Bonus Chapters!---Kaelar smiled slightly. "As for establishing a code of laws… forgive my bluntness, Lily, but it doesn't seem like you've ever written a legal code before?"
"Well, that's why I have you, isn't it?" Artoria narrowed her brilliant green-blue eyes, smiling softly. "With Kaelar by my side, what should I have to fear?"
"No matter what challenge arises, you'll help me solve it, won't you?"
"…I figured." Kaelar gave her a knowing look. "Alright, I'll take care of it."
Once Artoria finished discussing the legal code and departed, a raven flew seamlessly into the room, holding a rolled parchment in its claws before shifting into Morgan's form.
"You're having me play messenger pigeon for you now?" Morgan crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Is this for your 'king'?"
Kaelar shook his head. "It's because you're the only one I can trust with this, Morgan."
"Enough of that sweet talk!" Morgan gritted her teeth, eyes narrowing. "That old line doesn't work on me anymore."
"I'm telling you, Kaelar, I'm not falling for it anymore!" she huffed, arms crossed. "Don't think I didn't see what you and Lilly were up to. If you don't give me an explanation, don't expect this to blow over anytime soon."
If there was a time for doubt, it was long gone—Kaelar would need more than one line to get by now.
"Morgan, you're misunderstanding!" Kaelar said quickly. "We were simply discussing how to disrupt the usual order!"
I am Kaelar. I will bring law to Britain!
"Oh, establishing a legal code? That makes sense." Morgan tilted her head, feeling a flicker of remorse. "I apologize, Kaelar. I must have misread things."
Look at that—she's the one apologizing now!
With a satisfied smile, Kaelar gave a magnanimous wave of his hand. "No need to mention it. What are friends for?"
Her eyes narrowing, Morgan cut to the point. "On a more serious note, it seems Rome is making its move. During the campaign against Vortigern, several lords, supported by Tiberius, feigned illness and avoided returning to the capital. They also conveniently didn't send any real support troops."
At most, the only people sent were sickly, elderly men assigned as supply runners.
Technically, they fulfilled their obligation—but only just barely.
"Ah, I remember—those lords live quite close to the Roman encampments," Kaelar noted after a moment. "Typically, they rely on trade with Rome and have benefitted from Tiberius' influence, amassing a good deal of Roman coin. If Tiberius cut off their European trade access, they'd go bankrupt immediately."
"But those people aren't a real concern. And Rome?" Kaelar chuckled dryly. "A slight increase in the cost of grain or arms, and they'll behave soon enough."
Rome's prime days were long past; barbarian incursions outside their borders kept them fully occupied. It was hardly the empire it once was, free to meddle with Camelot's affairs on a distant island.
All Tiberius really offered these profit-blinded fools was an empty promise!
Those lords near the Roman strongholds no longer cultivated their own lands; everyone was dedicated to Rome's ironworks, armor, and economic industries. Though these industries did bring them wealth, they were now completely dependent on Roman markets.
They needed Tiberius' permission to purchase grain, and if he cut off their supplies, their lands would devolve into chaos from food shortages. All the coin in the world couldn't buy a solution.
With control over the food supply, their fates were firmly in his grip—defiance was not an option.
Britain's age of gods was already in steep decline, and with Vortigern's death, its remaining strength faded further.
The land was no longer as bountiful as it had been just a few years ago, when grain scattered across fields grew like magic and fruit trees were laden year-round.
Now, that divine abundance was dwindling more rapidly than ever.
Kaelar estimated that in two or three years, only the Eternal City of Camelot would retain its divine prosperity, while the rest of Britain would revert to ordinary, mortal soil.
"Ah, Tiberius… he's an interesting one, isn't he?" Kaelar mused, a wry smile spreading across his face. "Far more clever than Vortigern, who lacked any vision and all too easily destroyed his own efforts. I wouldn't mind a few more like him to keep things lively—but Tiberius…"
"Trust a civilized Roman to use strategies straight out of the ancient statesman's playbook."
"If I recall correctly… the Roman forces stationed in Britain number about sixty thousand, yes?"
Kaelar's eyes narrowed in thought. "And actual Romans make up less than a tenth of that number, with the rest recruited or hired from neighboring tribes."
Ah, the classic Roman method of using foreign mercenaries to protect Roman property, keeping true Roman citizens out of harm's way…
Whatever the original intent, this policy certainly took a toll on Rome's martial spirit!
Once, Rome had been unbeatable, rising from the Seven Hills to conquer countless enemies. They crushed the mighty Carthaginian empire, bested the vast Persian armies, subdued Egypt's ancient civilization, and seized the wealth of Gaul…
At their height, they treated barbarian incursions like minor squabbles and pushed eastward for centuries, dismantling the Parthian Empire at its peak.
