Chapter 77
Tiamat raised her finger and shushed everyone, then picked up a nearby cushion.
At the same time, clear sound began to come from the screen.
At this moment, Artoria was staring at Lan Ze with a bewildered look, her usually emerald green eyes now showing a hint of surprise.
Why are you staring at me like that...?
Lan Ze asked curiously while holding the white familiar.
For some reason, the white familiar was very affectionate towards Lan Ze, sniffing his scent while snuggling into his arms.
Artoria whispered, "Come with me."
After saying that, she grabbed Lan Ze without further ado and dragged him into a large hall.
Then, she closed the huge iron door, and under Lan Ze's puzzled gaze, she took out the Holy Lance that symbolized the "Anchor of Stars".
"Where did you come from...?" Lan Ze asked in surprise.
"Take it." Artoria clearly had no time for explanation, and handed the Holy Lance to Lan Ze as she looked at him.
Lan Ze hesitated for a moment. "This is...?"
"The Spear of the Vanguard, one of my weapons," Artoria said.
I know this is the Spear of the Vanguard, but why are you giving Spear of the Vanguard to me...? Lan Ze hesitated for a moment, then said, "Could you explain your reasoning first?"
"Legend has it that a deity resides within the Holy Lance," Artoria said slowly. "Her name is Rhongomyniad, which is also the name of this Holy Lance."
"Every time it is used, it will be corrupted a little by that god, until finally..." Artoria paused, but Lan Ze already understood the meaning behind her words.
"I understand. So, if this Holy Lance is used for a long time, it will transform into the shape of Holy Lance deity within it... "Lan Ze nodded slightly, then asked, puzzled, "So why did you let me wield the Holy Lance?"
"It's just a little test, to see if you can pick it up or not," Artoria said.
This Holy Lance has an extremely strong rebellious streak; it will not allow anyone other than the King to use it. However, she just felt a resonance between the Holy Lance and Lan Ze, so she wanted to test whether it was just her imagination.
Upon hearing this, Lan Ze reached out and took the Holy Lance.
"Be careful not to suffer the backlash. Don't force yourself if you can't lift it."
Just as Artoria made this reminder, she saw Lan Ze pick up the Holy Lance.
The woman's eyes lit up slightly as she looked at Lan Ze with a mixture of surprise and certainty.
This "Queen" has given her far too many surprises. Not only did she invent such a fun chess piece, but the white familiar just now actually chose Lan Ze over her, and even this Holy Lance has recognized Lan Ze.
"It doesn't seem to be very heavy."
Lan Ze shook the Holy Lance a few times, then turned to Artoria and asked, "Is there anything else I can do?"
"The Holy Lance has indeed recognized you; you are capable of wielding Holy Lance!" Artoria's voice trembled slightly, her bright eyes fixed on Lan Ze.
"Um... is there anything else?" Lan Ze felt a little uncomfortable being stared at.
Artoria took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and gently shook her head. "I'm sorry, I was too out of line just now."
As she spoke, she took the Holy Lance.
"How's the situation with Vortigern?" Lan Ze suddenly asked.
"It's strange," Artoria said after a moment of silence, "Vortigern hasn't come near this area since the day he attacked the capital."
Even his army is gradually retreating.
It was probably frightened by Mother of All... Lan Ze pondered for a moment, then said, "Shouldn't this be a good thing?"
Artoria nodded slightly and said, "While it's certainly a good thing, I still feel like something's not quite right."
"Vortigern was extremely skilled in leading troops into battle. He followed my Father King in battles even before I was born, and was deeply trusted by his soldiers before his betrayal... How could such a person be so easily frightened by a song, even to the point of ordering the entire army to retreat?"
"Why do you think that is?" Lan Ze asked.
He was a complete novice when it came to leading troops into battle, so he didn't intend to offer any opinions.
"This proves that there really is a creature in my capital that Vortigern fears," Artoria said, raising her eyes to gaze at Lan Ze. "That song, I've never heard it before."
"If I had to pinpoint it, that ancient song only began to appear after you arrived in Britain."
"You suspect I am that creature?" Lan Ze laughed.
"Where's the evidence?"
If Artoria had watched Detective Conan, she could have concluded that Lan Ze was the culprit based on his words.
Because that's what criminals usually say when they're exposed.
Artoria frowned and shook her head, saying, "I have no evidence."
This boy harbors too many secrets.
She now strongly suspects that the singing voice that scared Vortigern was very likely his.
Merlin's attitude towards Lan Ze is also quite thought-provoking.
Furthermore, the white familiar's intimacy with him just now, and even her Holy Lance... it all seemed to point to Lan Ze.
"Actually, I think you don't really need to look for that creature you're investigating," Lan Ze suddenly said.
"Think about it, since it's a creature even Vortigern fears, even if you find it, what can you do with it? Get it to help you get rid of Vortigern?"
Lan Ze shook his head. "If it could really do that, why would it have just hidden in the city and not shown itself back then?"
That reason should be enough to convince her, right?
In fact, Lan Ze had already implicitly admitted that he was that creature, but his other meaning was: I can't do Vortigern either, so even if you find me, it's useless.
Artoria remained silent, then nodded gently. "I understand."
"By the way, I saw a giant tower while I was taking a walk in the garden not long ago, and it was even glowing..." Lan Ze suddenly said, "What was that?"
"You mean the Tower of Radiance?" Artoria said. "That's the Holy Lance you just picked up."
"The Tower of Radiance is Rhongomyniad?" Lan Ze asked in surprise.
Seeing Artoria nod confidently, Lan Ze continued, "Why do I feel like there are still people living in that Tower of Radiance?"
