A Lady of the Lake?!
Hearing this title from Mephistopheles' mouth, Faust wasn't surprised; he had already suspected as much.
In many heroic tales, they were almost indispensable recurring guests. Compared to the fairies who were difficult for mortals to encounter, the frequency of a Lady of the Lake's appearance was much higher.
They were either prophets who brought enlightenment to heroes, messengers who delivered treasures, or examiners who set up trials...
In a way, they were like weakened versions of fairies.
If fairies were no different from gods in the perception of mortals, then a Lady of the Lake was like an angel, viewed by mortals as the messenger and servant of fairies.
【I have told you many times, under the wheel of destiny, all living beings are equal. There is no such thing as one being more noble than another; there are only different roles to play. Naturally, a Lady of the Lake is also independent. Compared to us, they are much freer and even have leisure for entertainment.】
"Son of Man, for what reason have you come to this region?"
The golden-brown-haired Lady of the Lake floated in mid-air, her magnificent and exquisite white robe fluttering slightly.
Azure Maiden wiped her lip glaze with a finger, her originally weak aura vanishing without a trace. Her lowered gaze carried a high-and-mighty, undisguised arrogance.
"The path ahead is not a territory you can step into. Turn back, son of man."
Faust feigned respect, bowing in greeting: "May I ask who you are..."
At the same time, the Prince of Qingxi asked in his mind: "You know this Lady of the Lake?"
【Heh, of course I do. Even among the eccentric Ladies of the Lake, she is considered an absolute bitch. Whatever she says, don't believe a single word of it.】
'Bitch' actually came up!
Faust had never heard such a sharp critique from Mephistopheles. For a fairy to give such a rating, she must truly be an extraordinary bitch.
Azure Maiden said with a half-smile:
"Son of Man, before asking for the honored name of a Lady of the Lake, shouldn't you first announce your own name?"
Faust immediately took a deep breath and said:
"Respected Lady of the Lake, I am a prince from the Qingxi Kingdom. I have come here to propose to Princess Snow White of the Midwinter Kingdom."
"Pfft—"
As soon as Faust finished speaking, Azure Maiden let out a sneer. The Lady of the Lake crossed her round, plump legs and sized up the Prince of Qingxi:
"You may call me Azure Maiden. As you can see, I am a Lady of the Lake."
Azure Maiden propped up her flawless, pretty chin with one hand and smiled:
"Wanting to propose to the Princess of Midwinter? Heh, you people really don't give up. I don't know where you heard the rumors to travel all this way, but before you, many tried their luck, only to be stopped here by their own greed."
'I was wondering why I didn't see any typical loiterers; turns out they all fell into your trap. Wait, are you a highwayman or a Lady of the Lake?'
【This is Azure Maiden's favorite thing to do: entrapment. Just now, if you had shown even the slightest hint of greed, Azure Maiden would have had a reason to impose punishment on you. Tsk tsk, the punishments she imposes are quite humiliating.】
'Fine, fine, that's how we're playing, is it?'
Faust was almost moved to angry laughter. Although the Lady of the Lake's disguise was full of holes, both that criminal body of hers and those brilliant, exquisite gems were the real deal.
Under such regardless-of-cost temptation, it was undoubtedly extremely difficult to show no greed at all. After all, human nature could never stand up to testing. If a Lady of the Lake insisted on being a baiting troll just to find an excuse to punish people, one really just had to comply.
Azure Maiden bit her finger and clicked her tongue: "However... even among so many vulgar beings, someone like you who is unaffected by temptation has appeared. I'm truly curious whether you are even a man, tsk..."
Faust wore a face of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness: "I simply do good deeds without worrying about the future."
"Hahaha, well said. I have a new level of respect for you, handsome man."
Azure Maiden drew close to Faust, her beautiful face wearing an intoxicating smile. She extended a slender, lily-white finger to lift the prince's chin and said:
"To be honest, you are so special that I'm actually a bit tempted."
If it were any ordinary person—or rather, if Faust hadn't met Mephistopheles—being praised like this by a Lady of the Lake would have made them start having wild fantasies.
But the Prince of Qingxi felt nothing at all right now, because Mephistopheles was narrating the glorious achievements of the Lady of the Lake in front of him.
【Besides entrapment, Azure Maiden's other great hobby is collecting suitors.】
【She keeps them hanging with an aloof attitude, toys with their feelings, drains their wealth, and wears down their spirit, constantly driving these talented young men until these Sons of Man, who should have achieved great deeds, become her submissive followers, degrading themselves just to win a smile from a Lady of the Lake.】
【Looking at it now, she has her eyes on you... Hmph, it's only natural, Faust. You are my contractor, after all.】
'What are you so proud of?!'
Faust asked in surprise: "Is it okay for her to act so recklessly?"
【This is where a Lady of the Lake differs from a fairy. Their power is far inferior to ours, but because of that, they possess much freer authority. As long as their actions are performed for the purpose of a 'test' or 'trial,' they can be permitted. This is the role a Lady of the Lake is meant to play in fate.】
【As for the intensity of the trial, it is entirely up to the Lady of the Lake's discretion. The kind ones will stop at a reasonable point, while those like Azure Maiden take pleasure in toying with the Sons of Man.】
Faust said suspiciously: "Being such a bitch, she isn't your prize student, is she?"
【How could that be? The Ladies of the Lake I've trained are all truly beautiful and kind-hearted. It's just... I won't deny that I worked with Azure Maiden for a period of time.】
【She doesn't know you are my contractor; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to flirt. Play along with her, but remember not to believe a single word she says.】
The exchange between Faust and Mephistopheles happened in a flash. To avoid breaking his expression and being found out, the prince deliberately lowered his head.
"Hmm?"
In Azure Maiden's eyes, Faust's lowered head and silence meant he was overwhelmed by her beauty. No matter how outstanding or extraordinary a young man was, before her transcendent beauty and noble status as a fairy, they were no different from starstruck boys.
However, the mortal before her... was indeed frighteningly handsome. Compared to him, her other collectibles paled in comparison.
The Lady of the Lake licked her cherry-colored, plump lips and floated higher.
"Handsome prince, would you be interested in becoming my grail knight?"
Azure Maiden threw out an olive branch that almost no one could refuse, lifting her chin as she said:
"A son of man with such upright character as yours perfectly possesses the aptitude to become a grail knight. If you pass my trial, you will have the honor of drinking the water of the holy grail."
Rate on N.U.
