C133

Shirou's bluff had successfully frightened those who may have had ulterior motives, and he decided it was time to leave. However, before he could do so, Gawain cordially invited them to his residence for a chat.

Shirou cast a quick glance towards the self-proclaimed Gemos and then shifted his gaze to Merlin, who was barely containing his mirth. After carefully observing Merlin's expression, Shirou nodded in agreement and agreed to Gawain's invitation.

Led by Gawain, Shirou arrived at the Inn where they were staying and settled at a table in the balcony, where they enjoyed a cheerful conversation for a while. Gawain spoke about their relationship, while Shirou recounted his journey and shared what he had seen and heard, leaving Gawain thoroughly impressed.

They talked happily, but there was one thing that Gawain was always concerned about. He cast a quick glance at Kay before turning to Shirou and posing a question, "Arthur, I have been meaning to ask you - when I went to Ector's estate to bring you back, why did Sir Kay refer to you as Guinevere, and why did you respond to it?"

Kay and Artoria became nervous, but Shirou remained composed, smiling as he responded, "To be honest, Guinevere is another name I go by to conceal my true identity. Ten years ago, when Merlin revealed my existence, Vortigern relentlessly pursued me, seeking to take my life. It was for this reason that I was given an alternate name, to ensure my survival."

"I see," Gawain nodded, then turned his attention to Shirou's hair and inquired curiously, "But if I recall correctly, King Uther's bloodline has golden hair. Why is your hair black?"

"I'm uncertain about that," Shirou replied, before motioning towards Artoria and pulling her closer. With a calm smile, he introduced her to Gawain, saying, "This is my sister, Artoria Pendragon. As you can see, her hair is golden."

Artoria appeared flustered by this sudden turn of events, while Kay's expression grew tense. Merlin, on the other hand, appeared intrigued.

"A sister? You have a sister?" Gawain remarked, glancing at the flustered Artoria before turning back to Shirou, a look of confusion on his face.

Shirou smiled calmly and asked, "Is there an issue, Sir Gawain?"

"I apologize... I had heard about your situation from my mother, but she only ever mentioned having one younger brother. I had no idea that she actually had a younger sister."

"As for my own identity, I only recently discovered the truth. However, I am unsure as to why my sister Morgan's knowledge differs from my own. I have asked Merlin about it, but he always evades the question and says that I will learn the truth in due time," Shirou said, wearing a casual smile. He then turned towards Merlin, "Isn't that right, Merlin?"

Merlin let out a sigh internally, thinking to himself, 'Why is it always left to me? I'm simply an observer! But he recognized that he was the one who had initiated the situation, so he put on a smile and replied, "Certain things are the will of King Uther and cannot be disclosed."

"Ah, I see..." Gawain's expression brightened with understanding.

"That's right. When I was younger, I too used to wonder why my hair was black while Artoria's was golden. But, at the end of the day, I am who I am, and my sister will always be my sister."

Kay's face grew even stiffer, and he couldn't help but shout inwardly, 'She's my sister!!!'

"By the way, Arthur, there seems to be a misunderstanding," Gawain interjected. "While I did come to congratulate you on your ascension to the throne, I didn't bring any troops with me. It's just me and my attendant magus."

"Ah, I see. I apologize for assuming otherwise," Shirou replied with an easy smile, gesturing towards the cavalry parading outside the window. "When I saw the kingdoms' cavalry here to celebrate my ascension, I assumed Caerleon had sent some as well. By the way, Gawain, do you happen to know how many kingdoms sent cavalry to greet me at Caerleon Castle?"

'Here it comes! That guy's up to his dirty tricks again!'

Merlin gazed at Shirou with a mixed expression before turning to Gawain with pity. Being a sharp observer, he quickly grasped the situation. If communication is a battle and obtaining information is the measure of victory, then the situation was already very unfavorable for Gawain. Shirou deftly parried all of Gawain's inquiries and fed him misleading information, while Gawain remained oblivious. Now, Shirou had started to fish for information from Gawain.

