'What the hell?'
"Your Majesty—"
Before King Marco could speak, Artoria's cold voice sounded again through the hall.
"Voting will begin now."
For a moment the vast Hall of the King fell into dead silence, all the nobles looking at one another.
Then, under Artoria's indifferent gaze, as if moved by tacit agreement, they one after another raised their hands.
King Marco's face turned ashen. Seeing himself the only one out of step with the others, he finally slowly raised his stiff arm.
"Very well, unanimous approval."
Artoria nodded with satisfaction and looked at the dumbstruck Kayneth, "I will assign people to assist you. From now on the matter of the traversers will be entrusted to you."
Kayneth was stupefied for a long moment before coming to himself and nodding, "All right, I understand."
Truly fitting of King Artoria, this voting method was remarkably democratic. Even Kayneth had no retort.
It is common for a ruler and vassals to disagree, but such a democratic vote, even he had never seen it.
Artoria swept her gaze over those present, "Any other questions?"
After waiting a while and hearing no response, she declared the meeting concluded.
———
After seeing the nobles file out, Artoria turned to the aide beside her, "Ariel, go to the office and bring the reports from the past two days on the inspection of traversers."
Ariel bowed respectfully and left the hall.
"King Marco does not seem likely to give up so easily," Alvin stood at the woman's side and said with some helplessness.
"Over these years, judging by his relationship with Tristan, as long as it does not touch his line in the sand, he tends to turn a blind eye to most things."
Artoria said calmly, "But on decisions of this importance one must be decisive."
Alvin nodded slightly.
Indeed, those great nobles had long relied on their seniority to boss others around.
When Artoria first took the throne she had been somewhat conservative in methods and policy. That was why Alvin once taught her a more democratic voting method.
Still, even Alvin had not expected that in less than a few years she would evolve to this degree.
But judging from King Marco's reaction today, he probably will not let this rest easily.
Alvin looked toward the hall entrance, thoughtfulness added to his eyes.
"What are you thinking?", Artoria suddenly asked.
Alvin looked toward the direction Tristan had left in, "Nothing, I was just thinking since I'm back, why not go see an old friend."
———
King Marco left the Hall of the King with an ashen face.
Accompanying him were several nobles and a red-haired knight. Tristan.
"Artoria's action will be turned against her sooner or later."
When he stepped out of the palace, King Marco finally spoke, his tone full of chill.
Even under the previous king, no one had been as arrogant as Artoria now. Her reaction today showed she simply did not regard the other lords at all.
'Does she not know this will lose popular support?'
"When Artoria acted alone in the past she offended many nobles, which brought endless obstruction during her rule. If not for the Watchman, she would probably have been hollowed out already."
The speaker was another man in a red robe symbolizing a great noble. His expression was likewise grim, "Over the years she has grown extreme, now she does not care about us."
"Does she expect another Watchman to appear, to cut down the kings again?"
The name Watchman was like a spell, quieting the nobles whose passions had been roused.
"It has been years, why bring him up now for no reason?"
King Marco said coldly, "I do not trust those despicable foreigners. Likewise, what Artoria did today chills the heart!"
"If this continues, the Camelot Empire will be ruined by the king's obstinacy."
"But the king has decided on cooperation," someone hesitated.
King Marco sneered, "If during cooperation a key figure among the traversers is gravely harmed, I want to see how their cooperation will continue."
Tristan listened silently to King Marco, and hesitated, "Uncle…"
"Tristan, I know what you want to say."
King Marco's tone suddenly softened, "Your parents died early; these years you have been my knight and guarded at my side, of course I know you long swore loyalty to the king. Rest assured, I will not make things difficult for you."
"All I ask is that you look the other way, the rest I will handle myself."
Tristan opened his mouth as if to speak but finally fell silent.
To merely look the other way sounds simple. If he stood aloof, even if Artoria suspected later, there would be no evidence showing he secretly favored King Marco.
But for a Round Table knight who swore fealty to Artoria, this was a torment.
