That m, as Emperor Burn stood before the mirror, he found himself face-to-face with a rather divine looking stranger. His usually white hair had taken on a blonde hue, glowing with a celestial light that was all too fitting for a divine judge, not the ruler of an empire.
His image, typically that of a tall, lean, and muscur man with white hair and golden eyes, had taken an ued detour on the heavenly highway. His refle looked back at him, the radiant hair adding an ironic saintly aura to his devil-may-care attitude.
‘Who the fuck?’ Burn thought wryly, studying his new halo with disbelief. With each turn of his head, the glow remained, steadfast and insistent, like a lighthouse bea on the foggiest of nights.
“Pffft—”
Burn turo the woman hiding under his sheets.
He, who looked less like the feared Emperor Burn and more like a celestial body who had lost his way from the Milky Way, frowned.
‘o self,’ he thought to himself, ‘ime, ask for the side effects brochure before sleeping with a saint—’
He wondered if his subjects would now expect miracles on demand, or perhaps a sermon on the virtues of saintly slumber.
“Miss Momo,” he called out, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Did I cate diviD or something?”
Man's response was immediate and untrolble.
“Pff—hahahah—ahahah!” She ractically vulsing under his bs, rolling around like a gleeful golden ball amidst the chaotigle of white sheets. “You look so—hahahah—handsome—fuu—hahaha—like a god or something—”
Burn narrowed his eyes at the mirror, his new celestial glow mog him with every flicker. Meanwhile, Man’s high-pitched, melodious ughter filled the room, serving as the unwele theme song to his ued transformation.
"Great," Burn thought sarcastically, "Just what I needed—a divine makeover apanied by an angelic ugh track."
“That doesn’t match your image at all—pfffftt—like the devil dressing up in an angel e for Halloween—” Man still couldn’t stop ughing, her fits of giggles eg through the room.
“So this was what you refused to tell me before!” Burn yelled. He could only sigh as Man tio roll around, her ughter ing around him like an infuriatingly joyful b. It seemed his night with a saint had e with a bonus round of celestial edy.
He turo Gahad, who just smiled—wait. Why was he smiling? And why did his smile look... sad?
"Oh, I thank Miss Man for helping His Majesty recahad said, his toinged with relief. "Your Majesty, everyone has been waiting for you ihrone hall."
"Good," Burn replied. He g Man, who was still relishing the pain iomach from ughing so hard. She was trying to catch her breath, her face flushed with amusement. "What are you going to do today?"
"Me? Hehe..." Man, with a ugh still staining her smile, said, "I’m going to teach the phase of Vision Art to Yvain and the male desdants of Elysian. It’s been a while."
Her answer reminded Burn of his own obligations. "I’ll join you after the meeting. Tell Yvain to get ready for Force Art training too."
"Sure," Man answered, her grin unwavering.
"Eat something before you go," Burn advised as he ged into his pants and slipped on his metal-heeled shoes.
"Don't fet to eat too, Caliburn," Man said, reing ba the bed, her eyes following his every move.
"Hm," Burn responded with a nonittal hum before leaving. He exited his bedroom, Gahad trailing behind him, still all smiles.
Burn couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more behind Gahad’s smile, but he had a meeting to attend and a kingdom to run. Priorities, after all.
But suddenly, Gahad said, "I am so happy that His Majesty is finally deg to settle for a family. We, your subordinates, and the whole empire of Soulnaught had started to get worried."
"Hm, I’m not sure about that. Man is someone of high enough stature to her need nor want to settle into a family with me—what?" Burn ran his mouth without realizing it until it was too te.
Gahad chuckled, while Burn paused, taken aback by his own words. Ah, the m's events had affected him more than he cared to admit, making him speak aloud thoughts he'd usually keep buried.
"His Majesty has always been someone who takes whatever he wants. I believe you will cim Miss Man’s heart without much difficulty," Gahad, the number one fanboy, said with unwavering fidence.
Burn stood there, crossing his arms over his chest and humming thoughtfully. "Hmm, right. Why only take her power? Let’s take everything and make it mine."
Gahad ughed heartily. This emperor of his might not yet realize it, but from the looks of it, he had already taken her everything.
The most beautiful woman the world had ever seen—the legendary Infich, Man Le Fay.
And…
CREAK!
THUD! THUD-THUD-THUD!
