A Tragedy of Love

"I acquired my trait ahead of schedule and never went through the normal process, so my parents never told me how knight squires were supposed to obtain their traits." Sean scratched his head sheepishly.

"They said that once my strength reached the right level, I'd naturally understand how to break through."

Kano sighed helplessly. Whether it was Gawain or Sean's parents, why did they all speak in riddles?

"Adults are always so mysterious." Sean stuffed a Stargazy pie into his mouth and began chewing.

Kano sighed. Coming to Cornwall today had been Merlin's guidance. Did Merlin think simply telling him about traits wouldn't be vivid enough, so he had brought him here to leave a deeper impression?

Fine, he had achieved his goal. Kano was now looking forward to obtaining his own trait. He was slightly stronger than Sean, so if Sean was about to break through and become a formal knight, then Kano's turn should be coming soon as well.

"Come to think of it, are the traits of those powerful knights from history recorded anywhere?" Kano suddenly asked. "Like the Knights of the Round Table."

"Not all of them. Some people revealed their own traits, while others were inferred by later generations based on historical records. For example, my ancestor's known trait was Eagle Eye."

"Gawain's was Sun. His strength grew as the sun rose, reaching three times his normal strength at noon, then gradually declining as the sun set."

"Galahad's was Purity—the more single-minded he was, the stronger he became."

"What about Mordred?" Kano hurriedly asked.

To his surprise, Sean wore a troubled expression. "Mordred's strength was only around the lower-middle tier among the Round Table knights, but during the rebellion, his strength suddenly skyrocketed."

"In the end, he was even able to die together with King Arthur. You have to understand, King Arthur's trait was Lion King. The more knights who swore loyalty to him as their lord, the stronger he became."

"No one knew how Mordred had suddenly become so powerful. Historians all suspected it had something to do with his trait."

Kano was not in a hurry. After all, the people involved surely knew the truth. He could just ask them directly later.

Early the next morning, the two children bid farewell to the headmaster and left Cornwall Magical Academy. Kreacher went ahead with their luggage.

They traveled in silence and arrived safely at McCall Manor. An elderly butler with snow-white hair and beard stood waiting at the gate, his back perfectly straight.

"Young Master, you've returned." He stepped forward, took Sean and Kano's reins, and gave a slight bow.

"I'm back, Robert. Cut out the formalities. My friend has a tough battle tonight." Sean jumped straight down from his horse and ordered Robert to hurry and prepare a meal.

Kano followed him into the manor's study. Sean cleared his throat, preparing to tell him the story of Tristan, Iseult, and King Mark.

"I've heard it since I was little, every single day. Whenever guests came over, I had to tell it again. How could I not know it by heart?" Sean patted Kano on the shoulder and began.

Tristan's father had been the king of Loonas, and his mother had suffered terribly when he was born.

His mother later passed away. Before her death, she named the child Tristan, meaning born in sorrow.

Later, Tristan's father died as well, and the throne passed to the son born to his stepmother.

Tristan then came to his uncle King Mark's Duchy of Cornwall, where he helped repel Morholt, the powerful Irish knight who had come to collect tribute.

However, he was wounded by Morholt's poisoned spear and was left at death's door. King Mark secretly sent him to Ireland under a false identity to seek treatment. In the end, Ireland's princess, Iseult, cured him, and the two young people gradually fell in love.

But Morholt had been Iseult's uncle, and he had died because of Tristan. Once Tristan's identity was exposed, he had no choice but to leave Ireland and return to Cornwall.

Later, King Mark's lover took a fancy to Tristan and neglected King Mark. At the same time, Tristan's reputation in the Duchy of Cornwall rose higher by the day.

King Mark therefore grew increasingly wary of Tristan. Later, wishing to form a marriage alliance with Ireland to solidify his position, he sent Tristan to Ireland to seek Iseult's hand on his behalf.

How could he have known that Ireland's princess was Iseult, the woman who loved Tristan?

And so, the fates of the three became entangled. Tristan had no choice but to obey his lord King Mark's command and bring his beloved back to Cornwall. And Iseult loved Tristan deeply; even after becoming the queen of Cornwall, that never changed.

King Mark's jealousy and hatred toward Tristan grew by the day, and he repeatedly tried to have him killed.

Though Tristan overcame many hardships, he ultimately fell victim to King Mark's schemes, while Iseult followed him into death.

Under pressure, King Mark buried the two together. The story of Tristan and Iseult was passed down forever.

After hearing the story, Kano looked as though he had put on a mask of pain.

By his moral standards, everyone in this story ought to take a proper lesson in decency and public morals.

Yet within the social environment of that era, every part of the story somehow seemed quite reasonable.

"The story of Tristan and Iseult really is... a bit of a test of one's ability to accept things." Kano carefully offered his assessment, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"It's all right, brother. There's actually a simpler version. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was based on my ancestors' story, but it's easier to accept." Sean gave Kano's shoulder an understanding pat.

Kano followed Sean as he admired several old paintings hanging in the family study, as well as a handwritten manuscript of Romeo and Juliet that the family had specifically acquired back then.

Night fell quickly, and Butler Robert prepared a battle meal that was easy to digest and packed with nutrition.

"Kano, may you win at the first strike." Sean raised his grape juice. "Later, I'll come back you up too."

"Thanks, Sean." Kano raised his cup in return.

"By the way, what was King Mark's trait?" Kano suddenly remembered. This was also important intelligence.

Sean shook his head. "King Mark was one of the few kings of that era unwilling to go to war. Since he was cunning and cautious by nature, he never revealed his trait either."

"But it's fine. An overly cautious knight like him wouldn't obtain any powerful trait."

"Traits are closely related to heredity, personality, and an individual's physical qualities."

Kano nodded, feeling no fear in his heart. Before he had even known traits existed, he had fought the Knights of the Round Table one by one.

A King Mark who excelled at schemes and tricks should not be a problem.