She carried a plate of Artoria's favorite meat over to her side.
"Just eat a little."
The roasted meat gave off a fragrant aroma. Besides the smell of meat, there was also the scent of spices. It was a delicacy Artoria had never tasted before.
She swallowed.
She swallowed hard.
"No, I can't."
Yet even so, even though Artoria desperately wanted to eat it and even wanted to gnaw on the plate holding the meat, she still could not.
"This is a matter of principle! I will not eat such things!"
She declared this with righteous conviction.
And so, until the very end, the atmosphere of the entire banquet remained strange.
What a foolish little sister.
At the same time, Morgan le Fay happily enjoyed her strawberry cake as she thought this.
After witnessing all of Artoria's actions, she could not help but once again feel the indignation of, I actually lost to such an idiot? And then, following that—
"This little bastard has become even more delicious after just a few days apart."
Turning to look at Arthur, she could not help but think happily. At the same time, she elegantly used her knife and fork to cut the little dessert before her—made from honey, cream, soft cake, and strawberries—into small pieces and put them into her mouth.
"Mmm~"
She then let out a satisfied sound, as though she had already gotten her wish and savored Artorius.
Author's Note:
Updated, lalala.
The black hair on both sides of Gareth's head looked like drooping dog ears.
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The More You Work, the More You Earn
Mom's dark.jpg
The banquet ended unpleasantly.
Arthur's guard was settled in the barracks of Camelot. The knights each had rooms to rest in, so there was nothing to worry about.
Once everything had been arranged, the long-impatient Artoria grabbed her beloved son and headed for her study at top speed.
"Will the King and Arthur be all right...?"
Watching this scene, Guinevere, as Queen, felt deeply uneasy.
It was not just her. Quite a few Camelot soldiers, ministers, and the few Knights of the Round Table who had remained behind felt the same.
Besides unease, they also felt guilty and ashamed.
During the previous banquet, King Arthur had forcibly restrained her desires and desperately ate Black Bread, while they had more or less been unable to resist the delicious dishes brought by the Prince.
It made them feel as though they had betrayed their King.
When Queen Guinevere brought over the roasted meat to persuade her, everyone had watched with extremely complicated feelings.
—If King Arthur accepted the roasted meat, they could feast without any guilt at all—honestly, they had suffered alongside King Arthur for many years.
Ever since King Arthur ascended the throne and launched the counteroffensive against the Anglo-Saxons, they had been eating this Black Bread. Even now, they were still eating this Black Bread.
Occasionally, there would be some dried meat, vegetables, fish, and the like, which could barely count as an extra meal. That was only during wartime, when they could at least hunt while marching.
Over the past two years, the situation had grown increasingly worse. Seeing Britannia's agricultural output decline, King Arthur had led by example and urged everyone to live frugally. They ate only two meals a day, and every meal consisted of hard Black Bread made through magic.
Quite a few people were beginning to find such a miserable life unbearable.
If everyone lived so miserably, it would have been acceptable. But everyone knew that the soldiers and knights who had gone to Europe to follow the Prince received decent treatment. As long as they worked hard and had ability, even a destitute nobody with no standing could become someone important.
With such a comparison, continuing to live in hardship and remain in Britannia was enough to demonstrate their loyalty to King Arthur.
But occasionally, just occasionally, it should be fine to indulge themselves once and eat something good, right?
That was why they watched Artoria. When they saw Artoria reject the Queen's persuasion, they felt helpless on one hand, but somewhat happy on the other.
Their King was still that upright and incorruptible King. She would not bow or compromise even in the face of temptation.
But their King was perhaps a little too upright and incorruptible.
In the span of a single meal, the mindsets of many who remained in Camelot underwent subtle changes.
Some came to admire King Arthur even more and strengthened their resolve to continue persevering alongside her.
More people felt dejected, disappointed, and even disgusted and resentful.
Subconsciously, they felt that what they had done was not truly wrong. So they came to resent King Arthur, who had not responded to their feelings. They even developed the urge to leave her and seek refuge with Arthur.
She did not understand people's hearts. She simply did not understand people's hearts.
Artoria knew nothing of this.
"What exactly is going on? Why did you do this?"
She was still righteously questioning Arthur, hoping to awaken his sense of shame.
"The people cannot even fill their stomachs, yet we are holding such a lavish feast. What sort of behavior is that?!"
Things were not as Artoria had imagined.
Arthur did not put on an obedient act. Instead, he chose to confront Father King head-on.
"Because this is a day worth celebrating."
His tone was relaxed. "The soldiers have eaten Black Bread for so long. What is wrong with letting them eat something good once in a while?"
