Multiverse's Holy Right

The shock on her face came and went quickly. Soon, Alice regained her composure. She tucked a strand of her platinum-blonde hair behind her ear, picked up the porcelain teacup again, and took a delicate sip of black tea before smiling.

"...So, King Roy, you've finally made your move on this lady after all."

"Finally? That's an interesting choice of words. Can a witch's clairvoyance really predict even what I intend to do?"

Roy arched an eyebrow.

"Of course not. Though witches are said to possess some ability to foresee the future, such predictions are impossible when it comes to Heretic Gods and Campiones. The reason I guessed your intentions is because Erica told me."

Alice's moist cherry lips curled into a radiant smile.

"Erica? She actually told you about all this?"

Roy was momentarily stunned, never expecting Erica to share such private matters with Alice.

"A girls' tea party isn't something men can understand. You must realize that women love sharing little secrets with each other."

Alice crooked her slender, pale finger playfully, as if teasing Roy with endless allure.

"...But Erica mentioned that you refused to give her a proper title. Could you tell me why? Do you not care for her?"

"I don't mind telling you. Honestly, I don't have that kind of all-consuming love for either Erica or you, Princess Alice. It's simply that I covet your beauty and your knowledge."

Roy spoke with shameless candor, delivering his scoundrel-like confession with utter boldness.

"...But I must admit, Erica is a good girl. I do like her—just not to the point of love. In truth, whether it's Erica or you, Princess, we haven't known each other long. I don't really believe in love at first sight."

"...As for why I won't give her a title, it's simple. Modern men can have countless lovers, but only one wife. Even ancient emperors, with their three thousand concubines, had only one woman who could be called Empress. The struggle for that position is brutal—women fight to the death, with the losers either exiled to the cold palace or executed by beating."

"Erica is a smart girl, but she's too clever. If I gave her official status, she would inevitably have ambitions to gain more. That's human nature—the desire and drive to move forward... The title of 'wife' can only belong to one. For that position, the harem would engage in open and covert struggles. Throughout history, how emperors managed their harems has always been of utmost importance. If the harem is disharmonious, it would affect the emperor's work, even impacting state affairs."

Roy spoke with righteous solemnity, elevating the simple act of maintaining a harem to the level of a global crisis. "...A true man's aspirations lie beyond the four seas. I consider myself such a man—how could I let romantic entanglements hinder or constrain me? Therefore, from the very beginning, I should not grant any woman official status. That way, they won't harbor unrealistic hopes and will simply remain content as my harem, my lovers. Isn't that the solution?"

Alice's cherry lips parted slightly, her tea spilling unnoticed from her cup. She stared at Roy in shock, finally letting out a dry laugh after a long pause. "...King Roy, I think if that Eastern Cult Leader were here, she would wholeheartedly agree with your views... How should I put it? Before, you were domineering, but it felt somewhat like bluster to me. Now, however, you've fully embraced the tyranny of a Campione."

"...To speak so casually and without remorse about maintaining a harem—something unacceptable in modern times—this level of self-assured will is already very Campione-like."

Alice sighed softly. "...Then does that apply to me as well? Am I also destined to be labeled merely as a lover?"

"You're no exception, because you too, Princess, are an intelligent woman."

"Should women be foolish to gain more from you?"

"Before me, whether a woman is clever or foolish, I treat them all the same."

Alice gave a self-deprecating smile. "...I never thought I'd find myself in such an inescapable position. As a noble and elegant princess, I always imagined my destiny would be a knight in shining armor."

"But the one riding the white horse isn't always a prince—it could also be a demon king! And isn't a demon king and princess a perfect match?"

Roy had somehow risen and now stood before Alice, tilting her chin up with his finger. As her head moved slightly, her platinum-blonde hair cascaded over her delicate shoulders.

Her cheeks flushed pink as she swatted his hand away and lowered her gaze. "...King Roy..."

With a faint smile, Roy swept Alice into his arms in a bridal carry, eliciting a startled gasp from her.

...

Through the witch's magic, Roy forcibly extracted Princess Alice's knowledge into his own mind. Before the knowledge could fade, his superhuman comprehension allowed him to swiftly digest and assimilate it.

In this world, witches are the closest counterparts to Heretic Gods. The most ancient Earth Mother Goddesses, after losing their divine status, depreciated into Divine Ancestors. The descendants of these Divine Ancestors are witches—making them the heirs of Earth Mother Goddesses, beings born with divine nature and the scholars who possess the most knowledge about gods.

During his time with Alice, Roy learned much about witches and Heretic Gods. However, many of the witches' spells required a witch bloodline to perform, and even as a Campione, Roy couldn't bypass this limitation. Of course, he wasn't particularly interested in those feminine-leaning spells of the witches either.

