Pastor's Tantra

The day after Queen Sofia died.

At 7:07 in the morning, the death knell sounded at the Candlestick Cathedral in the Red Queen.

It was a dull chime that was completely different from the usual chimes. Thick leather pads were strapped to both sides of the bell's tongue to muffle the sound of the bell.

The death knell rang seventy-nine times, symbolizing the seventy-nine years the Queen spent in her life.

When the seventy-nine death knells were tolled, Isabel was already sitting at the head of the Round Table Hall.

The Round Table Hall is also inside the Hall of Silver and Tin, even in the main hall.

A long time ago, the earliest "round table" was a place where knights enjoyed banquets before and after war. At that time, the Knights of the Round Table would chat and discuss at the dinner table while eating. Later, more and more warriors followed Arthur, and the banquet was certainly not limited to one table.

But there is no doubt that the knights who ate at the same table with Arthur were the most heroic, loyal, powerful, and most prestigious among them.

They are also the "Knights of the Round Table". Many matters are discussed and decided by them together, and the other knights attending the banquet will also listen and speak out if they have ideas - everyone has the right to speak. But in the end it is up to the knights on the round table to decide.

This has also become a tradition for the Knights of the Round Table to discuss political affairs.

By the time the Palace of Silver and Tin was built, the earliest batch of Knights of the Round Table had already ascended to the Dream Realm. Naturally, there is no need for the heirs to gather together for dinner.

But even so, in order to remember his former comrades, Lancelot still transformed the central and largest room in the main hall of the Silver and Tin Palace into a round table hall. Place the round table that could accommodate twenty-two people in the past.

In addition to the twenty founders, there are also Lancelot himself and the Silver Crowned Dragon who have been hidden from history. And this happens to be the number of Tarot Major Arcana.

Later, more and more knights were qualified to enter the Round Table Hall, and the government affairs faced by Avalon after the founding of the country became more and more complex. It was far beyond what those twenty people could handle.

But as an antique round table, it is impossible to make it bigger and bigger.

So except for the founding family who can sit on the round table, the other knights will surround the sides and front of the round table. There are three rows of seats of different heights, which looks like a lecture theater.

——In other words, in fact, most of the knights and ministers who come to the Round Table Hall for meetings are not qualified to sit on the Round Table.

In Avalon, which values ​​"authority", proximity to the round table has become a symbol of the knights' status and influence. The closer you are to the round table, the higher your status. Internally, it is divided into three levels: "inner ring", "middle ring" and "outer ring".

Meetings in the Round Table Hall are very frequent. The slowest time is two or three times a month, and the fastest time is more than five times a week. But basically less than half of the Founding Family members come to every meeting, and there is always a large missing area in the inner circle. On the other hand, the knights in the outer ring always have a full seat.

Today's Round Table Hall is different from usual.

All the knights did not arrive at the Round Table Hall in advance, but lined up at the door.

After the death knell has finished ringing, they can enter through the main entrance one after another after being summoned.

The order of entry was decided by Isabel—of course, it was actually written by Aiwass.

After entering from the main entrance, you first have to pass the long glass steps.

This is one of the reasons why it is called the "Glass Island" because it is rich in glass. This glass staircase was one of the royal rituals of Avalon in the early years. Because glass is slippery and fragile, and the knights wear heavy armor, they may break the glass steps if they fall.

This forced these knights to advance slowly and cautiously. This shows loyalty and respect to the royal family and the Round Table Hall.

After entering the door, they did not sit in their seats. Instead, they walked to Isabel's right side, knelt down on one knee, swore allegiance, and kissed the silver dragon ring on Isabel's hand. But because Isabel is still unmarried, it is etiquette to kiss her thumb that is pressed against the ring.

The first one to enter was Ligeia, the deputy director of the Arbitration Hall and the Grand Arbitrator. The second one was the Grand Guardian, the Knight Commander of the Round Table Hall and part-time Minister of Military Affairs. The third one was the Vice President of the Inspectorate. The Grand Inquisitor Shafiya, the fourth is the aging Grand Judiciary.

