Entering the City

Snap!

A crisp sound rang out.

Half a blade slid from Leon's waist, clattering onto the reddish-brown earth. Leon lowered his head to glance at the silver-glinting steel.

He drew the Sword in the Stone from his scabbard, staring at the severed length. The break was smooth and sharp. Leon felt a surge of confusion—the Sword in the Stone had actually snapped! When did this happen? He hadn't noticed a thing.

He didn't even feel as though he had suffered any intense attacks.

Leon picked up the broken half, wrapped it together with the rest of the blade, and handed it to Kay for safekeeping.

It was the Sword in the Stone, after all; he would find an opportunity to have it reforged later.

Leon had certainly made a grand impression in this battle. Before the eyes of the people in the royal city of Camelot, he had crushed the rebel forces despite being outnumbered, successfully intimidating those within the walls and greatly consolidating his own authority.

Now, he no longer needed this sword to validate his legal legitimacy.

"Father, what were the spoils of this battle?"

"Haha, my King, we killed six hundred in total, captured over a thousand, and seized more than two thousand horses. The weapons and armor are beyond counting. It is a great victory indeed."

Over three hundred of those deaths had been caused by Leon's single strike before the battle even truly began.

That sword strike had shattered the enemy's command system, left nearly half of their armored knights as casualties, and utterly destroyed their morale.

When Leon led the charge afterward, it was like a tiger among sheep—easier than reaping grass. The enemy either died or fled, and those who realized they couldn't escape surrendered in organized groups.

After clearing the battlefield and tallying the results, Luther couldn't stop grinning.

They had struck it rich this time; the wealth seized after the battle was several times greater than the combined net worth of all their men.

"What were our casualties?"

"A dozen dead, over fifty seriously wounded, and a hundred or so with minor injuries."

"Hmm, acceptable." This casualty ratio was far lower than Leon had expected.

"Father, can those captives be put to use?"

Luther Kaidō: "These men are all in their prime, and some have even received formal military training. They have been thoroughly cowed by your presence; with a little reorganization, they can be sent into battle."

Leon thought for a moment and said, "We are short on men. Reorganize those captives as best you can. We should be able to scrape together two thousand-man units, plus another thousand-man cavalry unit... Reward the soldiers based on merit regardless of their background. Those who perform exceptionally can be promoted across ranks and inserted into these three units as centurions or squad leaders."

The population within the royal city wasn't large; the three units would total about nineteen hundred combat troops, which was more than enough to suppress the city.

As for whether these men would rebel again?

Leon didn't think so.

When facing Leon, these men had trembled so violently they couldn't even speak clearly; they had been left with deep psychological trauma. Furthermore, they were about to be shuffled and reorganized. Luther and the other uncles were old veterans; they had plenty of ways to whip these captives into shape.

Even if there were a rebellion or mutiny, Leon wasn't afraid. He could suppress it with a single hand.

After Luther finished recording the orders, Leon asked, "Father, you know how many noble houses were among the enemy forces, right?"

"I can tell from the captured banners and armor, and the captives can be interrogated as well."

"That will do. Tally them up, and once we enter the city, we shall confiscate their assets." Leon nodded. "Also, tell the soldiers not to be impatient. Speed up the reorganization and do your best to soothe their morale. Wait three days; after we enter the city, we will distribute rewards. Land, gold, silver, beauties, and glory—they shall have it all."

Luther knew that Leon had only given them three days to reorganize the troops.

During those three days, Leon reorganized his forces while sending envoys to communicate with those inside Camelot.

The people within the city had witnessed Leon's power firsthand. In particular, Leon's display of force during the reorganization had put immense pressure on those inside.

Even the city guards, having seen that strike from Leon, understood that the city could never be held.

They simply surrendered and offered up the city; after all, Leon possessed the qualifications of legitimacy.

On the first night Leon spent outside the city, the sounds of fighting and the glow of fires erupted within the walls.

By the second day, they received over fifty severed heads from inside the city, along with a dozen chests of gold and silver.

Once they received Leon's explicit amnesty, the people opened the gates on the morning of the third day, inviting Leon to take his seat in his loyal Camelot.

Leon, clad in armor, stood upon a specially crafted chariot and slowly passed through the gates, entering the city.

