Chapter 8: My Knights Are This Loyal!
After being exiled, Morgan had been staying in a rather remote area on the island of Britain, remaining within her castle and hardly ever stepping outside.
Under such circumstances, her understanding of Britain largely came from the limited island power she could still wield and Noah, her only knight.
Moreover, the flow of information in this era was extremely slow—there was no internet, not even newspapers, and delivering a letter took a considerable amount of time.
As for mystical arts like magecraft, they were particularly unreliable on the island of Britain, where the Age of Gods had not yet fully receded. Even Merlin's highest-level Clairvoyance, capable of perceiving the present, could only cover a limited area, let alone other forms of magecraft.
Camelot Castle, in particular, rendered all evil magecraft incapable of intrusion.
Thus, after Noah arrived at Camelot, Morgan had no means to actively contact him; only Noah could initiate contact with Morgan using the special method she had provided.
This led to Noah's plan to attempt contacting Morgan that evening. If she was asleep, he would wait until the next day. To his surprise, however, the moment he used the mirror Morgan had given him to initiate contact, she answered on the other end.
"It's so late—what is it?"
Morgan's figure appeared in the mirror, and her voice came through.
Although she remarked on the late hour, Noah could tell from her voice that she hadn't been awakened by his call.
Moreover, even though half of Morgan's face was shrouded in shadow, her slightly trembling leg revealed that her mood was far less displeased than her words suggested.
Could it be that she was so bored she had been waiting for him to contact her?
Noah instinctively entertained the thought, but he kept it to himself and spoke directly to Morgan.
"Your Highness Morgan, regarding the task you assigned me—to infiltrate Camelot and find an opportunity to assassinate the new king... a major unexpected event has occurred."
Upon hearing Noah mention the assassination of the new king, Morgan's slightly trembling leg stilled.
Her voice also grew colder and more irritable than before.
"What kind of unexpected event?"
"Well..."
As he spoke, Noah picked up the Sword in the Stone and held it in front of the mirror.
"...It was none other than I who drew the sword at the drawing ceremony held by Merlin. Consequently, I have become the so-called new king—King Arthur. Your Highness Morgan, what should we do now?"
Ah, this...
Morgan, who had been somewhat irritable, swallowed the words she was about to say upon hearing Noah's explanation.
She had to admit she was utterly astonished.
But upon second thought, it might very well be one of Merlin's tricks.
After all, the drawing ceremony hosted by Merlin... Hah, she didn't even want to comment—how could a group of knights be foolish enough to believe in such a ceremony!
The sword was provided by Merlin, the ceremony was orchestrated by Merlin, and even the participants were invited by Merlin... Wasn't it obvious that Merlin alone decided who would become the new king!
So she had almost convinced herself that the new king would be her so-called sister.
But she never expected that the one who became the new king would be her own knight...
Noah was her only knight.
As for whether Noah was loyal, Morgan herself couldn't say for certain, but she could somewhat tell that Noah wasn't an ungrateful person. He always remembered her life-saving grace and her guidance, and unlike those rigid knights, he wasn't foolish.
A knight who remembered her kindness, had flexible morals, and still maintained basic principles—Morgan found him quite easy to work with.
But loyalty wasn't something that could be easily built on mere favors alone.
Especially now that Noah's status was different from before.
Even if Morgan thought the Sword Drawing Ceremony was foolish, since the other knights had acknowledged it, Noah was now undoubtedly the King of Camelot.
Was he still the same person he used to be?
Would he still follow her instructions out of gratitude now?
Morgan couldn't be sure of any of this.
So, after a moment of thought, she spoke directly.
"Don't rush... Let's put aside the plan to assassinate the new king for now. Since it's you who became the new king, that's truly wonderful, Noah... No, I should call you Arthur now. Since you've become the new king, recall me from exile and allow me to return to Camelot."
"That should be no trouble for you now, right?"
As Morgan said this, her eyes, hidden in the shadows, fixed intently on Noah's reflection in the mirror.
She wanted to see Noah's decision.
And then...
"Of course, Lady Morgan. I was actually planning to do just that. I've already prepared the appointment decree. I am, after all, your knight, and you are the eldest daughter of the late king. Even if you asked me to abdicate the throne to you, I wouldn't see any problem with it."
This...
Morgan had already planned her next steps before she even spoke.
What she would do if Noah agreed, what she would do if he refused... But in her expectations, even in the best-case scenario, Noah would have hesitated for a while before agreeing.
Yet... Morgan, who had been staring intently at Noah, was absolutely certain that he hadn't hesitated in the slightest!
His agreement was just like the old Noah accepting a commission from her!
Could it be... that her knight was this loyal to her after all!?
Noah's attitude left Morgan momentarily stunned and even moved. She even felt a twinge of guilt for having doubted him.
But after her brief moment of surprise, Noah noticed Morgan's crossed leg trembling again, this time with even greater intensity and speed than before.
Morgan's previously agitated mood had now turned exceptionally good.
She even felt a little smug.
That Merlin had always believed she wasn't fit to inherit the throne—first making excuses about her being a woman, then claiming she hadn't inherited the power of the island of Britain, even convincing her foolish father to exile her.
But now?
She had clearly inherited the island's power—she had just been tricked by Merlin!
And what if she was a woman? Even with only one knight, his loyalty was plain to see!
I don't even need the throne!
The fact proved that failing to inherit the throne was all Merlin's fault!
She couldn't understand what made her sister so much better than her that Merlin favored her so much!
Though feeling triumphant, Morgan actually understood that since Noah had pulled the Sword from the Stone and gained the knights' recognition, having Noah abdicate in her favor wouldn't be a good thing now.
Moreover, the fact that her sister didn't become king meant that bastard Merlin had miscalculated, and the new king was Noah—a knight so loyal to her. So let the throne remain as it is.
After inheriting the island power of Britain, she had long seen through the inevitable destruction awaiting the future. Her concern about the throne was merely out of spite toward Merlin. As long as Merlin had miscalculated, she didn't care who sat on the throne as long as it wasn't someone she disliked!
Therefore.
"You've gained the knights' recognition, so the throne rightfully belongs to you. However, Noah, after you lift my exile and recall me to Camelot, you must grant me a position as your advisor."
At this point, Morgan's smile, though beautiful, carried an unmistakeable chill.
"I have no objections to you being the new king, but I fear Merlin won't accept this outcome. So I will help you deal with him!"