King Mark

Sovell smiled, then calmly answered Tristan's question:

"If the king truly makes a mistake, I will correct it for him."

Seeing the hesitation on Tristan's face, Sovell immediately added:

"Don't worry, Sir Tristan. When that time comes, the king will allow me to do so."

The seventh oath: "Correct the king's mistakes."

"I see... Since you trust him so deeply, Sir Stam, I wish you success in realizing your ideals in the future."

Tristan smiled as he offered Sovell his blessing.

"Thank you very much-by the way, Sir Tristan, could I ask you a favor?"

Sovell thanked Tristan for his blessing. Looking at the pale-coated horse beside them, the boy suddenly remembered something.

"Please, go ahead."

"The tack Kelpie is wearing is a spare set from Kay's mount, so it might not fit properly.

Is there a market in Cornwall City that sells tack? The price doesn't matter, but the quality has to be excellent. I'd like to have a set custom-made."

"That can be arranged. I'll have someone make a set right away. We'll just need to trouble you to keep Kelpie's aggression in check while they take measurements, Sir Stam, so no one gets hurt."

"I see... That sounds good, then. Thank you."

The four headed toward the Royal Palace and soon reached its main gates.

Tristan looked at the arrow emblem directly above the gateway. A flicker of emotion stirred within him, but he quickly suppressed it.

Then he took a badge from his pack bearing the same emblem as the one on the gates and addressed the herald standing before them:

"Please inform my uncle that Tristan requests an audience."

"Yes."

King Mark was in the great hall, dealing with the official business his servants had brought him that morning. Upon hearing that his nephew had arrived, he immediately put down his quill and shook out his wrist.

"Granted."

"Yes."

A short while later, the herald returned to the gates:

"Prince Tristan, the king has granted you an audience."

"Good, thank you-Sir Stam, let's go inside."

Kelpie and Joanie were left in the servants' care, while Sovell and his two companions followed Tristan into the Royal Palace.

"Uncle."

Tristan knelt on one knee before the man on the throne.

"Oh, Tristan. Rise. There is no need for such formality between us. Since you're back from your patrol, join me for a meal later.

Who are these three guests?"

King Mark looked at Sovell and his companions behind Tristan. He had already recognized who they were, but deliberately asked anyway.

"Uncle, these three are traveling knights passing through from afar. They enjoy an excellent reputation in Gwent and elsewhere."

"Oh, the three warriors the people call the 'Three Knights of Redemption'? I have heard of them."

"Stam Ambrosius."

"Lily Ambrosius."

"Kay Senor."

"We have come to pay our respects to the King of Cornwall."

Sovell and his companions gave their names, then added a greeting and placed their hands over their chests as a gesture of courtesy and respect.

They were not King Mark's subjects. With two members of royalty and a grand duke's son among them, a hand-over-heart salute was already the highest courtesy they could offer.

"At ease. What brings the three of you here?"

Tristan answered King Mark's question on their behalf:

"Uncle, these three intend to cross the sea and travel around the Other Side of the Ocean. When I encountered them on patrol, I was eager to test their skills and challenged them.

In return, I promised them a large ship capable of making the crossing. I ask for your approval, Uncle."

"Of course. It's only a ship. You need not consult me in the future. I'll leave such simple matters entirely in your hands, Tristan.

And since these three have come to Cornwall as guests, we must not neglect them. I leave their meals and accommodation to you as well."

Despite saying that, King Mark actually hoped to see Tristan more often. After all, he was the only child his sister had left behind in this world.

"Yes. Thank you, Uncle."

Tristan led Sovell and his companions out of the Royal Palace's great hall. After so many turns left and right that they lost count, they finally reached the lodgings Tristan had arranged for them.

"These three rooms will be yours during your stay. Are they to your satisfaction?"

"Actually, two rooms would be enough."

Sovell lowered his voice as much as possible when he said this, but Tristan still heard him:

"Hmm? Wouldn't it be too cramped for you and Sir Kay to share a room, Sir Stam? Three rooms would be more convenient."

No, I think you've misunderstood something...

In the end, under Kay's watchful gaze, Sovell was ushered into his own room.

Tristan, meanwhile, left to arrange Kelpie's tack and the ship for their crossing.

Once inside, even Sovell could not help marveling at the room's luxury.

Vortigern's Royal Palace and Senor Castle both favored a simple style dominated by solid colors.

Because of his past experiences, his father was frugal when it came to his own food and accommodation. Much of the money saved went into the public treasury for famine relief and military expenses.

Duke Ector also preferred peace and quiet, so even after moving to the countryside and acquiring his own castle, he had maintained his usual habits.

Cornwall, however, was different.

A little over a decade ago, Cornwall had been no more than a small duchy. Though it had a few ports, it was nowhere near a match for Londinium, the kingdom's center.

At that time and before, the people of Cornwall had mainly made their living through mining, smelting, and fishing.

Over the past decade or so, however, while eastern and southern England suffered invasions by foreign peoples, Cornwall's stable society had given it ample room to develop.

King Mark had seized that advantage, focusing on trade with the continent, gradually reducing the share of mining and fishing in the economy, and vigorously developing maritime shipping.

Thus, over those years, Cornwall had grown from an overlooked frontier territory into a major port town rivaling Londinium.

The growth of commerce naturally brought a flourishing economy, and the Royal Palace, left in ruins by King Uther's war, had also been restored under King Mark.

The result was the room Sovell now saw before him.

He had to admit that King Mark not only possessed considerable political skill but also excellent taste. This room perfectly embodied what it meant to be-

Elegant without being vulgar, splendid without being extravagant.

The furniture did not feature crude designs such as blatantly inlaid gems. Instead, intricate patterns had been carved directly into solid wood.

An exceptional lacquering technique gave it a lustrous finish almost like porcelain.

As for the curtains hanging on either side of the windows, they looked like plain, solid-colored fabric from a distance. Up close, however, they were covered in tiny patterns, all woven from gold thread.

Sovell hardly dared imagine how many spears and greatswords could be purchased for the cost of all this.

What about armor?

Better forget that. Put together, all this would only pay for a few hundred sets of chainmail.

Armor had always been extremely expensive.

But there was a reason for that price. A suit of armor could essentially protect its wearer from the vast majority of attacks with edged weapons.

And the finest plate armor currently to be found, such as the suits worn by Gawain, Sovell, and Artoria-

Were actually products of magecraft. Fifth-century technology could not yet support the manufacture of plate armor.

The most advanced armor available through technology alone was chainmail, made from interlocking metal rings.

As for breastplates and plate armor fashioned from metal plates?

Sorry, that would have to wait another few hundred years.