[Oppressed by reality, you had to admit that the three-times Gawain—blessed by a saint and the most renowned knight in all of Britain—was truly formidable.]
[That was the strength of someone who had truly reached the level of a top-tier Servant.]
[Even though you had comprehended a Noble Phantasm unique to yourself, 'Myriad Flowing Spirits: Unpredictable Waves', you could only suppress the tripled Gawain, but could not thoroughly defeat him.]
[Your opponent originally wanted to rely on the buff of the Numeral of the Saint to drag the fight out until your magical energy was depleted, but unexpectedly found your assault to be as constant and enduring as flowing water, not losing out to his stamina in the slightest.]
[Thus, after dragging the fight out until the sun went down, Gawain, having lost the saint's blessing, was no longer your match and was knocked to the ground by you.]
[You achieved victory in this battle.]
[Despite being extremely reluctant and unwilling, Gawain adhered to the rules set before the duel and fulfilled all his oaths: publicly apologizing to Morgan and acknowledging her as the legitimate successor to Camelot.]
[You believed that this news, along with the news of your duel with Gawain, would soon reach the newborn Camelot and enter the ears of the Queen who haunted your dreams.]
[Through this battle, the story of your victory over the Knight of the Sun, Gawain, shocked all of Britain.]
[The skill 'Lion of Britain (C+)' evolved into → 'Lion of Britain (B+)'.]
[And Gawain, after being defeated, still chose not to leave, but instead tried to continue persuading you to return to the Chalk City with him and join King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.]
[You felt somewhat tired of dealing with the entanglement of this gorilla, Gawain.]
[You really wanted to tell him that your relationship with Morgan was far from what he understood, but you knew that until Morgan proactively acknowledged this relationship, you had no right to make presumptions.]
[So, after some thought, you felt the time was ripe. It was time to announce to Britain that you were submitting to Morgan.]
[But right at this moment, you heard a piece of news.]
[The Vile King Vortigern had personally led his army to this town. It was said he was looking for someone.]
"Britomart, I think we need to leave immediately."
After carefully listening to the messenger's news, Souya turned to look at Britomart beside him, his expression more solemn than ever before.
"Mm, I understand."
Britomart nodded, her small face also becoming serious.
Although as a fairy she didn't know much about this so-called Vile King Vortigern, Britomart understood that anyone who could make Souya show such a serious and guarded attitude was definitely no ordinary person.
Perhaps he was the current tyrant of Britain, the "Grantorto (Great Wrong)".
But beside them, Gawain's mood was a bit agitated.
"How could this be?! Why would Vortigern suddenly come here? What exactly is he trying to do!"
Suddenly, as if Gawain thought of something, his gaze shot toward Souya, carrying a trace of guilt.
"If my guess is right, Vortigern's target should be me. He definitely wants to kill me before I can return to the Knights of the Round Table."
"I'm sorry, Lamorak. I failed my duty as an older brother and dragged you into danger."
He said guiltily.
Then, before Souya could react, Gawain proposed splitting up. He would draw Vortigern's attention, allowing Souya to quickly escape in another direction.
Watching Gawain hurriedly leave in the direction the messenger had come from, Souya's eyes were filled with helplessness.
This guy really doesn't listen to a single word, does he? He was even continuously persuading me to join King Arthur's faction right up until he left.
But honestly, Souya didn't dislike Gawain.
Even though it was because of him that Gawain's hatred for Morgan far exceeded what was recorded in history, and Morgan was Souya's reverse scale, meaning the two were destined to have irreconcilable conflicts...
None of this hindered Souya's opinion of him.
After all, it's the invincible yet gentle Gawain.
"But is Vortigern really here for Gawain?"
For some reason, Souya felt a faint sense of unease.
So, after some thought, Souya made a decision.
"Let's go, Britomart. We can't stay in the town anymore. Let's go hide in the mountains first. That terrain will also prevent us from encountering the Vile King's cavalry."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Realizing the urgency of the situation, the fairy girl put away her usual flighty nature and obediently agreed with Souya.
Thus, the two hesitated no longer, turning and heading into the mountains.
And facts proved that Souya's unease was indeed justified.
[Less than three days after entering the mountains, you discovered many Anglo-Saxon soldiers in the originally uninhabited forest. They formed many small squads of three to five, seeming to be searching for a person or an object in the mountains.]
[You understood in your heart that the previous rumors weren't fake. The Vile King Vortigern truly had noticed you, and even coming to this territory with such great fanfare was to find you.]
[More or less, you could guess why Vortigern was looking for you.]
[But you also understood that there was no possibility of coexistence between you and Vortigern. You couldn't betray Morgan, betray Britain, and harm the land Morgan cherished as the Vile King's blade.]
[Thus, you decided to run away.]
[You deeply understood that running away was a profound study, and a qualified knight must absolutely learn and master this powerful skill.]
[After all, the term 'knight' didn't only refer to those guys who believed in chivalry.]
[Kamen Riders are also knights, and running away is also called a strategic retreat.]
[However, even with the assistance of Britomart's fairy wind, you ultimately failed to escape the forest.]
[One dusk, you encountered an elderly man with a head full of white hair and a vigorous spirit.]
[The old man called himself Vortigern. There was no doubt about this, because you felt a familiar sensation from him.]
[It was the aura of being chosen by the 'Lingering Light of the Age of Gods'.]
[Realizing you truly couldn't run away, you chose to attack Vortigern, and this time Britomart joined in as well.]
[But even with the two of you together, you still couldn't shake Vortigern. His power far exceeded your imagination.]
[Yet after defeating you, Vortigern didn't choose to kill you or forcefully recruit you.]
[On the contrary, the prophesied Calamitous White Dragon actually sat down and began talking with you.]
"You are even younger than I imagined."
Vortigern sat on a fallen tree trunk, holding a wild hare he had obtained at some point, and skillfully roasted it over the campfire.
Opposite him were Souya, who was also sitting on a tree trunk, and Britomart, who was clinging tightly to Souya's arm.
This scene looked like a heartwarming picture of an old man taking his grandson and granddaughter on a picnic in the woods.
But Souya absolutely couldn't agree. One must know that not long ago, this very old man, who looked no different from an ordinary geezer, had easily defeated the combined efforts of him and Britomart with unmatched power, subduing them completely.
So, even though Souya and Britomart could currently sense that the Vortigern sitting across from them was completely relaxed and devoid of hostility, they still stared at him as if facing a mortal enemy.
Seeing Souya and Britomart act like this, Vortigern let out a helpless sigh.
"There's no need to be so tense, Lamorak. Although we just fought, you should have also realized that I don't want to kill you."
"I only came looking for you because I wanted to talk to you. How about it? Lamorak."
Hearing this, Souya frowned slightly. After a moment's thought, he still spoke.
"But what is there for us to talk about?"
He had killed so many of Vortigern's soldiers and several of his generals. The relationship between the two seemed irreconcilable.
Souya couldn't understand why Vortigern was still willing to sit down and calmly say he wanted to talk.
But the other party seemed to have anticipated Souya's thoughts. Vortigern's expression remained normal, a kind smile on his face, but the words he spoke made Souya's breath hitch and his expression change.
"What is there to talk about?"
"There are too many things for us to talk about, Lamorak."
"We can talk about your relationship with my niece, Morgan. We can talk about your fairy female companion here, who appeared in Britain for some unknown reason. And..."
"Most importantly, which is also the reason I came looking for you."
"The secrets regarding the fading of the Age of Gods, and the secrets between you and me."