Anime: Blue-Eyes Baby Dragon, picked up by the Knight King

Shirataki really wanted to say that he had no idea what that ritual was.

No, it should be said that what he wanted to do most now was to move the Tower of Light away - to a place where Artoria would never find it, so that this magic ceremony could never be held again.

But he can't.

Because he knew clearly that the so-called "Heroic Spirit Summoning Ceremony" and the so-called "Holy Grail War" were actually a "test" in nature.

It was an "investigation team" sent by the planet's restraining force after discovering the abnormality of the island.

He cannot hinder the actions of these "investigators", let alone eliminate these investigators from the root - just as local governments cannot go against the inspection teams from the central government.

You get it? If anything were to happen to these investigators, the planet's restraining force would automatically deem something deeply flawed within this region's history. Whether it was the annihilation of humanity or the arrival of the UO... even if they ultimately prevailed, a shattered British Isles was not the outcome Shirataki desired.

"So, not only can we not stop it, we must also actively cooperate."

"And then try to get away with it."

While organizing his thoughts, Shiraki opened the door to the inner side of the world and brought Artoria to the shining star pillar standing at the end of the world.

——To be honest, this was also his first time entering this tower and truly seeing what was inside.

"It's nothing special, right?"

"It's just an ordinary tower. It was chosen as the location for this summoning ceremony simply because it occupies a special spot."

Before Shirataki and Altria arrived, the magician had already arrived here and drew a seven-pointed star pattern on the ground inside the tower.

"Well then, King."

"The ceremony is about to begin. Please stand in the middle."

[Seven-pointed star].

In occultism, this is a pattern endowed with special magical powers.

There is a saying that this pattern symbolizes the ultimate mystery of this world. Its seven corners correspond to seven different basic elements - [earth], [fire], [water], [wind], [light], [darkness], plus the special existence of [human emotions]. They also constitute the basis of the existence of this world.

This corresponds to the legend that God created the world in seven days.

Some also believe that the seven-pointed star contains powerful magical powers. Whoever can draw a perfect seven-pointed star with one stroke will witness a true miracle.

But the magician said that there are not so many tricks involved.

"It just happens that there are seven of them."

The magician explained with a smile.

At his invitation, Artoria stood in the center of the star.

"Is there nothing else I need to do?"

She was a little puzzled - she had thought that this summoning ritual was very complicated and difficult, requiring the preparation of rare materials and lengthy spells.

But now, the magician told her that she just had to stand here?

"Well, theoretically, you do need to prepare some materials and spells."

"But since you, the king, are standing there in person, even if you haven't prepared anything, someone will surely respond to your call!"

The magician said with certainty.

This is not flattery, he is just describing something that is bound to happen.

At the same time, Shirataki, who had already roughly guessed who would respond to the summons of the Heroic Spirit, couldn't help but close his eyes.

——He silently prayed in his heart for the princess who was so angry that she lost her mind because of teaching a stupid student.

I really hope her temper can be better and she won’t get angry because of problems in the way she educates her children.

……

The ceremony begins.

Standing in the center of the seven-pointed star, Artoria looked forward to what would happen next with a slightly nervous mood.

Almost at the same time, this summoning spell, which had already been filled with magic power by Merlin, produced a very strong reaction with Artoria standing inside it.

The blue and white magic storm quickly spread outward with Altria's body as the center. Inside this mysterious and rich Tower of Light, they even stirred up a cloud of magic smoke that condensed into substance.

Seven figures of different shapes and sizes appeared and disappeared in the seven corners of the seven-pointed star.

They all looked different, but maintained the same posture: kneeling on one knee, bowing their heads slightly to show respect. Their right hands were placed on their hearts, performing a standard knight's kneeling ceremony to the person standing in the center.

For knights, this is the most solemn etiquette - only when they are knighted will they perform this "grand ceremony" to express their absolute loyalty to the king.

Artoria, who is respected as the "King of Knights", certainly knows the ins and outs of this.

She knew better than anyone what was going to happen next—she needed to draw her sword, place the blade against the knight's shoulder, and crown him as king.

But the problem now was... there were seven knights kneeling before her, and she was alone. Who would she point her sword at first?

"Is that even a question? Of course it's me!"

"I am father's relative... Wait a minute, father, how did you become like this?"

The knight with the same face as Artoria was the first to raise his head. He looked at Artoria standing in the center with an incredulous look—then he looked down at his toes, a look of deep confusion on his face.

Is this still her father?

Is this still the Britain she knew?

What was this for her?

