The surface of the Old One relic in the depths of the Black Pit was in a much worse state of decay and ruin compared to the ones Ryan had encountered previously. Thick spiderwebs and the desecrations of the greenskins covered it entirely.
The celestial symbols, animals, mountains, and totems etched on the circular platform were blurred and almost unrecognizable, replaced by crude spider insignias, greenskin tribal tattoos, and countless scratches and gouges inflicted by both blunt and sharp tools.
The cave was dark and foul-smelling. Ryan extended his hand, and a platinum flame lit up in his palm, illuminating the chamber.
An overwhelming stench followed, a nauseating mixture of spider filth and greenskin excrement. The odor was so repulsive that it instinctively pushed away anyone who entered. Disgusted, Ryan summoned lightning and fire, obliterating everything that contributed to the foulness.
Standing before the ancient circular platform of the relic, Ryan fell into a prolonged silence, carefully examining every detail of the artifact. He seemed reluctant to act immediately.
The King of Knights first needed to calm his mind. To unleash his full psychic powers without corrupting or damaging the relic, he had to remain composed. Unlike the young psychic knight he had been twenty years ago, Ryan now wielded vast psychic energy, enough to accidentally destroy this place if he was not careful.
"What a peculiar power. Did you know there was an Old One relic here all along?" A soft, platinum radiance flared behind Ryan, and the Lady of the Lake appeared, emerging gracefully from the light. "No wonder you insisted on attacking the Black Pit during the march home. Can I take a closer look at it?"
"Wait." Ryan raised a hand to stop her. The Knight King turned to face his goddess, his expression serious. "Let me observe it first and figure out how to unlock it. Otherwise, the entire Black Pit might be sucked into the Warp."
"I recall you've opened a similar relic before," the Lady remarked with a slight nod. Dressed in an exquisite, knee-length, snow-white layered gown with a low neckline and delicate shoulder straps, she exuded an intoxicating combination of divinity and allure. Her radiant skin, as flawless as jade, shimmered faintly under the light. Her gown tightly hugged her chest, highlighting curves that rivaled Sulia's, while the slim cut of the skirt accentuated her shapely waist and rounded hips. Today, the goddess had chosen to forego stockings, her slender, bare legs and soft, pink feet adding a touch of playful charm beneath her otherwise dignified appearance.
"This one is different," Ryan said as he began peeling away the spiderwebs and greenskin filth from the surface of the relic. Yet, the many cracks, symbols, and bizarre tattoos carved by the greenskins made it difficult to discern its original markings. Leaning closer, Ryan scrutinized the ancient artifact with intense focus. "I'll need some time, Lady."
"Time to unlock it, or time to contact your father, the Emperor of Mankind?" The Lady of the Lake unfolded a small fan, her tone tinged with mild jealousy. Hovering gracefully in the air to avoid the filth on the ground, she remarked, "I still think back to all the energy locked in that relic beneath Marienburg. If only I could have taken even a fraction of it, perhaps the elves would have had four Major Gods by now!"
"You're lying, Lilith." Ryan chuckled as he continued to wipe away the greenskin marks. "Even if I let you, you wouldn't have been able to absorb or properly utilize the energy of the Old Ones. Most of it would have been wasted, and you lack the ability to process and wield the knowledge stored within. You'd end up like that Spider God—scraping bits and pieces through sheer instinct while the true power goes to waste."
"What a stingy man." The Lady closed her fan and lightly tapped Ryan on the head with it. "So I'm just supposed to watch you fumble around this relic like a lovesick fool?"
"Was it your idea to have Lauen make that request?" Ryan asked suddenly, still focused on the fractured runes and Old One script. "It doesn't seem like something he would come up with on his own."
On the day of the victory march announcement, Lauen Leoncoeur had approached Ryan with a startling proposal: he wanted to cede the governance of his duchy to Ryan and remain in Erengrad as commander of the garrison forces.
The idea was unprecedented and completely against the typical mindset of a noble, who would never willingly relinquish their core authority. Even as a Grail Knight, bound by duty and honor, such selflessness was rare. Grail Knights were indeed incorruptible and trustworthy, but that didn't mean they would willingly sacrifice their own interests to such an extreme degree.
