C207

With summer on the horizon, the urgency of the situation grew more pressing. It had already been two and a half years since Shirou ascended the throne as king, and Sir Ywain's earlier warning still weighed heavily on his mind.

He had stated that Camelot's defenses could last no more than three years. In essence, if they did not make any mistakes, Vortigern's forces would conquer Camelot within the next six months and launch a full-scale attack on the remaining territories.

As a result, Shirou had to take immediate action and reach out to other kings to secure vital food supplies and mobilize and allocate troops strategically. As for the people's livelihoods, Shirou started to introduce a new currency into the market gradually. However, this caused widespread panic among the populace, forcing him to reassure them and ensure that the purchasing power of the new currency remained stable while regulating its circulation.

This was an incredibly complex issue that required careful handling. If not adequately regulated, there was a high risk of problems such as inflation or deflation. If these issues became severe, they could lead directly to the collapse of the domestic economy.

Sadly, even the intelligent Guinevere was unable to handle the current economic situation, leaving Shirou no choice but to personally take charge of the matter.

Furthermore, Shirou had to take into consideration the impact of the ongoing Little Ice Age. While the cold weather presented challenges, it also provided opportunities for him to gradually penetrate various countries with grain and control their economies with grain-based systems.

However, he knew that once the Little Ice Age came to an end, the grain-based system would be highly vulnerable to collapse. As a result, he made it a priority to personally observe the weather conditions every day and stay vigilant for any signs of the Little Ice Age ending. Once such signs appeared, he would need to begin adjusting policies accordingly.

All of these pressures, combined with the daily burden of official paperwork related to people's livelihoods, projecting noble phantasms, and granting skills, as well as unexpected events such as Scathach coming to challenge him alone or Merlin going on strike, were simply overwhelming. Shirou felt suffocated under the weight of it all.

Despite this, he never once complained about the workload. He knew that if he did, it could easily cause laziness and a lack of motivation among those working under him.

Despite having locked Morgan in her residence, she had already passed on the method of projecting noble phantasms to other magi. This ensured that there were no problems with solidifying the noble phantasms, and everything continued to run smoothly.

Even on days when Shirou was exhausted and overwhelmed by his duties, he still made time to visit Morgan in her residence each day.

During their visits, neither Shirou nor Morgan spoke. They simply sat in the room, with Morgan crossing her legs and folding her arms while leaning her head to one side. The tension between them was palpable, and it seemed like they were giving each other the cold shoulder.

However, both of them knew that if one of them were to give in, the situation could be resolved.

When Shirou felt that their time was up, he would bid Morgan farewell with a simple "get some rest, sister," before turning and leaving the room.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Morgan gritted her teeth in frustration. She found the term "sister" incredibly grating and detested being addressed in such a manner.

The cold war between the king and Morgan had almost become common knowledge among the knights. It was difficult to keep such tensions hidden, especially since Morgan had been locked up in her residence by the king.

Despite this, those who had been cruelly persecuted by the king's bully hand remained silent on the matter.

Surprisingly, even Morgan's children, such as Gawain, did not speak much about the matter.

Scathach was uninterested, Guinevere was afraid, and Artoria wanted to keep the king's biggest secret safe.

When asked about their mother's situation, Morgan's children simply responded that "Mother must have done something wrong, and the king punished her for her own good." Even Gareth, Morgan's most beloved daughter, shared this sentiment.

As the chief internal affairs officer of the king and the child that Morgan trusted the most, Agravain became increasingly worried as the situation continued to escalate. He feared that it would not bode well for the king, especially since Shirou had been working tirelessly lately and still had to go and see Morgan.

As one of the king's trusted knights, Agravain knew that he had to take action and resolve this issue for the sake of Shirou's wellbeing.

In the end, Agravain made a decision: he would take it upon himself to bring an end to the ongoing conflict between Shirou and Morgan.

...

On the day that Agravain decided to take action, he made his way towards Morgan's residence carrying a bowl of steaming chicken soup.

The soup looked and smelled delicious, with a rich aroma that made one's mouth water.

As Shirou emerged from Morgan's room, he spotted Agravain approaching with the bowl of chicken soup. He greeted Agravain, gesturing to the bowl and asked, "Are you bringing food to Morgan?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Agravain replied calmly. "It has been some time since Mother had a good meal, so I took it upon myself to prepare a bowl of chicken soup for her."

"Oh, I see." he nodded and turned to leave.

As Shirou walked away, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. He couldn't recall Agravain ever treating Morgan so kindly, and it didn't seem to be in line with Agravain's usual demeanor.

Suddenly, he turned around and caught up with Agravain, grabbing his hand and demanding, "What is this?"

Agravain hesitated briefly before responding, "Your Majesty, this is just..."

But before he could finish his sentence, Shirou seized the bowl of chicken soup, poured it into his black mud, analyzed it, and the negative poison resistance effect of the mud materialized and transferred to his brain.

Shirou's eye twitched in disbelief as he gazed at Agravain and exclaimed, 'You...you're actually trying to poison your own mother?"

Agravain responded calmly, "She posed an obstacle to your kingship."

"Silence!" He scowled and rebuked, "Agravain, I have warned you before, there are boundaries that must not be crossed!"

"But she represents a significant danger to your rule," Agravain insisted.

