"Sir Scott is dead?!"
Arthur looked at Artoria with obvious shock, his eyes widening at the sudden revelation.
"Seriously...?"
For a brief moment, he even thought he had heard wrong.
Then what exactly is going on here?
I wake up and discover that the chief of one of the tribes died overnight?
This was practically a political disaster waiting to happen.
If this news spread the wrong way, he would immediately become the center of suspicion.
Scott had participated in the mission with them the previous day. After that, the group had been ambushed by enemy forces due to leaked information, nearly dying during the retreat. And now, only a few hours after returning, the very tribal leader who had accompanied them had turned up dead.
No matter how one looked at it, anyone would start doubting the King.
Perhaps the king was eliminating suspects.
Perhaps Scott knew too much.
Perhaps the king himself had secretly ordered it.
Rumors like that were inevitable.
"He was killed by the Saxon leader who was conspiring with him," Artoria explained calmly. "Apparently, some kind of internal conflict occurred. Scott was poisoned with a curse that only activated exactly at midnight."
"A Saxon leader?" Arthur frowned slightly, clearly surprised. "So Scott really was the traitor?"
But it all felt far too convenient.
Suspiciously convenient.
Scott had been revealed as a suspect… and died on the very same day.
It felt almost like a gift falling from the sky.
"Is something strange about that?" Artoria asked, carefully observing Arthur, who had fallen into deep thought.
Arthur slowly snapped out of it and shook his head.
"No… it's nothing."
Even so, deep down, he still felt that something was wrong.
Scott was not some ordinary subordinate. He was an influential tribal chief, someone with authority, political power, and access to important information. A figure of that level should not have been discarded so easily by a Saxon.
It was too strange.
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable it felt.
"They say that before dying, Sir Scott officially transferred his position to his maid," Artoria continued. Her tone became slightly strange near the end of the sentence. "And this new tribal chief asked for a message to be delivered to you."
Arthur raised his gaze.
"She said she is willing to obey the king's orders completely."
"Huh…?"
Arthur looked genuinely surprised.
"Why?"
"…That's exactly the question I should be asking." Artoria narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared at him. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"Would you believe me if I said I have no idea what's happening?" Arthur asked with a bitter smile.
This was way too absurd.
He had literally gone to sleep normally and woken up to discover that an entire tribe wanted to place itself under his absolute command.
How did that make any sense?
"You really don't know?" Artoria asked again, clearly suspicious.
"I really don't." Arthur sighed helplessly while lightly massaging his temples. "But thinking positively… isn't this a good thing? We can ask the new tribal chief directly later."
As he spoke, he noticed that Artoria was still staring fixedly at him.
"Is there something else, Lily?"
"It's nothing…" Artoria looked away for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "I just thought maybe they were interested in you or something."
Arthur: "???"
He was completely speechless for several seconds.
"Do you really think someone would hand over an entire tribe just because they like me?" he asked incredulously. "How would an idiot like that even become a tribal chief? Even without thinking too hard, it's obvious that makes absolutely no sense, right?"
Artoria observed Arthur's sincere and confused expression for a few moments.
Then, unexpectedly, she let out a soft laugh.
"You're right." She smiled gently. "Sorry… I guess my imagination ran a little too far."
Arthur simply rolled his eyes.
That wasn't "thinking too much."
That was practically creating an entire story by herself.
How could someone be irrational enough to hand over an entire tribe to a newly crowned king before he had even produced concrete results?
It was impossible.
Or at least… that was what Arthur believed.
"What are you doing here?"
Suddenly, Artoria's tone turned cold.
Arthur immediately snapped out of his thoughts and followed the direction of her gaze.
A pink-haired girl was standing at the entrance of the palace hall.
Her short skirt swayed softly as the breeze crossed the corridor, and a charming smile rested upon her delicate face.
The girl's pink eyes were completely fixed on Arthur.
"King Arthur… may I speak with you alone?"
"Sir Milo?" Arthur looked at her with some surprise. "Do you need something?"
Logically speaking, tribal leaders rarely took the initiative to visit the palace.
Although they shared the same enemy, the relationship between the tribes and Camelot was still delicate. After all, King Arthur wished to completely unify Britain under his banner, while the tribal leaders were unwilling to surrender their autonomy without receiving something significant in return.
"I wish to swear loyalty to you and offer you my territory," Milo said with a sweet smile. "But before that… I would like to speak privately."
Arthur and Artoria exchanged glances.
Both could clearly see the disbelief in each other's eyes.
Especially Artoria.
Her gaze practically said:
And you still insist she's not interested in you?
