The invasion of the barbarians on Britain has temporarily ceased.
Similarly, the invasion of Rome by the barbarians has also come to a halt.
On the continent of Europe, an astonishing scene unfolded. Peace had unexpectedly descended upon this war-torn land.
People left their houses in astonishment, opened the gates, and looked around. They found themselves strangely 'safe'.
After the initial surprise came overwhelming joy.
The people of the Western Roman Empire were caught up in an ecstatic frenzy.
It was the last pleasure before impending doom, a chaotic revelry of debauchery and indulgence. During this brief period of 'safety', the Romans chose to drown themselves in alcohol. And the Roman Emperor, Lucius Tiberius, chose to conquer and make himself even greater.
"There is only one Rome in the world, and it belongs to this Emperor!"
With such a declaration, Lucius launched an attack on the Eastern Roman Empire—either surrender and acknowledge him as the sole Roman Emperor, or face death!
Thus began a meaningless war, aimed solely at satisfying the emperor's vanity.
Meanwhile, in Britain, Artoria was desperately searching for the Holy Grail and dispatching her Knights of the Round Table to 'resolve conflicts' or in other words, sow the seeds of their own dominion.
In the increasingly desolate land, the contradictions within Britain naturally grew sharper.
Commoners and nobles, minor nobles and major nobles, kings and great nobles—all vied for limited resources. The pie was only so big, and no matter how it was divided, it could never satisfy everyone. The result of the Knights of the Round Table running rampant was the accumulation of resentment, heaped upon Artoria herself.
In response to this situation, Artoria's approach was to search for the Holy Grail with even greater desperation, leaving no stone unturned.
—As long as we obtain the Holy Grail, everything will be alright.
For Artoria, this was not merely a solution but an obsession.
In contrast, there was Artorius.
In just six short months, he became the most crucial general, leader, and powerful contender for the throne of the Roman Empire.
After all, in Rome, might makes right. The laws of Coup d'état and the Praetorian Succession Law were peculiar to the Roman Empire.
This was due to a combination of his policies, ambitions, abilities, and geographical location.
Artorius employed advanced agricultural techniques, allowing him to cultivate and maintain a certain level of food supply even in unfavorable climates. The Western Roman Empire and Britain, as well as the Germania Black Forest, served as sources of talent and troops for him.
"All those who seek wealth and glory, follow me."
"All skilled warriors who feel unfulfilled, follow me."
"All those who wish to prove their worth on the battlefield, follow me."
"I don't care about your past, your race, age, gender, or anything else. As long as you can wield a weapon and achieve greatness on the battlefield, you can obtain everything you desire!"
With each legendary victory of his, Artorius's words spread far and wide.
A large number of knights and soldiers, be they Germanic tribes in the Black Forest, Vikings from the Northern Peninsula, Romans on the continent, or the Celts on the British Isles, all gathered under his banner.
Artorius became one of the most powerful leaders in Germanic regions.
"Artorius, that barbarian from Britain, is becoming increasingly powerful."
This was not the first time Emperor Lucius Tiberius, the great ruler of Rome, had heard people speak legends of Artorius.
Sirius, the governor of Gaul who was Artorius's neighbor, almost daily complained to the emperor.
"That barbarian is about to rebel!"
"That barbarian intends to lead a million Germanic barbarians across the Alps and burn Rome."
"That barbarian wants to become the Roman Emperor!"
"Your Majesty, you must think of a solution!"
Of course, Artorius sent letters to inform Lucius that Sirius was about to rebel with the same frequency.
This made Lucius feel annoyed and uneasy, but he always found reasons to reassure himself.
Artorius showed unparalleled loyalty to the empire. Furthermore, both sides understood the concept of the end of the Age of Gods. Therefore, Lucius believed that Artorius would not betray him. They stood on the same side.
Moreover, victories against the Germanic peoples were the only source of solace for Lucius. Because apart from that, the empire was constantly plagued by problems.
The wars with the Eastern Roman Empire never went smoothly. Even the battles against the barbarian tribes within their borders were no exception.
Despite his immense power, unmatched by anyone else, he consistently failed due to inexplicable external factors.
Sometimes it was storms ravaging the fleet.
Other times it was outbreaks of disease among the troops.
Several offensives against the Eastern Roman Empire had ended in failure, causing the decline of the Western Roman Empire.
On the contrary, while Artorius continued to expand, dissatisfied individuals from the Western Roman Empire gathered around him. The people of Britain, disappointed in King Arthur, were no different.
Subsequently, the largest force under Artorius consisted of the Germanic tribes.
Since his arrival at the border of the Black Forest, the tribes emerging from within became Artorius's prey.
Those tribes were crushed, annihilated, and devoured by him and his Germanic army.
Strong individuals joined his army to fight for him in all directions, while the weak became his slaves, clearing forests, filling marshes, and cultivating the land for him.
A correct yet cruel political, economic, and military system created this monster known as the Empire's Germanic Army—a highly efficient and fanatical war machine that was entirely different from the decaying and decadent Western Roman government.
More importantly, Artorius, or rather the Germanic peoples, possessed a 'Fate'.
The hunting grounds they roamed yielded more prey than the Romans and Celts.
The land they cultivated produced more crops than the Romans and Celts.
Each Germanic peoples was more ambitious than the Romans, despite being considered foolish compared to the Celts and Romans. In terms of civilization, technology, and even individual combat prowess, they were inferior to the Celts and Romans.
And yet...
They undeniably obtained a fate and were favored by fate. These people would uphold this fate in future timelines, where they would establish a world order in which they would dominate, it was already predetermined from the start—that is their fate.
"Raising a tiger leads to troubles."
As such, when Lucius secretly regretted in Rome, the sixteen-year-old Artorius firmly made up his mind.
"It's about time."
After another intimate moment with Mordred, he reached a decision.
"Little Mo..." Artorius spoke to his giddy brother... no, it was his sister now, who appeared blissful in his embrace. "Do you miss home?"
"..."
"Home?"
Upon hearing that word, Mordred, who had been enchanted by Artorius for the past two years and had lost track of everything, took a while to understand that 'home' referred to Britain.
Ah... Even though it had been less than two years since they left, it felt like a long, long time ago.
"That's right, home." Artorius stood up and said to Mordred, "I'm going back to Britain. Will you come with me, Little Mo?"
"..."
Upon hearing Artorius's words, Mordred instinctively felt a mix of familiarity and anxiety.
But in the end, she responded to Artorius.
"Wherever you go, I will go, brother."