"I already knew about that."
Agravain covered his head with both hands, trying to make sense of the situation.
After watching Agravain gradually come to understand the situation, Bai Ming continued, "She said right in front of me that she wanted to have that kind of relationship with me. Mordred cares rather a lot about status and inheritance rights. After all three of you older brothers received titles and fiefs, she set her sights on inheriting my ducal title and lands."
Of the three, Gawain currently held the highest title, that of marquis—still one rank below Bai Ming's duke title, at least on the surface.
Hearing this, Agravain fell silent.
Agravain decided not to worry about this mess anymore. If Queen Guinevere had an affair with another knight, he would definitely expose it. But Queen Guinevere was cheating on—no, did that really count as cheating? After all, his king was a woman and did not have that thing at all. In other words, the king and queen's wedding night had instead become his father's wedding night...
Agravain asked, "Father, King Arthur isn't a puppet king, right?"
Bai Ming said, "Of course not, my dear son. Don't think so much."
Not long afterward, you began dragging Morgan along to tell Artoria all sorts of things, such as the effects of the Little Ice Age and the end of the Age of Gods.
You began preparing Artoria mentally for Britain's destruction and explained your plans to her. Though Artoria was dissatisfied, she still agreed to your plan.
Artoria began sending people to search for the legendary Holy Grail and suppress the remaining rebels. Before setting out, Artoria falsely claimed that the Holy Sword's scabbard had been lost. In truth, she entrusted it to you, but you tossed it to Morgan and told her to go to Fuyuki City in 2004 and 1994 to participate in the Holy Grail War.
After discussing matters with Morgan, you reached an agreement. Morgan cursed Guinevere, then took Guinevere with her and retreated to the paradise ahead of time. Afterward, you summoned your friend among the Knights of the Round Table, Tristan, entrusted all of Cornwall to him, explained the plan, and took advantage of Artoria's expedition to massacre the many nobles in the Kingdom of Camelot who harbored disloyal intentions.
Over two months, you slaughtered every noble who harbored disloyal intentions. This had been agreed upon by you and Artoria beforehand.
When Artoria returned, she showed no reaction whatsoever. Then, at that very moment, Mordred raised an army from your territory in rebellion and charged straight toward Artoria.
Has the Simulation Ended?
Merlin, who had been watching from the shadows, was bewildered by your actions. You, meanwhile, were equally bewildered by Mordred.
You could not understand why Mordred had rebelled at all.
You figured she had no throne to inherit this time, so why was she getting so worked up?
"Father, I'm here to save you!"
Mordred spurred her horse into a mad gallop, charging directly toward Artoria.
Meanwhile, Artoria and Bai Ming remained expressionless. With a single thrust of her spear, Artoria killed Mordred's horse.
Mordred flew through the air in an undignified sprawl and crashed to the ground. Just as she tried to get up, she felt her butt being stepped on. Bai Ming asked, "Who told you she was going to kill me?"
Seeing Mordred puff out her cheeks and remain silent, Bai Ming guessed what had happened and sighed. "When I bloom, all flowers die."
With that, Bai Ming removed his foot from Mordred's backside. "King Arthur, you handle her... Leave the rest to me."
You led many knights through the lands of the Kingdom of Camelot.
On this land, every noble who refused to voluntarily surrender their fiefs was slaughtered by you. Those who loved wagging their tongues had those tongues cut out.
Rumors claimed that King Arthur had been a puppet king ever since ascending the throne, and that true power still rested in your hands. You did not care about such rumors in the slightest. After all, the gossip came from outside; the people of Camelot and Cornwall knew exactly what kind of ruler you were.
After completing most of your tasks, you went to the prison to see Mordred, who had been locked up. Mordred had enough self-awareness not to ask you to get her out.
She knew her actions had brought you shame, though you did not see it that way.
Mordred said indignantly, "No, Father, you're really giving away all the fiefs and leaving only a few estates?"
"I'm a noble too. I have to follow the rules I set myself."
"But you made the rules. You're the one who set them."
"The one who makes the rules must also follow them. Besides, in a sense, all of Cornwall and Camelot belong to me anyway."
