81: Sword of Revolving Victory vs. The Unfading Light of the Lake!

[You hadn't expected a knight to request an audience at this moment.]

[You were even more surprised that he hailed from across the sea—from France.]

[You felt that this matter was not as simple as it seemed.]

Rei and Artoria exchanged glances, immediately understanding each other's thoughts.

Avoidance served no purpose—meeting this knight was the correct choice.

"Let him through."

The young king gave the order.

"Understood."

And so, amidst the rich aroma of food and the laughter of knights, a man stepped before them.

He was tall and poised, with striking violet eyes and hair as soft as silkweed.

A single glance was enough to tell—this was no ordinary knight.

"Greetings. I am Lancelot, a knight from France."

[You noticed that his gaze remained fixed on Artoria the entire time.]

[This was different from Percival and Palamedes—those knights had, at some point, mistaken you for the true King of Knights.]

[You realized immediately—this man was no ordinary knight.]

[You could sense his strength.]

Seeing that no one responded, Lancelot spoke again.

"If my guess is correct—"

He turned to Artoria.

"You must be King Arthur."

Then, his gaze shifted to Rei.

"And you… must be the king's attendant."

Rei had already anticipated this, but he took no joy in it.

"If that's the case—"

Locking eyes with Lancelot, Rei asked:

"Knight from France, you have traveled a great distance to be here. What is your purpose?"

"Surely it is not just to tell us that you can distinguish between us?"

Although Rei was a complete scoundrel when it came to corrupting Artoria's emotions in private, he maintained absolute respect for her in front of others.

A king may be tainted in the shadows, but they must never be defiled in public.

If anyone dared to insult Artoria's dignity—

Rei would be the first among the Knights of the Round Table to draw his sword.

"Of course not."

Lancelot smiled and shook his head.

"If that were the case, it would be quite a trivial matter."

"Then what is your true purpose?" Rei pressed.

"It's quite simple."

Lancelot's hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

It was capped with a rounded pommel, made of some unknown material.

Even under the blazing sun, it remained shrouded in an eerie stillness, as though it had never been touched by light.

"From across the sea, I have long heard tales of the King of Knights, undefeated since drawing the sword from the stone."

"These heroic feats have even become songs, sung throughout the palaces of France."

"And I—"

Lancelot slowly drew his blade.

"—have been the subject of comparison to these songs."

"I have often wondered… is this something I can truly accept?"

"It was only after setting out on this journey—crossing rivers and mountains to stand before the true King of Knights—that I understood the choice my heart was willing to accept."

Lancelot pointed his sword at Artoria.

The blade, as deep and unyielding as the lake, was now aimed at the young king.

"King Arthur—accept my challenge!"

[You finally understood his intent.]

[He was a knight from France, unable to endure the constant comparisons to Artoria's legend, and so he had traveled to Britain to seek the truth for himself.]

[This was why he had fixed his gaze on Artoria from the very start.]

[Unlike the previous knights who had come seeking an audience, he had a completely different purpose.]

[Those knights, in awe of the undefeated King of Knights, had subconsciously associated that title with your taller frame, leading to their mistaken assumptions.]

[But for Lancelot—he bore the burden of proving himself.

[So to him, the figure that best fit the image of King Arthur… was the one who seemed easier to defeat—Artoria.]

[You realized that Artoria was being underestimated.]

[And you didn't like that.]

"Lancelot."

Rei placed a hand on the hilt of his own sword, the Sword of Revolving Victory (Excalibur Galatine).

"As a knight from a foreign land, you should know better than to challenge the king so directly."

"Oh?"

Lancelot finally shifted his gaze from Artoria to Rei.

"So, are you saying you intend to stand in King Arthur's place?"

"That's exactly right."

Rei unsheathed Excalibur Galatine.

"You cannot claim the right to challenge the King of Knights without first defeating the king's shadow."

"That is reasonable."

Lancelot smiled—a refined, elegant smile.

"Then—"

"Let me defeat you, the shadow, first."

[Your duel with Lancelot was now inevitable.]

[For the knights celebrating their day of rest, this was the perfect entertainment.]

[The duel was set to take place at the center of the military camp.]

[All eyes were fixed upon the two of you.]

[Only Artoria worried for your condition.]

[She decided to prepare something outside the battlefield.]

"Brother Gawain."

Munching on roasted meat, Gareth turned to ask Gawain.

"Who do you think will win this duel?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Gawain continued mashing his potatoes.

"Of course, Father will win."

"Gareth, have you ever seen him lose? Ever since we were born?"

"Never!" Gareth bit off a large chunk of meat.

"Father has never lost to anyone."

"Exactly." Gawain nodded. "This time won't be any different."

"…That makes sense."

Just as the siblings were discussing this, Artoria appeared behind them.

"Gareth, Gawain."

Hearing the King of Knights' voice, the two immediately turned and straightened up respectfully.

"Your Majesty." Gawain quickly spoke. "It was our failure not to notice your presence sooner."

"It's nothing. You don't need to be so tense."

Artoria reassured them.

"I only have a simple reminder for you."

"What is it?" Gawain responded promptly.

"It's this—"

Artoria turned her gaze toward the dueling grounds.

"If possible, I want you both to stay prepared at all times."

"If anything unexpected happens, I need you to react immediately."

"Understood."

"Good."

