At first, Erica's voice trembled slightly, but toward the end, she threw caution to the wind.
Whether in wisdom, strength, or character, Ryuga's style of action was completely to her taste.
Compared to those idiots who relied purely on instinct for battle, such a wise person was truly worth entrusting her life to.
At Ryuga's rate of growth, if she didn't seize this opportunity, she might not be able to speak up the next time they met.
Therefore, even though her heart was anxious about the high possibility of being rejected by Ryuga, Erica still gathered the courage to express her determination to serve.
After speaking, she looked at the ground nervously, as if awaiting a sovereign's judgment.
If any familiar acquaintance were here, they probably wouldn't dare believe that the proud and arrogant Erica, who looked down even on Campione, would so proactively submit, her attitude even somewhat humble, as if still worried that the other party would reject her allegiance.
Only Erica herself understood clearly that someone as excellent and powerful as Ryuga might not necessarily value her.
She could only be proactive to create even the slightest opportunity.
For a moment, the scene was very quiet, and those watching the group livestream held their breath, not knowing what Ryuga would do.
The few seconds of waiting felt stretched very long in Erica's heart.
Amid the rapid beating of her heart, she sensed her hands lighten as someone took the knight's sword from her palms.
Her heart stirred, but she didn't raise her head; instead, she lowered it even more.
At this time, Ryuga gripped the hilt of Erica's beloved sword with one hand, then held the blade horizontally, finally placing it on Erica's shoulder.
This was a position where he could sever the other's head with a single stroke at any moment, and also the ritual where knights expressed their greatest trust to their master.
This ancient ceremony represented only one attitude:
I am willing to entrust my life to you.
And Ryuga's response was equally simple.
"I accept your allegiance."
"Thank you, Ryuga-sama... no, thank you, my lord!"
After the allegiance ceremony was complete, Erica's face showed joy as if she had received unexpected favor.
From now on, she had become Ryuga's retainer, and even the magic society could no longer assign her tasks.
Seeing her successfully cling to this powerful leg, the group chat became lively.
[Madoka: "Congratulations, Erica-oneesan!"]
[Kana: "Envious!"]
Clearly it was Ryuga who had gained a knight as a servant, yet they all thought Erica was the lucky one.
Of course, Erica herself thought the same.
[Tohsaka Rin: "Ryuga-sama actually agreed!"]
[Tohsaka Rin: "By the way! Ryuga-sama, I have a friend who wants to ask you a question—do you need a maid?"]
In the Fate world, Tohsaka Rin was envious to the point of dissociation.
Ryuga's performance was even more outrageous than gods. If she could cling to this powerful leg, why would she need to be bullied by that vixen every day?
If Ryuga-sama was willing to help her, let alone Matou Zouken, even her own father, hmph! She wouldn't be unable to take action.
[Kana: "Rin-chan, this friend you're talking about, isn't it yourself?"]
[Madoka: "No! I think she might be talking about me!"]
[Madoka: "I can also do maid work!"]
[Tohsaka Rin: "Bah bah bah! Stop interfering, you guys. Can't I ask for my sister!"]
Seeing these people not helping but instead stirring up trouble, Tohsaka Rin was so angry her twin tails nearly stood up.
Ryuga only glanced at the group conversation without responding.
Not to mention they were just asking casually, even if they weren't, Ryuga didn't lack maids.
In the daily world, there were quite a few maids in his house. Even Eriri and Yukinoshita Yukino didn't get many turns per week, so there was no need to recruit others.
Besides, having Madoka as a maid might require being careful of Homura's revenge later. It was better not to court death casually.
Of course, at Madoka's current age, if she really waited until she became a god, Ryuga was confident he wouldn't lose to her.
At this moment, compared to the silly group friends, Ryuga was more concerned with the knight who had pledged allegiance to him.
"I temporarily have no power in this world, so I'll need your help arranging many things later."
With Ryuga's strength, he naturally didn't need Erica as battle assistance.
But for matters other than combat, he very much needed a suitable helper to assist him.
Relying solely on strength might allow him to steamroll the entire world, but it would be difficult to truly mobilize the world's resources. Many times, good communication methods were even more important than pure force.
And Erica happened to have good talent in this area, which was also why Ryuga was willing to accept her allegiance.
"No problem, this is my duty as a knight!"
Hearing Ryuga say this, Erica immediately puffed out her chest confidently.
In terms of strength, the younger generation still had Liliana who could compare with her, but in coordination abilities, few people could match her.
"I trust your abilities in this regard."
Ryuga nodded slightly, then changed his tone.
"It's just that in terms of strength, you're still a bit weak currently."
Hearing the first compliment, Erica was very happy, but hearing the latter statement, Erica became somewhat nervous.
Compared to Ryuga, she was more than just a bit weak.
"I apologize! My lord, I will work hard to train my strength!"
Afraid of being looked down upon by Ryuga, she immediately began making promises.
Unexpectedly, Ryuga directly shook his head.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to criticize you. What I mean is, for your safety, I plan to enhance your strength!"
"Ah?"
[Kana: "Ah?"]
[Tohsaka Rin: "Ah?"]
[Madoka: "Ah?"]
Strength could be enhanced by others?
Erica had as many question marks on her face as in the chat group.
But before she could ask, Ryuga had already placed his hand on top of her head. Sensing magical power flowing through from Ryuga's palm, Erica immediately closed her eyes.
At this time, Ryuga had already activated the authority he had usurped from Verethragna—Eastern War God, and awakened the Youth incarnation within it.
This incarnation could bestow divine protection upon others and draw out their potential, greatly enhancing their power.
"I am the strongest, and hold victory in my hands. Here I command my followers to receive the protection of light!"
Chanting the spirit words could enhance the authority's effects.
Under Ryuga's protection, a large amount of divine power flowed into Erica's body, forming divine blessing.
The divine blessing transformed Erica's body from inside out, gradually materializing on Erica's body surface in the form of a red dress, leather armor, spear, boots, and round shield.
These were all conceptual spirit equipment constructed from divine power. Under Ryuga's adjustments, even the thinnest dress had defensive power that ordinary divine beasts would find difficult to break through.
"Though it's still a bit short of godhood level for now, it should be sufficient for the Holy Knight and divine beast realm! She could even escape when encountering Heretic Gods."
After carefully checking that his blessing had no flaws, Ryuga stopped.
It was rare to find a useful person; he couldn't let her have an accident.
For Ryuga, strengthening Erica was just a casual action, mainly for the convenience of assigning her work.
But in others' eyes, this was an enormous gift.
[Madoka: "Divine blessing from a god, there's actually this way to become stronger?"]
[Madoka: "The treatment under Ryuga-oniisan is really good!"]
[Kana: "Is it too late to learn knight's code now?"]
[Tohsaka Rin: "Too late, give up!"]
[Tohsaka Rin: "Speaking of which, let me tell everyone a horror story."]
[Tohsaka Rin: "This Erica girl is already Tier 2!"]
[Kana: "!"]
[Madoka: "!"]
To be continued...