This Is So Sad

Camelot Royal Palace

Bedivere tossed the holy sword Castine in his hand toward the ceiling. A blazing sun appeared above the roof, its radiance so bright that people had no choice but to turn their eyes away.

"Bedivere, how tragic this is."

Tristan stroked his sword beneath the scorching sunlight, closing his eyes as he spoke in an exceptionally sorrowful tone.

"Yes, it is terribly tragic!"

In a heavy voice full of sympathy, Bedivere said, "I should have known long ago. In the final battle against the Saxons, the mountains near the battlefield collapsed, as though the earth could no longer bear their weight. It was an ill omen.

"When the mountains collapsed, the animals that had lived upon them scattered in all directions. The animal kingdom fell apart. Even if wise men could offer a reasonable explanation, what has happened to the King one thing after another is undoubtedly God's warning to our entire kingdom.

"Loved ones grow distant from one another, friends become strangers, brothers turn into enemies. There are riots in the cities, civil unrest in the country, treachery lurking within the court. Fathers are no longer fathers, sons are no longer sons; all order and morality have utterly collapsed.

"The stories from the days of King Vortigern are now happening again in the Arthurian dynasty. If the King were to see this scene today, how sorrowful he would be."

Yes, if Arthur were to witness this scene with his own eyes, how heartbroken would he be?

One member of his family wanted to kill another.

Mordred and Gawain stood against each other, fighting to the death. How tragic was that?

Neither was family Arthur could bear to lose. Both were children upon whom Arthur wished to bestow the affection of a father.

Even at the final moment when he was called by the Lord, during the last rites presided over by a priest, the two children he could not stop worrying about would likely still be them.

At this moment, Camelot Royal Palace was completely undefended against those two ladies. They possessed the divine power of goddesses and were of royal blood, with special privileges within Camelot's barrier. Even to discuss private matters, they could only have the King's holy sword unfold and use its searing energy to block all prying eyes.

"Sir Bedivere, we defeated countless powerful enemies in the past. Whether the mighty Romans, the Saxons, or the Franks; when we united Britain, we defeated the Cornish, the Scots, the Irish, and even the English. Yet enemies beyond our borders are easy to deal with, while enemies at our side are difficult to handle. Clearly, Mordred and Gawain have become this nation's greatest calamity."

Tristan spoke bluntly. This was not merely his own opinion, but the view of quite a few Knights of the Round Table loyal to the King.

They had originally intended to advise the King as Knights of the Round Table, but whether deliberately or not, King Arthur was not in Camelot at the moment. Thus, they could only hope to persuade Bedivere to offer counsel to the King.

"Sir Tristan, what crime has Gawain committed?" Bedivere called Tristan by his former name.

"If there were only one heir to the throne, it would be fine. But if there are two, they are bound to become the source of civil strife. The King has delayed in naming an heir, which means that the country may split in two at any time after his passing, just like Ireland's Fianna, which divided in two and supported their respective lords, splitting the entire nation in half. Comrades who once joined hands to defeat powerful enemies may now slaughter one another. I cannot imagine the Knights of the Round Table splitting apart and fighting among themselves, only to perish at the hands of foreign enemies.

"Whether Gawain has committed any fault is not important. We can support only one prince. Either would do. The King also possesses lands of his own in Europe. Exile one of them there, grant him the title of count or even duke, and send him away. That is the path to lasting peace and stability for the nation.

"Gawain has committed no crime. If he has one, then it is his righteousness."

As Tristan spoke so frankly, Bedivere was stunned into silence. If the King heard these words, his heart would likely suffer even greater pain and torment.

The reason they wanted to exile Gawain was actually because of Gawain's righteousness.

Could such an absurd thing happen under the sun that shone upon the earth?

When Gawain's mother had brought him to Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table had merely regarded him as another nephew of the King, like Mordred.

He spoke elegantly and was handsome, closely resembling the King in his youth. Both his appearance and bearing reminded people of the King of old, so many Knights of the Round Table had placed great expectations upon him.

Yet after quietly observing him for a month, they discovered that Prince Gawain had displayed no talent as a warrior.

As the King's nephew, so long as the King remained seated upon the throne, no one could prevent Gawain from entering Camelot's upper ranks.

Camelot's King was an absolute monarch. Even though he governed with the Knights of the Round Table, this remained unchanged. There was no civil bureaucracy like those of the eastern dynasties, so the King could freely promote and dismiss officials through his power of bestowal.

Anyone the King liked could rise through the ranks overnight.

For example, when King Arthur had just ascended the throne, he directly appointed his sworn elder brother Kay, who had only just become a knight, as his minister of state, Lord Keeper of the Seal, and prime minister.

During King Arthur's reign, he promoted far too many young knights he favored, granting them offices and titles.

For example, Sir Kay's positions as Lord Keeper of the Seal, Lord Steward, and Chief Minister; Bedivere's office as cupbearer; Duke Lucan's office as steward of the table; Lancelot's position as captain of the guards; and Tristan's post as Master of the Horse were all the King's personal appointments.

No one thought there was anything wrong with being valued and promoted because of the King's trust or bloodline. Just as a knightly father hoped his son would become a knight as well and inherit the fief in the future, what truly troubled the Knights of the Round Table was that there was a Mordred who was even more outstanding as a knight.

They had all heard of Gawain's reputation as a Viking prince. The Viking Kingdom was a nation that struck fear into the surrounding countries. Even Camelot's merchant ships and the estates of its nobles were often plundered.

