"Sir Agravain, is this the result of your efforts?"
"Yes. Using the promise of reassignment as bait and sacrificing two hundred Enforcement Knights, I successfully probed the Queen's true capabilities."
In the Throne Room of New Camelot City, the remaining three Knights of the Round Table faced the magnificent Lion King.
Her tone was flat, her gaze cold. Neither the deaths of the Enforcement Knights nor Agravain's findings stirred the slightest ripple on her expression.
"Sir Agravain, I only wish to know one thing: have you located all the remaining villages of the Mountain People?"
In this era, the Lion King had already unleashed numerous Divine Punishments—the craters dotting the entire wasteland were proof.
Yet, until this moment, the Lion King had never sought to exterminate the Mountain People. The Knights of the Round Table had never seriously pursued those who went into hiding.
The reason for this was simple: what the Lion King needed most was time. She had to open the Tower at the End of the World before the Demon God King, who was incinerating the Human Order, could proceed to the next stage of his plan.
Her true goal was to preserve the seeds of the world.
Thus, when the Lion King suddenly inquired about the remaining villages of the Mountain People, it signified...
"My King, has your final preparation arrived? If so, there is no longer any need to eliminate the Mountain People."
"Sir Gawain, you need only guard the gates of the Holy City. The final ritual must not be disturbed."
Gawain's armor remained magnificent, but his face was weary. For days, he had stood guard at the gates, responsible for eliminating the "useless" population left behind after the Holy Selection.
For a man whose nobility had inspired the archetype of the Prince Charming in later ages, the memory of the elderly, women, and children who had fallen to his sword was a fresh torment to his soul with each passing day.
Yet, he still chose loyalty, recoiling even after answering, "Yes."
"Sir Agravain, give me the answer to my question."
"Yes, King. I have located most of the Mountain People's hidden villages. I have agents planted among the civilians they are currently gathering."
"Very well. Let Sir Lancelot handle it. Did you not see through Guinevere's schemes and judge her inferior to both me and Sir Lancelot?"
In this world's legends, it was the Holy Grail that sought out King Arthur and granted the entire Round Table Holy Communion.
Now, the blessings the Lion King bestowed upon her Round Table Knights originated from this legendary Holy Grail.
When Tristan died and Mordred was banished, the Lion King reclaimed their Gifts of [Inversion] and [Rampage]. She granted [Rampage] to Lancelot, allowing him to unleash his Noble Phantasms in rapid succession at the cost of burning his soul.
As for [Inversion], Lancelot also received it. This Gift filled his heart with unwavering loyalty to the Lion King, purging his lust for women and freeing him from the bonds of familial affection.
Despite bearing these two additional blessings, Lancelot did not lose his sanity.
"King, to purge all the Mountain People—including children no taller than a wagon wheel laid flat—is this truly your will?"
In his previous life, Agravain had died at Lancelot's hands, and the two were bitter enemies. Even now, serving under the Lion King, hearing her personally issue the order for a massacre...
Lancelot, however, still believed the Lion King's transformation was not of her own volition. He clung to the idea that the massacre, the Holy Decree—all of it—was a false order issued by Agravain in the Lion King's name.
But regardless of what Lancelot thought, when the Lion King met his gaze, her inhuman eyes burned an indelible mark into his soul. After a fierce internal struggle, the loyalty granted by [Inversion] prevailed. He dropped to one knee and accepted the command without hesitation.
Having done this, the Lion King slowly departed the Throne Room. She had a more important place to protect.
"Agravain, tell me—your story about transferring your allegiance... was it truly just bait?"
With the King gone, only Agravain and two others remained in the Throne Room. Lancelot lunged for Agravain's collar without a second thought, but Gawain intercepted his arm mid-reach.
In his previous life, Gawain had failed to stop Lancelot from killing Agravain and Gareth.
This time, he was determined not to let it happen again.
Their armored arms clashed with a groan of metal. Lancelot finally regained his composure, only to hear Agravain speak:
"Hmph. Who knows if it was bait? But I trust you remember the words of our fallen comrades: when the King strays from the path of chivalry, a knight's duty is not blind loyalty, but remonstrance."
Agravain spoke with his usual scowl, as if the world owed him a debt. But as his words sank in, both Lancelot and Gawain frowned in disbelief.
"Agravain... I never thought I'd hear you say such a thing."
The atmosphere in the Throne Room grew even colder. Ironically, it was now Lancelot who felt the urge to purge a traitor for the Lion King.
"It's because Guinevere has appeared," Agravain continued, "and she's using the body of another King of Knights. She represents the King's own will to correct her mistakes.
"Lancelot, tell me: should I remain loyal to the ideal King of Knights, or to this Lion King who has betrayed the path of chivalry?"
Guinevere's appearance alone didn't surprise Agravain. But Guinevere inhabiting the body of the King of Knights—that was what truly astonished him.
He had always been the King of Knights' most loyal knight, his heart set on helping her build a prosperous kingdom. But that loyalty was predicated on his King being the King of Knights—the ideal ruler in his heart.
The King's desire to correct herself was the root of his confusion and wavering.
"Agravain," Gawain asked, "will you betray her, then?"
"No. I have already sworn an oath. This time, I will stay with the King until the very end. Even if she has fallen from the King of Knights to the Lion King, her ideals remain untainted. If no knight is willing to stand by her until the end, then the tragedy is ours alone."
"Does... Ruler... know of your decision?" Lancelot asked hesitantly.
"After I acknowledged her proof, I told her I would not betray the Lion King. She was stunned for a moment... then she personally cooked a barbecue and invited me to eat with her."
As he spoke, Agravain, who usually wore a perpetual scowl, actually smiled. He remembered the "King of Knights" cooking with a cheerful grin, happily serving meat to him and the other ordinary soldiers who had switched their allegiance.
"With a Guinevere like this by her side, the King of Knights from the other world would never have tolerated your covetous gaze upon her. And Tristan wouldn't have constantly complained that 'the King doesn't understand the human heart.'"
This was Agravain's assessment—a judgment that made Lancelot both envious and sigh in resignation.
"Lancelot," Agravain asked, "are you still seeking the King's judgment?"
"Before that, I too will stand by the Lion King until the very end."
"Is that so? Then begin your cleanup here. In the initial stages, it would be best for you to avoid confronting Guinevere."
Agravain's honest assessment was that Guinevere was not as powerful as the Lion King. However, the claim that she was weaker than Lancelot was a request from Guinevere herself.
Agravain knew exactly what Guinevere was scheming.
Guinevere, in turn, knew perfectly well that Agravain would become her enemy again once he returned to the Lion King's side. Yet she still made the request, and Agravain reported it to the Lion King exactly as she'd asked.
He remained here, still willing to offer his life to the Lion King. But a crack had formed in his loyalty—a small opening where he now hoped for correction from Guinevere.
The King's wish? Guinevere had assured him that Chaldea would reclaim humanity's future, utterly defeating the "King of Magecraft" after repairing the remaining Singularities.
"Lancelot," Agravain had said, "you need not relay my words to the King. Her eyes have already seen through everything, yet she remains unshaken, with no intention of dealing with me. Therefore, even as I hope for the King's correction, I will not betray my loyalty. I will fight meticulously to the very last moment."