Unveiling Power
King Ryan, after his humiliating defeat, quickly regrouped his forces. Though the magicians had fled, he had gathered a large enough army to mount another attack. His previous failure had been due to a sneak attack, or so he believed, and he was confident that a head-on battle would end in his favour.
As he approached King Leodegrance's castle, expecting to see fear in the eyes of his enemies, he instead saw something strange—knights holding iron blocks.
"What are they going to do with those?" he wondered. His curiosity turned to amusement as the knights began throwing the iron blocks in his direction.
"Are they trying to attack me with iron?" Ryan scoffed, picking up his spear, ready to deflect the projectiles.
But the smile on his face froze as a series of deafening explosions erupted around him.
Boom—Boom—Boom—
Before he could comprehend what had happened, King Ryan was buried under the blasts, his last thought one of utter confusion: "What is this!?"
Lott, watching from above, grinned as the smoke cleared. "Oh, you wanted a head-to-head fight? It looks like that won't happen anymore," he remarked coolly, surveying the aftermath. The other knights, including Altria and King Leodegrance, were left in stunned silence. None of them had expected the grenades to be so devastating.
Lott glanced at Leodegrance with a sly smile, his thoughts mocking, "Well, do you still want to stare me down?"
Morgan, hearing Lott's inner thoughts, chuckled to herself. She couldn't help but find his attitude amusing—so smug, yet so effective.
The battlefield fell into an eerie quiet, both sides too shocked to act. The army of King Ryan was paralyzed with fear, seeing their leader obliterated in an instant. Above the castle, the defenders were too stunned to celebrate. The smoke cleared to reveal the remains of King Ryan's forces—a gruesome sight of shattered bodies.
Lott, however, quickly recovered from the shock. With a confident smile, he called out, "What are you waiting for? The enemy leader is dead! Time to pursue them and secure victory!"
His words snapped everyone out of their daze. The combined forces of Lott and King Leodegrance rushed out of the castle, chasing down the remnants of King Ryan's army. Without their leader, the enemy had no will to fight and was quickly routed.
As the dust settled and the pursuit came to an end, King Leodegrance, still in disbelief, approached Lott. "What… what is this weapon?" he asked, pointing at the grenades that had caused such destruction.
Lott thought to himself, "This weapon is a one-time thing. I have no idea how to make more." But aloud, he said with a dramatic sigh, "It's our secret weapon. Its manufacture is quite difficult."
Leodegrance's eyes widened. He knew the power of this weapon could change the course of any battle. If Lott had more of these, no one would stand a chance against him.
He took a step back, marvelling at the weapon's power. If Lott had used it to breach his walls, nothing could have stopped him. The thought of going to war against Lott sent a chill down Leodegrance's spine. "Good thing I'm on his side," he thought.
King Leodegrance, shaken but relieved, now saw Lott not just as an ally, but as a key to future victories. He glanced at his daughter, Guinevere, and thought, "Perhaps my daughter and son-in-law will become much stronger rulers than I ever was." Little did he know that the "son-in-law" he envisioned was a woman, Altria.
As the victorious soldiers returned to the castle, word of the powerful weapon spread quickly. Merchants from other kingdoms, who had witnessed the battle, would soon carry the tale far and wide. Lott's fearsome new technology would become the talk of the land.
Morgan, seeing the ripple effect of their victory, couldn't help but feel proud. "This is only one of the weaker weapons we've kept hidden," she said with a confident smirk, addressing King Leodegrance. "If we brought out everything we have, it would terrify the entire kingdom. No one would be able to stand against us."
Despite her threatening tone, everyone around her remained stunned. Even Lott was momentarily speechless.
Morgan, confused by their reaction, wondered if she had said something wrong. Then, she heard Lott's inner voice.
"This is Scotland, the land where the legend of Ulster spreads. And here, there is someone who seeks death. Someone even Morgan cannot defeat—not until she becomes the lord of the island."
Morgan blinked, now even more intrigued by the deeper power Lott seemed to be hinting at. Whatever this mysterious force was, it was something neither of them could ignore.