As he approached the Tower of Radiance, he clearly sensed the power of the gods.
Lan Ze even suspected that the person in that space who called himself "Number Nine" was someone who lived in the Tower of Radiance.
"You're probably referring to the god, Rhongomyniad," Artoria said.
The longer one uses the Holy Lance, the more one will be corrupted by the power of the gods, until finally, one will completely transform into Rhongomyniad.
That is, the name of the Holy Lance.
Lan Ze seemed lost in thought, his eyes flickering slightly.
So, is Number Nine in that space very likely Rhongomyniad, the Holy Lance in Lily's hands?
Miss Holy Lance, you can actually appear before me in a physical form...?
Moreover, judging from her appearance, she seems to resemble Lily quite a bit... Lan Ze's thoughts raced.
A brief silence fell over the hall. Neither of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts. After a long while, Artoria sighed softly, "This Holy Lance ignores me, but it reacts to you... I'm starting to believe what Merlin said."
In Dreamscape, Merlin once said that there were two King Arthur.
At the time, Artoria didn't take it seriously, thinking that this somewhat frivolous Nightmare was joking.
But now it seems that what Merlin said was actually true...
In Britain, besides Vile King and King Arthur, is there really a third person capable of wielding the Holy Lance...?
Even the Holy Lance resonated with him.
After a long silence, Artoria sighed, "Don't talk about this outside."
Hmm... I do know that, after all, the Holy Lance is King Arthur's weapon, and ordinary people simply cannot use it.
If people knew that King Arthur's Queen could also wield the Holy Lance... it would inevitably attract unwanted attention.
Lan Ze nodded slightly.
"Go back to your room and rest first, and keep me company while you're at it," Artoria continued.
Lan Ze noticed a glint in the eyes of this King of Knights, a look that revealed a competitive spirit.
Does this mean I should play chess with her...? Lan Ze nodded and said, "Okay."
After walking along the corridor for a while, Lan Ze suddenly asked, "By the way, Lily, would you mind having another child in the future?"
Artoria paused slightly, her expression stiffening a little. She momentarily doubted whether she had misheard, and couldn't help but turn to look. "... A child?"
That look in his eyes seemed to say: Can you have children?
It's as if it's saying: Or are you planning to have my baby?
Lan Ze said helplessly, "I meant if..."
"If you suddenly found out you were pregnant, what would you do?" As Lan Ze finished speaking, his gaze was fixed on Artoria's eyes, and his expression became more serious.
"With your child...?" Artoria asked.
Lan Ze nodded.
Artoria pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "If it really is true, then I will naturally take full responsibility."
She shook her head slightly and continued, "But what you're saying isn't realistic."
Lan Ze smiled without saying a word.
He felt somewhat relieved.
What I just said can be seen as laying the groundwork for what will happen to Mo Zai in the future.
In the end, Mo Zai and Artoria were locked in a love-hate relationship in Type-Moon history, and he hoped that this history could be rewritten.
If he was able to save Mother of All back then, then this time... he can save his own child too.
After getting married, I'll think of a way to gradually introduce Lily to Mo Zai... Lan Ze thought to himself.
Five days later.
In the living room.
"Miss Ereshkigal, why do you seem so concerned about Lan Ze's affairs lately?"
Sajyou Manaka sat upright on the sofa, holding a freshly brewed cup of black tea, and turned her head slightly to look at Ereshkigal sitting next to her.
She wore a red dress with thin straps draped over her fair shoulders, without any adornments, but her exquisitely beautiful face alone made everything around her pale in comparison.
At this moment, the Goddess of the Underworld was watching the live broadcast intently, and her eyes would occasionally reveal a hint of displeasure.
Recently, Sajyou Manaka has felt that the atmosphere in this house is a bit off.
At first, the Goddess of the Underworld was somewhat arrogant towards Lan Ze, but at some point, Ereshkigal's attitude towards Lan Ze suddenly changed drastically. She always had a shy yet gentle smile on her face, and sometimes she would even show a hint of apology, which left people a little confused.
Hearing Sajyou Manaka's words, Ereshkigal snapped out of her reverie, turned to the little girl beside her, and smiled, "After all, Lan Ze helped me a lot back in Uruk, so I hope to have a chance to repay him..."
As Ereshkigal spoke, a fleeting hint of apology flashed across her eyes.
Actually, she didn't want to compete with this girl for someone... but what happened that night was beyond her control.
Regardless, she has to take responsibility for her Divine Messenger!
"So you've been treating him so well all this time to repay him?" The powerful Princess of the Root smiled slightly, somewhat relieved.
Just then, they heard a knight's powerful voice from the television. "The wedding ceremony has begun!"
Sajyou Manaka's pupils contracted slightly as she turned to stare at the image on the television.
Then, she glanced at Tiamat, who was sitting next to her with a voluptuous figure. Tiamat was wearing a white dress with light blue patterns, which accentuated her alluring and sexy body.
Tiamat was watching the live stream quietly, her expression calm, seemingly unaffected by her son's wedding.
"You really don't care about your own child getting married?" Sajyou Manaka asked quietly.
Tiamat tilted her head. "Marriage?"
"What is marriage?" Ereshkigal asked, glancing at Lan Ze walking into the hall surrounded by the Knights of the Round Table in the scene.
"Ah, don't you guys know what it means?" Sajyou Manaka exclaimed in realization.
She smiled faintly and continued, "Marriage means that two people will depend on each other for life, sleep together on their wedding night, do happy things, have a baby, and finally live happily together as a family."