Chapter 2552 – This is the Holy Grail
Jayad slowly walked towards the lake. He hadn’t even approached the shore or felt the divine power of the Goddess when the divine power within the lake began to stir. Golden specks of light rose from the lakeside and surrounding grass, swirling around Jayad in a dance. Upon closer inspection, the lights revealed beautiful maidens, naked and with small wings like those of a dragonfly.
Illyret watched this scene with surprise. These little maidens, those with blue light were spirits of the lake, and those with blue-green light were spirits of grass and trees. These naturally born little spirits were considered fairies of the Goddess and messengers of the gods by the Lake Church. Even though Jayad had not officially joined the faith or even started believing, these little spirits had appeared collectively, dancing around him to welcome him. It was important to note that these little spirits were very afraid of humans and rarely appeared before them.
Illyret had never witnessed such a scene before. Of course, she had never personally seen other knights joining the faith or reaching the end of the Holy Grail Path, so she didn’t know if such a spectacle would greet them. At the very least, she hadn’t heard any accounts of such a scene. Jayad didn’t drive away the little spirits, allowing them to dance around him, even landing on his shoulders. He slowly walked to the edge of the lake, drew the long sword from his waist, and then knelt on one knee towards the lake.
Without needing to feel the Goddess’s divine power, and without even getting close to the lake’s edge, Jayad could already feel the vigorous divine power just by looking at it. The sword in his hand was not the sanctified magic sword. Both its design and the sacred divine power used for its sanctification would be rather disrespectful to the Goddess. Jayad was by no means thoughtless; on the contrary, he was quite meticulous. Since he had promised Illyret to help her become a Holy Grail Maiden, he would not do things perfunctorily, even though, according to Illyret, she had already become one.
Jayad himself felt that having another deity’s divine power would be quite beneficial. He already possessed the power of several deities within his body, each significantly increasing his strength. Therefore, having one more would be a good thing; strength was always something one couldn’t have too much of. Thus, the sword Jayad now stood before was one brought from the magic shop, a standard knight’s longsword. He was also wearing a full set of knight’s armor, not the previous Crusader-style one, but rather a chainmail style more fitting for the knights of the Lake Goddess.
The moment Jayad knelt and planted his sword, the lake’s surface emitted a golden light. Immediately after, a stone statue rose from the lake. This statue appeared incredibly ancient, its surface covered with traces of erosion and moss. The statue depicted a woman wearing a long gown, holding a stone Holy Grail. Her face was completely indistinguishable. Although the statue seemed to have carved facial features, no one could discern or remember that appearance no matter how they looked.
The instant Illyret saw the stone statue rise, she also knelt with extreme reverence. She knew this was the statue of the Lake Goddess. She didn’t know if it had been buried deep at the bottom of the lake all along or if it had suddenly appeared now, but undoubtedly, the Goddess had manifested. Jayad was a bit bewildered by this scene. Illyret hadn’t told him that a statue of the Goddess would rise from the lake. Of course, he couldn’t turn back to ask Illyret what to do now. Jayad intended to proceed according to the original plan and prepare to take an oath before the Goddess statue.
However, before he could speak, the statue emitted a soft golden light, and a hazy, ethereal woman floated out of the statue, holding a golden Holy Grail. This time, it wasn’t just Jayad who was dumbfounded; even Illyret was stunned. This was clearly the Goddess manifesting. She quickly knelt down even more reverently, her head touching the ground.
“Jayad, you’re finally here,” the Goddess said directly, sounding as if she had waited for a long time impatiently and rushed out the moment she saw him.
“Yes, venerable Goddess, I am willing to swear allegiance to you…” Jayad lowered his head, preparing to complete the oath-taking steps.
“Don’t swear yet. Come, drink this,” the Goddess interrupted Jayad, and the golden Holy Grail in her hand slowly floated towards him.
“Huh? What is this?” Jayad was truly bewildered this time. This Lake Goddess wasn’t following the script.
“This is the power of the Holy Grail. Drink it, and you can defeat any evil spirits and heretics,” the Lake Goddess said.
“I know, but isn’t this a bit too sudden?” Jayad didn’t know how to describe his current feelings. Wasn’t the Holy Grail the ultimate pursuit of the Lake Goddess’s knights?
“Don’t hesitate, drink it. This is your destiny.” Although the Goddess’s tone was still calm and her voice full of solemnity, it somehow urged Jayad to drink quickly.
Now, not only Jayad was confused, but even Illyret began to hesitate. Although she had never guided adventure knights, she had heard the legends from her predecessors many times, especially from the priestesses who had guided knights. In their stories, the journey to seek the Holy Grail was fraught with difficulties. The trials the Goddess imposed on knights were always extremely challenging, including countless tasks like dragon slaying, entering dungeons to kill demon kings, and rescuing Elf Girls enslaved by powerful nobles.
Moreover, not every knight who embarked on the Holy Grail Path eventually found the Holy Grail. In fact, most failed. Only a very small number became Holy Grail Knights. Some of those who failed were genuinely unable to complete the trials due to their strength, while others had important matters, personal or familial, that forced them to give up. There were also some knights who searched for the Holy Grail their entire lives and did not find it even at death. Some of them had already reached the standard of a Holy Grail Knight before drinking the Holy Grail’s blood.
Therefore, whether one could become a Holy Grail Knight was not solely determined by one’s strength or unwavering resolve. Sometimes, it also depended on luck. Of course, according to the knights, it depended on whether one could gain the Goddess’s favor and attention. This was essentially relying on luck, as no one knew the Goddess’s selection criteria. If the gods didn’t favor you, there was nothing you could do, and the Goddess wouldn’t come out to explain why. However, regardless, the process of becoming a Holy Grail Knight was extremely arduous, and every Holy Grail Knight was a seasoned warrior who had undergone countless difficult trials. This was beyond doubt. There might be individuals who, before drinking the Holy Grail’s blood, could rival Holy Grail Knights, but even the weakest Holy Grail Knight was a transcendent being. Yet, now, the Goddess wanted to bestow the Holy Grail upon Jayad upon their first meeting, before he had clearly professed his faith or taken an oath.