But those were the days of the old empire—the Rome of bravery and conquest, unmatched in the West, vast, populous, and cultured…
Now, a fractured Rome struggled under its own weight, split between East and West and faltering against mere border tribes, until one small uprising snuffed out Rome's origin city in the West.
If this were the height of the Roman Empire, Artoria would only dare to speak of Britain's independence, never of any counterattack against Rome.
But now, the frail East and West barely clung to life, as if destined to collapse.
"Mercenaries come for profit, and they'll leave for it, too—not a real threat."
Artoria chuckled. "The Roman legions are hardly worrisome, but Rome is incredibly wealthy. If Tiberius secretly funds those lords, we might have to prepare for a protracted struggle."
"This is hardly an issue. If even these foolish brutes resist education, what's the point in a counterattack?"
Kaelar smiled. "If we can't unite all of Britain's forces, and you find it this difficult to amass even fifty thousand knights, why talk about striking back?"
With a population of eight hundred thousand on the island, plus tens of thousands of fae, we could easily spare ten thousand for military training without hurting our resources."
There would undoubtedly be defectors to Rome; that much was inevitable.
And with Kaelar drafting the legal code and Artoria implementing reforms, those defectors would only increase in number, not decrease.
For the damage to their interests would be unimaginable.
Artoria was determined to enact a British version of centralized governance. Her reign would be nothing like King Uther's loose administration, where most territorial control was in the hands of local nobles.
Artoria had already decided to consolidate Britain's finances, military, and appointments under the crown. Nobles would retain only their titles and lands but would lose administrative control and conscription rights, drawing annual income solely based on rank.
Should they ever manage to strip nobles of all authority and centralize every power in the kingdom under the royal court, Britain's resources would be maximized, and internal threats would no longer be a concern.
The only downside would be the inevitable noble backlash.
But trying to play power games with a saint who could pacify seventy thousand soldiers and a king capable of firing a light beam bare-handed? They might as well switch to reading romance novels.
"Kaelar, relying on the nobles' troops won't do." Artoria continued, "We issued the slave emancipation order; the nobles shouldn't resist too fiercely. After all, Maple Ridge freed its slaves ages ago and grew wealthier because of it."
"Now, while they're cut off from information, we need to recruit more of the former slaves into the military and start military colonies."
The truth was, the nobles had long prepared themselves for Artoria's slave emancipation.
Kaelar had set the example years ago. At the time, some objected, but King Uther intervened on Kaelar's behalf, and now they had long known this day was coming.
Slaves lived under the protection of nobles and knights as their property, and though a few lived better than commoners, the majority led miserable lives.
The Romans, civilized as they were, still maintained slave arenas, where blood spilled between humans and beasts for the nobles' amusement; Britain's nobles had even crueler games.
Physically freeing slaves was not the hard part. The real challenge was helping them rise from the crushed self-images forged by servitude, and stand tall.
If they simply abolished slavery without any plan, those former slaves would instinctively return to the nobles and lords, becoming even more vulnerable to exploitation.
Kaelar's solution was to enlist them in the army, training them in combat and instilling a sense of self-worth through martial skill.
The Maple Ridge lord's guard had followed this path and saw remarkable results.
Artoria, of course, planned to adopt this tried-and-true method.
——
After Vortigern's defeat, Artoria's renown soared to its peak, earning her the title of Britain's Red Dragon King. The nobles revered her with both fear and respect.
There was no need for a dozen great victories—this single triumph led the Anglo-Saxons to bow to Artoria's rule. Rather than drive them from Britain, however, Artoria referred to the Anglo-Saxons as "children from across the sea."
Soon after, seven lords in Camelot's rear rose in rebellion, claiming Artoria lacked the right to the throne. Boldly, they even stole King Uther's surname, styling themselves as "Pendragon" and claiming to wage war to fulfill his final wish.
In this campaign, you did not go to recreate your past legendary stand. With your presence alone, half their ranks would have likely defected immediately.
You had more pressing matters at hand. In Camelot, you organized former serfs into military forces. Combined with the Anglo-Saxon soldiers who had surrendered and the reformed Evangel Knights, Britain's army grew by fifty thousand, bringing the King's forces to a total of seventy thousand.
Of these, twenty thousand were elite, full-time knights—professional soldiers.
Another thirty thousand were freed serfs, with little combat experience for now, primarily tasked with transporting supplies and cultivating military settlements.
Ten thousand were veterans from the Anglo-Saxon resistance who had joined the Evangel Knights, along with an additional ten thousand auxiliary troops under the Evangel banner. Their duties extended to developing Britain's maritime resources.
Although formidable, with many seasoned veterans, you immediately recognized the inherent flaws in this force. Without reform, these weaknesses would inevitably erode its foundation.
