Far beneath the surface, in an unknown subterranean realm, Priest Andrew had gathered a vast assembly of Agents.
Hundreds of candles cast an eerie glow, their flickering flames casting shifting shadows across the Lord's statue.
These Agents were executioners, tasked with eradicating anyone the Holy Church deemed heretical.
Ever since Guinevere rejected the moderates' overtures and insisted on establishing the Magecraft Department, she—and the entire Kingdom of Camelot—had been branded heretical by the Holy Church.
Thus, they spread rumors of a scandalous love triangle between the King of Knights, Guinevere, and Morgan, hoping to undermine their prestige among the knights and the populace.
They controlled numerous Vassal Kings, bestowing secret arts upon their Knights at the cost of their lifespans to forcibly enhance their strength.
They had also prepared to launch the grandest war against Camelot, intending to burn it to the ground.
But their most arrogant ambitions shattered like foam the moment Merlin single-handedly crushed them, leaving their No. 2 Priest too terrified to even move.
Abandoning their goal of annihilating Camelot, they settled for a lesser objective: assassinating the Wicked Queen Guinevere with their remaining resources.
Their investigation had revealed that Guinevere was the driving force behind the Magecraft Department, manipulating Morgan as merely a teacher.
Therefore, by eliminating Guinevere—severing this driving force—they believed the problems of the Magecraft Department might be resolved, and the assembled Mages would once again become lost dogs.
As for any retaliation from Camelot, the Agents were not the type to consider consequences.
"Reverend Priest, isn't turning your schemes against the Queen a violation of your agreement with that old fool Merlin?"
"Silence! Merlin only forbade me from intervening directly, not from speaking or scheming. Execute the plan as devised. If we fail this time, we'll devise a longer-term strategy. We and the heretics will never rest until one side is annihilated!"
"Understood, Reverend Priest!"
-
A dozen voices responded in unison. Those who became Agents were the elite of the Holy Church, valued solely for their strength and obedience; even their faith in the Lord could be scrutinized later.
Trained in this manner, these Agents typically possessed exceptional solo combat capabilities. In a straight fight, ordinary Round Table Knights stood little chance against any one of them.
Yet this formidable group—along with the Priest who had gravely wounded Guinevere in Merlin's prophetic vision—was easily defeated by Merlin.
What about Merlin? Did he foresee the changes that followed his pruning of the "worst timeline"?
Driven by the unease of deviating from prophecy for the first time, Merlin intervened—but only slightly, never intending to completely nullify the challenge.
He naturally observed the Agents' altered plans, yet still chose to let things unfold.
In Merlin's eyes, having neutralized the enemy's most dangerous forces, the King of Knights and Guinevere should have been able to overcome this crisis.
Or perhaps, he thought, if the Holy Church truly manages to kill Guinevere in this battle, it might fundamentally alter Lia's fate.
If Guinevere were to be critically injured, allowing the path I pruned to resurface, then... perhaps I wouldn't need to intervene proactively anymore.
Above the Unknown Land, Merlin sat on a horizontal branch near the top of a moderately tall tree, his staff resting flat across his knees.
He had ceased peering into the future, unwilling to have his "wound" deepened by the pricks of a fixed outcome.
Instead, he simply waited with anticipation, hoping Guinevere would truly overcome the crisis perfectly.
Meanwhile, on the day after the decision to march was made, the King of Knights led forty-three Round Table Knights—including Bedivere, Gawain, and others—along with two hundred and seven first-term graduates of the Knight Academy, all newly commissioned as Attendant Knights and bearing the banners of the Enforcement Knight Order...
They gathered on the academy's main training ground to swear their oaths together, mounted their horses in unison, and rode forth toward the rebellious Vassal Territories they were about to crush.
These first-term graduates had undergone over six months of training. Most already possessed foundational knightly skills and had been assigned to advanced classes upon enrollment, where their primary focus was on team combat.
After over half a year of training, they were equipped with standardized armor, uniformly colored warhorses with Magical Beast bloodlines, and wielded identical greatswords and lances.
Soon, as this Knight Order, forged from a single mold, began their march, their impeccable uniformity left all onlookers in awe.
Under the blazing sun, their earth-shaking strides and unified momentum even overshadowed the Round Table Knights, whose armor and weapons were mismatched, and whose horses and formations lacked cohesion.
"Gawain, you've truly cultivated a remarkable group of knights, but sadly, they're still just showpieces."
"Kay, you're right, but after bathing in enough blood and fire, they'll inevitably grow into a Knight Order that will astonish us all. Sooner or later, I'll lead them to victory against the Queen's Berserker Knight Order in a head-on clash."
"Hah! You're jesting. The Queen can slaughter the entire Enforcement Knight Order, but they can't touch you. With you at the helm, the outcome of that clash remains inevitable: your triumph by day, the Queen's by night."
"Speaking of which, leaving only ordinary knights, Tristan, and his Knight Order with the Queen... is that really okay?"
Led by the King of Knights in her silver armor, the Round Table Knights—except for the scouts—followed closely behind. The King of Knights had dispatched Round Table Knights as officers to the Enforcement Knight Order, and thus hadn't assigned any to guard the flanks or rear.
But this was simply because she lacked experience in such military campaigns and hadn't considered it.
"Kay, you've read the Queen's textbooks for the Knight Academy too. Do you really think she wouldn't have thought of what you and I have?"
"If she did consider it and still didn't object to the deployment of troops for the campaign and defense, that proves she's confident in crushing any schemes against her."
"Our only task is to figure out how to defeat the enemy head-on."
"The Mages have reported spotting Burial Agency No. 2 of the Holy Church."
They used mana to bind their voices, ensuring their words wouldn't reach any third party.
As Gawain and Kay chatted casually, they were subconsciously influenced by the Knight Order marching behind them, their warhorses maintaining perfect formation without conscious effort.
Their horses were superior, possessing greater intelligence. Sensing the near-uniform strides of the "inferior" mounts behind them, their own steeds instinctively quickened their pace, as if in competition.
"Kay," Gawain said, "what if we practice coordinating our attacks and form a Round Table Knight team?"
"Pointless," Kay replied. "After this battle, Camelot will likely seize several more Vassal Territories. The King will bestow honors upon us, granting us higher titles and dispatching us to govern our respective fiefs. Of course, none of these rewards apply to you; as Academy Head, you'll never be sent abroad.
"Still, if you truly desire a fief, you could simply ask your mother for it. Your father's Vassal Territory should have been yours by inheritance."
"Kay, let's drop that topic."
As Gawain listened, he naturally thought...
Teamwork is meaningless for knights who will eventually be ennobled and leave to govern their own territories.
With that, Gawain glanced at the Enforcement Knight Order. He realized that his students might never receive formal knighthood.
Moreover... the Vassal Kings of Great Britain were on the verge of complete eradication, and Ireland had already been conquered. The Enforcement Knight Order's next battle would likely be against the northern Barbarians—a foe even the King of Knights, after a winter's care, couldn't tame.
And after the northern Barbarians...
Gawain didn't voice his full thoughts, but he was reminded of the snowstorms and the looming retreat of the increasingly harsh mystical order.
"Kay, continue striving to become stronger. The heavens will force us to keep fighting, and with each passing day, the stakes become higher. Let us continue to bring victory back to Camelot."
The Son of the Sun, burning with battle fervor, was the first to deduce the true purpose behind forming the Knight Order. He was also the first to vow to follow the King and Queen, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to securing Camelot's future.
Gawain straightened his back even further.