Chapter 2: For the Greater Good!
"It's the Knight of the Dawn... I've heard his name even in the borderlands fighting against the Saxons, but I never expected him to be so young!"
"Indeed, they say this Knight of the Dawn always turns the tide in desperate situations, always becoming the light that illuminates others in the most hopeless and darkest moments. Many villages even call him the Avatar of Miracles."
"The Avatar of Miracles and the chosen king's Sword of Miracle... I wonder if he'll actually be able to pull the sword out."
...
Noah's youth was something many knights hadn't anticipated, yet none among the present knights mocked or sneered at him.
Their chivalric code wouldn't permit such behavior.
In this land of Britain, knights weren't entirely selfless saints, but when you encountered these knights outside the battlefield, you could always associate them with more virtuous qualities.
Especially since those gathered here today were specifically chosen by Merlin to accompany Artoria in this ceremony.
These were the first knights Merlin had selected to pledge loyalty to Artoria, so naturally, their character and similar attributes were beyond reproach.
Many older knights, seeing Noah earning the title of Knight of the Dawn at such a young age, mostly felt admiration, while numerous younger knights envied his current achievements—none appeared jealous.
Even Kay, who grew up with Artoria and was known for his sharp tongue, remained silent at this moment.
Artoria, disguised as a knight's attendant and thus ineligible to attempt drawing the sword herself, blinked her eyes curiously as she watched Noah from among the family she accompanied.
Noah hadn't noticed her earlier in the crowd.
But now, from his elevated position, he spotted Artoria at once, and when their eyes met, he offered a slight smile.
Then he approached the Sword in the Stone without any tension or hesitation, directly placing his hand on the hilt.
Since he couldn't pull it out anyway, having no expectations meant no disappointment.
With this mindset, Noah gripped the Sword in the Stone and prepared to complete his role in this ceremonial run quite naturally.
He didn't even plan to try a second time.
If he failed once, he would simply give up.
He had already prepared what to say after failing—something like: I felt the sword's resistance toward me; it seems I am not the true king it awaits.
Noah had thought of everything.
But the one thing he hadn't anticipated was that when he casually attempted to draw the sword, the Sword in the Stone slid out without any resistance and was raised high in his hand.
At that moment, the clouds obscuring the sun drifted away, and the sunlight shone directly upon Noah and the Sword in the Stone, causing the blade and Noah's armor to reflect a brilliant light.
In this dazzling radiance, the inscription on the Sword in the Stone—"Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is rightwise king born of all Britain"—glowed with a brilliance even the sun couldn't overshadow.
Witnessing this, the knights below first stared in astonishment and surprise, then together drew their own swords, pointing the blades downward.
As they bowed their heads in salute to Noah, they one by one thrust their swords into the ground.
Though it was unclear exactly how Merlin had managed it, they had already acknowledged before attending this sword-drawing ceremony that whoever could pull the Sword in the Stone would be the chosen king of this land. So now, seeing Noah successfully draw the sword, they bowed their heads to him without hesitation.
"Here we swear—our swords shall never be turned against our king, our pride shall never overshadow the glory of the royal banner. We hereby pledge our loyalty to the great chosen king!"
Ah, this...
Had he failed to draw the sword, Noah would have calmly said something and stepped down.
But he had succeeded...
He truly hadn't expected to succeed in drawing the sword, so faced with this scene, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
Instinctively, he glanced at Merlin beside him.
He discovered that for a brief moment, this guy looked even more surprised than he was!
—And you still dare claim there was no inside job?
But Merlin was, after all, Merlin. He lacked human emotions—his normal reactions were merely simulated. So after assessing the situation, he quickly adjusted his expression to what was appropriate for the moment, even showing a hint of admiration and blessing in his smile as he looked at Noah.
"Your Majesty, you should say something."
Merlin had served as King Uther's advisor before his death, so now he adopted the same role before Noah, quietly reminding him.
Prompted by Merlin, Noah slowly lowered the raised Sword in the Stone and, under the gaze of the many knights, began to speak.
"I never imagined that the one to draw this sword would be me, but in the moment I lifted it high, I thought—perhaps it isn't so bad if it's me."
If Noah had just crossed over to this world, he might not have chosen this style of speech, as the oratory styles of East and West differ greatly. As a former Easterner, his initial attitude had been quite humble. But having been here for over twenty years and interacted with many people in Britain, he had gradually come to understand that people here do not favor overly modest leaders.
So, improvising on the spot, Noah first recalled a famous line from a classic novel in his previous life and decided to build his speech around it, adapting it slightly to fit the context.
