I must draw my sword immediately!

Chapter 27 The Feast of Counterfeits

Berne's territory.

Across the long plain, a cavalry unit of ninety-eight men slowly made its way, led by a stern-faced middle-aged knight with short, gray hair.

Before them stood Suya, his body filthy and tattered, standing on the barren, red ground.

He wore a brownish-yellow linen robe and shorts, a long sword at his waist, and was covered in a mixture of mud and blood. His small face was grime-black, and his body was covered in wounds. Yet, despite this, anyone who saw his noble appearance would involuntarily assume that...

—This is a distinguished person.

Behind Suya stood a young magician, dressed in magnificent and noble attire, her appearance so impeccably clean it was almost unbelievable.
She simply stood there, yet inexplicably gave the impression that she was the prophet who helped the king ascend the throne, the lake nymph who bore the king's sword.

And those who can be served by her—

Only the king!
now,

Knight, King, Prophet!
The three most important parts of the kingdom converge on this territory that has been conquered by enemy forces!
The ninety-eight cavalrymen behind Hector Lucan glanced back and forth between the three men, as if they realized they were about to witness a historic moment, a ceremony of the highest honor for knights about to take place before them!
Upon realizing this, the cavalrymen immediately straightened their backs, letting the gleaming side of their plate armor reflect the afterglow of the twilight, and then fixed their burning, intense gazes on the three people they were about to meet.

but,

This sacred meeting that took place at dusk
It is false.

The three people who are about to meet
It is false.

The identities of the three individuals—

Suya, who looks like a king and has a convincing face, is just a stand-in for Arthur Pendragon, an illiterate man who knows almost nothing about the present and the world and has killed many people.

Mary, who looks like a prophet with a convincing face, is just a gardener at Sir Hector's estate, a gambling magician and a gambler who tries to steal a safe.

Lucan, who looks like a knight but wears someone else's face, is actually a roadside conman who was mistakenly arrested by King Uther and brought to the palace. He is a hidden criminal who caused the king's death by making up lies.

now,

Suya stared intently at the approaching 'Hector,' wondering what she should say to this unfamiliar adoptive father.

Lucan stared intently at Suya as she drew closer, frantically replaying Hector's every move in his mind in an attempt to avoid giving himself away. His expression tightened, and his smile grew increasingly stiff.

Meryl stared intently at the yellow spear in 'Hector's' hand, wondering how much it could fetch.

The three counterfeiters met and simultaneously revealed stiff smiles.

"son--"

Lukan was about to offer his greetings when Suya interrupted him directly.

"Hector, why do you call me that?"

"Uh--"

Lukan's pupils dilated involuntarily. "Damn it, if I don't call my son 'son,' do I have to call you 'father'?" Meanwhile, Suya's mind raced.
If we follow the plot of "Le Morte d'Arthur," Arthur would address Hector directly as "Father." However, given the bizarre art style of this world, and the fact that it possesses Noble Phantasms, it's somewhat similar to the Garden of Avalon in the Fate series. But strangely, the future seems to be completely different.
In the Court of Avalon, Hector never allowed Artoria to call him father; she always addressed him directly as Hector.

In the end, Suya chose the latter, and since he wasn't too keen on calling anyone "Dad," he used the safest approach of asking a question in return to test the waters.

Lukan, whose bundle had been tossed back, raised an eyebrow slightly. Fortunately, Hector was a man of few words, and at this moment, he merely feigned a sigh of relief before silently tossing the bundle back.

"Phew, I'm glad you're alright."

Now, Suya was in an awkward position. He had no idea how to respond, so he could only nod sullenly.
"You too."

Lukan dismounted, walked up to Suya, patted him on the shoulder, and praised him:

"You did a great job drawing away the attention of our cavalry, allowing us to break out successfully."

Hearing this, Suya was taken aback and looked back at Meryl beside her. Meryl was also looking at her at that moment.
There was a hint of surprise in their eyes.

As part of the routed army, Sua's act of crossing the army at Meryl's suggestion seemed brave, but in reality, it was undoubtedly a betrayal and an act of desertion to the troops behind.

However, the 'Hector' in front of her took the initiative to cover up the matter for her, and Suya could vaguely sense that the other party's purpose was not just that.

However, Suya shook her head without changing her expression and responded in the same manner:
“The enemy reacted too quickly, Hector. If you hadn’t arrived so fast, we would probably be in danger. I should be thanking you.”

Lukan nodded, and in front of the cavalrymen behind him, said in a deep voice:
"This is unavoidable. You don't need to feel pressured. None of us expected the Conqueror to be so powerful, conquering Exeter and Plymouth in succession. I predict that even the Golden Curtain will be unable to stop her conquest!"

"Soon, her army will break through the golden iron curtain and reach the capital!"

At this time,

Behind Lukan, a cavalry captain in plate armor, sporting a small mustache and exuding an air of righteousness, spurred his horse forward, dismounted, and walked to the side of the three. Suddenly, he spoke:

"Sir, is this the noble person you were so willing to risk everything to save? But, if I may be so bold, he is only your second son."

"If that's the only reason, it won't convince the public."

"However, if Sir believes that with your second son and this magician joining us, we can muster the strength to conquer the royal palace and reclaim the king's remains, then we..."

The cavalry captain hesitated slightly for a moment, then said in a deep voice:
"We are willing to fight!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three people who were meeting simultaneously froze.
Suya felt a chill run down her spine.

What?! What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard?!

Why is it that you guys are on the same wavelength as Meryl, the idea genius?
Why bother trying to conquer the King's Caravan?
Does that place have cough syrup?
They all seem to want to sprint me back to my death, like they're doing me a 100-meter dash. Do I owe them money?!

Meryl and Lucan were equally horrified upon hearing this.
All their efforts were now focused on escaping to safety, but now that they had finally escaped, their soldiers were demanding to lead them to retrieve King Uther's remains.

Not to mention that there was a top-tier hero, Seleucus, who was no match for them, just one charge from the Companion Cavalry surrounding the royal banner...
They all have to die!

(End of this chapter)