"What's wrong, Lord Kay? You look so incredulous. Are you that surprised by my order?"
Arthur stared at Kay, puzzled.
After thinking it over, he couldn't find anything particularly strange or noteworthy about his own command.
"No, my king, I just..." Kay hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I feel that this isn't your usual style."
"Oh? Then in your opinion, what should I have done?"
"If it were you, you'd use the troops under Lord Agravain to infiltrate the various fiefdoms controlled by Rome. You'd resort to assassination, manipulation, incitement, threats—sowing discord and sparking internal conflicts to trigger uprisings across the territories. You'd tie down the Roman army on the British Isles and let Rome and its neighbors tear each other apart—"
By the end, Kay couldn't go on.
After all, Arthur was staring at him, and his gaze was becoming increasingly dangerous.
"Sir Kay, am I really such a dark and unscrupulous person in your eyes?" Arthur asked, visibly annoyed.
What's your deal? You trying to rebel?
You know there's a newcomer here, yet you still insist on bringing up all my dark history. Are you trying to expose me?
Arthur suddenly felt he'd been too lenient lately.
Kay, it might be time for you to retire. Britain no longer has a place for you.
"No, my king, I have no intention of slandering you, but—" Kay faltered.
He had a keen political mind and had served Arthur for many years. He had seen how Arthur deceived the British kings. His methods were even worse than what he'd just described—killing people without leaving a trace.
Besides, the British upper echelons were all well aware of Rome's underhanded tactics.
Merry and Arturia were currently in Rome, fanning the flames of national unrest, exploiting economic disparities to create divisions between citizens and officials, turning those divisions into weapons to foment chaos and overthrow local regimes.
Altria then led slave uprisings across the region under the guise of a pure-white swordsman, while the exiled Picts were unleashed to burn, kill, loot, and pillage—forcing the Roman military into a tight bind.
Lately, even Lancelot in the north seemed to have received similar orders and had been transferred back to France.
If Arthur's command for Skadi to block the sea routes was meant to sever connections and resource flows between Rome and its vassals, then the efforts of Arturia and Merry—master and apprentice—served to accelerate Rome's self-destruction.
After orchestrating all this, why pretend to be noble?
Otherwise, why do it at all? Since you've done it, you might as well commit to it cleanly.
Kay stared at Arthur. Though he said nothing, his eyes spoke volumes.
My king, don't hesitate. Your reputation is long gone. You might as well be thorough and efficient about it.
"...Shut up! Am I really that despicable?!" Arthur's face flushed. On reflection, he realized he might have gone a bit far in the past.
Well, Kay had always been a bit arrogant and twisted, but overall he was still a virtuous knight. And now even he had turned into this cynical schemer?
That wouldn't do.
"Ahem. Actually, considering the interests of the dynasty, you're not wrong. But right now, it's not about whether I want to do it, but whether I can do it. Give it up. We're under restriction now," Arthur said, sighing with a trace of guilt.
In truth, Kay wasn't wrong.
Arthur would have done all that—if he could.
Showing mercy to the enemy is a betrayal of one's own soldiers.
If you've decided to wage war, you must fight with everything you have.
No matter how cruel or ruthless it may be, it must be done.
In war, talking about kindness or morality is foolish. If there's an opportunity to crush the enemy, you must take it. Otherwise, are you planning to let them catch their breath and show up at your doorstep bearing weapons as a New Year's greeting?
"Unfortunately, this is a magical constraint. The moment the Holy Grail entered Roman soil, the spiritual veins of Britain and Rome were twisted and merged, forming a natural barrier. This barrier restricts us Britons—and even the Picts—so that we can only operate within the boundaries of Britain and Rome."
"I see," Kay said, visibly relieved.
That look on his face seemed to say: Ah, my king hasn't changed. He's still the same old schemer.
That's going too far! Arthur gritted his teeth, but endured it. Knowing Kay hadn't understood, he went on to explain.
"This wasn't the work of a sorcerer. The Holy Grail activated the earth's ley lines to create a massive natural magic circle. The Grail is at the center, controlling the barrier's operation. Unless it's destroyed, the barrier will never disappear."
"Does the barrier affect us Britons?" Kay asked, frowning. "You're not experiencing any loss of physical form, are you?"
"Don't worry. It doesn't affect us in essence. But it does form a kind of cage. All Britons—or rather, all remnants of the old era—are trapped inside. Now, only Rome can receive outside aid. We can't leave until one side is completely annihilated."
The rules were exactly like those of the Colosseum, except Britain played the part of the gladiators, and Rome and its vassals were the ravenous beasts.
The true purpose of this barrier was to wipe out all remnants of the Age of Gods.
That's why any fantasy-based beings on the British Isles—Britons, Picts, and even nightmares like Merry—were now confined by it.
There was no longer any way to send assassins or spies to places like Greece.
As for the Saxons, they weren't restricted by the barrier, but they had only recently been reclaimed—and Arthur still didn't trust them.
"I see. What a pity," Kay said with a hint of regret. "In that case, I'll have to trouble Lord Skadi."
Arthur was stunned.
Only now did he realize how much Kay had changed.
He used to be a very upright knight. Though he didn't prattle on about chivalry like Gawain or Lancelot, his actions had always embodied the code. He never outright rejected schemes, but you could sense his discomfort with them.
After all, he was the son of Ector—the man known as the Mirror Knight.
But now? He was the one casually suggesting these ruthless plans, lamenting that they couldn't be implemented.
This guy used to be—well, now he still is—a knight.
But if that's the case, maybe it's not just Kay.
One example is nothing. But if even Lancelot has changed, and only the idiotic Gawain remains steadfast, then perhaps all these so-called knights were never paragons of virtue to begin with.
Maybe knights really only exist in fairy tales and fantasy.
Well—except for Gawain.
Some people just need to be excommunicated from the human race.
Thinking this, a trace of melancholy passed over Arthur's face.
"My king, what's wrong?" Kay asked, concerned.
"It's nothing. I just suddenly felt a little emotional," Arthur said. "Sir Kay... you've changed. But that's not a bad thing. Very good. Very good indeed."
-End Chapter-
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