"I have my own aspirations for Camelot—no, for Britain. The reason I accepted the invitation to come to Camelot was that I felt Britain could not continue on this path, and I intended to gather under the royal banner to advise the new king."
"But since I am now the new king, I shall briefly share my thoughts with you."
"In earlier years, we rose up against the ancient and powerful Rome, driving them from our land. At that time, our banner was the fight for freedom and survival, though some may have been motivated by power and wealth."
"But that is all irrelevant."
"Because after expelling Rome, the situation clearly did not improve. Whether it was the Picts moving south or the invasions of the Saxon barbarians, Britain has long been mired in war and chaos."
"Whether it's freedom and survival or power and wealth... it's a bit cumbersome to put it that way. Why not summarize it all as 'interests'—these interests we desire, yet we gained none of them after the war."
"If the situation remains like this, then why did we resist Rome in the first place?"
"Is the current state of affairs what the heroes who sacrificed themselves in the fight against Rome had hoped for?"
"Did they risk their lives to drive Rome away just so we could turn Britain into what it is now?"
"Is this what those greedy individuals craving benefits had expected?"
"They mustered rare courage for a war—is this the reward they wanted?"
"Are all these the interests we sought from the last war we initiated?"
At this point, Noah paused.
He scanned the room, meeting the eyes of nearly every knight below, then shook his head and spoke again.
"I don't think so."
"I know many believed that once Rome retreated, the war was over, everything was finished. But I must say here—wake up, everyone, it's not over yet."
"We still have the Picts as enemies, we still have the Saxon barbarians as foes, and even Rome wasn't merely driven back by us. They're facing greater issues and could return at any moment, to seize our lands again, take our food and wealth, and claim our lives and those of our families!"
"The war isn't over, and the chaos hasn't ended."
"Though I understand that many here don't want to hear this—they'd prefer me to say Britain is thriving, that I'll lead everyone to a happy and prosperous life—but that would be a lie!"
"We don't want the people living in fear, and it's right to tell them so and strive for it. But you are knights, bearing swords, clad in armor, enjoying honor and the people's support. If even you live in a false delusion, then who will step forward to repel the enemies in such times!"
"So what I'm about to say may not be what some of you wish to hear—perhaps you never expected me to speak of these things here, which is why you so readily swore allegiance to me, the so-called Chosen King."
Noah's tone softened slightly at this point.
"I can understand that many fight for tangible, visible interests rather than vague, abstract ideals."
"The wise pride themselves on seeing the present clearly."
"I also know that everyone fears death—I'm well aware of that. So, I can treat your earlier oaths as jokes made in accordance with the trend. Thus, in the name of the king, I pardon your earlier actions and grant you another chance..."
Here, Noah raised the Sword in the Stone toward the sky once more.
"I will not lead you to prosperity—I may even demand you surrender your wealth."
"I will not lead you to peace—I may even lead you into war."
"I will not guarantee your safety—I may even require you to sacrifice your lives."
"But I, Noah Blake, hereby swear that I shall conquer all enemies, I shall emerge victorious, and I shall seize every expectation we hold for this war—the benefits we desired initially, desire now, and shall desire hereafter!"
"Even if you fall along the way, I will not halt. I shall charge forward bearing your unfinished wills."
"Those wise souls who seek to grasp immediate gains and live solely for the present, you may turn back now. I vow to hold no grudge against you for it."
"If there are fools unafraid of death—blind, unable to see the path beneath their feet, as arrogant and presumptuous as I—then raise your swords high now!"
With Noah's words, not a single knight present hesitated; they lifted their swords aloft in unison.
Noah gazed into their eyes and saw what seemed like blazing flames.
The spirit of sacrifice they upheld as knights had long been ignited, setting their very blood aflame.
To the Noah from before his transmigration, this speech would have been utterly incomprehensible. In those days, his sole focus was survival—even as a leader, his thoughts would have revolved around how to keep himself alive, how to ensure more people survived, and how to improve their quality of life.
But such concerns belong to those in times of peace.
Clearly, peace is not the reality now.
Over the twenty-plus years since his transmigration, Noah had gradually come to understand local ideologies. Raised from childhood as a knight, he could better grasp what these knights before him were thinking and what they truly desired—for instance, "We can die for glory!"
So Noah smiled.
Then he shouted the final line he had prepared long before this moment began.
"Glory belongs to the future! Prosperity belongs to the future! Peace belongs to the future! Then let us fight for that future ablaze with glory! Let us die so that those in the future may live better lives! Let us wage war so that war may no longer be needed in the future!"
"For a brighter future, for the greater good!"
Following Noah's cry, the knights below roared in response.
"For a brighter future, for the greater good!"
"For a brighter future, for the greater good!"
"For a brighter future, for the greater good!"