Over the years, your reforms strengthened the court's power beyond that of all the nobles combined. Even if Britain's entire noble class could raise more than thirty-five thousand knights, their forces were fragmented and lacked cohesion, much like the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion in Han China, where a single elite army could easily topple them.
For years, Britain had endured constant internal strife, with rebellious nobles rising like unyielding weeds—one faction falling only for another to spring up.
Tiberius, who had maintained an internal balance of power among Britain's lords for decades, knew each one intimately, rarely failing in his efforts to sway them.
With Excalibur in hand and Avalon's sheath granting her near-invulnerability, Artoria was unstoppable. She led each charge personally, earning her the title "Knight King."
Artoria intentionally weakened the nobles' power. For each rebellion, she deployed only a fraction of her own elite forces, supplementing them with troops from nearby nobles, reserving her core forces for only the most critical moments.
After subduing a rebellious noble, Artoria rewarded loyalists only with gold, British insignias, and Camelot flags—symbols of pride but of little practical value.
The lands of defeated nobles were annexed by the crown, with governors appointed by King Arthur. Thus, the court's military strength and territory not only remained unaffected by the revolts but continued to grow.
Taking advantage of the unrest, you and Artoria implemented centralized reforms, dividing Britain into regions and towns.
Nobles' privileges were abolished, though their titles remained, with annual stipends from the state treasury. Only one descendant could inherit the title, with ranks progressively lowered for subsequent heirs. Non-inheriting children were deemed commoners, free to join the army as knights based on their abilities.
The knightly inheritance system was replaced with a merit-based recruitment exam. All citizens of a certain age had to undergo conscription tests, with candidates selected based on merit.
Military merit determined noble titles, with knights earning rank and honorary insignias that could be passed down to descendants. Titles of military honor were divided into thirty-six levels, diminishing with each generation.
These numerous reforms struck at the core of the nobility's power, causing nearly all of Britain's noble families to denounce Artoria as a tyrannical Red Dragon, a false king, even branding her a harbinger of chaos—a wicked enchantress of Britain.
Only the fifteen loyal nobles within the Knights of the Round Table remained steadfast, actively aiding in the reforms.
During this time, Kaelar wrote letters personally, while Morgan herself vouched for him, inviting the fae hidden within deep forests and living under ancient clan systems out into the world. Half of Maple Ridge was allocated to establish a fae city called "New Avalon."
Fae societies were not uniform. While the Nine Queens of Avalon and the Fairy King of the Sacred Land lived lives envied by even the gods—crafting golden apples daily, creating holy swords at their leisure, mingling with human nobles and kings to sire heirs as future Celtic heroes…
The common fae living in the woods barely managed to eat enough to survive, hiding from human territories to avoid detection.
Grateful for your kindness and virtue, the fae themselves requested to crown you as "Fairy King" and "Protector of the Fae." Uninterested in fame, you initially declined, but Artoria and Morgan, having heard of the fae's request, insisted otherwise. After careful discussion, you ultimately accepted their honorific, becoming the first human bestowed the title "Fairy King."
Only recently emerged from the forests, having transitioned from clan systems to feudalism overnight, the fae were bewildered, completely unable to comprehend why human nobles were rebelling. To them, opposing Artoria was opposing you, and opposing you was opposing the fae.
Clan leaders from numerous fae families joined the army, contributing vast stores of ancient relics. Naturally talented in sorcery, the fae allowed Artoria to form a uniquely British mage corps.
——
Kaelar turned to Artoria. "Lily, how are the finances and manpower? Do you need my help?"
Having just returned to Camelot, Artoria stretched, her petite frame still unchanged after years of conflict and scheming. Yet, her mind had matured immensely through countless battles and intrigues.
"It's nothing major. I've tasked Gawain and Lancelot each with leading a campaign against the rebellious nobles."
Artoria flashed a mischievous grin, her vibrant green-blue eyes narrowing like a cunning fox. "I told them that whoever wins first would receive a special insignia, made by you personally, Kael."
"Lily, you're using me as a prize again?"
Kaelar couldn't help but pinch her cheek, even tugging on the "symbol of royalty" in her hair, which nearly prompted the little lioness to snap at him in playful outrage.
"You did the same thing last time! Before I even knew what was happening, those two showed up, insisting I give them personal guidance on their techniques…"
As Kaelar listed the "crimes" of the little lioness, he continued, "What's there for me to teach? I'm built for counter-attacks—every fight is over in a hit or two! I had no choice but to brawl with them both for nothing."
This was Artoria's latest use of Kaelar: a new strategy she called—"the King's Reward"!
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Also it's just the calm before the storm... Soon the real problem is gonna show up! umu!