Lancelot: “Guh! Gaaa!!”

 

Darkness begins to envelope my heart.

 

Athena: “Lancelot? Lancelot!!”

Lancelot: “Kill… God… kill. No, kill! Nooo!”

 

My eyes turned pitch black as I gazed at Athena.

 

Athena: “Why… Lancelot… you…! You’re one of the Black!?”

 

With her golden eyes, Athena looked deep into me. She must’ve realized that I belonged to the Black clan, people from the Black Empire who wanted to rule the White Kingdom.

 

Lancelot: “Gaaa!!”

 

I tried to slash her with my sword.

But my head was forcefully slammed into the ground.

 

Lancelot: “Run!! Please run!! Guh!! Ahhh!!”

 

I was struggling. Fighting the controlled heart, trying to resist with a strong spirit. Despite the strength of my will, the power of darkness controlled me.

I drew my sword.

It felt as if my body wasn’t my own. I couldn’t even take my own life.

 

Lancelot: “Gwaaa!!”

 

I crushed my eyes with that sword, thinking that if I destroyed these dark eyes, everything would stop. I trembled with pain and couldn’t see anything.

Yet, my fanaticism remained unchanged.

 

Athena: “Fanaticism… This is the Black Empire’s…”

Lancelot: “Please run. I’m… no… Ahhh!!”

 

Just as my body was about to be completely consumed by darkness, light surged from within me. The darkness was illuminated, and my fanaticism vanished.

A stronger force overpowered it, and my crushed vision began to return.

 

Athena: “Lancelot… It’s okay. I know you’re not the enemy. I know your strength.”

 

I was gently embraced.

The darkness that had consumed my heart disappeared, and my eyes widened.

 

Lancelot: “Impossible… These eyes… Impossible!?”

 

When I looked up, the golden glow in Athena-sama’s eyes had vanished.

She smiled warmly and spoke words of loyalty.

 

Athena: “Lancelot, do you swear to uphold the knight’s oath, to fight as my knight?”

Lancelot: “Athena-sama!? It’s not right! These eyes are only for the gods! For someone like me!?”

 

Yet, she just continued with a smile.

 

Athena: “Do you swear your eternal loyalty, to become my sword and shield for the greater good?”

Lancelot: “Why… why would you… Why do you…”

Athena: “Lancelot…”

Lancelot: “…Uh, uh…”

 

With tears in my eyes, Athena-sama gently held my hand and smiled again. Her smile was truly divine. She posed the final question.

 

Athena: “Lancelot, the finest knight, will you become my knight, my eyes, the light that illuminates this kingdom? I need you.”

 

Crying, I accepted her resolution, drawing my sword and kneeling.

With her golden eyes, my trembling voice, struggling to articulate, replied.

 

Lancelot: “…I pledge my loyalty to you, my princess, for all eternity.”

 

~ The scene changes again.

 

Student: “Lancelot-kun, you’re too strong!”

 

In the dojo, I was sweeping away countless enemies. The golden eyes, when controlled, could also be made not to glow.

Defeating even invisible swords and lightning-fast attacks.

Thus, my swordsmanship was perfected, and the finest knight with the Eye of God was completed.

All the knights in the country acknowledged me, and I reigned as the strongest knight.

 

Lancelot: “Good morning, princess.”

Athena: “I wish you’d just call me Athena like before.”

Lancelot: “No, I am your knight…”

Athena: “Hmm… Well then, my knight Lancelot. I command you to hold me tightly tonight.”

Lancelot: “Princess!?”

Athena: “Hehe, just kidding. Ahh… You’ve become even more uptight… I get urges too, you know…”

Lancelot: “Please refrain from joking like that… It’s bad for my heart.”

 

My heart raced, and I was slightly excited. But as a knight, I maintained an appropriate distance and reigned as the princess’s knight, deciding in my heart to protect her, even when she teased me like this.

The Black Empire.

The strongest empire that had taken everything except the White Kingdom was targeting our country.

 

Lancelot: “Where has Odin-sama gone? He possesses the Body of God, so he should be fine alone, but I’ve never had the chance to greet him.”

