C174

"Why are you still wasting time, Arax? Prince Lancelot is waiting," Shirou said in a cold tone. "Don't ruin the mood and make sure you have a 'proper' match with him."

Shirou emphasized the word 'proper' with a threatening tone, making it clear he meant business.

It was obvious that if Merlin dared to slack off now, he would not hesitate to give him a beating when they returned. He would even enlist the help of Morgan, Artoria, and the others!

The verbal sparring between the kings was a battle of wits and courage, focusing on emotional intelligence, information, and expression. It required skillful mental defense and sharp language, and every word had to be carefully considered. It was an exhausting ordeal.

He had worked hard to get them to this point. If Merlin messed it up, Shirou's patience would be tested to the limit, and he might just explode.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Merlin said reluctantly as he set aside his staff and picked up a sword from an attendant. He then stood facing Lancelot.

Lancelot put away his holy sword Arondight and took up a regular sword instead. He spoke in a serious tone, "Even though I've put away my holy sword, I still intend to take this seriously. Be on guard, Arax!"

"Go on, Lancelot! Show King Arthur the power of Benoic!"

"To let a magus use swordsmanship against Lancelot, King Arthur must be confused or perhaps underestimates the valor of the brave men of Benoic."

"I doubt it will take three strikes. Lancelot will likely knock the sword out of the magus's hand with just one hit, won't he?"

The king's generals cheered and rallied behind Lancelot.

They thought that by having a mage use swordsmanship against Lancelot, Shirou was underestimating their abilities. They cheered Lancelot on, eager for him to put on a good show!

King Ban picked up a bowl of grape wine and drank it while squinting his eyes at the arena.

As Lancelot was his son, he was familiar with his abilities. King Ban believed that Lancelot could probably knock Arax's sword out of his hand with just one strike, without having to use a second one!

However...

With a loud "clang" sound, Merlin deflected Lancelot's sword with just three strikes and pointed the tip of his sword at Lancelot's neck.

"How...is this possible?!" everyone was stunned, and even Lancelot was left dumbfounded. Despite claiming he would give his best against a mage, he had been a bit careless.

But as they began to fight, he immediately felt the pressure. It wasn't strength or agility, but rather the sheer suppression of skill level!

Merlin's sword struck straight through Lancelot's defenses, as if he had anticipated his every move. His sword was like a ghost snake, coiling around Lancelot's sword before knocking it away with ease!

Was this really the kind of swordsmanship one would expect from a mage?

The most important thing was that if this were a real battlefield...

Lancelot couldn't help but tremble in fear as he stared at the tip of Merlin's sword.

Merlin set down his sword, retrieved his staff, and approached Shirou, saying, "I'm glad I could keep my promise, Your Majesty!"

Shirou nodded and smiled as he looked at the surprised King Ban, "It seems I won't be needing my sword tonight. I apologize for ruining everyone's fun."

"Arthur, why not give it another try? Lancelot was just caught off guard earlier!"

"Exactly! Anyone would have been caught off guard facing a mage!"

The generals rallied behind the idea, refusing to accept that their most admired knight had lost to a mage in swordsmanship!

"Don't say that, everyone!" Lancelot shook his head and said, "I lost, that's all."

Shirou glanced at King Ban and noticed a hint of dissatisfaction on his face. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "I don't think you should say that, Prince Lancelot. All the heroes under my command are noble and just. If you want to win, you have to win fair and square! Earlier, you thought Arax was just a mage and underestimated him, which led to your defeat. How about this? Arax, would you be willing to have another match with Prince Lancelot? Are you up for it?"

Merlin looked at Shirou with annoyance, but Shirou shot him a threatening look in response.

"Fine, fine..." Merlin put down his staff in frustration and retrieved his sword once again. He couldn't help but wonder, what if he ended up making this guy doubt his own life?

Lancelot gripped his sword tightly and stared sternly at Merlin. He had underestimated his opponent earlier, and now Shirou had given him a chance to redeem himself. He couldn't afford to make the same mistake twice!

