Roman Envoy

Merlin remained utterly useless as always, only seeking more entertainment from Artorius.

And today, Artorius was engrossed in his studies, always eager to learn—whether it was about acids and bases, fertilizers and pesticides, or steam engines. He excelled in everything using his divine methods and always managed to outdo himself.

But the problem was that the Age of Gods was coming to an end.

A new era was dawning—a time of 'Mystery' nearly extinguished, where magecraft had to remain hidden. It was the coming of the 'Age of Man', ordinary people with almost no connection to the Mystery. It was the era of those barbaric and primitive folks from the North, who had no blessings of Mystery and had to rely solely on their own strength to overcome every obstacle.

Artorius delved into the study of various magacrafts, immersing himself in a sea of postures, oblivious to the passing of time. When he left Merlin's magical workshop and made his way back to his room, he noticed that the study of King Arthur was still illuminated, and voices of arguments still echoed from within as before.

'Really? They've been bickering all day? Truly a loving bunch.' Artorius thought to himself.

With that in mind, Artorius pushed open the door and silently entered the room.

In the process, Artoria, sensing someone's arrival, turned her head and met the gaze of a pretty boy who appeared slightly shy but caring. It left her momentarily speechless.

Although her 'son' didn't say a word, his attitude was clear as ever.

First and foremost, Artorius was concerned about her. He assured her that he wouldn't cause any trouble. In this situation, Artoria chose not to send him away, at least until he spoke and disrupted matters of state.

As for the others who were currently arguing, it was primarily his cousin Gawain and the leader of the opposing faction, Lancelot. The two 'adults' felt a bit embarrassed, seemingly aware that displaying such bickering in front of the Crown Prince was unbecoming.

Thus, with Artorius's appearance, the argument in the study became more 'civilized'. The voices grew quieter, and the tone became calmer. At least until they got worked up again.

"Hey, what's been going on?" Artorius cautiously approached Galahad and whispered.

"Well, you see..." Galahad also lowered his voice and informed him discreetly.

...The incident began with the arrival of an envoy that came to Camelot during the day.

He hailed not from any kingdom within the British Isles, nor was the Picts from the north, but from the Southern continent. To be precise, he arrived by a Gaulish ship. The envoy claimed to represent the Roman Emperor—Lucius Tiberius.

The man, dressed in Roman-style robes and adorned with a laurel wreath, exhibited an arrogance typical of city dwellers towards rural folk. He demanded that Britain bow down to Rome, become a vassal state, pay tribute, and dispatch troops to form an auxiliary legion to assist the empire against the barbarians.

"He was a very arrogant man, reeking of decay." Galahad furrowed his brow. "It's hard to imagine that Britain was once ruled by people like him several decades ago."

"So, what happened in the end?" Artorius asked in a hushed voice.

This so-called 'once ruled' from Galahad's mouth referred to the complete abandonment of Britain or was once called Britannia by Rome before it was divided into various smaller kingdoms. During that time, Britannia was one of the provinces of the Western Rome Empire.

The assimilation between the Romans and the Celts led to prosperity and stability.

However, a series of calamities ensued. Massive migrations and invasions by the barbarians of Germanic peoples, court political struggles, and a series of rebellions. The Western Roman Empire had no choice but to shrink again and again.

Britannia, Spain, Gaul, and other countries—vast stretches of land were lost from The Roman Empire's control. The Roman Empire was in turmoil and on the verge of collapse.

With the loss of central control from Rome; Britannia, which had initially maintained a Roman way of life, quickly fragmented into different small kingdoms.

Among these kingdoms, the most powerful and 'legitimate' was Camelot, which was controlled by Artorius's grandfather, Uther Pendragon. Prior to becoming king, Uther served as a Roman military officer.

He refused to obey the empire's order to withdraw from Britannia and chose to remain with his own men, eventually becoming the ruler of Britannia. He successfully ruled, or at least nominally ruled, the entire region of Britannia, which was now known as Britain.

This situation continued until a man named Lucius Tiberius emerged and became the Emperor of Western Rome. Leading his army, he achieved significant victories against the Germanic barbarians especially the Goths.

The empire reclaimed vast territories that were once lost, and many kingdoms and Germanic tribes declared their allegiance to Rome.

To give an imperfect analogy, Lucius's significance to Rome was akin to King Arthur's significance to Britain.

Both appeared on the brink of their nation's demise and embarked on a difficult and seemingly hopeless path to save their countries. They achieved numerous accomplishments, though their thought differed greatly.

As a 'Roman', Lucius believed he would become one of the greatest Roman emperors in history, much like Emperor Aurelian. He aimed to reunite the entire Roman Empire, guide it through the crisis, and successfully restore it.

The great conqueror of Britain, the great conqueror of Goths, the great conqueror of Parthians, the rebuilder of the East, and the rebuilder of the world—Lucius believed that he would be bestowed with a series of great titles before his death.

...Though that was impossible.

From Galahad's narrative, this was what the envoy said:

"His Imperial Majesty and the Senate declared that they can pardon Lord Arthur Pendragon's act of betrayal. They might even acknowledge Lord Pendragon's inheritance of the title of king from his father. However, the prerequisite is that Britain must once again recognize itself as part of the Roman Empire and make the necessary contributions to the empire. Think carefully, Lord Pendragon. This is your final chance. If you refuse, the next to arrive on this barren island will not be an envoy but the might of the Roman legions."

With these words, the arrogant Roman envoy left happily.