68. A Young Girl’s Ambition for the Knights of the Round Table

[Artoria held your hand and led you all the way back to the royal court.]

[Along the way, countless curious gazes followed you.]

[Of course, you knew that none of them were aware of Artoria's true identity.]

[In their eyes, it probably looked like a young squire stubbornly clinging to the husband of young lady Morgan.]

[She led you to the door of her chambers.]

[Stopping in front of it, she turned to face you.]

"Sir Rei, could you please close your eyes for a moment?"

Although Artoria had intentionally dressed in more masculine attire, just knowing that beneath those clothes was an unmistakably pure and delicate form made it impossible to focus on the "knightly" impression she was trying to create.

Rei nodded.

"Alright."

He did as she asked and shut his eyes.

Almost immediately, he felt a gentle pressure against his back—Artoria was pushing him forward.

The sound of the door opening echoed in his ears.

Rei stepped inside.

Click.

The door closed behind them.

A slightly eager voice called out:

"You can open your eyes now, Sir Rei!"

With mild curiosity, Rei slowly opened his eyes—then paused.

The layout before him bore a striking resemblance to Morgan's chambers.

If there was any difference at all, it was merely the room's orientation and the lack of any traces of Rei having truly lived there.

However, the similarity alone was enough to surprise him.

"Artoria, this is…"

"Wait! Please let me explain!"

Flustered, Artoria waved her hands anxiously.

"I didn't do it on purpose! I just thought that kind of decor… suited me."

"But still—"

Rei glanced around the room once more.

"It's really similar."

"Um…"

Artoria lowered her head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It's just… I thought if it looked like this, you might like it more. And then you'd want to stay here a little longer."

[Hearing this, you felt something pierce your heart.]

[This kind of pure and innocent affection—this was what Artoria should have had all along.]

"Is that so?"

Rei chuckled softly and placed a hand on her head.

"Well, I have to say, it's not working too well… because now I feel a little weird about it."

"Huh?!"

Hearing this, Artoria immediately tensed up.

"Then I'll change it right now!"

"No need." Rei stopped her before she could move. "It's not like I can't accept it."

"But, Artoria, you didn't call me here just to show me this, did you?"

"…"

Artoria lowered her gaze.

"Sir Rei… it feels like you don't really want to spend time with me."

"That's not it."

Rei gently lifted her chin so she would look at him.

"But right now, you have much more important things to do."

"Artoria, Camelot is on the verge of change."

[She immediately understood your meaning.]

[Unlike the pressure she felt from Merlin, your words sounded more like encouragement.]

[Nodding, she led you to sit beside her on the bed.]

[You realized she really did have something important to discuss.]

"Sir Rei."

Artoria retrieved the Sword in the Stone and held it up.

"I've been thinking of an idea, but I don't know if it's reasonable."

Noting the seriousness in her expression, Rei also adjusted his demeanor.

"Tell me, then. What's on your mind?"

"Well—"

Her fingers tightened around the hilt of the sacred sword, the very symbol of the throne.

"Camelot has too many knights. If we treat them all as equal assets in battle, it will inevitably affect our strategy."

Rei was no fool.

He quickly grasped the deeper implication behind her words.

"Artoria… are you saying you want to rank the knights?"

"Of course not!" She shook her head immediately.

"Anyone willing to fight for this kingdom is equal in worth."

"But—"

Her gaze grew sharper.

"In war, sacrifices are unavoidable."

"To secure victory, we have to make choices."

Rei took a deep breath.

For a moment, he had almost forgotten how much Artoria had changed since drawing the Sword in the Stone.

Cold, pragmatic—but undeniably efficient.

This was the weight of the crown she bore.

In some ways, her perspective was still aligned with her old ideals: to find the best possible solution within her power.

And yet, her approach was far more ruthless than before.

In a way, they were growing similar—each using their own methods to reach the same conclusion.

Still, Rei had a feeling that if she continued down this path, it would one day come back to haunt her.

But that was not something he could control.

Right now, his priority was handling the immediate issue.

"I see your point. That makes sense."

"But, Artoria—how exactly do you plan to go about it?"

"I want to form a knightly order."

Artoria met his gaze directly.

"By gathering the finest warriors of Camelot, we can ensure a core force of true strength."

[It was a highly logical proposal.]

[You realized that, despite being a young girl, Artoria had not neglected the education required of a future ruler.]

[She had a clear vision of what needed to be done.]

[You can feel it—while Artoria offers you the passionate devotion unique to a young girl, she is also actively taking on the heavy burden of responsibility.]

[Like Morgan, she seems to have her own deep-seated attachment to the throne.]

"Hmm… It's certainly a good idea," Rei mused.

"But—"

He offered an awkward yet polite smile.

"Artoria, why are you asking me about this?"

"Because I believe your opinion is very important, Sir Rei." Artoria answered frankly.

"So, I want to hear your thoughts."

"And—"

"I also want to know which knights you personally recognize as worthy of bearing this responsibility."

"..."

[You realize that Artoria's feelings for you are beginning to extend beyond just personal affection.]

[She is starting to seek your guidance in other matters as well.]

[You're not sure if this is truly an opportunity.]

[But a schemer like you would never let any possibility go to waste.]

"Then, Artoria, can you give me some time to prepare?" Rei replied.

"I think I need to carefully organize my thoughts before giving you the best possible answer."

"Mm." Artoria nodded.

"No problem. I'll be waiting for your opinion."

