In the end, Arthur chose the Werebeasts, Elves, Dwarves, and Vampires.
The giants, though powerful, were too conspicuous. Once they moved, the enemy would immediately notice, making tactical command nearly impossible. And even if Arthur controlled them, it didn't mean the various races would be willing to cooperate.
Imagine finally assembling your forces for a climactic battle—only to witness a Dwarf stabbing an Elf in the back while a Giant stuffs a Werebeast into his mouth.
If it came to that, you might as well surrender on the spot and spare yourself the embarrassment.
In short, even if Arthur could control different races, each would still fight only on its own terms.
"As for the Werebeasts, Skadi, I leave them to you. The operation begins tomorrow, and the supplies will arrive at the same time. Merry will handle the Dwarves, and I'll convince the Elves. As for the Vampires… Hey! Merlin, you're not dead, are you? If you heard that, answer me. The Vampires are in your hands." Arthur assigned briskly.
"Yes, my king~."
A faint voice drifted in from outside. Artoria marveled—Merlin truly lived up to his reputation. He still hadn't been killed.
Miss Artoria, however, was already calculating the angle and force she should use next time to "finish off her master."
Or perhaps she should test that new spell designed to deal with immortality?
Catching the gleam in his disciple's eyes, Merry shivered inexplicably and sprang up like a startled spring.
"Merry, you still have a mission later. Don't leave yet."
"…Yes." With Arthur's order, Merry could only sit back down reluctantly.
"Also, Merlin—tell the young lady outside about our origins. At the very least, she should understand our stance toward humans so as to avoid any misunderstandings."
"Yes, sir."
Merlin weakly spat out the wooden bowl he'd been chewing on and struggled to his feet. He turned toward the girl peeking from behind a rock, only half her head showing.
Girl, do you really think you're hiding well?
Their eyes met in the air.
Couronne looked at her supposed fiancé, recently brought back by her brother.
Merlin looked back at the woman chosen by the king as his nominal fiancée, his face painfully dry.
After half a second of mutual staring, both forced awkward, polite smiles.
"Um, we—"
"Let's find a quiet place to talk. You also want to know where we came from, right?"
When their footsteps faded outside, Arthur rose silently. "I'm going out for a walk. That young man, Riku, is worth talking to. Harboring hostility toward us benefits no one."
"My king, do you think that young man will give you a chance?" Merry asked skeptically.
To him, Arthur and Riku were two sides of the same coin. One was the last king of the Age of Gods, the other the leader of mankind's survival. Both were clever—too clever.
As the saying went, conversation between wise men should be simple.
But with these two? Both had black hearts and suspicious natures. If they kept talking, the misunderstanding would only deepen.
"Hmph! Of course I know that. But sometimes, conversations between young men require only a common topic—or even a shared trait." Arthur smiled smugly, full of confidence in his social skills.
"Shared traits, my king? Between you and that young man?"
"Of course. For example, um…" Arthur thought for a moment. "We're both eighteen-year-old virgins… What do you think of that?"
"Arthur."
"…My king."
Artoria and Skadi both stared at him. Your performance in bed… And now you plan on selective amnesia?
Arthur blushed and waved his hand.
When did I ever take the initiative? As long as my heart is pure (mental resistance), I will always be a virgin! Besides, I haven't even appointed a queen yet.
"Anyway, I'm going out. Britain will be left to Manaka. Merry, you go and persuade her." With those words, Arthur bolted from the cabin.
As he left, Artoria and Skadi exchanged a glance. Their eyes went cold. The room's atmosphere instantly turned sinister.
They glared, snorted, slammed the door in unison, and stormed off in opposite directions.
Only Merry remained, helpless and on the verge of tears.
Don't be like this… I want to be together too!
But… convincing Manaka?
"Hey~☆!"
This five-person deployment had been a last-minute decision. Judging by Arthur's stance, it wasn't just Manaka who needed to be informed—the knights of the Round Table, the top legions, even Morgan herself—all had to be ready for battle at a moment's notice.
As for Manaka—
Even cut off from the Root, the Root Princess remained a top-tier magus thanks to her innate knowledge. Yet her greatest trump card was still the Root itself.
With no shortage of magi already in this war, Manaka's greatest contribution was to remain in Britain.
All that was needed now was to cheer her up. After all… the girl was still sulking.
A mischievous grin crossed Merry's face as a plan struck him. Using magic, he transformed into Arthur's likeness. After checking the mirror and confirming the disguise was flawless, he opened a connection to Britain through the [Gate of Eternal Calamity].
Normally, such deception would be impossible. Even the greatest illusions could not fool Manaka's innate connection to the Root.
But now, things were different.
A separate world, governed by separate rules. Even Root authority could not bridge it.
The Root Princess? Ha!
Would you use the sword of the old dynasty to kill the ministers of the new?
The next moment, the magical video connected directly to Manaka's room.
"Prince?!" Manaka froze, then puffed up her cheeks and turned away. "Hmph! Manaka is still angry. I don't want to talk to Prince."
She remembered half a month ago.
Through clairvoyance, she had confirmed that Arthur would spend that night with her, alone. She had waited in her boudoir, filled with anticipation. Alone! A rare chance to be alone with the Prince!
Even if nothing embarrassing happened, just having him rest his head on her lap for the night would have been bliss.
She could punish the philandering prince with a gentle scolding, act coquettishly in subtle ways, then fall asleep sweetly, his scent lingering in the air.
Every time she imagined it, a mysterious red liquid would trickle from her nose.
That is supreme happiness! Prince, Prince, Prince!
But that night, Manaka had waited the whole night. Arthur never came. Not even a hair of him appeared.
And now—it had been half a month.
Half a month without a single visit!
Exploring another world was important, yes, and Manaka wasn't unreasonable. But wasn't it too much to ignore her for half a month?!
So Manaka decided: even if Arthur came to apologize, she would not forgive him!
That's right, she absolutely wouldn't forgive him… Well, unless he coaxed her. But at least ten sentences of coaxing… no, five… wait, that might seem greedy and make him dislike her. Two. Two sentences would be enough.
But less than that? No! She wouldn't speak to him at all!
Not a word!
Yet the "Arthur" in the video had no intention of coaxing. Instead, with a grave expression and solemn tone, he said:
"Manaka, you are the only one I can trust and rely on now. Please, Manaka—help me stabilize Britain."
Only… only me!
Her face went scarlet in an instant. She buried herself under the blankets, kicking her feet. After a long moment, she peeked out, unable to meet Arthur's eyes. In a whisper as faint as a mosquito's, she answered:
"If… if it's your request, then… Manaka isn't against it. I'll forgive you this once. Just this once!"
Oh my, playing with girls' hearts is far more delightful than I ever imagined.
"Ah, I'll leave Britain to you, Manaka."
With that, Merry cut the connection and collapsed into the bed of weeds, twisting like a maggot in pure joy.
-End Chapter-
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