"But—"
"—Ah, don't worry." Arthur's lips curled upward. "As a benefit for my return to Camelot, I have already distributed bread and salt to every single citizen in Camelot. Every household received smoked meat, and every man also received a cup of beer as a gift. Everyone is very happy."
"..."
Artoria looked at Arthur in surprise, feeling a little less righteous than before—though even so, she still believed Arthur had done something wrong.
"Even, even if that is the case, our banquet only needed to be like that..."
"No."
Artorius unhesitatingly rejected Father King's words.
"Father King, do you think it is fair for everyone to eat the same food and suffer the same hardships? Soldiers, knights, and us eating well while ordinary citizens only get bread and beer—that is unfair?"
"Isn't it?"
"In my view, it is precisely the opposite," Arthur said.
"The more you work, the more you earn; if you do not work, you do not earn. Blind egalitarianism is the true 'unfairness.' Making soldiers and knights responsible for more important duties live on the same food and clothing as ordinary citizens—that is tyranny."
"How could that be?"
Arthur's words left Artoria feeling very surprised and confused.
"E-even so, this is an extraordinary time."
She instinctively wanted to argue with Arthur. But after thinking it over from every angle, she feared she could gain no advantage in the dispute between "the more you work, the more you earn" and "egalitarianism."
Even though she remained convinced that she was right.
Being right did not necessarily mean victory.
Even among the Knights of the Round Table, there were plenty who pursued material desires. When she demanded that everyone live frugally and contribute resources to relieve the people, there had been much discussion within the Knights of the Round Table.
Some had been unable to endure it from the very beginning.
Some had endured for a time before reaching their limit.
Those who could continue living in poverty and provide nearly all their resources to the people were probably only herself and Guinevere, her closest friend.
"Let us leave this matter at that for now." Artoria said unwillingly to Arthur, "Arthur, I have many things I want to say to you..."
"Yes, Father King. I have many things I want to say to you as well."
The emotions between the Pendragon father and son both calmed down.
After all, they were blood relatives. Even if there were conflicts between them, those conflicts could be reconciled... right?
Yet that was not the case.
After discussing egalitarianism, sharing hardships, and the more you work, the more you earn, Arthur began proposing to Father King that, no matter what, the treatment of Camelot's army had to be improved—
"It is fine to cut back on Camelot's officials. But the army absolutely cannot be deprived. This is the foundation of the Pendragon family, Father King."
Arthur's tone was earnest, and he truly was acting for Artoria's sake. Yet Father King wore a foolish expression, seemingly unable to understand Arthur's meaning at all. She could not understand how important it was to win over and bribe the army.
"I share honor with them. Is that not enough?"
"But honor cannot fill their stomachs."
"Isn't there Black Bread?"
Author's Note:
Updated, lalala.
Honor and material rewards. We need both.
The ideological conflict between the protagonist and his mother is not actually King Arthur's problem. It is Merlin's fault. Artoria's theories were all taught to her by Merlin. She is merely a tool for saving the world. So everything is Merlin's fault!
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Differences in Ideals and Great Dreams
"All right, I admit everyone has worked very hard." Artoria nodded, then repeated her usual words. "But it is fine. As long as we find the Holy Grail..."
"I think if this continues, our Pendragon dynasty will be finished before we find the Holy Grail."
Arthur shook his head helplessly. The way he looked at Father King was like looking at an imperial leader hoping for a counteroffensive at Stalingrad.
"Father King, do you know what is most important in these harsh times?"
"The people."
Artoria answered as though it were only natural.
"—Wrong. It is the army, military force, strength, Father King."
Arthur was practically heartbroken.
"This is the most important factor in securing the Pendragon family's ruling position and ensuring Britannia's safety."
"..."
Hearing him say that, Artoria became thoughtful and said nothing more. Arthur thought she had taken it to heart, so he continued.
"Therefore, our first priority is to ensure the army's loyalty—and to ensure its loyalty, we must satisfy the army's needs and wishes. At the very least, we must satisfy their needs and wishes to a minimum extent."
"Feed them those things every meal?" Artoria asked resistively. She stared seriously, as though she would fall out with Arthur if he said yes.
"Of course not. Desires that are fulfilled too easily will make people greedy. Fortunately, Father King's standards are low enough, so we only need to improve things gradually.
"At the beginning, it will be enough to give them something a little better than Black Bread.
"For example, we can add some meat, hot soup, and vegetable rations. Let them maintain a decent life, one better than that of ordinary citizens. They can even barely support their families. That will be enough."
"We simply do not have that many resources."
Artoria rejected Arthur without hesitation. "And even if we did, those things should first be used to relieve the people!"
"That will not be a problem."
Before you continue