"Are you saying he intended to befriend us?"
"That's right. This boy named 'Stam' is certainly not a traveler, as he claimed.
And he places great importance on your future."
After analyzing the situation, King Lot rejected the identity Sovell had given them.
"Gawain, you remember what's happening in two days, don't you?"
Gawain thought for a moment before replying.
"You mean the Sword of Selection? He's after the Sword of Selection?"
"No, he isn't after the Sword of Selection. I believe he's more likely after the person who will draw it."
"The person... who will draw the Sword of Selection? But why?"
"Because of his surname, or rather, the surname he gave us:
Ambrosius.
You can't quite count everyone with that surname in Britain on one hand, but it is still exceedingly rare.
Besides, an 'Ambrosius' with such powerful Magecraft inevitably brings to mind that Dream Mage in King Uther's Royal Court."
When King Lot mentioned Merlin, he paused briefly. Then, as though recalling some unpleasant experience from his past, he frowned and continued:
"Merlin may know who can draw the Sword of Selection. Of course, he may not.
But this 'Stam' is likely a piece Merlin has placed on the board, meant to broaden the connections of the 'red dragon' who will inherit the throne and win some goodwill."
"I see..."
Gawain could not help feeling a little dejected, though he did not know why.
Seeing the look on his eldest son's face, King Lot's lips curled upward slightly.
"Then again..."
"Then again, Gawain, you needn't feel disappointed.
He may have approached us with a purpose, but that purpose isn't dishonorable. Besides..."
In the room prepared by Orkney's palace steward, Sovell listened to Gawain and King Lot's conversation through the wind. It was somewhat unethical, but no great harm was done.
He had to admit that King Lot was quite capable.
Yes, Sovell had deliberately revealed the surname "Ambrosius." Anyone who connected it with the Selection of the King Ceremony Merlin had arranged for two days later could discern the link between them.
King Lot had correctly interpreted all the information Sovell had revealed, save for one point.
Sovell had indeed come to stay in Orkney City to befriend Gawain, but this was a move he had made of his own accord.
The so-called Selection of the King Ceremony sounded grand enough: "Whosoever draws the sword from the stone is Britain's rightful king by birth."
But among the higher-ranking regional kings, everyone understood that this was merely a scheme Merlin had devised for King Uther's offspring.
Its sole purpose was to give that child, Artoria, a more legitimate claim to the throne.
Besides, once Artoria became king, defeating the Vile King Vortigern and driving out the foreign peoples would be her highest priorities.
Thus, Sovell needed to make as many friends and reduce the number of enemies as much as possible for the future Red Dragon Royal Court. That was why he had taken the initiative to befriend King Lot and Gawain.
But...
"Morgan le Fay."
Sovell turned the name over and over in his mind.
During his eight years in Avalon, Sovell had asked Merlin who Artoria's "older sister" was.
But all he had learned was that she had studied medicine, alchemy, and a little Magecraft under Merlin, along with a warning to be careful of her before he left.
That veiled woman he had seen standing beside King Lot below the battlements...
Offensive though it might be, in Sovell's eyes, the "uncanny aura" around that woman enveloped her as completely as her long dress.
This was not an uncanny aura in the literal sense. It wasn't as though Sovell could see at a glance that Morgan was a fairy in human form, like a certain monkey in the East several hundred years ago. But he truly could not think of a more fitting description.
Sovell did not know why he felt such intense hostility toward a woman he had never met.
He had asked the palace steward who she was.
"Oh, that is His Majesty's consort, Lady Morgan le Fay."
It was not because of Merlin's warning. If it had merely been that one remark, "Be careful of Morgan le Fay," he should have felt wariness, not an instantaneous urge to kill.
After all, she was, in effect, his senior fellow apprentice.
If he had not used disguise Magecraft to alter his appearance and expression before meeting King Lot, that murderous intent would likely have been detected the instant it surfaced.
"Never mind. What's done is done. I'll get some sleep first and take a look at the Sun's Holy Sword tomorrow morning. Hopefully, Merlin has enough of a conscience not to drag me into a dream."
Sovell laid down a spell, reinforced the sealed barrier he had constructed within the room, then relaxed and drifted peacefully to sleep.
Thankfully, Merlin really did show a little conscience this time. Sovell slept soundly all night, without dreaming of anything unpleasant or inexplicably finding himself in some field of flowers.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Sovell went to Orkney's court to meet King Lot.
At court, King Lot commended the officers and soldiers who had fought the Demon Beast the previous day and bestowed rewards upon them.
He also granted money and provisions to the families of the fallen soldiers.
For "slaying the King Beast and saving the crown prince," King Lot gave the traveler "Stam Ambrosius" a considerable sum of money for his future travels as a token of gratitude.
After the court session ended, Gawain and Sovell mounted their horses and headed for the plain south of the city, the site of yesterday's battle.
"Prince Gawain, I've constructed a barrier around the area.
We can both fight with everything we have."
Gawain looked at Sovell, paused for a moment, and asked:
"Brother Stam, you're heading south because you want to witness the king who can save all of Britain, aren't you?
But... Brother Stam, do you think that person will truly be worth following? What if they aren't what you hope?"
Gawain openly laid bare Sovell's purpose in coming.
But Sovell did not deliberately put on a look of disbelief or astonishment.
Instead, he replied without a change in expression:
"This is a bargain I made with someone. I can't disclose the details, but the result is that I will follow that king.
Even without this bargain, once I met that king, I would follow her without hesitation."
"Is that so..."
But Sovell shifted the subject, smiling as he proposed a wager to Gawain:
"Say, Gawain, let's make a bet.
When you meet that king someday, if you acknowledge her in your heart, come serve under her alongside me."
"And if I don't?"
Faced with such high stakes, Gawain did not immediately object. Instead, he asked that question.
"Then, when you fall to me on the battlefield, I will ask my king to spare your life and return Orkney's lands to you.
What do you say?"
Before you continue