Chapter 85

"No, you're definitely hiding something from me." Lan Ze slowly shook his head, his gaze sweeping over Sajyou Manaka and the others.

He was very perceptive of the atmosphere; something was clearly off. Tiamat and Ereshkigal even had their heads down and refused to speak.

Sajyou Manaka's sweet smile vanished, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you the truth."

"The country you were in before seems to have formed a Singularity."

Lan Ze was slightly taken aback. "My country?"

After a brief hesitation, Lan Ze suddenly realized. "You mean Britain?"

Sajyou Manaka nodded silently, and seeing him turn to go back to his room, she reminded him, "You'd better not go back to Britain so soon."

"Even if Singularity forms there, it will still take me at least two days to get to Britain. Until then, no one can help you," Sajyou Manaka said.

"I'm not some savior, and I don't expect to fix the Singularity. Leave this to Chaldea," Lan Ze said, turning back. "I'm just going to check on Mordred."

Yes, he never intended to repair the Singularity from the beginning. It's just that he had lived in that world for so long, and Mordred was his daughter. It wouldn't make sense to just leave his daughter there like that.

Sajyou Manaka was clearly reluctant, and said in a low voice, "Many times we have no choice but to act. If something happens to Mordred, can you guarantee you won't do anything reckless?"

Lan Ze tilted his head and scrutinized Sajyou Manaka: "If I stay here now, will you still respect me in the future?"

"Of course, no matter what happens, I'll always be on your side!" Sajyou Manaka chuckled.

She paused for a moment, then said, "But I guess... you'll definitely be disappointed."

No one wants the person they like to be a coward. He may be very straightforward most of the time, but in situations like this, he should be decisive.

The kind of person who can't be persuaded by others.

"Oh, right."

Just as Lan Ze was about to return to the house, Sajyou Manaka suddenly called out to him.

When Lan Ze turned around, he saw Aika Sajou, dressed in a Western-style dress and looking as elegant as Imperial Princess Sajyou Manaka whispered, "Please remember, if you die..."

She paused for a moment, then said, "I can't guarantee what I might do."

That didn't seem like a threat; it was just stating something mundane, nothing more.

When Lan Ze returned to the house, Tiamat immediately raised her hand. "Aaaaa (I want to go to Britain too!)"

In order to protect her child, she decided to temporarily shed her identity as a "housewife".

"Now that Singularity has formed there... I should be able to get there, right?" Ereshkigal was equally eager to try.

Sajyou Manaka gave Ereshkigal a strange look. "Tiamat is one thing, but why are you so interested in that guy too?"

Ereshkigal was taken aback for a moment, then silently turned her face away, chuckled awkwardly, and said, "Lan Ze... after all, he's my Divine Messenger... yes, because he's Divine Messenger, of course I have to help him when he's in trouble."

The Goddess of the Underworld clearly didn't know how to lie, and Sajyou Manaka immediately sensed something was wrong.

She stared at Ereshkigal with suspicion, then suddenly frowned, leaned forward, and sniffed Ereshkigal's scent.

Ereshkigal was startled by Sajyou Manaka's sudden action. Instinctively, she backed away and shrank behind Tiamat, exclaiming, "W-what are you doing?!"

"Why do you smell like that guy Lan Ze?" Sajyou Manaka looked up and stared intently into Ereshkigal's eyes.

"Also, I remember you seemed to have left the room last night..."

Sajyou Manaka looked up at Ereshkigal.

Where did you go last night?

Mordred held Artoria's little hand as they walked down the streets of Alderan. The little girl was clearly overjoyed; it was her first time traveling so far, and she had to carry Artoria the whole way because she couldn't ride a horse and needed Artoria to carry her.

Walking with her Father King, whom she had admired since birth, for the first time filled Mordred with extraordinary joy.

But there's still a strange feeling that's hard to explain.

Logically, this should be the most wonderful thing in her life, and she is indeed very happy now, but this joy doesn't seem as exciting as she imagined.

