At this moment, one more person came to see them off.
Just as Lot was preparing to bury King Uther, Merlin appeared before them.
"What are you doing here!?"
Morgan frowned at the sight of Merlin.
This man had always been a mere bystander, never truly involved.
For him to show up only now naturally filled Lot and the others with indignation.
"I've come to escort the king on his final journey."
Merlin acted as though he didn't notice the looks Lot and the others were giving him and continued speaking as if nothing were amiss.
"You're just like the cops in movies always showing up when everything's already over." Lot said something that left the other two utterly confused.
But Merlin understood exactly what Lot meant.
He shrugged helplessly.
"If it were anywhere else, of course I could've arrived sooner. But near you? How was I supposed to know the exact situation?"
This time, he wasn't lying.
"Besides, what could I have done even if I'd come earlier? The late king clung to life only by sheer will. Now that his vengeance is fulfilled, there's no way I could've saved him."
"Yeah, I know."
Lot nodded lightly.
Then, without warning, he swung a fist at Merlin, striking him squarely in the face.
Thwack!
"Even though everything you said is technically correct… I still have to punch you. Hard. Consider this me being unreasonable."
After delivering the blow, Lot looked at Merlin's now-bruised eye and spoke calmly.
Merlin didn't know how to react to being hit like that.
After all, Lot was the one human most likely to catch him off guard. His actions were always beyond Merlin's comprehension.
Once he'd vented his frustration, Lot flexed his fist.
"Alright, I've gotten it out of my system. Now, Mr. Merlin, is there anything else you'd like to say?"
"No. I only came to see the king off. My stance has never changed."
Merlin replied.
"You still refuse to change?"
Lot frowned slightly.
"Perhaps I'm the last remnant of the previous era. Having witnessed King Uther's life, I must now write my own heroic epic."
Merlin turned and walked away.
He had nothing more to say to Lot.
From here on out, there was only one outcome left to see who would emerge victorious in the end.
Would Lot's reign continue unchallenged, or would Merlin turn the tables and transform Britain into the land of the King of Knights?
...
[That old swindler… What else is he planning?]
As he watched Merlin's retreating figure, Lot pondered silently.
Morgan, too, was deep in thought beside him.
After a while, Lot glanced at Morgan, still lost in contemplation, and reached out to pat her.
"Don't worry. As long as we keep an eye on Artoria, everything will be fine. Some things don't need to be complicated just focus on the key points."
"Oh, you're right."
Morgan accepted Lot's reasoning.
Then, she took his hand and led him back toward the site of their battle with Vortigern.
A triumphant smile spread across her face.
This wasn't forced cheerfulness, nor did it mean Lot and Morgan were utterly unfilial, rejoicing in King Uther's death.
As Merlin had said earlier
King Uther died without regrets, having achieved victory.
He was content.
And if he was happy, wouldn't it be wrong for his descendants to remain mired in sorrow?
So, they would smile.
Laugh freely.
Let the world know they were the ones who emerged victorious in the end.
...
Lot and the others returned to the battlefield where they had fought Vortigern.
By now, night had fully fallen.
When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of a flickering campfire.
Lot and Morgan were startled.
What!?
A ghost?
No way with only the three of them left, what spirit would dare provoke this group?
Lot squinted for a better look.
Well, well.
The trio was having a barbecue.
Little ahem, not-so-little Gawain was hard at work roasting skewers of meat. Her once-fair face was now smudged with soot, and when she grinned in the darkness, only her teeth stood out.
Nearby, Artoria had woken up and was munching on a skewer with gusto.
But
Hey, slow down!
If medium-rare isn't your thing, at least go for medium-well!
Right now, you're just spinning the meat over the fire once before shoving it into your mouth!
The only one doing things properly was little Galahad.
Her roasting skills were passable.
She'd even saved some for Lot and Morgan.
Just as Lot was observing this scene, Gawain suddenly noticed him.
"Huh?! Dad!"
With that, she lunged toward him, ready to cling to him like she always did.
But before she could reach him, Morgan swiftly intercepted her.
"Wash your face first."
She ordered sternly.
"Okay…"
Though Gawain was now tall enough to look down on her mother, the fear Morgan instilled in her was bone-deep. The moment she heard that tone, she froze in terror.
She hurried off.
Once Gawain was gone, Morgan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Honestly
For any woman, Gawain's sheer presence was overwhelming.
That chest of hers
Just now, Morgan had felt something akin to suffocation.
She'd stopped her daughter for two reasons:
First, jealousy her husband's embrace belonged to her alone. No other woman, not even their daughter, was allowed to intrude.
Second, Gawain's physical strength was no joke. If she'd tackled Lot with full force, that guy's slender frame wouldn't have stood a chance.
What?
You say Lot, now a knight wielding a holy sword, could handle it?
Morgan would never accept that.
He's still just a boy!
While Gawain was off washing her face, Lot turned to Artoria.
"By the way, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine now, King Lot."