After saying that, she tilted her head slightly and placed a light kiss on Rei's cheek.

"This is my thanks for troubling you, Sir Rei."

"..."

[With the lingering warmth on your cheek, you left Artoria's chamber.]

[A few maids witnessed the scene as you stepped out.]

[Your already formidable reputation only grew, now with rumors of possessing a charm that could even captivate men.]

[But you don't concern yourself with such gossip.]

[Right now, your only focus is reporting Artoria's knights' order plan to Morgan.]

"Your Highness, that's the situation."

Rei briefed Morgan on the matter.

"..."

Morgan remained silent for a while before finally speaking.

"Then, Rei—do you plan to stop this from happening?"

"No." Rei shook his head. "If I did, I would have voiced my objection immediately."

"Your Highness, I came to report this because I believe you would come up with a far better course of action than simply opposing it."

A small smirk tugged at the corner of Morgan's lips.

"Rei, are you trying to say that you know me well?"

Rei shook his head again.

"Of course not."

"I simply know that Your Highness will always choose the most optimal path."

"Oh?"

Morgan folded her arms, her expression filled with intrigue.

"Then tell me—what is this 'more optimal path'?"

"If you don't have a proper answer, you can spend the night kneeling by the bedside."

A punishment that sounded rather harsh.

But Rei didn't feel nervous at all—he was confident in his answer.

"Your Highness, you are a wise woman."

"Rather than wasting energy dismantling the knights' order, I believe you would much prefer to see it serve your interests."

"And based on that idea—"

Rei turned to face Morgan, his gaze triumphant.

"The selection of knights is already obvious."

"That would be Gawain and the others."

Morgan's smirk deepened—a clear sign that Rei had answered correctly.

"Rei, it seems you're working quite hard just to avoid kneeling tonight."

Rei chuckled.

"I couldn't possibly pass up the chance to share a bed with Your Highness."

"Rei."

Morgan stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Is your mind truly only filled with me?"

"Not quite."

Rei shook his head, letting his hands slide over Morgan's slender waist before clasping them together behind her.

"Your Highness, my mind is also filled with what you need most—Camelot."

"You and your silver tongue."

Morgan gazed at him, a playful glint in her eyes.

"There was a time when I thought you'd be helpless without me—easy prey for scheming women."

"But now I see… without me, Camelot itself might drown in the tears of all the women you've deceived."

"But Your Highness would never allow such a thing to happen."

"Exactly." Morgan scoffed, tilting her head slightly.

"You belong to me and me alone."

"By the way, Rei, do you think the children will follow our plan?"

Rei nodded.

"I believe they will."

"First of all, there's no doubt that Gawain will agree. That much is certain."

"And if Gawain joins the knights' order, his younger brother Gaheris won't miss the chance to follow. If those two are in, then Gareth, with her personality, will definitely want to join in as well."

"The key issue is Agravain. That boy is too reserved—I can never quite figure out what he's thinking."

Hearing this, Morgan smiled slightly.

"Then, Rei, perhaps you don't need to worry."

"Agravain will join as well. And he's not reserved—he simply knows when to keep his mouth shut."

"Your Highness, you seem to understand him well."

"Why wouldn't I?" Morgan's hand gently caressed Rei's waist.

"As their mother, shouldn't I know my own children?"

"…That's true."

"But, Rei," Morgan's smile faded slightly. "If all the children join at once like this, won't that woman start to suspect something?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Rei admitted.

"That's why I plan to bring in one more person."

"Who?"

"Artoria's older brother, Kay," Rei replied. "If we include him in the knights' order, it will make everything seem much more natural."

"You've already brought him here?"

"Yes."

"Heh."

Morgan leaned in closer, her fingers softly tracing along Rei's cheek.

"It seems you've planned everything well in advance."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And here?"

"Your Highness, you may test it yourself right now."

[You and Morgan spent a rather… enjoyable day together.]

[You began preparing the official list to submit to Artoria.]

[Though, truthfully, having all your children join the knights' order does make it rather obvious.]

[So you deliberately placed Kay's name at the top of the list.]

[After finalizing the list, you began discussing it with each of them.]

[As expected, things played out just as you predicted.]

[Gawain accepted the arrangement without question, and Gaheris followed suit.]

[Agravain remained silent but nodded in agreement.]

[Gareth, ever energetic, excitedly declared that she would finally have the chance to challenge "Arthur" properly.]

[The most unusual reaction, however, came from Kay.]

[Although he accepted your invitation without much hesitation, he kept looking at you with an odd expression.]

[You knew it was because of how Artoria had treated him at the city gates.]

[But you didn't care how he felt.]

[As long as he could serve as a convenient shield within the knights' order, that was all that mattered.]

[Everything was ready.]

[You realized it was time to present this carefully crafted list—one hiding your true intentions—to Artoria.]

[With this, her knights' order would become yet another piece in the game you and Morgan were playing from the shadows.]

You arrived at Artoria's chambers and handed her the list.

"Here."

"This should be it."

Rei passed the parchment to Artoria.

The young king took the list, scanned it briefly, and then nodded.

"This is a good list, but I'd like to make a small adjustment."

"Sir Rei, would that be alright?"

Rei felt a slight twinge of unease, but he maintained his calm smile and nodded.

"Of course."

"Hmm…"

Artoria took the parchment and wrote down an additional name.

"There! Now it's perfect!"

"Hm? Wait, isn't this… my name?"

"That's right," Artoria replied, her smile radiant.

"Sir Rei, I want to add you to the order!"