This cannot go on!
Beauty is a distraction!!
Artoria, who could have stayed in the Scotland royal palace for a few more days, after careful consideration (not really), asked the King of Scotland for leave the next day.
Yes, she was going to run away.
Since I cannot afford to provoke her, I will just hide.
Guinevere’s destructive power was simply too great.
That soul-captivating beauty could simply be called Noble Phantasm-level.
Artoria was truly afraid that if she stayed here any longer, she would be captured by Guinevere.
This won’t do, absolutely not!
Thus, amidst the King of Scotland’s utter bewilderment and repeated pleas for her to stay, Artoria politely declined and slunk away.
With the clatter of hooves, she and her royal guard left the palace just like that.
Turning her head to look at the capital of Scotland, which was gradually being left behind, Artoria finally breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she felt a trace of sadness.
After all, after this parting, perhaps they would never meet again.
But perhaps this is for the best.
Maybe without King Arthur’s presence, that young girl could find her own happiness in this life.
Carrying a sense of loss, Artoria turned and resolutely returned to her own ‘world’.
Leaving behind those days of dreamlike romance, she would once again throw herself into busy official duties and warfare.
The timing of her return was actually perfect.
During her absence, the Britain army had already joined forces with the Scotland army and won a victory.
Although there were some casualties among the soldiers, because they had severely defeated Ireland once, the morale of the Britain and Scotland armies was still high.
In order for the two armies to cooperate strategically in a timely manner, the Britain army had already left the small town near the border and relocated to camp near the Scotland army.
Arriving at the military camp, Artoria handed her horse to the royal guard to look after, then turned to look at the knights who had come to greet her.
“In the time I was away, you three not only won a battle but also managed the various affairs of the army in an orderly fashion.” She let out a long breath, smiled faintly with relief, and said, “You have worked hard.
You have not failed to live up to my trust.”
The King’s praise and acknowledgement made the three knights impassioned.
They looked at each other excitedly, then knelt on one knee with a hint of joy and said.
“Thank you for the King’s trust.
We have fulfilled our mission.”
“Please, get up quickly.” Artoria stepped forward and reached out to help them up, a look of relief on her face as she smiled faintly.
“Don’t stand outside; let’s go into the room and talk in detail.”
Entering the room, Artoria sat in the seat of honor and asked them to report everything that had happened since she left, in detail.
Although Artoria had only been away from the Britain army for a short time, even with magic, the transmission of information was still somewhat delayed.
“Has there been any new news from Ireland recently?”
Artoria sat at the table with her hands crossed under her chin, asking the knights before her in a serious tone with a hint of majesty.
“Recently, because of the setbacks in the war, Ireland has temporarily stopped its offensive against Scotland,”
“However…”
Lancelot paused.
He frowned, looking hesitant, as if he wanted to say something.
His expression was quite conspicuous.
Artoria couldn’t help but look up at this knight of French origin.
Wearing silver knight armor, the young man with deep purple long hair was standing by the window.
His slender figure appeared even more dashing against the sunlight.
In the past, the smile on his face always made people feel gentle and warm like the breeze, but now his face was solemn, and his purple eyes, the same color as his hair, carried a hint of concern.
“Just speak your mind, Sir Lancelot.”
Artoria stood up, walked over to her, and patted Sir Lancelot’s shoulder, her emerald green eyes revealing a look of encouragement.
“You are a knight I trust, and furthermore, the talent you possess is evident to all.”
At this point, a relieved smile appeared on her face, and then she continued with a serious tone:
“So please tell me your opinion, Sir Lancelot.
I need your advice.”
King Arthur’s words made Lancelot cast aside his last hesitation.
The handsome purple-haired young man took a deep breath.
Under Artoria’s gentle gaze, he slowly began to explain his views on the current Ireland army.
“I always feel that something is strange; the actions of the Ireland army reveal a hint of suspicion.”
“According to the information obtained from the front lines in Scotland, there has been no movement from the Ireland camp.
But actually, yesterday I led a ten-man squad to secretly scout the enemy’s intelligence under the cover of night, and I discovered that the number of tents in the enemy camp seemed a bit off; it looked like their numbers had increased.”
At this point, Lancelot pursed his lips and then explained hesitantly: “According to the intelligence obtained previously, Ireland has a total force of over 40,000, divided into three fronts to invade Scotland, and the force Ireland allocated to our front is only 11,000.”
“Plus the recent defeat of Ireland, according to our statistics, they have lost about 2,000 troops.
Logically speaking, it shouldn’t…”
“…shouldn’t have that many tents.
Is that what you want to say, Lancelot?”
Gawain, who had been silent and listening quietly, suddenly spoke up to add.
“If it is really as you say, Lancelot, then there is indeed something unusual about Ireland.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“That’s right, I believe Lancelot is not lying.”
Kay, who was on the side, immediately expressed his own opinion.
“There might be some conspiracy in Ireland.
It would be best to conduct an investigation into this, Al…
er…
My King.”
Almost calling King Arthur by her name, Kay blinked his eyes in embarrassment, chuckled dryly, and tried hard to hide his awkwardness with a smile.
Hearing this long-lost nickname ‘Al’, Artoria couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.
It felt like it had been a long time since she heard her foster brother call her name so affectionately.
Shaking her head, Artoria cast aside the melancholy and sentimentality that had suddenly risen.
There are more important things to do now; there is no time to be sentimental.
She pulled her wandering thoughts back on track and swept her gaze over the three knights present.
At this moment, they were looking at her with serious expressions, quietly waiting for her to make a decision on the matter.
“Hmm…”
Artoria stood there frowning, her right hand pressed against her lips, and after pondering for a moment, she quickly made a decision:
“I trust Sir Lancelot, and this matter should indeed be taken seriously, just as you all said.”
“Then let’s do that.”
Artoria walked back behind the table, sat down, turned her head, and said to Lancelot and Kay:
“Sir Lancelot and Sir Kay, you two go back near the Ireland military camp to scout for information and confirm if the news is true.
Report to me immediately if you find anything.”
Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Lancelot’s lips.
He raised his eyes to meet Kay’s gaze, and then the two knelt on one knee together to salute Artoria.
“As you command, my King.”
“Sir Gawain, you are responsible for contacting the commander on the Scotland side and having them send over some intelligence regarding the other fronts.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the three knights present changed slightly, and they simultaneously revealed solemn looks:
“Other fronts?
My King, could it be…?”
“Indeed.” Artoria slightly closed her eyes, answering their question with a serious tone.
“I suspect that Ireland is secretly assembling forces from other fronts.
If that is truly the case…”
Sitting in her seat, her expression grew increasingly stern, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere began to slowly permeate the air.
“Before they finish doing all of this, we must find a way to strike first.”