C109

Britain and Ireland are separated by the sea and are divided into three regions, England, Scotland, and Wales.

During the 5th century AD, Britain was in a state of turmoil due to the internal conflicts and the country was invaded by various foreign enemies.

While the Picts took control of Scotland, Vortigern, a petty king, invited the Anglo-Saxons to the British coast at the intersection of Scotland and England. These invaders seized the Roman hub city of Londinium and aimed to conquer Britain.

During that time, the land belonging to the Britons was limited to the southern part of England and Wales.

As the kingdoms merged, several powerful rulers emerged, but the most dominant of them all was the Kingdom of Camelot, governed by King Uther Pendragon.

Located on the border between Wales and England, the Kingdom of Camelot held the power to subdue all the other kings.

Ector's estate was situated near the Kingdom of Camelot.

Shirou walked towards the town with the coins in his hand, and Kay hooked his shoulder and whispered.

"You're quite the trickster, aren't you?" Kay said with a smirk. "You actually managed to fool my sister!"

"Kay, don't accuse me wrongly. I didn't trick her," Shirou chuckled. "Besides, I never said anything to her."

Kay scoffed and gave Shirou a disdainful look.

Just then, Artoria, who was walking ahead of them, turned around and asked, "Brother, Guinevere, what are you talking about? Come on, we need to pick up the pace. We can't afford to waste time."

Kay let out a sigh. "Sis, sometimes you need to slow down and appreciate what you're protecting."

"Merlin taught me that wasting time is just as bad as giving up," she replied, her expression serious.

"We're not wasting time, Artoria," Shirou interjected. "We're surveying the land. Think about it - if the enemy were to attack and we're not familiar with the terrain, how can we launch an effective counterattack? By getting to know the lay of the land beforehand, we can give the king detailed information when the enemy arrives, which will help us mount a successful defense."

"Guinevere, you worry too much," Artoria said with confidence. "Vortigern won't break through the northern kings' front lines."

"Perhaps, but it's always better to be prepared for the worst. Being proactive is more effective than being caught off guard, wouldn't you agree, Artoria?" Shirou asked with a smile.

Artoria paused for a moment, considering his words. "I see... I apologize for my impertinence. You have a point. Let's take some time to survey the area."

"Wow!" Kay exclaimed, giving Shirou a thumbs up.

Shirou shook his head modestly. "It's nothing, just a suggestion that others can consider."

Kay pondered this for a moment.

Soon, they arrived at the town. A castle city in the Walcon territory, under the governance of the Kingdom of Camelot.

If magecraft was excluded, modern ordinary people might assume that ancient people lived in great poverty. However, thanks to magecraft, it was beyond their imagination.

In the 5th century, remnants of the Age of Gods still existed in Britain, and the world of magecraft was still relatively prosperous.

Magi could be found everywhere, and magecraft and alchemy had brought prosperity to the land of this ancient world that was vastly different from the materialistic world.

As Shirou and Artoria stepped into the town, he couldn't help but frown. He observed that the town was teeming with people, mostly knights clad in silver armor. Some were chatting with each other, while others were sparring. And there were still others who were surrounded by groups of girls, boasting about their skills.

Shirou approached Kay and asked, "Have you noticed that there are more knights in town than usual?"

Kay shrugged. "Isn't that normal?"

"Normal?" he echoed in disbelief.

Kay nodded, elaborating, "Yeah, it's because the day of selection is coming up."

"The day of selection," he repeated, his eyes widening in realization.

Following the battle with Vortigern, King Uther became continuously unwell. Soon after he sent Artoria to the home of the old knight Ector, he passed away.

After Uther's death, the Kingdom of Camelot did not collapse due to two reasons: the support of Merlin and Uther's arrangements before his death.

Before King Arthur, Uther had three daughters. The eldest daughter, Margot, married the King of Lothian, the second daughter, Elena, married the King of Nantes, and the third daughter, Morgan Le Fay, was promised to the King of Onnek.

Uther utilized political marriages to unite the three most powerful kings of Britain. He also appointed loyal knights like Brastias and Baldwin to handle internal affairs and military matters, to maintain the stability of the kingdom's borders and internal conflicts.

This allowed Artoria to grow up and await the day of selection.

The day of selection was the day when the sword in the stone would be extracted. Before his demise, Uther had entrusted the sword in the stone to Merlin and the Archbishop, proclaiming that on the day of selection, any knight who could remove the sword from the stone would be crowned as the King of Camelot and Britain.

Numerous knights had eagerly awaited and honed their skills for years, as who wouldn't aspire to become a king? Nevertheless, in actuality, the sword in the stone had already been enchanted, and no one could extract it except for Artoria, who possessed the Dragon's Factor.

Indeed, the "king's" qualification had already been predetermined. This was also a component of Uther's plan to create the "ideal king" and to make it more acceptable to the populace, given that Artoria was a woman.

Shirou, however, had no interest in the day of selection; his only concern was going back home. After paying the taxes, the three of them could finally depart for their estate. But Kay thought it would be beneficial for them to rest for a while and suggested staying in the town for a bit longer.

