Inside the room, the silence of the night was interrupted only by the soft sound of the wind passing through the curtains near the window.
Arthur slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, letting out a small sigh as he recalled the events of the previous battle.
"It seems your rune skills have become much more fluent than before."
His voice carried a sincere tone of admiration.
As he thought about the runes Artoria had used during the confrontation against the Saxons, Arthur could not help but feel slightly astonished once again.
I have to admit… Lily really is incredible.
In less than half a year, she had already reached a level of proficiency that many magi could never achieve even after years of training.
That girl's learning speed was simply absurd.
Especially considering that she was still balancing physical training, military strategy, and countless other responsibilities.
"There is still a huge gap between us."
Contrary to expectations, Artoria did not seem happy after hearing the compliment.
She merely lowered her head slightly, discreetly biting her lower lip.
The girl's expression seemed somewhat downcast.
"I'm sorry…" she said quietly. "Today, I didn't think things through properly… and I almost got you into trouble."
Arthur blinked a few times before understanding what she meant.
The ambush.
Thinking about it carefully, Artoria probably believed she had been too naïve after relaxing once she realized the territories were empty.
Arthur let out a helpless sigh and shook his head.
"That had nothing to do with you. No one knew there was a traitor among us."
However, as he said that, his expression darkened slightly.
"No…" he muttered after a few seconds. "Maybe there's more than one."
Arthur released a quiet sigh at the end of the sentence.
His worst fears were slowly becoming reality.
The Saxon invasion had not even ended yet… and there were already people within Britain conspiring from the shadows.
People willing to sell information to the enemy in exchange for personal gain.
That was far more dangerous than any foreign army.
External enemies could be defeated by the sword.
But internal enemies corroded a kingdom from within.
If those people were not discovered quickly, then next time they might truly fail to escape.
"Learn from this experience and become even stronger next time." Arthur raised his eyes and lightly patted Artoria's head.
The gentle touch of his hand eased some of the tension gathered in the girl's shoulders.
Artoria remained still for a few seconds before lightly nodding.
"…Yes."
Then she slowly raised her eyes.
Her gaze stayed fixed on Arthur for a strangely long moment.
And then, without any warning, Artoria extended her hand and placed it on Arthur's chest.
Arthur froze.
"Hm?"
He immediately looked at Artoria.
The girl's golden bangs partially covered her eyes, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking at that moment.
"Lily?" Arthur called out in confusion.
What exactly is happening here…?
Weren't we having a serious conversation just now?
Why did the atmosphere suddenly change so abruptly?!
Artoria's delicate fingers slowly slid across Arthur's clothes.
Then—
THEN WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING HERE?!
Arthur immediately grabbed her wrist before the situation could worsen any further.
"L-Lily, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Unbutton your clothes." Artoria answered in a completely natural tone. "I thought that was obvious."
Arthur was utterly stunned for several seconds.
"…And why exactly do you want to take my clothes off?!"
"To check for injuries."
The response came immediately and with complete seriousness.
"You were the first one to charge forward during today's battle. You may have suffered cuts from blades or magic without noticing. If there are any hidden injuries, they need to be treated immediately."
Arthur fell silent.
Then slowly blinked a few times.
Ah.
So that was it.
For a moment, he really thought…
Arthur discreetly looked away, coughing lightly to hide his embarrassment.
But soon, another thought appeared in his mind.
If Lily is worried about me…
Then I should also check whether she was injured, right?
After all, Artoria had also been on the front lines the entire time.
However, before Arthur could say anything, Artoria firmly grabbed his wrist.
"Please cooperate and turn around."
Arthur immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
"I'm not injured, so you don't need to worry!" he answered quickly. "Besides, you're tired too today. Go get some rest first."
"Are you afraid of me?"
Artoria's cold hand gently pressed against Arthur's chest.
She tilted her head slightly while observing his face.
"Your heart is beating very fast."
"I think any normal man's heart would race in a situation like this."
He quickly placed his hands on Artoria's shoulders, trying to push her back a little.
"Anyway, I'm fine. So you can go back and rest."
Then he immediately added:
"That's an order from the king."
Artoria remained motionless.
Arthur then reinforced his words:
"You yourself said earlier that you wouldn't disobey my orders."
The girl stayed silent for a few seconds.
She seemed hesitant.
But in the end, she merely nodded slowly.
"…Understood."
Even so, before leaving, she still cast one final worried glance at Arthur.
"If you feel anything wrong, tell me immediately."
She sounded extremely serious when she said that.
"The runes helped relieve your fatigue, but there could still be hidden side effects… or internal injuries."
After insisting repeatedly, Arthur finally managed to convince Artoria to leave the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"…That girl really has no sense of boundaries."
Arthur slowly walked toward the room's window.
Leaning against the frame, he observed the moonlight spreading across Camelot.
The silver glow of the night silently illuminated the city walls.
He sighed once again.
The original plan should have been simple.
Corner the Saxons.
Recover the lost territories.
Then gradually eliminate the invaders from Britain.
But now…
Everything had changed.
The existence of a traitor made every move dangerous.
Perhaps even their next operations were already being watched by the enemy.
Everything needed to be reconsidered carefully.
"You seem very tired."
A soft voice suddenly came from behind him.
Arthur did not even need to turn around to recognize who it was.
He let out another tired sigh.
"It's definitely exhausting dealing with this kind of problem."
"Yes… you're right."
The feminine voice slowly approached.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Arthur's eyes widened slightly in the next instant.
A body gently pressed itself against his back.
Delicate arms wrapped around his waist.
Arthur slowly turned his head.
A woman wearing a long black dress was hugging him from behind.
She was slightly taller than Arthur and was gently tilting her face down to look at him from above.
Morgan's long, narrow eyes were fixed on his.
Good evening.
"…Morgan."
Arthur remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking:
"Could you knock before entering my room next time?"
His tone carried immense helplessness.
"How would that be possible?" Morgan replied with an amused smile. "As your supervisor, I need to make sure you're not using your position as king to do bad things."
She gently caressed Arthur's hair.
"That's why I need to observe you in secret."
Arthur sighed deeply.
Why does that sound more suspicious coming from you than anyone else…?
"But you truly did not disappoint me."
Morgan smiled softly while observing Arthur.
"Doing bad things…" he murmured distractedly.
"Hmm?" Morgana tilted her head slightly. "What are you thinking about?"
Arthur remained silent for a moment before raising his eyes.
"Morgan…"
He hesitated for several seconds.
"You're not going to go around killing all the tribal leaders indiscriminately… right?"
For some reason, Arthur could genuinely imagine Morgan doing exactly that.
Her personality seemed dangerously close to the type of person who would rather kill a hundred innocents than allow a single guilty person to escape.
And considering that only a few people had access to the operation's information…
The three tribal leaders were the most likely suspects.
For a brief instant, Morgan's expression hardened almost imperceptibly.
But only for an instant.
Soon, her usual smile returned.
"How would that be possible?"
She let out a graceful little laugh.
"The kind Morgan is not the type of person who goes around indiscriminately killing innocents."
The woman gently raised her hand and touched Arthur's face.
"If you don't believe me… then you can check tomorrow."
Her eyes glimmered softly beneath the moonlight.
"See with your own eyes whether those tribal leaders will still be alive."
(End of Chapter)