Chapter 2053 – Lady of the Lake
“Um, are you also a chosen of two gods?” Jayad asked the Priestess in front of him, confused as to why every beautiful woman he met recently had multiple beliefs. Although ordinary believers were common, besides the surging aura within her, which was like a vast ocean, there was also a sacred aura. He had felt it just now; she definitely possessed divine power from two deities.
“Ah? No, you’re joking. How could that be possible? Chosen individuals are one in ten thousand, I’ve just learned some divine spells and am an ordinary Priest, not a chosen one. At most, I’m working part-time,” the Priestess replied with a dry laugh.
Only then did they realize that Alicia, whom they had met before, was simply too extraordinary. As a chosen of four gods, she had made Jayad mistakenly believe that anyone who believed in multiple deities and gained power was a chosen one. In reality, it wasn’t so simple. Even for those with a single faith, becoming a chosen one was extraordinarily difficult. Once chosen, they would at least be strong individuals with a name. Most people, like the Priestess before them, were just ordinary clergy.
Her divine powers from both sources were not strong. In fact, they were far inferior to the Archmage participating in the Knight Competition or someone like the Dawn Lord, whom Jayad had met. Her abilities were just suitable for navigation.
“I see. The Lady of the Lake. I think I’ve heard of her. Is she the deity widely worshipped in France, also known as the Lady of the Lake?” Older Brother Jayad asked.
“Yes, that’s right. The Goddess’s mercy and guidance have led me to meet you. This is all Destiny. Perhaps you have the opportunity to become one of the Goddess’s warriors,” the Priestess said.
They had learned about the Lady of the Lake before. Older Brother Jayad had even seen her Church in Cando City. At that time, Older Brother Jayad felt that only Knights entered, and he wouldn’t fit in, so he went to the Church of the Lord of Dawn instead. Moreover, for such a famous deity, there was naturally a lot of information. It was said that many chosen individuals were favored by her, and she was very tolerant of general faith, being a rather generous deity. Most of those favored were Knights, considered their Guardian Deity. Therefore, many Knights worshipped the Lady of the Lake, and her faith spread not only in France but also in various places.
However, the Priestess before them was clearly working under the name of the Sea God Mannan, yet she was earnestly preaching the faith of the Lady of the Lake. It gave off a very strange feeling.
“Uh, okay. Let’s not talk about doctrines for now. What do you mean by becoming the Goddess’s warrior?” Jayad asked.
“The Goddess’s warriors are called Holy Grail Knights. They are invincible heroes, living saints. They endure immense hardships, travel across countless lands, follow the Goddess’s guidance, undergo numerous trials and tribulations, and finally drink the water of the Holy Grail to become transcendent beings,” the Priestess said with reverence.
“From what you’re saying, it sounds like you’re talking about laborers. Do I need to do hard labor for the Goddess? And it sounds like I have to finish the hard labor before becoming a Holy Grail Knight,” Jayad said, and the Priestess’s beautiful face suddenly froze.
I almost burst out laughing. The reason Older Brother Jayad said that was because I had already researched the faith system of the Lady of the Lake and told Older Brother Jayad about it. At that time, I had just learned that Older Brother Jayad could receive the favor of multiple deities, so I researched which deities’ powers he might be able to obtain. The Lady of the Lake was considered quite reliable by many scholars. She frequently issued divine revelations, guiding her followers, often concerning punishing evil and promoting good. She also required her followers to advocate for Equester and the spirit of chivalry, thus the Lady of the Lake had a very good reputation.
However, there were also some unconfirmed rumors, such as the Lady of the Lake actually being an Avatar of an Elf Goddess. I dismissed such rumors with disdain. How could that be possible? It was rare for deities worshipped by Otherworldly beings to bestow blessings upon outsiders, let alone such large-scale blessings and divine revelations.
Yet, I still did not recommend this Goddess to Older Brother Jayad. The reason was that to gain the power of the Lady of the Lake, one had to embark on an adventure, follow the Goddess’s guidance, and pass various trials to receive the Holy Grail’s blessing. One also had to take knightly vows, such as enduring ascetic practices, owning no possessions beyond what was on one’s body, not staying in the same place for more than two nights, and never refusing a request for help. Even then, it was not guaranteed. According to records, even after making so many efforts, only a tiny minority of Knights who embarked on the Holy Grail Path truly received the Goddess’s favor; most returned empty-handed, having labored in vain.
In my opinion, this was absolutely unacceptable. It felt similar to Tang Sanzang’s journey to the West, enduring eighty-one trials to obtain the true scriptures, and even then, there was no guarantee of receiving them. What a rip-off! There were also rumors that the Holy Grail water given to the Knights was actually the Goddess’s foot-washing water. Of course, I didn’t believe that either, thinking it was just gossip.
For some Knights who were determined to seek power, it might not be unacceptable. It was just embarking on a journey and adventuring. Becoming a powerful Knight was basically a necessary path, and having one more goal and one more option was fine. But for me, it was unacceptable. Older Brother Jayad leaving me to search for the Holy Grail? Not even for a day! Otherwise, how could I sleep? Therefore, the Lady of the Lake was directly rejected by me.
When I told Older Brother Jayad about the faith of the Lady of the Lake, I shared my subjective thoughts and described them vividly, likening it to a crooked boss exploiting and deceiving hardworking laborers, working for free and not necessarily getting paid. Older Brother Jayad agreed with my words and casually repeated them now, leaving the Priestess bewildered. It was the first time she had seen a Knight refer to a trial path given by a deity as labor and hard work.
“Hehe, you’ve misunderstood. While adventuring is a necessary process to become a Holy Grail Knight, the Goddess’s blessing is not only obtained upon becoming a Holy Grail Knight. Before that, the Goddess will bestow divine power upon those Knights she favors,” the Priestess said with a dry laugh.
“I see. I understand. Please allow me to think about it. I’m sorry to have taken up your time, Priestess Miss. Thank you for explaining,” Jayad said, implying his refusal.
“Wait! Don’t you want to learn more? Believe me, once you understand the Goddess’s grace, you will surely become her believer, and becoming a living saint in the future will not be impossible,” the Priestess said, clearly anxious.
“There’s no hurry. I just said I’d consider it. I haven’t learned anything yet,” Jayad said. Having encountered many deities, he had a certain Immunity to such proselytizing.
“But…” the Priestess wanted to say something more when Lorna suddenly entered the restaurant and strode towards them.
