Warhammer Divine Throne

”You exhausted your divine power to forge this necklace, and then helped defeat the Chaos Army, Lilith, is that why you’re so weak?” Laine added peanut oil to the egg yolk. ”No wonder you’ve been appearing so rarely lately.”

The Lake Fairy extended her fingertip and mischievously dabbed some cream on Laine’s nose. ”What? Worried I won’t show up to preside over your engagement ceremony with Surya? Actually, it’s fine. As long as you’re here, my divine power recovers quickly.”

Laine grimaced and hurriedly dodged, but his nose still got a bit of cream. He defended himself, ”I haven’t thought that far, my lady... Lilith.”

”Heh~ If you dare complain, I’ll deliver an oracle that you’ll stay single for the rest of your life,” the Lake Fairy warned Laine, ”Hurry and stir, or the egg yolk frosting will burn.”

Mixing, whipping the egg whites, adding the flour and meringue bit by bit into the silver bowl, stirring, gradually forming a batter.

The oven hummed to life, with the Lake Fairy setting the time using her divine powers, leaving only the waiting.

The long skirt swayed, and the Lake Fairy stood in front of the kitchen’s long table. Laine stood next to her, both watching the oven as blue flames burned inside.

Outside, the rain still poured heavily, tapping against the window like a waterfall cascading down the transparent glass, making the kitchen air feel very moist. As they watched the oven, the room’s atmosphere fell silent.

In the tranquil atmosphere, Laine sensed that the Lake Fairy had something to say.

”My influence among the elves is very low, Laine.” The smile on the Lake Fairy’s face gradually faded. She frowned, speaking softly, ”Among the elves, we’ll not mention the Dark Elves, but even among the High Elves and Wood Elves, my influence is very limited. Apart from a few elf mages and very few elf nobles, I have almost no influence. In fact, if it weren’t for Tygris’s weak constitution, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to make him my Divine Chosen. Back then, if Tygris’s body was slightly stronger, he would have become Hos’s first Divine Chosen.”

Hos, the God of Wisdom for the elves, with the High Elf Mage Council located in the Hos White Tower.

Laine nodded silently, evident from his own experiences.

”The conflicts among the Elf Gods have a long history, dating back to before the elves split.” The Lake Fairy shook her head coldly, her beautiful face now stern, ”In fact, the ultimate cause of the elf split was the enmity between Asuyan and Kaine. As the main god of the elf gods, Asuyan almost never speaks or cares about the survival of the elves. I think he regrets creating the elf race. As the Main God, Asuyan doesn’t need faith much.”

Laine furrowed his brows, wondering what the Lake Fairy was trying to convey?

”Laine, you are a visitor from outside the Star Domain. Do you know why I chose Brittania?” The Lake Fairy increased the stakes when she saw Laine not responding.

Can I say I don’t want to know, Laine thought, but instead, he said, ”You forged this nation into a sword, a sword in your hand. You saved Arthur, saved the people of Brittania, but likewise, the knights thought you were their light of hope, not knowing you planned for them to serve you in the New World.”

The Lake Fairy’s face showed some guilt, but her goddess-like icy, sharp words, coupled with her frost-like beauty, signified her firm determination—guilty but not regretful.

”The elves’ power has waned greatly, Laine. At its peak, the Calado Kingdom had twenty thousand Dragon Knights—twenty thousand, riding dragons. But from Ailario to now, six thousand years have passed, and now there are fewer than a thousand Prince Calado Dragons, with those riding dragons being countable on one hand. Why does the Eternal Queen hold these procreational encouragement events every year? Because there’s no choice, the High Elves’ population continues to slowly dwindle. I foresaw the Moment of Destruction right from the beginning. I need an army to resist the dark forces, and I chose Brittania.”

”I saved Arthur and the people of this land from despair. I let them survive, so I need their strength. I need their sacrifice. The Holy Grail is my blessing, and now Brittania is repaying its debt. It’s as simple as that. I gave you a reason and a purpose to continue fighting; the knights sacrifice themselves for me.”

