A Certain Multiverse's Holy Right

The surprised expression came and went quickly, and soon Princess Alice regained her composure. She used her fingers to gently tuck a strand of her platinum-blonde hair behind her ear, then picked up the white porcelain teacup, taking a delicate sip of black tea before smiling faintly.

"As expected…King Roy, you really couldn't resist making a move on a lady like me."

"As expected? That word choice is quite peculiar. Could it be that the witch's clairvoyance can even predict what I'm going to do?"

Roy raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Of course not. While witches are said to possess a certain ability to foresee the future, such abilities are rendered completely ineffective when dealing with beings like Heretic Gods and Campione. The reason I deduced your intentions is because Erica told me."

Princess Alice's moist cherry lips curved into a slight, enchanting smile, her expression radiant like a blooming flower.

"Erica? She actually told you all this?"

Roy blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned. He had not anticipated that Erica would share the private moments that transpired between them with Alice.

"Girls' tea parties are not something men can understand. You should know that girls always enjoy sharing little secrets."

Princess Alice playfully hooked her fair finger, as if teasing Roy, her demeanor filled with an irresistible charm. "…But Erica also said you refused to give her a title. Could you tell me why? Don't you like her?"

"It's no secret. To be honest, I don't feel deeply in love with either Erica or you, Princess Alice. My interest lies in your beauty and your knowledge."

Roy spoke with complete candor, his seemingly shameless words delivered with disarming frankness. "…But I must admit, Erica is a good girl. I like her, but not enough to call it love. After all, we haven't known each other for long, and I don't really believe in love at first sight.

"…The reason I won't give her a title is simple. In modern times, a man can have countless lovers but only one wife. In ancient times, even an emperor with a harem of three thousand beauties could only have one 'empress.' The competition for that position was fierce—open and covert struggles that sometimes led to exile in the cold palace or even death by execution.

"Erica is smart—too smart. If I gave her a title, she would inevitably want more. It's human nature, the desire and drive to strive for more. The title of 'wife' is reserved for only one person, and that makes the competition in the harem ruthless. Throughout history, managing the harem has always been a critical task for emperors. If the harem is discordant, it affects the emperor's work and could even lead to national crises."

Roy's reasoning was delivered with righteous confidence, as if his decision to keep a harem was a matter of global importance. "…A good man has great ambitions. I consider myself a good man, so how could I let love affairs hold me back and bind me? Therefore, I won't give any woman a title from the start. Without expectations, they can peacefully remain in my harem as my lovers."

Princess Alice's mouth fell open slightly, her delicate lips forming a small "o" of shock. Even the tea in her cup spilled unnoticed. She stared at Roy in disbelief for a long time before finally forcing a dry laugh. "…King Roy, I think if the Eastern Cult Leader were here, she'd wholeheartedly agree with you… What can I say? Before, your dominance felt like bluster, but now you've fully embraced the ruthlessness of a Campione.

"…To speak of having a harem—a notion completely at odds with modern values—so matter-of-factly and without guilt, this unshakable self-will truly makes you a Campione."

Princess Alice sighed softly. "…So, I'm the same? Just another lover?"

"You are. After all, you're a smart woman too, Alice."

"Does that mean women should be foolish to gain more?" (T/N: Yes)

"Whether a woman is smart or foolish, I'll treat them equally," Roy replied with a nonchalant shrug. (T/N: BS)

Princess Alice gave a self-deprecating laugh. "…I never thought I'd find myself in such a hopeless position. As a noble and elegant princess, I always imagined I'd end up with a prince on a white horse."

"But the one sitting on the white horse isn't always a prince—it could be a devil. And isn't the Devil King and the princess a perfect match?"

At some point, Roy had stood up and moved in front of Alice. He hooked her chin lightly with his finger. As her head tilted slightly, her platinum blond hair cascaded over her shoulders like silk.

Her cheeks flushed faintly. She slapped his hand away and lowered her head, murmuring, "… King Roy…"

Roy chuckled and, at her soft protest, effortlessly lifted her into his arms in a princess carry.

…

During his exchange with Princess Alice, Roy used witchcraft to forcibly extract her knowledge into his own mind. Before the knowledge could dissipate, he relied on his extraordinary comprehension to rapidly digest and integrate it.

Witches in this world were inherently tied to Heretic Gods. The oldest Earth Mother Goddesses, after losing their divinity, would degenerate into Divine Ancestors, whose descendants were witches. As such, witches were the offspring of Earth Mother Goddesses, naturally endowed with divinity and unparalleled knowledge of the gods.

Through his interaction with Princess Alice, Roy acquired a wealth of knowledge about witches and Heretic Gods. However, much of witchcraft required the bloodline of a witch to perform, and even Roy, as a Campione, couldn't overcome this limitation. Not that he cared much for the female-oriented spells of witches.

