"No wonder she managed to become a tribal chief at such a young age. It would be strange if she didn't have some kind of special ability."
Duke Bell observed the pink-haired girl kneeling before Arthur, and a glimmer of admiration appeared in his aged eyes.
Even among the many tribal leaders of Britain, Milo was considered an extremely dangerous individual. Not merely because of her charming appearance or the seductive way she spoke, but because she perfectly understood how to manipulate people's hearts.
Scott crossed his arms as he watched the scene from afar.
"If King Arthur ends up marrying a woman so full of desires and ambitions, we'll be the first ones to suffer."
His voice carried a complicated tone. It wasn't exactly fear… but it also wasn't simple baseless concern. It was the feeling that, before a king as powerful as Arthur, any decision made now could determine the fate of an entire tribe in the future.
"Do you really think we'll be safe if King Arthur doesn't choose that woman as his queen?" Duke Bell slowly shook his head, keeping his gaze fixed on Arthur. "We need to decide which side we stand on as soon as possible, before all the Saxons are completely driven out."
The wind blew through the empty streets of that abandoned territory, causing the torn banners to sway gently.
"Otherwise…" Bell continued in a low voice, "once all the Saxons disappear from Britain, we'll be the next ones to be eliminated."
Scott remained silent for a few seconds.
That sentence struck precisely the point he had been trying to avoid facing.
King Arthur's emergence had temporarily united all the tribes under a single goal. However, once the external enemy disappeared, it was inevitable that Britain's balance of power would change completely.
And when that moment came, only those standing on the correct side would survive.
Scott finally nodded slowly.
"You're right… we should've chosen a side sooner."
---
Arthur felt the soft, damp touch against his neck and froze completely.
His brain seemed to stop functioning for a few moments.
The pink-haired girl remained close to him, her lips pressed against his skin while a sweet fragrance slowly invaded his senses.
Arthur stared at Milo for several seconds in complete shock before finally regaining his awareness.
The sensation was exactly the same as last night…
No… there are slight differences… but it's practically the same thing.
His heart immediately raced.
Now everything made sense.
No wonder Master's tone had changed so suddenly the previous night. No wonder Scáthach had seemed so irritated when she looked at that mark on his neck.
She had recognized the origin of that mark immediately.
And then…
The reason behind the argument between Scáthach and Morgan last night…
Was because of this?!
While Arthur was still trying to organize his thoughts, he felt an extremely sharp gaze coming from nearby.
A chill ran down his spine.
Only then did he realize the absurd situation he was in.
"W-wait…!"
Arthur quickly pushed Milo away, forcing her back several steps.
But it was already too late.
The reddish mark on his neck, which had already been quite noticeable before, had now become even more prominent. And right beneath it, a second faint mark had appeared.
The silence around them became strange.
Artoria stared at the scene, her eyes fixed on Arthur's neck.
The atmosphere around her seemed to cool instantly.
"Miss Milo…" Artoria spoke slowly, her voice extremely calm—far too calm. "What exactly did you just do to the King?"
"Oh?" Milo tilted her head slightly, pretending innocence. "But the king himself said he wanted to know the truth, didn't he?"
She smiled sweetly.
"I merely obeyed his orders."
Then she turned her gaze toward Arthur and blinked innocently, as though she hadn't just caused a complete disaster.
Arthur felt a headache forming.
This woman did that on purpose!
"So that's how this mark appeared…?" Artoria asked, staring fixedly at Arthur's neck.
"What else did you imagine?" Milo asked with a puzzled expression. "Honestly, I thought the king himself already knew."
She rested her face on one hand while smiling.
"Someone kissing a place like that should be noticed immediately, right? Unless it happened while he was asleep…"
As she finished speaking, Milo cast an almost imperceptible glance toward Artoria.
"And someone capable of doing that without anyone noticing…" she continued slowly, "would probably have to be someone very close to the King."
Artoria frowned slightly.
"I would never do something like that."
"Really?" Milo asked softly.
Her smile remained flawless, but there was a clear provocative tone in her voice.
"Then where exactly were you last night?"
Artoria fell silent.
Arthur immediately felt that things were becoming dangerous.
"Oh…" Milo smiled with amusement. "Can't answer?"
She leaned her face slightly closer.
"Then you really are hiding something."
"I merely remained by his side," Artoria finally replied firmly. "I never did anything against him."
After speaking, she looked once more at Arthur's neck.
Her gaze lingered on the two reddish marks for several long seconds.
It was impossible to tell exactly what she was thinking at that moment.
"Then would you dare leave another mark on his neck?" Milo asked with a smile. "If the marks are different, I'll apologize immediately."
Artoria fell silent once again.
She pressed her lips together lightly.
"You don't dare, do you?" Milo let out a quiet laugh. "That only proves you really do have something to hide."
"Alright, alright, stop it, both of you!" Arthur had to intervene before things turned into another absurd conflict.
He quickly raised his hands, trying to calm the situation.
"Lily isn't that kind of person. I trust her completely."
His voice was sincere.
"She has absolutely no reason to do something like that."
As for Morgan…
Arthur immediately felt conflicted.
If it were Morgan, honestly… she probably would do something like this just to provoke Master.
That goddess simply loved causing incomprehensible trouble.
The more Arthur thought about it, the more it really did seem like something Morgan would do purely for fun.
Milo carefully observed Arthur's reaction.
Then, slowly, a deep smile appeared on her face.
"So you already know who did this…"
Her gaze now seemed filled with interest.
"You really are very popular, King Arthur."
(End of Chapter)