Chapter 215: It Was Enabled, Never Disabled

The nobles of the royalist faction could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the one responding to Elvira this time was indeed the Sword of Selection.

This Holy Sword represented the kingly path itself. Compared to a scabbard or other Noble Phantasms, it was far more effective at displaying the authority and prestige of the royal family.

However, the situation appeared somewhat different from what they had expected.

Soon...

Within that kingly aura that should have been solemn and majestic, there seemed to be a faint trace of frustration and impatience.

Could it be that the legendary Sword of Selection had grown anxious after waiting for too long?

The old director was equally bewildered.

He had presided over dozens of baptisms and had never seen a Noble Phantasm display emotions resembling human irritability.

However, the legendary Sword Saint, whose class rank was much higher, keenly detected what lay hidden beneath the surface.

His pupils contracted.

Someone in the Astral Realm was competing with Her Highness for ownership of the Sword of Selection!

The old Sword Saint's heart pounded violently.

Since he could sense this tug-of-war, then those old foxes seated among the honored guests who had also reached high levels could undoubtedly sense it as well.

Who was it?

Under normal circumstances, only those possessing blood ties to Clovis Pendragon could resonate with the Sword of Selection.

Aside from legitimate members of the Pendragon Royal Family, no one else should even possess the qualifications to approach that star.

And today, within the entire Royal Capital, only Princess Elvira had activated a Heroic Spirit Baptism.

So how could another royal family member suddenly appear in the Astral Realm, undergoing a baptism at precisely the same time and possessing the qualifications to compete?

Could it be one of those collateral branches that had separated from the royal family centuries ago because of political struggles?

The Sword Saint immediately dismissed the possibility.

That branch had remained under strict surveillance by the military for generations.

They had never possessed access to resources such as Heroic Spirit Baptisms.

Over all these years, the strongest individual that branch had produced was merely a Legendary Adventurer.

His greatest achievement had simply been falling in love with a witch.

After that, the branch had never caused any notable waves.

The Sword Saint's gaze swept across the honored guests like that of a hawk.

However, the expressions of the powerful family patriarchs he suspected looked even more confused than his own.

So it wasn't these powerful nobles scheming behind the scenes?

The Sword Saint had absolute confidence in his instincts.

Reactions like these could not be faked.

Then what exactly had caused this unexpected development?

Once more, the Sword Saint looked toward the faint Astral Realm projection.

Through the turbulent astral currents, he saw the star representing the Sword of Selection flickering wildly in the heavens.

And beneath that star, Princess Elvira was extending her hand, attempting to summon the Noble Phantasm through her soul.

Seeing this scene, an even more terrifying possibility flashed through the Sword Saint's mind like lightning.

There was another explanation!

For all these years, the Sword of Selection had only chosen masters from among the descendants of the Pendragon Royal Family.

Everyone had naturally assumed that this was a privilege granted by bloodline.

But perhaps they had all overlooked a fundamental truth.

The reason that Holy Sword had chosen Clovis in the first place had never been because of bloodline.

It was simply because that man possessed the broad-minded capacity required to bear the destiny of a king!

If the person competing with Princess Elvira for the Noble Phantasm within the Astral Realm was not some lost royal descendant—

Then only one explanation remained.

That person possessed a soul and kingly bearing capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Clovis Pendragon himself!

“This is bad.”

A trace of cold sweat appeared in the Sword Saint's palm.

The conflict within the Astral Realm grew increasingly intense.

Soon, the star representing the Sword of Selection erupted with a visible wave of momentum.

To everyone's shock, the nearby Heroic Spirit stars were violently shoved aside as though being swatted away like flies.

Immediately afterward, the star unleashed a powerful suction force.

Princess Elvira was not repelled.

Instead, she was directly pulled into the violent star itself.

This was the sign that the trial had begun.

The result proved that Her Highness had not lost her qualification in the struggle.

Yet the Sword Saint's worries did not lessen in the slightest.

Although Princess Elvira was the most talented student he had ever taught and possessed monstrous physical abilities—

A true king possessed far more than talent alone.

Back in Clovis Pendragon's era, the world had shone with countless brilliant stars.

Every enemy he faced had been among the greatest figures of several centuries.

The reason Clovis had subdued all rivals and founded an Empire was not because of extraordinary talent.

It was because of his terrifying ability to create miracles again and again in hopeless situations.

Anyone capable of drawing the Sword of Selection into a struggle was undoubtedly some monstrous existence that could not be judged by common sense.

The Sword Saint sighed heavily within his heart.

All he could do now was pray that Her Highness would safely overcome this trial.

What the Sword Saint did not know was that in another world, people like this were usually described with a single phrase—

“Cheats enabled, never disabled.”

As for what exactly had been enabled?

Don't ask...

...

When Lance opened his eyes once more—

He found himself standing at the bottom of a canyon.

The air was filled with the fragrance of vegetation, while the faint yet distinct sound of flowing water echoed beside his ears.

At the center of the canyon lay a small lake as clear as emerald.

Its surface was smooth as a mirror, without the slightest ripple.

And at the exact center of the lake stood a massive round stone covered in dark-green moss.

An exquisitely beautiful cross-shaped longsword was embedded diagonally into the center of the stone.

A beam of golden sunlight from an unknown source pierced through the canyon mist and landed perfectly upon the sword.

Lance's attention was instantly captured by the Noble Phantasm.

It was a weapon that felt magical merely from looking at it.

The hilt had been forged from some unknown azure-green metal, its surface engraved with intricate intersecting patterns.

The guard had been meticulously crafted into the shape of a bird spreading its wings.

At the center of those wings was a diamond-shaped gemstone radiating a gentle golden glow.

As for the exposed half of the blade protruding from the stone, it shimmered with pale golden light.

Just as Lance was observing the sword—

A series of notifications suddenly appeared on the panel.

【Ultimate Trial Objective: Travel across the continent to reach the Canyon of Kings and accumulate 1000 points of Positive Reputation along the way (Faith / Gratitude / Praise may all be counted as reputation sources)】

【Note: A true king never subdues the world through brute force alone. One must gather the hearts of wandering people through charisma. Only when the hopes of the masses become an invisible crown may the coronation ceremony be completed within the Canyon of Kings.】

【Please select the reputation acquisition rules for the upcoming trial according to the resonating Noble Phantasm you choose...】

After reading the densely packed explanation—

Lance immediately began analyzing it.

It seemed that regardless of how the options had changed, the prerequisite for advancing the trial remained the same.

He first had to choose a Noble Phantasm.

As for clearing this instance, put simply, he needed to farm 1000 Positive Reputation points.

As long as he gathered people's support and earned the gratitude and praise of ordinary civilians, he would eventually clear the trial successfully.

At first glance, this appeared to be a non-combat instance that heavily tested a player's interpersonal abilities.

While Lance was thinking—

He noticed something unusual.

Whether it was merely his imagination or not, he felt that his Source Essence, 【Outsider】, seemed to be reacting.

However, the most important task right now was selecting a Noble Phantasm.