Several days later, at the heart of ancient Jerusalem—Mount Moriah—Roy returned once more. But this time, he wasn't alone. Accompanying him were twenty-seven women, all hime-mikos with considerable spiritual power gathered from Japan.

Through Aiwass's teachings and the knowledge acquired from Alice and Erica, Roy had thoroughly mastered the ritual for summoning a Heretic God, making it his own. Without relying on others, he personally arranged the grand ritual using magical materials, inscribing intricate magical runes at key points and chanting ineffable incantations to activate the ceremony.

Under Roy's direction, the twenty-seven witches and hime-mikos took their positions. This ritual would primarily rely on Alice and Yuri Mariya, the most talented hime-miko and witch, with Liliana, Ena Seishuuin, and the other mikos assisting. Though Erica also possessed witch bloodline, it was too diluted. The knightly princess merely stood guard beside Roy, vigilant against any potential intruders who might disrupt the ceremony.

"Alice, Yuri Mariya, are you ready?"

Burning candles illuminated Mount Moriah in the night. Roy deliberately—or perhaps casually—approached a ten-year-old girl, none other than Yuri Mariya's younger sister, Hikari Mariya. This was his way of warning Yuri: if she dared to resist or sabotage the ritual, her sister would bear the consequences.

"My King, are we performing a ritual?"

The young girl, merely ten years old, showed no fear. She simply gazed at Roy with innocent, wide eyes and asked timidly.

"That's right. We just need your sister to complete a ritual, and then you can all go home. As a miko, you should understand this well, shouldn't you?"

Faced with such an oblivious child, Roy couldn't bring himself to be harsh. Instead, he patted her head gently, his tone soft.

"Mhm! I was sent here by Lady Sayanomiya, and I'll definitely help the King complete this ritual!"

The little girl nodded vigorously.

"Good girl!"

Roy slowly straightened up from his slight crouch, his tone turning solemn. "...Let's begin."

The hime-mikos and witches wasted no time, immediately closing their eyes to enter a state of spiritual vision. They would channel their magical power to assist Alice and Yuri in achieving a higher level of spiritual sight, enabling them to locate the incantations tied to the Heretic God and summon it using Roy's magical ritual.

At the center of the ritual lay an ancient bronze ring. Soon, Alice and Yuri submerged their spiritual consciousness into the Netherworld, murmuring incantations as if their souls had departed.

"He is the greatest king in Jewish history, one of the most legendary monarchs the world has ever known."

"In his dream, he prayed to God for wisdom, and God not only granted him unparalleled wisdom but also bestowed upon him endless glory, wealth, and virtue."

"With his wisdom, he won the hearts of his people... He amassed great wealth... He built the Temple of Judaism... And he brought back the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the sacred decrees..."

"He was once enamored by the Queen of Sheba... He was mighty and wise..."

"Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. There is nothing new under the sun. All is but chasing the wind, all is but grasping at shadows!"

"..."

When Alice and Mariya Yuri recited these words in a state of spiritual vision, Roy became certain that the bronze ring truly belonged to King Solomon. A witch's spiritual vision allowed her to perceive the essence of an object or person through a medium, and it was through this ring that they had found the spiritual words of King Solomon, summoning him forth.

But then, the situation took a drastic turn—

The seventy-two burning candles around them suddenly flickered without any wind, as if they might extinguish at any moment. The many hime-mikos and witches present wore expressions of pain, and even Yuri and Alice broke out in cold sweat, their recitations becoming fragmented:

"...As a king, his policies were extraordinary, and many tales of him as a magician have been passed down!"

"God bestowed upon him ten rings of wisdom to command angels and demons."

"From the moment of his birth... he was confirmed as the King... He lived only to heed divine words and follow the path ordained by revelation."

"Within him lay no emotion—he was a being stripped of human empathy, joy, sorrow, and freedom..."

Alice and Yuri's expressions grew increasingly pained, and the words they recited became more and more distorted.

"Aiwass!"

Roy's gaze sharpened as he raised his right arm, where a strange, twisting vortex once again appeared at his shoulder. He spoke to the Holy Guardian Angel that only he could see behind him:

"...The thing dwelling in my right hand—that mysterious space has bridged the worlds. This ritual isn't connecting to the 'Throne' that records divine knowledge in this world, but to the 'Throne' of another world!"

"...Alice and Yuri's divine visions borrow information from the Netherworld to recite spiritual words. But the Netherworld doesn't record the 'Throne' of another world. They can only force their visions using their own magic. The Heretic God summoned is indeed King Solomon—but not the King Solomon of this world!"

***

Hey readers!

Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.

🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