"Lady Morgan, she's becoming increasingly audacious..."
At the Knight Academy, Guinevere muttered to herself. After receiving another False Pregnancy Magecraft application from Morgan, she quickly departed, returning to the King of Knights, who was inspecting the academy.
Meeting the King's gaze, Guinevere suppressed her annoyance and forced a smile.
Following the Night of Calamity, the Knight Academy had expanded its admissions, and the Magecraft Department had selected promising new recruits.
This time, it wasn't just the King of Knights and Guinevere who knew; all the Round Table Knights who attended that day understood that they needed to wait only a few more years, until several more classes of knights graduated, before Camelot would launch its expedition to Gaul.
Moreover, during these years of preparation, Camelot would also need to further pacify Great Britain and accumulate more provisions.
"Have all the Vassal Kings who didn't rebel sent their sons to the Knight Academy?"
"They have. Your ruthless treatment of the Church and the King's invincibility in that battle have thoroughly intimidated them."
After the meeting, the King of Knights inspected the training grounds, noting each face striving to wield their swords with dedication.
On the high platform overlooking the training grounds stood Gawain, Kay, Tristan, and the other knights—everyone was present except Lancelot, who had performed exceptional service during the night of the calamity.
Shortly after that night, he had taken his leave from the King of Knights and Guinevere, then used a disguise to slip back into Gaul.
His wife was still there, and by now, she should have given birth.
He feared that news of Camelot's ruthless treatment of the Holy See—or even Camelot's ambitions toward Gaul and Rome—might reach the European continent, leading to his wife being concealed or detained.
"Among the Vassal Kings, those who would rebel have already done so. Those who wouldn't rebel won't, no matter how much we pressure them. Looking at it this way, all that remains to sweep clean Great Britain are the already chaotic Northern Barbarians."
Standing tall in a pristine white lily dress, Guinevere and the knights watched their students under the sunlight, hoping to inspire them with envy and create idols in their hearts to emulate.
Agravain responded to Guinevere's words.
"Your Highness, if we merely wish to crush the North, we could march out immediately. But if we desire to rule the North peacefully for generations, we should wait until after winter."
According to the scouts' reports, most of the refugees returning after last year's snowstorm found their homes gone, their possessions seized by those who had remained.
["Why? Those were clearly mine!"]
["Why? The King drove you to Camelot to expend your lives against our enemies. How dare you defy his command and return? Hmph, you dare to claim these things as yours? Shameless scum!"]
["Then... then I don't want those things anymore. Please, sir, just give me back my daughter!"]
["Daughter? What daughter? She's my new slave!"]
Such accounts filled the scouts' reports, painting a grim picture of the refugees' fate: most were doomed to become slaves or starve in the wilderness.
Naturally, some would band together in rebellion, but in this era, no matter how many commoners united, they were no match for the Knights.
Slaughter, plague, famine, death...
Even now, this apocalyptic scene continued to spread across the North. If this continued through the winter, few of the refugees once saved by the King of Knights would remain.
"Your Majesty, let us wait until winter. The King of the North is rapidly losing the people's favor. Those ungrateful refugees, along with the other Northern folk influenced by them, are beginning to remember—or even yearn for—the prosperity of Camelot.
Although Camelot has reported bountiful harvests this summer and autumn, supporting an additional million people while stockpiling supplies for the Gaul campaign is still stretching our resources thin.
Your Majesty, the North is in utter chaos this year, producing no grain at all."
Agravain was a Knight, but more importantly, he was Camelot's Chief Minister. To him, Camelot's interests always came first.
But could they truly abandon these people to die? Did they really want a North devoid of life?
If Guinevere hadn't retained her memories from her previous life, she might have been like many knights: outwardly silent, but inwardly wishing for the complete annihilation of the Northern Barbarians.
Before the King of Knights, King Uther had died of illness during the Northern Wars. Before Uther, the Southern Dynasty had waged centuries-long conflicts against the Northern Barbarians, forging a deep-seated, generational enmity.
The successful implementation of the refugee relief policy during the recent blizzard was largely due to the King of Knights. Everyone knew she would never abandon the weak and vulnerable.
"Sir Agravain, have any refugees left the North, hoping to return to the border regions between our kingdoms?"
"Your Majesty, yes. Regarding these refugees, I've authorized the Northerners who remained behind to accept them and jointly cultivate the borderlands. The knights guarding the northern frontier have also reported an increasing number of returning refugees daily, urging the Kingdom to prepare aid."
"Ah, I see."
Agravain hoped those who refused to return would hurry up and die. But those who willingly returned and pledged allegiance to the King of Knights were granted the standard treatment of borderland settlers, and he was genuinely preparing relief efforts for them.
"Sir Agravain, you truly are a contradictory man."
He advocated abandoning the refugees to their fate, yet showed chivalrous conduct toward those who surrendered. Even setting aside this year's poor harvest, Agravain's core remained that of a true knight.
"Sir Agravain, has the King learned of the situation in the North? Speaking of which, among the Northerners who have pledged allegiance, is there not a single one willing to return and gather signatures to petition Camelot for aid?"
What is Guinevere plotting? Agravain swiftly pieced together her intentions.
As for the King, given her character, she would never wait through an entire winter. A petition signed by the Northerners themselves would provide Camelot with a righteous cause for conquest.
Furthermore, once Camelot had conquered the North, the kingdom could use the signed petition to silence any dissent from the Northerners.
Even if the petition was delayed indefinitely, Agravain would have grounds to urge the King of Knights to postpone the military campaign.
Every additional day of delay would increase the Northerners' loyalty to Camelot, reducing the kingdom's future burdens.
"Queen, you truly live up to your reputation. To devise such a venomous scheme..."
"Huh?"
Guinevere, of course, had no idea what Agravain was thinking. However, seeing his face settle into an expression of calm confidence, she refrained from asking further questions. His thoughts were irrelevant; what mattered was that he carried out her plan.
With their private exchange concluded, Guinevere stepped back and stood openly beside Tristan.
"Sir Tristan, I recall your wife has been seeking medical treatment to improve her health. Shall I ask my sister, Lady Morgan, for assistance?"
Though his actions were understandable, many Round Table Knights distanced themselves from Tristan after he struck a commoner outside the Cathedral.
Tristan didn't mind this estrangement; in fact, he welcomed it. But Guinevere resented it, because it meant he was bearing the blood guilt she should have carried.
Moreover, it was Tristan's remark—"The King doesn't understand the human heart"—that had prompted the King of Knights to choose to come to her side when she needed her most.
"Sir Tristan, do you need any help? Perhaps I should grant you a few months' leave? I'll be staying in Camelot City for my confinement anyway."
Remembering Tristan's kindness, Guinevere could only offer him leave as repayment for now.
Faced with Guinevere's insistence, Tristan considered carefully before nodding in agreement. He too longed to spend quality time with his wife.
As for his duties as Guinevere's Personal Knight, he turned his gaze to Bedivere.
Meanwhile, Kay could temporarily fill in for the King.