"Lancelot, don't underestimate your opponent this time!"

"Right! Don't let his mage status fool you!" The generals cheered him on, and Lancelot waited solemnly for the match to begin.

However -

"Smack -"

Merlin effortlessly disarmed Lancelot in just thirty moves and held the tip of his sword against Lancelot's neck, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

The onlookers were so shocked that they even forgot about their wine. It was hard to believe that the renowned knight of Benoic had been defeated in a fair and square sword fight by a mere magus!

Lancelot stood there in a daze, coming to terms with the fact that he had lost. There was no excuse this time - he had given it his all and even pushed beyond his normal abilities, yet he still couldn't defeat the magus. It was a bitter pill to swallow, losing in swordsmanship to a mere magus!

"Ahem," Shirou cleared his throat before speaking up. "I must say, Arax has become quite proficient in swordsmanship and I consider him to be one of the strongest members of my command. I believe he has what it takes to make it into the top ten. Prince Lancelot, please don't take your defeat to heart."

'Top ten? Only in the top ten for swordsmanship?' The realization hit the onlookers like a ton of bricks. They couldn't believe that a mere magus, who had only learned a few moves from King Arthur, had managed to defeat Lancelot in swordsmanship. It made them question just how skilled King Arthur must have been in swordsmanship.

The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at Shirou, who remained calm and composed. His smile only added to the mysterious aura that surrounded him, leaving the guests feeling both curious and intimidated.

King Ban felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead as he finally realized the true strength of Camelot's power. The fact that even a mere attendance magus could defeat his son in swordsmanship was a testament to their might. It made him wonder just how terrifying Vortigern must be if he was able to withstand Camelot's attack.

The thought of Vortigern attacking them was enough to send shivers down King Ban's spine. It was clear that an alliance with Camelot was necessary, otherwise, they would be at the mercy of Vortigern's might!

King Ban had long since left behind his youthful and impulsive years, during which he only cared about expanding his kingdom. In this moment, he realized the true extent of the danger that his kingdom was facing. In just thirty years, two terrifying forces had emerged on the island of Britain, and he had been completely unaware of their growing power!

His frustration boiled over as he thought about the curse that had weakened and killed his people. 'That damned curse!' he exclaimed inside, gritting his teeth in anger. 'If it weren't for the curse, I wouldn't have only just found out about these two terrifying forces by my side.'

As the realization sunk in, King Ban began to believe Shirou that the curse on the island was the doing of Vortigern. He couldn't help but feel that Vortigern was afraid of others knowing about his ambition and had taken measures to ensure that his power remained hidden until it was too late.

"King Ban, what are your thoughts on our trade agreement?" asked Shirou.

King Ban let out a hearty laugh. "It's negotiable, Your Excellency King Arthur! Our harvest has been plentiful this year, but we're in short supply of minerals for forging weapons."

"How about the exchange rate...?"

"I believe in treating others well. We are allies and comrades, and I can't afford to mistreat anyone, especially not my own people. Rest assured, I will make sure that our trade agreement is fair for both parties."

Shirou smiled and said, "Indeed, King Ban. I must say that I have long admired you and your accomplishments. Leading the Franks to surprise attack the Rhine and establishing the Benoic kingdom is truly remarkable!"

"You are too kind, King Arthur. How can I compare to your youthful heroism?" and let out a hearty laugh.

As they continued to talk and negotiate, the atmosphere in the room became more relaxed and both the host and the guest were enjoying themselves. They discussed the exchange rate and were both satisfied with the outcome. King Ban also realized that he might not have enough surplus food to meet the demands of their trade agreement, so he began making plans to contact his brother, King Bors, to do business together.

Shirou was more than happy to hear about King Ban's plans to do business with his brother, King Bors. As he was going through a tough time, receiving food from King Ban was like a breath of fresh air. He knew that the more people they had doing business with, the better it would be for everyone involved.

...

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