By the time the deep heat in the forest had finally died down, Barghest and I gathered ourselves and returned to the camp by the lakeshore.
The bonfire had already burned down to embers, and a few of the Servants, including the exhausted Kay, were quietly asleep in their tents and sleeping bags, snoring softly.
But Artoria, who was still awake, spotted us approaching and stuck out her lips in a sulky pout.
"Did you enjoy yourself, Brother?"
Naturally, Artoria had figured out what we'd been doing all that time. She wrapped both arms tightly around my waist and shook her head like she was pouting.
"All right, now it's my turn!"
"Yeah, yeah."
With a faint chuckle, I stroked Artoria's blond hair, then took her hand and led her toward a quiet patch of reeds in the opposite direction from before. Smiling brightly as if she had the whole world in her hands, she followed after me.
Once the two of us disappeared into the darkness, Stheno, who had been sitting by the fire, gracefully set down her teacup and looked up at Barghest standing beside her.
"Hehe. Your cheeks are still flushed. So it worked out, did it, our big fairy knight?"
"......"
Barghest covered her reddened cheeks with both hands.
"I truly... truly am happy. Never once in my life have I felt such overwhelming love and relief. Before Master, I became not merely a knight... but a tamed lover, a woman."
Barghest's eyes were overflowing with blind affection so sweet it seemed like honey might drip from them. Watching that change in her with interest, Stheno wore a bewitching smile.
'I expected she'd fall quickly, but to tame the Black Dog this completely and turn her into a female in every sense... he really is an amusing man.'
Turning the empty teacup in her hand, Stheno murmured inwardly.
'He broke Caenis's pride, and now he's even drawn out the blind love of that enormous beast. Just how much of a male is that cheeky little tyrant...? I'm starting to get interested myself. Maybe Medea is next? Or perhaps that sharp-tongued warrior from the island nation?'
That night, even the beautiful goddess found herself slowly drawn in by the strange charm the boy king gave off, and decided to keep turning him over in her mind.
The next morning.
After breakfast, while we prepared to march, Merlin spread out a large parchment map beside the fire.
"Now then, from here on, we're entering Wales. The first place we'll visit is the Kingdom of Brycheiniog in southern Wales. Of all the regions in Wales, this one has the smallest territory, and it's made up of harsh mountain country."
"If it's a small, weak country, isn't it a pretty worthless place to gather an army?"
Kay asked, tapping his scabbard.
"But it's excellent for securing legitimacy and supplies."
Merlin continued, pointing to the map.
"King Anulav, who rules Brycheiniog, wasn't originally royalty but a nobleman. He was pushed onto the throne by the recommendation of the nobles under pressure from those around him, so his authority is very weak. That's why he's thoroughly committed to neutral diplomacy and avoiding war. If Arthur puts forward his claim as the legitimate heir of Pendragon and handles the talks well enough, we should be able to obtain a modest amount of food and support without any unnecessary conflict."
Merlin's finger swept upward along the map, tracing the upper regions of Wales.
"And if we go farther north, there's the Kingdom of Estrangore in southeastern Wales, ruled by King Carados, and above that the Kingdom of Strangore, ruled by King Brandegoris. And holding out on the northwestern coastal isles is Listenoise, ruled by King Pellinore, a descendant of Joseph of Arimathea, disciple of the Savior."
Merlin lowered her voice as she tapped the final two large territories on the map.
"The last two countries we need to pay attention to are the key ones. One is the Kingdom of Cameliard, ruled by King Leodegrance, and the other is the Kingdom of Gore, ruled by King Urien, who governs the northwestern coast."
"King Leodegrance... wasn't he one of our father's closest allies?"
When I asked, Merlin nodded.
"That's right. He's also the one currently keeping the treasure Uther cherished so dearly in the past: the Round Table. And..."
Merlin looked at me with a playful smile.
"There's also a rather nasty rumor going around that King Urien of Gore is your older sister Morgan's lover."
"What? Her lover?!"
A dry cough burst out of me, and Kay and Artoria, who had been listening beside me, were just as shocked.
"Didn't my sister marry King Lot of Orkney in Pictland? That's outright two-timing!"
As I stared in disbelief, Merlin gave me a meaningful smile.
"Considering Morgan's disposition, it's probably not simple love or ordinary cheating. The Kingdom of Gore is a natural fortress, surrounded by marshland and great rivers. Rather than the Orkney Isles at the far northern edge of Britain, she likely judged that the Kingdom of Gore, situated in the middle of Wales, would be geographically far more advantageous when the time came to unify and rule Britain. There's a high chance it's meticulous line-casting and political groundwork."
"Wow... so it's cheating for power rather than love. Yeah, with my sister's personality, that's definitely a lot more convincing."
