Chapter 318

As soon as she finished speaking, a longsword appeared out of thin air in Artoria's hand.

The beautiful and sacred Holy Sword immediately caught the attention of the three people present. Artoria handed the hilt to Charles the Great and said, "Hold on tight."

Charles the Great seemed a little scared, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation. It wasn't the throne, but eternal life and youth, or perhaps both. He still grasped the sword Artoria offered.

"Hold on tight?" Artoria asked again to confirm.

Charles the Great nodded.

The next second, Artoria let go, and the man with the Charles the Great staggered, the sword in his hand falling as if weighed down by a thousand pounds and embedding itself in the ground. He was also almost tripped and fell over by the sword.

Fortunately, it didn't actually fall completely.

Charles the Great quickly regained his balance and then mustered all his strength to try to pull the sword out.

No matter how hard he tried, even as his face turned red, the sword remained firmly planted in the ground, unmoving.

"Even if you were the Hulk, Captain America, you couldn't pull out this sword." Artoria said calmly and coldly, "Because what you perceive as a blessing is actually a curse. You haven't considered what you'll bear, nor what you'll lose."

"You are not a king, nor will you ever become a king, and you have no royal glory."

Chapter 356 Shocking to the Core

"The king comes to acknowledge, the king comes to permit, the king comes to bear the All the World's Evil."

Artoria looked at Charles the Great, who was tentatively pulling out the sword with all his might, and said, "In your eyes and in your heart, there is only glory, only what you consider good. But you have never thought about what lies behind the glory."

| [^

"Blood, betrayal, curses, abandonment," Artoria said. "Tolerate disloyalty, forgive blood feuds, acknowledge enemies."

"Never be enraged or murderous, never betray, never be cruel, forgive those who ask for forgiveness, always help a lady, never coerce a lady. Never fight for love or the benefit of words." Humphrey, who had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines, finally spoke, saying in an emphasis that sounded like English but was not at all like English: "The rules set forth by the King."

"What is that?" Hack seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to.

"The Knight's Code," Humphrey explained. "Prime Minister, this Knight's Code was proposed by Her Majesty the Queen and is to be followed by all the Knights of the Round Table. Even by modern standards, its contents represent noble character."

"Oh..." Hack seemed to understand, but it was basically a bunch of really powerful stuff.

"It would be even better if you could speak in English," Hack retorted.

"I'm just speaking English," Humphrey said. "Mr. Prime Minister, even if you don't understand all this classical vocabulary, you must have seen plenty of these kinds of movies, right? For example, you often make decisions, but..."

Humphrey made a simple gesture, and Huck seemed to suddenly understand, saying, "It's those who didn't follow the last rule and ended up breaking everything..."

Before he could finish speaking, he realized something was wrong and quickly bowed to Artoria, saying, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to do that."

"Forgive those who ask for forgiveness." Artoria took out a pen and a small notebook and scribbled on them, saying, "It's alright, Prime Minister Hak. I don't care at all about your disrespectful words."

"It's just a personal habit," Artoria added. "It's another Doctor's habit."

"But you're not wrong either." Artoria quickly put away her notebook and pen and said, "I was ultimately not a good king either, because my mistakes led to the destruction of the country."

"I could have made it better."

"And now?" Humphrey suddenly asked. "My Her Majesty the Queen, will you make the Britain Empire better?"

"I can't guarantee you anything," Artoria said, shaking her head. "Times have changed completely, just as I'm asking you now. Sir Humphrey, are you willing to become Knights of the Round Table and abide by these chivalric codes?"

"Should I always hold myself to the standards of chivalry?"

"I am a civil servant," Humphrey said with a slight smile. "My Her Majesty the Queen."

If it were ten years earlier, he might have considered it; if it were twenty years earlier, he would have hesitated; if it were thirty years earlier, he would have done it without hesitation; if it were forty years earlier, it would have been his dream.

It's a pity that he's long past the age of being a passionate young man.

"Are you going to continue?" Artoria asked, seeing the hammer still working hard. "I can leave it here until I need it or you pull it out."

"Forget it." After repeatedly confirming that he truly couldn't pull out the sword, Charles the Great made a clear decision to give up. Besides, what Artoria said wasn't entirely incomprehensible. Almost everyone understands such general principles. Her mother had also told her that to become a great king, one must possess a heart capable of tolerating evil while remaining impartial and selfless. A king must be more benevolent than anyone else, and also more ruthless.

The king must be more tolerant than anyone else, yet also more narrow-minded; in short, the king is a contradictory figure.

But Big Hammer himself didn't care much. In any case, under the Britain system, he was just a ruthless Stamp Machine. At least his mother could gain some real power through her fighting ability and could interfere with some policies.

