"Huh?"
When the attendant entered the grand hall of the palace, his steps faltered for a brief moment. His eyes widened upon noticing the woman seated beside Arthur, and a faint trace of fear flickered across his gaze, nearly impossible to hide.
The former king had already died…
So why was the current King Arthur sitting beside the former king's daughter…?
Arthur seemed to immediately notice the odd tension in the air and cleared his throat softly, straightening his posture before speaking naturally:
"I was just discussing the recovery of the lost territory with Princess Morgan."
Discussing with the witch… how to recover lost territory…?
The explanation sounded plausible at first glance, but the more the attendant thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
"The Saxon leader you mentioned—is he outside now?" Arthur asked next, smoothly shifting the topic.
Hearing this, the attendant nodded promptly, pushing aside his confused thoughts.
"Yes, they are outside requesting an audience. Shall we let them in? Or…"
"Kill them," Morgan said suddenly, with unsettling calmness, as if suggesting something trivial.
The servant froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard, and slowly turned his gaze toward Arthur, as if asking for instructions.
Dark lines formed across Arthur's forehead.
Suddenly, he began to feel slightly uneasy about the idea of letting Morgan manage Britain.
Kill this, kill that… this isn't a child's game…
"Let them in," Arthur said firmly, before glancing sideways at Morgan and asking in a low voice, "Is that alright?"
It sounded like an order…
But at the same time, it also felt like a request for confirmation.
Noticing Arthur's look, Morgan couldn't help but let out a brief laugh, her lips curving in amusement. However, she quickly regained her usual indifference and nodded seriously:
"I will leave everything in King Arthur's hands."
After all, there were servants present.
She couldn't fail to show deference—at least for now.
"Yes!" the attendant replied quickly, bowing before leaving the hall.
As he walked away, his mind continued to swirl with the scene he had just witnessed.
That witch… did she really smile at King Arthur?
And more than that… why was she acting so obedient?
From the beginning, he had imagined countless possibilities.
Perhaps the chosen one who pulled the sword from the stone had charmed even the witch with his charisma, to the point of making her abandon her defiance and submit.
Or perhaps…
After pulling the sword, he had defeated or intimidated the witch, forcing her into obedience.
Yes… that made sense.
In his mind, those ideas began to solidify.
In short…
He was truly worthy of being called king.
To be able to make even Morgan le Fay obey…
May God bless Britain!
Shortly afterward, the attendant returned to the hall, accompanied by three imposing figures.
"My king, I have brought them."
Arthur directed his gaze toward the three foreign leaders before him.
Each of them had a distinct appearance, yet all exuded an air of authority. The man in the center was thinner, with snake-like eyes and hair spiked like a hedgehog's.
"King Arthur." The three bowed slightly, showing respect while discreetly observing the newly crowned young king.
They had never imagined King Arthur would be so young…
He didn't look like a king at all.
The snake-eyed leader also examined him silently, maintaining a polite smile, though a faint trace of disdain lingered in his gaze.
Too young…
How could someone like this govern a kingdom?
Even among them, it would be difficult for any leader to accept such a thing.
But then his eyes shifted slightly to the woman beside him.
She was dangerous.
Upon seeing Morgan beside the throne, the three men felt an invisible pressure. All of them were clearly wary.
They had clashed with that witch before and knew her reputation well.
Arthur noticed the hidden meaning in their gazes but chose to completely ignore it.
"What do you want?" he asked directly, without preamble.
"We heard that someone had pulled the sword from the stone and become the King of Britain. Therefore, we, representing the Saxons, have come to offer our sincere congratulations," said the snake-eyed man respectfully.
"I see." Arthur nodded slightly.
Why don't you just say what you want?
I hate wasting time with this kind of formality…
He didn't believe for a second that these people were here just to offer greetings.
It was obvious there was another purpose.
Does this mean they know I am the White Dragon?
A faint trace of doubt flickered in Arthur's eyes, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
Even if I revealed part of the White Dragon's power… it wasn't enough to expose everything.
Golden eyes are not unique.
No… that's not it.
Then there can only be another reason.
And, as expected, after the brief formality, the snake-eyed man continued:
"King Arthur, in truth, we have another request."
"Speak," Arthur replied calmly.
"Have you ever heard of Vortigern?" the man asked, staring at him intently, as if trying to draw out a reaction.
Arthur remained completely composed.
Thanks to his training with Scáthach, his expression revealed nothing.
Although, inwardly, he was surprised.
"Of course. He is King Uther's brother." Arthur nodded. "Is there something you wish to discuss regarding him?"
"In fact, we made a pact with Vortigern a long time ago." The man spoke slowly. "We helped him defeat King Uther and become the King of Britain. In return, he promised to grant us part of Britain as territory."
Arthur remained silent, listening.
This information was not new to him.
"He swore he would fulfill his part… and we swore that if he were defeated and imprisoned, we would rescue him." the man continued. "He won… but then he disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Arthur frowned slightly.
"Yes. He won… and simply vanished. That is far too strange."
"So?" Arthur asked, maintaining a neutral tone.
"We want to find him." The man raised his head. "Otherwise… the geis will be activated."
"Then why come to me?" Arthur's voice grew heavier. "Do you suspect that I imprisoned Vortigern?"
The pressure in the room suddenly intensified.
"We would not dare." The man smiled. "But we hope that the King can assist us."
"If we manage to find him, we will retreat to a remote region and abandon most of the occupied lands."
"Furthermore, we will announce that we were persuaded by King Arthur's wisdom. That will help you stabilize Britain."
So that's it…
Arthur quickly understood.
They wanted to avoid a direct war.
And at the same time, buy time.
A clever plan.
But still, why such insistence on finding Vortigern?
Is it only because of the geis?
Arthur remained thoughtful.
Meanwhile, the snake-eyed man maintained his confident posture.
"What is your answer, King Arthur?"
Arthur nodded calmly.
"Although I do not know where Vortigern is, I will ask someone to search for him. If we find him, I will inform you."
Beside him, Morgan slightly parted her lips in surprise, about to speak.
But Arthur raised his hand, signaling for silence.
The man smiled.
"Excellent. Then we will fulfill our part and withdraw from most of Britain."
"Now… we expect King Arthur to swear not to exterminate us, allowing us to live in harmony—"
"Do not misunderstand me, Saxon." Arthur interrupted, smiling faintly.
"Helping you find Vortigern is no problem at all for me."
He then leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on the man.
"But I will change the terms of this agreement."
"Change… the terms?" the man repeated.
Arthur nodded.
"I do not want you to remain in some remote corner."
There was a brief pause.
Then, in a firm and unquestionable voice, he declared:
"I want you to swear… never to set foot in Britain again!"
---
(End of Chapter)