Pioneer Knight

"Your Majesty, King Arthur, as King of Camelot, ruled England, Wales, Cornwall, Ireland, and the many states and territories across Europe. He protected them from barbarian invasions, granted them peace and security, and gave the people justice, land, and prosperity.

"When a father sees his child inherit his property and status and uphold the honor of his family, he is naturally joyful. But when he sees his child revive the family fortunes and achieve even greater things, that is undoubtedly even more gratifying.

"If I were to obtain a prosperous fief under Arthur's rule merely through his reputation, it would not demonstrate my abilities at all.

"My father is not a perfect man. I respect and love him, but I do not worship him. He is only the father of my flesh.

"Before Jesus, who can compete in glory? Who can call himself father? He is the father of all.

"Arthur is the king of kings, the ideal king, the ideal knight.

"Before Arthur, I learned from him the glory of knighthood and the meaning of life. I regard Arthur as my father in ideals and spirit.

"I came to Camelot to bring Arthur's radiance back to Northern Europe, to the Vikings, and to my compatriots.

"What I wish to inherit is not Arthur's property, nor his lands. I hope to inherit King Arthur's wisdom, strength, courage, talent, virtues, and his devotion and faith in God. If possible, I hope to pass on the spiritual meaning of King Arthur to my descendants, so they will know that their ancestor was so perfect and valiant."

Gawain spoke slowly. With his tone and overly excited expression, everyone present felt as though they were listening to a king's speech. Mordred was a Briton, while Gawain had foreign blood on his father's side. His father was from Northern Europe, regarded as a barbarian by these descendants of Troy, and so he had been met with hostility. Yet even Britain, a land Rome regarded as barbaric, had developed a powerful sense of national pride because of King Arthur's glorious military achievements. Though Camelot was a cultural desert, it still possessed considerable cultural pride.

Hearing Gawain speak on behalf of his father's kingdom and the Viking people of Northern Europe satisfied the vanity of the people of Camelot. It was beautifully said.

"Your Majesty the Queen, Chief Minister, Lord Chancellor, Sir Kay, Steward of the Court—Gawain, who bears the blood of the Pendragon family, grandson of King Uther and nephew of King Arthur, begs you to allow me to become a pioneer knight, just as Aeneas left Troy and founded a new city-state."

A pioneer knight only needed the king to grant him a charter of expansion before he could establish a territory on his own. Once he succeeded, he automatically became a knight without needing to be dubbed. Success in pioneering proved a knight's valor.

At this time, Britain had suffered through endless wars, while magic flowed across the land. Giants, elves, dragons, and all kinds of monsters wandered the earth, making human survival exceptionally difficult. Every village and town was hard-won. Human history, and Britain's history, had always developed through pioneering efforts, carving paths through countless hardships.

"Gawain, you must understand that opening up a territory is no easy task. It is the result of generations of effort by one's forebears."

Sir Kay could not help speaking up. He did not believe Gawain was refusing Sir Lancelot's dubbing. Rather, he saw it as the impulse and stubbornness of youth—hot-blooded and eager to prove himself.

The Kingdom of Camelot ruled vast lands, yet its population was sparse. Even the capital had only twenty thousand people. It was not that they could not relocate more people; it was simply that pioneering was difficult.

To support a larger population, they needed sufficient food. To have sufficient food, they needed more land. That meant going to war against giants, dragons, fae creatures, elves, and the life dwelling in the forests.

If humans wished to expand their living space, they had to invade the territory of these magical beings and seize land from them.

It was like someone outside demanding that you voluntarily surrender the land and property where you lived. No person would agree to that, and so it led to war between man and nature.

Everyone believed Mordred was more favored by King Arthur because his territory was the city of London. As Camelot's largest city, it saw an endless stream of pilgrims and merchants. With the income brought by trade, Mordred had cultivated a considerable power base. Though he himself was a knight, the main force of his army was not entirely composed of knightly retainers. He even maintained several full-fledged knights, whose own retainers served under them, along with a substantial number of militiamen.