The fifth was the turn of the Minister of Camelot as the Privy Councilor.

He is an old man with gray hair and green eyes. He looked to be at least sixty or seventy years old, but he was still covered in bright silver full-body armor. He even wore gauntlets on his hands. He did not carry a sword, even if he had the authority to do so - he only carried the shield inherited from his ancestor Galahad to show his determination to protect Avalon with his life.

But when the Minister of Camelot entered the door, he was even startled.

He was first surprised that he was the fifth person to enter...on the other hand, he was also surprised that he was the fifth person to enter.

The Minister of the Privy Council is basically equivalent to the Prime Minister of Star Antimony or the Minister of State of Iris. He serves as the chief adviser to the King or Queen and handles many of the most important government affairs. It can be regarded as the most important and highest-status minister in Avalon.

When Queen Sophia succeeded to the throne sixty years ago, her second loyalist was the Minister of the Privy Council. Of course, he was certainly not the Privy Councilor of that generation.

But the Minister of Camelot also considers himself loyal to Queen Sofia and is Queen Sofia's absolute confidant - it is for this reason that Queen Sofia gave him the position of Minister of Privy Council. The Camelot family is a sideline of the Du Lac family, and their ancestors can also be considered descendants of Lanstro I. They are related to each other.

Five years ago, Queen Sophia even secretly told him... If all the Du Lac family died or became extinct due to the curse, then the Camelot family could adopt one of their children to the Du Lac family and establish him as the new king.

But since Queen Sophia passed away last night and the Palace of Silver and Tin did not summon him urgently... the Minister of Camelot actually had a premonition.

It wasn't until he saw the newspaper this morning that he gave up completely.

There was no doubt that he was not one of those whom Isabel classified as trustworthy.

This is actually quite reasonable.

After all, objectively speaking, the bloodline of the Camelot family is a threat to Isabel, who does not have the aptitude for authoritarianism. And even if the old Camelot is loyal to Queen Isabel, his descendants may not be able to maintain this loyalty inherited from the family.

...but that's what it says. After all, Old Camelot had watched Isabel grow up. He felt a little sad when he felt Isabel's wariness.

However, what surprised the Minister of Camelot was that the young minister who had won the trust of Queen Isabel was not the first to enter the Round Table Hall.

Even until the knights were almost inside, there was no sign of Minister Moriarty.

——Is he late?

This is what the knights thought at first.

But after all the knights entered the arena, the seat on the round table was still empty.

The first round table meeting after the new king succeeded to the throne, only one person did not attend.

The knights whispered about this unreasonable scene - some of them felt lucky, some felt gloating, and some were disturbed by this unreasonable scene.

In the conformist Avalon, the most disturbing anomalies are the "irregularities".

Finally, amid the increasingly noisy discussion, Queen Isabel rang the bell next to her. The knights stood up in confusion, their armor making noises as they rubbed against each other. The people who were talking were not completely quiet. The noise in the round table hall only decreased a little, but it still existed and even became more harsh.

Until the Great Guardian coughed lightly, authoritative power radiated into the room. At this time, the Round Table Hall finally became quiet.

"Meeting now."

Following Aiwass's suggestion, Isabel declared with a straight face and coldly: "Your Majesty, please take your seats."

As Isabel finished speaking, the two etiquette officers guarding the door of the Round Table Hall knocked the dragon-headed scepters in their hands toward the closed door of the Round Table Hall.

"Praise to the Silver Crowned Dragon!"

"Praise to Queen Isabel!"

they sang loudly in turn.

With the first knock, a silver-white "X" appeared on the heavy silver-black door, and then the light soaked out and completely sealed the door. The second strike was in the middle of the "X" symbol, which inspired a larger, shield-like cross that was superimposed on the "X".