Lauen's explanation had clarified the matter. He was offering to relinquish governance, not his title or personal holdings. He would retain his ducal estate, ancestral castles, and other private properties, but the management and administration of the duchy would pass entirely to Ryan. This meant that Ryan could issue orders directly to the nobles under Lauen's jurisdiction, appoint governors, and oversee legislative, judicial, and administrative matters. Lauen would remain Duke in name only, while the actual control rested with Ryan.
Even so, the move represented a revolutionary step toward centralization—noble bureaucratization and the weakening of feudal autonomy. Ryan had been astonished by Lauen's decision, unable to fathom why he would take such a monumental step.
"It wasn't my suggestion," the Lady of the Lake said with a sigh. "That was entirely Lauen's idea. During his prayers, he told me that his personal gains and his family's fortunes were insignificant compared to the greater good. He believes only you, Ryan, can bring about Bretonnia's true revival. After this war, he became even more aware of the vast gulf between you and him. He wants to stay in Erengrad to assist you and create his own legacy. His words were, 'I want to make Bretonnia great again.'"
"Lauen is an exceptional Grail Knight," Ryan said after a moment of quiet reflection. "If not for me, he would have made a just and enlightened King of Knights. But, as you know, Lady, I am the son of the Emperor of Mankind. That is the one reason he cannot surpass me."
"Yes, and that's why I encouraged him," the Lady replied. "After gaining my approval, he was overjoyed, as if a great weight had been lifted from his soul. I foresee that his ascension to the Legendary Realm is not far off."
The cave fell silent again as Ryan carefully aligned a rune symbolizing "dimensional change" with another representing "death's scythe of harvest." The Lady, seeing that Ryan was fully absorbed in his work, decided to change the subject.
"By the way, you just let Emilia return to Nuln? You're quite the neglectful father," she remarked teasingly.
When the allied human forces disbanded in Hochland, Emilia left behind Grand Marshal Erlstein and part of her army to help maintain order in the Empire's northern provinces. She herself, however, chose to return to Nuln with her unborn child, bidding Ryan farewell.
"Emilia? She's just having another child for fun," Ryan said dismissively. "She's completely independent. She wants another baby simply because she enjoys it. With her resources—the best education, medical care, and security—she doesn't need my help. Dragging her along as a pregnant woman would be pointless; she can manage perfectly fine on her own."
"That does make sense," the Lady admitted, tapping her chin thoughtfully. However, she then added, "Still, I feel like you don't pay enough attention to Emilia's children. You rarely visit them, only seeing them three or four times a year. It's almost as if they aren't yours. As a father, you're being rather cruel."
"Frederick is my son, but he's not Bretonnia's child," Ryan said with a resigned shrug. "I rarely interact with him because, for one, I'm busy. But more importantly, Nuln's nobles would never tolerate their heir being raised as a Bretonnian knight with Bretonnian ideals. They oppose Frederick having too much contact with me or Bretonnia, and honestly, it's a reasonable request. Neither Emilia nor I can argue against it."
The Lady of the Lake nodded in sudden understanding. Of course! Nuln's acceptance of Frederick as Emilia's heir had been a matter of necessity—she had no other close relatives, and Frederick was the strongest claimant. But beyond that, the nobles were unwilling to compromise.
Seeing the Lady's realization, Ryan chuckled softly and said no more.
He agreed entirely. In his past life, there had always been individuals who were "foreign-obsessed," admiring everything about other nations while despising their own. Whether they were Anglophiles, Francophiles, or others, Ryan had always found such attitudes shameful—unless born of sheer desperation.
Similarly, there were opportunists among expatriates and intellectuals who eagerly undermined their homeland for personal gain. Ryan had often been subject to skepticism himself, as a foreigner who rose to power in Bretonnia. It was only through countless victories and his marriage to Sulia that he had fully earned his place.
"And the child Emilia is carrying now?" the Lady asked, her tone softening as she tried to recover from her earlier misstep. "
Do you know whether it's a boy or a girl? Have you decided on a name?"
"It's a girl," Ryan replied, still focused on the relic. "Emilia suggested several names, and I picked one."
