Cyan stepped into the stirrup and mounted Unabi. She looked at Lancelot, who seemed to have something to say, and spoke first.
"Lord Lancelot, it's time to let the enemy know that the knight leading them is dead."
It was obvious that Cyan's stealth kill on Braford had left Lancelot dissatisfied. Since she wasn't a knight, he couldn't rebuke her using knightly principles, so he simply felt stifled.
Hearing her words only made him more uncomfortable, yet he couldn't argue. He pointed at Braford's corpse and shouted loudly:
"The dual-wielding knight Braford is dead!"
Seeing Braford's body, the enemy forces immediately lost the will to fight and scattered in all directions.
Once the battle ended, Nishi walked over to Asama Ai and used the Bronze Card. She split the Survival Points with her and gave her the recovery items that dropped as well.
[Roasted Chicken Leg]
[Type: Recovery Item]
[Function: Restores 25 HP and 20 Mental Power.]
[Remark: Chicken leg roasted with butter.]
"This… doesn't feel right…"
Asama Ai accepted the Survival Points but felt a little embarrassed about taking the recovery item.
"Just take it! We're going to need your skill in the fights ahead~!"
Nishi smiled and pushed the item into Asama Ai's hands.
"…Mm."
Asama Ai nodded and accepted it.
"What was that skill you used earlier?"
Orlov walked over with a friendly smile and asked Asama Ai. His tone sounded casual, but he was clearly trying to figure out what her skill did so he could prepare countermeasures in advance.
"Um… I can't tell you about my skills."
Asama Ai hid behind Nishi and spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of apology. She wasn't stupid — sharing skill information with teammates was one thing, but telling it to another survivor the moment they asked? Did he think she was that naive?
"I see. It's fine if you don't want to say. I was just a little curious." Orlov smiled awkwardly and walked away without pressing further.
Is this guy an idiot?!
Anyone with a working brain could see through his intentions. Did he really think she was a fresh newbie who had just entered the survival space?
Asuka had already seen through Orlov's act. On the surface he looked like a straightforward, hearty man, but in reality he was scheming and had ulterior motives.
After a short rest and cleanup of the battlefield, Lancelot led the army toward Arlon Castle.
"Did I do something that displeased you?"
Cyan could feel that Lancelot's attitude toward her had changed, and she was genuinely confused.
Lancelot looked into her clear, silver-white eyes and sighed.
"Lord Cyan, I just can't fully accept that you killed Braford with a sneak attack. You're not a knight, so I have no right to criticize you for it."
"It was the most efficient method."
Cyan didn't understand why he was saying this. In her eyes, killing Braford the way she did was simply the most effective approach. As long as the goal was achieved, the method didn't matter.
Rather, stealth and ambushes were deeply ingrained in her.
Back in the ocean, she had relied on stealth to hunt prey and fill her stomach. If she attacked head-on, those cunning creatures would have disappeared long ago. Even a scallop could escape at astonishing speed. Without ambushing, she probably would have starved.
"That's why I have no reason to blame you. I'm just struggling with myself. If I could calmly accept you killing Braford through a sneak attack, it would go against my honor as a knight."
"Knightly honor…"
Cyan rode toward the back of the army. As she passed Lancelot, she said quietly:
"Be careful. That traitor."
If they didn't deal with the traitor, he might stab them in the back at any moment. As long as the traitor remained hidden, he would be a bomb that could explode at any time.
If they found the traitor, the hidden quest should have been completed by now. The fact that it hadn't been completed meant Lancelot and the others still hadn't identified the traitor for certain.
"Understood."
Lancelot's expression grew serious.
After returning to the rear of the army, Cyan sensed malice. It felt like the blue-clothed ninja who had attacked her before. She gave the reins a light tug.
Unabi stopped and lowered its head obediently.
Could that blue-clothed ninja be mixed in with the army?
Disguised?
Cyan's gaze swept over the knights and soldiers but couldn't find the source of that hostile stare. She lightly squeezed Unabi's sides, and the horse began walking forward again.
His perception is high… I need to be more careful.
After Cyan left, the person disguised as a knight quietly exhaled in relief. Fortunately, the armor was full-body and covered his face completely.
"Nishi, you open this card."
Cyan handed the Silver Card that dropped from Braford to Nishi. With her luck, it was better not to waste it.
Lancelot had dealt significant damage to Braford earlier, which had greatly reduced the value of the card he dropped.
Nishi didn't take the card. Instead, she suggested:
"Master, you open it. Maybe you'll get something good this time~!"
"…Alright."
