Homecoming

"He's back..."

In the highest room of the white castle, Artoria looked through the window and saw her beloved son advancing slowly with his cavalry.

In Camelot, a guard of honor that had been waiting for a long time finally gathered and accompanied their governor, general, and leader of the Germanic Army, for a show of power.

It felt a bit like a triumphant return.

Artorius had been away for two years, and being a materialistic person, he couldn't simply return without any pomp. It was only natural for him to make a stylish comeback.

The so-called guard of honor originated from the Germanic Military Region and was known as the 'Dragon Sentinel'. It served as Artorius's most elite force.

Their origins were complex, comprising knights from Britain, veteran heroes from Rome or Germanic tribes, and even some nomadic people from the Far East, such as the Huns, Alans, and Alvars.

Every warrior who could join the Dragon Sentinel was handpicked by Artorius himself. They had to excel in horsemanship and possess exceptional combat skills, specializing in spears, swords, bows, and javelins.

After being selected, Artorius personally trained them, taught them, and provided them with generous salaries, land, the best weapons, and treatment. This was one of the mightiest forces under Artorius's command.

Due to the constraints of the era and the monopoly of knowledge and tradition, Artorius had to select a portion of his elite group's members from the 'nobles' in order to establish the empire he intended to build. However, this was not something that could be resolved in a short period of time.

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Each of Artorius's guards rode on equally tall pure white warhorses. These warhorses were specifically collected by him and possessed bloodlines of Phantasmal Species. Each one was remarkably swift, able to continue fighting tirelessly even while clad in heavy magic plate armor, running for days without tiring.

The guards also wore valuable magic plate armor, their weapons shimmering with magical light.

Dragon Sentinel, bearing flags of the Red Dragon, Black Eagle, and White Wolf, numbered a total of four hundred.

This number exceeded that of the Knights of the Round Table.

In terms of top-notch experts, Dragon Sentinel cannot match the Knights of the Round Table. However, in terms of overall quantity, this group of warriors is the strongest of their time.

In this regard, even the Knights of the Round Table, consisting mostly of Gauls with a few selected warriors from the British Isles, couldn't compare to them.

'But if I could bring the heroes of the Knights of the Round Table under my control, it would be even better.'

Riding at the forefront were Mordred and Gareth, who had just arrived and joined him, with Galahad guarding the middle, while Artorius himself was busy pondering.

In this era, Britain was fated to become extinct, yet it seemingly had the favor of fate.

Was it merely a 'coincidence'? Heroes abounded in this era of Britain. The top twelve of the Knights of the Round Table, except for Kay, were all exceptional warriors. Among them, the outstanding ones were also prominent among the Heroic Spirits.

This was something that even the mighty Rome couldn't match.

What a waste of such power, squandered by the king, consumed in the meaningless search for the Holy Grail... Percival, Tristan, Lancelot, Gawain, Bedivere, Lamorak. These knights who possessed extraordinary combat prowess or made remarkable contributions in other aspects embarked on journeys with no results due to the king's stubbornness.

Moreover, even worse was the fact that among the Knights of the Round Table who followed Artorius, the will of King Arthur also spread.

Lancelot, who played an important role in Artorius's strategy on the continent, used his army's power to assist the knights in their quest for the Holy Grail. These forces and resources should have been used to conquer Rome.

What bothered Artorius even more was... Galahad, who stood by his side.

On the road to the Camelot, Artorius had a final conversation with his best friend.

Unlike Mordred, who wholeheartedly supported Artorius, or Gareth, who saw herself as a knight of Artorius, Galahad had exceptional abilities and potential surpassing even Lancelot, making Artorius consider him a talent. However, Galahad was deeply influenced by King Arthur.

Although Galahad considered himself to be Artorius's friend and promised to help him in his endeavor, Galahad still believed himself to be a knight of King Arthur.

Therefore, after their usual meeting, he proposed to Artorius, "I plan to temporarily leave the Germanic Army and travel to various parts of Europe to search for the Holy Grail."

"..."

Artorius neither agreed nor opposed, observing Galahad's serious expression, he knew that convincing him would be difficult.

So he decided to use a delaying tactic.

"Don't say that, Galahad..." Artorius replied, "Let's discuss your departure after we finish our current tasks, alright?"

"..."

Upon hearing Artorius's response, Galahad hesitated. He wanted to say more, but he remained silent. Perhaps he was concerned... or even afraid. Afraid that Artorius would persuade him to stay, making it difficult for him to refuse.

As an important member of the Germanic Military Region, responsible for the region's daily administrative work, his position was equivalent to that of a half prime minister, making him the top figure in the civil service system. His status was almost on par with Mordred, the foremost figure in the military system.

For a figure like him to leave, it would be like an earthquake in the Germanic region. It couldn't be decided casually, no matter what.

But...

'But after that, if Artorius... His Highness refuses, can I really leave...?' Galahad expressed doubt about this.

He knew deep in his heart the truth about his best friend, the lord and ruler he was currently serving, and the future that awaited him—a ruler whose dark side was concealed beneath the radiant sunlight.

The brighter the sunlight, the denser the shadows became.

The purer the frost, the darker the earth beneath the snow.

That was Artorius, a powerful and enigmatic ruler who couldn't be judged simply as 'good' or 'bad'.

"I understand..."

Following that, Galahad expressed his obedience.