Laine smiled, having a hint of mockery and understanding on his face, ”Life is a gold coin; under Chaos, no one can survive. Lilith, you also know about the Moment of Destruction. You know how much sacrifice mortals need to resist Chaos.”

The Lake Fairy also knew of the Moment of Destruction, as her divinity included the power of prophecy. In fact, most mortals on this world were aware of the Moment of Destruction, though most considered it a warning rather than a prophecy.

”The hope of the New World has been shattered, but we still have hope, and that’s you. You possess the power to resist Chaos Corruption, and you also hold the miraculous power to change everything. Therefore, I’ve pinned all my hopes on you. Now, with the invasion of Chaos becoming more frequent, the Moment of Destruction won’t be far off, and you have grown. Tell me, Laine, if... I mean if the Moment of Destruction arrives, will you always protect me?” The Lake Fairy turned to look at the Divine Chosen Champion standing beside her.

”...” Laine narrowed his eyes. Giving and receiving are always mutual.

He nodded lightly, ”We will fight side by side until the last moment.”

”Then, the contract is established.”

......

With the onset of Lily Day, the engagement ceremony between Laine and Surya was held as scheduled in Helunhilde, with the Lake Fairy personally appearing to bless Laine and Surya’s marriage.

The ceremony was simple, with not many attendees—only Laine and his brother Angerong, Steward Kasenberg, Standard Bearer Holy Grail Knight Armand, and about a dozen from the Duke of Winford’s side, including Surya’s father Duke Francois, mother Duchess Kumani, cousin Jerald, brother Julius, and a dozen Holy Grail Knights. They all hailed from the Duke of Winford’s Family, with the eldest being over three hundred years old.

Inside the Lake Fairy Church of Helunhilde, under the personal blessing of the Lake Fairy, Laine placed a golden double-headed eagle ring on Surya’s ring finger.

On the inner ring of the ring, a line of tiny letters said, ”Surya, Princess of Imperium.”

Surya was not particularly clear about the ring’s significance; she only knew it was a proposal ring made of pure gold and diamond, containing terrifying power. Ever since wearing it, she was enveloped in an overwhelming force, warm yet filled with endless majesty.

The female knight’s ignorance did not mean everyone was oblivious. For instance, the Lake Fairy’s eyes heatedly observed the golden double-headed eagle diamond ring on Surya’s left ring finger throughout the ceremony. Only she and Laine knew the blessings the ring received and what it represented.

Entry, prayer, choir, exhortation, and then Francois and Angerong, symbolizing both elders, jointly blessed this union. Finally, after the Lake Fairy personally blessed the engaged Surya and Laine, the shy lady knight shared a gentle kiss with Laine, marking the end of the engagement, and the couple accepted congratulations from the attendees.

Among them, Francois was undoubtedly the most pleased. It could be said that Laine had barely begun to rise to prominence when he entered Francois’ field of vision. While other great nobles in the Kingdom hesitated about engaging with Laine, his daughter had already seized the chance. When Laine ascended to become a Count in just two years, the Lady had already issued the engagement oracle.

Laine was only twenty-eight years old!

After the engagement ceremony ended, the Lake Fairy took Surya’s hand, admired her in her beautiful white wedding dress, and laughed, ”So, Laine, my champion, I’ll be borrowing your fiancée for a bit.”

The lady knight blushed and bowed her head. Seeing Laine’s gaze, she became exceptionally shy and hurried off with the Lake Fairy.

Just when Laine intended to speak, a young Kingdom Knight appeared before him.

It was Julius, and Laine thought he must now start calling him brother-in-law.

The brother-in-law didn’t look too pleased, pulling Laine aside to a corner of the castle’s courtyard.

”Laine, you, you rascal, I always considered you both a rival and a friend on the Knightly Path! But you...”