The Last Battle Before Britain's Unification

Even in an era as communication-poor as Britain, the news of the Saxons' defeat spread rapidly across the entire land. Many were shocked—shocked by your strength. The fact that you had started with just five hundred knights and, within a little over a year, grown to five thousand and driven back the Saxons who had long entrenched themselves in the north was almost beyond belief.

But the news that the Eternal Victory White Knight Order had been annihilated by Vortigern's army also reached the people of Britain, carried along with the Saxons' retreat.

You seemed indifferent to it, but those who knew you well understood that you were burying your emotions deep inside.

After the Saxons withdrew, you stayed in the north for another seven days before finally deciding to return to Camelot.

When you arrived back at Camelot, you found that people had long been waiting to welcome your triumphant return.

At the gates of Camelot, a sea of people had gathered, waiting specifically for your arrival. Only when they saw you did they erupt into deafening cheers, countless voices shouting your name.

You looked at the people and knights welcoming you at Camelot's gates. For the first time in seven days, a faint smile appeared on your expressionless face. Among the crowd, dozens of figures sat astride white horses, clad in silver armor and draped in cloaks, having waited there for some time.

At their head was a figure you knew well.

The moment you saw her, you dismounted without hesitation and knelt on one knee.

"Welcome back, my knight," she said softly, looking at you.

"My King, I have fulfilled my duty," you replied.

"I have prepared a victory feast for you. Let's go."

You acknowledged her words, mounted your horse, and followed Arthur and the knights behind her into Camelot. The surrounding citizens were full of admiration and praise for you. As you looked at Camelot before you, you remembered that when it was first built, it was nowhere near as magnificent as this.

Back then, compared to now, it was like heaven and earth apart. You could see no trace of worry on the citizens' faces—they were carefree and content. The knights behind Arthur were all familiar to you; they were your comrades, members of the Knights of the Round Table.

That Arthur had arranged such a scene just to welcome you left you both flattered and surprised. At the same time, you marveled at her ability. In just over a year, she had developed Camelot to such a state. At that moment, you felt that your choice had been the right one.

That night, at your victory banquet, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning your White Knight Order or Vortigern. During the feast, you also got to know many people.

There was Gawain, known as the Sun Knight; Tristan, the Sorrow Knight; Gareth, the Fair Hands; Iron Agravain; Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake; Percival, the Knight of the Holy Grail; Galahad, the Holy Grail Knight; Mordred; and Lamorack, among others.

While chatting with Mordred, you could sense an inexplicable affinity from him.

Since you were the main honoree of the banquet, most people gathered around you. But as you watched Arthur and Queen Guinevere, something felt off in your heart. They seemed somewhat distant, yet their closeness suggested otherwise.

You drank freely with the many knights, sharing amusing anecdotes at will, and soon grew familiar with everyone at the banquet.

But Arthur remained lost in thought throughout the feast, seeming out of place. You noticed this and filed it away in your mind.

The next day, you woke up groggily, only to find yourself lying in bed, the room in disarray and a mess around you. Confused, you couldn't recall how you had ended up here last night—it seemed someone had helped you.

You hadn't expected to black out like that. All you could do was remind yourself to drink less in the future.

Just as you finished tidying up the room and straightening yourself out, you received word that Arthur was summoning the Knights of the Round Table. You hurried over without delay.

When you arrived, many knights were already standing solemnly around a round table, with more still on their way.

You took your place, but as you did, you distinctly noticed Arthur glance at you before looking away.

Soon, all the knights had gathered. Merlin stood beside Arthur.

Once everyone was present, Arthur immediately convened the Round Table Conference.

"Knights," Arthur began, "the reason I have summoned you all today is that on this island of Britain, the final battle before we unify the land is about to begin!"

At these words, many of the knights' expressions shifted.

Merlin, standing beside Arthur, offered an explanation at the right moment.

"Yesterday, Vortigern, who had been lying low for so long, suddenly launched an attack on us for reasons unknown. This undoubtedly signals that the war between Vortigern and us has begun. The final battle for Britain is about to commence! We must swiftly counterattack and formulate a plan to deal with Vortigern!"

You hadn't expected Vortigern to start the war so soon. In the days to come, countless people would be displaced, their homes destroyed. You sighed inwardly, knowing that these were inevitable—unless this war could be crushed with overwhelming force, there was no avoiding such suffering.

Soon, you all began discussing how to deal with Vortigern. You offered your own suggestions and ideas, and they were all adopted.

Before long, most of the knights had received their respective assignments, leaving only you and Mordred without tasks. When only the two of you remained, Arthur finally gave you your orders.

Mordred would serve as your adjutant, and you were given three thousand knights as a reserve force. You were to support wherever the front lines faltered, without needing Arthur's direct command.

You weren't surprised at all—you had expected there would be a reserve role. But you hadn't anticipated that Arthur would assign you and Mordred as the reserves, nor that she would send out most of Camelot's forces and personally lead the campaign.

Even Merlin, standing nearby, unusually refrained from advising Arthur against it. You felt a pang of unease about Arthur's decision to lead the campaign in person and wanted to advise her against it. But Merlin, as if he could always read your mind, dismissed you and Mordred before you could speak, leaving you no chance to offer counsel. (Merlin's favorability -1000)

Once outside, you began to sense something off about Merlin. In your perception, he always wore that same smiling face, as if everything was within his expectations. This made you deeply uneasy, because over the years, through bits of information about Merlin and his identity, you had come to know that his personality was somewhat malicious.

You wanted to tell Arthur, but you realized that even if you did, it might not catch her attention. More likely, Merlin would brush it off with some trivial excuse. So you dropped the thought, deciding to bring it up later when Merlin wasn't paying attention.