Royce’s confidence was not without reason; the Azure Maiden had a specific purpose for summoning him.
The knight order he commanded was the perfect countermeasure against Snow White’s soul-snaring and heart-bewitching authority.
In theory, how a grail knight established their own order was a matter of personal freedom, but it was usually dictated by their connections and preferences.
For instance, Dathrohan, as a prince of the Golden Eagle Kingdom, drew most of his members from the kingdom's royal guard; it was essentially a regular army wearing a different skin.
Most grail knights of less noble birth had to recruit all sorts of adventurers from every walk of life, though the special status of a grail knight ensured they were welcomed in any nation.
Yet, even among all the grail knight orders, Royce’s was unique and distinctive.
This grail knight, who had started as a circus performer, had taken an unconventional path, choosing not to recruit adventurers or wandering knights.
Instead, he used the circus’s beastmasters as his core, building an order centered on capturing magical beasts and taming monstrous beasts.
His mystery trait, Listening to the Hearts of Beasts, was originally an ability to tame wild creatures and make them submit to his will; in the past, it was only good for circus performances.
But after being elevated to a grail knight, this seemingly humorous mystery trait found its true purpose. Royce spent his days wandering the borders between civilization and the wilderness, capturing rare and exotic beasts as if he were collecting monsters.
Consequently, in the eyes of his colleagues, Royce was an absolute eccentric, earning him the nickname of the beast knight.
Most of the time, his menagerie was seen as nothing more than a source of entertainment, a collection of acrobatic tricks meant to elicit a laugh.
In a real battle, Royce’s animal friends would usually be slaughtered by a well-trained knight order. After all, did he really think others didn't know how to butcher a beast?
Every knight who campaigned or adventured dealt with various magical beasts; they were often better at cutting down mindless, heartless animals than human enemies.
However, there was one specific area where Royce’s order held the advantage.
When fighting fiends with heart-bewitching authorities, his animal friends were almost entirely unaffected.
The principle wasn't that complex: low-intelligence beasts couldn't process large amounts of convoluted information. Since they were already controlled by a beastmaster, they couldn't be affected by additional mind-control debuffs; their mental hardware simply didn't allow for it.
"I presume this is why you summoned me, My Lady?"
The bronze-skinned grail knight, wearing a pure and bright smile, bowed deeply.
"My long-standing persistence has finally paid off. My pack and I shall fight for you, respected Lady."
"...Then I shall rely on you. Also, take these; they should help you resist some of the influence of the Princess of Midwinter."
The Lady of the Lake moved with graceful steps, waving her hand to send a pair of rings into the hands of the two grail knights.
These were among the many occult relics she had collected, possessing a strong resistance against mental abnormalities.
As for how effective they truly were, even the Azure Maiden couldn't say for sure. In this world, aside from the supreme fate that could never be defied, every other mechanism could be brute-forced by stacking enough numerical power.
Unfortunately, looking at the current situation, she was the challenger.
The Azure Maiden gestured for the grail knights to put on the rings before continuing.
"Ideally, you will cooperate with the Midwinter Kingdom's legions to sweep away the ancient profane creations in one fell swoop. If a stalemate occurs, you may temporarily set the profane creations aside, change direction, and seize the Qingxi prince from the royal capital."
Royce’s smile froze upon hearing this, a metaphorical question mark appearing over his head.
Wait, what was this for? Was... was this really something a grail knight should be doing?
Dathrohan fell into thought for a moment. Perhaps wanting to preserve his own dignity, he spoke up.
"My Lady, if I may be blunt, everything happening in this kingdom is very wrong. Since entering Midwinter, the decisions you have made... have not been very wise. The same goes for me; I find it too easy to lose my head and make mistakes. Has the dragon's curse... already eroded this land too deeply?"
"I think we might want to temporarily withdraw and re-examine this operation to purge the profanity."
"You think I don't know that?! If I could run, I would have run long ago!"
The Azure Maiden’s lips twitched, her facade of a gentle expression nearly crumbling.
She clasped her hands tightly over her high, full chest, speaking with a look of pity.
"I know. That is why I have never blamed you. The dragon's curse is truly terrifying, but that is exactly why we cannot retreat. That Prince Faust may be the key to breaking the curse, which is why he must be brought here."
"Please, do your utmost. I wish you success in battle."
"Yes, My Lady. As you command."
Since their goddess had put it that way, Dathrohan and Royce accepted the order with solemn bows, despite their lingering confusion.
Only after the grail knights had departed did the Azure Maiden grit her teeth and begin to think rapidly.
Was someone setting a trap for her?! Thinking back, that Prince Faust had seen through her true nature and played with her the very first time they met. That was definitely not something a mere mortal could know!
He had never even seen her before! Let alone known her true face.
Which of those old acquaintances was trying to screw with her?
Could it be one of the fairies who couldn't stand her actions and decided to teach her a lesson?
Whoever it was, were they not afraid of the 【Great Thunder】 in her hands?
The Azure Maiden stared down at the clear surface of the lake. In the next moment, arcs of orange-yellow lightning leaped nimbly across the water.
However, she did not truly control this majestic and violent power. At the mere touch of a single spark against her fingertip, the beautiful fairy with golden-brown hair trembled and fell to her knees on the lake's surface.
"Ngh—"
The lingering power of the brilliant thunder surged through her body, causing the Azure Maiden to hug her arms as she shook slightly. A persistent flush colored her fair, pretty face, yet her lips curled into a slight smirk.
If it really is a fairy... as a mere Lady of the Lake, I have no way to resist, but I won't make it easy for them either! Just wait until I smash that 【Great Thunder】 onto your head and stuff you full of it! You’ll become a prisoner with no hope of escape!
................
Selena and Viviana were both of the decisive, action-oriented sort—or perhaps their desire to rescue Faust was simply too strong. On the afternoon following their meeting, Snow White ordered the frost-walkers to establish artillery positions outside the fortress.
Though they were called artillery, they certainly weren't meant to bombard the fortress directly or blow the defenders inside to smithery.
Heaven's Will did not look kindly upon such dishonorable conduct; even the son of man during the Golden Age had stopped climbing that particular technology tree.
Thus, the "artillery" established by the frost-walkers was actually a system specialized in breaking through spell barriers, posing little threat to humans themselves.
However, this move undoubtedly crossed a red line for the fortress defenders. To avoid being captivated by Snow White’s terrifying charisma again, they had to dispatch troops to destroy the positions.
Rate on N.U.