What can I do? Just maintain a good royal image and keep stamping documents.

When he first learned of King Arthur's existence, he felt uneasy, always thinking that one day he would fall from his hard-won, yet easily obtained, throne. But when that day actually came, he felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

Now that he could no longer pull out the sword no matter how hard he tried, he felt a great sense of relief.

Perhaps from now on I can be unrestrained and no longer be a ruthless Stamp Machine, nor do I have to maintain all sorts of cumbersome images as a facade for the country.

"You're right." Charles the Great took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his sweat, saying, "My Her Majesty the Queen."

This is from the bottom of my heart.

"Speaking of which," Hark suddenly interjected, "May I ask, Your Her Majesty the Queen, if I may ask, I remember the Sword in the Stone had a scabbard, I think it was called Avalon."

"Why are you asking this?" Artoria retorted.

"I remember Merlin saying in the story: 'You should know that the scabbard is worth ten times the blade. The one who wears the scabbard of the Sword of Kings will never bleed, so protect the scabbard and carry it with you at all times.'" Hark said, "I remember the story said that the scabbard seems to be... well, never mind the story, if the scabbard is not there... well, your magical method just now seems to be able to store the Holy Sword."

Hark's incoherent words left Artoria completely confused.

"I just feel it's a loss," Hark said. "Holy Sword without a scabbard—the scabbard is, after all, a more precious treasure than the Holy Sword."

"You don't need to worry about anything," Artoria said. "I got the scabbard back with me when I retrieved the Holy Sword. It's just that I can't take the scabbard out."

"Huh? Why?" Hack blurted out almost immediately.

"Because the scabbard has become part of my body," Artoria said, shrugging. "Without the scabbard, it would be a very troublesome thing for me. It's not just a matter of the Holy Sword."

The reason why I didn't become Herrscher would go on a killing spree might not be solely due to Otto's medicine.

More importantly, it's because of the scabbard.

"Anyway, there's nothing to regret," Artoria said. "I think we've chatted here long enough. Please tell me what to do next. I've been running around all day and just want to finish these boring rituals as soon as possible and find a place to rest."

"If this continues, I think I'm going to refuse the ceremony."

"Then let me explain the specific procedures for today's ceremony," said Charles the Great. "It's roughly like this..."

If the traditional procedure were followed, the succession ceremony would typically consist of: a grand procession, followed by a sword-drawing ceremony, then the coronation, and finally another procession for the king to bless the onlookers.

Finally, he will wave to the people from Buckingham's balcony.

The problem is that no one has ever seen the real Holy Sword, and secondly, if it were the real Holy Sword, then currently no one but King Arthur himself could possibly wield it. Finally, this woman was not an heir to the throne; she was already a queen.

Another problem that gave everyone a headache was that this king was definitely not a Puritan.

What should we do then?

Finally, after discussion, the Britain, including Charles the Great, decided to deviate from the traditional approach, or at least not completely follow it. Upon arriving in London, King Arthur was taken directly to St. George's Chapel, where he was dressed in King Arthur finest attire before proceeding to Westminster Abbey.

Yes, the succession to the throne and the coronation ceremony are not held at Windsor Castle.

In Chinese terms, St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle is simply a temple built on top of a royal tomb. Westminster Abbey, on the other hand, is the cathedral where the previous Queen was crowned.

Walking from here to Westminster Abbey signifies the return of a fallen king.

Moreover, the journey was long enough for them to inform the former king of modern etiquette and matters to be observed during the coronation ceremony. If the king could not accept the current Archbishop of Canterbury's offer of coronation, they could raise this issue so they could have a backup plan.

It means that the hammer itself will hand over the crown and scepter to King Arthur.

"The Archbishop of Canterbury ..." Artoria said, sitting in the royal carriage, "Wasn't he someone named... what was his name again... never mind, he used to be the superintendent of the school in Bailey and was an expert in green?"

"It seems the Queen knows him quite well," Charles the Great said, somewhat surprised. "He..."

"Whatever." Actually, Artoria wasn't particularly interested in this bishop. She only vaguely remembered seeing him mentioned in an episode of "Yes, Prime Minister," which also included a lighthearted comment on the current state of religion in Britain.

Those archbishops, one after another, didn't really believe in God.

"I've made up my mind," Artoria said. "Let's speed things up; just give me the crown."

'That won't be much faster,' Charles the Great thought to himself.

"Oh, right, we're about to enter the city." Charles the Great glanced at the scenery along the roadside and said, "Your Her Majesty the Queen would have better cheer up, or at least smile more, like I do."

Charles the Great gave a very professional smile and said, "The public will be even happier."