Although the Kingdom of Camelot did not fear the Viking Kingdom, and some Knights of the Round Table had even urged war against it, the King of Denmark was related to King Arthur by marriage. Moreover, the Kingdom of Denmark was not a unified entity. All Viking kingdoms operated on the basis of tribes, and their so-called kings were more like leaders of alliances. Even King Lot could barely control the tribes within his own domain.

As for Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, and the half of Denmark outside King Lot's control, they were an even greater mess. Some of these countries did not even have kings, so there was no one to whom they could declare war.

Thus, they could only ask Sir Lancelot to make several more journeys between Camelot and Europe to transport grain. That way, they could lure in the Vikings and severely curb this trend.

The title Knight of the Lake ensured that Lancelot could walk upon water and fight on its surface as though it were solid ground.

Therefore, Camelot's nobles held no fondness for Vikings, including Gawain, who carried Viking blood. Yet they had to admit that Gawain truly was a noble, renowned, and admirable prince. This was something they all acknowledged.

What truly drew attention was Gawain's forthright admission to King Arthur at the New Year's banquet that his supposed story was false.

Perhaps many knights valued strength and courage, but for the knights who had entered the Twelve Round Table Knights, strength had already become mere decoration.

What they valued more was the spirit and virtue of knighthood. Frankly admitting to the King that his story was false was undoubtedly [honesty], one of the ideals of knighthood.

Not lying to the King and giving up his own future—that was [righteousness].

He decisively rejected the marriage proposal recommended by Queen Guinevere, bluntly stating that he wanted the most beautiful person in his heart as his wife, whether she was a princess or a commoner. Clearly, he followed [chastity] for the sake of a knight's "love."

When the Green Knight arrived, he stepped forward of his own accord and took King Arthur's place in the other man's beheading game. That was undoubtedly [loyalty].

To Bedivere, who valued the spirit of knightly virtue, these were merit after merit. That was why he had decisively advised King Arthur.

King Arthur had doubts about choosing Gawain, frankly stating that Gawain lacked strength commensurate with these qualities. That was why Bedivere and Merlin had offered their counsel, and why the Knights of the Round Table had made their ninety-nine oaths.

My King, you said it yourself: as your nephew, Gawain was your favorite child.

Since you believed he was still lacking as an heir to the throne, let us assist the young King in governing.

In truth, King Arthur had chosen Gawain long ago. It was simply inconvenient for Arthur, as his uncle, to say so directly. He needed Bedivere to step forward and support Gawain.

Bedivere had only instantly understood the subtle meaning behind it all when he received Castine from King Arthur's hand.

"If righteous Gawain, beneath the light of the sun, can be exiled, then when the King ascends to Heaven a hundred years from now, with what face will he meet the former King?"

Bedivere spoke sorrowfully. Tristan believed that Gawain should be exiled because of his righteousness. Clearly, he believed Gawain was no match for Mordred in ability, intellect, strategy, or influence. Rather than let him become the root of unrest in the nation, it was better to exile him outright.

No, this was not exile.

Bedivere instantly became alert. This was Tristan's silent warning, and it was why Tristan wanted him to say it aloud.

Since Gawain was righteous, he clearly could not be exiled. Then why did Tristan not emphasize exiling Mordred, instead focusing only on Gawain?

Tristan's deeper meaning was that even if Mordred were exiled, he would still become the source of unrest in the nation. Therefore, as a knight possessed of virtue, what he proposed was not exiling Gawain, nor was it exiling Mordred. He was directly suggesting that Mordred be killed.

Bedivere clenched his fists, feeling fear. If Arthur heard the hidden meaning behind these words, what would he do?

King Arthur was a just and wise king. He was an intelligent man and would naturally understand what those words implied.

Yet there was one thing Tristan did not know: Mordred had never been King Arthur's nephew. He was King Arthur's illegitimate son.

They were asking a father to kill his own biological son.

"Sir Tristan, this is too tragic." Having understood this, Bedivere used his habitual phrase.

"Yes, it is a step that must be taken. I understand that this may be an extraordinary war for the King as well, perhaps stronger than the Romans and more troublesome than the Saxons. This is a battle between duty and emotion. Tragic—this is far too tragic."

Tristan spoke of sorrow as he unconsciously plucked at his strings, while Bedivere clutched his chest.

He looked at the divine sword Castine above, which remained scorching even with its heat and radiance restrained. Tears flowed from his eyes. "Gawain once said that King Arthur was like the sun, shining upon the entire earth. In truth, countless people think the same. Their King is wise and just, righteous and kind. Yet humans cannot possibly be a true sun.

"Firewood must burn itself to bring light and warmth. Anyone who wishes to illuminate the entire world must likewise burn himself to do so. A King regarded as the embodiment of justice must also endure all manner of injustice."

Everyone regarded King Arthur as a king as perfect as the sun, but who cared about the man beyond the identity of King? Had Arthur truly been happy in this life?

"So tragic. Without any reason, without any words, even existence itself is already a kind of sorrow." Tristan spoke, then looked toward the sun overhead. It seemed that even the sun had been infected by this sorrowful mood, and in an instant, it went out.

Castine fell to the ground, revealing the blunt edge of its tip. A sword ranked alongside Excalibur and the Sword in the Lake was, in truth, an unsharpened divine sword symbolizing a sovereign's mercy.

Having heard Bedivere and Tristan's conversation, even the divine sword Castine could not help sinking into sorrow, extinguishing its own light and heat.