"How can the Church be so wicked...?"
In this era, Great Britain still operated under the Vassal King System. Each Vassal King and their noble vassals ruled their respective territories, wielding absolute authority over all political, military, economic, and legal matters within their domains.
Given this reality, if Camelot didn't proactively conduct inspections, news of conditions in distant regions would never reach the capital.
Nearly a month later, when the Mages collaborating with Guinevere began reinvestigating the Vassal Kings—this time focusing on civilian perspectives—the collected accounts of their misdeeds filled volumes beyond counting.
As the Knights returned from investigating Churches and Convents across the land, the records of their misdeeds filled a thick tome.
A certain Church was deceiving its parishioners into excessive donations, ultimately driving families to ruin. A particular Convent had been repurposed as a brothel, forcing its nuns to serve visiting monks and nobles.
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Leaving aside generalities and focusing on specific individuals, Guinevere and the knights most often encountered records of exorcisms performed on young boys by certain priests.
Bang!
The Round Table shuddered violently from a furious strike. Thankfully, its sturdy construction prevented it from collapsing. Yet even the table's violent rattle paled in comparison to the pounding in the knights' hearts.
They had anticipated the wickedness of the Vassal Kings. Unlike the King of Knights, many of these rulers weren't knights themselves, bound neither by morality nor law.
But the Church...
These were the noble knights, sworn to uphold the knightly code. They had believed the Church's clergy would adhere to similar standards—maintaining purity, integrity, and guiding others toward righteousness.
"Bastards! They preach that all are born in sin and that good deeds and sincere repentance are the path to salvation, yet they themselves scoff at these principles!"
"Sir Kay, calm down," Sir Ector urged. "At least this infestation of vermin is relatively small. There are still true followers within the Church who genuinely uphold its doctrines."
In the Throne Room, gathered around the massive Round Table, were the participants of today's Round Table meeting: Kay, Ector, and other knights who knew the King of Knights was a woman, along with those Guinevere and the King of Knights had deemed trustworthy after careful deliberation.
Whether it was announcing to the knights that the King of Knights was a girl and that she and her consort had asked Morgan to create an artificial child for them, or the subsequent counterattack against the Church and its cleansing, the full scope of these actions could only be entrusted to knights deemed trustworthy.
"Sir Gawain, what are your thoughts?"
"Your Majesty, you and the Queen are correct. The Church is deeply entrenched in Great Britain, and complete eradication is impossible. Only by first exposing the rot in the Church's roots to the public can we justify cleansing those roots and seize the opportunity to infiltrate and reform the institution."
Having served as the Vice-Principal of the Knight Academy for over half a year, Gawain had undergone extensive re-education. He had also thoroughly studied the textbooks Guinevere had written when establishing the first Knight Academy.
Regarding the sections of the textbooks emphasizing loyalty to the Lord, Gawain had offered supplements, deeming Guinevere's original explanations too superficial.
Gawain was a devout Christian—or rather, all knights were to some extent—but his faith in the King of Knights surpassed all else. Should the King's grand ambitions clash with the Church, he would unhesitatingly side with the King.
This sentiment was shared by his younger brothers, Agravain and Gaheris, as well as his sister, Gareth.
Thus, all three knights were present at the meeting.
In addition to the King of Knights' foster father and foster brother, Morgan's four children, Bedivere (the King's Personal Knight), and Tristan (the Queen's Personal Knight) were also in attendance.
"Your Majesty, I would risk my life to carry out your command," Bedivere declared.
"My lords and ladies, would you care to hear a new piece I composed recently?" Tristan asked.
With only trustworthy individuals present and undeniable evidence of the Church's transgressions, they unanimously endorsed Guinevere's proposed "Purification Plan."
In Guinevere's memories, Great Britain had its own independent church faction, but that wouldn't emerge until nearly a thousand years later.
However, the fact that something happened in the future didn't mean she couldn't act now.
While both shared the name "Purification Plan," hers aimed to purify the Church itself, largely following the methods Gawain had outlined earlier.
Less than a month ago, after leaving Morgan's residence, Guinevere had initially intended only to counter the rumors. But upon witnessing the Church's actual atrocities, she found herself unable to remain silent.
As for the Vassal Kings, since the King of Knights had pledged not to initiate military campaigns, Guinevere had no choice but to restrain herself, however reluctantly.
As the Mages continued their investigations, Guinevere learned that her patience wouldn't need to last much longer. Some Vassal Kings were showing clear signs of collusion with the Holy Church.
Guinevere's only concern now was whether Camelot's current military strength would suffice if they openly clashed with the Holy Church.
"Guinevere, are you truly going to do this?"
"My King, I'm not demanding Lancelot return immediately. I'm simply requesting that he bring his wife and child back as soon as Lady Elaine gives birth. Until then, I'll carefully manage our retaliation against the Church."
There was no other choice. The more Guinevere personally clashed swords with Lancelot, the more she was awed by his strength. Urging his swift return was simply an extra layer of security.
After all, Guinevere had some understanding of the Holy Church, knowing just how formidable this inter-sectarian organization for hunting heretics and the occult truly was.
In her memories, the Holy Church housed not only "Ancestor"-level beings from the Dead Apostles, but also "Beast"-class entities like Kiara Sessyoin—a being capable of threatening entire planets and representing one of humanity's seven deadly sins.
However, according to Guinevere's recollections, Kiara Sessyoin should not yet have been born. The Holy Church of the present would therefore not be identical to the one she remembered.
Even so, the current Holy Church still drove Mages to flee like stray dogs. Guinevere's caution was hardly excessive.
"Moreover, I'll explicitly forbid Lancelot from returning early in the letter, to prevent any unpleasantness with Lady Elaine."
If possible, she'd even ask Merlin to add extra safeguards.
"Oh-ho, you're calling for me?"
It was the fragrance of flowers, and Guinevere recognized the exceptionally gentle voice she had heard before...
As she regained her senses amidst the floral scent, Merlin, draped in a white robe adorned with cascading flowers and wielding a black 'magic staff', had already materialized beside the Round Table, visible to all.
"Don't stare at me like that. I simply received the letter early. Lia said she wants to announce to everyone that she's actually a girl.
Well, I've watched Lia grow up, after all. When something this unexpected happens, of course I'd come back to see it for myself."
The King of Knights had indeed written to Merlin, but neither she nor Guinevere held any real expectation of his return.
After so long apart, Merlin's charm remained undiminished, his tone still carrying that characteristic lightheartedness.
As his words hung in the air, all eyes turned toward the King of Knights, waiting for her to personally confirm the truth.
In truth, the knights had long suspected the King of Knights was a girl. But since she wished to keep it hidden, they were content to play along, pretending ignorance.
They weren't blind. After spending so much time together, how could they not have discerned the King of Knights' true gender?
Even Tristan had seen through her disguise during the drunken feast where the King of Knights lost her composure, realizing she was, in fact, a girl.
Everyone else was stripping to the waist and chugging ale, so why was the King of Knights the exception? Why was Guinevere baring her teeth at the boisterous crowd?