Athena: “Who knows? I don’t understand what he’s thinking. He didn’t attend my father’s funeral and has been wandering the world since that day… I think he’ll come back if something happens because of our pact.”

Lancelot: “…”

 

A slight unease.

The previous god, the princess’s father, had both the Eye of God and the Body of God.

The strongest power that probably kept the Black Empire from invading the White Kingdom. Not to mention, the knights of the White Kingdom were overwhelmingly powerful.

But now, that strongest power is divided into two.

The Eye of God is with me, and the Body of God is with Odin-sama.

Many knights exclaimed that it was a mistake, but opinions differed with the knights from Odin-sama’s camp, and it was ultimately decided to split the powers.

In exchange, a pact was made that, in times of emergency, the Body of God would be handed over to Athena-sama.

It was a life-risking pact, and though reluctantly, everyone agreed. The decision was made by majority vote, believing it was better than starting a war internally.

 

~ The scene changes again.

 

The war finally began.

As expected, the Black Empire began its invasion of the White Kingdom. But the knights of the White Kingdom resisted fiercely, and the battlefront reached a stalemate. There had been minor skirmishes like this before, so there wasn’t much panic.

But then he appeared unexpectedly.

 

Lancelot: “Why… Odin-sama…”

 

A lone figure breaking through the battle lines with sheer power. It was the prince of the White Kingdom, possessing the Body of God, Odin-sama.

For reasons unknown, Odin-sama switched sides. And then, beasts controlled by the Black clan and the so-called Knights of the Round Table, the strongest knights of the Black clan, appeared one after another, putting the White Kingdom in jeopardy.

 

Knight 1: “I told you! Splitting the Eye of God and the Body of God was a mistake!”

Knight 2: “Who could have foreseen Odin-sama betraying us!”

Knight 3: “What about the blood pact? Why isn’t it effective? It’s a life-risking pact! Breaking it should be…”

 

The battle lines were pushed back, and the White Kingdom was on the brink of destruction.

The Black clan was just a step away from annihilating the White Kingdom.

And then the goddess made a decision.

 

Athena: “I’ll seal it. I can’t let them take over the world. One day, I’ll entrust our light to the knights of the future.”

 

~ The scene changes again.

 

Before me stood countless knights in black armor. I was the lone white knight fighting against them. Behind me was a girl, beautiful like an archangel, with numerous giant wings.

I was strong.

Each of the black knights was nearly S-Rank in strength. But the white knight surpassed even that, simply overpowering.

A single white knight looked as if he could fend off the entire army, a white flash dominating the battlefield.

Yet, the numbers of the black knights seemed to increase. A stronger individual appeared, likely Odin.

He was forced into a tough fight. Even from my perspective, there was no victory in this battle.

Still, the white knight never gave up, burning with passion and risking his life, ensuring that not a single enemy reached the girl behind him.

 

Athena: 『Lancelot… I’m sorry… Putting such a burdensome role… On you… Even though you’re from the other side… 』

 

The girl was crying. She continually prayed to the sky, hands clasped in some kind of ritual. Tears flowed endlessly, falling to the ground.

Seeing those tears, my chest ached. The emotions of the white knight flowed ceaselessly into my heart.

These feelings are surely…

The white knight spoke.

 

Lancelot: 『Please, don’t say that, princess… I… I had nothing… But I was saved by your kindness. You gave me these eyes. I became so strong, strong enough to protect you. I am honored to have served you!! 』

 

The white knight, tears forming in his eyes but never falling, continued to protect the girl called the princess until the very end.

 

Lancelot: 『I was truly happy… 』

 

Sword at the ready, facing forward, with blazing eyes showing not a hint of fear.

 

Lancelot: 『I don’t value my life. For the future of the world… No, for you, I’ll sacrifice it for eternity. But if I were to have one wish granted… 』

 

The white knight seemed to speak to me, inside him, addressing his own heart.

 

Lancelot: 『I hope that one day, a strong knight, equipped with power, knowledge, and heart, will appear. I’m being selfish, but I entrust this to you, the knight of this era. I hope that soul will eventually dispel the darkness of the world. So…”

 

With those words, a light emitted from the girl enveloped the entire world.

 

Lancelot: 『—I’m rooting for you, Kai. 』