"Go! Get out of here! Report this to the King immediately!"
Over half a month ago, Merlin confronted the Holy Church's Priest, using his power to force the old man into retirement. This effectively eliminated the route through which Guinevere might have been severely injured due to the priest's actions.
However, beyond this intervention, Merlin made no further demands, allowing the Church to continue its machinations unimpeded.
After his departure, with the Church's access to top-tier martial power restricted, their plans grew even more intricate. They managed to perfectly conceal the Controlled Vassal King, ensuring he remained undetected during the Mages' inspections.
Furthermore, they used the discovered Controlled Vassal King as bait, setting a trap for the Camelot Knights who came to investigate again.
A squad of knights, led by two non-core Round Table Knights, fell into the ambush. Only one escaped with his life, while the rest perished.
Bang!
The Round Table resounded with a sharp rap as Guinevere, her belly still flat despite the False Pregnancy Magecraft, took her seat at the Round Table meeting.
As Queen, she shouldn't be here. Yet beyond her royal status, she remained one of the Kingdom's foremost knights.
Moreover, after receiving the Mages' investigation results implicating her, she had tacitly approved Sir Agravain's proposal for a second review by a team of Round Table Knights.
While Guinevere trusted the Mages, the Knights did not. The Mages' investigation results were a direct slap in the face to the Knights who had conducted the initial inquiry.
"Your Majesty, I beg forgiveness for our previous distrust. It was this distrust that led to the deaths of Will and the other eleven Knights."
"Sir Agravain, the decision to send them was approved by a vote of the Round Table. If blame is to be assigned, it should be shared by the entire Round Table."
"But, Your Majesty..."
"Sir Agravain, your plea for forgiveness should not be empty words. Bring me the heads of those murderers as penance."
Having not drawn her sword in battle for far too long, and with the frustration of studying Magecraft adding to her agitation, Guinevere decisively cut off Agravain's continued apologies, abruptly shifting the topic.
As this was a Round Table meeting, where all members had the right to speak, Guinevere's interruption wasn't considered a breach of protocol and wouldn't provoke any discontent among the Round Table Knights.
The moment the discussion turned to revenge, the Knights, who had been bowing their heads in shame, immediately lifted their gazes. They too felt deeply ashamed and furious, their hands itching for action after months of inactivity.
Ever since the King of Knights drew her sword, war had typically followed within half a month. But after the battle outside Hamburgh a year ago, many of them hadn't seen blood for far too long.
Without war, without martial glory, how could knights earn promotions or receive land and titles?
Moreover, as rumors about the Church spread, most knights had grown indifferent to waging war against it—eager to purge the Corrupt Church's underlings, those hounds who dared bare their teeth at Camelot.
"Your Majesty, allow me to lead the Academy Army into battle this time. The senior students will graduate soon, and there is no better graduation exam than blood and fire."
Known as the Son of the Sun and the origin of the term "Prince Charming," Gawain was handsome, radiant, and the dream lover of countless maidens—the object of their fantasies and handcrafts. Yet when it came to seizing glory, he showed no restraint whatsoever.
His reason for requesting command left the other knights unable to find fault.
As the Vice Academy Head, and with Academy Head Guinevere "expecting," it was only natural that Gawain would lead the first graduating class into battle.
However, given everyone's eagerness for action and Guinevere's high regard for the Holy Church's strength, how could she and the King of Knights possibly let Gawain lead the Student Corps alone?
"Sir Gawain, in this battle, aside from Sir Agravain remaining behind to guard Camelot and Guinevere resting to focus on her pregnancy, I will lead all Round Table Knights, as well as the Student Corps you mentioned, into battle. We will concentrate our forces and strike swiftly to achieve a decisive victory."
This was overkill—using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—and Guinevere might have been overly cautious due to her past life memories. But she felt compelled to err on the side of caution.
Moreover, before the Round Table meeting, she had instructed the King of Knights to send another letter to Merlin.
"Everyone, I implore you, show no mercy to the enemy forces. Crush their every scheme completely."
Having grown accustomed to the direct, straightforward nature of knightly warfare in this era, Guinevere didn't expect the King of Knights to suddenly grasp strategic subtleties after leading the troops into battle.
Concentrate our forces and hack them to pieces. This was the King of Knights' most common tactic.
Only during the initial battle outside Hamburgh, when the enemy forces vastly outnumbered their own, did the King of Knights consider strategic maneuvers. But even those tactics, if distilled, were nothing more than basic battlefield principles.
It was Gawain and the Student Corps, who had yet to graduate, who truly grasped the potential of military strategy. They had studied Guinevere's incomplete version of the Thirty-Six Stratagems and the sixteen-character maxim of "Exhaust the enemy, harass them relentlessly." When the era of knights faded and Camelot transitioned to modern military warfare, these students would undoubtedly shine.
For now, however, with Bedivere capable of single-handedly defeating an entire year's worth of recruits, the concentrated, head-on charge of traditional knightly warfare remained the most effective approach.
"Your Majesty, allow me to join the campaign," Agravain proposed. "The defense of the capital can be entrusted to the Queen, Sir Tristan, and the Queen's Knight Order."
Though no one blamed him for suggesting a second reconnaissance mission, Agravain held himself accountable. Kneeling formally to make his request, he left the King of Knights with no room for rebuttal.
Thus, the expedition's roster was finalized: every knight at the Round Table except Guinevere and Tristan, along with the students Gawain said were on the verge of graduation.
Guinevere mentally calculated the odds. She estimated that the expeditionary force would represent ninety percent of Camelot's total knightly strength. If even this overwhelming force failed to secure victory, she would begin planning to feign cooperation with the Church.
In Guinevere's eyes, if the Church's goal was to lure the majority of Camelot's forces to seize the Vassal Territories, then their next objective...
They're unlikely to be able to defeat the expeditionary force.
This was merely a prediction based on incomplete knowledge of the enemy's strength, but even taking them seriously, Guinevere couldn't believe they could pull off such a feat.
Her caution, at its core, stemmed from her desire to minimize casualties on their side.
"By the way, Your Majesty, once the Student Corps goes to battle, we can't keep calling them the Student Corps, can we? They've been trained according to the Queen's vision for future warfare, operating as a Knight Order. Would you consider bestowing a name upon the soon-to-be-formed Knight Order?"
"Guinevere, you decide. You're their Headmaster."
Though her train of thought had been interrupted, Guinevere now understood that her remaining behind might not be an easy task.
Bringing her focus back to the present, she continued to ponder under the watchful eyes of the assembled knights.
What should they be called? Guinevere was immensely proud of the Berserker Knight Order she had forged. But for this future cornerstone of the Kingdom...
Her first thought went to the Sixth Singularity—Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot—from the first part of Fate/Grand Order:
"The Enforcement Knight Order."
This was the name Guinevere had chosen, reflecting her hopes for their future. As one of the most crucial tools for reshaping destiny, she desired their absolute loyalty above all else.
Even if it meant betraying their own beliefs, the weakest and most vulnerable among them would wield their swords wherever the King's Sword pointed.
Of course, the knights, including the King of Knights herself, were only discussing the term "Enforcement." They remained unaware of Guinevere's deeper expectations.
But judging by the name alone...
"Enforcement? To purge enemies and proclaim justice... A truly fitting name."