Chapter 134: I am King Arthur
"Come to think of it, that's right. I did feel a sense of familiarity with the saint on this battlefield earlier—so it was her after all..."
Mary finally caught on.
When she had read the intelligence report earlier, she had sensed something was off, but at the time, she hadn't connected it to Lucius, nor could she be certain.
But now that Vivian had given the prophecy, everything became clear!
While Mary reacted this way, Scáthach raised an eyebrow, clearly also surprised, and then she turned her gaze toward Noah, who was helping Vivian up.
"Now that you know she's the emperor of Rome, what do you plan to do?"
Hearing Scáthach's question, Noah pondered for a moment.
"Let's go take a look first. Let's see what kind of person she is before drawing any conclusions. And before that—since Her Majesty the Emperor is in the mood, we might as well play along."
Noah considered himself somewhat skilled at reading people.
This confidence didn't just come from the experience and memories he had inherited from so many simulations, but also from his Observation Haki, which allowed him to sense hostility and emotions, and even briefly glimpse the future.
All of this combined made it difficult for Noah to misjudge people.
But...
This only applied to reading ordinary people.
"You must be the one these people have been waiting for—the one who can take us to Britain, right? My name is Lucia. And yours?"
Upon seeing Noah being brought over, Lucius glanced around. Though her eyes lingered on Scáthach for a moment, they ultimately settled on Noah. Smiling, she walked over, munching on a banana as she spoke.
"My name is Noah, Noah Blake. Of course, you can also call me Noah Mulius, though I'm not really used to the latter name. If you must call me something, use the first one. It's the name given to me by the person who raised me, and I have no intention of changing it."
Noah had originally considered using a pseudonym, but after learning that Lucius was here, he didn't bother and instead gave his real name.
Hearing this, the intelligence officers grew tense.
Meanwhile, Scáthach and Vivian, upon hearing Noah's introduction, realized that he seemed to have no intention of hiding his identity as originally planned.
Neither of them was surprised by this.
After all, while Noah usually appeared quite harmonious in the eyes of his allies, his kingly aura was terrifying enough to shatter armies, disperse dark clouds, and with just a glance, force people to their knees.
How could such a king continue to hide himself after learning Lucius's identity?
He clearly wouldn't allow himself to make such a gesture, as if bowing his head.
That's what they all thought, even Mary.
But in reality, Noah simply didn't care.
He knew full well that even if he revealed his real name, Rome wouldn't be able to keep a single one of his people.
So he wanted to use this opportunity to see what kind of emperor this Lucius truly was.
Whether she pretended not to know, acted surprised, or reacted in some other way... Noah could imagine all of it.
But what he hadn't expected was Lucius's reaction upon hearing Noah's name...
"Huh, you actually have two names? That's pretty rare, how interesting~"
Noah's Observation Haki told him that this person wasn't lying at all. She patted Noah's shoulder with a silly grin, acting as if they were old friends.
"But that doesn't matter anyway. So, Noah, right? —Since you can take me to Britain, then take me there!"
Seeing Lucius like this, Noah mentally contacted Mary.
"Mary, this person... Could I be mistaken? She actually managed to sidestep my probing, but... why do I feel like she isn't using her brain at all?"
Noah was a bit unsure.
After a moment of silence, Mary replied to Noah.
"You're not mistaken... Lucius is exactly that kind of person. Otherwise, I wouldn't always call her a red-haired monkey. She really isn't the type to use her brain—whether speaking or acting, it's all based on mood and instinct. If it weren't for that, Rome wouldn't have been on the verge of collapse before Manaka Sajyou became its assistant official..."
Ah, this...
Then how did she become emperor!?
Noah couldn't understand at all. Whether it was about Rome or this Lucius, he felt his experience was completely useless in the face of this monkey.
Thinking this, he simply let out a long sigh and spoke more directly.
"Of course, I can take you to Britain, but Britain and Rome are about to go to war, right? Even if you're not a regular military officer, you're still a pretty famous mercenary in Rome. What are you going to Britain for at this time?"
Hearing this, Lucius raised an eyebrow.
"Because if I don't go now, I won't be able to go by next spring—winter is coming soon. Britain definitely won't fight Rome in winter; that kind of weather would freeze people to death."
"And if Britain plans to go to war next spring, then Rome must mobilize its entire nation to deal with the Huns now. Only by crushing one first and quickly adjusting can we face the other in better shape—so even for that reason, I need to go to Britain first to check things out."
Huh!?
Lucius, who just moments ago seemed like a foolish monkey, had perfectly articulated Noah's own thoughts.
Moreover, the strategies she mentioned were indeed the best for Rome at this time... Was this also guided by instinct?
Noah couldn't understand Lucius at all.
"So, you want to go to Britain to scout the situation in advance as a mercenary?"
Hearing this, Lucius, who had just been explaining seriously, scratched her head and once again showed that monkey-like silly grin.
"Haha, not really. I just wanted to see what kind of person that king is, the one who dared to lead Britain into war against Rome."
Seemingly afraid that Noah wouldn't understand, Lucius began explaining with animated gestures.
"After all, look—compared to Rome, Britain is smaller in territory, has a shorter history, and was once even part of Rome, right? And I heard that the king of Britain was originally exiled there by Rome. For someone like that, anyone would be curious!"
Lucius's words seemed to be entirely disparaging Britain and Noah, but Noah's Observation Haki told him that from start to finish, when this person in front of him spoke of Britain and him, King Arthur, there was nothing but curiosity, interest, and even a hint of friendliness in his heart—not a trace of malice.
Just as Mary had said, indeed.
Tactics useful for dealing with people were completely useless on a monkey.
The rhythm had truly been thrown off completely...
Thinking this, Noah shook his head and then, under Lucius's rather astonished gaze, smiled and spoke to her.
"If you're only interested in King Arthur, then you don't need to go to Britain—because I am the King Arthur you're looking for, Noah Blake."