Ultimately, the Human Order naturally pushes the world toward its predetermined historical nodes. The moment Guinevere decided to deceive the Human Order and orchestrate the apparent death of the King of Knights, she found the Human Order itself handing her the daggers.
"Queen Mother, please retract your decree! They will truly rebel! You will be condemned as the Wicked Queen who brings ruin to the kingdom! You don't have to—"
"Mordred, silence. This was a joint decision between your father, the King, and me."
Another five years had passed. Mordred was now fifteen. At twelve, she had earned her place at the Round Table and, through her martial prowess and strategic insight, had swiftly ascended to the Top Twelve Seats, securing the loyalty of a large number of Knights.
The Knights all knew Mordred as the King of Knights' only son, destined to one day inherit the throne.
And now, in the Throne Room, what was Mordred so vehemently opposing?
Two years ago, the Decline of Mystery across the British Isles had finally ended. The climate returned to normal, allowing agriculture and animal husbandry to resume proper operation.
However, since then, Magical Beasts had all but vanished from Great Britain, and the reality that ordinary people could not easily become Knights remained unchanged.
Five years prior, after confirming that her prestige was too great to risk a haphazard execution by fire, Guinevere had chosen to reform the Knight Academy's curriculum. She had increased the emphasis on subjects like culture, administration, and the philosophy of loving the people.
That change had been made in preparation for this very day.
The Decline of Mystery had begun ten years ago, following the victory over Rome. It was also ten years ago that Camelot had started expanding the authority of Knights within their fiefs.
Human nature is easily corrupted. Ten years of peace and stability had led to widespread corruption among the Knight Lords. In the last two years, as agriculture and animal husbandry recovered across the land, this corruption grew ever more rampant.
At first, Guinevere made an example of a few, hoping to warn the others. But then the first Round Table Knight emerged—one who had excessively exploited farmers and herders, refusing to let them return to their lands from the factories.
At that point, Guinevere deliberately brought the fundamental problem of Camelot's "Knight Lord system" to the forefront.
Her proposal was to curb the power of the fiefs. The Knights would be allowed to keep their existing wealth, but all rights within their territories—including taxation, administration, and military conscription—would be reclaimed by Camelot. These reclaimed powers would then be handed over to the civil officials trained by the Knight Academy in recent years.
This policy of "using civil authority to control military power" would weaken the kingdom's military strength and undermine the Knights' loyalty.
But if she didn't curb their power, the Knights' children would inherit their titles, generation after generation. Great Britain would inevitably revert to an era of warring vassal kings.
Guinevere understood the stakes clearly. Besides, even without the Knights' corruption, she had long been contemplating the idea of ending the fiefdom system and establishing civil control over the military.
In her view, with the Decline of Mystery over and Camelot retreating to its own shores, it was time to resolve the kingdom's internal problems.
If she didn't act now and bear the infamy herself, would she wait a few more years until the situation rotted completely and the people suffered unbearably, only to dump the mess on Mordred, who would by then be ready to take the throne?
She knew that once the order to curb the fiefs was issued, she would truly fulfill Merlin's prophecy and become the "Wicked Queen" who shattered the Round Table.
But Guinevere would only feel satisfaction in earning that title for this cause.
"Mordred, have you forgotten? Your father wishes to leave you a strong and prosperous kingdom."
"All of you can see it, can't you? If we do nothing, the kingdom will inevitably revert to the era of warring vassal kings.
"When that happens, what will all our generation's efforts have been for?"
The great Round Table remained, the winds of time having left no mark on the metal shield at its center. Hearing Guinevere's words, the Knights who had been told of the final act kept their faces grim, understanding that she was once again paving the way for the future.
They would obey her unconditionally.
As for the Knights who knew nothing of the final act, they were sharply divided into two factions: supporters and opponents. The supporters were almost entirely uncorrupted, though a few shame-faced Knights who had strayed also joined their ranks.
As for the opposition, they had long grown accustomed to their privileges and were reluctant to relinquish their power. However, after assessing the balance of power, none of them actually believed Mordred's claim that they would rebel.