This psychological gap made Mordred frown, resting his chin on his hand as he pondered the reason.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Artoria asked.

She felt an innate affinity for the little girl, unsure whether it was because of Lan Ze or because the little girl was simply very endearing.

... Or perhaps, both are true?

Artoria couldn't understand it, and she didn't bother to think about it. Looking at Mordred's furrowed brows, she couldn't help but ask again with concern, "If you're not feeling well, shall I take you to rest first? You don't have to force yourself to come for a walk with me."

"It's nothing." Mordred quickly shook his head, grinned, and gave a bright smile.

She glanced at Artoria's exquisite and alluring face, and suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, do you like the Queen very much?"

As soon as Mordred asked this question, Agravain, who was following behind them, frowned and whispered a reprimand, "Don't ask the King such personal questions!"

He had no idea how Mo Zai had managed to infiltrate the group, and the fact that Princess Morgan hadn't stopped him was truly baffling.

Based on Agravain's understanding of Morgan le Fay, this woman shouldn't have allowed Mordred to go out and have fun until she had fully matured.

Artoria raised her hand, signaling Agravain to remain silent.

Then, a faint smile appeared on her face, and she said, "Why would you ask such a question?"

Do you think he and I have a bad relationship?

Mordred shook his head slightly. "I was just thinking, you two don't seem to have done anything too intimate."

"If they were adults, they would probably do something more intimate."

Artoria's smile faltered slightly, then she gently patted Mordred's head and said softly, "How could we do something like this in front of a child?"

"So, in private, you and your father... I mean, you and the Queen also do certain intimate things?" Mordred asked curiously.

Behind him, Agravain fell silent, while his ears quietly perked up.

Artoria narrowed her eyes and chuckled, "Don't ask so many questions, little one."

As she spoke, she stood up, not giving Mordred a chance to continue asking questions, and turned to look at Agravain behind her. "Why hasn't Lancelot returned yet after so long?"

They had just arrived in Alderan, accompanied by Lancelot and Agravain. Lancelot went to the palace first to present gifts, while Artoria discovered what appeared to be alien creatures on the way and searched the city, but found nothing.

She didn't know if she had misread it or if some alien race had actually infiltrated the city.

"Could it be... that Lancelot was seduced by some beautiful woman who happened to be passing by..." Agravain muttered to himself.

"He's not that kind of person." Artoria shook her head.

She paused, then continued, "At least on such important occasions, he still knows his limits."

Agravain remained silent.

That's true. Lancelot may have had his share of affairs with married women... but in this kind of situation, he should know what he should and shouldn't do.

But if that's the case... why hasn't he come back after so long?

Thinking of this, Agravain volunteered, "Your Majesty, let me go to the palace and see what's going on with Agravain."

Artoria slowly shook her head. "Let's go together."

The three headed towards the palace. Mordred skipped and hopped ahead, while Artoria sighed behind, "Slow down, be careful not to fall!"

She had barely finished speaking when she saw the little girl indeed fall down.

"See?"

Artoria shook her head helplessly, then smiled faintly. As she slowly walked forward, she saw Mordred suddenly cover her mouth, her eyes fixed on the scene in the palace. Her usually bright eyes now revealed a hint of fear.

Artoria's expression changed slightly, and she instantly realized that things were not as simple as she had imagined.

She strode forward, embracing Mordred as she looked up at him.

When Artoria saw the tragic scene in the palace, she remained silent for a long time.

Behind him, Agravain also sensed something was wrong and quickly stepped forward. His eyes slowly widened, and he murmured, "How could this be..."

"King!"

Just then, the soldiers accompanying him rushed into the palace. Upon seeing the scene before them, they were initially shocked, but quickly composed themselves and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, a large army of foreign tribes has been discovered outside the city gates... We are surrounded!"

Agravain's face darkened, and he abruptly turned to look in a certain direction behind him, saying coldly, "Vortigern has been waiting for us here all along."

If he still can't figure it out after all this, then he's not worthy of Knights of the Round Table.

