Faust heard Blue Lady's proposal and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Among the [Heroic Sagas] sung throughout the world, legends of the [Grail Knight] were countless, tales of heroes who passed through trial after trial and were blessed by the Lady of the Lake.
They drank from the Holy Grail's waters, were granted radiant armor and a silver blade, and from then on rose to the very pinnacle, transcending the mortal to become saints.
This was a legend known to nearly every mortal, and an adventure that countless adventurers dreamed of encountering.
Glory, strength, renown, wealth, and power, all within easy reach! Any Grail Knight could travel freely among the kingdoms, admired and revered by all.
Even Faust himself had once admired the strength and glory of the Grail Knights, but the restriction that a Grail Knight could never become a king had made him abandon the idea.
But after discussing the matter with Mephisto, the truth he learned had shattered every rosy illusion he'd held.
[Once the Oath of Devotion is sworn, a Grail Knight ceases to be a Son of Man, and becomes instead a subordinate enforcer under the Lady of the Lake, or more precisely, nothing more than her dog.]
[That conniving witch Blue Lady likes to toy with promising young talents and ruin them. And if someone happens to make it to the very end, she takes them in as a Grail Knight. After all these years, the power she's accumulated in the mortal world must be considerable indeed.]
Faust: "Sounds like the Lady of the Lake has it pretty good. Way more carefree than you Fae."
[True enough.]
Even Mephisto couldn't deny it. Though both were enforcers anchored by the Wheel of Fate, the Fae and the Lady of the Lake were worlds apart.
Those above, the Fae, had no freedom; those at the very bottom, mortals, suffered endlessly too.
Damn it all, the ones in the middle, the Ladies of the Lake, got to enjoy everything!
Now that he knew the Grail Knight title was such an enormous trap, Faust naturally had no intention of accepting. Instead, he put on an expression of trembling reverence and answered:
"I... how could I dare to hope for a seat among the Grail Knights? My virtue simply doesn't match such an honor!"
Blue Lady let out an "oh" and raised her voice:
"No need to belittle yourself. Your achievements so far may not qualify you for the Grail Trial, but that doesn't mean they never will. I'm willing to give you a chance... hmph, Faust, must you really make me say it aloud?"
Faust glanced at Blue Lady. She had abandoned her earlier haughty air, arms crossed and eyes closed, though every so often she peeked one eye open to study him, her pale cheeks faintly flushed.
She was quite the actress. Honestly, going by expression alone, Faust couldn't find a single flaw in it. It looked exactly like a proud, noble Lady of the Lake feigning annoyance at someone she'd secretly taken a liking to.
Say what you will, but honestly, any spirited young man in his place would have found it hard not to feel light-headed with the urge to steal a kiss.
But Faust acted as though he hadn't heard a thing, tilting his head and saying:
"My apologies, Blue Lady, but one shouldn't accept rewards without merit. I'm still so young and haven't accomplished a single thing worth mentioning. I would never dare overstep like that, it would be an insult to countless of my predecessors!"
Wait, was this guy... genuinely oblivious, or just putting on an act?
Seeing Faust's face full of pure, innocent sincerity, Blue Lady couldn't help lowering her eyes slightly.
Normally, a hot-blooded young man like this could be toyed with effortlessly, a little teasing was usually all it took. But across all her long years, there had been exceptions too.
There were always a few born ascetics, indifferent to worldly desires, stubborn as a rock in an outhouse. Could this prince be one of them too?
The Lady of the Lake had no way to force a mortal into anything. Since Faust wouldn't budge no matter what approach she took, Blue Lady had no choice but to give up on seduction, for now.
Of course, only for now. Any lapdog she'd set her sights on, she was determined to claim eventually, one way or another.
"Regardless, you've passed my trial and proven your virtue. I must reward you for it."
Blue Lady drifted over the small lake nearby, her delicate body leaning back as she extended one crystalline, jade-white foot, smiling as she said:
"Why don't I grant you the honor of kissing the top of my foot."
It had to be said, the Lady of the Lake's foot truly was flawless, as though carved from jade, its curves elegant, its proportions perfect, not a speck of dust upon it.
Any ordinary, sexually repressed young man, given the chance to get this close to a goddess, would probably have dropped to his knees on the spot.
But Faust nearly burst out laughing at the sight.
Seriously, did she really think he was some desperate pushover?
Who did she think she was underestimating? Bro Faust here had watched enough anime that cream puffs and "certain kinds of baths" didn't even faze him anymore.
Faust forced back his laughter, looked away, and said with a straight face:
"My lady! Please stop joking around!"
"Hmph. What a boring man."
Seeing that Faust really seemed to be one of those stubborn types utterly impervious to persuasion, Blue Lady's expression turned cold. She crooked a finger, and the dagger at Faust's waist rose into the air, flying straight down into the lake.
Then, three daggers of identical style rose up out of the water, two of which were clearly carved with arcane runes, marking them as mysterious artifacts.
"Faust, Faust..."
The beautiful, elegant Lady of the Lake trailed a finger lightly across the water's surface, stirring up ripples, and said:
"Now tell me, which weapon did you drop?"
It was the classic legend again, the kind where the answer seemed to come effortlessly to the tongue. But Faust kept Mephisto's warning firmly in mind and refused to answer Blue Lady's question directly:
"I have indeed lost something. I once lost a straight sword that could burst into cancelable flame, a half-blade that could spin in a boomerang arc, and a great bow that could be dual-wielded for rapid fire. Would you happen to know where they are?"
"?!"
No matter how slow-witted one might be, even they could tell by now that the Prince of Aurum was deliberately dodging the question.
Blue Lady's expression changed at once. She studied Faust with an extremely stern, icy gaze, and finally let out a cold laugh:
"Heh. So you really do know something. Not very honest of you."
As though all her interest had drained away at once, the Lady of the Lake gave the Prince of Aurum one last deep look, then swept her robes and dissolved into a streak of light, vanishing.
[Well done. The Lady of the Lake's gifts are poison to free will. Refusing her was the right choice.]
Mephisto praised Faust's handling of the situation, explaining:
[The Lady of the Lake's role is to test the will of the Sons of Man. Anyone who grows accustomed to accepting blessings and gifts from her can never receive Fate's true blessing.]
"So the Lady of the Lake's very existence is basically entrapment? Is there anyone left in this world who hasn't fallen for it?"
Faust shook his head with a laugh, stepping forward to fish his own dagger out of the small lake. There was no sign of the other two enchanted daggers.
Legend had it the Lady of the Lake could move freely between any bodies of water. No telling where she'd gone off to torment someone else now.
[All of the Lady of the Lake's blessings are probably like that, small favors and petty gains. Doesn't compare to the Dragon's Blessing, if you ask me.]
Faust nodded in full agreement: "I can't argue with that."
The strength of the Dragon's Blessing had been proven beyond doubt during the Empire's civil war. If not for the true dragon's blessing, how could the Second Empire have achieved such an overwhelming advantage?
Say nothing else, but the Second Empire's royal family were all Dragonblood-Bathed, granting them the mysterious trait of [Immortality]. No conventional means could ever harm the dragon's kin again.
Faust stroked his chin, wistful. "A bath in dragon's blood, huh... I wonder if that Lian from the Empire could arrange one for me too."
The Prince of Aurum was merely daydreaming for a moment, when he suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold creep over him.
[Oho... Faust, are you planning to cheat on me?]