Sword of Salvation-Chapter 85: Interlude 3 - The Fall of a King

Dark clouds hovered over Camelot. Not literally, but metaphorically. For although the sky was at its bluest, the atmosphere enveloping Camelot was far from bright.

Arthur IV Pendragon had been slain on the battlefield. That news had spread throughout Camelot for the past two days.

If that wasn’t enough to wound Camelot, the fact that only two members of the Knights of the Round Table had survived was more than sufficient. However, what truly tarnished Camelot’s name was that the Holy Sword Excalibur had been seized and taken by the enemy.

The Great Kingdom of Camelot, which had almost never suffered a total defeat, had now experienced the greatest loss in its long history.

The Great Kingdom of Celtekhna had humiliated Camelot. The city of Britticia and its surrounding areas had fallen under their control. Nearly half of the residents who lived there had been massacred for refusing to submit. Celtekhna even threatened Camelot to stay away from the southeastern region unless they wanted the remaining citizens to be exterminated.

There was only one way for Camelot to save the remaining citizens they had taken hostage. The official notice regarding this had arrived just two hours ago from Celtekhna’s envoy. They would release the hostages only if Camelot agreed to surrender the Holy Sword Caliburn as ransom.

For that reason, Selena was now in the throne room—they needed to decide how to respond to the notice.

She was not alone with Marryphimia—the one who had just been officially crowned as the new ruler of Camelot yesterday. The two remaining members of the Knights of the Round Table (Kaiser Palamedes and Lizy Percival) were also present. Along with them was Athrecia Le Fay, the maid who often accompanied her uncle—she was, in fact, the greatest mage in the whole Camelot.

Selena, Kaiser, and Lizy stood before Marry, who was seated on the throne, while Athrecia stood to the queen’s left.

"You are the wielder of Caliburn, Selena. So if you are unwilling to hand over the sword, I will not ask you to do so. We can think of another way."

Selena did not want to surrender her sword. However, she also understood that the safety of the people was more important. She did not mind handing over the sword. But she did not believe doing so was the right solution. She also suspected that Marry had no intention of fulfilling the enemy’s demand.

The queen’s question was merely a formality; if not, then she only wanted to gauge Selena’s reaction.

"I don’t mind," Selena responded. "But, Marry, I doubt you will meet their demands." She voiced her opinion. "You haven’t said anything about what course of action you will take, but I am sure you will not accept this defeat. We cannot let Uncle Arthur die in vain. We must also reclaim Excalibur."

Selena understood that Camelot’s military strength had been severely diminished due to the death of Arthur IV and his knights. It would not be wise for Camelot to send troops again, especially since the citizens of Britticia had been taken hostage. Even if they managed to reclaim the city, the cost would be too great.

If the person sitting before Selena were the Marry of old, she was certain the princess would have chosen to retreat to ensure the safety of the people. However, the Marry of today was no longer the same as before. The queen would not stand idly by. Just as she had punished Selena for pranking her, she would punish Celtekhna.

"Of course, Selena. You know me very well."

With that confirmation, all of Selena’s assumptions were proven correct.

"What will we do, Your Majesty?" asked Kaiser—a 22-year-old man with a sturdy build and short, slightly unkempt blond hair.

"I doubt we have anyone who can defeat that man," added Lizy—a 21-year-old woman with a beautiful face and long, slightly wavy purple hair. "He killed King Arthur IV so effortlessly. If he is still in Britticia, I doubt we can do much, Your Majesty."

No one knew the identity of the man who had slain Arthur IV and turned Celtekhna’s near defeat into a crushing victory.

Lizy and Kaiser had only seen his face. Even Athrecia, who had been behind the king, did not know the man’s identity. The only thing Athrecia knew was his ability—he was a high-level illusionist, strong enough to disrupt the perceptions of both Arthur IV and Athrecia herself. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"You are right, Lizy. Our military strength has also significantly weakened," Marry did not deny it. "Celtekhna did lose a large number of soldiers, but they are still in a more favorable position. We cannot act recklessly."

"Then, what will we do, Your Majesty?" Kaiser repeated his unanswered question.

"We will give them Caliburn and rescue the citizens."

That answer shocked Selena and the two remaining Knights of the Round Table. How could it not? The queen had just confirmed to Selena that they would not comply with the enemy’s demands, yet now she was saying the opposite.

"Of course, we won’t give them the real Caliburn," Marry continued before anyone could interrupt. "Athrecia will prepare a fake Caliburn. We will go there in three days. At the same time, we will try to hire Shin of Ultores—the individual once employed by Celtekhna. I also plan to invite Serenity to become part of Camelot."

Only Athrecia Le Fay was not surprised by the queen’s last statement. Kaiser, Lizy, and even Selena widened their eyes in shock.

"I will change some of the kingdom’s fundamental laws," Marry continued. "From today onward, this kingdom will be open to half-demons. Athrecia has informed me that perfect half-demons have no desire to devour human souls. They are no different from humans. I do not see why we should equate them with demons."

"The public will not accept this," Kaiser and Lizy murmured in unison. "We fear there will be opposition against you, Your Majesty."

"Who said I would publicly announce this change?" Marry asked, but she did not wait for an answer. "The public does not need to know about the changes I implement; it will not affect their lives. And to support this change, from today onward, I am also cutting all funding to Sterminatore. I have already instructed all mayors to persuade their members to resign and instead enlist as special royal soldiers."

Selena understood what Marry was trying to do. The death of Arthur IV and his elite knights had truly crippled Camelot. At this moment, strengthening the kingdom’s military was their top priority. Because of that, although she had been surprised earlier, Selena supported Marry’s efforts to recruit Serenity. However, she had not expected the queen to oppose Sterminatore.

"Are you sure, Marry?" Selena asked to confirm. "Glazzier will set foot here if that happens."

Selena had never met that man. She had never seen his power firsthand. However, his strength was widely known. It was said that Glazzier had never been wounded, not even once. Even holy weapons could not harm him. If a survey were conducted on the strongest individual in the Western Continent, more than sixty percent would place his name at the top.

"No matter who opposes me, I am still the ruler of Camelot. No one has the right to dictate how I should govern this kingdom. I will not let anyone suppress and coerce this kingdom. King Arthur IV may have fallen, but Camelot will rise stronger than ever."

No one said anything. Selena was indeed worried about Glazzier’s response, but Marry’s words were true. She acknowledged that. Kaiser and Lizy also seemed to agree, though a hint of doubt remained. Marry’s decision was the right one, especially since they were currently in a desperate situation.

Previously, Selena had been concerned about the direction Marry would take, but now she set those worries aside. The most important thing was to return Camelot to the path of victory and glory. She would support her cousin in making that happen.

"’The fall of the king means the rise of another.’ Do you believe I can lead this kingdom to heights no ruler before me has ever reached?"