Chapter 17: So the King is Better with a Spear Than a Sword!
Noah had initially expected that waiting for the Queen would be a protracted battle, possibly not succeeding on the first attempt, and that he might need to gather more experience from simulations.
But in reality, it went much faster than he had imagined.
[After studying for over ten days, you felt that your original martial skills were too fragmented, so you spent several days integrating all the martial arts you had learned in the past, gradually beginning to find your own path.]
[You stayed at the entrance of the Land of Shadows for more than twenty days, and then you saw the Queen of the Land of Shadows appear.]
[After appearing, she didn't speak to you directly but instead drew her twin spears and attacked you.]
[You drew the Sword in the Stone and engaged her in combat. Your martial skills were completely suppressed, and your physical abilities were inferior to hers. You quickly found yourself at a disadvantage.]
[Martial Arts Prodigy, activated]
[During the exchange, you gradually learned from her movements, and then you casually picked up a knight's lance from the weapon rack.]
[With a sword in one hand and a lance in the other, you actually found the fight becoming easier.]
[She noticed this as well, so after a clash that pushed you back, she stopped attacking, removed her face mask, and began speaking with you.]
[She seemed to have some understanding of your situation, so her first question was why you had come to find her.]
[You directly brought up the matter of Vortigern, and she refused.]
Refused?
Noah had only ever considered whether he could meet her and whether he could state his purpose to her, but he never expected her to refuse.
After all, this was the Queen of the Land of Shadows, Scáthach!
Her greatest goal was to find someone capable of killing her, and she had never shied away from a fight against strong opponents... Yet, upon learning about the powerful existence of Vortigern, she showed no desire to fight him at all?
Noah was puzzled by this and continued reading.
[As the Queen of the Land of Shadows, the realm of death itself, Scáthach believed that the final and best destination for a warrior was death. However, she herself could not die, so she had been constantly seeking death, searching for someone who could kill her.]
[She was indeed not one to shy away from battle, but she would not act recklessly either.]
[In her view, casually resolving enemies that other heroes were meant to face was a denial of the heroes of future generations.]
[With her wisdom of the magical realm, Scáthach understood clearly that defeating Vortigern was a great feat meant for the King of Britain to accomplish, so she had no intention of fighting Vortigern herself.]
[Although she would not take action, she did say she would teach you, the King of Britain, martial arts, and then you would personally kill Vortigern.]
[In exchange, after your death, she would bring you into the Land of Shadows, where you would have to fight her and attempt to kill her.]
[You accepted.]
[With Artoria and Morgan in Britain, aside from a few tasks that only you could handle, most of the work was left to the two of them.]
[For the following period, you remained at the entrance of the Land of Shadows, training in martial arts under Scáthach]
[(Martial Prodigy activated)]
[Scáthach had taught many students, including several renowned heroes among them. Yet even so, she declared your talent to be the finest she had ever witnessed, remarking that if anyone could fulfill her expectations and truly graduate, it might be you]
[After discovering your aptitude, Scáthach devoted herself even more earnestly to your instruction]
[You swiftly consolidated your martial skills and mastered all the techniques Scáthach possessed]
[Having shifted your combat approach to wield a sword in one hand and a spear in the other, when Scáthach deemed you ready to return and confront Vortigern, she followed tradition by presenting you with an unerring spear]
[After expressing heartfelt gratitude to Scáthach, you returned to Camelot]
[Rather than immediately accepting the allegiance of the Picts, you first focused on establishing the Knights of the Round Table]
[Lancelot challenged you to a duel and was defeated even while you wielded an ordinary sword]
[Other knights also attempted to challenge you, but even united they were no match for you—unable to force you to draw the Sword in the Stone or even compel you to use your spear]
[King Rivalen, one of the Twelve Kings, issued a challenge as well, but instead of a sword duel, he elected to face you with spears]
Seeing King Rivalen's name again, Noah raised an eyebrow.
He was well aware of King Rivalen's reputation.
This was the very king who shattered the Sword in the Stone.
When fighting with spears, even Artoria had been unable to defeat him, engaging in three bouts and even losing the third.
In this era of Britain, the only one who might surpass him in spear technique was likely his son, Lamorak.
Lamorak was one of the three strongest knights in the Round Table founded by Artoria.
Without him, the Knights of the Round Table might have seen a dynamic where Lancelot stood as the strongest knight, with his son Galahad as the only comparable rival.
Lamorak could single-handedly defeat the combined efforts of over thirty knights.
At his peak, his spear skills were hailed as insurmountable and invincible.
This illustrates just how formidable both King Rivalen and his son were with the spear.
Yet their spear techniques paled in comparison to Scáthach's.
After all, even Scáthach's disciple, the renowned "Light of Ireland," was said to have attained divine-level martial prowess—let alone Scáthach herself, who trained such a pupil.
If the simulated version of himself had earned Scáthach's approval, then the breaking of the Sword in the Stone was unlikely to occur.
And indeed, that proved true.
[In your spear duel with King Rivalen, he suffered a more crushing defeat than Lancelot]
[Only then did the other knights realize that your true expertise lay in spear combat. Convinced and humbled, they formally established the Knights of the Round Table, and tales of King Arthur's prowess spread throughout Britain]
[Since none of these knights had ever witnessed you fighting at full strength with a sword in one hand and a lance in the other, the rumors they spread portrayed you as a knight more skilled with the lance than the sword.]
[Upon learning this, you offered no explanation but went directly to Merlin, frankly stating your need for a reliable lance capable of defeating Vortigern.]
Reading this, a faint smile appeared on Noah's face.
He had already encountered Scáthach—so the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad must be on its way, right?