Watching Artoria walk away, Gawain felt a slight unease rise in his heart.

Could something actually go wrong in this duel?

"Gareth, stop eating! The King told us to stay ready."

"Huh?! O-Okay!"

[You Have No Idea What Artoria Is Preparing in Secret.]

[You Only Wish to Duel Lancelot.]

[But You Can Faintly Sense Something Strange.]

[The blade wielded by this knight from France resonates oddly with your own Sword of Revolving Victory (Excalibur Galatine).]

"Well then—"

Lancelot raised his weapon.

"Before we begin, let us agree on a few terms."

"I did not travel across land and sea to provoke war—I came only to prove to the people of France that I am not inferior to King Arthur."

"Thus, I propose three rules."

"First, neither of us shall aim to kill the other."

"Second, we shall not harm any knight uninvolved in this duel."

"And third, the loser shall acknowledge their defeat."

Lancelot turned to Rei.

"Do you accept these conditions?"

"Of course." Rei responded without hesitation.

"They sound quite fair."

"Indeed." Lancelot smiled slightly. "French knights are always courteous."

"Well then—"

"Enough pleasantries."

Lancelot pointed his enigmatic blade at Rei.

"Now, it is time for our duel as knights."

"As it should be."

In an instant, the atmosphere grew tense.

Both Lancelot and Rei held their swords at the ready, watching each other carefully.

This was only natural.

When two knights of equal strength faced off, a duel could be decided in a single move.

A reckless attack would only expose one's weaknesses.

Even through their silent standoff, Rei was able to confirm his earlier suspicion—Lancelot was no ordinary knight.

Sunlight reflected off their blades, forming halos of pure white light.

The knights within the camp—battle-hardened warriors—quickly realized that this was not a one-sided fight.

They fell silent, no longer laughing or shouting.

Some even slowed their breathing, afraid that any movement might disturb the duel's outcome.

And then—!

Lancelot made the first move.

Gripping his solid, tranquil blue blade, he slashed toward his opponent.

Naturally, Rei would not back down.

With both hands, he raised the Sword of Revolving Victory (Excalibur Galatine) and met the attack head-on.

CLANG!

The two swords clashed with a violent impact!

To the spectators, this might have seemed like a simple exchange of blows.

But to Rei, he could immediately feel—Lancelot's blade was no ordinary weapon.

[Magic erupted from both your sword and Lancelot's.]

[Both of you instantly realized—your weapons shared the same origin.]

[This revelation shocked you both.]

"The shadow of the King of Knights."

Lancelot, locked in the clash, looked surprised.

"You wield a sword bestowed by the Lady of the Lake?"

"Of course."

Rei answered without hesitation.

"Knight of France, your blade is the same, is it not?"

"Hah."

Lancelot's astonishment faded.

"Then tell me—what is its name?"

"The Sword of Revolving Victory—Excalibur Galatine." Rei made no attempt to hide it.

"And yours?"

"Arondight: The Unfading Light of the Lake" Lancelot revealed.

CLANG!

Their blades clashed once more before bouncing apart.

But this time—

Both Rei and Lancelot knew that mere sword clashes would lead nowhere.

Both of their swords had been gifted by the Lady of the Lake.

Neither would break.

So—

The only way to settle this was through mastery.

Who had truly unlocked the full potential of their blade?

That would determine the victor!

In that instant—

A light burst into the sky above the battlefield.

Or rather—

A pure, white radiance, as clear as the moonlit surface of a lake.

Everyone who beheld it felt as if they had been transported into a silent, still lake beneath the moon.

The entire world seemed frozen.

But Rei knew—this was no illusion.

This was the effect of Lancelot's blade, the Unfading Light of the Lake (Arondight).

To an ordinary knight, this would be an unwinnable battle.

There would be no choice but to surrender.

But—

Unfortunately for Lancelot—

Rei was his opponent.

No matter how calm a moonlit lake might be, its beauty could only exist in the night.

And right now—

The sun blazed high in the sky!

The Sword of Revolving Victory (Excalibur Galatine) was a blade blessed by the sun.

This moment—

Was when it shined brightest!

Rei raised his sword high.

The scorching sunlight wove into threads, gathering upon the blade.

All of its heat, all of its radiance, was drawn into Rei alone.

The knights, who had been frozen under the serene illusion of the moonlit lake, were now engulfed by the blazing intensity of the sun.

At that moment—

The victor was clear.

The instant their opposing forces clashed, the result would be carved into the very air itself.

But—

Fate took an unexpected turn.

[Princess's Curse++ Activated: As the magic within you is drawn into the Sword of Revolving Victory (Excalibur Galatine), the curse seizes the opening.]

A sharp, searing pain erupted.

Rei clutched his chest.

Black blood dripped from the corner of his lips.

Lancelot Realized Something Was Wrong.

But it was too late to stop.

After all, from their first exchange, he already knew his opponent was no weaker than him.

The absolute stillness he had created was formed while maintaining his utmost vigilance—there was not a single moment of carelessness!

Yet in the blink of an eye, the battle shifted completely.

Rei wanted to resist, but all he could see flashing before his eyes was Morgan's resentful figure.

Was This the Fate That Awaited Him?

For the first time, that thought entered his mind.

And in that instant—

Artoria threw off her royal mantle.

Gripping the Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur), she stepped between Rei and Lancelot!