I must draw my sword immediately!

Chapter 32 Choice
In a Norman-style castle room.

Sua looked at Lucan standing under the archway, then at Meryl on the other side, feeling somewhat puzzled.
"Let's hear what he's rambling on about first."

Meryl calmly said, "Don't worry, if necessary, we can take him out instantly."

now,

Lucan pushed open the arched wooden door and entered the room. He neither agreed nor denied what Meryl had said, but simply smiled at the two of them and said:

"Well then, allow me to introduce myself first—"

"My name is Lukan."

"A thief with a title."

At this moment, Meryl scoffed at his words: "Is that really your name?"

"Replacement guaranteed."

"So, what number is your name?" Meryl asked.

Lucan shrugged. "Miss Meryl, do you ever ask yourself how much bread you've eaten?"

At this moment, Suya felt a sense of surprise upon hearing the other party's name.
Lukan.

The name is not particularly remarkable, and there are not many illustrious military achievements or records associated with it, but the owner of this name was a true Knight of the Round Table.

He was the elder brother of Bedivere, a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, and Greiflet's cousin. He was also King Arthur's royal steward and chef, one of the last two knights to accompany King Arthur during the Battle of Camlann, and a figure who remained loyal to King Arthur from the very beginning until the very end.

That's right,

Compared to Mary, who suddenly appeared and usurped the position of royal butler, this person may be the real royal butler and royal chef!
And now,
Lukan, who appeared before Suya, turned out to be a seasoned conman with an unknown number of identities.

What the hell is wrong with the Knights of the Round Table in this world?
Thinking of this, Suya couldn't help but look up at the other person and ask:

Can you cook?

This unexpected question caught Lukan off guard. He paused for half a second before recovering and replying:

"I'm not good at cooking, but if you need me, I can introduce you to a chef once we get to the capital."

Suya realized her question had strayed a bit, so she immediately looked at Lucan and got back to the main point.
Why don't you continue using the identity of 'Hector'?

Why would they contact us at this time and reveal their identities?

"Isn't the identity of 'Hector' more likely to help you get out of this predicament than 'Lukan'?"

Upon hearing this, Meryl turned around and looked at Lukan.
She thought so too, and she and Sua needed Lucan to continue wearing the 'Hector' persona and using the prestige of that identity to act.

Lucan shook his head.

“The real Hector has already died before King Euthy, and his body is still on the battlefield. This news will spread quickly, and my knights will be able to guess that I am not the real Hector.”

"The day King Uther was captured was too chaotic, and I was forced to leave too many flaws in my plan."

"So I have to sever ties with this identity before this news spreads, but I have nowhere else to go right now, which is why I came to you."

"Once this news spreads, Seleucus will realize he's been deceived by me. However, Seleucus himself probably won't do anything, but his subordinate Hector will certainly retaliate—"

At this point, Lukan paused, then looked at Suya with amusement.

"You stole his Noble Phantasm, didn't you?"

"I've heard that Hector has been searching for a Noble Phantasm. In order to surpass Seleucus and gain control of the army, he is eager to become a hero, even if he is the weakest one."

"And the Noble Phantasm in your possession is associated with his deeds during its creation, which makes it different from ordinary Noble Phantasms for him."

Upon hearing this, Suya recalled what Meryl had mentioned about needing 'deeds' to be promoted to hero.

Could it be that this is why the enemy went mad and gathered so many cavalry to hunt us down?

Meryl frowned and asked, "So, now that Hector is dead, we can no longer use Hector's name to rally the defeated soldiers?"

At this point, Melly looked at Sua, as if about to say something. But Lukan suddenly spoke first:
"You want him to use the new king's name to rally the defeated soldiers?"

"I advise you not to think about it."

Meryl, her thoughts exposed, immediately retorted, "Why can't Sua be king?"

Lucan sighed and said, "You come from the land of fairies, you don't understand Britain, and you don't understand the upper echelons of the British states."

"No one will acknowledge his identity. Those who could have helped him rise to power—King Uther, Archmage Merlin, and Sir Hector—are all gone. Using this identity means certain death. Everyone will want him dead, whether they are his own people or outsiders."

Meryl frowned and said, "It's just a temporary substitute, to use this identity to protect us to the capital. Even if he can't succeed to the throne, it still won't work?"

“No,” Lukan said decisively.
"Leaving aside the possibility that Hector could retaliate at any moment,"

"Seleucus will surely report his intelligence to the King of Conquerors, who will then immediately launch a massive manhunt for Arthur Pendragon, who has turned this place into a mess."

"Why is this again?"

"Because she was lustful."

Meryl wasn't surprised by this conclusion; instead, she continued to frown and asked in return:
"so what?"

"Therefore, playing house will lead us to our doom. Now is not the time to play the knight game. We must set up a new banner, break up into smaller groups, and escape this meat grinder battlefield under a different identity!"

Suya sensed a unease that was directed at her, and immediately looked at Lukan, asking in a deep voice:

"What identity?"

“You cannot be king, but you can use the identity of Sir Hector’s second son, which is enough for us to continue to act in Sir Hector’s name.”

Hearing this, Suya didn't react for a moment, but Meryl, who was beside her, frowned sharply and asked:
"What about those cavalrymen outside who already know his identity as king and even pledge allegiance to him?"

"."

Lukan fell silent, closed his eyes and pondered for a while. He turned his head to look at the yellow spear [Unquenchable Glazed Flame] placed in the corner of the room, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

He looked at Meryl and Sua and asked:
"None of us are good people, right?"

Mary was silent for a moment, then nodded.

The three of them were a murderer, a conman, a robber, a gambler, and a magician.

Logically speaking, at this point, one should indeed make a decisive decision.
And then,
Lucan finally revealed the true purpose of his sudden visit tonight. He took a deep breath, looked at Meryl, and said coldly:
"We have no choice but to get rid of them. If you and I join forces, we can wipe out all the knights who are loyal to this brat and completely seal off this news. That way, no fourth person will know that he might be the king."

Suya listened as the two excluded him, treating him like a commodity in their conversation.
The more I listened, the less it felt right.

The good news is that it seems he neither needs to nor can become the king of this country.

The bad news is,
The group of soldiers outside who had just pledged their allegiance to him might all be wiped out by these two brilliant strategists beside him because of him.

So, what's next?
Suya knew her role was limited to the identity she was impersonating—no, it should be said, both identities.

A kingdom's heir is being eyed by a beautiful young woman who is a gambler and a bandit, and who covets the wealth that his identity might bring.

Another second son of a knight, at this moment, is being eyed by a con man with no sense of propriety who covets the protection, or more, that identity might offer.

However, these effects are all time-limited.
The deadline for their mission was only until the three of them, who had temporarily formed this team, arrived at the capital they spoke of.

Mary might need his help to play a card game, but that's about it.

When one's usefulness is exhausted

In this small team where nobody is a good person...

To prevent their secrets from being leaked,
Who will be the next one to be ruthlessly eliminated?
The hot summer breeze blew in from outside.

Suya suddenly shuddered, her mind forced to race.

(End of this chapter)