Lancelot had won the tourney championship, and true to their earlier agreement, King Robert was personally knighting him as a knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
With great solemnity, King Robert took a sword from Barristan Selmy. Then, under the gaze of everyone present, he ordered Lancelot to kneel.
"Kneel, Lancelot!" he commanded sternly.
Lancelot dropped to one knee, bowing his head as he awaited Robert's accolade.
Robert tapped the flat of the blade lightly on Lancelot's left shoulder.
"In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just."
Then he moved the sword, tapping Lancelot's right shoulder.
"In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the young and innocent."
Robert placed the sword back on Lancelot's left shoulder.
"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave."
"Rise, Ser Lancelot Lannister, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
When Lancelot stood up again, he was officially a knight.
The crowd erupted, chanting his name.
"Lancelot! Lancelot! Lancelot!"
"Thank you, Your Grace!" Lancelot expressed his gratitude to Robert. At the same time, he spent one hundred Popularity Points to check King Robert's stats.
> Name: Robert Baratheon
> Identity: King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men; Lord of the Seven Kingdoms; Protector of the Realm; Robert I of House Baratheon.
> Class: Warrior/Knight
> Strength: 35
> Speed: 16
> Intelligence: 15
> Spirit: 20
> Mana: 8
> Talent: God of Hammers. When this talent activates, there is a 50% chance to instantly kill an opponent whose overall power does not exceed three times the user's own.
Seeing Robert's stats, Lancelot was stunned. That exaggerated Strength—35 points—was nearly double Jaime's. And that "God of Hammers" talent offered a fifty-fifty shot at an instant kill.
"No wonder he crushed Rhaegar's chest with a single hammer blow at the Trident!"
Lancelot had heard stories from old soldiers in King's Landing, veterans of House Baratheon who had fought at the Battle of the Trident.
According to them, Rhaegar initially had the upper hand in his duel with Robert, even wounding him. But in the end, Robert suddenly killed Rhaegar with one decisive blow. No one really knew how it happened.
Logically, Rhaegar was two years older than Robert and had been trained by the likes of Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, and Barristan Selmy. Normally, Rhaegar shouldn't have been weaker than Robert.
It could only be said that Robert's "God of Hammers" talent was absurdly broken. A fifty percent chance to instantly kill any enemy not more than three times stronger than him? That was practically a god-tier skill.
After knighting Lancelot, Robert happily patted him on the shoulder.
"I hope that one day, you will be the one to knight Joffrey. I want your friendship to be like mine and Ned Stark's."
"We will be friends forever, brothers forever! Your Grace!" Lancelot replied.
Joffrey, his face flushed red with excitement, walked over and threw his arm around Lancelot's shoulder.
"In another year, I'll enter the tourney too. When that time comes, I'll win a championship myself. Lancelot, in a year, you'll be the one knighting me. Don't forget!" Joffrey said excitedly.
His face was so red from excitement he looked like a baboon's backside.
King Robert left with his Kingsguard. Cersei also took Myrcella and the others back to the Red Keep, though she gave Lancelot a complicated look before leaving. Ultimately, she said nothing.
Lancelot and Joffrey went together to see Tywin Lannister.
"Grandfather!"
"Grandfather!"
They addressed the same man using different words for the same title.
Standing next to Tywin was the Imp, Tyrion Lannister.
"Lancelot! I won a brothel in King's Landing from Baelish, and Father won a stretch of beach on the Fingers from him. Stannis also won a village in the Stormlands from Renly. Because of you, many people made a fortune today, though plenty lost one too," Tyrion said.
"Winning some and losing some is normal, Uncle. But gambling is something best avoided unless you're absolutely certain. After all, nine out of ten gamblers lose," Lancelot remarked.
"You brat, lecturing me now? Hahaha!" Tyrion laughed, clapping Lancelot on the shoulder.
Tywin Lannister spoke then.
"My wager with Baelish was ten thousand Gold Dragons. Instead of the coin, I won a beach from him. So, the ten thousand dragons I wagered are yours now, Lancelot. Do not disappoint me in the future."
With that, Tywin Lannister turned and left.
Before Lancelot could even react, Tywin was already walking away.
"Pennies from heaven! He just gave you ten thousand Gold Dragons! No way, Lancelot, you have to give me five thousand. At least three thousand!" Joffrey tugged at Lancelot's arm.
"It seems Father has acknowledged you! Lancelot! Knighted at twelve, and a tourney champion to boot! A grandson like you is something most men can only pray for!" Tyrion said.
"I see. Looks like I won't have to worry about my status anymore!" Lancelot finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he checked Tyrion's stats.
> Name: Tyrion Lannister
> Identity: Second son of Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West.
> Class: None
> Strength: 8
> Speed: 8
> Intelligence: 36
> Spirit: 25
> Mana: 10
> Talent: Master Diplomat. Can converse happily with anyone and persuade the majority of them.
"Tyrion really is a pity. Because of his dwarfism, his Strength and Speed can't reach the limits of a normal person. But his Intelligence, Spirit, and Mana are far beyond ordinary men!"
"His talent makes him a born diplomat and negotiator. Truly worthy of being Tyrion Lannister."
Because Lancelot had been knighted, he was technically required to spend the night praying in the sept and be anointed with holy oils.
But Lancelot found it too troublesome. He simply pulled out a copy of The Seven-Pointed Star and said to the High Septon:
"The Seven blessed me with victory in the tourney. I have already received their approval! We can skip the trivial, unimportant rituals!"
"Very well! Ser Lancelot. I hope you remain a knight of faith." The High Septon knew Lancelot was currently the most popular figure in King's Landing and didn't want to offend him.
Leaving the Great Sept of Baelor, Lancelot returned to the Red Keep. He usually lived there with Tyrion; after all, they were considered royal kin.
After Cersei married Robert, Robert's brothers weren't just Stannis and Renly anymore—Jaime and Tyrion were now his brothers-in-law. The children of all these brothers were essentially his nieces and nephews.
Robert had once wanted Stannis to bring Shireen to live in the Red Keep, but Stannis had always refused.
Before returning to his own room, Lancelot went to check on Myrcella. Rumor had it she was very upset because she had almost received her first Crown of Love and Beauty, only to have it slip through her fingers.
"Is the Princess in?" Lancelot asked a Lannister handmaiden outside Myrcella's chambers.
"Ser Lancelot, Her Highness seems very unhappy!"
"I understand. I'll go see her."
Lancelot pushed the door open and saw Myrcella hiding under her blankets.
"Myrcella, look what I brought you?"
Lancelot held a box in his hand. Inside were the three necklaces he had won from the lucky draw: one ruby, one sapphire, and one Valyrian steel.
Myrcella poked her head out from the covers and glared at Lancelot.
"Hmph! Lancelot, you didn't give me the Crown of Love and Beauty. Instead, you gave it to Joffrey of all people! You two are hateful!"
"Oh, my little princess! Big brother was wrong, okay? Come look. Which of these necklaces do you like?" Lancelot placed the box of glittering necklaces on her bed.
"Wow, such beautiful rubies and sapphires... but what is the other one?" Myrcella had never seen Valyrian steel before, so she didn't know it could be made into jewelry.
"That is a Valyrian steel necklace. I traded the Crown of Love and Beauty with Joffrey for this! He hid it so well; if I hadn't stumbled upon it by accident, he would have kept it hidden forever!" Lancelot immediately threw Joffrey under the bus while he wasn't there.
"So that's how it is. You agreed beforehand to trade the crown for the necklace?" Myrcella's expression finally shifted from annoyance to delight.
Lancelot nodded.