In this crossover anime, Yoshikage Kira longs for a peaceful life.

Kai glanced at Gao Wen, his tone somewhat cold:

"Gao Wenqing, you can't possibly be unaware of what these earls are thinking, can you?"

When the king ordered the summons of knights from all over the country, the earl, who theoretically possessed greater power, should have dispatched more troops.

In reality, most of these three hundred knights were reinforcements from barons in various regions, while reinforcements from earls were extremely rare.

It wasn't that barons were more loyal than earls; it was mainly related to their own strength. Many barons were simply unable to resist the Saxon invasion, so they simply chose to take their families and flee to London, and the knights who were loyal to them naturally followed them to London.

To ensure King Arthur would help them reclaim their territory, they were naturally willing to offer all their knights to him. The Earl, on the other hand, did the opposite.

Most of them were capable of protecting the safety of their own territories, and prioritizing their own safety, they were unable to send more reinforcements to respond to Artoria's call.

Although these earls did not send many men to support them, they all vowed that they would give their full support as long as King Arthur could help them eliminate the Saxons who had invaded their territory.

Ultimately, these counts simply didn't want their territories to suffer losses, and they were hoping that Artoria would abandon the other, weaker baronies and prioritize helping them resolve their crises.

While objectively, resolving the crisis in the earldom could also secure the earl's military support.

Even the smallest count's territory recruits more than four times the number of knights as the larger baron's territory. This allows Artoria's knights to double in a shorter period of time, making it more efficient than prioritizing support for baron's territories.

However, although the counts' actions were indeed justifiable, such freeloading was undoubtedly despicable. Even Kay could not condemn them, but if he had to make the decision, he would never prioritize supporting these counts!

Gao Wen said frankly:

“I certainly understand their thinking, but at least in its current form, I can’t think of a more efficient way.”

“We can’t let them have their way!” Kai said bluntly.

"Kai, you should calm down."

Gao Wen shook his head helplessly. "Their behavior is certainly despicable, but we can settle things separately afterward. Don't let personal emotions affect your judgment."

Kai snorted coldly:

"I won't argue with you; Wang will make the right choice."

Gawain was the son of King Lothar, while his father, Sir Hector, was only a baron.

Although they are both knights, their ideologies still differ considerably.

Even though Gawain also harbored resentment towards the earls' actions, he still habitually considered how to maximize his own interests. If they could liberate the earls' territories and gain the support of their knights, they could liberate other baronies more efficiently and suffer less damage.

But Kay was different; his opposition to starting the expulsion of the Saxons from the earls' territories was not entirely due to personal feelings.

His father was only a baron, and a newly appointed one at that, having held the title for only a little over a decade.

This meant that although Hector's territory had a population granted by King Uther, it was initially still extremely poor. Farmland had to be cultivated by themselves, houses had to be built by themselves, and everything in the territory still required Hector's own efforts. Not only the people under his rule, but even Hector himself often worked in the fields, as did Kai and Artoria.

Therefore, in Kai's view, since the earls could defend themselves, there was no need to help them first; instead, the priority should be given to those nobles being invaded by the Saxons.

The tribal territory began, liberating the oppressed civilians.

This method may not be very efficient, but Kai believes it is the right one.

of course.

He understood Gawain's thoughts and knew that Gawain wasn't biased towards the high-ranking nobles, so he didn't criticize Gawain. Otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn't have let it go so easily.

Faced with the gazes of two trusted knights, Artoria did not immediately make a decision, but instead looked at the third knight:

"Sir Bedivere, do you have any suggestions?"

He was a silver-haired knight with an extremely handsome face, so much so that one might mistake him for a woman—just like the queen, Artoria.

There were only the four of them in the meeting room, but Artoria had to consider everyone's suggestions.

Gawain is the son of King Loth, representing knights of noble birth.

Kay is the son of a knight, representing noble knights of humble origins.

Bedivere was born into poverty; his parents were free men, so he rightfully represented the commoner knight.

These three men represent three different classes of knights loyal to Artoria, and also represent the interests of these different classes. If Artoria were to omit any one of them, it would undoubtedly disappoint the knights they represent.

In addition, these three are the most outstanding in strength among all the knights.

Artoria gathered these three not on Merlin's or anyone else's advice, but solely based on her judgment derived from her long experience of being educated by the King.

Bedivere did not hide his thoughts:

“Your Majesty, I share the same suggestion as Kai.”

Kay looked at him with admiration and couldn't help but think more highly of Bedivere.

Gao Wen remained calm and showed no signs of frustration despite being in the minority.

He was simply offering what he believed to be the right advice, but he did not deny that other people's advice was equally valid.