"It should be five... but, Arthur, weren't you led here by the rumor?" Gawain asked.

"Rumor?" Shirou arched his eyebrows, "What sort of rumor?"

Initially, he assumed that the cavalry had set up an ambush for him, but from Gawain's tone, it appeared that there was more to the story.

"Have you not heard about it during your travels? That's strange... About a month ago, a mountain giant surfaced near Caerleon Castle and wreaked havoc on several farms," Gawain explained.

Shirou stroked his chin and asked, "So, are you saying that these soldiers were dispatched to hunt down this mountain giant?"

"That's just one of the reasons," Gawain replied. "After the mountain giant surfaced, Sir Ywain dispatched troops to hunt it down. The two sides engaged in a fierce battle, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers. However, the mountain giant eventually withdrew, and the battle came to a close. By the way, if you walked on the mountain road towards Caerleon Castle and noticed that the path was obstructed by rubble, that's the aftermath of the battle."

"I see," Shirou recalled the blocked mountain road he had come across when he arrived, and initially assumed it was due to landslides caused by consecutive days of rain. However, it now appeared that the blockade was a result of the battle with the giant.

Gawain said, "The most significant factor is that after the mountain giant left, the dead soldiers transformed into creatures that fed on human blood..."

Artoria interrupted with a frown, "Wait a minute! Creatures that consume human blood... Isn't that the same as the rumored vampires on the European continent?"

"Strictly speaking, they are known as Dead Apostles," Merlin reminded her. "The Church has specific definitions for these creatures."

'Dead Apostles? Again?' Shirou couldn't help feeling a sense of helplessness. He knew better than to underestimate the Dead Apostles in this world. After all, there were the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle True Ancestors, such as Arcueid, who existed in this world.

"Nevertheless, the Church in Europe should have contained these Dead Apostles and prevented them from spreading to Britain. This implies that there must be magi conducting research in this area," Merlin added.

Gawain nodded in agreement and added, "Yes, that's correct. The Archbishop had the same suspicion. He led a team to survey the area surrounding Caerleon Castle and discovered the workshop of the enemy. Initially, the Archbishop planned to lead troops to eliminate the workshop directly. However, the workshop was guarded by the mountain giant and an unknown creature, which made it a difficult task. As a result, the Archbishop decided to call upon the kings in the north for help."

"As you are aware, the threat posed by Vortigern has always been a concern. Therefore, only five kingdoms responded to the Archbishop's call and sent troops to aid us. I was also invited by the Archbishop to participate in the expedition team," Gawain explained.

"I see..." Shirou murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

These five kingdoms responded to the Archbishop's call and came to Caerleon Castle. It's possible that they weren't just responding to the call but were also planning to take action against him. After all, the tense atmosphere earlier was not an act.

Nonetheless, were the Dead Apostles and the mountain giant the real reason for Merlin's pleased expression?

Shirou contemplated silently for a moment.

"How about it, Arthur? Since you are here and about to reign over Camelot, would you like to lead our expedition team?" Gawain asked, eagerly.

Shirou looked over at the enthusiastic Artoria and Kay. After a brief pause, he replied, "I wouldn't say that I'm leading, but given that they've acted excessively within my kingdom, I can't sit idly by. What right do I have to call myself a king if I do so?"

"That's fantastic!" Gawain exclaimed, slapping the table and rising to his feet with a smile. "If you, who pulled the Caliburn, join us, it will undoubtedly boost our morale! Allow me to take you to meet the Archbishop at the church!"

Shirou nodded.

As they made their way to the church in Caerleon Castle with Gawain, Shirou took the opportunity to pull Merlin aside and asked in a hushed voice, "Merlin, is there something wrong with this mountain giant and these Dead Apostles?"

"I'm not sure," Merlin replied, shaking his head. He then gestured to his own eyes and said in a helpless tone, "My eyes aren't omnipotent. Some things just can't be observed."

He looked at Merlin skeptically, "Do you genuinely not know, or are you pretending not to know?"

"Guess~!"

