Chapter 74: A Phobia That Comes From Nature

"Let's stop talking about bloodlines, Vortigern. Why are you here, pretending to be a humble king? This is my Camelot. Your name will never appear on the guest list here."

Arthur snorted coldly, a faint edge of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

True, Vortigern posed a threat to Arthur—but not to his life. Far from it.

In fact, as long as the right conditions were met, Vortigern could be dealt with anytime. And the Saxons under Vortigern's command were exactly the leverage Arthur needed to keep Camelot balanced.

"This is your warning—leave now, or the British White Dragon dies here today," Arthur declared solemnly.

But now was no time for war. Neither Arthur nor Vortigern was ready for a full clash.

"Don't be so angry, young man. I returned only as Pendragon. You're not qualified to order me away," Vortigern said dismissively, clearly unimpressed by Arthur's threat.

"Do you really think you can act recklessly just because you're a dragon?"

"Of course not. I still remember clearly the golden light that descended from Camelot that winter. It tore through my dragon scales like paper." Vortigern glanced down at his broken arm.

"…I don't know what you're talking about." Arthur's voice faltered, then he quickly turned away.

Well, that light had nothing to do with him. Absolutely nothing.

Maybe it was the will of the planet.

The Holy Sword of the Star followed the planet's will and saw the White Dragon as an enemy. So that day, its holy light struck only Vortigern, leaving the others untouched.

In the end, it was bad luck for Vortigern—the planet's will was displeased with the White Dragon.

What did that have to do with King Arthur?

"So it seems the newly born Holy Sword Master of the Star is you."

"No, that's not me. Don't talk nonsense." Arthur's face tightened, wary that Vortigern might suddenly ask for medical expenses.

That's not how you scam people, dear.

"Hmph! Is this fate? Now that I think on it, maybe that prophecy from the incubus demon holds some truth after all." Vortigern's calm tone masked a flicker of unease, as if he sensed some lurking terror. "Let's end this here. By the way, I hope the newlyweds enjoy my gift."

No sooner had he spoken than white mist enveloped the area, and the pale old man's figure dissolved into nothingness.

Arthur's instincts kicked in—he lunged with his only close-range attack.

"Inch Force—Open the Skull!"

His punch caused a brief rupture in space itself—but it was too late.

With a scream, Vortigern vanished completely from the alley.

A figure appeared behind Arthur and knelt with respect.

"My king, shall we pursue?"

"No. There's no need to chase a desperate enemy. Lord Agravain, check on Lord Lancelot's status and order the guards to be strengthened."

"Understood."

"That's all. I'm returning to the castle."

Only after Arthur left did Agravain stand—and the first thing he did wasn't to follow orders. Instead, he drew his sword, pointing it at several men lurking in the shadows.

——————

"Oh~ Really, where did the prince go just now?" Manaka looked at Arthur, feigning grievance.

She had been anxious when Arthur vanished—so much so that she impulsively broke the normally sealed connection to the Root. Later, to continue their "date," she used magic to hypnotize the crowd and buy mountains of snacks, tricking Artoria away.

But the effort was worth it.

Or rather, the harder the path, the sweeter the reward.

Finally seeing Arthur, the girl shed her reserve and threw herself into his arms.

Woohoo~ The prince's arms are so warm and comfortable~!

Manaka was deliriously happy.

If she knew that the "Killer Whale" Miss had done this countless times—and had even embraced Arthur more intimately—she might not be so pleased.

Arthur did not resist her enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry, Manaka. I finally got a break to come out and play, but I ran into some trouble along the way. I might have to work overtime back at the castle. Please understand." Arthur smiled gently.

Though Vortigern's so-called gift wouldn't cause serious trouble today, Arthur wasn't willing to risk losses after seeing some hard-won progress.

All this was well within Manaka's expectations.

"No need, Prince. Let's just keep our date going. Manaka has taken care of all the troubles."

No one could interrupt her date with Arthur.

No one!

"I see. That's wonderful, Manaka." Arthur smiled.

Arthur fully trusted Manaka's omniscience and omnipotence.

In her daily work, she had shown herself capable beyond doubt.

Since Manaka said so, there was nothing to worry about.

Even a white dragon like Vortigern and his Saxons would have to lie down and be slaughtered if Manaka went after them.

Looking closer, Camelot's power had grown immense.

Merry assisted Arthur wholeheartedly, no longer a bystander but a participant, ready to enter battle on his orders.

Morgan shared Camelot's interests and stood united externally.

Manaka—the omniscient, omnipotent Princess of the Origin—provided any technology imaginable, and if she took things seriously, she was unbeatable.

These were just the magicians Arthur classified as technicians, rarely deployed.

In military strength, warriors like Gawain, Lancelot, Skadi, and Kay were world-class—each capable of feats like destroying an entire army single-handedly.

There was also a combat-specialized magician corps, ten times the size of the original court's mage group.

On top of that, research on standard imitation holy swords—each matching a selected sword's quality and specialized in destruction—had produced a thousand super soldiers armed with light cannons, and their numbers kept growing.

This eased Arthur's fears about lacking firepower.

Camelot, with such strength, could boldly claim it feared no one but Rome.

In an equal battle, Camelot would inevitably prevail.

The only gap remaining between Camelot and Rome was population.

However—

Because circumstances really didn't allow it, Arthur's suppressed fear of underpopulation finally burst after a year.

"Manaka, do you like children? Although Camelot is strong now, population problems can't be solved by magic or technology. The development path is set—we must get busy." Arthur gripped Manaka's shoulder firmly.

Give birth! Give birth! First, get to 1.8 million people before anything else!

What kind of army lacks millions of soldiers?

How can you call yourself an empire without hundreds of millions of people?

"Hey hey! Giving birth? It's so unfair to say that all of a sudden. I'm not ready yet~"

Manaka heard the first note of the love song, blushed, and drifted into endless daydreams.

What name should I give my first child with the prince, worthy of our love?

That night, after learning the truth at the meeting, Manaka entered Merry's room with a sword—and didn't come out all night.

That night, the knights finally rested well for the first time in months.

-End Chapter-

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