"Guinevere, are you sure about this? Just accepting Rome's nominal surrender?"
"Lia, you may have slain that arrogant emperor on the battlefield, but the Roman knights in their shield wall still haven't laid down their arms. I can't accept over a thousand casualties on our side. Can you? Or do you actually want to be crowned Emperor of Rome?"
In Le Morte d'Arthur, after the King of Knights slew Emperor Lucius, she swept through his forces unopposed. When she finally marched into Rome, she was indeed crowned Emperor of Rome, with the Pope himself presiding over the ceremony.
From this perspective, the King of Knights and a certain "Umu"-spouting Roman Emperor with a "Saber" face truly shared a connection as fellow Roman Emperors.
However, because Guinevere was present and unwilling to see Camelot bleed itself dry against the shield wall, this campaign was nearing its end.
Guinevere demanded their surrender, their retreat to Rome, and their recognition of Camelot as Rome's suzerain state.
She also demanded reparations from Rome, specifically including the Holy Grail.
As for the deal with Bishop Edward? The Holy Grail didn't necessarily have to be obtained from him. Once Rome surrendered, Camelot's knights could still enter the city.
Most importantly, Guinevere had always found Bishop Edward's deference excessive, suspecting a hidden trap.
"Of course, Lia," Guinevere continued, "if you truly wish to be crowned Emperor of Rome, I'm not without ways to annihilate this Roman army.
"The simplest method would be to continue luring them into surrendering. Once they lay down their arms, we could serve them poisoned wine and slaughter them.
"But that would tarnish your reputation. When we march into Rome, we might find ourselves spat upon by its citizens."
Camelot had made camp outside Paris. After their emperor's death, Guinevere had deliberately allowed the Roman shield wall to retreat into the city.
Despite this, the war's difficulty hadn't increased. If the Roman Knights still wished to fight, the situation would simply revert to a siege of Paris, forcing them out for a field battle.
Letting the shield wall retreat had merely avoided a costly interception battle they were reluctant to fight head-on.
"Guinevere, I understand," the King of Knights said. "I will offer them terms of surrender. But who should we send into Paris to negotiate?"
"My King, let us go."
Within the tent, it was Lancelot who spoke, his "us" referring to himself and the several other Round Table Knights present—all of whom knew the King of Knights was a woman.
"Sir Lancelot..."
"My King, I am not afraid. I simply wish to share the glory. In today's battle, only Gawain and I earned great merit. The duels before the main engagement... the others don't consider those significant achievements.
"Besides, if the war ends now, many of your knights will not have even had a chance to charge into battle."
As ordinary knights, their concerns were simple: earning merit, receiving honors, and fighting another battle.
But as leaders, the King of Knights and Guinevere had far more to consider.
Listening, observing, and realizing that years might pass without another war, Guinevere changed her mind. She decided to postpone ending the conflict for now.
"Sir Lancelot, you and Sir Gawain will handle the negotiations," Guinevere commanded. "Regardless of whether they agree to surrender, you must keep them tied down within the city.
"Kay, Gaheris, you will lead all the knights who have yet to see battle. You have seven days to conquer Rome and bring back everything the King and I desire.
"As for Paris, the King, Tristan, the knights who earned merit today, and my Berserker Knight Order will maintain the siege."
Changing orders overnight? Perhaps, but Kay and the others were more than satisfied with this reversal. Their eyes turned to the King of Knights, who quickly nodded in assent before giving Guinevere a helpless smile.
"Sir Kay, Sir Gaheris, Rome is in your hands," the King of Knights said. "As you depart, have the mages cast Concealment to hide your movements from those within the city.
"You should also ask the mages if they're interested in causing some chaos at the Holy See."
"Wait," Guinevere interjected, adding to the King's instructions. "Tell the mages that for every one of them who goes, they must bring back the heads of at least three Radicals!
"And... have them take Bishop Edward with them. He must fulfill his promise to betray the Radicals as proof of his worthiness to act as Camelot's representative."
These two sentences were Guinevere's additions after the King of Knights mentioned the mages. For now, she had nothing more to say.
With the King and Queen silent, Kay and the others were the first to depart, relaying the orders to the somewhat listless Unblooded Knights.
Barely suppressing their excitement, nearly all the mages and over a thousand knights slipped out of the camp. The few mages who remained behind cast illusions to make it appear as if they were still present.
Then, like wild horses breaking free, they charged toward Rome, which had also deployed all its knights.
"My King, what about the captured kings...?"
"Tell them that all the tribute their nations previously paid to Rome must now be delivered to Camelot. After the war, I will visit each kingdom personally."
"My King, are we truly just letting them go?"
"We don't have the manpower to guard prisoners."
Bedivere and Tristan remained in the tent. As the King's Personal Knights, they were rarely sent on external missions.
After answering Bedivere's question, the King of Knights sent him to carry out the order.
As a nobleman, a knight, and one of the King of Knights' longest-serving companions, Bedivere knew exactly how to handle the captured kings with the proper etiquette.
In his opinion, if Camelot truly wanted to establish practical rule over the various nations, the King of Knights should have met with them personally.
But once Guinevere extinguished the King's interest in the Roman Emperor, the King of Knights lost all interest in the nominal thrones of these nations as well.
So, were they truly to be released without consequence? According to the rules of the Knight War, these prisoners were first required to pay a ransom—a standard practice universally accepted by all nations, not an unreasonable demand.
Seven days later, while the shield wall within the city still held, Kay and his knights had already breached Rome.
They returned with carts large and small, laden not only with the reparations from Rome and the Holy Grail and heads Guinevere had demanded, but also with a formal surrender drafted by the Senate.
The Senate urged a certain imperial prince in Paris to abandon his resistance, as his younger brother had already ascended the throne following a unanimous vote by the Senate.
The new Pope had already crowned him.
"Kay," the King of Knights said, "the Senate's capitulation was... rather swift."
"My King, it wasn't the Senate's doing, but the Church's. It's said the founder of the Holy Church personally intervened, forcibly purging the Radicals who opposed a ceasefire.
"That Bishop Edward... no, Cardinal Edward now... was merely following that individual's orders."
Ten days later, in the tent, Guinevere watched Kay and the other knights return. She had many questions, but her gaze was immediately drawn to the Golden Cup held aloft by a Church nun.
It had been covered by a white cloth upon its arrival, but as Guinevere's eyes fell upon it, the cloth flew off on its own, untouched by any breeze.
Beneath the cloth, the Holy Grail shimmered. Forged entirely of gold, its base was inlaid with twenty-eight pearls, two rubies, and two emeralds.
Including its base, the cup stood seventeen centimeters tall and fourteen and a half centimeters wide.
It was a physical Holy Grail, different from the one she remembered from her past life's knowledge of Fate. Yet, with a single glance, Guinevere felt her soul being drawn into it, instantly recognizing it as the genuine Holy Grail.
"But... how could the Holy See so easily surrender a relic of this magnitude...?"