The next morning.
Arthur let out a long yawn as he woke up, slowly rose from bed, and immediately looked exhausted.
The night before, he had finally been able to reunite with his master and Nessa, something that should have been an incredibly joyful moment. However, if he and Nessa had not stopped the two women in time, who knew how that chaos might have ended.
Next time, I need to keep a close eye on Master... at least to make sure she has no contact with Morgan.
Thinking that, Arthur threw aside the blankets and got out of bed. But the moment his foot touched the floor, he accidentally kicked something soft.
Or rather... someone.
Lily?
Arthur's eyes widened for a moment when he saw the girl sitting beside the bed, leaning against its side.
Artoria slowly opened her eyes, still looking slightly sleepy, and looked at Arthur naturally.
"Good morning."
"Good morning... Wait a second!" Arthur replied almost instantly. "Why are you in this room?"
Logically, after knocking him unconscious the night before, she should have returned to her own room to sleep.
So why, when he woke up that morning, was she still there?
What absurd level of dedication was this?
Did some enemy infiltrate my room and I didn't even notice?
No... that would be impossible.
With so many knights, coachmen, and servants patrolling outside, no one could sneak into the palace so easily.
"I knocked you unconscious last night, so you wouldn't have been able to wake up immediately if danger had appeared," Artoria replied with complete seriousness. "As the king's lady-in-waiting, it is my duty to guarantee your safety."
"So you stayed in my room the whole night waiting for me to wake up?"
Artoria nodded silently.
"This is the most basic protective measure."
"I think you should protect yourself before protecting others!"
Arthur raised his hand and flicked Artoria hard on the forehead.
Tock!
The girl placed a hand over the spot and blinked several times in surprise.
"You're a girl. How can you spend the entire night in a boy's room? What if I were a pervert?"
"Are you a pervert?" Artoria asked with disarming simplicity.
Arthur: "..."
"Right, no." Arthur let out a deep sigh. "But I mean... what if you ran into someone with bad intentions?"
He crossed his arms and began scolding her patiently.
"Think about it. What if I were a bad person and tried to do something wrong to you?"
Artoria stared at Arthur for a few seconds, then shook her head.
"You can't do that."
"Why?" Arthur asked.
"Our strengths are practically equal, and you are not a bad person."
She paused briefly, then continued in the same calm tone:
"Besides, you are the king. If it is an order from the king, I do not have the right to disobey."
She said it as if she were commenting on something completely ordinary.
Arthur fell silent.
His gaze involuntarily drifted down Artoria.
From her bright and pure eyes...
To her delicate lips...
To her somewhat developed chest...
To the smooth legs exposed by the casual clothes she wore that morning.
Arthur immediately looked away and got out of bed quickly.
This girl really has no idea how dangerous the things she just said are.
Fortunately, it is still morning.
And we still have important matters to handle today.
Otherwise, Arthur might not have been able to guarantee he would keep his composure.
Because, translated plainly, what Artoria had just said was basically:
You are the king, so I will accept any order you give me.
...That practically encourages crimes.
"Let's go." Arthur coughed dryly to cover himself. "We still have a plan to invade the fourth territory today."
---xXx---
The two walked through a long corridor of the palace and soon encountered Agravain coming from the opposite direction.
As always, the man wore a stern and impassive expression.
But when he saw Arthur, he bowed slightly.
Arthur nodded.
He thought for a moment and then said:
"You arrived at the right time. Go inform the others to begin preparations in advance."
"Yes."
After replying, Agravain continued walking.
However, before completely leaving, he discreetly cast a careful glance at the mark on Arthur's neck.
The king's private life seems a little...
Forget it.
I will not ask questions.
As long as it does not affect the normal progress of the plan, it is fine.
---
"Why don't you go get some rest, Lily?" Arthur asked as they continued walking. "You probably didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"
Artoria shook her head.
"There is no need. I became accustomed to this kind of training long ago."
Thinking about it, that made sense.
From a very young age, Artoria had spent most of her time training rigorously and sleeping little. It was natural that she had already grown used to such a harsh routine.
Arthur even thought about insisting that she return to her room.
But he imagined she would simply refuse.
So he gave up on the idea, and the two continued in silence toward the palace's great hall.
"Huh? Gawain?"
As soon as Arthur entered the hall, he saw a blond man looking at him respectfully.
"King Arthur." Gawain smiled with his usual radiance. "You arrived very early today."
"Mm... I was having trouble sleeping," Arthur replied, turning his head toward the outside of the palace with a trace of melancholy in his eyes.
I really don't know how to deal with the problems between my master and Morgan.
What if they start fighting again the next time they meet?
And what Master said about the Mark of the Goddess of Death being fake...
Then why would Morgan lie to me?
Although he wanted to immediately confront her about that mark, now was obviously not the right time.
He could only ask after he returned.
As Arthur sank into these thoughts, he noticed that Gawain was still staring at him.
"Gawain, is there a problem?"
"No, nothing at all." Gawain smiled even more brightly. "I was just thinking about how dedicated and responsible you are."
Arthur blinked.
"You seemed distracted just now, but I imagine you were reflecting on the Saxons," Gawain continued. "You also look tired, so you probably spent the whole night thinking about that matter. It is truly admirable."
"It's nothing..." Arthur replied, shaking his head as if downplaying everything. "I just stayed up a little late last night."
Artoria, standing beside him, looked confused.
Arthur had been knocked unconscious by her the night before.
How exactly could he have spent the entire night thinking about the Saxons while unconscious?
"The others have arrived as well," Arthur said shortly afterward. "So we can begin the meeting as soon as possible."
While Artoria was still reflecting on that, she heard footsteps echoing through the hall.
Turning her head, she saw several people entering through the main gate.
All of them were Knights of the Round Table.
The absolute elite.
And also the primary leaders responsible for the campaign to conquer the fourth territory.
Before the official start of the meeting, Gawain once again glanced at the mark on Arthur's neck.
A flash of confusion appeared in his eyes.
That mark... it seems familiar.
---xXx---
After the strategic discussion concluded, the group rode to the main gate of the royal city.
The moment they appeared in the streets, the crowd began shouting the king's name in unison.
In the eyes of the people, the new king was without a doubt an extraordinary ruler.
In less than half a month, he had already conquered three Saxon territories in succession.
"You truly are very popular, my lord." Gawain looked around, listening to the applause and cheers, while his face lit up with a broad smile.
"Indeed." Agravain cast a discreet glance at Arthur.
He was one of the few who knew the truth behind the scenes.
The supposed conquest of the three territories had only happened because most of the enemy forces had already withdrawn beforehand.
Still, that hardly mattered.
The people did not need to know those details.
It was enough for them to know that Britain was growing stronger.
And that alone was already sufficient.
"Let's go!"
After crossing the city gates, Arthur firmly drew his longsword and pointed the blade forward.
His cloak fluttered in the wind.
His eyes filled with determination.
"Let's retake the fourth territory!"
(End of Chapter)