Chapter 23: The Powerful Alloy Sword
Kay and Artoria were somewhat displeased with Ector's attitude toward Noah, but their positions didn't permit them to criticize Ector, which was why they remained silent.
Noah, however, wasn't the least bit surprised by Ector's attitude.
This was an inevitable issue every new monarch, especially a young one, would face—the old knights would think you were young. Perhaps they didn't mean disrespect, but when considering certain matters, they would naturally doubt whether you had thought of them as well.
The more important the issue, the more they would think this way.
Even with minor matters, they would harbor such doubts.
Noah had anticipated this long ago, and he didn't blame Sir Ector for thinking this way—after all, compared to the nobles he remembered, who would make him insert the Sword in the Stone into the rock, then have their own men test whether they could pull it out, and finally have him perform the act of drawing the Sword in the Stone, these knights were far more sincere.
Thus, these knights were ones Noah could win over.
As for those nobles...
Hah, once Morgan arrived, they would learn what it meant to set a thief to catch a thief!
"Kay, cooperate with Sir Ector."
Hearing Noah's words, Kay nodded, picked up the sword Noah had tossed out, and put on the upper half of the armor.
Ector, at this moment, apologized to Noah and, with Noah's tacit permission, drew his own sword.
"Let's test this sword first."
As Ector said this, he swung his sword at the one in Kay's hand, and Kay directly met the strike with his own blade.
Crack—
With that sound, Sir Ector's sword—which was considered quite good even in Britain—was cleanly severed in two!
Kay, after completing the strike, immediately held his sword upright. Moonlight streaming in from the window illuminated the blade, and Kay, Ector, and Artoria all saw that there wasn't even a single nick on it!
"This..."
Sir Ector stared at the broken sword in his hand, momentarily speechless.
Even Kay and Artoria, who had some confidence in Noah, were stunned.
"Your Majesty... are you teasing me with your Sword in the Stone?"
Ector found it hard to believe, but Noah casually drew his own Sword in the Stone.
"Would you like to test my Sword in the Stone as well?"
"No, no, no..."
Ector had only spoken offhandedly—after all, he had participated in the sword-drawing ceremony and knew exactly what the Sword in the Stone looked like.
He was just overjoyed.
So, after apologizing to Noah and confirming that Noah wasn't angry, he snatched the sword from Kay's hands. Gazing at this rather crudely crafted blade, his eyes nearly gleamed with excitement.
To him, the crude craftsmanship was precisely what made it so remarkable!
It proved how extraordinary the alloy Noah had just produced truly was!
If it were merely a finely made sword, he might have appreciated it, but it wouldn't have moved him like this... After all, a fine sword was just one blade, but the potential of this alloy was entirely different!
If the knights of future Britain could each wield such a sword, wouldn't they be unstoppable whether fighting magical beasts, Picts, or Saxon barbarians!
Even the sword in his hand could be severed in one strike, let alone the inferior weapons used by the Picts and Saxon barbarians!
Seeing that Sir Ector didn't even intend to test the armor, Noah shook his head slightly but understood perfectly.
After all, this alchemical synthetic metal was exactly like this—it was something he could currently produce to quickly arm his forces, and its power and lethality had long been verified in the memories he had simulated.
As for what would happen if the enemy seized these weapons on the battlefield?
It didn't matter!
Because, according to the memories obtained from the Alchemy King, such weapons were utterly insignificant, merely transitional tools for the initial phase.
And what about when the enemy had seized enough weapons and armor?
By then, who would still use such purely cold weapons?
They would have long been obsolete!
At the very least, the ultimate force armed with Noah's alchemy—the Purification Knight Order—wore entirely special alchemy equipment, and their weapons were no exception.
Even their physical constitutions had been enhanced with special alchemical potions.
This was the ultimate force capable of suppressing Saxon barbarians with just a few hundred knights, combined with one to two thousand ordinary troops.
However, even though Noah had a clear plan for the future, he did not interrupt Sir Ector, Kay, and Artoria as they delighted over such equipment. He waited until their excitement subsided before introducing them to other alchemical creations.
Compared to the five large devices that produced metal, the rest were items crafted according to Noah's ideas to improve the lives of the people.
For instance, alchemical equipment for hot pot, devices resembling future ovens and refrigerators, equipment for making clothes, and tools for preparing desserts, among others.
Although the three present were not experts in these things that could drastically change people's lives, they could still envision the immense convenience these items would bring.
So, for a moment, their eyes sparkled as they looked at these endless alchemical devices.
Kay was tasked with arranging the deployment of these alchemical devices, while Sir Ector was brought along by Noah to assist the young knight, fearing that Kay might not command enough authority. Thus, after Noah finished introducing these items, Kay even declined Noah's offer to stay for a meal. Clearly, he intended to work overnight to arrange everything.
Then, only Artoria and Sir Ector remained.
Seeing that only the three of them were left, Sir Ector recalled how Artoria had slept with Noah the previous night and how she hadn't resisted the idea.
After some thought, he simply found an excuse and left as well.
He completely left the time to Artoria and Noah.
Only after leaving Camelot Castle did Sir Ector remember that he had initially wanted to discuss something with Noah but hadn't gotten the chance.
But he couldn't go back now.
He would have to return tomorrow.
After Sir Ector left, Noah and Artoria began their dinner.
This time, it wasn't hotpot but dinner prepared by Camelot Castle's kitchen using the alchemy equipment created by Noah.
It was already edible, even reaching a passable standard.
Thus, without the limitation of chopsticks, Artoria ate even more this time.
Noah watched as Artoria, expressionless and elegant in her movements, ate at an oddly rapid pace, and silently quickened his own eating speed in response.
Only after dinner was finished did Artoria pose her question to Noah.
She knew Sir Ector's purpose for visiting and believed Noah must have considered the matter of the magical beasts. Still, she asked symbolically, intending to relay the answer directly to her foster father tomorrow to prevent him from disturbing the King further.
"Your Majesty, you've deployed eighty percent of Camelot's knights. Can the remaining twenty percent truly defend against the attacks of those magical beasts?"
Hearing Artoria's question, Noah, who was eating fruit, gave his answer directly.
"Of course not."
"If the magical beasts' assaults remain consistently small-scale, they should manage fine. But if the attacks become slightly more aggressive, they'll likely struggle... However, I've stationed them on the defensive line precisely to handle minor incursions."
Before becoming King, Noah was known as the Knight of the Dawn, a title earned largely through his battles against magical beasts.
Thus, he understood these creatures quite well.
"Those beasts aren't so easily dealt with, but they pose little threat unless they gather in large numbers. Even for them, mass congregation requires time... In such situations, we only need to deploy elite forces to prevent them from grouping up—or take a more aggressive approach by eliminating clustered beasts directly. Then, the surrounding regions will only face small-scale attacks for a long time."
As Noah spoke, he smiled.
The movements of magical beasts aren't easily predicted, and ordinary people wouldn't know their patterns.
On this island, only three could likely discern the precise movements of these beasts: Merlin, Morgan... and himself, who had repeatedly gained simulated memories!
With that knowledge, dealing with these magical beasts becomes far simpler.
As for elite troops...
Hadn't he just sent Kay to lead an armed patrol? Moreover, Morgan would arrive soon.
Therefore, there was no need for concern at all.
Everything was within his understanding!