[Following the conversation about the Child of Prophecy in the garden, your life with Morgan continued.]
[In the current, newborn Camelot, everything was developing normally and beautifully.]
[The commoners lived and worked in peace. Merchants no longer worried about unsold goods or exorbitant taxes, and farmers no longer fretted over crop yields or exploitation by landlords.]
[Patrolling squads of soldiers could frequently be seen on the streets. The beautiful melodies and singing of bards echoed through every alleyway, praising the Queen's actions and wisdom.]
[Today, Camelot's reputation as 'Never Falling' had long spread far and wide, attracting many desperate refugees who sought asylum. Morgan accepted all these refugees without exception, and issued numerous measures to help them integrate into Camelot.]
[As for you, who had nothing to do, you spent every night following Morgan to learn the use of Age of Gods Magecraft, constantly exchanging profound and superficial knowledge.]
[Such days were very beautiful, but you understood you could not grow complacent with the current situation.]
[One day, you heard that the legendary King Arthur, the prophesied child Artoris, was currently traveling across Britain, slaying monsters, aiding the common people, and fighting against Vortigern's army.]
[He had already amassed a considerable amount of public support.]
[Thus, you decided to no longer indulge in the gentle embrace of your lover.]
[You proposed the idea of traveling outside to Morgan.]
[Even though Morgan knew your decision to leave temporarily was for your own reasons and to build momentum for her, for some reason, she still felt a bit displeased.]
"Lamorak, you must understand that I agreed to let you leave because you bear a mission, not so you can go out and fool around. Do you understand?"
Morgan stared intently at Souya, who was currently kneeling before her.
Her demeanor didn't look like a sovereign dispatching a subordinate on a mission; rather, she looked like a wife instructing her husband on what he could and couldn't do while away from home.
"As you command, my Queen."
Souya's answer remained decisive and loyal.
This made Morgan's restless heart feel a little better.
But only a little.
Watching Souya's figure disappear under the moonlight and from her sight, Morgan couldn't help but feel a wave of emptiness.
When she realized this feeling stemmed from Souya's departure, she instantly felt a bit ashamed and annoyed.
Yet, despite her prideful refusal to admit it, her subconscious actions betrayed her.
It wasn't until Souya completely vanished over the horizon that Morgan dragged her somewhat depressed self back into the castle.
She realized she seemed to have grown accustomed to having that guy by her side. Not seeing him now truly felt a bit uncomfortable.
[Late one night, you temporarily left Morgan and Camelot.]
[Compared to your time wandering the waterways of Britain as a Water Fairy, this time you walked Britain as the Knight Lamorak, and the places you could reach were far more numerous.]
[But these were all secondary.]
[Just as Morgan instructed, you understood the purpose of your journey this time was to accumulate reputation. Then, carrying this reputation, you would publicly declare your submission to Morgan, thereby converting Knight Lamorak's honor into momentum for Morgan, breaking the curse King Uther placed upon her in the eyes of the world.]
[Thus, after careful consideration, you decided to emulate Artoris and the others: helping the common people of Britain solve their difficulties, hunting down rampaging Phantasmal Species, and striking back at Vortigern's army.]
[Doing this would not only win over the hearts of the people but also allow you to gain experience. It was undoubtedly the best course of action.]
[Harboring these thoughts, you began your journey.]
[On the fourth day after leaving the royal capital of Camelot, you encountered a band of mountain bandits who called themselves outlaws of the greenwood but were actually just robbers and murderers.]
[Facing this scum, you showed no mercy, piercing their hearts with your spear.]
[On the seventh day, you arrived at a village.]
[Seeing that you were a lone knight with a handsome face, the villagers were very welcoming. Here, you used the money seized from the bandits to exchange for some rations and a strong black horse for transportation.]
[You then stayed in the village for a few days, casually helping the villagers resolve minor issues and driving away the local bullies who were throwing their weight around.]
[This earned you peculiar gazes from the village maidens.]
[Somewhat afraid that Morgan might have planted a scrying spell on you, you didn't dare entangle yourself too deeply with the girls. You simply left the name Lamorak and departed from the village.]
[In the following time, you killed many more bandits and eliminated an oppressive noble landlord.]