…

A few days later, Roy arrived once again at Mount Moriah, the heart of ancient Jerusalem. This time, he wasn't alone. Accompanying him were twenty-seven women—mikos from Japan with considerable spiritual power.

Using the teachings of Aiwass and the knowledge he had obtained from Alice and Erica, Roy had fully mastered the summoning ritual of a Heretic God, making it his own. Personally overseeing every detail, he used magical materials to construct the grand ritual, etched intricate magic runes at key points, and recited unspeakable incantations to activate the ritual.

Under Roy's direction, all twenty-seven witches and mikos took their positions. The ceremony was to be led by Princess Alice and Mariya Yuri, the two most talented participants, with support from Liliana, Seishuuiin Ena, and other mikos. Erica, despite her witch bloodline, remained on guard by Roy's side, as her diluted heritage made her ill-suited for the ritual itself. Her role was to defend against any potential disruptions.

"Alice, Mariya Yuri, are you ready?"

Burning candles illuminated the night atop Mount Moriah. Roy casually approached a ten-year-old girl standing nearby. The girl was none other than Mariya Yuri's younger sister, Mariya Hikari. His presence there was a deliberate reminder to Yuri: if she dared to disrupt or fail to cooperate with the ritual, her sister would bear the consequences.

"King, are we performing a ritual?"

The ten-year-old girl showed no fear. She simply stared at Roy with her wide, innocent eyes and asked timidly.

"That's right. Just let your sister complete a ritual, and then you can go home. As a miko, you should understand these things."

Roy addressed the clueless little girl with a gentle tone, ruffling her hair instead of being harsh.

"Yes! I am the miko sent by Lord Sayanomiya, and I will definitely complete this ritual for the King!"

The little girl nodded earnestly.

"Good girl."

Roy straightened his slightly bent back, his tone growing serious as he said: "...Let's begin!"

…

The mikos and witches dared not delay. They immediately closed their eyes and entered a state of clairvoyance. They would channel their magical energy to aid Princess Alice and Mariya Yuri in opening a higher level of clairvoyance, enabling them to locate the words of the Heretic God and summon it using Roy's magical ritual.

At the center of the ritual lay the ancient bronze ring. Alice and Mariya Yuri soon immersed their consciousness into the Netherworld, muttering words as if their souls had left their bodies.

"He is the greatest king in the history of the Jewish people, one of the most legendary kings in the world."

"He prayed to God in a dream for wisdom. God not only gave him unparalleled wisdom but also endless glory, wealth, and virtue."

"He won the hearts of his people with his wisdom… He amassed great wealth… He built the Jewish Temple… He retrieved the Ark of the Covenant that contained the Oracle…"

"He was enchanted by the Queen of Sheba… He was powerful and cunning…"

"Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. There is nothing new under the sun. All is a pursuit of wind; all is but a shadow."

As Princess Alice and Mariya Yuri recited these phrases in a state of clairvoyance, Roy grew certain that the bronze ring indeed belonged to King Solomon. The witches' clairvoyance allowed them to perceive the essence of a person or object through a medium, and they had pinpointed Solomon's words through this ring, enabling his summoning.

But then, the situation changed drastically—

The seventy-two candles burning around the ritual site suddenly began flickering violently, as if caught in a gust of wind, though there was none. The expressions of the witches and mikos contorted with pain, and even Mariya Yuri and Princess Alice broke into a cold sweat. Their chanting grew erratic and fragmented:

"…He ruled as a wise and extraordinary king, and many tales depict him as a great magician!"

"God granted him ten rings of wisdom to command both angels and demons."

"From the moment of his birth… he was recognized as the 'King'… He lived by heeding God's word and following divine revelations."

"He is devoid of emotions, stripped of the freedom to empathize with the joys and sorrows of humanity… a non-human being…"

The expressions of Princess Alice and Mariya Yuri grew increasingly strained, their chanting becoming more incoherent and unsettling.

"Aiwass!"

Roy's gaze turned sharp as he raised his right arm. From his shoulder emerged a strange, distorted vortex, pulsating with an unnatural energy. He addressed the "Holy Guardian Angel," visible only to himself:

"…The thing within my right hand—the mysterious space—has bridged the worlds. This ritual isn't connecting to the 'Seat' of this world, which records divine information, but to the 'Seat' of another world!"

["Correct…Alice and Mariya Yuri are borrowing information from the Netherworld to recite the spiritual words. However, the Netherworld doesn't contain records of the other world's 'Seat.' They're relying solely on their magical power to force the clairvoyance. The summoned Heretic God is indeed King Solomon, but it's not the King Solomon of this world!"]

********

(T/N: Peak incoming.)