"Lily… could you wait outside for a moment?" Arthur asked.
Although clearly reluctant, Artoria eventually nodded.
After all, this involved important matters related to an entire tribe. It was not something that could be treated lightly.
Even so, before leaving, she cast one final deep and cautious glance toward Milo.
Only after Artoria left the hall did Arthur turn his attention back to the pink-haired girl.
"Alright… you can tell me what you wanted now."
Milo observed Arthur with almost excessive affection, her eyes slowly wandering across the king's face.
Then she tilted her head slightly and asked provocatively:
"Wouldn't you like to go somewhere more private to talk?"
Arthur immediately became alert.
His instincts practically started screaming danger.
He shook his head without hesitation.
"You can speak here."
"You really are strange…" Milo let out an amused giggle as she slowly walked toward him. "It's obvious I'm not any threat to you."
Arthur remained still.
He did not dare step back.
If he retreated at that moment, it would seem as though he were intimidated by the other party.
In terms of strength, he did not believe himself inferior to Milo.
So theoretically, there was no reason to fear her.
But even so…
When looking at that pink-haired girl, Arthur felt a strange sense of danger crawling down his spine.
Her smile was beautiful.
And that was exactly why it was frightening.
It was the kind of smile capable of hiding something extremely dangerous behind its beauty.
Milo stopped right in front of him, close enough for Arthur to smell the soft fragrance coming from her.
Then, slowly, she brushed a strand of pink hair away from her shoulder.
"My king… Sir Scott was not actually killed by the Saxons."
Arthur's expression instantly froze.
"What…?" His eyes narrowed. "Then someone else was the murderer?"
"But if we're talking about who profited the most from his death…" Milo smiled faintly. "Aside from the Saxons, the only one left would be that maid."
Arthur fell silent.
"Sometimes, you shouldn't analyze things only from the surface." Milo gently raised her hand and adjusted the crown on Arthur's head. "You're always busy dealing with the Saxons. I imagine you don't have much time to pay attention to these small internal disputes."
Arthur silently nodded.
She was right.
Until now, all of his attention had been focused on the war against the alien races. If not for the sudden appearance of the traitor, he likely would have continued focusing exclusively on that.
"That judicial officer working for you only cares about protecting you," Milo continued calmly. "He doesn't seem to think much beyond that."
Then she raised her eyes and looked directly at Arthur.
"That's why… you need someone capable of helping you think."
Arthur remained silent for a moment before asking:
"What exactly is your objective?"
Offering an entire tribe.
Getting close to him.
Helping him politically.
All of it felt too excessive.
It was almost as though Milo was willing to give up everything she possessed just to get closer to him.
"When the Saxons are expelled, internal purges will inevitably begin," Milo said softly. "I'm simply choosing the safest side ahead of time in order to protect myself."
Then she paused briefly.
"Besides… I met the person who killed Sir Scott last night."
Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
"You saw that person?" he asked immediately. "What did they look like?"
According to the information Artoria had brought, Scott had not died a normal death.
He had been cursed.
The curse only activated hours later, causing pain so intense that even imagining the scene made Arthur uncomfortable.
However, Milo slowly shook her head.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't see clearly who it was."
Then she lowered her gaze slightly.
"But because of that, I became very uneasy." Her voice softened. "So I decided to seek protection under King Arthur… and I hope you can protect me."
Afterward, her fingers slowly slid along the hem of her skirt.
She subtly lifted the fabric, revealing part of her thighs.
"In exchange…" Milo smiled sweetly. "I'll do anything you desire."
"Anything… alright."
"Anyway…" he said, trying to maintain his composure. "Since you believe your territory isn't safe right now, then stay in the palace for the time being."
He paused briefly before adding:
"Is that okay?"
"Yes, thank you very much." Milo smiled happily. "If possible, I would like to stay in the room next to yours."
She brought a finger to her lips.
"After all… staying alone during the night feels dangerous."
Arthur silently weighed the pros and cons.
In the end, he nodded.
"I'll make the arrangements. You can move in today."
Compared to the political value of an entire tribe…
Allowing Milo to remain in the palace was practically profit without losses.
"Oh, right." Milo turned around once more before leaving. "If I have the honor of dancing with King Arthur at the masquerade ball… would that be alright?"
She smiled charmingly.
"Consider it one of the conditions for fully joining your side."
Arthur simply nodded.
"I understand."
"Thank you very much."
Milo gave an elegant bow.
Then, before departing, she turned once again to look at Arthur.
Her smile became even more captivating.
"I'm really looking forward to the masquerade ball."
(End of Chapter)