Vortigern had anticipated King Odogrun's birthday from the very beginning. He knew Artoria would definitely come on that day, so he had already captured the city long ago.

But how is that possible?

They captured the entire city without anyone noticing, and without a single word leaking out?

... Is this really something a human could do?

"Where's Lancelot?" Agravain suddenly realized, his gaze sweeping across the palace, but he couldn't find Lancelot anywhere.

"Cough..."

A cough suddenly echoed through the desolate palace. Agravain's gaze swept across the scene before freezing on Lancelot, who lay in a pool of blood.

Agravain quickly stepped forward, helped Lancelot up, and whispered, "What happened?"

Boom!

Just then, a terrifying sound suddenly came from outside the palace. Artoria's heart tightened, and she turned around and strode to the outside of the palace, only to see the alien army pouring in.

"Just as I suspected, you really did come here to die, my niece."

As a deep voice came from afar, Artoria suddenly looked up at the palace gates. A man with silver-white hair stood quietly outside the palace gates, his hands behind his back, a cold smile of shrewdness on his face.

"Vortigern." Artoria enunciated each word clearly, glancing at the massive army before her. A chill ran through her, and she quietly hid Mordred behind her.

"Surprised?"

Vortigern smiled faintly, "It took me quite a bit of effort to wait for you."

"We've worked so hard to conquer Oudegrun City, and if you don't show up at the end, I'll really be in trouble."

"Vortigern, give up! Even if you stop our king, do you really want to let the alien race invade Camelot?!" Agravain, supporting Lancelot with one hand, coldly rebuked him.

"It is you who should give up, not me!" Vortigern spread his arms wide. "Look at these soldiers behind me! Even if I agreed, they would never agree, would they?!"

In an instant, all the alien armies raised their weapons, their cold gleam particularly dazzling in the dim sky. Each army exuded a fearsome aura, sending chills down one's spine.

"Take Mordred away from here," Artoria whispered, as she instructed Mordred to follow Agravain.

"But Your Majesty..." Agravain wanted to say something more, but just then, Vortigern afar.

"You might as well stay here with us!"

Vortigern charged forward in the next instant, his speed breathtaking, but Artoria reacted swiftly, her Holy Lance solidifying the moment she pushed Mordred aside, and their weapons clashed.

If it were an ordinary person, they wouldn't even be able to see the battle between them. They could only see two beams of light colliding in mid-air. The black beam of light appeared particularly violent, but it was unable to harm Artoria.

After a fierce battle, the Holy Lance clashed with Vortigern's weapon once again. The Holy Lance, which Artoria held tightly in her hand, emitted a piercing sound, and both of them were forced back several steps.

Vortigern dusted himself off, looked up at King Arthur who remained unshaken despite being surrounded by a large army, and nodded with the air of a superior. "I must admit, at your age, it's probably difficult to find an opponent of the same caliber."

"But--"

"The gift I prepared for you has not yet been presented!" Vortigern suddenly raised his hand, and almost instantly, the floor of the palace lit up with a bright red light.

Artoria looked down abruptly, her pupils contracting slightly.

Magic Barrier!

The Magic Barrier was created by Vortigern after he sacrificed the entire royal palace!

Vortigern squeezed hard with his hand, and the Magic Barrier suddenly contracted towards Artoria. Almost instantly, Artoria pushed Mordred away.

Magic Barrier shone with a scarlet light on her body, instantly forming a cage. Within that cage, Artoria felt herself gradually losing strength, and the magical power in her body was rapidly draining away.

"This Magic Barrier, which gathers the magic power of everyone in the palace, is truly powerful," Vortigern murmured in admiration. He watched Artoria struggle within the barrier, then chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't worry, it won't kill you. It will just drain your magic until it's completely depleted."

"I will not let you die until I truly obtain the power of the Red Dragon."

Only at this moment did he finally reveal his true purpose: not just the white dragon, but what he truly desired was the power of the Red Dragon; the power of the white dragon alone was no longer enough to satisfy him.