"If you are willing to poison Morgan, what would stop you from poisoning me in the future?" He asked sternly.

Agravain's expression grew fearful, and he promptly dropped to his knees, exclaiming, "No, never! Your very existence brings hope to all of Britain. I would never dream of doing something so heinous."

"Your actions are causing me to feel uneasy. Even on the dark side, there are lines that must not be crossed." His gaze bore into Agravain as he spoke, before summoning Bedivere to his side.

"You shall henceforth serve as Bedivere's assistant, and learn from him the ways of duty and honor," He declared to Agravain, his voice resolute.

With that, he ordered Bedivere to escort Agravain away.

As she stood by the window, Morgan witnessed everything that had occurred. Despite her considerable strength, she was deeply disheartened by the turn of events. She couldn't fathom how one of her most trusted child would dare to betray her and even attempt to poison her.

And yet, that scoundrel and deceiver had protected her.

Shirou let out a heavy sigh and spoke, "Sis, you should get some rest."

Morgan's voice softened with emotional turmoil as she replied, "It matters not whether you're Arthur or Guinevere...please, come in."

He hesitated briefly before stepping inside.

...

"Agravain, do you truly believe that everything will happen as you have predicted?" Bedivere asked. "Do you think there is hope for reconciliation between Princess Morgan and the King?"

"A person as strong-willed as Morgan can put on a facade of goodwill, but for certain matters, even if her heart has softened, she cannot yield without being provided a means of escape. And this time, the King has not provided her with one. Thus, no matter how much time passes, I fear the situation will remain unchanged," Agravain responded.

"I see now why you acted as you did. But in doing so, you risk drawing the King's ire. You—"

"Sir Bedivere, hold your tongue!" Agravain's stern interruption cut him off. "To some, comfort may serve as a balm or a source of warmth, but for someone like myself, it is a slight!"

Bedivere bit his tongue, choosing to remain silent.

As Agravain turned to leave, Bedivere called out to him with a warm smile. "Sir Agravain, though you may be aloof in manner and demeanor, I cannot help but admire someone like you."

Agravain strode away without another word.

Despite his stoic exterior, Agravain did not harbor any animosity towards Bedivere. He couldn't help but appreciate the knight's genuine smile, one that reminded him of the King's own warm and radiant expression.

Shirou entered Morgan's chamber and settled into a chair, observing her in silence. He could sense the weight of Agravain's thoughts but felt powerless to act upon them. He had no desire to plot against Morgan, yet someone had done so on his behalf.

After staring at him for a while, Morgan pursed her lips and asked, "As the proxy King, will you give the throne back to the Pendragon family?"

He nodded, "Yes. The throne doesn't interest me at all. If it weren't for the fact that the throne is tied to my journey back home, I wouldn't have fallen for Merlin's ploy or taken on the role of King."

She gritted her teeth for a moment before saying, "So this matter is indeed related to that useless white-haired bastard!" 

She then asked, "You mentioned that it's related to your way back home. What does that mean?"

He explained, "I come from 'Avalon'. Merlin said that if I hold the throne temporarily, defeat Vortigern, and unify Britain, he will guide me back home."

She looked surprised, "You're from that legendary land?"

He nodded, "Yes, that's right. So you don't need to worry about me trying to take the throne and refusing to relinquish it."

After a moment of silence, she asked, "If you were to leave, who would you hand the throne over to? Artoria, right? Hehe...because, as your little sister, she is the true 'Arthur', isn't she?"

Morgan's tone had a hint of jealousy when she mentioned Artoria.

With her brother gone, only she, his sister, remained. And as she had suspected from the beginning, King Uther favored Artoria, disregarding Morgan as the rightful heir who had inherited the power of the island, and intended to bestow the throne upon her artificial sister.

Now, even if the king who had earned her approval were to depart, he would still pass the throne to the artificial sister, wouldn't he?

Shirou shook his head and replied, "I may not pass the throne to Artoria. While it may sound boastful, I have worked hard to save Cornwall from its current situation. I will return the throne to the Pendragon family, but my successor must meet certain criteria. Therefore, you have no reason to be envious because you and Artoria share equal rights to inherit the throne."

She asked in disbelief, "So, are you saying that I could also be the one to inherit the throne?"

He nodded, "Yes, that's right. I will consider both of you and choose whoever is more suitable to inherit the throne."

She hesitated and said, "But... I'm a woman, and according to tradition..."

"Sis, you've never been one to conform to tradition, so why hesitate now?"

"I'm not your sister!" she retorted fiercely at him.

After a brief pause, she suddenly realized and said, "I understand now! You're just trying to deceive me, to appease me so that I won't expose your secret!"

"Why would you say that?"

"Because words are meaningless without action."

He was taken aback, "What do you want, then?"

"Give me your blood!"

He was even more bewildered, "What? Why do you need my blood?"

She retorted with anger and embarrassment, "Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm asking you to give me your blood! We can use it to conceive a child together. This way, regardless of whether you stay or leave, you will have to pass the throne to our child, because it will be your own flesh and blood."

Shirou: "..."

Annoyed, she questioned, "Why are you giving me that look?"

"I won't call you my sister anymore. There's only one thing left to say to you."

"And what's that?"

"Get out!"

...

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