When the King at the front received news of unrest in the rear, the turmoil that had erupted overnight in Britain had already subsided.
It seemed like little more than a farce.
Yet the consequences were vast and far-reaching.
For after that day, the people learned of the final whereabouts of the great khan of the Huns — the second generation war god, the Emperor for a Day who once ascended the throne in Rome itself.
Though the Huns kept no records of their own and their history survives only through the pens of their enemies, leading many to doubt the rumors, I firmly believe it: the Su-Botai sought so desperately by historians as the "Emperor for a Day" was the same Su-Botai recorded in the Poems of King Arthur.
The Empire of the Huns
Boom!
The earth rumbled ahead.
More than three thousand ships had crossed the Channel and landed upon the continent of Europa, directly facing the land that in later ages would be known as France — now Gaul.
Twenty years before, this territory had been conquered by the Hunnic imperial legions under Lucan's banner.
But ever since the disappearance of Subotai Ugur — the Emperor for a Day who vanished the morning after his enthronement — the vast Hunnic empire had collapsed. Without its emperor and its most elite troops, it fractured as warlords fought one another for power. Within a short time the empire disintegrated, and the near-defeated Roman Empire seized the chance to reclaim Gaul, Italy, and other lands.
Thus, to this day, these regions remained under the dominion of the Eastern Roman Empire.
And so, as Britain too had split away from Rome, it and the Eastern Empire — that styled itself Rome's sole heir — had never been allies. They were eternal enemies.
The moment they set foot on the continent, Artoria and her companions were already prepared.
As the ships beached and the crimson dragon standard of the Pendragons was raised at the King's charge, a rumbling like thunder and drums echoed across the earth.
A mass of cavalry surged toward them at visible speed—
Artoria's expression grew stern.
Yet what rushed to meet them was not resistance, but ranks upon ranks of Hunnic tribesmen dropping to their knees.
The short, stocky Huns dismounted. Their chieftain raised a wolf-head standard, then, seeing Camelot's crimson dragon, bowed without hesitation.
"We have awaited your coming, Majesty," the chieftain rasped with reverent voice. "The blood of Ugur guides us. It is Princess Mordred who is our true khan."
Artoria tightened her reins, frowning. Behind her, the Round Table knights exchanged uneasy looks; Bedevere's hand rested on his sword.
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
The chieftain lifted his head, smiling strangely. "Did your Excellency the Chancellor not tell you? Thirty years ago, His Majesty Subotai swore an oath with us: when the banners of the Red Dragon and the Eagle meet again, the Huns will forever be part of Camelot."
On the horizon, more tribes approached. They bore not weapons, but carts laden with grain and steel.
His Majesty Subotai…?
Artoria jerked her gaze back toward the endless sea behind, as though across the waters she could glimpse that lone figure standing tall within the palace of Britain.
[In those years you led the Huns' finest legions across the sea.]
[Even before you departed, you had already laid every plan.]
[You ordered the strongest warlords of the Hunnic empire to feign discord, each submitting to East and West Rome.]
[You let the mighty but unsustainable empire break apart, dissolve, and sink into the husk of "history."]
[You seemed merely to jest.]
[You "hurried" away.]
[But even then, you left behind preparations for this very day.]
[You promised them: the Hunnic empire would not die, only return in another form.]
[You swore with the Huns: when the Red Dragon and the Eagle meet, a new emperor shall be born.]
[In truth, that was the real reason Mordred was created — her existence itself proof of rightful succession.]
[The Huns rising in Britain, already merged with the Celts,]
[would stand as undeniable proof, when Artoria's legions landed on the continent, that Huns would flock to her cause.]
They charged. They conquered.
"This is… so easy it feels unreal," murmured Bedevere, riding a few meters behind the King.
Artoria's blue eyes, framed by golden hair, gazed at the cities of Gaul now opening their gates to them under the guidance of allied Huns. She fell into deep thought.
This was not the first time.
Everywhere, the Huns answered the call of the Emperor for a Day.
Subotai Ugur. Subotai Equinus.
"So… Su-qing's past was that of a great emperor?"
"And all this — what is it for?"
For no reason, Artoria recalled Lucan's parting words — that offhanded, joking line meant to leave her in regret forever.
[But of course, this campaign could not remain so smooth.]
[The Huns' uprisings alongside Camelot's expedition caught the Eastern Roman Empire off guard, but the current emperor — Lucius, called the Sword Emperor — was no weakling. With his blade he had once reclaimed land from the Huns. He swiftly mustered troops, suppressing uprisings and marching to meet the Knight-King.]
[But human strength is finite.]
[And against pieces you had planted and a stratagem laid twenty years before, what could he do?]
[Before the unmatched Round Table Knights, Lucius soon fell back.]
[Before the madness of Hunnic uprisings, he soon lost control.]
[Within Camelot's palace, reports from the front flooded in like snow.]
[You knew your old designs had borne fruit.]
[You understood that after so many years,]
[Human Order itself had once more strayed from its path.]
[Artoria's legions swept forward unchecked.]
[Within half a year, aided by the Huns, they had conquered most of the Eastern Empire and stood before Rome itself.]
[Once more, you felt seven surging presences in the skies.]
[Once more, you felt the gaze of the Counter Force.]
[Its suppression.]
[But this time—]
"I will not reverse it again."
In the palace, Lucan stood before the throne, slowly opening his eyes.
[This time, you would challenge the windmill monster named Fate itself.]
[No feints.]
[No reversal, and—]
[No surrender.]
"Come ease this vexation in my heart…
—Guardians of the Counter Force!"