These younger Knights don't know, they thought. Have they forgotten how ruthless Guinevere can be? Though, to be fair, they had never seen her turn on her own people en masse.
Besides, the topic had only just been raised. There was still room for negotiation. They had arguments they could use to persuade the King and Queen to cancel the order to curb the fiefs.
"Your Majesty the Queen, please reconsider," one began. "With the attrition from years of war, retirements due to old age, and the Knight Academy's inability to supply enough new Knights...
"Camelot itself is holding steady, but Sir Lancelot's forces garrisoning Gaul have been severely depleted, and the attitudes of other European nations are growing increasingly unstable.
"I believe it won't be long before you need us to march to Europe and quell rebellions."
Since the Decline of Mystery and the resulting shortage of Knights, new faces at the Round Table meeting had become rare. Mordred and Galahad were among the few exceptions.
Overall, the average age of the Round Table Knights was steadily increasing.
At that moment, the one who rose to speak was an old Knight who had served since the time of King Uther. He was nearly sixty, with one foot already in the grave.
Yet it was precisely because he was old that he feared death the least and was most determined to leave a greater inheritance for his children.
Unfortunately for him, he knew nothing of the King of Knights' final act, nor that Guinevere had already decided to consolidate the kingdom's power.
Guinevere clapped her hands lightly, silencing the chaos around the Round Table. Once all eyes were on her and the King of Knights had nodded in assent, she began to speak. This was the woman who had resolved to deceive the Human Order, pave the way for Mordred, and embrace her role as the Wicked Queen who would bring ruin to the nation.
"Very well," she announced. "Since we are on this topic, I have an announcement to make.
"The King and I have discussed this. We are promoting Sir Lancelot to the rank of Duke. All of Gaul will no longer be a territory he administers on behalf of the Kingdom; it will become his own personal domain.
"For years, he alone has been responsible for maintaining order in Gaul."
An uncontrollable uproar erupted in the Throne Room. Guinevere was curbing the fiefs of some Knights while simultaneously granting Sir Lancelot the highest possible title. Many Knights found this unacceptable—and not just those in the opposition. Even some who had supported curbing the fiefs now turned against her.
After a long moment, Sir Agravain—who had been instructed by Guinevere—finally spoke.
"Queen! Does this mean Gaul's resources will no longer be unconditionally provided to Great Britain?
"Queen, don't tell me you're actually involved with Lancelot. Heh. Then again, if the King can make a move on her own sister, why couldn't you make a move on Sir Lancelot?"
The words sent a shockwave across the table. Aside from those who already knew the truth, no one could believe the Kingdom's 'Chancellor' would utter such things. His statement seemed to confirm the rumors about the King and her sister, implying that Mordred's biological mother might indeed be compromised.
See? Mordred had already drawn her sword, pointing it directly at Agravain, even though she had long known the truth of her artificial origins.
"Agravain! Don't you dare slander my Queen Mother! How could she possibly like girls? Lancelot is the most adorable female Faerie Knight!"
And there it was—another stunned silence. Even the King of Knights, accustomed to masking her emotions with a stern expression, nearly broke character and burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, some of the Round Table Knights—those who didn't know the full story but vaguely suspected the King was a woman and utterly disbelieved that Lancelot was a "female Faerie Knight"—quickly suppressed their righteous indignation. They sensed something was deeply amiss.
A moment later, more and more people fell silent as the hot-tempered Mordred drew her sword and charged, only to be effortlessly pinned to the Round Table's surface by Guinevere.
It was precisely those few moves that jolted the knights, who had grown accustomed to peace over the past decade. They suddenly remembered that Guinevere still trained diligently every day without fail, and they realized her strength had grown even greater.
Whether it was the issue of weakening the fiefdoms or promoting Lancelot to Grand Duke of Gaul, they had no power to object.
Yes, the Round Table was a place for fair discussion, but whether anyone listened depended entirely on the table's masters.
Clearly, by orchestrating this farce, neither the King nor the Queen had any intention of listening.