"I always feel like I'm a monkey in a circus," Artoria said expressionlessly, "Not a king, sitting in an exquisite cage being watched like a monkey instead of being revered by the people in a royal carriage."

"Actually, it's all pretty much the same." With Humphrey and Harker no longer around, Charles the Great relaxed a bit more and said, "Everyone thinks being king is great, but it's not really that great. In the eyes of the ministers, I'm just a stamping machine, the media prefers to dig up my negative news, and the people are more interested in my son's scandals than the country. As for myself, I just play the role of king every day."

"Has no one ever cared about this country?" Artoria retorted. "Didn't both houses of Congress send me here hoping to make this country better?"

"Concerned about the country? Making the country better?" Charles the Great chuckled dismissively, seemingly looking down on the politicians in both houses of Congress. "Didn't Humphrey tell you? When this country is on the decline..."

"Someone always has to jump on and step on the gas," Artoria replied. "Of course I know that."

"Harker is a nice guy," Charles the Great said. "When he was the Chief Executive, he had some innovative policies and ideas. Now, Harker is probably just like those civil servants. No policy is policy. They only come up with some seemingly nice policies when their term is about to end, both to save face for themselves and to make the people think that this prime minister is okay, and also to make things a little difficult for the next one."

"But in reality, nothing can be done." Charles the Great said as if recalling something, "Just like my mother said, they would always say that although the situation is already bad, it can't get any better, so it's good to stay the way it is."

It seems that Charles the Great also doesn't have a very good impression of the civil service and politicians.

However, Artoria was still aware of the system under the Britain regime. Even if Charles the Great had the courage and ideas, what could he do? Once he touched the interests of those people, they could issue a document for Charles the Great step down and have him sign it.

He couldn't possibly have done any of that.

"Then what's the point of me coming here?" Artoria retorted, "To continue being a heartless Stamp Machine like you?"

"If you can handle them," Charles the Great shrugged. "Of course, I mean not with the sword in your hand. Otherwise, I think that's probably impossible right now."

"I understand what you're saying, and I'm certainly not suited to be a king," Big Hammer said. "They also need someone who isn't suited to be king."

"The only reason we chose you is because you are too famous."

"But then again," Big Hammer asked, still a little curious, "Are you asking me these questions because you really intend to become a king with real power?"

"Of course~" Artoria said, drawing out the last syllable, "Of course I'm not prepared. I can also tell you that I'm just here to be a parasite. Because they've forced me into this position, I have no choice but to use the sword in my hand."

"But I think you should understand that if I use the sword in my hand, I would probably become public enemy number one."

Ultimately, the current Artoria is not the same Artoria. She neither has the same desire to start over and save the country from peril, nor does she possess the same remarkable political talent.

So...

I'll most likely remain a freeloader.

"We're heading into town," said Hammer. "No offense, but you'd better smile."

"The idea that King Arthur was a girl is already enough to shatter people's worldview."

Chapter 357 Boring Days

Mary Sue wakes up every day in a 500-square-meter bed...

Ahem, I misspoke.

Today is Saber's first day as queen. Yesterday's ceremony went smoothly except for some unexpected incidents. And then nothing else happened.

Saber was forced to become queen; just as she and Charles the Great said, she wasn't there to rule the country.

She's here to be a freeloader.

As for the Britain civil servants and politicians, they seem to have no intention of making any changes, even though the country is already on a downward spiral. As long as the interests of those who have already benefited are maintained, what the country will encounter on this downward path is not something they care about.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen."

Artoria had just woken up when a maid brought her morning tea to her bed.

'Royal enjoyment~' the Saber picked up his teacup.

In terms of pure enjoyment, the royal family's lifestyle is quite luxurious.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen." At that moment, a woman dressed in a black suit and wearing glasses entered the bedroom of the girl with the ahoge (a nickname for a female character), and said, "Today is your first day as Queen. According to the schedule, today you will be..."

"Wait a minute," Saber interrupted the lady, "Ms. Lorraine, strictly speaking, this isn't my first day as queen, is it?"

"If you've always been King Arthur and never died," Lorraine said, "Then it certainly wouldn't count as your first day as queen, but I suppose in a strict sense, as a reincarnation, this is indeed your first time as queen?"

"..." Saber said speechlessly, "Alright, my butler."

Lorraine, the Royal Grand Steward. The butler who frequently appears in the TV series, is a graduate of Salisbury College. Incidentally, Salisbury College is also Humphrey's alma mater.

I wonder if all graduates of Bailey College are a bit...

Well, people often use long, complicated sentences to appease others, and Lorraine is no exception. However, after discovering that Saber was far removed from her own image of him, she seemed to lose interest in using such language to Saber.