"What did you say? Lamorak was captured after a failed assassination of Vortigern?"
When Artoria heard this news from her intelligence officer, she froze for a moment before instinctively refuting it.
"That is impossible. A knight as powerful as Lamorak could easily escape even if he were no match for the Vile King. Where did you hear this? Do not fall for one of Vortigern's schemes."
After a long period of military life, Artoria's appearance in front of others no longer resembled the simple, shy, pure-white knight princess of the past. Without Merlin's assistance, Artoria had been forced to change, making her appear to outsiders as the wise and heroic King Arthur who could lead Britain to glory. Perhaps it was only when touching upon certain people or things deep in her heart that she would show a trace of her former self.
"But, Your Majesty, this news came from the people of Cornwall," the intelligence officer said, kneeling on one knee with a hesitant expression. "According to them, after the Vile King captured the Knight of Radiance, he had him bound and paraded through the streets. That is why the news spread so quickly."
Sensing that the King's breathing had become slightly hurried after hearing this, the officer quickly added, "However, you can rest assured. Upon hearing the news, Sir Gawain already dispatched men to Cornwall to investigate. You only need to wait."
"Is that so? It seems Sir Gawain remains as reliable as ever."
Hearing this, the panicked Artoria breathed a slight sigh of relief, but she immediately began to worry about Souya's safety if the news proved true. Although it had been half a year since she last saw him, her longing for him had only grown. Especially after Merlin was recently forced by his vow to leave Britain and return to his tower at the end of Avalon, her thoughts of Souya had become even deeper.
During the six months of war against Vortigern, even though they were mostly the victors and were drawing closer to the enemy stronghold of Londinium, Artoria had inevitably accumulated a vast amount of fatigue and unspeakable feelings in such a bloody life. These feelings often left her suppressed and dejected, making it difficult to sleep at night. She desperately wanted someone to talk to.
In Britain today, Merlin was in self-imposed isolation, and unless he initiated contact, Artoria could not reach him. Kay, as the second seat of the Round Table, was also under immense pressure; she did not want to add to his troubles. As for the other knights, while she trusted them and could feel their respect, the divide between King and subject meant she could not bring her negative emotions to them.
At this point, the only person Artoria could think of was Lamorak. That gentle man who taught her how to be human would surely pat her head and bring her comfort with warm words. With this thought, she waited for the return of the scouts as if every day were a year.
Soon after, when the men sent by Gawain brought back intelligence confirming the news, she almost impatiently called a meeting of the Round Table to discuss Lamorak's capture. Even though her first instinct was to immediately march her army to Cornwall to rescue Souya, her logic told her she could not act on impulse. Such military strategy, which decided the course of the war, had to be discussed with her Knights of the Round Table. After all, that was the purpose of the table's establishment.
Before long, Artoria and all the knights gathered at the massive table in the castle hall. She looked around at everyone before slowly explaining the reason for the meeting and the question of whether to rescue Souya.
After she finished, the first to speak was the Knight of the Sun, Gawain.
"Of course we must rescue him! That is Lamorak! If we allow such a noble and powerful knight to be killed by the Vile King, it would be a loss for all of us, and indeed all of Britain!" Gawain spoke with impassioned energy.
On this Round Table, aside from Artoria and Kay, he was the person closest to Souya. Furthermore, Gawain still believed that Souya was a brother created and manipulated by Morgan, just like himself; he had been sorrowful for a long time after hearing of Souya's loyalty to Morgan. Now that there was a chance to bring his brother back, he was naturally more than willing.
However, before he could sit down, another voice of opposition emerged.
"Your Majesty, Sir Gawain, I believe this matter is too suspicious. If we rush to rescue this Lamorak, we may very well fall into one of Vortigern's traps. We should proceed with caution."
Everyone's gaze instinctively shifted toward the speaker of these low, somewhat gloomy words. It was Agravain, clad in black armor with a stern, rigid expression. As one of the few strategists at the Round Table, Agravain often approached problems from the worst possible outcome.