Hearing this, Artoria gave a thumbs-up, her expression bright.
Seeing her so carefree, Lot and Morgan couldn't help but smile.
This girl… She really does live without a worry in the world.
We have to protect that innocence.
Artoria seemed to remember something and asked Lot:
"Oh, King Lot what about King Uther? Shouldn't we bring him back with us?"
While unconscious earlier, she'd been unaware of everything. But after waking up, Galahad had filled her in on what had happened.
So now, seeing Lot and Morgan return after escorting King Uther, she immediately asked about his condition.
Morgan was pleased by her sister's concern.
She waved a hand dismissively.
"No need. My father has chosen to wander again. He's already set off for the western seas and plans to journey into Francia. Perhaps when our armies reach Europa, we'll meet him there."
Morgan lied smoothly to Artoria.
Her little sister didn't need to know the truth yet.
The news of their father's death was a burden she and Lot would bear alone.
Maybe leaving behind a legend of mysterious disappearance…
Wouldn't that be fitting?
Morgan mused.
But as she thought this, a sudden realization struck her.
Wait
If I frame it this way, wouldn't it give us a perfect casus belli?
We could claim we're searching for my father and march our troops across the sea.
Hmm…
Perfect.
Truly, spending so much time with Lot had rubbed off on her. His lateral thinking had thoroughly influenced Morgan, and now even a casual conversation with her sister sparked strategic considerations.
Morgan glanced at Lot.
Their eyes met.
And through their shared connection, she sensed his thoughts
That husband of hers was thinking the exact same thing.
Heh…
The two of them grinned.
Artoria shuddered at the sight.
Dangerous. That's way too dangerous.
She thought to herself.
But whatever this doesn't concern me. I'll just focus on my barbecue.
Lot and Morgan joined the cooking session.
Though neither was a professional chef, they were still leagues ahead of Gawain and Artoria.
Just as the meat was about to finish roasting, Lot grabbed a skewer and offered it to Morgan.
Good things should always go to the wife first.
Morgan reached for it
But then a figure came barreling toward them.
Gawain, freshly washed.
Spotting the freshly grilled meat in her father's hands, she made a beeline for it.
But
Remember.
That skewer was meant for Morgan.
The moment Gawain tried to take it, Morgan cleared her throat sharply.
Cough!
Hearing that sound, Gawain froze mid-motion.
Morgan calmly took the skewer from Lot.
Then, feeling slightly guilty, she handed Gawain the one she'd been roasting.
"Here, this one has more. You can have it."
Gawain accepted it with a wry smile.
Oh, Mom… At least put some effort into your cooking.
Your skills are only slightly better than Artoria's habit of eating half-raw mutton.
But of course, Gawain would never say that out loud.
Her survival instincts were too strong.
She knew full well that if she ever complained, Lot and Morgan would teach her a very effective lesson.
"Who dares to accuse this official?"
And she'd learn the hard way that parents' love comes first children are just accidents.
Gawain obediently took the skewer.
Meanwhile, Lot studied her closely.
Seeing her like this, he could roughly guess what had happened.
[This girl… She actually drank all the water I drew from the River of Time. Tch, who knows if that's a good thing or not.]
River of Time?!
Morgan's eyes widened at the term.
Though she wasn't familiar with it, anything named after time had to be immensely powerful.
She stared at Lot.
Just when she thought she'd wrung him dry, he always revealed something deeper.
Terrifying.
Lot walked over to Gawain and crouched beside her.
"Here, give me that. I'll fix it up for you."
He couldn't just let his daughter suffer.
"Mm!"
Gawain nodded eagerly.
[I should apologize to Gawain. Even if it wasn't my intention, she lost her childhood because of this. That's worth an apology.]
Just as Lot was about to speak, Morgan beat him to it.
"Gawain… We're sorry. We let you grow up too fast."
Lot was startled.
Huh? She took the words right out of my mouth.
As he thought this, Gawain responded:
"It's okay! I'm actually really happy with how I am now.
This body lets me fight at full strength.
All my power comes from it."
To her, her parents' safety mattered most.
As long as they were alive, the future was worth celebrating.
Eager to show off, Gawain brandished Galatine.
"See? Now I can wield the Sword of the Sun properly!"
She struck a heroic pose.
"That's my girl."
But when she turned to Lot, she instantly reverted to an obedient child.
Just then, Lot finished fixing the skewer and handed it back
Only for Morgan to instinctively lunge for it.
This time, however, Gawain was quicker. She stuffed the entire thing into her mouth.
Even Morgan wouldn't steal food straight from her mouth.
"But Gawain… Just you wait."
Morgan had already decided once they returned, she'd dump over half of her administrative duties onto Gawain.
Let her suffer.
"Heh…" Morgan chuckled darkly.
After the meal, everyone settled down to rest.
The next morning, before dawn
"Time to get up. We're going home."
Morgan glanced at the sky and nudged the still-groggy Lot.
"Mmm…"