Chapter 66: Camelot's Main Force is Pushing Forward!
The primary target of the Picts' main force was the Selkirk Territory, one of the Northern Six Territories.
The lord of this territory was King of Leonois, Rivalen, one of the Northern Six Kings. Though Rivalen played a minor role in the Arthurian legends, the son he fathered with the sister of the Duke of Cornwall would become a rather famous Knight of the Round Table.
Tristan.
Known among many FGO players as the "Knight of Lamentation."
This little one was soon to be born. Without Noah's intervention, his epithet would have been well-deserved, for his birth would coincide with the battle between King Rivalen and the Picts' main forces.
He would never meet his father, who would die in combat.
His mother would then entrust him to Rivalen's trusted retainer, Loire, and die after the childbirth.
Later, when the Picts breached Selkirk's defenses, both of Tristan's parents would perish.
However, Noah had seen this fellow in simulated memories.
With Noah present, Selkirk would not fall, and the child's fate as the "Child of Sadness" could be greatly alleviated.
If his parents survived, he would not become a knight under his uncle, King Mark.
Nor would he and King Mark both fall in love with a woman named Iseult.
Thus, in his final days, he would not be deceived by the only act of rebellion from his wife—also named Iseult—and die with regrets.
It could be said his tragic life began with this very battle.
But now, Noah would strangle all of this at its source.
"My lord, troops are approaching from the direction of Camelot..."
Rivalen had always handled dirty and exhausting work in the border region of Selkirk, and among the Northern Six Kings, he held little prestige.
Thus, regarding affairs between the North and Camelot, he had always positioned himself as a background character.
This explained why when Noah sent Merlin to the Northern Six Territories, Kings like Mark and Pellinore went to greet him, but Rivalen, the King of Leonois, remained in his own domain, showing no intention of involvement.
If the new king gained the upper hand, he would rally under the new banner.
If the Northern Six Kings prevailed, he would heed their call.
To King Rivalen, this was how relations between Camelot and the North should be.
So when he learned that Camelot had openly dispatched Merlin while secretly marching troops toward his territory, he immediately stood up.
"Do not panic..."
Though Rivalen's actions betrayed his own anxiety, his first words after rising were meant to calm the messenger.
"Our position is at the forefront of Britain's conflict with the Picts. It's possible the new king has some strategic arrangement. If the king has important orders, sending troops to the border to deliver them would be logical."
He offered reasoning that even he might not fully believe, then pressed his trusted retainer for details.
"Loire, what is the scale of these troops? How many are there?"
Loire had remained silent until now, but at his lord's inquiry, he spoke again.
"The scale is immense... and aside from the knight in full white armor leading them—whose face I couldn't see and didn't recognize—most of the other knights were quite familiar."
After saying this, Royal gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and then poured out his intelligence in one breath.
"The Knight of the Blood of Camelot, the Knight of the Lake, the Knight of the Armor, the Knight of the Great Axe... nearly all the renowned knights are in the ranks!"
"My lord, this is undoubtedly Camelot's main force now!"
Hearing Loire's words, Rivalen took two steps back, his legs weakened, and he slumped directly into his seat.
At this moment, he felt cold sweat beginning to form on his body.
After all, if it were just a small detachment, it might indeed be carrying some important directive.
But to dispatch a large force...
Could it be that King Arthur, after subduing the south, now intends to militarily conquer the north?
On the suddenly appearing light screen earlier, Rivalen had already seen that even with the main force dispatched, King Arthur still retained some elite troops by his side, so Camelot's defensive capabilities remained intact.
And among the Northern Six Territories, his own Selkirk Territory was the closest to Camelot!
Of the other five northern territories, three bordered the Southern Six Territories and the Saxon Barbarians, while the other two were coastal, primarily responsible for defending against Rome's potential return.
So, thinking this way, if the new king truly intended to conquer the north by force, the first target should indeed be him!
First take him down, then capture the adjacent King Mark, and then proceed to subdue Pellinore...
Once these three territories were secured, the remaining three, bordering the Southern Six Kings and the Saxons, would have no escape route left!
The more Rivalen thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
So, after calming down a little, his first reaction was to muster troops and prepare for battle against Camelot's forces.
But before this decision could leave his lips, he let out a long sigh and changed his mind.
"Forget it... Loire, go to my wife. If anything unexpected happens, take her and my unborn child through the secret passage to King Mark's side and seek refuge with him. Also, inform him of the situation here and have him relay it to the strongest in the north, King Pellinore."
Upon hearing Rivalen's command, Loire initially acknowledged it out of habit, but soon realized what was amiss in the order.
"My lord, what about you?"
Seeing Loire's astonished expression, Rivalen, seated in his chair, shook his head slightly at his knight.
"We cannot go to war with Camelot, nor would we stand a chance. Moreover, Camelot is also part of Britain, not like the Picts or those Saxon Barbarians..."
"So, we must allow Camelot's forces to enter the city. And if that's the case, as the lord of Selkirk Territory and the dignified King of Leonois, it would be most discourteous not to greet a force flying the royal banner."
Having recomposed himself, Rivalen stood up once more, straightened his armor and hair, and assumed a solemn yet composed expression.
"It's a pity I haven't been able to meet my child yet."
He sighed like this, then draped the cloak belonging to the lord over his shoulders, meticulously fastened his sword, and thus regained the aura befitting the King of Leonois.
"Go, Loire."
He dismissed Loire, then with an unchanged expression led several knights toward the direction of the fortress gate.
He ordered the gatekeeping knights to open the door and went outside the fortress to welcome someone.
Having received his command, the knights who had also gathered at this location couldn't help but question Rivalen after arriving.
Facing their questions, Rivalen simply smiled and gave them this answer:
"We gather here to welcome the king's banner, and to protect Britain."
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