The roads inside and outside the city were packed with people. Regardless of gender, age, or status, they knelt by the roadside. People dared not look up, waiting until the chariot had passed before stealing a quick glance, only to lower their heads once more.

Luther had entered the city ahead of time with two thousand-man units, securing the armed forces, taking control of major thoroughfares, the armory, the granary, and the inner palace.

"You were quite sensible this time. Not bad."

Inside Luther's carriage, besides him and his personal guards, four men were kneeling. These four were representatives of the city's noble factions, sent to welcome Leon into the city.

Hearing Leon's praise, the four crawled forward on their knees, nearly clinging to Leon's legs. The leader's eyes were filled with hot tears.

"My King is favored by Heaven and possesses divine martial prowess; you are the rightful Lord of Britain. We only regret that we were weak and powerless, allowing villains to rise up and resist the mandate of Heaven. This is our fault. Fortunately, my King is protected by the heavens, crushing the enemy lines and pacifying the world in a single battle. We are all weeping with joy."

Listen to that—this man certainly knew how to speak well.

Leon liked these types; they were flexible enough to see the situation clearly.

With a mix of appeasement and coercion, Leon brought them into the fold. They swore oaths of loyalty one after another, and Leon demanded that their sons, nephews, and other descendants be handed over to be stuffed into his army.

During the conversation, Leon had already driven his chariot to the palace gates.

The palace gates and the entire complex had already been taken over by Luther's troops. A white-clad figure stood before the soldiers, a wooden staff lightly touching the ground. As Leon approached, the figure bowed slightly with a smile.

"My King, seeing you still so imposing after all this time is truly reassuring."

"Merlin, it has been a long time." Leon saw Merlin there to greet him, but Artoria was nowhere to be seen. "Just you? Where is Arthur?"

Merlin knew Leon would ask this the moment they met.

"She is still in the midst of her training. I have hidden her away, in a place even I do not know."

Leon was taken aback; Merlin's candor was unexpected.

"You really don't trust me, do you?" Leon laughed, chiding him. "You Incubus are truly suspicious by nature. Rest assured, even if only for the sake of Kay, I would never do anything to her."

After these past few days of contact, Leon was very satisfied with Kay's abilities. Whether it was his valor on the battlefield or his competence in handling administrative affairs, Kay had impressed Leon, confirming that his judgment had been correct.

Especially in the recent battle, Kay had charged alongside Leon and performed brilliantly. With his courage and decisiveness, his tally of kills was second only to Leon's. As the soldier with the highest military merit in the entire army, he had been appointed a Chiliarch and was currently leading troops to suppress the royal capital.

"Merlin, I am glad you can be so frank, but I do not like that you distrust me this much."

Leon could understand Merlin's caution, but understanding it was one thing; it was no excuse for Merlin to play these little games.

Back then, Leon had agreed to the three-way deal with Kay and Merlin, promising not to lay a hand on Artoria. Yet, Merlin had still hidden her away. What was Merlin's intention?

Did he not trust him?

Even though he knew how much Leon valued Artoria, and even though Leon had stated he would be friends with Merlin, Merlin still dared to do this—and dared to tell him so openly. What was the meaning of this?

Did he look down on him?

His heart deserves to be punished!

His heart deserves to be punished!

"If I were to say that I must have Arthur, what would you do?"

Since you, Merlin, dare to defy my will, I will force you to submit.

Facing Leon's pressure, Merlin shrugged and spread his hands, feigning helplessness.

"My King, please calm your anger. I truly do not know Arthur's whereabouts, so there is truly nothing I can do."

"If that is the case, then so be it." Leon smiled at the words and turned to look at Luther beside him. "Father, how are things proceeding within the royal capital and the palace?"

It was not just Merlin who had come to greet him; after successfully taking control of the palace, Luther had also led troops to the gates, with soldiers forming a perimeter that subtly surrounded Merlin.

"The purge is complete."

"Good. Today, pick two or three noble families in the city and slaughter them. Tomorrow, pick another two or three, and continue the day after. Once the nobles are gone, move on to the wealthy. Do not stop until I give the order."

"Understood." Luther accepted the command.

Leon smiled at Merlin, his tone as casual as before.

"By the way, Merlin, what was it you said just now?"