Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

In the end, he had flawlessly displayed the majesty of the Eternal Sovereign, standing alongside his mentor to battle the primordial lifeforms corrupted by eldritch horrors—earning even greater admiration from the masses.

Meanwhile, in The Sacred Round Table Domain, King Arthur, hailed as the Perfect King, had revealed a tyrannical and cruel side, shocking the world.

The internet was ablaze with condemnation, her reputation in tatters.

Qin Shi Huang's smile deepened.

We, who surpass the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, reign supreme as the Eternal Monarch.

How dare you compare yourself to Us?

Across the world, those once deemed his equals—King Arthur, the King of Heroes—had all been exposed for their horrifying misdeeds.

One sought to unleash the All the World's Evils from the Holy Grail, slaughtering the "useless."

The other desired to annihilate the entire world, preserving only a pitiful few hundred.

The beloved Oldest King and the Perfect King, stripped of their halos, had been subjected to merciless public execution.

A sudden wave of loneliness washed over Qin Shi Huang.

To be invincible… is to be alone.

With a casual wave, he commanded, "By the way, send Us a copy of today's conference footage."

This delightful scene naturally had to be shown to Nameless properly.

Tomorrow, when paying New Year's visits, letting him witness the disgraceful state of these Britons would surely be an amusing affair.

Hehe, how dare King Arthur think she could take Nameless away?

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhuge Liang inwardly praised even more.

Truly worthy of Qin Shi Huang—even more cunning than himself.

To think of preserving this moment so it could be brought out for amusement whenever he was in a foul mood.

Zhuge Liang silently resolved to keep a copy for himself as well.

Same here!

For Heroic Spirits, only the humiliation of their peers could bring them such joy.

Zhuge Liang carefully pondered the earlier conversation between the British father and daughter, easily deducing their thoughts.

Now, with the Round Table Knights publicly humiliated, it could be called the greatest scandal.

As Prime Minister, Mordred stepping forward clearly intended to shoulder part of the blame.

And the method of shouldering it? Nothing more than using joyous news to overshadow the scandal.

For example, a marriage between the Prime Minister of Britain and the Imperial Tutor of China would undoubtedly be world-shaking news.

Because—

To this day, not a single Heroic Spirit had ever truly married. Whether male or female, all remained with their original spouses or stayed single.

Even Zhuge Liang himself missed his original wife and had never considered remarrying.

In truth, Heroic Spirits, summoned as magical entities from human history, were fundamentally part of that history.

Existing to safeguard human order, how could they possibly bear children like ordinary people?

But Nameless was special.

That guy was Alaya's agent—practically a living embodiment of human history!

Zhuge Liang suddenly felt a faint anticipation. If Nameless really could allow Heroic Spirits to bear children, perhaps he should put in a little effort?

After watching The Perfect King, it was clear Mordred and Nameless shared no blood relation—so it was entirely possible!

And if her father joined in—

Ahem, best not entertain such thoughts. Too blasphemous!

Zhuge Liang rose and left the hall.

Now, all that remained was to wait patiently for the Britons to lose their composure and make the first move.

Once Qin Shi Huang granted his approval, the marriage between two great nations would thoroughly drain Britain dry!

Money, sweet money~

Zhuge Liang silently patted himself on the back.

For someone so devoted to China, he wondered how Qin Shi Huang would reward him.

Just thinking about it made him a little excited!

...

Achoo!

Souma, sprawled on the living room sofa, suddenly sneezed. "Which bastard is scheming against me again?"

He rubbed his nose, sensing someone coveting something from him.

Could it be that King Arthur, Mordred, and the others were already planning to storm his doorstep?

Terrifying!

He had to lay low. This New Year, he wouldn't go anywhere—just stay peacefully at home.

You be your King Arthur, King of Heroes—I'll be my King of Slacking.

You take your high road, I'll take my narrow path—just don't come looking for me!

Souma scanned the frenzied comments online, sensing this matter was far from over.

After Alaya released the exposé video,

King Arthur's fans worldwide found their worldview shattered.

That aloof, life-despising, world-destroying figure—was that really King Arthur?

Of course, many rushed to defend her, claiming the Holy Lance's corruption had turned her into the divine Lion King, nothing like the King Arthur they knew.

The problem was, with someone looking exactly the same, such excuses seemed particularly feeble.

In the eyes of many, if he hadn't stepped in to repair the Singularity, the entire world would have been doomed.

Souma couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

The battle on the hill of swords, a father's kindness and a son's filial piety, the fall of the nameless—ah, what a splendid, splendid tragedy.

What a pity that Bedivere, in a moment of hesitation, failed to return the holy sword, condemning himself to a fifteen-hundred-year journey of atonement.

It all seemed so fated.

"Fifteen hundred years—that must have been tough on you," Souma sighed softly.

Given his contributions in the Singularity of the "Sacred Round Table Domain," it was only natural for Bedivere to become a Heroic Spirit.

Such indomitable willpower—if this were a xianxia novel, he could have ascended to immortality in a hundred days.

Just then.

Fou, disguised as a kitten, hopped over and settled right in the middle of his lap, looking up at him:

"Fou... fou (Yeah, fifteen hundred years of freefall)!"

"Uh..."

Souma paused, then chuckled as he reached out to pet him. "Yes, yes, it must have been tough on you."

The poor little thing had been tossed out of the Tower of the End by that heartless Merlin, enduring fifteen centuries of freefall.

Falling endlessly, day after day, with nothing but the wind—just thinking about it was terrifying.

Luckily, being a Beast of Humanity, Fou didn't need food or water to survive.

Otherwise, a human would have been reduced to a desiccated husk—

No, not even ashes would remain!

"Fou... fou (Merlin must die)!"

Fou let out another cry, growing angrier the more he thought about it.

That despicable bastard truly had no conscience!

He extended his tiny pink tongue and lightly licked Souma's cheek.

After watching the video, Fou had remembered—this was the same Master of Chaldea who had once stayed by his side.

A man who fought to save human history.

A shame that now he seemed so weak.

His Spirit Origin was shattered, barely held together, a far cry from his former peak.

Nameless felt the ticklish sensation on his cheek and couldn't help but grin. "Quick, transform for me!"

"Transform my foot! You damn otaku, even the cat isn't safe from you!"

Roya's voice rang out from behind, dripping with disdain.

Here she was, a peerless beauty right beside him, yet he was getting all worked up over a cat.

A furry fetishist, huh?

Roya rolled her eyes at him. "Time to start dinner. Illya and Miyu will be here soon."

Tonight was New Year's Eve.

Earlier, the two had made plans to stay up together to ring in the new year.

For many years before, it had just been Roya and Souma celebrating alone, the house feeling cold and quiet.

This time, with two more joining them, it would at least be a bit livelier.

Oh, and that infuriating little cat Fou, who never let her pet him!

Right now, the cat was sitting right in the middle of Souma's lap, licking him.

And it even had the audacity to look smug about it!

Heavens, it's practically a spirit!

Roya was growing more and more suspicious—was this thing even a real cat?

Otherwise, why did it act so human?

Could it be that every morning, it was the one cooking porridge and stir-fries?

"Alright, alright, I'll get started."

Souma stretched, set Fou aside, and got up to prepare dinner.

Ever since the world reset and he began living as an ordinary person, the kitchen had become his most important battlefield.

Experimenting with new dishes every day had become his greatest joy.

***

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