"What name?"
"She gave me options like Echidna, Bronya, Rita, Pecorine, Karyl, or Zeppelin. I told her most of these were too complicated—what even is a 'Zeppelin'? So I chose Rita."
"Rita, hmm... But seriously, Ryan, why is it that your little maid is so prolific?" the Lady asked, her mood souring again. "With Sulia, or Morgiana, or me, you've never shown that kind of determination to make sure it happens!"
"..." Ryan rolled his eyes, deciding not to engage. Emilia, unlike the others, was far less demanding. She was usually content and fast asleep within an hour or two, requiring far less effort on his part.
Ryan said no more, as the relic finally began to unlock.
Pure cosmic energy surged out of the artifact, causing the Lady of the Lake to practically leap with excitement as she rushed to Ryan's side.
But Ryan's face fell. Most of the energy within had already dissipated. The greenskins' crude desecration and centuries of neglect had allowed the energy to leak over two to three millennia, creating the Black Pit as a greenskin holy site and even spawning the Spider God as a minor deity. What little remained was heavily tainted, its sickly green glow a testament to its corruption.
At that moment, the Emperor's voice echoed in Ryan's mind:
"You will handle this yourself."
"Greenskins truly are repugnant," Ryan sighed in exasperation. "They didn't even leave us proper scraps to work with."
"Still, what remains is ours to share," the Lady said eagerly, extending her hand to draw in the green energy.
"Lilith! What are you doing?!" Ryan barked, immediately blocking her with his arm.
"What? You said we'd share it!" the Lady protested, confused by Ryan's outburst.
"That energy has been poisoned by greenskin filth and Spider God venom! It also contains corrupted fragments of Old One knowledge! You can't absorb it directly!" Ryan shouted, his tone harsh. "Do you want to become the 'Greenskin Goddess Lilith,' leading knights on a WAAAGH? Or would you prefer being driven mad by Old One knowledge, turning into a deranged tool obsessed with carrying out their plans?!"
The Lady froze, stunned by Ryan's anger. It was the first time he had ever raised his voice at her. At first, she felt indignant and embarrassed, but as she saw the genuine concern on his face, a small warmth bloomed in her heart.
"Alright," she said softly, lowering her hand. "What's your plan?"
"I'll purify the corruption first," Ryan said firmly. "Once the energy is cleansed, I'll share it with you and Morgiana."
If the Lady ended up chanting something bizarre like "All according to the master's plan" or calling someone "Brother Zhuohao," Ryan would never forgive himself. His resolve as the Champion of Pure Love would not allow such risks.
"Fine," the Lady relented, turning to leave. But before exiting the cave, she suddenly turned back and threw herself into Ryan's arms, her voice tender as she whispered, "Be careful, Ryan."
"Leave it to me," he reassured her with a confident smile.
Two Days Later
Ryan emerged from the cave, accompanied by Morgiana—now at the peak of the Legendary Realm—and the Lady of the Lake, whose divine power had grown significantly, placing her just a step away from the rank of Major God.
The army resumed its march, heading toward the lands of Westerland.
Riding atop Grape, Ryan looked utterly refreshed. Having absorbed a portion of the purified Old One energy, he was stronger than ever, now approaching the demigod-level strength of his brothers.
From his cloak, he pulled out a small, sealed reliquary containing a fragment of the Old Ones' pure cosmic energy. Though only a sliver remained, it would be enough to help Teresa overcome the limits of her bloodline and finally reach the Legendary Realm.
As Ryan rode along, he couldn't stop grinning, a wide smile revealing his teeth.
"It's done!"
She could no longer escape.
In the luxurious carriage trailing behind him, the Lady of the Lake sat blushing furiously, her hands pressed to her abdomen as she pounded the floor in frustration.
She had dodged him time and time again, but this time, she hadn't escaped. While she was immersed in absorbing the Old One energy, Ryan had used the cosmic energy to imprint a complete soul rune on her lower abdomen.
She knew all too well what the rune meant. Though she had mentally prepared herself for this possibility, she had hoped for some negotiation or special treatment—something!
"Ryan! You tricked me!!!"
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