I nodded in agreement.
Artoria shook her head with a complicated look on her face.
"Why is my sister so obsessed with the throne? There's no need for us to slander and hate each other like this..."
Merlin shrugged and added,
"For reference, Morgan should be in her own territory of Orkney by now. And Arthur's half-sister Elaine is also in the neighboring country of Garlot, which shares a border with Orkney."
"Orkney and Garlot, huh. They're stuck all the way up at the far northern tip of Pictland. Looks like there's no chance we'll be seeing my sisters' faces this year."
I smacked my lips, inwardly disappointed.
Artoria too wore a bitter expression as she stroked the hilt of her sword.
"Even if we're bound by a terrible fate, they're still our only family. It makes me so sad that we have to stay apart like this and point spears and swords at one another."
At her words, Kay folded his arms and snorted.
"Hey, wake up. At the very least, that viper Morgan is probably cursing you two down to her bones. And from Queen Elaine's point of view, you're the children of the enemy who killed her own father. If anything, they'll see you badly, not dream of some warm family reunion."
The mood seemed ready to sink under Kay's realistic assessment, but I laughed heartily and tapped Caliburn.
"That's exactly why we have to step in ourselves. We'll cleanly settle the usurpation and bad blood of our parents' generation in ours, somehow reconcile, and get the whole family sitting together for at least one meal. Right?"
"Yes! Brother is right. Our parents are gone, so at the very least the siblings who remain should get along and live in harmony!"
Artoria clenched both fists and declared her bold resolve.
Watching that scene warmly, Stheno clapped with a sultry smile.
"Hehe, Artoria is absolutely right. Sisters ought to get along, after all. Big sister will be cheering for you."
But as they listened to the peaceful hopes of the siblings, the expressions of three others—Nobu, Ushiwakamaru, and Medea—had darkened in a subtle way.
'My little brother... Nobukatsu used to follow me so well too... and in the end, I had no choice but to cut him down with my own hands.'
Nobu bitterly stroked her matchlock.
'Brother Yoritomo... I too wanted to stay with you forever...'
Ushiwakamaru also bit her lip quietly, as though her own tragic end in the past had come back to her.
'Apsyrtus... saying it was a curse would be a poor excuse, wouldn't it? Even if I was mad with love, cutting that child into pieces and killing him because it was the most efficient option was the greatest mistake of my life. Even if we met again as Heroic Spirits, there's no way we could ever become close again.'
They were women who had once been forced to turn their blades on beloved siblings and meet tragic ends.
That was why they sincerely hoped that the young twin lords they served would somehow reach a good ending with the Pendragon family.
That afternoon.
Our group left Totnes behind and entered a harsh valley road leading toward the mountainous regions of Wales.
"Hey, Master! Look up ahead at that bridge. Someone's blocking the road."
Caenis, walking at the front, jerked her chin while pointing with the blade of her spear.
A stone bridge spanning a massive gorge, the only route into Wales.
At the center of that bridge stood a single knight in a red cloak and cold silver armor, along with dozens of heavily armed elite knights guarding him and blocking the way.
"......"
The knight in silver armor had removed his helmet. Beautiful yet sorrowful red hair, and sharp, mournful eyes whose emotions could not be read.
The finest swordsman and archer in Cornwall.
It was Tristan.
He had perfectly predicted that we would come this way, seized the chokepoint first, and waited for us.
"Are you Arthur Pendragon, heir to Uther Pendragon?"
Tristan's elegant yet cold voice rang out on the wind through the valley.
"King Mark has ordered that you be respectfully escorted to Cornwall. Please turn your horse around and come quietly."
His hand quietly gripped the hilt of the knightly sword at his waist.
"Well now, looks like they're underestimating us. Who wants to handle this?"
To think they'd send someone to capture us. I'd heard plenty about King Mark's infamy.
He might not cooperate with Vortigern, but he was still a tyrant with poor standing among his people.
It made sense that he wouldn't like me raising an army in his territory.
"It's been a while since I've had to move my body properly. I'll do it."
"Uwahahaha! I'll do it too. I haven't had a proper fight in a while, so my body's been itching, you know?"
Penthesilea and Nobu stepped forward.
"Good. Just hold back enough not to kill them. Honestly, they haven't really done anything wrong, have they?"
"Telling us to hold back... it seems we're being taken rather lightly."
At first Tristan had looked ready to draw his sword, but deciding he truly meant to fight seriously, he took out Failnaught instead.
Like all the Knights of the Round Table, he likely had Saber aptitude and was highly skilled with the sword as well, but Tristan was still, above all else, an archer.
Even so, his opponent was unfortunate, and Tristan himself was still too young. He looked about the same age as me.
At the very least, he had to be several steps below the Tristan I knew. What a shame.
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