Alexander had been feeling the pressure lately, and it was really starting to get to him.
The appearance of 'Lancelot' had kept his nerves wound tighter than a drum, constantly on edge as he scoured for any clue as to why Lancelot had shown up.
He refused to believe it was some spontaneous manifestation.
He was certain Guinevere had a hand in this somehow. The question was how? The Holy Grail? But hadn't its magical power already been depleted?
Or could it be that the Grail's reserves were in far better shape than he'd anticipated, and Guinevere was just playing weak to lull him into a false sense of security?
These thoughts churned in his mind, impossible to shake. And Melusine's declaration of war against Voban only added to his bewilderment and unease.
Something was off... this whole thing stank.
If Melusine was summoned by Guinevere, then why kill a God Slayer?
Keeping their numbers up was the optimal condition for the Last King to appear, wasn't it?
Or was this Lancelot genuinely the Last King?
It couldn't be that Lancelot and Guinevere were totally unrelated, right? Who would buy that?
Regardless, he had to get involved in this upcoming clash between 'Lancelot' and the Wolf King.
He needed to investigate. But how?
The ideal scenario would be to strike a deal with the Wolf King beforehand, set up the 'Great Labyrinth' authority he'd taken from Minos, then deploy the 'Erinyes' and the 'Weird Greed' to weave an inescapable net around this 'Lancelot'.
But he knew the moment he proposed cooperation, the Wolf King would refuse, probably trying to tear him apart first.
Just as he was frowning, trying to figure out how to insert himself into this mess, a familiar magical signature made him look up sharply towards the distant forest.
In the woods, a clear light flashed in a rhythmic pattern, deliberately catching his eye. His already furrowed brow tightened further.
Guinevere?
After a moment's thought, Alexander activated his authority of Godspeed.
In the blink of an eye, he was hovering over the light source, looking down at the golden-haired girl standing on the ground below.
"Showing your face right in front of me? What's your angle this time?"
Alexander didn't think she was here for a fight. As the master of this place, he had layered defenses everywhere. He was confident no one could defeat him on his own turf.
Guinevere surely knew that. Yet, here she was.
"Alex." Guinevere's gaze towards him wasn't exactly friendly either.
She had a thousand insults stored up for the God Slayer who destroyed her Grail. But remembering that she'd largely set this whole twisted situation in motion herself, she swallowed the bitter pill.
Composing herself, she offered a polite smile.
"You must know about the upcoming battle by now. The one involving the Wolf King... and Sir Lancelot."
"What's the deal with that Lancelot?"
Alexander wasn't interested in pleasantries and cut straight to the chase.
"The deal...? I thought you might have figured it out." Guinevere feigned appropriate surprise.
"That 'Lancelot' is obviously just a cheap knock-off," Alexander stated, watching her expression closely as he offered his theory.
"Not just that girl, but that armored one beside you too. The real 'Lancelot' never existed in the first place."
"Oh?" Guinevere's expression didn't flicker. His speculation meant nothing to her.
"Regardless of which Lancelot it is, its essence is a vessel you created to anchor the 'Last King's Strongest Knight'."
"Seems you've done your homework." Guinevere smiled faintly.
Her very lack of reaction solidified Alexander's suspicion that both Lancelots were connected to her somehow.
But he wasn't just stating the obvious here.
His real goal... was simply to stall for time.
At that moment, dark violet orbs materialized, encircling Guinevere. Their monstrous gravitational pull promised to tear her apart in an instant.
Alexander held them back for now; he still had questions.
Guinevere remained calm. The Weird Greed possessed a terrifying, almost black hole-like attraction. Without using a Speed Authority to flee at full tilt, even a deity would struggle to break free.
But Lancelot conveniently wielded the authority of Speed, so it posed little threat to her. Besides...
"Don't bother with pointless games, Alex," Guinevere said.
"My being here should tell you I didn't come to fight. Surely you can sense that this body of mine is just an astral form."
In the magical world, an astral form—or 'phantom'—was a soul-projection created by manipulating spiritual senses.
Princess Alice, due to her frail body, often socialized in this very state.
Alexander knew this well. He also knew that destroying an astral form harmed the original body, as it was a part of the soul.
"I came to offer you some advice, for old time's sake, seeing as we were once adversaries."
Seeing Alexander's stony expression, Guinevere continued, "Stay out of the fight between the Wolf King and my knight. A reduction in the number of God Slayers benefits you too, doesn't it?"
"On the surface, perhaps."
Alexander probed, keeping his own expression neutral.
"But isn't your whole goal to summon the Last King? I doubt you'd do anything counterproductive."
"Precisely because it would be counterproductive, I'm here, Alex." Guinevere stated.
"If you and the Wolf King both ended up dead, the number of God Slayers would decrease further. That would be quite troublesome for me."
Her logic was sound. Which meant the Wolf King must possess something she considered worth deviating from her goal to eliminate, even temporarily.
What could it be?
Several theories sprouted in Alexander's mind, his already tangled thoughts growing even more chaotic thanks to Guinevere's appearance.
"Anyway, that's all I came to say. If you want to live, stay away from the Balkans... Of course, if you're determined to throw your life away trying to slow me down, be my guest."
With that, Guinevere dissolved into pure magical energy, drifting away towards the distance.
After a moment's hesitation, Alexander decided against using the orbs to crush the residual magic. Instead, he tried to follow its trail back to Guinevere's location.
Unfortunately, as if anticipating this, the magical energy split into multiple strands, willingly sacrificing portions of her soul to deny him any chance.
So, what now?
As established, to plunder a Heretic God's authority, you needed a fair, one-on-one fight.
If Alexander joined the fray, even if they won, neither would gain a new authority. A battle yielding no authority was anathema to the Wolf King.
That was precisely why Alexander hesitated to act rashly.
But Guinevere's move solidified his resolve. Even if this was a trap, even if it meant earning the Wolf King's enmity, he had to step in this time. He had to make sure the Wolf King survived.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.