Britain's Economic Crisis

Without the knowledge of the general public or most high-ranking officials, Artoria Pendragon was born.

There were no celestial phenomena, no fanfare of drums or gongs; she was simply born as an ordinary baby girl.

She was then secretly whisked away by the mage Merlin and Viscount Anno, leader of the Glory Knights of Britain, to a city within Britain to be raised by Sir Ector, who had already retired from service.

King Uther's health had long since passed the point of recovery, and he was now merely putting on a facade to keep himself from collapsing in public.

Both Merlin and Anno were skilled horsemen, and with the horses they rode rumored to possess the bloodline of divine steeds, they quickly delivered the baby girl, now named Artoria, to her destination.

On their return journey, the two made a brief stop at the Holy Lake.

Anno remained composed, but Merlin was nearly frightened to death.

"Wh-whose child is this!?" Merlin's face flushed red, and after holding it in for a long time, this was all he could manage to blurt out.

Anno remained calm and collected.

The Lady of the Lake was standing on the shore, cradling Lancelot with a look of maternal affection.

"Picked her up by the shore," the Lady of the Lake replied casually, not even glancing at Merlin as she teased the infant.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, though his facial muscles remained somewhat stiff.

"Good day, Lady," Anno said, breaking the awkward silence as he walked to the side of the Lady of the Lake and performed a knight's salute.

"Good day, sir." Unlike her attitude toward Merlin, the Lady of the Lake treated Anno quite well, nodding with a smile.

Merlin also recovered his composure and leaned in with a smile, "Do tell us how this came to be."

The Lady of the Lake glanced at him and said, "The process is simple; Lancelot is a foundling who was abandoned here by a woman."

Merlin and Anno exchanged a look.

Anno sighed.

The overall economic situation in Britain had been very unstable recently; the two larger neighboring countries had joined forces with several smaller nations to impose trade sanctions on Britain, leaving the country strapped for cash from top to bottom.

Needless to say, the common people were the first to suffer as sacrifices in the nation's economic struggle.

In terms of military affairs, Anno and the knights he had trained were holding things together, but when it came to the economy, even Anno was at a loss.

He couldn't exactly lead the Glory Knights to war just because someone refused to trade with him; Britain's military strength was currently in a slump, and their backbone wasn't yet strong enough for such aggression.

Not to mention that the three behemoths of Rome, France, and Ireland were lurking nearby, watching like tigers eyeing their prey.

Under these circumstances, it was easy to understand why the common people, rather than resorting to trading children for food, had simply left their babies by the lake.

"Would you mind if I held him?" Anno asked tentatively.

The Lady of the Lake hesitated for a moment before handing over Lancelot, who was looking around with curiosity.

Taking the baby into his arms, Anno's brows, which were usually furrowed, finally relaxed, and his expression softened as he offered a kind smile.

"Ah~ ah!" Lancelot giggled, reaching out with his chubby little hands to grab Anno's nose.

Anno rubbed his nose against Lancelot's tiny hand, making the baby laugh even more happily.

Watching Anno and Lancelot from the side, Merlin remarked with emotion, "It has been a long time since I've seen Sir Anno this relaxed."

The Lady of the Lake nodded, answering somewhat tangentially, "It is clear that Lancelot likes him very much."

Merlin spoke with implication, "He is human, and Anno is human as well."

"Are you saying..."

"Lancelot cannot call you mother, but he can call Anno father," Merlin smiled.