Su Ya, the 'Hero Knight' who led 'three hundred thousand cavalry' to break through the Conqueror King's grand encirclement, was led into an interrogation room.
The humble room contained only one table and two chairs facing each other across it. However, in this very room, Su Ya received an almost obsequious welcome.
Several knights in red and white heavy armor first polished the table and chairs until they gleamed, then respectfully removed his chains, invited him to sit down, and finally, brought in plates of exquisite pastries and fruit, and a freshly brewed pot of black tea from outside.
This scene gave Su Ya a strange sense of déjà vu, as if with a large screen placed before him, he should now be standing up and taking the microphone to belt out a song.
Until—
Two Cross Forbidden Knights in the room began to disarm, revealing their alluring and curvaceous bodies.
"Stop!"
Su Ya's mouth twitched slightly, halting this visually impactful scene. He turned to look at the square-faced knight sitting across the table.
"How about we get straight to the point? What do you need me to cooperate with?"
He roughly understood his current situation. Black Knight Agravain clearly recognized him, and furthermore, he and Su Ya were 'colleagues' in the same faction. Agravain's capture of him was to help him escape punishment—though Su Ya didn't believe he had committed any crime.
Even before Su Ya disguised himself as a king to gather his army, Lucan had mentioned that revealing his identity would draw the pursuit of the Cross Forbidden Knights, and acting in the name of the king seemed to be an extremely serious crime in Britannia.
The reason why Merlin and the others didn't stop, and even helped Agravain control Su Ya, was not only because it was an 'established custom' for them, but also because they hoped that Su Ya's act of raising the royal banner would be characterized as 'fake' by the other party.
At least for now, they didn't want anyone other than themselves to know that Su Ya was truly the 'King.'
This was a form of protection for both Su Ya and them, and at this moment, this protection was proving effective.
"Very good."
"You are indeed an intelligent knight."
The square-faced knight offered a fawning smile and said:
"We have received Agravain's investigation report and understand the difficulties that forced you to violate the kingdom's prohibitions."
"Therefore, the interrogation steps will be omitted—after all, no matter how much we interrogate, the answer you ultimately give will be the same, which both you and I are perfectly aware of."
Su Ya remained silent; he wasn't sure if there was a trap in these words.
The square-faced knight paused deliberately, observing Su Ya's expression for a moment, then continued:
"However, merits and demerits cannot simply cancel each other out. Thus, you must still undergo a small punishment to demonstrate the impartiality of us clergy."
Clank~ Clank!
As he spoke, the square-faced knight suddenly clapped his gauntleted hands.
Responding to the clang, the room's large door was pushed open by a knight.
Then, one by one, the Cross Forbidden Knights pushed in various torture devices: wooden chairs covered with hundreds of spikes, execution stakes piled with firewood, red-hot branding irons freshly removed from a charcoal furnace, ropes and iron saws, pyramid-shaped wooden Judas cradles...
"According to kingdom law, those who impersonate the king to deceive shall be subjected to pear torture, anal torture, and branding."
"Those who incite rebellion in the name of the king shall be subjected to saw torture, impalement, and finally tied to a stake and publicly burned in the market square."
Su Ya looked at the dazzling array of torture devices and felt his scalp tingle.
So-called saw torture meant hanging a person upside down and sawing their body in half from the groin downwards. Impalement meant tying someone to that chair full of nails, and burning at the stake was exactly what it sounded like.
He stiffly turned his head to look at the square-faced knight.
The square-faced knight then gave a seemingly perverse smile and asked:
"Which one do you prefer?"
Su Ya shook his head vigorously, "Of course, I don't like any of them."
The square-faced knight nodded and laughed:
"Then it's simple."
"As long as you agree to our two conditions, all these tortures can be waived. Moreover, the Archbishop of Canterbury will immediately hold an investiture ceremony for you, inviting all the people of the capital to witness you becoming an honorary knight of Britannia."
"Tsk, tsk, that's a sight ordinary people wouldn't even dare to imagine."
Su Ya didn't understand why an investiture ceremony would be a sight unimaginable to ordinary people. He could only ask:
"What two conditions?"
The square-faced knight raised his hand, extending two fingers, and chuckled eerily:
"Firstly, you must acknowledge the 'fact' that you led 'three hundred thousand' cavalry to break through the Conqueror King's grand encirclement."
"Secondly, you must undergo the baptism of the 'King's Covenant,' and then, upon being summoned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, accept his invitation to become a Paladin."
