Nessa rode the griffin through the skies of Britain, her long purple hair fluttering violently in the wind as streams of air pierced through the clouds. Her eyes remained closed, and she seemed to quietly enjoy the sensation of the warm breeze brushing against her cheeks.
The griffin flapped its wings slowly, maintaining a relatively steady speed.
Then, after a few seconds of silence, Nessa lazily opened one eye.
"You fly so slowly."
She raised a hand and lightly tapped the griffin's head.
"Can't you fly a little faster?" she asked in a dissatisfied tone. "If you keep flying this slowly, I'll roast you once we reach Britain."
The griffin's gigantic body trembled slightly.
In the next instant, the creature shot forward at a much greater speed, almost like an arrow tearing across the skies.
Clearly, that griffin understood human language perfectly.
And it also looked deeply offended.
Once upon a time, it had at least been a creature at the top of the food chain. In certain regions of the Land of Shadows, lesser monsters didn't even dare approach its territory. Even among magical beasts, its species was considered dangerous.
But now?
Now it was being used as a mount by a young girl who threatened to roast it alive if it didn't fly fast enough.
Even so, the griffin didn't dare show the slightest dissatisfaction.
Because that woman was far too terrifying.
As a magical beast extremely sensitive to danger, it could clearly perceive the aura emanating from Scáthach. It was a cold, overwhelming, deadly presence — an absurd pressure that could only be accumulated after countless battles between life and death.
The kind of existence that instinctively made even monsters want to flee.
That was why the griffin honestly accepted becoming Scáthach's mount.
And naturally, it didn't dare resist when her daughter started using it the same way.
I wonder what Arthur is doing right now...
Nessa looked toward the sky ahead as she drifted into thought.
The wind continuously blew against her face, but it only increased her anxiety.
It had already been quite a long time since the last time she saw him.
We have to surprise him.
Ushaha's violet eyes gleamed faintly.
"Why don't we observe what he does every day as King?"
She thought about the idea for a few seconds before nodding to herself.
"That's right, let's do that!"
The girl immediately looked excited.
"And while we're at it, let's see whether he's abused his authority to do anything improper with his subordinates..."
But thinking about it more carefully, it probably wouldn't go that far.
After all, Arthur also had maidservants back when he lived in the Land of Shadows, but Nessa had never seen him touch any of them inappropriately.
Quite the opposite.
Although Arthur could sometimes be too kind, he always maintained a certain natural distance from the people around him.
"But we need to be careful of that woman Mother mentioned..."
Morgan le Fay.
Just thinking about that name made Nessa narrow her eyes slightly.
Based on the few things Scáthach had previously mentioned, Nessa had already developed an extremely poor impression of that woman.
A woman who constantly liked provoking Arthur.
A woman who clearly seemed to have dangerous intentions.
And above all, someone who had guided Arthur to the throne from the shadows.
In short...
She was dangerous in every possible way.
While remaining lost in thought, Nessa ended up riding the griffin all the way to the outskirts of Britain without even realizing it.
Exactly as Scáthach had said, after handing over the black card full of cracks to the guards at the entrance, Nessa managed to enter Camelot without any problem.
The guards practically changed their attitude the instant they saw the invitation.
"It looks better built than the Land of Shadows..." she murmured while observing the city before her.
Her gaze slowly swept across the white walls, towering spires, broad streets, and the enormous flow of people coming and going.
That was to be expected.
The location of the Land of Shadows had never been good. The place was constantly attacked by monsters, in addition to having a naturally hostile environment. Compared to the stability of Camelot, it was normal for it to seem inferior in several aspects.
Even so...
She preferred the Land of Shadows.
After arriving at the palace following directions from several passersby, the guards at the entrance immediately widened their eyes when they saw the black card in Nessa's hand.
Then they gave her strange looks.
"What's the problem?" she asked, frowning. "Don't you recognize this invitation?"
"No..." The guard quickly returned the card respectfully. "I simply wasn't expecting a guest to arrive so many days in advance."
"You may enter now."
Nessa simply nodded and entered the palace.
