Mordred's words still echoed across the battlefield.
The entire audience was stunned once again.
No one had expected that the Rebel Knight who defeated Artoria already had a monarch she served, much less that she intended to offer the entirety of Britain as tribute.
Many of the lords watching the battle revealed expressions of envy.
What kind of absurd rebel knight was this… now even they wanted a subordinate like her.
But then they noticed something.
Wait.
Who exactly did she say her king was?!
"What do you mean by this, Mordred? You are now a knight under His Highness Leon?!"
Artoria also looked shocked.
Mordred, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy that reaction more than anything else. The corners of her lips nearly reached the sky from how arrogant she looked at that moment.
"Hmph! It's not just me. My Mother has already surrendered to His Highness too. Well… although she probably isn't one hundred percent loyal, I'm definitely one thousand percent loyal!"
Boom! Boom!
Mordred clenched her fist and pounded her own chest, as if swearing upon her very soul.
Even though she looked like an impulsive idiot most of the time, anyone who truly treated her as a fool would eventually suffer for it.
Mordred was extremely self-aware.
She knew perfectly well that more than half the reason she managed to defeat Artoria came from Leon.
The supplies he provided.
The strategies he devised.
The weapons he gave her.
The armor.
The support.
The trust.
All of that had allowed her to stand upon that glorious stage.
"My king granted me trust, honor, and power. So in return, I will answer with loyalty, glory, and victory. That is my path as a knight!"
Mordred declared proudly.
Her face was practically identical to Artoria's, but unlike the restrained and rigid expression of the King of Knights, hers overflowed with emotion, life, and intensity.
She looked genuinely happy.
This was the chivalry Mordred followed.
As long as the king she served did not betray her, she would repay them with everything she possessed.
"Mordred, I am proud of you. As expected of a knight of my kingdom. What a magnificent victory."
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
Elegant applause echoed throughout the battlefield.
At some unknown point, Leon and his group had already arrived at the center of the battlefield.
He slowly clapped his hands while praising his victorious knight.
Dressed with impeccable elegance, accompanied by Noelle and the other girls around him, Leon seemed completely out of place in that war-ravaged landscape.
As if he were attending a refined banquet rather than observing a battlefield covered in thunder, craters, and blood.
Then, his golden eyes fell upon Artoria.
"And you, King of Knights Artoria Pendragon… do you intend to surrender or die? I believe this is quite a simple multiple-choice question."
"Guh…"
Artoria felt her shoulders sink.
It was as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on her entire body.
Even breathing felt difficult.
She looked at Leon hesitantly.
The young man before her merely smiled calmly, yet the pressure emanating from him was terrifying.
Artoria was known as the Red Dragon of Britain.
But before Leon…
She felt the difference between them was akin to the distance between an ordinary dragon and a true Dragon King.
And at that moment, she finally understood.
All of this.
This entire situation.
This entire defeat.
Everything had been in Leon's hands from the very beginning.
"Why…? Why target Britain? Your Highness, this land is merely a barren island. There should have been no reason to start a war!"
"Hmm? War? Me?"
Leon tilted his head slightly, as though he genuinely did not understand the question.
Then he spread his hands.
"Did I send troops from the Magic Kingdom?"
"…"
"Did I order my people to assassinate you?"
"…"
"Or perhaps I personally drew my sword to attack?"
"…"
"From beginning to end, I merely provided Mordred with some equipment… and spent a little time devising a strategy."
His tone was so natural that it became absurd.
But that was exactly what made everything even more terrifying.
To Leon, this truly could not be considered a war.
It was merely a game of chess.
As for the reason for conquering Britain…
There was no special reason at all.
No.
It was precisely because there was nothing special about that land that Leon chose to conquer it.
His goal was the entire world.
He wanted to plant his banner upon every existing land.
Britain possessed nothing unique, so there was no reason to leave it out.
"Your Majesty, the King of Knights… please do not use your own limits to measure others without permission."
Leon shook his head with a faint sigh.
At the same time, he found it natural that Artoria possessed such a limited perspective.
After all, no matter how great her fame was, she was still merely the ruler of a small island.
Unlike him.
Someone who had accumulated power since childhood while fighting monstrous organizations hidden within the shadows of the world for thousands of years.
"But putting that aside…"
Leon took another step forward.
"You said earlier that you do not recognize Mordred or Morgan as qualified to rule. In that case…"
His smile deepened.
"What do you think of me?"
The corners of Artoria's eyes trembled.
But she could not deny it.
Leon possessed qualifications overwhelmingly superior to her own.
He was not an artificial "ideal king" created by Merlin's dreams and teachings.
He was a true born king.
Artoria was undoubtedly a wise ruler.
She rarely made mistakes.
She always chose the most efficient solution.
She always did everything she possibly could.
But that came from Merlin's teachings.
Deep down…
Her personality had never truly suited the position of monarch.
If Leon had been in her place from the very beginning…
Britain would have already begun its conquests long ago.
After all, the best way to save a barren and impoverished land was to obtain resources from outside.
Unify internal forces.
Expand territories.
Use external resources to sustain the nation.
That would have been the most rational path.
But Artoria insisted on chivalry.
Never invade.
Only defend.
Leon had realized this long ago.
[This woman is a knight at heart… not a king.]
The position of king requires something essential.
Absolute self-confidence.
Even a fool must believe themselves to be the eternal ruler of the world in order to sit upon a throne.
But Artoria did exactly the opposite.
She constantly denied herself.
From the very beginning, she treated her own existence as a sacrificial tool for others.
That was a fatal mistake.
"You claimed those two lack the qualifications… but what about me?"
Leon looked directly at her.
"If I were the one ruling this land… Your Majesty, the King of Knights, should admit that this is the best possible choice."
Artoria remained silent.
But she understood.
And she knew Leon was speaking the truth.
He truly was the ideal king for Britain.
If that land surrendered to him…
Every crisis would disappear.
Famine.
Internal conflicts.
Economic problems.
All of it would be resolved by Leon in less than half a month.
No.
Probably in less than a week.
(End of Chapter)