Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The palace, the early summer sunlight, the faint chirping of cicadas, the crowd of stunned onlookers at the palace gates, and the witch currently pressing her lips against the young boy's, along with the confused and blank stare of the golden-haired King of Knights.
If any transmigrator had been present, they might have later painted this scene from memory and titled it "Artoria in the Audience."
Clang!
Mordred's greatsword slipped from her grip unconsciously, hitting the ground with a heavy, metallic thud.
"Sorry..."
After muttering that, she quickly picked up her sword and took several steps back.
Her entire demeanor desperately screamed: Don't mind me. Just pretend I'm not here.
The usually rebellious knight had, within a single day, experienced emotions so turbulent it was like riding a rollercoaster.
The three Round Table Knights inside the palace were visibly struggling to maintain their composure.
They had always known about Morgan's feelings for Arvin, but at least there had been a thin layer of pretense before.
Now, though?
The witch was shoving it right in the King's face.
Merlin, after a brief moment of shock, steadied himself and smiled. "Everyone, perhaps we should calmly sit down and discuss—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, Artoria lifted her gaze, her saintly blue eyes burning with fury and murderous intent.
"Morgan le Fay—!!!"
In the next instant, the mana of Britain surged violently toward the palace, gathering around Artoria like a raging tide.
Her golden hair fluttered in the wind as the holy sword in her hand seemed to whisper—
"Seal Thirteen, Decision Start."
…The Round Table Vote!
Mordred's heart lurched.
Because, at this moment, she recognized what was happening—Artoria was trying to release the seals on Excalibur!
"Is this a battle to save the world?"
Before the echo of that solemn voice even faded, an immediate "Approved" rang out.
A dazzling golden radiance began coalescing around the holy sword, as if something was being unleashed.
Excalibur—the legendary sword of promised victory—bore thirteen seals.
To release its true power, approval from at least half of the Round Table Knights was required.
Yet, in less than a second, the first seal had already been lifted.
Not just Mordred, even the usually stoic Round Table Knights nearby twitched at the corners of their mouths.
A battle to save the world…?
Did this fight really qualify as saving the world?
However, after a brief pause, the knights noticed Artoria's gaze sweeping over them.
Her eyes were icy and unreadable, but when they met hers, every one of them instinctively gulped.
Well… if they thought about it, Morgan was technically a threat to the security of the Camelot Empire.
Lifting the seals wasn't completely unreasonable.
After a bit of mental gymnastics, the present knights all silently gave their approval.
1. "This is a battle to save the world." — King Arthur
2. "It must be a battle for survival." — Kay
3. "It must be a battle against a stronger opponent." — Bedivere
As for Gawain?
He didn't even wait for the question—his approval was automatic.
He had sworn unconditional loyalty to the King's decisions, and even in the sacred ritual of releasing Excalibur's seals, he stood by her without hesitation.
In less than a few seconds, four of the holy sword's seals had already been released…
Mordred and Gareth, who were about to take a break, suddenly heard the same voice echoing in their heads...
Mordred, however, gritted his teeth secretly, then grabbed Gareth's wrist and stepped back, saying, "I refuse!"
No matter what, Morgan was still the 'mother' of her and Gareth. Even if she didn't like this mother, even if she had thought about rebelling against her... it couldn't be this time.
At this moment, the most bewildered person present was none other than the very center of the storm, Arvin himself.
The cool, soft touch of lips, the intimate mingling of breaths, the moist, enchanting eyes, and the breathtakingly beautiful face half-hidden behind a black veil—
A faint, alluring fragrance seemed to linger at the tip of his nose.
Her seductive, graceful figure pressed against him, offering an exquisite sensation… but Arvin had no time to savor it.
Because in the very next second, he felt the scorching radiance of the holy sword burning beside him.
Arvin: "..."
Morgan le Fay, are you trying to start a fight to the death?!
Under the weight of countless piercing stares from behind him, the little soul inside Arvin's body was already screaming internally.
In his original plan, even if Morgan did show up at the palace, he had ways to cool things down between them.
After all, Artoria had always been an extremely rational king.
But—
What rational person wouldn't explode on the spot after seeing something like this?!
It was like watching an NTR doujinshi where the "yellow haired bastard" cuckolds the husband right in front of him, and then rubs it in his face.
No matter how level-headed someone was, their blood would boil at this sight. Especially when the one doing the cuckolding was their own older sister.
…Where the hell is the court mage?DO SOMETHING!
Arvin shot a glance at Merlin, but the latter could only give him a helpless look in return.
Even Merlin's true self wouldn't be able to salvage this situation.
The half-incubus sighed inwardly.
As expected… whenever Arvin comes back, nothing good ever happens.
At least the holy sword hadn't passed the Round Table vote yet…
Just as Merlin was secretly relieved, the faint golden glow around Excalibur suddenly erupted with an overwhelming surge of mana, making his head snap up in shock.
4. "The battle must be one-on-one." — Palamedes
6. "The battle must be for the pursuit of truth." — Agravain.
9. "The battle must not be fought for personal desire." — Galahad
In less than a few seconds, three more Round Table Knights had approved the release of Excalibur's seals.
Added to the previous four… the holy sword's Round Table vote had already reached a majority!
When Morgan turned her head, what greeted her was Artoria's gaze, one filled with towering fury.
At this moment, she truly resembled the Lion King, her expression cold as she stared at Morgan.
"Morgan, your greatest failure… is your arrogance."
Excalibur's unleashed radiance erupted in a dazzling display, its glorious light nearly engulfing the entire sky.
.
.
.
Meanwhile,
Inside the Palace…
In a certain room, a gray-haired girl held a cage as she gazed out the window.
A golden pillar of light pierced the heavens, its mana so vast that even a mage from the Age of Gods would tremble at the sight.
"What in the world is happening at the palace gates…?"
The girl murmured softly.
From inside the cage, a certain creature let out a creepy chuckle.
"Kekekeke… Kid, you better take a good, long look. In your entire miserable life, you'll probably never witness something this spectacular again."
"After all, you'll never reach the heights of King Arthur, let alone restore the glory of the 'Spear'—"
WHACK!
Gray swung the cage violently, causing the magical artifact named "Add" to let out a pained screech.
"OW! You trying to kill me, brat?!"
Noticing Gray's murderous glare, the latter quickly backtracked.
"Ahem, just kidding! You're actually pretty talented as a mage… just not as much as that witch or King Arthur."
Gray, long accustomed to its sharp tongue, simply whispered, "So the ones fighting near the palace… are King Arthur and Morgan?"
"Aren't they sisters? How could they…"
"Historically, they never got along.
But I'm more curious about who'll win between the two… With Excalibur partially unsealed, King Arthur should have the upper hand—"
Suddenly, the artifact froze mid-sentence, as if sensing something.
"Wait… no way…"
Gray frowned. "What are you mumbling about now?"
"This is bad… really bad…"
Add's voice trembled slightly.
"Britain… is about to change forever!"
.
.
.