"Why does Camelot..."
"You know Artoria is a girl. I'm telling you plainly now: she's your stepmother."
The words "stepmother" drilled into Mordred's mind like a bolt of lightning and a venomous dragon drill.
Mordred took a long time to react, yet still could not process what you had just said.
"Huh?"
Mordred thought, So the entire kingdom really is our family's? Then wasn't my rebellion before just fucking ridiculous?
"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
"You never asked."
Your words plunged Mordred into silence. Then you stated that a rebellion was indeed needed to lay the foundation for Britain's eventual decline in advance.
Out of your indulgence toward her, you did not intend to let Britain fall during Artoria's reign.
Mordred could not understand. When she asked why, you merely told her that becoming king had never been what Artoria wanted. You and Merlin had forced her onto the throne. Therefore, even if destruction came, Artoria could not be allowed to believe it was caused by her own inadequacy. In the end, you would put on a false act that became real with Artoria, and Mordred would judge everything afterward.
You also told Mordred that she lacked the qualifications to become king. Mordred told you that she had already learned that while helping you handle government affairs, so there was no need to worry that she would launch an unnecessary rebellion out of a momentary lapse in judgment. After quelling the rebellion, she would hand everything over to the most suitable person.
Mordred was released, and under your deliberate guidance, her prestige within the army steadily rose.
The end of the Age of Gods required the Red Dragon to depart completely. For that very reason, Artoria could not bear children during her lifetime. Guinevere also knew how troublesome it would be for a child to inherit the throne in a world full of magecraft and mysteries. Thus, every time you gathered in Artoria's room, you took protective measures.
Without question, even though the people of Camelot and Cornwall now felt satisfied, the low food output and the fact that conflicts could only be diverted through foreign wars remained undeniable. All of you were thinking about how to throw away this mess.
You and Artoria began searching for someone capable of succeeding to the throne.
The roster of Knights of the Round Table was updated with a new batch. Some of the knights sent out to search for the Holy Grail became kings abroad and never returned. Some died along the way. Some found the Holy Grail, then died without desire or want.
And you finally instigated the rebellion you had long wanted.
Tristan, whom you had stationed in Cornwall, closed his eyes and weakly plucked at his harp, murmuring of his sorrow.
He knew this was all an act. He was one of the few who knew the truth, but there was nothing he could do. He could not persuade you, could not persuade Merlin, and could not persuade his king. He could only serve as a witness, then welcome the end of his life.
At Camlann, the Sword Barrow, Artoria believed this was the best place to bury her sword.
Before this, she had ordered a new attendant to throw the sword into the lake, then began a fierce battle with you.
It was a rebellion of tremendous scale, yet in the end, it was all thunder and little rain.
Only three people died in the rebellion.
You, Artoria, and Guinevere.
Your army and Artoria's army merely watched in silence. They all knew that, no matter what happened, King Arthur would not strike you, and that you would not strike King Arthur.
You and Artoria died together, while Guinevere chose to kill herself beside you after the two of you had died.
Mordred led the army back to the Kingdom of Camelot. She then installed the next king candidate whom you and Artoria had selected beforehand, and, following your example, built prestige in the army for the new monarch, Constantine, son of the knight Cador.
After Mordred finished everything she needed to do, she came to the graves of you, Artoria, and Guinevere.
She dug open your grave and discovered that the corpse inside was not yours at all.
Mordred suddenly laughed. She seemed to have figured something out. Then she burned the graves of all three of you, summoned her older brother Gawain, and, after giving him some instructions, killed herself before him.
Following Mordred's request, Gawain buried her.
Merlin, who had watched the entire affair, could not understand.
Ascended prophecies were even worse than curses; this had been said long ago. Merlin always loved making prophecies with that mouth of his, so Morgan was furious. She grabbed Merlin and shoved him into the paradise, placing layer upon layer of seals upon him.
Merlin was left speechless and could only tell Morgan that you had not actually died.
Morgan said she knew, but she still wanted to teach Merlin a lesson. Then she vanished into the paradise with Excalibur's scabbard.
