As Laine drew the curtains, the Lake Fairy glanced at the mural on the wall and casually remarked, "Isn't this Kirelun de Guy Francisco, Edward's ancestor? Is this his family's house?"
"This is now my house, my Lady." Laine knelt on one knee in front of the Lake Fairy.
"And you still have Kirelun's portrait hanging on the wall?" With a wave of her hand, the Lake Fairy transformed the painting into a scene by Brittania's Fairy Lake, where amidst the beauty of the lakeside, she held the Holy Grail, and King Arthur, the Knight King, was prostrate before her, drinking deeply from the Grail.
Then the Lake Fairy floated her hands in the air, signaling Laine to rise: "Your power grows stronger and stronger, my Champion. Thanks to your aid, I can now consistently manifest in the Prime Material World for a time."
As a deity, the Lake Fairy cannot exist for long in the Prime Material World, unless she chooses to "descend," which involves the great peril of manifesting her true form in the world, or by possessing her Chosen One.
Both methods have drawbacks.
A descended deity is powerful but far from invincible; if a deity chooses to manifest, they are in extreme danger and easily prone to true demise. The force of Chaos is far greater than that of Order. There are plenty of Chaos Champions, Demon Princes, Great Demons, and even the Eternal God Chosen who seek the glory of slaying a deity to present to the God of Darkness. They become delectable prey for Chaos.
The White Wolf War God Yurik already proved this danger—even the manifested White Wolf War God was no match for Moka, the first Chaos Eternal God Chosen Unifier. The White Wolf God and the Eternal God Chosen were at a disadvantage in their duel.
Possession is another method, but the price is paid by the Chosen One who bears the deity's possession. The longer the deity possesses someone, the greater the harm to the bearer. If the bearer isn't strong enough, they usually die once the possession is lifted. As the Lake Fairy's Chosen One and spokesperson, the Lake God Witch Mogiana, possessing Holy Sanctuary strength, can endure short-term possession and communication, but this leads to each Lake God Witch's short lifespan. Those with Holy Sanctuary strength rarely live past two hundred years, constantly repeating aging and rebirth, undergoing multiple reincarnations.
As for the Holy Grail Knights—they are even less capable. The Lake Fairy can only convey her will to them through dreams, and to protect the precious Holy Grail Knights, her dreams can only be vague and general. As for the meaning? Guess! Try hard!
But Laine is different. His astonishingly strong soul and vast spiritual power enable him to converse with deities for extended periods. He himself is like a factory, continually refining pure Subspace energy. The most incredible aspect is this—Laine is immune to the connection between Subspace and the Prime Material World. He isolates the corruption of Chaos.
Thus, Laine's existence has become a bridge to communicate with the present world, allowing the Lake Fairy to draw on Laine's supply of Subspace energy to manifest for extended periods. The Lake Fairy even regretted not discovering Laine sooner, instead of letting Yurik foolishly use him as a mere knight. The rightful source is Nove1Fire.net
"...Did you erase the memories of those women engaging in flesh trade?" the Lake Fairy answered indirectly to Laine's question, appreciating the luxurious decor of the room. She didn't go straight to the topic but chatted with Laine casually since she didn't need to worry about Laine's soul being unable to withstand the dialogue with a deity. Unlike when possessed in the Lake God Witch, she didn't need to rush to complete everything, fearing Mogiana's body might collapse.
"It's the best method." Laine stood up, gazing absent-mindedly at the transformed mural on the wall, then suddenly commented out of context, "King Arthur is a man? I always thought he was a woman."
"Arthur a woman??" The Lake Fairy's tone was peculiar: "Every myth, every epic and record notes Arthur as a man, and as far as I know, Arthur is unmistakably a man."
"No, it was just influenced by certain lunar myths." Laine thought about his previous life influences, deeply ingrained, avoiding embarrassment by tactfully changing the subject: "I can confirm that the Aesthetic Society is a Chaos Sect, my Lady."
"Are you sure?" The Lake Fairy held the Holy Grail, gliding around the room before slowly sitting on the most luxurious leather armchair, her dazzling golden hair almost covering the entire chair. She extended a jade-like finger, signaling Laine to speak seated.
"Believers of that sect are easily corrupted by intense sensory stimulation. This sect exists everywhere within humanity, from the smallest rural huts to every corner of the city, even...within the Lady's Cathedral. Evidently, the Aesthetic Society is a Chaos Sect, mainly targeting the upper nobility for corruption." Laine sat on a wooden-backed chair about three to four meters from the Lake Fairy: "Ha~ my Lady, that woman...well, let's call her a woman? She just disguises too well, but can't fool me. Her so-called beauty is merely a facade masking decay beneath."
The Lake Fairy nodded slowly, having accepted this reasoning: "Your analysis is quite accurate, my Champion. The Aesthetic Society's promotion of refined egotism is indeed vexing, and such rhetoric remarkably finds market among Brittania's upper nobility. It continually undermines the Knightly Virtues I established. Through refined packaging and moral covers, they encourage selfishness and greed. The Aesthetic Society must be eradicated from this world; this is the task I entrust to you."
"So the solution is quite simple—just obliterate the Aesthetic Society from this world." Laine spread his hands: "Anyway, I need money, the Aesthetic Society has money, and it is a Chaos Sect. Eliminate it, then seize its foundation and wealth; this benefits us both, my Lady."
"You truly are interested in the Aesthetic Society's wealth, Laine." The Lake Fairy raised the Holy Grail, her azure-blue eyes gazing at Laine: "You enjoy accomplishing two things at once."
"Everyone needs gold; without gold, there is no way to combat Chaos." Laine spread his hands: "We cannot go to war empty-handed. A complete knight's gear costs a fortune. Idealism is abundant, but reality is harsh; when someone is starving, talking to them about chivalry and ideals is utterly useless. Giving them two loaves of bread is evidently a better choice than preaching."
"Pft~" The Lake Fairy giggled, nodding repeatedly: "Many young knights don't have your foresight. While enjoying fine wine and food, they demand their starving servants to fight to the death for honor."
"But my Lady, you never discourage them." Laine chuckled lightly along with the Lake Fairy, relishing the casual chat with her.
"Simple use of canons to constrain them is far less effective than letting them realize on their own. Rigid rules will only lead orderly knights into a dead end. Brittania's noble titles are limited, my champion; titles must be reserved for those more talented and powerful, and only those who fully understand the Eight Virtues of Chivalry can transform along the Path of the Holy Grail, and I will manifest before them." The Lake Fairy raised the hand holding the Holy Grail high before lowering it: "Few knights complete the trials. My Divine Power is not infinite, so the incompetent must be eliminated. Only the best, strongest, and most virtuous knights deserve to join the ranks of the upper nobility and Holy Grail Knights."
"So it should be." Though the Lake Fairy belongs to the Order Faction, it doesn't mean she likes nurturing ineptitude. A mature elimination mechanism is quite necessary, and Laine fully agrees.
"The road ahead is fraught with danger, Laine, my Champion, come, come over to my side." The Lake Fairy beckoned to Laine, signaling him to come closer.
"At your command, my Lady."