Tristan closed his eyes silently, his expression extremely complex.
As they spoke, the carriage had unknowingly stopped at the manor gate.
King Marco entered the room and ordered the servants, "Bring those magi from the manor here. I have matters to instruct them on."
Over these years King Marco had kept a number of powerful magi on his estate. Though their combat power could not match Tristan the Round Table knight, dealing with several traversers would not be difficult.
'Artoria dares to force people with strong-arm methods, she is still too young.'
'Clock Tower's ruler?'
'Maybe in the modern world his status is lofty, but in the Camelot Empire, that supposed prestige helps him little.'
Thinking that, a faint smile appeared on King Marco's face.
At that moment a calm, gentle voice came from inside.
"These years you seem to have had a lot of fun, King Marco."
Swoosh!
King Marco nearly leapt up, goosebumps rising.
"Who-who's there?"
For some reason, though the voice was gentle, to King Marco it sounded like a ghost crawling out of hell, hairs on his body rising.
After so many years he recalled the devil that once made kings fear, the White Dragon who killed kings and finally died by Artoria's hand.
'But how could he possibly still be alive?'
King Marco adjusted his breathing to stay calm.
He closed his eyes. At that moment, the mana around him fully entered his perception.
"No need to look. Ever since I entered the manor I did not bother to hide my presence," A voice came from behind.
King Marco turned sharply and found that at some point a black-robed young man sat at the table behind him.
He wore a white mask and silently stared at the great noble.
"It's you," King Marco narrowed his eyes. He recognized this person as the aide who stood by Artoria today.
"So Artoria sent you?"
"It has little to do with her. I generally do not ask her about what I do. After all, I do not want her to know too many dirty things," Alvin said.
'Dirty things?'
King Marco was taken aback, then watched the young man slowly remove the white mask.
Sunlight through the window fell on the young man's rather pale, handsome face.
Yet under his gaze King Marco trembled. A fear exploded in his heart. Even as a great noble who had seen many scenes, and never feared Artoria, he was frightened by a young man now.
"It's you! It's you!"
King Marco could not hold back his scream, "Alvin? How can you still be alive?"
"Consider it you lost the resurrection contest," Alvin spoke half jokingly, then looked up and quietly stared at the great noble.
"Long time no see, King Marco."
Silence!
The luxurious European-style room held not a sound, only a gaze full of terror fixed on the young man.
Watchman, everyone in the Camelot Empire, from elders to children, knew that name.
Most only knew Camelot once had a Watchman hiding in the dark, but few knew his true name.
The Twelve Great Nobles, however, knew everything about this Watchman.
"Alvin, you led a rebellion and were personally executed by Artoria, how can it be you? How can it be you!"
King Marco's eyes filled with fear, and he instinctively took a half step back.
Even now he remembered that night of the White Dragon War when that devil came to his manor. If Tristan had not stopped him, perhaps King Marco's name would have been on the tombstones of the kings.
For years King Marco's nightmares all involved the Watchman.
He had told himself the Watchman died by Artoria's hand, but now he saw that devil again in his manor.
"It must be some trick, what are you? SOMEONE! COME QUICK!"
King Marco shouted toward the door.
But before his words finished, a sharp blade pressed against his throat.
Sound vanished in an instant.
"Alvin, I am a great noble of Britain—"
After a moment King Marco forced himself past his fear, lifting an angry, gnarled face, only to see Alvin press a finger to his lips and whisper, "Shh!"
"If Tristan is alerted, I might get scared and this sword could accidentally go in."
He glanced at the hand King Marco hid behind him.
"Also, do not use magecraft. Your body cannot bear the mana in this space. Of course, if you want to experience exploding to death I have no objection."
As a god-age great noble, King Marco was himself a god-age magus, but when he tried to mobilize mana in secret he found in terror that the mana in this space had subtly changed.
In an instant that mana became extremely dense.
Such dense mana made King Marco feel slightly suffocated.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.