What does this mean?

No one knows.

The Lady's words must be heeded, so Laine sat back in his rightful place. The soft leather sofa chair made the body of the Holy Grail Knight sink slightly as he prepared to listen to the Lady's teachings.

The Lake Fairy, holding the Holy Grail, sat next to Laine. Her bright eyes looked at him, her crystal-clear lips gently spouted the most moving words in the world without any emotion.

"I support you."

The Divine Chosen Champion raised his head, somewhat bewildered; it was hard for him to imagine hearing such a firm response: "I...my Lady?"

"I support you, my Champion," the Lake Fairy turned her head towards Laine and said. Her voice penetrated the heart of the Divine Chosen Champion, acting as the strongest tonic: "No matter how you look at it, your choice is the right one."

"Thank you very much, my Lady." For the first time, Laine sincerely expressed his gratitude. In his view, his relationship with the Lake Fairy had always been more like a transaction where both parties got what they needed: the Lake Fairy needed his strength and spiritual energy, and he needed the Lake Fairy's protection and advancement.

Yet unwittingly, Laine realized that his relationship with the Lake Fairy was no longer so simple.

"I listened to your roundtable meeting with Francois and Bohemond, and I am satisfied with your decision," the Lake Fairy sighed softly, placing the golden, intricately patterned Holy Grail gently on the table: "Laine, my Champion, you know very well that war and politics are inseparable. You have enough wisdom, but that doesn't mean everyone does."

"When Angxi Desmond, for a variety of reasons, pushed aside the armies of Winford and Bastogne, I realized the outcome of this Knightly War. If old grievances cannot be cast aside and united against the enemy, knights cannot be the match of cunning Beastmen, but Angxi still did it. His arrogance and pride destined his failure."

"There are too many wars and conflicts in the mortal world; even I cannot save the knights from every crisis," the Lake Fairy shook her head painfully: "The severe corruption in the forest limits my divine power, and the existence of Ten Thousand Demon Rock isolates my probing. The dark forest is fair to all, yet unfair at the same time."

Indeed, Laine squinted his eyes. Compared to the powerful Chaos Evil God, the Order God of this world is much weaker. The Lake Fairy was already a deity willing to fight to the death with Chaos Undying while holding vast power of faith across the entire kingdom, yet she was powerless to save this defeat.

The gods take care of divine matters, and mortals handle mortal matters. In many things, the gods have done their utmost, and for many things, mortals can only rely on themselves.

"And you, Laine, my Champion, you knew clearly that doing this would spark controversy within the Knight Kingdom. Your actions would attract the king's hostility and suspicion, your victory would be spoken of as worthless, and your honor would be stolen by thieves, yet you still resolutely made this decision, for me, for the Arden Forest and the surrounding villages, for this country, to destroy the Ten Thousand Demon Rock." The Lake Fairy's gentle voice carried a touch of grace, like reeds swaying by the clear river: "I am very pleased."

"And I am honored, my Lady," Laine also smiled.

"Frankly, I feel disappointed with Richard...truly disappointed. I had always hoped he would maintain harmony and unity within this country...at least on the surface, Richard indeed did that, but not in the way I wished," the Lake Fairy sighed: "Yet, I have to admit that your retreat was the right choice. The fragile trust among the dukes had vanished long after the Dor Tower incident. Arrogance and fear form the foundation of this country's rule, yet we must rely on this old and decaying order to confront the terrible chaos."

"Everything will get better, my Lady. Since His Majesty Richard ascended the throne, he has been striving to restore order and rebuild production. The knightly path standards and virtues that were once destroyed are being reestablished. I merely contributed my insignificant efforts. Moreover, to be honest, even if His Majesty Richard has no intention to grant me any rewards, the spoils we captured from Ten Thousand Demon Rock far exceeded expectations...we seized over three hundred kilograms of gold and silver, my Lady. I almost felt like I had plundered the treasury." Laine said with a deliberately nonchalant look, smiling.

"Haha~ My Champion, you always...always know how to delight people." The Lake Fairy's face blossomed with an involuntary smile, her heartfelt smile possessing an immense charm that could even make the sun pale in comparison.

The flowers in the meeting room further blossomed under the Lake Fairy's influence.

Her bare, beautiful feet lightly stepped on the soft carpet, indicating for Laine to sit closer until they were shoulder to shoulder: "Laine, my Champion, I cannot change the decisions of the king and the dukes because that is outside my realm of interference. But I can do what I should do."

"Mogiana has received my oracle. She is on her way to Kulona, bringing my questioning and my appointment."

"Laine Macado is hereby promoted to the rank of Knight Commander of the Holy Grail Knight Order starting today."

"This is what you deserve, my Champion."

"Thank you very much, my Lady." Laine's eyes gleamed with fiery brilliance. This was the strongest support from the Lake Fairy, and with her backing, many things would become much easier.

Once matters were settled, the Lake Fairy actually wanted to speak to Laine about other things, but neither the time nor the place was appropriate, especially as she wished to keep their special relationship confidential. So, she extended her delicate, alabaster hand before Laine: "I must go now, my Champion, can't let Francois's daughter wait too long."

Laine gently kissed the fair and tender skin on the back of the Lake Fairy's hand: "My Lady, I cannot express my gratitude with words, but I can with my sharp sword and warhammer."

"Once the high tower in your castle is built, I would love to have a long talk with you, my Champion." The Lake Fairy's smile was as radiant as a flower. She picked up the Holy Grail and lightly tapped Laine's face: "Patience is a virtue."

With that, the Lake Fairy disappeared in dazzling white light, leaving only the fragrance of flowers lingering in the room.

The door to the meeting room opened, and Laine came out with a beaming smile: "Miss Surya? Miss Sylvia? It's about time we go partake in the Holy Communion."

"Laine?" Surya was waiting not far outside the meeting room. The duke's daughter was actually quite curious about what the Lady of the Lake had discussed with Laine: "Did...our Lady have any teachings?"

"She supports me," Laine nodded and said softly, "She supports my decision."

"That's truly...wonderful! The Lady never disappoints us." Indeed, upon hearing this, Surya couldn't help but praise. Seeing Laine's determined expression, the female knight was genuinely happy for him: "With the Lady's support, it will also make things easier for father and the others."

"I hope so," Laine also felt relieved.

After enjoying a sumptuous Holy Communion, the three of them emerged from the Holy Grail Cathedral. Their next destination was the Lion Ring Racecourse, the largest and finest racecourse in the Old World. The last time Laine had come here, he hadn't had the opportunity to take a closer look, so this time, he certainly intended to explore it in detail.

However, before that, Laine took Surya and Sylvia to the Merciful Goddess Church, where he took out two letters and handed them to the church's priest: "Please help me send these two letters, addressed to Celestial Vault Castle, Jialan Council."

"The recipients are Teresa Trovik and Veronica Bernadotte, respectively, and I want them sent by express, confidential mail."

"Alright, that'll be 20 Gold Crowns in total."

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