The Ref's Biased Calls

If the Thrúd standing before him hadn't been such a cute little girl.

If her father hadn't been Thor and her grandfather hadn't been Odin.

If his mother hadn't still been watching from the side.

Gawain definitely would have grabbed Thrúd by the clothes and thrown her straight out the front gate, then kicked her for good measure.

Get lost. Get far, far away.

No matter who it was, if someone told them to their face that they were about to die and then asked whether they were happy about it—

Then of course they'd be thrilled. Thrilled enough to want to punch that person.

"How can you casually decide whether I live or die? What if I win?"

Gawain reached out and angrily rubbed Thrúd's head, just as he used to rub the dogs' heads at Sir Ector's castle.

He gave them a rub when he was happy, and even more so when he wasn't.

What a pity. Such a beautiful Valkyrie—how could she not have a tail?

"Don't touch my head! You've messed up my hair."

Thrúd cried out, bashfully dodging away and retreating into Gawain's mother's arms. "Mom, look! Gawain's bullying me!"

His mother wore a solemn expression, seemingly shocked by Thrúd's news as well.

In theory, the matters discussed at the Round Table Council were confidential. But official leaks had been Britain's tradition since ancient times.

Naturally, the Valkyries had not obtained this intelligence ahead of everyone else through official leaks, but through their unique abilities.

The Valkyries were Odin's maidservants and warriors. In reality, they neither carried out maidservants' duties nor took part in battle. Their only responsibility was to seek out heroic spirits. The souls of heroes who died in battle would be taken by them to Valhalla.

As long as someone was willing to go to Valhalla after death and serve Odin, Odin did not particularly care which god they had worshipped in life.

Warriors who worshipped Odin could enter Valhalla. Warriors who worshipped Thor could also enter Valhalla. Even warriors belonging to the Valkyries could still enter Valhalla.

Even if you believed in foreign gods, it did not matter. You would be working for him after death anyway. After all, rulers of every nation loved mercenaries and foreign legions most.

The Valkyries served Odin, but Odin did not personally command them. Their usual commanders were Freyja, the goddess of love, and Skuld of the Norns.

The Norns were the three goddesses of fate who represented the present, the past, and the future.

The Valkyries distributed victory and death in battle, and at times they also governed fate. This was a divine authority shared with the Norns, though their domain was limited to war.

Since their leading superior was Skuld, who represented the future, it was only natural that they could see the future of heroes and wars and travel to battlefields when war broke out.

"Child, I don't want Gawain to go to Valhalla yet. Isn't there any other way?"

His mother stroked Thrúd's head. Compared with Gawain's rough, angry dog-head-rubbing, her touch was clearly far more enjoyable to Thrúd.

Even a dignified Valkyrie wore the blissful expression of a kitten being petted.

"Another way? What would that be? Even Sister Sigrdrífa probably wouldn't be Lancelot's match through swordsmanship alone! Gawain is definitely doomed. I'll surely take him to Valhalla to enjoy himself—ah, Mom, why did you hit my head?!"

Thrúd squatted down, clutching her little head in grievance. Seeing the displeasure on his mother's face and feeling the full force of her authority, she poked her two index fingers together. "It's not impossible, though. If we can't do it openly, we'll do it secretly. Even Odin uses schemes and tricks.

"For example, I have a good sister named Hild. Her name means duel, and she is the Valkyrie in charge of duels. Then there is my sister Sigrdrífa, whose name means bestowing victory. My name, Thrúd, means strength.

"The claim that only warriors who die on the battlefield can be taken away by Valkyries is merely a rumor. We are minor gods, after all, not chief gods like Father. Our powers are only shared powers, so only when war breaks out can we sense the violent fluctuations of fate and take heroic spirits away. As long as it is on a battlefield, my strength can be fully unleashed.

"However, certain situations are exceptions. Duels, for example. The Blood Eagle Ritual is regarded as war. Trial by combat among knights is also a type of duel. They all settle disputes and declare innocence in the name of the gods, so we can intervene."

To casually grant someone victory in a war capable of determining a kingdom's rise or fall and shaping the future of the world for centuries was a consequence no Valkyrie could bear.

Such authority over fate belonged to Odin. The Valkyries could share that power, but only within a very limited scope.

A duel between Gawain and Lancelot was ultimately insignificant to the rise and fall of a kingdom. It fell completely within the range where they could intervene.

If King Arthur fought the Saxons, or went to war with France or Rome, then even if they could intervene, the effect they could achieve would be negligible, and they would suffer fate's backlash.

"Are you sure your sister is willing to help?" Gawain asked doubtfully. With all three referees making biased calls in his favor, it would be hard to lose even if he wanted to.

Still, Gawain was pleased by what Thrúd had said and decided to forgive her earlier rudeness, perhaps even rub her little head again. Yet he still had his doubts.

Lancelot was the highest-ranked knight of the Knights of the Round Table.

A man's reputation was like a tree's shadow.

Gawain had never met Sir Lancelot, but although he had not seen Lancelot in Camelot, stories of Sir Lancelot's heroic deeds and chivalrous exploits were everywhere in Camelot.

A Frenchman held the position of first knight in England's royal court, wielding great power and enjoying immense prestige. What British knight with even a little sense of honor could accept that?

Had all the fine men of Britain died out, that they needed a foreigner to become the foremost knight of the Knights of the Round Table?

Sir Kay, King Arthur's sworn brother—the court steward, keeper of the seals, chief minister, leader of the court, and de facto prime minister—were you really going to watch a foreigner ride roughshod over you?

Sir Tristan, you were the royal master of horse. You presided over the tournament held every three years. As Britain's greatest warrior, were you really going to give that title to someone else?

Sir Bedivere, as the king's steward, you who had gained Nuada, king of the gods—were you truly going to turn a blind eye as Sir Lancelot occupied the foremost seat?

Which of the twelve highest-ranking Knights of the Round Table was not renowned and decorated with brilliant achievements? Yet all of them turned a blind eye to Lancelot holding the foremost position.

That could only prove that Lancelot, the "Knight of the Lake," was truly ridiculously strong, qualified to hold the foremost position, and impossible to dislodge. Anyone who challenged Lancelot lost.

At this point, there was no knight in the Knights of the Round Table who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Lancelot.

Historically, Gawain had been as famous as Lancelot, but in the legends of King Arthur, he had ultimately still died at Lancelot's hands.

This fated enemy filled him with even greater fear than Mordred did.

Even though he knew this was Mordred's scheme, he was not afraid of Mordred. He would only curse him as a petty man and spit in his face.

"Of course. I've already thought of a reason to convince her. She has already promised to take you away. If we strengthen you and then grant you victory, then even if you originally couldn't defeat Lancelot, there's a good chance you could at least drag him down with you. He's a warrior as famous as King Arthur! Buy one, get one free—then both my sister and I will meet our performance targets."

Thrúd clapped her hands and hopped about happily as she spoke. Gawain's face instantly darkened. Even if the three Valkyries acted as referees and made biased calls, the most likely outcome was still that he and Lancelot would perish together.

At that moment, Gawain was not thinking about how terrifyingly powerful Lancelot was. He was thinking about dragging Thrúd away and giving her a good beating.