Cyan thought for a moment. Since she had been failing repeatedly with the Segmentation skill, maybe her luck with cards would turn around.
With that in mind, she used the Silver Card.
[Used Silver Card. Obtained 1000 Survival Points, Baked Meat Roll, and Treasure Chest.]
[Baked Meat Roll]
[Type: Recovery Item]
[Function: Restores 100 HP and 5 HP per second for 15 minutes.]
[Remark: A simple but calorie-packed baked meat roll!]
[Treasure Chest]
[Type: Valuable Item]
[Remark: A treasure chest filled with riches. Can be exchanged for 600 Survival Points.]
Cyan looked at the recovery item and valuable item she received. It wasn't bad — not a big loss.
She took out the baked meat roll and used Segmentation on it with her short sword.
The short sword glowed with a strange light. When it cut into the meat roll, the entire appetizing roll split into six fragrant slices of meat.
Hmm? What skill is that?
Asuka was drawn by the sudden smell of meat and looked toward Cyan. She saw her swinging the glowing short sword and cutting one whole baked meat roll into six slices. She swallowed.
Is that… the item-splitting skill from Round Table Knights?
Orlov recognized the skill Cyan had used.
[Meat Slice]
[Type: Recovery Item]
[Function: Restores 25 HP.]
[Remark: These meat slices might taste even better between slices of bread?]
"Pretty good luck."
Cyan gave two slices to Asama Ai and two to Nishi, then stored the remaining two in her inventory.
Strangely, aside from the survivors, none of the people from the Round Table Knights world noticed what Cyan was doing or smelled the delicious aroma of the meat.
Cyan struck while the iron was hot and took out the treasure chest. It was heavy and filled with gold, silver, and jewels. Nishi's mouth watered just looking at it.
Cyan used Segmentation on the treasure chest.
The short sword struck the chest with a light thud. Suddenly, smoke enveloped it.
Unabi curiously turned its head to look at the smoke in Cyan's hand.
The black widow spider also poked her head out from the collar fur and curiously examined the rapidly dissipating smoke.
When the smoke cleared, the treasure chest had transformed into a golden scepter inlaid with a green gem.
[Green Scepter]
[Type: Consumable Item]
[Function: Randomly increases one attribute by 2 points.]
[Remark: The scepter is a symbol of status!]
[Note: This item is unique to the Round Table Knights world. It cannot be obtained through Segmentation after leaving this world. It cannot increase the Charm attribute.]
Randomly increases one attribute by 2 points… This item isn't very useful to me right now, but…
Cyan stared at the remark. She had originally planned to give the scepter to Nishi, but after reading the note, she decided to keep it in her inventory for now. It might have other uses later.
"Master, what was that scepter with the huge green gem just now?"
Nishi leaned closer to Cyan, her hazel eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"It randomly increases one attribute by 2 points. The remark says it's a symbol of status. It might have other uses. If we can bring it back to the survival space, it's yours."
Cyan leaned back to avoid the excited Nishi who tried to pounce on her.
Watching Nishi face-plant into the ground in her excitement, Cyan raised a hand to her forehead.
What an idiot…
"Um, bro… could you use that skill to cut some of my recovery items?"
Orlov approached Cyan with a big smile on his face.
"I can't guarantee the success rate."
Cyan answered honestly. She didn't feel like refusing his request. With her current luck, the next few uses of Segmentation would probably all fail anyway.
If she made that clear in advance, even if she failed, Orlov couldn't really demand compensation from her.
A while later, Orlov walked away with a wide grin, barely able to close his mouth. Cyan's expression remained blank, but there was a hint of frustration on her face. She was even starting to doubt her life.
She had only failed once out of five attempts!
The more she wanted to fail, the more she succeeded… Why was it like this?!
With many complicated thoughts running through her mind, Cyan regretted agreeing to help Orlov. This guy held malice toward her, yet she had still increased his survival tools.
Asuka watched Orlov happily go off to improve his relationship with Lancelot. She also wanted Cyan to cut some items for her, but she felt too embarrassed to ask.
After what she had said to Cyan before, and especially after witnessing her strength, she felt even more awkward about bringing it up.
This is what I get for shooting my mouth off earlier, huh?
Asuka scratched her cheek and mocked herself inwardly.
Arlon Castle had three layers. In front of the castle stood defensive fortifications made of sharpened wooden stakes.
On the road leading to the castle, Lancelot met Arthur and Percival, who had arrived with their own armies.
After joining forces, the combined army, led by Arthur, Lancelot, and Percival, marched in full force toward Arlon Castle to launch their assault!