That night, Guinevere slept soundly for the first time since the King of Knights had departed on campaign.
In the days that followed, her mind was consumed with how to change Morgan's hatred for the King of Knights.
Ultimately, Morgan's hatred for the King of Knights stemmed from the sins of King Uther and Merlin.
To ensure the birth of the prophesied child, Merlin, guided by the future he saw through Clairvoyance, assisted King Uther in successfully seizing the King of Knights and Morgan's mother, while killing Morgan's father on the battlefield.
"The true culprit, of course, was King Uther. For the sake of his lust, he forcibly took the Duchess, waged war against his own Duke, and deserved to be drained of his life force and die of illness during the war against the Northern Barbarians.
But the problem is, he's already dead. Even Morgan couldn't bring herself to exhume his corpse and flog it."
"So, should we capture Merlin and let Morgan kill him to vent her rage? Even if that were possible, Morgan doesn't hate Merlin. She believes he was merely acting according to the Prophecy."
In the Headmaster's office at the Knight Academy, Guinevere reviewed student exam results while fretting over the strained relationship between the King of Knights and Morgan. She genuinely didn't know where to begin.
Was Morgan merely taking her anger out on the King of Knights? Guinevere had already raised this point, but the only result was that Morgan stopped cursing the King of Knights with such vitriol.
"Damn it! It's all Merlin's fault!"
Guinevere slammed her fist on the table, cursing aloud. Unlike the sturdy Round Table she had brought with her, this solid wood table splintered under the force, sending wood chips flying.
After leaving two gaping holes in the table, Guinevere decided to put the matter aside for now. She still had ample time to wait for a turning point. For the moment, no one was pressuring her to produce an heir with the King of Knights.
"Even after two entrance exams, the Knight Academy is still overflowing with applicants. It seems we'll need a third exam.
However, most candidates who passed the first two exams are noble-born children from various regions. We'll need to give preferential treatment to candidates of common birth.
Hmm, they won't need to participate in the third exam at all."
After pondering, she made her decision.
Within the Knight Academy, Guinevere could act with absolute authority. If students disagreed, she allowed them to settle their grievances through martial combat. If they could defeat her in a duel, their argument would be considered valid.
"From the North, Lia reports that she has taken in over fifty thousand more elderly, infirm, and disabled refugees. She plans to construct a new city in the North."
From Gaul, Lancelot sent word of a bountiful harvest this year, keeping grain prices low. However, transporting enough grain back to Great Britain would require building a vast fleet of new ships.
Meanwhile, Sir Ector and Kay reported that their disaster relief efforts and "tax collection" from the vassal kings were progressing smoothly. They also discovered that several vassal kings were already plotting rebellion.
Tsk, good riddance. If they're going to rebel, at least sending Kay out won't have been a waste.
As Guinevere continued reviewing student records, she muttered to herself. Since becoming involved in central decision-making, she increasingly felt her own knowledge was inadequate.
She began to admire Merlin's wisdom and how the King of Knights, relying solely on knowledge gleaned from childhood dreams, managed these complex affairs with such remarkable efficiency.
At that moment, Guinevere realized their roles were reversed. She should be setting the strategic direction while the King of Knights handled the execution. In the war in the North, she should remain on the battlefield while the King of Knights returned to oversee the central government.
The problem, however, lay in their titles: she was the Queen, and Artoria was the King. Unless their roles were officially exchanged, their division of labor could not be altered.
In what world does a queen dictate a nation's course while the king executes her directives? Even if such a system existed, it would be unheard of for the queen to lead armies abroad while the king remained in the capital. What would become of the king's authority then?
Sigh... This is such a headache...
Deep down, Guinevere had always sought to alter the fates of herself and the King of Knights. The ultimate fate of Camelot mattered little to her.
But the King of Knights was different. When she drew the sword, Merlin had asked her:
"By drawing this blade, you will cease to be human. Even so, do you still wish to draw it?"
The King of Knights had nodded...
When my Lia drew the sword, was her resolve the same as what I remember?
In Guinevere's memory, the King of Knights' response to Merlin's question had been...
To become king is to cease being human.
This realization had been with her since birth.
A king, by definition, exists to protect the people, and must therefore be the one who kills the most among them.
As a child, she had pondered this every night, trembling until dawn.
Not a single day passed without fear.
Yet, as if by natural right, the sword was drawn, enveloped in radiant light.
In that instant, the girl named Artoria ceased to be human.
"Hmph, 'not human' my ass."
For some reason, Guinevere's mind flashed back to a dialogue scene from the FSN game, where she and Merlin discussed the King of Knights drawing her sword.
The King of Knights had become King with the resolve to sacrifice everything, solely to save Great Britain from its decay.
Yet, despite giving her all, she ultimately faced betrayal, abandonment, and the destruction of her kingdom.
What she couldn't accept wasn't her personal tragedy, but the tragedy of Camelot itself. Indifferent to her own fate, she cared only that she hadn't done enough. Thus, she vowed never to draw the sword again, wishing instead for destiny to grant Great Britain a new king.
From that perspective, if I were to surpass Lia in leadership and propose to her, 'Let me be King, you be Queen,' Lia would likely accept with a smile.
Guinevere merely entertained this fantasy in her heart. She knew such a decision couldn't be made by her and the King of Knights alone. Any attempt to do so might plunge the kingdom into turmoil, escalating into a civil war neither could tolerate.
"Guinevere, what are you thinking? If you truly care for Artoria, you should be focusing on alleviating her burdens.
Right now, you should be systematically providing all possible support to Camelot in its current crisis.
After all, you are her Queen, and you've vowed to be her steadfast pillar."
Had Morgan's mad ravings planted these doubts in Guinevere's mind? She couldn't be sure, but she was happy to blame Morgan anyway.
This train of thought led Guinevere to a possibility:
She could share her anxieties with the King of Knights.
If having an heir is truly necessary, and only Morgan can help, then Artoria should be able to suppress her anger and watch me goflirt withMorgan.
Immediately, Guinevere rejected this idea. The mere thought of the King of Knights' expression at such a sight filled her with a sharp, heart-wrenching pain.
The King of Knights had only recently begun to show emotions because of her. She refused to let her revert to the emotionless, betrayed figure she remembered—the one who couldn't even muster a smile.
Wait a minute... does this really mean we have to rely solely on Morgan's help? That bastard Merlin can't possibly stay away from Camelot forever, can he?
Morgan was an exceptionally skilled mage, but Merlin was an absolutely exceptional one. Though he tended to bite his tongue when chanting long spells, he preferred wielding various weapons to hacking people down rather than using magic.
Still, Guinevere could reasonably hope for his help—provided she asked him.
"When Lancelot returns, ask him to go to Avalon. He grew up there. Even if he's forbidden from returning permanently, the Lady of the Lake would surely relay a message to Merlin, wouldn't they?"
Merlin hadn't told anyone where he was going, but Avalon was the first place Guinevere thought of.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. This year, deep winter arrived only after three months of heavy snow.