before him, each with a different expression. "Thank you all for clearing up my doubts. To ensure everyone's safety, and just in case, this Authority of Love will not be dispelled for the time being. Consider it... as though you're playing a few days of a real-life scripted murder mystery with me."
He put on his hat and turned to leave the manor, which was now filled with invisible shackles.
Leaves spun as they fell. Seiya strolled along the River Cam, watching the perch in the water make ripples on the surface.
Seiya watched the female students of Cambridge University walk across the Bridge of Sighs. The summer wind lifted the pleats of the girls' skirts, revealing their lovely calves.
He thought of academic titans like Newton and Darwin, wondering if, many years ago, when they were young, they might have stood under the Bridge of Sighs just as he was, hoping for the wind to lift a girl's skirt.
He wasn't concerned about Alexander, nor was he particularly concerned about the Last King.
In that moment, he suddenly thought of Sasha and Alone.
The core trio of this Holy War, who were also each other's most important family.
Sasha, Tenma, Alone—the image of them embracing each other for warmth during their time at the orphanage was still vivid in his mind.
That childhood, so distant it felt like it was from another century, was filled with happiness amidst hardship. He also recalled the scene of making a wish upon a shooting star on the wall.
What would have happened if Tenma hadn't become a Saint, and Alone hadn't become a painter?
It was meaningless. Such speculation was utterly meaningless.
Because Sasha was destined to become Athena, who would lead the Holy War with the golden staff in hand, and he himself was the God-slaying Pegasus.
If not for the god-slaying intervention, Alone might have been an ordinary person. But with his dearest family facing such a situation, he wouldn't have been able to continue pursuing his dream of being a painter either.
As the reincarnations of Athena and Pegasus, they were bound to walk a difficult and incredibly sacred heroic path.
During this time, Seiya had never once regretted plunging the God-Slaying Golden Spear into Alone's chest. His transgressions were irreparable; he had to atone for them with his death.
It's just that... just that, he would still remember that distant childhood.
Seiya touched his chest; the wound from the Sword of Hades had completely healed. It was hard to imagine that the person he missed the most was actually a man.
"One should cherish the people before them," Seiya mumbled, kicking a pebble at his feet into the River Cam.
The next second, a pair of beautiful ankles appeared in his field of vision.
Seiya looked up.
What met his eyes was a girl with a silver-covered face. Her visage was completely hidden by a silver mask, revealing only a pair of beautiful, bright eyes.
The Divine Ancestor Guinevere, tall and radiant, had returned to the appearance he remembered from his time in Fairyland.
The two of them walked side-by-side along the bank of the River Cam. The people around them paid no mind to this man and woman who exuded a peculiar atmosphere.
"Worried about Alexander's affairs?" Guinevere asked.
"Not really. It just feels like time flies so fast."
"Actually, it hasn't even been two years since you came out of Fairyland. It's not like you to be so melancholic," Guinevere said with a smile.
"Actually, I was only in Fairyland for three years, but the outside world thinks I was raised by you."
"It wasn't just three years, you know. When I found you in the meteorite crater, you were only seven or eight. Then you slept in Fairyland for three years before waking up. When the fairies and dwarves told me you were awake, I thought it was incredible."
"I find it incredible too. Back then, I held infinite expectations for the future, yet it also felt infinitely distant. Punching, training, sleeping, and Marin's tea parties." Seiya chuckled softly. "It reminds me of a popcorn movie called 'Goodbye Mr. Loser.'"
"I don't recall it."
"The story is about a middle-aged man named Charlotte who, at the wedding of his first love—oh, I should say, his first crush—unexpectedly returns to his youth and decides to live his life over again. After achieving great success, he feels an inner emptiness and rediscovers the meaning of life and finds his true love," Seiya said. "At the time, I felt like I was the main character of the story."
As he spoke, he looked up at the rare, bright sky, which was just like the sky he remembered from Fairyland.
"The reason people can hold onto hope is because they cannot see death," Guinevere said softly.
She didn't quite understand the meaning behind Seiya's words, but she could understand her own feelings at that time.
To her, the Seiya of that time was a treasure.
Although through Spirit Vision, she could confirm that he would have an intersection with the Last King in the future, she wondered what her own emotions truly were at the moment she saw him step out of Fairyland.
We attract each other, like drops of water; like planets. We repel each other like magnets, like skin colors.
From the River Cam in Cambridge to the outskirts of Bottisham, and from Baits to Grantchester. Seiya watched the Cambridge rowing team training midstream on the River Cam.
At some point, Guinevere's figure had disappeared.
Was it a farewell? Seiya didn't know.
Another month of this peaceful life in England passed, and there was still no trace of Alexander. The King of Magic of England, the Director of the Royal Factory, had simply vanished without a trace.
Then, on a very ordinary morning, cries of surprise erupted from the crowd around Seiya. They weren't from mages, but from ordinary residents. They were all looking in the same direction.
There, high above the clouds at the sky's zenith, a dreamlike island shrouded in clouds appeared before their eyes.
"It's Avalon! It must be Avalon!" a little boy screamed.
"I knew I was right! King Arthur really exists!"
"Quick, quick! Take a picture! Contact the newspapers, this is big news!"
Seiya also saw the fantastical floating island, and the immense aura that transcended the mortal world and reigned supreme over all things.
The aura of a Heretic God... The constitution of a Godslayer was stirring.
Before he knew it, his fighting spirit was already soaring.
Seiya did not hesitate.
Transforming into a streak of golden light that shot across the ground, he crossed the distance between heaven and earth and arrived on that island.
But what he didn't know was that at the very moment he set foot on the island, a jet-black islet also appeared in the sky above Edo, Japan.
Shock, surprise, nostalgia, and disbelief flickered in the Divine Ancestor Guinevere's eyes, because in that instant, she felt the long-absent aura of the Last King.
And within those clouds, the long-vanished Alexander finally revealed his true form of thunder and lightning.
On the breeze, someone whispered softly—O beast of god-slaying manifest on Earth, challenge the Saint.
______
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