Seeing his rigid brother opposing him, Gawain instinctively frowned. But this was not the first time Agravain had disagreed with him, and knowing his brother's personality was not personal, he replied as calmly as possible.
"But Agravain, we cannot simply leave Lamorak. Even if Vortigern has an ambush, we are going to rescue someone, not engage in a fight to the death. Furthermore—" Gawain turned to Artoria, who was feigning composure while listening to the discussion. "If we can rescue Lamorak and have him join us, we will gain a combat force that is not inferior to my own."
The other knights were slightly stunned. They recalled the rumors that Lamorak had indeed defeated Gawain in the past.
"Oh? Not inferior to you? Are you speaking of his strength under the sun or his normal state?" another knight in purple armor and with purple hair asked. He was Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake, widely recognized as the strongest of the Round Table. Armed with Arondight, he had recently fought Gawain and won by holding out until sunset. Even he had to admit that Gawain at three times his strength under the sun was truly powerful; without the characteristics of Arondight, he might not have lasted until dusk. Hearing Gawain admit that Souya was no less capable than himself instantly piqued Lancelot's interest.
"I am loath to admit it, but Lamorak's strength is indeed terrifying. Even in the past, he could draw with me while I had the Numeral of the Saint. By now, he is certainly no worse than me," Gawain answered truthfully, his tone full of sincere admiration.
Hearing this, Artoria felt a surge of happiness, and the corners of her mouth tilted up unconsciously. Despite Gawain's testimony, Agravain remained opposed.
"Strength is one thing; whether he can be used by the King is another," Agravain's slow, steady voice rang out. "If Lamorak is as powerful as you say, why was he captured and imprisoned by Vortigern? Furthermore, if I recall correctly, he is a knight sworn to Morgan. You know very well what kind of person our mother is."
Agravain stared into Gawain's eyes, his gray gaze serious and humorless. "Since he witnessed Morgan's character and still chose to serve her, I suspect this Lamorak is problematic. Logically, we have no reason to risk ourselves to save him."
"Enough, Agravain! You cannot slander Lamorak like that! He is a brother born of the same origins as us!" Gawain's temper flared, likely because Morgan was mentioned. He stood up angrily, scolding Agravain as an older brother. The latter remained silent, offering no reply.
"Ah, I am so sad. My colleagues are arguing over a person who is irrelevant, or perhaps even an enemy. This is truly... too sad." The red-haired Tristan spoke with his eyes closed, plucking at the harp-like bow in his hand. His tone was flat and devoid of emotion, his voice beautiful and melodic like a song. Clearly, like Agravain, he did not support the rescue.
"Now, now, everyone, calm down," Percival, the peacemaker of the Round Table, stepped in. He looked toward Artoria and said with a smile, "Since we cannot reach a conclusion, why don't we ask what the King thinks?" He then added, "Of course, it would be excellent if Lamorak joined us. I would quite like to test my spear skills against him."
Following this, everyone looked at Artoria. "Your Majesty, what is your view?"
"Well..." Artoria rested her chin on her hand, appearing deep in thought. After a long while, she spoke. "I think we should rescue Lamorak."
Seemingly afraid someone would object as they had to Gawain, she quickly added, "To be honest with you all, Lamorak and I are old acquaintances. I believe he is not an evil person. His capture must be due to some scheme of Vortigern's. If we can rescue him, he will surely help us against the Vile King."
Hearing Artoria's clearly biased words, the knights' expressions were all slightly strange, though they did not show it.
"If that is the case, let us put it to a vote," Agravain sighed, making a final attempt despite the King's lack of support. The other knights had no objection, as voting on disagreements was a tradition of the Round Table.
Ultimately, aside from Agravain and Tristan, everyone else—including Gaheris and Gareth—voted in favor of the rescue. Finally, only Kay, who had remained silent, had yet to state his position.
"Brother Kay... Lord Kay, what is your opinion?" Artoria asked.
Kay seemed to snap out of his thoughts with a start. He paused for a moment before saying slowly under the gaze of everyone, "Let us go. Let us rescue that fellow."