At the break of dawn, when the sky was only faintly lit, Boggart was already awake.
"Are the soldiers still resting?"
Walking through the encampment where his troops were stationed, Boggart casually asked the subordinate following him.
"Yes, my lord. Should I give the order to wake them?"
"No need. After that forced march earlier, and with the extra night watch we kept to prevent a night raid, the soldiers need more rest to prepare for the coming siege."
Boggart rubbed his chin and said coolly,
"Still… they didn't attack us when we were worn out after the forced march. It seems Edinburgh's forces really are stretched thin… Did Nocnare really take all her main troops with her?"
"In that case, this is indeed the best opportunity I have to bring her down. As long as I seize Edinburgh while she's away from her territory, that so-called Magic Spear of the Void she created will fall into my hands. With that, I won't even fear facing her directly."
As he imagined the future, the smile on Boggart's face deepened.
"If I can unite the entire North and swallow Nocnare's forces, then taking out Woodworth will be no problem. Britannia will be mine for the taking…"
"As expected of you, my lord!" The fairy beside him flattered him at the perfect moment—only to suddenly notice something in the distance, rapidly approaching from the sky.
"M-My lord! Over there—is that thing coming straight toward us?"
"Huh?"
Following his subordinate's pointing finger, Boggart looked toward the horizon—only to see a streak of blue light hurtling toward him like a falling star.
"Found you."
A voice rang out—and before Boggart could react, the meteor slammed straight into his face. A heavy iron fist crashed into him, sending him flying with a single punch.
What the hell just happened?
Clutching his bleeding nose, Boggart staggered to his feet and shook his head. Finally recognizing the "meteor," he roared,
"Lancelot? Have you lost your mind again? Did I offend you somehow? Why are you suddenly attacking me?"
"You haven't offended me," the fairy Lancelot replied, lightly swinging her hands to straighten the twin scabbards she held. Magic quickly gathered around them.
"But your attack on Edinburgh has troubled the one I love,"
Mélusine crossed her twin blades, pointing them straight at Boggart.
"So tell me—will you go and beg for forgiveness yourself, or should I beat you half to death and drag you there?"
"What? You're saying this is breakfast that idiot dragon Lancelot prepared?"
Hearing Guinevere's words, Artoria's hand froze in mid-air, the food still between her fingers.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Half the breakfast on the plate was already in her stomach by the time she heard this, and suddenly the little cake in her hand didn't taste so good anymore.
What a joke—disgusting! Made by that idiot dragon Lancelot… and for Guinevere, no less? Outrageous! Does that idiot dragon think a bit of good food can buy Guinevere over? Even I can't be bought that easily!
Artoria fumed inwardly.
"If you don't want it, just throw it away," Guinevere said flatly. "I was planning to toss it out anyway."
"…That won't be necessary." After only half a second of thought, Artoria stuffed the little cake into her mouth.
"I've eaten it already—might as well finish. Wasting food is shameful."
Saying this, Artoria once again dug into the breakfast before her like a storm.
And to be fair, though her mind still balked at the thought, the taste really wasn't bad.
"But seriously, why is this breakfast from Lancelot? Did she follow you here?" Only after finishing did Artoria realize something was off and quickly asked.
"Yes," Guinevere nodded. "She doesn't have water-mirror magic or anything like that to get here instantly. Looks like she flew all night to reach us."
"That's impressive—between Londinium and Edinburgh is basically all of Britannia," Artoria mused, before suddenly realizing,
"Wait, but Guinevere, you already made it clear you rejected her, right? From the looks of it, is she planning to shamelessly stick to you?"
"How should I know?" Guinevere sighed.
"…Anyway! Guinevere, you definitely won't be swayed by such petty gifts, right?" Artoria suddenly slammed the table. "Acting the good little housewife, cooking meals and all that… even I can do that, okay! Don't fall for her tricks—Lancelot has a very bad heart!"
But just as Artoria was trying to reinforce Guinevere's mental defenses, the door to Guinevere's room suddenly burst open.
"Something's happened!"
Nocnare poked her head in from outside, shouting,
"This morning I saw Boggart tied up and hanging from Edinburgh's main gate! And someone left a note on him saying, 'From now on, all your troubles are mine to handle.' …Guinevere, do you have any idea who did it?"