[However, as you killed more scum, you found you didn't seem to have enough space on you to carry all the ill-gotten wealth.]
[So, you scattered all the excess wealth to the local commoners.]
[This behavior, which could be considered absolutely unique, greatly shocked the common people. The people wept tears of gratitude and called you the 'Noble Lamorak'.]
[You didn't think there was anything wrong with this. This ill-gotten wealth was originally extorted from the local people by wealthy squires and bandits anyway. You were merely returning it to its rightful owners while punishing evil.]
[Gradually, word of your deeds began to spread across the region. The commoners eagerly awaited the arrival of the 'Noble Lamorak' in their villages, while the nobles and bandits hated your guts, wishing you would die early.]
[You only found this amusing.]
['Cursing me to die, huh? Then I'll definitely visit you one by one and let you all experience the feeling of flying.']
[With this mindset, you spent a month sweeping through the bandits and nobles in this region, making them cry to the heavens without answer and scream to the earth without response.]
[Now, not only did the people in this region know of you, but even people in other parts of Britain had heard of your deeds.]
[In the words of bards, you became an existence with a burly physique, three heads, and six arms. An existence so grand that even the Vile King Vortigern would give a thumbs up and say, "What a noble knight" upon seeing you.]
[But you were completely unaware of all this, because you had already been headfirst in a forest for three whole days.]
"Bro, seriously?! Is that freaking giant using invisibility hacks? I've been searching for three days and haven't even seen a giant's hair!"
Souya was currently somewhat exasperated. He really wanted to know how that freaking giant managed to snatch his horse, plunge into the forest, and disappear without a trace.
Just three days ago, Souya was riding his little black horse along a forest path, shooting the breeze with the System.
Who knew a giant would suddenly jump out halfway, flip Souya onto the ground without even looking at him, grab his horse, and run off?
At the time, Souya was arguing with the System until his face was red over whether Merlin was better or Magi Mari was better. He was caught off guard and ambushed by the giant.
By the time he regained his senses, the giant had already fled into the forest, and Souya had lost his horse due to carelessness.
Hmm, why does that sound a bit weird?
Anyway, realizing his horse was gone, Souya immediately followed the giant's tracks in pursuit.
He didn't know why he casually encountered a Phantasmal Species that others couldn't find even if they tried, let alone a very rare giant.
One must know that giants were already scarce, and nowadays most of them had migrated to the Inner Sea of the Planet.
God knows where this giant that stole Souya's horse came from.
However, after Souya followed the tracks deep into the dense forest, he suddenly found that the tracks vanished, and he ended up losing his way due to rushing.
Thus, he was currently in this state of mental breakdown.
[Is there a possibility, Host, that this giant is a Mountain Giant, and it used a skill similar to earth-burrowing, which is why you can't find it?]
The System popped up at this moment, but Souya couldn't help but feel it was gloating.
"So why didn't the Mountain Giant stay properly in the mountains? What's it doing running into the forest? What, got tired of the old place and wanted to move?"
Souya grumbled. He was truly exasperated by this damn giant these past few days.
If he hadn't hunted a few animals to eat in the meantime, he probably would have starved to death by now.
Suddenly, just as Souya was about to rest on the spot, he suddenly heard what sounded like a person's voice in the woods.
Where would people be talking in this deep, old forest?
With this thought, Souya walked toward the direction of the voice.
As the distance closed, the voice grew louder, and Souya confirmed it was indeed a man's voice.
But why does this guy sound like he's cussing someone out in the streets?
Souya's expression turned a bit strange. He quickened his pace. When he pushed aside a patch of bushes, a cave situated at the foot of a mountain suddenly appeared before his eyes.
And currently, in the clearing in front of the cave, was a man tied to a tree trunk with its branches lopped off.
Hmm... how should I put this.
Souya rubbed his chin. He couldn't shake the feeling that this guy looked exactly like a meat skewer.
Meanwhile, the man's barrage of insults clearly reached Souya's ears.
"You shameless, motherless, fatherless bastard! If you have the guts, let your Grandpa Kay down! Let me eat my fill, and then we'll fight for three hundred rounds! I promise I won't beat the crap out of you!"