Even the senior knights of the Round Table envied the income from such a territory.

Pioneering was not so easy. Kay could not make this decision. Though he had the authority, he could not let Gawain fall into a trap.

The reason the families of Britain's dukes and barons posed such a great threat to King Arthur's royal authority was that, after centuries of cultivation and construction, they had long become deeply intertwined with the local land and people.

They could be defeated and forced into submission, but in the end, the ones who would regain the favor and support of the local people and rise again would still be them.

"I hope King Arthur gains even greater glory, and I hope that, like King Arthur, each generation of my family will surpass the last. Our ancestors gave us descendants glory. If our fathers have no glory, then we descendants shall give glory to our fathers. Uther surpassed Vortigern, and Arthur surpassed Uther. Uther is Arthur's father. I also hope that one day, Arthur will be called Gawain's uncle, rather than my always being called the king's nephew."

Gawain spoke with deep emotion. Seeing that the boy was so determined and could not be dissuaded, even Sir Kay had nothing more to say. The charters of expansion bearing King Arthur's signature were all kept by him in the court, yet few noble heirs were willing to claim one.

For them, it was enough to inherit their titles and fiefs step by step. Pioneering was simply too difficult—it took centuries, immense material resources, wealth, energy, and military force, all accompanied by bloodshed.

Was he simply determined to prove that he was more outstanding than Mordred?

Sir Kay sighed. A thousand words now became silence.

"I grant your request, Gawain, and I bless you!" Queen Guinevere agreed. "From this moment onward, you are also a knight."

In theory, only a knight could dub another knight. Yet this was like the question of whether the chicken or the egg came first. If only knights could dub knights, then who had been the first knight?

There was no way to answer that question, nor could it be answered.

Therefore, there were always methods by which one could become a knight. For example, pioneering recognized by Camelot law, or being witnessed and dubbed before a saint, could also make one a knight. These were all among the very few exceptions.

Gawain was using one of those rare exceptions.

No matter what, he had to become a knight. This was his mother's wish, but even more so, it was his own will. Becoming a noble held no meaning in Camelot, this kingdom of knights; it could not place one at the center of political power.

At the same time, Gawain himself had vaguely felt something strange: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as a representative work of medieval English alliterative poetry, was categorized as Arthurian literature.

Arthurian literature was knightly literature. Therefore, Gawain, as its protagonist, had to be a knight.

Only by becoming a knight could he perhaps begin Gawain's journey as a protagonist. Even being a pioneer knight was better than being dubbed by Lancelot.

During his New Year's banquet address, King Arthur had said, "Merlin once said that stories are narrative magic."

In works related to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain, as King Arthur's nephew, was the brilliant heir to the throne, the steward of the court, King Arthur's most loyal knight, and bore many titles: Sun Knight, Maiden Knight, Perfect Knight. He was the foremost knight.

If he accepted Lancelot's dubbing, it would undoubtedly mean that Gawain had been completely overshadowed.

Arthurian legends had been created in connection with the English court of the time. The English royal family after the Norman Conquest was French, the court used French, and literary works were written in French. The place where Arthurian legends flourished most was also France in Europe.

Thus, the French character Sir Lancelot emerged, possessing endless brilliance.

With the Hundred Years' War between England and France, English national consciousness rose, and English literature surged powerfully. Gawain, as a representative of the English, became the most glorious knight of the Arthurian dynasty.

It was like television dramas with Ji Xiaolan as the protagonist, where he battled the great traitor He Shen. Liu Yong would not appear at court; even if he was mentioned, he would be away on official business. Likewise, in dramas with Liu Yong as the protagonist, Ji Xiaolan would simply be ignored and never mentioned. Their deeds even overlapped in folk legends.

Even two living historical figures could be treated that way, let alone Gawain and Lancelot, two figures who competed for each other's deeds.