The silver barrier immediately expanded, covering the entire round table hall. It dispelled all forces in the Round Table Hall except authority, purified the spirits and hearts of everyone present, dispelled all spells that might cause charm, suggestion, etc., and completely blocked teleportation, eavesdropping, peeping and other spells, and could also Protect against attacks from the outside.

Immediately, all the knights present said in unison: "Praise to the Silver Crowned Dragon! Praise to Queen Isabel!"

Then all the knights sat down at the same time. The heavy armor fell down neatly, making a sharp sound like thousands of troops stopping in unison.

Isabel pursed her lips subconsciously, feeling nervous about the spectacular sight in front of her.

But she still remembered Aiwass’s instructions.

She even regarded this as a test——

Even if she has Aiwass to rely on, she also has elders like Ligeia to rely on. But after all, she is the queen of Avalon and almost the only heir to the Du Lac family.

Except for her brother John, who was only two years old, and her biological father Prince Albert, who had escaped from the royal family and the curse long ago, Isabel did not have any relatives.

She had to be strong.

Maybe Aiwass can help her, but he can't help her forever - Aiwass does not have the characteristics of the authoritarian path, which means that dominance and power will not benefit him. Aiwass will eventually go higher, and by then Avalon will only be a drag on him.

——Even if you can't help, you must not become a burden.

This was Isabel’s philosophy from beginning to end.

It was with this philosophy that she faced the strange curse, and it was with this philosophy that she repeatedly committed suicide in her nightmares.

"His Majesty."

Minister Camelot stood up first and said respectfully: "Everyone is here, please take a look."

Then, he respectfully handed the bag with the documents in his hand to the Chief Justice. After the Justice opened and inspected it and confirmed that there was no problem, he stepped forward and handed it to Isabel.

This is the policy outline for this year and the coming year written by the Minister of the Privy Council.

They were all written while Queen Sofia was awake and handed over to Queen Sofia for review and signature. Because the new monarch has basically no understanding of various government affairs after he takes the throne, if he acts casually based on his own intuition or the advice of ministers at this time, he may cause irreparable consequences in the next few years or even ten years. Errors and omissions.

Therefore, the policy outline for the first two years was determined by the previous monarch.

Of course Isabel knew this.

But she took the document and said in a cold and serious tone: "That's not all, Lord Camelot.

"There is another knight I trust who has not arrived. His presence is important."

"...Then has he ever been loyal to you?"

the minister of Camelot asked.

Hearing this, the corners of Isabel's mouth raised slightly. But it soon flattened out.

But even though she had a sullen face and lowered her voice, she could not erase the joy in her voice: "Yes, as early as last night. Mr. Moriarty swore allegiance to me. And I also gave him the title of knight. name.

"He did not participate in the first roundtable meeting chaired by me today because he was feeling unwell. But this was with my permission."

Isabel spoke very clearly and slowly. This is to avoid losing your dignity by saying the wrong thing or accidentally stuttering.

She had rehearsed these words in front of the mirror before. I said everything I might want to say several times in advance, and finally found the calmest, coldest, and most serious voice with the help of Aiwass.

She will try her best to keep every word of her voice in line.

Because of this, she stayed up all night last night.

Seeing that the other knights were speechless, Isabel lowered her head and recited the document.

Most of them maintain the status quo, with only a few changes worthy of discussion.

After Isabel finished reciting the policy outline, she handed the document to the Chief Justice for filing.

The first person to speak was the Great Guardian, who was the military and political minister.

"Your Majesty," he asked respectfully, "you said that you will increase military spending by 5% and conduct a round of compulsory recruitment for young people over the age of twenty-six...Does this mean we have to prepare for war?"

"yes."

Isabel replied calmly.

After saying this, the entire round table hall became noisy.

"quiet!"

The Great Guardian, who was the Knight Commander, suddenly raised his voice, and invisible ripples spread, causing the Round Table Hall to return to silence.