Only after she disappeared from sight did one of the guards slowly raise his head and look toward the direction the girl had gone.
Then he shook his head in confusion.
"How strange..." he murmured to himself. "This black wood is comparable to solid iron in durability... so how did it end up covered in cracks like that?"
---
Where is Arthur right now?
Nessa walked through the corridors of the enormous palace while curiously observing everything around her.
The place was absurdly large.
At first, she still believed she would be able to find Arthur easily.
But about ten minutes later...
The girl's expression began to change.
A few more minutes passed.
Then finally—
"I'm lost?!"
Nessa stood frozen in the corridor for several seconds, utterly incredulous.
After that, she slowly crouched on the floor, hugging her knees with both arms while displaying a look of pure despair.
Shouldn't invitations include maps?!
Did nobody in this palace think about what to do if a child got lost?!
How long would it take to get out of this place?
The more she thought about it, the more desperate Nessa became.
Now she truly regretted letting the griffin leave first.
If she were still flying through the skies, she probably would've found Arthur long ago.
---
"I feel like I absolutely don't need to do anything."
Arthur sat on the throne, staring blankly into space while murmuring that quietly to himself.
Morgan le Fay was responsible for the preparations for the masquerade ball, but due to the issue involving the traitor, part of the operations had been temporarily altered.
As for Britain's political affairs...
Morgan's "children" were also helping quite a lot.
"Why do I feel like I'm being kept trapped here..." Arthur muttered to himself.
Even after becoming King, he basically didn't need to do anything.
In fact, it almost felt like Morgan was already completely preparing the groundwork for his future departure from Britain.
Before, there had at least been things to do — repel the Saxons, deal with internal conflicts, resolve military issues.
But now?
Now he was completely idle.
If there was anything useful he could do at the moment, it was probably just continue training and slowly absorb the new vial of essence Morgan had given him.
Arthur picked up the ornate sword beside him.
The weapon looked extremely beautiful, almost excessively luxurious, but its actual power wasn't particularly impressive.
Even so, there wasn't any better weapon available at the moment.
We need to find a proper weapon for Lily...
Arthur discreetly glanced toward Artoria beside him while thinking that.
The weapon Artoria was currently using was the Red Spear he had temporarily lent her.
If Scáthach really appeared at the ball and saw Lily holding that weapon...
Arthur sincerely felt like his legs might end up broken.
That spear had been a gift from Scáthach.
A weapon engraved with extremely complex runes.
Lending an item like that to someone else so casually...
Even if Scáthach perhaps wouldn't say anything directly, Nessa would probably become furious.
Actually, he could simply ask his master for another spear.
After all, that weapon wasn't unique.
But...
It wasn't easy to approach that subject.
Arthur sighed internally.
What exactly was he supposed to say?
"Master, could you give me another Red Spear?"
Then Scáthach would probably calmly ask:
"What do you intend to do with two spears? Are you planning to start practicing dual-wield combat?"
And then he'd have to answer honestly:
"No, I want to give one to my court administrator because she doesn't have a suitable weapon."
...Even if that were a perfectly legitimate reason, Nessa would probably instantly conclude he was trying to court some girl.
I wonder where Rhongomyniad is right now...
If they had that weapon, all their problems would immediately be solved.
I'll ask Morgan when I get the chance... maybe she knows something.
For now...
Lily can continue using the Red Spear, and on the day of the ball simply return it discreetly before anyone notices.
"What are you thinking about?" Artoria suddenly asked after noticing Arthur's distracted look.
Arthur immediately looked away.
"It's nothing. I was just distracted."
"By the way, Lily..." He tried to sound casual. "Do you think I could take back that Red Spear for the ball?"
"A ball?" Artoria frowned slightly. "Is there a specific reason? There could be danger there. Without weapons, I won't be able to protect you properly."
"Then we can simply exchange weapons." Arthur smiled. "You keep the Sword of Selection and I'll take the Red Spear."
Noticing that Artoria still hesitated, he immediately added:
"This is an order from the king."
Artoria silently stared at him for several seconds.