Because ultimately, they were all knights, knights who swore allegiance to the king.

Whatever decision the king makes, they will obey.

Therefore, they were all waiting for the king's answer.

Artoria's gaze swept over the three of them; she knew they were all waiting to see her choice.

And whatever choice they make, they will follow in her footsteps.

But inevitably, whichever side she chooses will cause dissatisfaction in the other party.

Although a noble person like Gao Wenqing would not show it, and even he himself would not realize it, he would still feel a little disappointed.

The knights, who belonged to the same high-ranking noble class as him, would show their behavior even more clearly.

The reverse is also true.

Although Kaiqing is her sworn brother, she will not oppose his decision.

But he would certainly be disappointed by her decision, as would the knights of the same rank.

Although Artoria emotionally supports Kai, she also rationally supports him.

and so.

She will not support either side.

Artoria slowly spoke:

"My teacher once told me a principle: if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal."

"If I dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy the Saxons who invaded the Kingdom of Camelot today, what choice will they make next time the Kingdom of Camelot faces a foreign invasion? Will they outwardly comply but inwardly defy as they do today, or will they submit to the enemy and secretly provide them with assistance?"

Gawain, Kay, and Bedivere's expressions changed slightly, becoming extremely serious. They understood the King's decision.

"Prioritize the rescue of baronies invaded by the Saxons, especially those barons who are homeless."

Upon hearing Artoria's calm voice, the three reacted in different ways.

They will have no objection to Artoria's decision, especially since Artoria has already given her reasons.

However, why didn't Artoria explain how to deal with those counts?

You know, Artoria almost declared these counts to be traitors just now. They didn't think Artoria would let them go. But if they were to attack these count territories directly, wouldn't that be making a mountain out of a molehill?

Even Kai felt this was inappropriate, but they couldn't openly question the king's decision.

What if the king doesn't think that way?

Or perhaps Wang Wanyi hasn't thought it through yet?

Wouldn't it be extremely impolite for them to question the king in public?

With this in mind, the three bowed to Artoria and silently left the meeting hall to convey the king's orders to the other knights.

"Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty!"

As the other knights departed, countless vibrant petals coalesced into a silver-haired succubus girl. Merlin, with elegant steps, approached Artoria, repeating the famous quote she had spoken, a strange expression on his face:

"With this mindset, you can't become the knight king that people praise!"

"It's alright."

Artoria remained calm and said:

No one is perfect, and the attempt to achieve perfection is itself a flaw. I will strive to become the king people dream of, but I will not aspire to be a perfect knight-king. If a perfect king is destined to fail in saving Britain, just as I am destined to die by fate, then why not choose to save Britain in my own way?

"That's not necessarily true!"

Merlin smiled and said, "Perhaps only by giving up the pursuit of perfection can one achieve perfection."

"Perhaps."

Artoria seemed to understand, but did not give a clear answer.

Although things were completely out of her control, it was certainly very interesting!

Because the king, under her and Hector's tutelage, would never utter such "twisted logic," her influence comes entirely from Yoshikage Kira, and the experiences she will have in the future will be completely different.

It could even be said that from the moment Artoria drew the Sword of the King, her path had already deviated from the one originally intended for the Knight King. In her original plan, because Artoria was still weak, Sir Hector alone was simply no match for King Vortigern. Therefore, Artoria...

Lia should draw the Sword of the King alone, without anyone knowing.

In this way, she could avoid retaliation from other kings.

During this time, Merlin will accompany her on a journey of trials, teaching her how to become a worthy king.

But now all of that has changed. Artoria drew the Sword of the King in front of countless knights. And she gained the allegiance of dozens of knights the moment she drew the sword. Such a wonderful start also caused the nobles of the Camelot Kingdom to flock to pledge their allegiance.

Otherwise, if it were just Artoria alone, Merlin wouldn't believe these nobles would be so kind.

They only ever add to the glory, never offer help in times of need.

But a wonderful start also means that the enemies she will face will be much stronger than before.

This only made Merlin more curious about what would happen next.

Perhaps in later legends, Artoria will still be that perfect knight-king.

But Merlin didn't care about the ending; she only cared about whether the story that happened in between was interesting!

"But hey~, it's fun right now!"

Merlin was in an unprecedentedly cheerful mood, which led her to kindly remind herself, "Whatever you plan to do, you'd better do it as soon as possible. Vortigern won't give us much time; he'll probably send troops to attack the Kingdom of Camelot soon."

"I will."

Artoria's expression was solemn. Just as Merlin had said, whatever she planned to do, the Kingdom of Camelot was only the beginning. The only true enemy was Vortigern, a fact predetermined long before she became queen!