"Paladin?"
Su Ya frowned slightly, vaguely sensing a huge trap.
According to Lucan, if this was a godless world, where did these Paladins who pledged loyalty to God come from?
At this moment, the square-faced knight earnestly advised:
"I can tell, you are a senior swordsman, right?"
"And in such chaotic times, a senior swordsman is actually nothing more than insignificant grass, pigs and sheep to be slaughtered. If you've seen the misery of Cornwall, you'll surely understand."
"But if you become a Paladin of the Church, you can directly be with the King, and with God."
"The King on the Gauden God-Granting Tower will transcend worldly frameworks and directly acknowledge your merits from the divine throne!"
"Then, with your acknowledged merits, you will immediately transform into a genuine—"
"Hero!"
Su Ya's pupils constricted slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.
Not because it seemed he could become a 'hero' just by agreeing to the conditions,
but because of the strangeness revealed behind these words.
Becoming a Paladin of the Church and gaining the acknowledgement of the King above the God-Granting Tower, wouldn't that mean Britannia's knights would directly pledge allegiance to King Solomon?
Su Ya looked at these Cross Forbidden Knights with slight surprise.
Wasn't this openly recruiting people and promoting themselves on another king's territory? If you do this, what would the King of Britannia think?
The square-faced knight looked at Su Ya and smiled, asking:
"So, what is your answer?"
Knowing there must be a trap, Su Ya naturally couldn't jump straight in, so he shook his head and said:
"I need to think about it more."
However, as soon as these words were uttered,
"Bang!"
The square-faced knight's expression suddenly turned cold, and he slammed his palm down, smashing the wooden table between them!
He abruptly stood up and signaled to a knight beside him.
A knight immediately scurried over and closed the room's large door, then turned around.
Ten Cross Forbidden Knights in heavy armor slowly drew their greatswords from their backs, all staring coldly at Su Ya!
The leading square-faced knight sneered:
"You only have ten seconds to think."
"Lord Su Ya, I advise you to make the right choice—"
"Will you become one of us, or—as a rebel impersonating the King, die here!"
Su Ya's gaze turned slightly cold as he calmly sat in his chair.
His hand had already quietly gripped the armrest, his fingertips lightly tapping.
Agravain, as a 'colleague,' must have judged that he wouldn't encounter danger in this interrogation, leading him to accept it.
Moreover, since Merlin and the others entrusted him to Agravain, they must have thought of a way to rescue him.
But,
if none of this was true, if these 'teammates' were unreliable, if he was still inevitably going to return to that lonely world!
Then,
he would have to be prepared to fight his way through the entire capital from here!
However, just then—
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
A series of powerful, heavy kicking sounds suddenly exploded!
It was as if a Tyrannosaurus Rex was kicking at the door from outside; the entire interrogation room began to shake, and dirt constantly trickled down from the ceiling.
The ten Cross Forbidden Knights' expressions instantly changed, and they all turned their heads.
And saw,
"—Boom!"
The room's large door suddenly flew inward!
Illuminated by the swirling dust,
a black-haired boy, approximately twelve years old, appeared outside the door with a grave expression.
He wore no armor or weapons, only a white shirt and brown cuffed trousers, looking like a child who had just returned from buying soy sauce on the street, quite harmless.
But,
when the ten Cross Forbidden Knights present saw him, their expressions instantly tensed, as if they had seen a terrifying monster. Their lips trembled as they uttered his identity,
"Holy Son..."
The black-haired boy frowned, seemingly extremely resistant to this title, and coldly rebuked:
"Get out!"
Hearing his rebuke, the ten Cross Forbidden Knights finally breathed a sigh of relief. They hastily bowed to the black-haired boy, loudly proclaiming their obedience to his command,
"Yes! Knight Galahad!"
A moment later,
the cell was empty again.
And the Holy Son, known as Galahad, now slowly raised his head, his face carrying a heavy expression.
He stepped into the cell, came before Su Ya, took the chair the square-faced knight had just vacated,
and sat opposite him, engaging in a silent gaze.
Then, Galahad stared coldly at Su Ya and slowly asked:
"So, Britannia's Knight King, or rather—"
"The Red Dragon King."
"You've returned here, to this city you once fled,"
"What do you intend to do?"
"Do you want to burn this city down to complete your final revenge, or are you—going to participate in this King's Game?"