Then she nodded.
"Very well."
But immediately afterward, she looked at Arthur again, clearly dissatisfied.
"You've been using that authority to pressure me quite often lately."
Arthur smiled awkwardly.
And didn't deny it.
After all...
It really was useful.
Many things could be resolved easily by using the title of King Arthur against that absurdly stubborn girl.
In fact, Arthur had even thought that one day, after completely resolving Britain's internal and external conflicts, he might use his authority as king to give Artoria one final order.
"From this day onward, you will be queen."
Originally, King Arthur was supposed to die at the Battle of Camlann.
But now Morgan le Fay had fulfilled his wish.
Everything was slowly moving toward a better future.
In other words, even if Artoria officially became the new King in the future, she probably wouldn't face as many tragedies as in the original history.
That being said...
How would Mordred even be created...?
Arthur suddenly began thinking about that.
According to the original course of history, Mordred was born through Morgan le Fay collecting the sperm of Artoria after she had been transformed into a man.
[A/N: Merlin transformed her into a man to consummate her marriage with Guinevere]
But now?
Morgan clearly showed no interest whatsoever in doing something like that.
...Forget it.
There's no point thinking about that right now.
Let's just focus on solving the current problems first.
"Lily, want to go outside and train?" Arthur turned to look at Artoria.
"Now?" Artoria pondered for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Alright. It's been a very long time since I trained with you."
---
On the other side of the palace—
"So where exactly is Arthur?!"
Nessa still remained crouched on the floor, hugging her knees while wearing a completely desperate expression.
She had already given up.
Completely.
Shouldn't invitations really come with maps?!
Did nobody in this kingdom think about lost children?!
How long would it take before she managed to get out of there?!
Nessa was becoming more and more desperate.
At that moment, a soft voice arose behind her.
"Hm? Isn't that Scáthach's daughter? Why is she crouching here alone like a lost child?"
The instant she heard that voice, Nessa immediately turned her head.
And the helplessness in her eyes vanished completely.
Morgan le Fay.
Without a doubt, that woman had bad intentions toward Arthur.
Furthermore, his rise to the throne was also directly related to her manipulations behind the scenes.
In summary—
An extremely dangerous enemy.
Dangerous in every possible sense.
And those vulgar clothes were irritating too.
It was almost like Morgan feared people wouldn't notice the size of her breasts. Her short skirt left those legs completely exposed.
Besides...
That woman's eyes were far too dangerous.
Holy blue eyes that seemed to possess some sort of natural charm, involuntarily drawing people's attention.
"Where is Arthur?" Ushaha asked coldly.
"Arthur? Ah..." Morgan smiled charmingly.
Then she slowly approached.
"I'll take you to him."
Nessa was surprised.
At first, she had imagined Morgan would merely mock her for being lost.
But that answer was unexpected.
"You're really willing to take me to him?"
"Of course." Morgan smiled gently. "I'm very happy to help others."
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"But you'll have to give me a kiss."
"...Why would I kiss you?" Nessa became completely confused for a moment.
Her brain literally froze.
She truly couldn't understand what Morgan was thinking.
"A vow, perhaps?" Morgan slowly crouched in front of her and gently caressed her face. "You don't want to owe me a favor, do you?"
If it was just a kiss...
Then maybe it wasn't something so unacceptable.
Thinking that, Nessa looked back at Morgan.
Her gaze lingered involuntarily on those blue eyes.
Then, after hesitating for several seconds, she slowly leaned forward and kissed Morgan's delicate cheek.
"Are you satisfied now?" she asked quickly.
She looked away almost immediately afterward.
Her cheeks had become slightly red.
She even looked a little embarrassed.
"Well..." Morgan smiled slowly. "Then I shall take you to meet Arthur."
Nessa immediately raised her head alertly.
"Don't worry." Morgan slowly stood up and stretched. "I won't go back on my word."
Then she smiled in an extremely charming manner.
"Besides... I don't like Arthur."
Morgan stepped a little closer and casually concluded:
"You know? I like women."
---
(End of Chapter)