"I don't have a problem anymore."

He nodded respectfully and sat down.

After making this start, the new Minister of Trade stood up uneasily and nervously: "Your Majesty, who is the target we need to be wary of? Star Antimony or Iris? What is the chance of war? How long is it expected to end?"

"——Sir Griffith, this is not a question you should ask."

Isabel replied calmly, with a very tough attitude that could even be said to be hostile.

She always remembers what Aiwas said - for ministers she can trust, she will nod her head first and answer questions directly; but for ministers who are not sure of their position, they will question her, or deliberately give her questions. If you are looking for a problem, it doesn't hurt to push the topic back first and be tougher. You can show a little hostility.

Then come back and tell Aiwass how they reacted to the pushback.

It’s true that she doesn’t understand politics, but Isabel understands acting very well.

If she doesn't know how to be a qualified queen yet, then she can "play" a queen for the time being.

The new Trade Minister Griffith noticed Isabel's gaze, and he was suddenly shocked.

What a cold gaze it was - it seemed to be a warning, a light of unquestionable authority. It was as if what he was meeting was not the art student Isabel, but her grandmother Sophia.

No, she's even tougher than Sophia!

Those green emerald eyes were as majestic as a lion.

The Minister of Trade suddenly felt guilty... Although this matter did have something to do with him, when he was looked at by those eyes, he felt as if his heart was being seen through.

Coupled with the fact that the Great Guardian was looking at him with squinted eyes, and that the Minister of the Navy was arrested not long ago, and the Minister of Maritime Affairs was directly executed the day before yesterday... this made him sweat for a moment. I suppressed all the words I just wanted to say and the suggestions I had drafted in my mind.

——Does she really not have the talent for the authoritarian path?

The trade minister had this thought in his mind, then reluctantly apologized and sat down.

There was a brief silence in the Round Table Hall.

After that, Palace Minister Mycroft Hermes slowly stood up and said: "Your Majesty, does the Palace of Silver and Tin want to recruit a new group of palace staff?"

"Sir Hermes, this matter is up to you to decide." Isabel replied without hesitation.

Immediately afterwards, other ministers also spoke one after another. He temporarily suppressed his previous thoughts of disdain and revolt, and asked about the important business first.

"Your Majesty, Queen Sofia has previously promised to allocate funds to the Ministry of Agriculture..."

"I will think about it."

"Dear Her Majesty the Queen, the list of study abroad students proposed by the Theocracy needs your final confirmation."

"Put it down first, I'll look at it later."

"Your Majesty, it's like this... The Griffin Department has seriously insufficient griffins. We have been unable to allocate griffons to front-line inspectors on time for a long time... You see..."

"The gryphon should be enough, you can figure it out yourself."

Keeping in mind all Aiwass's requirements, Isabel handled government affairs in an orderly manner. She performs as a tough queen with majesty and thoughtfulness.

In the first round table meeting with the Queen in person, she was mainly responsible for specifying the next main policies, and there were no motions that required the knights to vote.

As Isabel gradually entered the state and her eyes became sharper, the old knights with ulterior motives also looked at each other with strange expressions.

Finally, the first round table meeting ended in an unusually harmonious and calm atmosphere.

"My lords, the silver-crowned dragon is watching Avalon."

The young queen's calm speech now sounded like some kind of threat.

None of the difficulties Isabel imagined happened - but she did not breathe a sigh of relief here. Instead, she calmly closed her eyes, held the scepter, and waited for the knights to leave.

——But in fact, she was quickly recalling the content of the meeting and the attitudes of all ministers. She would then have to retell them to Aiwass, and any memory lapse could be fatal.

When the knights looked at each other, as if they wanted to say something, but couldn't say it here...

Only the unnoticed, fat Minister Mycroft Hermes in the corner seemed to have seen through something. He put his hands in his sleeves and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

I'm feeling a little unwell today, so this is a two-in-one chapter.