Shirou rolled his eyes in exasperation. "This guy is asking for a beating again!" he thought to himself.

Suddenly, a group of girls wearing vibrant clothing rushed towards them, encircling Shirou and his group, preventing them from moving forward or backward. They chattered and made a lot of noise, making it difficult to understand what was happening.

Shirou was puzzled by the commotion and asked, "What's going on here?"

A girl mustered up the courage to ask, "Excuse me, are you King Arthur?"

Shirou nodded and replied, "Yes, I am Arthur. Can I assist you with something?"

The girls continued to stare at him, causing him to feel uneasy and creeped out. Their unusual behavior was unsettling.

"May I ask if Sir Kay is present as well?"

Shirou couldn't help but feel even more unsettled by the girls' strange behavior when Kay was mentioned. He gestured to the equally confused Kay and replied, "Yes, that's Kay."

"Lord Kay!!!" The girls quickly abandoned Shirou and rushed towards Kay, surrounding him with their intense stares, resembling a pack of ravenous wolves.

Kay shook like a frightened lamb thrown into the middle of the pack. He trembled all over and asked timidly, "W-what do you want from me?"

It was no wonder that he was frightened, given how intense and unsettling the girls' stares were, like those of man-eating monsters.

What made the situation even more unnerving was that some of the plump, middle-aged women were also casting flirtatious glances at Kay, like lovesick teenagers. Suddenly, a hefty, middle-aged woman who had been eyeing Kay with bashful interest and possessed a massive frame spoke up. "Sir Kay, would you be interested in having a fruitless love affair with me?"

Kay: "???"

Shirou rubbed his chin and felt a twinge of envy. "Did Kay hit the jackpot with his luck attribute?" he mused to himself. For any man, being surrounded by a group of women who were all vying for his affection was a dream come true, and Shirou was no exception. However, in both his past and present life, he had never experienced such treatment.

"Huh...Arthur, don't you know?" Gawain gave Shirou a strange look.

He looked at Gawain with confusion. "Know what? Is there something I should know?"

"It's odd. Kay's reputation only spread after he began traveling with you. As the leader, how come you don't know about it?" Gawain gestured to Kay, who was surrounded by women. "Sir Kay is now quite famous as a playboy knight."

Shirou and Artoria exchanged confused glances and asked, "A playboy?"

"That's right!" Gawain nodded and continued, "It's said that Sir Kay has a romantic encounter with local women in every town he visits. Even fifty-year-old women have reportedly been ensnared by his charm. As a result, Sir Kay has become the most famous knight in all of Britain, and everyone, from young maidens to older ladies, longs for a romantic rendezvous with him."

Shirou was shocked. "I can't believe it! Such things have been happening right in front of me, and I didn't even notice!"

What a skilled man...!

As he gazed enviously at Kay, who was surrounded by a group of women, Shirou couldn't help but consider if he should learn some dating skills from Kay. By doing so, he would be better equipped to find a wife when he returned to the present.

After casting another envious glance at Kay, who was still surrounded by a group of women, Shirou proposed, "It seems that Kay still needs to communicate privately with these girls, so let's not disturb him. We should instead go find the Archbishop."

He was not an unwise person and had no interest in being a third wheel. Furthermore, he needed to learn some dating skills from Kay later on, so how could he go and spoil things now?

Artoria nodded in agreement and spoke with a serious tone. "You're right, my king. Ector often complains that his son has no interest in women and fears that he won't be able to find a wife in the future. Now that Kay has finally opened up to women, it's best not to interrupt him."

As the group prepared to leave, Kay called out for their attention. "Wait...! Wait for me...! Arthur, my king, Artoria...!!! Don't leave me behind! Help...help me!" he cried out, but no one paid him any heed.

Or so it seemed.

In reality, a lot of people were paying attention to him, particularly the group of middle-aged women who surrounded him. They gazed at him with delighted expressions and exclaimed, "Sir Kay, we promise to take good care of you and shower you with love."

"Help...help meeeeee---!!!!" Kay howled in despair as he was engulfed by the sea of women.

...

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