As Burn strode into the throne hall, the grand doors creaking open with a dramatic fir, he was greeted by an ued sight.
The entire assembly—ministers in their opulent robes, knights in gleaming armor, anders with their polished insignia, and heads of noble houses dressed to the nines—immediately dropped to their knees.
Burn raised an eyebrow, his golden eyes sing the room with a mix of fusion and amusement. Was there a memo he missed? A secret "Kneel Before Burn" day?
The atmosphere was nothing short of theatrical. deliers above cast a golden glow on the se, making the room look like a tableau from a Renaissance painting. The rich fabrics of the nobles' attire and the metallic sheen of the knights' armor created a dazzling mosai the marble floor.
He walked forward, the sound of his metal-heeled shoes eg through the hall like the ominous tig of a clock. The silence alpable, almost reverent, as if they were collectively holding their breath.
Gahad followed closely behind, his smile betraying a hint of pride.
Right uhe throne ercival, waiting with a solemnity that seemed out of pce amidst the theatricality of the se. As Burn was about to pass him, Percival pushed a gss up into his line of vision.
Behind him, Gahad received Burn’s sword from a woman in knight armor, then immediately kneeled and presehe sword to his emperor.
Ihe gss was a golden liquid—and Burn kly what it was. A tration of Forergy, potent and pure.
There were two ways for subordio show their undying loyalty. One was the strid binding magitrader the Vision Art spell, and the other one… well, it was the Holy Grail Ceremony.
The Holy Grail Ceremony was a ritual for knights who chose their master and dedicated their entire existeo them.
Like the magitract, it was strid binding, but there was a crucial difference: while the magitract was demanded by the master, the Holy Grail Ceremony was something that couldn’t be demanded. It had to be offered.
Only the purest of iions and the stro of knights could make su offer. It was a sacred vow, and it was sidered a grave taboo to deny the pledge.
This ceremony reted by King Soulnaught I, Urien Pendragon. After finding his close friend and the holy Apostle of hermere dead at the hands of their enemies, Urien did something both horrifid profound.
He grabbed a gss and drank the blood dripping from the cross that had beeo bind and kill his friend.
With the holy apostle's blood, taining remnants of his Forergy, c through Urien's body, he pledged his loyalty to their shared goal: to create a better world for humanity and all other creatures living in it.
The story was a grim reminder of the lengths to which loyalty and dedication could stretch. It was a tale of sacrifid unyielding resolve, setting the pret for the Holy Grail Ceremony.
The ceremony wasn't just a ritual; it was a legacy, a testament to the boween a sn and his most devoted knights. This wasn't just about accepting loyalty; it was about embodying the very ideals that King Soulnaught I had once fought for.
For a moment, the sarcasm slipped away, repced by a deep sense of responsibility.
But he still had no clue as to why they were him their Forergy like this. Yes, because he felt the distinct mix of eleven different Forergies ihe gss.
And before he could ask why, Gahad raised his voice, filling the grand hall with a resonant authority, “Your Majesty, Emperor Burhe knights of the Round Table, stand before you to pledge our undying loyalty.”
Eh?
“We have witnessed your iigable spirit, your relentless fight, and your unwavering resolve as you shield us from the power of the outsiders who seek to invade our world. You have inspired us through your as, showing us what it truly means to lead with ce and sacrifice."
What?
The eleven knights, each a paragon of strength and honor, stepped forward, their eyes gleaming with determination. Gahad, representing them, tinued, “You have kept going, you have kept fighting, and you have kept proteg us, despite the immense challenges you face. You have shown us that true leadership is not just about power, but about heart and resilience."
Huh?
Percival lifted the gss higher, the golden liquid swirling within it, a symbol of their birength and loyalty. “Today, we offer you our Forergy, not just as a token of our loyalty, but as an embodiment of our faith in you. We have each tributed a part of ourselves to this gss, eleven forces uo give you the strength to tinue yht.”
“We pledge our lives, our powers, and our very souls to you, Emperor Burn. May our bined Forergy fortify you, may our loyalty empower you, and may our unity be the shield that protects our world."
As Gahad and Percival fihe knights k in unison, heads bowed in reverence. Burn stood there, the weight of their words sinking in.
He tilted his head, fusioling in. Frowning with every bit of his brain cells fring for an answer, he wao ask out loud—
"Yeah, but why?"
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