Shirou didn't have to persuade Artoria this time - her eyes kept darting towards the tempting food stalls lining the street, suggesting that she had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

"It's true, Artoria is a sucker for good food," Shirou chuckled.

"I don't blame her. She eats like a horse," Kay added, shooting a quick glance at Artoria. "No offense, sis."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'd be offended if anyone called me a horse. And besides, hunger is a formidable foe."

Kay grumbled something under his breath and headed off to purchase some bread.

"One bread for five semis..." said the bread vendor.

Prior to the 5th century, Britain was under the control of the Western Roman Empire. Many of the influential members of the upper class were Roman nobles.

When the Western Roman Empire fell into disarray and the fortified city of Londinium was seized by King Vortigern, the Roman nobles did not return to their homeland. Instead, they joined the ranks of the major British kingdoms. Among them, the Kingdom of Camelot had the largest and most powerful contingent of Roman nobles, which was one of the reasons why Uther was able to unite the British kings.

The Britons used the same currency as the Western Roman Empire for trade. The semis, a bronze coin, was the most common form of currency utilized in trade in the Western Roman Empire.

Kay noticed Artoria's eager expression and turned to the vendor. "Give me thirty-two of those, please."

"Five semis per bread... thirty-two of them..." The vendor took out a piece of paper and began to compute the total.

"That will be one hundred and sixty semis," Shirou reminded him.

The vendor did some quick calculations and affirmed, "Yes, one hundred and sixty semis!"

Kay's eyes lit up as he purchased seventeen pieces of animal skin for seven semis each.

"That will be one hundred and nineteen semis," Shirou informed him.

The seller computed the total on a piece of paper and nodded eagerly. "Yes, one hundred and nineteen semis!"

Kay stared at Shirou for a moment before eagerly grabbing his arm. "Guinevere, are you really good at arithmetic?"

"I have a basic understanding of it," Shirou replied, inwardly amused by the simplicity of the computations. These kinds of mental calculations were relatively easy, even for young children in modern times.

Shirou was correct in thinking that these types of mental calculations were relatively easy, even for young children in modern times. Nonetheless, in the ancient world, it was considered a genuine science.

Kay rolled his eyes and presented him with a mathematical problem. "Our estate's yearly income is 113,400 semis, and the kingdom's tax rate is two percent. After accounting for our recent expenses, how much money have we spent on this trip?"

It was a problem that a primary schooler could solve! Following a brief mental calculation, Shirou gave the answer. "We paid 22,680 semis in taxes, and we spent 279 semis on food, which means our total expenditure is 22,959 semis. Is that correct?"

Kay requested a paper from the merchant and attempted to solve the problem himself.

But soon he became lost in the calculations.

"Let's not lose sight of the bigger picture here," Kay exclaimed, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "This is a talent that has the potential to develop into an administrative position!"

He understood that his younger sister was destined to be the "Ideal King," and that could not be altered. Nevertheless, he had already made up his mind to aid Artoria in any way possible.

As a ruler, it was essential to have not only strong and skilled soldiers but also officials proficient in arithmetic. An outstanding administrative officer could expertly manage the food supply and treasury.

Unfortunately, the Britons placed more emphasis on strong and powerful knights rather than administrative tasks such as arithmetic. So when it came to tax calculation, it took them days to tally every penny.

Yet this individual could make the computation in an instant!

It was true talent!

This person was undoubtedly a talent when it came to managing administrative tasks.

Completely oblivious to Kay's scheming, Artoria held onto the food with a look of pure satisfaction on her face. Meanwhile, Kay kept his eyes trained on Shirou as he pondered how to abduct him.

Shirou wasn't the manor servant bound by a master-servant contract. He was a free man with the right to leave, akin to a free knight residing within the estate. Thus, in compliance with legal procedures, Kay couldn't directly issue orders to Shirou. He was considering ways to capture and shackle Shirou onto a pirate ship.

"Kay, what's with that look in your eyes? It's giving me the creeps," Shirou remarked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Kay's smile was wide, but it seemed unsettling.

"It's nothing. Hey, Guinevere, you must be tired from carrying all this food. Let me help you with that," Kay offered, his tone amiable.

"Huh?"

Shirou was somewhat perplexed, but observing Kay's enthusiasm, he decided to entrust him with the food.

The party made their way towards the city gate and stepped outside.

Suddenly...

"---!!!"

Shirou came to an abrupt halt.

"What's wrong, Guinevere?" Artoria asked.

"I have a feeling that someone is watching us," Shirou replied.

"You're being paranoid," Kay retorted.

"Perhaps," Shirou pondered briefly before continuing on their way.

...

"He's quite gifted," someone at the tavern remarked, watching Shirou as he departed.

"Your Majesty, should I have him apprehended?" the person beside them whispered.

"There's no need for that. Just keep an eye on the Sword in the Stone for the time being," Vortigern sneered, "My brother Uther is a fool!"

...

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