Simulation Ended
After the First Simulation: Joscelin Brando Bai Ming (Saber)
Name: Joscelin Brando (Bai Ming) Class: Saber Alignment: Chaotic Good Strength: A Endurance: B+ Agility: B Mana: C Luck: C Noble Phantasm: B
Class Skills
Magic Resistance: A
This was not only due to the protection of Age of Gods magecraft, but also because Joscelin was fundamentally neither Briton nor Roman. What he practiced was magecraft from the Eastern Continent. In his own words when teaching Gawain: cultivation of life and nature together, martial and mystical arts existing side by side.
His formidable body, paired with the golden light protecting him, could nullify a great many forms of magecraft. He was completely immune to magecraft below Rank A. Rumor had it that modern magecraft could not harm him at all.
Riding: C+
His skill at horseback riding merely surpassed that of ordinary people—his original level could never have reached this point, but Joscelin had used riding techniques to tame something, which was how he attained this level.
Frenzy: B+
As someone who had slaughtered countless nobles and enemies, he was cruel and savage, with military achievements unrivaled in the world. To the mainstream nobles of his era, he was someone difficult to communicate with and even feared.
Equivalent to Mad Enhancement, but without any loss of reason.
Weakening (Artoria, Morgan): EX
Due to his unclear relationships with these two, he would suffer severe weakening effects when facing either of them as an enemy.
Personal Skills
Charisma: B
Joscelin, who had become regent under King Uther's orders, gradually transformed from a knight infamous for his ferocity into a leader among knights whose influence was no less than that of King Uther or King Arthur.
If leading a battle in his personal capacity—boosting morale, leading troops in a charge, or ambushing enemy commanders—he would have no problem at all. The prerequisite, however, was having someone beside him to stop him from leaving the formation alone and charging into the enemy ranks to wreak havoc.
Thought Key Patterns: C→A
He possessed Thought Key Patterns connected to Eastern conceptual magecraft, entirely unlike Western magecraft, and seemed to use them as immortal arts or occult arts—Daoist arts.
Originally only at the limits of humanity, the permissions granted to his Thought Key Patterns rose by more than one level because he had acted recklessly in Britain's Age of Gods. Perhaps this was the Grandmaster's favoritism.
Noble Phantasms
Jade Purity Supreme Brick Rank: C Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm Maximum Targets: 1 person
A Noble Phantasm forged by the supreme Daoist being, Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun.
Aside from being heavy and indestructible, it had no other special qualities. In truth, this iron brick had no name at all; it was only given one for convenience of reference and to recall it after throwing it. However, because it had beaten to death a king known as the "Treacherous Knight" during its use, this brick acquired a slight Anti-King trait.
Pojun Divine Lightning Halberd Rank: B Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm Maximum Targets: 1–10 people
A Chinese-style battle halberd forged by Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun from the power of the Pojun Star—also known as the Shaking Light Star—combined with Jade Purity Divine Lightning. It contained the power of stars and lightning. Pojun Star Power made it unstoppable and indestructible, while Jade Purity Divine Lightning could summon lightning highly effective against undead, ghosts, and other sinister, baleful creatures. It was also Bai Ming's most frequently used weapon in army battles.
Due to Vortigern's blood, this Noble Phantasm possessed a faint Anti-Dragon trait.
Crocea Mors Rank: B+ Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm Maximum Targets: 1 person
A golden sword, whose original text came from The History of the Kings of Britain.
An accessory of Gaius Julius Caesar, dictator of the Roman Republic. In life, he lost this sword after piercing an enemy soldier's shield with it in battle. It was later picked up by the Lady of the Lake, who used it to ask Bai Ming not to beat up her son Lancelot. Thus, Bai Ming became the second owner of the holy sword Crocea Mors.
Upon releasing its True Name, it would automatically strike the opponent. After the first hit, it would make Luck checks "until failure," granting additional attacks based on the number of consecutive successes. It was said to be an instant-death weapon based on absurd luck, so Bai Ming, whose Luck checks had never been particularly good, rarely used this sword.
Before you continue