Ugh, how embarrassing! Gawain, Agravain, and Lancelot saw us kissing when they returned for the second Round Table meeting!
At the Round Table, the King of Knights maintained a stern expression, but couldn't suppress the faint blush creeping up her earlobes. Guinevere thought this with a serene, even smug expression on her face, brimming with pride.
Among the three returning knights, only Lancelot looked like he might crush his own hand from the force of his grip. Gawain and Agravain, however, beamed at the sight of their King and Queen's harmonious union.
A mere kiss—in the eyes of the knights, it was simply a cause for admiration.
"Your Majesty, Sir Ector has already departed with his men. If the Kingdom suffers widespread disaster, then..."
Merlin had not provided any guidance on how to handle such a crisis in the knowledge he had imparted to the King of Knights in his dreams.
After Guinevere settled back into her chair, she first turned to Agravain and said, "Sir Agravain, what you should be doing now isn't speculation, but dispatching men to survey the remaining grain stores across the land and calculating whether the affected farmers can survive until the next autumn harvest without national assistance."
"And Sir Lancelot, you must also prepare yourself. If Sir Agravain's survey reveals a critical grain shortage, we may need you to lead an expedition to Gaul to assess whether they have surplus supplies to cover the deficit."
"My apologies. I invited you to serve as Chief Instructor of the Knight Academy, only to immediately assign you another mission abroad. While you remain in Camelot City, please spend ample time with your newlywed wife."
The King of Knights couldn't refute Guinevere's orders. Though she commanded many knights, only a handful were capable of leading independently and earning her complete trust.
Agravain had to remain to handle political affairs, while Gawain's position at the Knight Academy held greater importance than Lancelot's. Kay, Bedivere, and others lacked either the strength or the temperament for independent command, and the King of Knights would never entrust a mission to Gaul to such leaders.
Moreover, one of Lancelot's parents was from Gaul, granting him some claim to Gaulish Vassal King bloodlines.
"Sir Agravain, Sir Lancelot, I entrust this mission to you."
Agravain would execute any order jointly approved by the King and Queen with unwavering resolve. As for Lancelot, after completing his wedding and traveling to Ireland, though he hadn't entirely relinquished his desire for Guinevere, he had become even more determined to sever that longing from his heart.
His hasty return was indeed due to the Irish proving unexpectedly weak and unwilling to accept rule by this conqueror.
Lancelot had no objections to going out for some fresh air again. His only reservation was...
"Your Majesties, if we're truly going to Gaul, I plan to bring Elaine with me. We're married now, and I want to grow to love her as soon as possible."
Everyone was seated around the Round Table, forgoing formal courtesies during the discussion. Upon hearing Lancelot's words, Gawain, who sat beside him, flashed a radiant smile and clapped him hard on the shoulder.
Gawain didn't realize that by severing the intertwined fates of Lancelot and Guinevere, he was also sparing his younger brother Agravain and sister Gareth from the dishonorable deaths that awaited them in the original timeline. Nor would Gawain ever have to confront Lancelot in battle out of hatred, fighting him all day until, gravely wounded by Lancelot in the night, he succumbed to his injuries.
Watching Gawain's radiant smile and his camaraderie with Lancelot, Guinevere's lips curved into a complex, emotional smile.
If only everything could go smoothly, she mused inwardly. Though she couldn't imagine how she and Lancelot could ever fall into the forbidden love described in historical records.
"Alright, Sir Gawain, if you keep this up, Sir Lancelot will get angry. If you want to fight, take it to the Training Ground.
But before that, let's discuss the Knight Academy."
After over two months of preparation, a small city had risen beside Camelot City—the Knight Academy of Camelot .
Spanning several square kilometers, the fully equipped academy was designed to accommodate ten grades, each with three hundred students, just as Guinevere had envisioned.
In its first year, Guinevere planned to fill all ten grades at once, grouping students based on their existing abilities at enrollment.
For the lower grades, recruitment was no issue; the Kingdom had no shortage of children aged eight to fifteen.
The highest three grades, however, Guinevere intended to fill with current knights, using the same approach she had implemented in the Kingdom of Cameliard: providing these knights with further training in areas such as magical application, coordinated combat, and cultural studies.
"So, as Vice Principal, I'll be a student as well?"
"Sir Gawain, if you aspire to command a Knight Order, you must master coordinated combat and leadership."
"You've seen the Knight Order I lead. Each of its members is weaker than a true Round Table Knight who can materialize armor with magic.
Yet when I lead them into battle, I have the confidence to unseat even Sir Lancelot from his horse."
Lancelot hadn't personally participated in the battle outside Hamburgh, but he had witnessed Guinevere training the Knight Order firsthand.
He wanted to say, Even with your leadership, Guinevere, the current Knight Order still isn't up to par.
However, he also understood that if the Order's members were just a bit stronger—each barely reaching Round Table level—then a force of twenty such knights would guarantee his defeat.
"Gawain, it's not just you. I need to learn this as well. If we led not mere knights but proper Knight Orders, then even if the former King of Ireland and his elite forces still lived, either of us could lead a Knight Order of thirty or fewer and crush the fully mobilized Kingdom of Ireland in three days."
Lancelot was speaking up for Guinevere, and his words rang true. Which knight among them failed to grasp the power of a Knight Order?
With this, all agenda items regarding the Knight Academy had been settled, and today's Round Table meeting could now conclude.
At that moment, King Arthur's Personal Knight, Bedivere, pushed open the door, his urgent news shattering the council's carefully laid plans.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen, and esteemed members," Bedivere announced, his voice urgent, "the Northern Barbarians have begun raiding our borders! According to reports from the Northern Lords, they've mobilized their entire horde, not just their peasant armies but even including children and the frail elderly in their battle formations."
Before Bedivere could finish speaking, the assembled nobles already understood the Barbarians' true motive. If they won, well and good; if they lost, they would at least deplete their surplus population, just as herders slaughter their sheep when winter fodder runs short.
"Your Majesty, this battle..."
"I will lead this campaign myself. Bedivere, you will accompany me. Guinevere, would you lend me Sir Tristan and the entire Knight Order?"
"My King, I..."
"Guinevere, the Knight Academy needs your attention. Don't forget about Gaul, the matter you urged me to prioritize. Rest assured, I will return victorious swiftly."
During the preceding council meeting, Guinevere had orchestrated nearly every detail. Despite being his consort and receiving his complete trust, the King of Knights couldn't shake the feeling of being utterly useless.
Fortunately, the Barbarians had raided the border, reminding the King of Knights of her sword's exceptional sharpness.
Guinevere gazed at the King of Knights and took a deep breath. She realized she had indeed fallen in love with the ruler before her, her heart aching at the thought of parting.
Yet for the sake of their future, and knowing that separate paths were the best choice, Guinevere nodded and said,
"May victory be yours, My King."