……

After seeing Altria's appearance clearly, the other knights also briefly looked confused.

——But soon, they reacted.

While their appearance might change, their spiritual essence remained unchanged. The man standing there was undoubtedly the Knight King they admired—otherwise, they would not have answered the call of the Holy Grail and returned to this Britain that they longed for.

"So... you are all my knights?"

Altria was also stunned for a moment.

She swore that she had never seen these knights on this island. But at the same time, these outstanding knights gave her a very familiar feeling - especially the five of them, who gave her a sense of blood kinship.

"Ah, Father, let me introduce you."

"I am your favorite child! Mordred Pendragon—you were going to pass the throne to me."

Mordred, who possessed the instincts of a wild beast, suddenly had his eyes brightened.

She has realized that this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She must seize this opportunity!

"This gorilla-like man is Gawain. His cooking is terrible. He can only make mashed potatoes."

"This guy in armor is Gareth. She always has trouble controlling the heat when she cooks, and tends to burn the food."

"This guy is Aguwen. He likes to tell bad news to others while they are eating. It's really disgusting."

Without giving others time to react, Mordred introduced three knights in succession.

But when she set her eyes on the fourth knight - a little girl wearing thin white clothes, with lavender hair and one eye covered by her hair.

The rebellious knight who had just been talking nonstop was stunned for a moment, and his face, which was almost carved from the same mold as Artoria, showed a rather confused expression:

"that……"

"Who are you, beauty?"

Chapter 55: On the surface, he is nothing, but actually he is very reserved.

That was a face that absolutely shouldn't be here.

In this tower of glory where knights gather, loyalty and glory are almost condensed into substance.

Not to mention others, even the little girl herself felt that she was out of tune with others.

"Um... I... am Ma, Mashu..."

"Mashu Kyrielight."

"I don't know why I came here... When I woke up, I found myself here..."

Feeling the gazes of the people around her, the girl, who had no idea what was going on, almost subconsciously gave her real name.

"Oh--"

The proud knights looked at each other when they heard this unfamiliar name.

There was surprise, realization, contemplation, a smirk - and one person's face had a panicked expression as if he had seen a ghost.

"Well, we don't know you."

"But since you can come here, it proves your fate with us."

"Who knows, maybe you'll become a Knight of the Round Table in the future."

The gorilla—or rather, Gao Wenqing.

The Knight of the Round Table, whom the king trusted the most and relied on the most, had a relieved and slightly meaningful smile on his face.

He already knew what was going on.

No, it should be said that most of the Knights of the Round Table already understood what was going on.

But no one spoke the truth out loud—this was out of respect for the noble knight, and even more so for the girl named [Mash Kyrielight].

"In short, King."

"At your call, the Knights of the Round Table are assembled."

"Please announce the king's order!"

Shirataki looked at the king who was surrounded by knights.

He could feel that Altria must be feeling dizzy right now.

Although she didn't know what was going on, her intuition told her that this was probably a good thing. So, she didn't need to worry about anything and could just accept the current situation calmly.

This is probably Altria's current mental state.

This situation lasted until they left the Tower of the End and returned to the real world, at which point it eased slightly.

"Talking about Wang Ling is a bit too serious. It's probably just a matter that requires your help."

"However, that matter is not too urgent. Before that, please explain the general situation to me. By the way, please allow me to host a banquet for you who have come from afar."

Breathing the fresh air of the outside world, Artoria's consciousness gradually became clear.

The charm of the King of Perfection was revealed - no one could find even a single flaw in her words and actions.

Very good, it seems that she has successfully adapted to her current role.

——Shirataki thought so in his heart, silently preparing to leave here.

He had no interest in these knights, nor in the Holy Grail War that was about to unfold on this island—let alone finding the Holy Grail. Even if the Holy Grail wasn't found, so what? As long as he stood here, the greatest miracle of the world still existed on this island, and this island would never again fall into apocalypse and despair.

however.

"Wait a moment--"

Just as Shirataki was about to turn around and leave.

Artoria, who had been focusing her attention on the knights, suddenly called him.

"Well...what's going to happen next is probably not suitable for this child to participate in."

"Could you please take care of the child? Show her around or something."

As Altria spoke, she stretched out her hand and gently pushed away the purple-haired girl whose face was filled with questions like "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"

"..."

Shirataki subconsciously reached out and steadyed Mashu, who was staggering.

But his eyes remained on Artoria—her face, her emerald eyes to be exact.

He seemed to be trying to see something from it.

But Artoria acted quite calmly, and didn't look like she was planning anything at all.