Rei turned.
Vortigern stood just beyond the tent, bathed in silver moonlight.
His presence was as steady as ever, the light casting a pale, ghostly glow upon his aged features.
The eyes that had seen the same years as King Uther's…
Now gazed upon Rei with a strange, unreadable emotion.
Rei knew.
Vortigern had seen through him.
He knew tonight's purpose.
"When did you realize?"
Rei asked, his voice cold.
There was no point in pretending now.
Vortigern stepped inside the tent alone—
Completely unfazed by the assassin before him.
"If you truly wish to know—"
"Perhaps from the moment you pledged to slay my enemies—
Yet never once swore loyalty to me."
Rei stiffened.
So his clever tricks had been useless.
Vortigern had seen through everything from the start.
"Vortigern, you never had the right to ask for my loyalty."
"I only serve—"
But before Rei could finish,
Vortigern spoke first.
"Morgan."
"Uther's daughter."
His voice was calm.
"You threw battle after battle just to win her favor."
"You took every insult, every disgrace, without ever letting her know."
"You shouldered all the blame—
And never once sought recognition for it."
Vortigern tilted his head slightly.
"Tell me, Rei—"
"Do you truly believe she is worth it?"
Vortigern's words carried no trace of blame— They were more like the advice of an elder, A wise man counseling a misguided youth.
Rei recognized the intent behind his words—
He was trying to shake his resolve.
And so, Rei immediately answered:
"She is worth it!"
"A knight bearing disgrace for the sake of the one they swear loyalty to—
There is nothing wrong with that!"
"But what if the one you swear loyalty to—
Sacrifices you for nothing more than selfish ambition?"
Vortigern stared at Rei.
"Do you still believe there is no issue with that?"
"Selfish ambition?"
"Indeed."
Vortigern let out a long sigh.
"A princess who rides to the front lines, despite never having led an army—
Yet somehow emerges victorious in every battle."
"Anyone who sees the larger picture would recognize something is wrong.
This was never about the war.
It was merely a desperate attempt to prove herself before her father."
"I should have been grateful for such foolishness—
It almost led Britain's army straight to its ruin.
But my dear brother is not as blind as time would have me hope.
He saw through it all."
"What a shame."
[Vortigern's calm explanation made you realize—
This was the truth behind Morgan's presence on the battlefield.]
[You felt a strange sense of relief—
That King Uther had not been deceived by his daughter's schemes.]
[But your loyalty still belonged to Morgan.]
"No! That is not why the King removed her from the battlefield!"
Rei argued fiercely.
"It is not as you say!"
"Then tell me—"
Vortigern's tone was unwavering.
"What reason could my brother have—
To remove a general who had achieved such victories?"
"Was he concerned for his daughter's safety?"
"If that were true, he would never have sent her to the battlefield in the first place."
"..."
Rei fell silent.
Because deep down, he already knew.
But—
This was Morgan.
The one he had sworn his life to.
No matter what she did—
He would accept it.
[You unsheathed Morgan's sword and lunged at Vortigern.] [Once, you were a knight of Britain.
Now, you were the White Dragon's Claw.
Your strikes were swift and relentless.]
[Trait Change – Battle Continuation++ → Death's Resolve++:
You have committed to assassinating Vortigern.
You know you will die here.
But before that moment comes—
Your focus will be absolute.]
[But just as when you first fought him,
Vortigern's instincts were beyond anything you had ever encountered.
Your blade could barely touch him.]
[Your battle spilled from the tent into the heart of the war camp, drawing the attention of countless soldiers.]
[Trait Activated – Sovereign's Proxy++:
Dark clouds swallowed the moonlight.
To all but Vortigern—
You were no longer Rei.
You were Morgan.
And no one doubted it.]
[Vortigern was far stronger than you.
Dodging your attacks with ease, he countered with lethal precision—
Your body was riddled with wounds.]
[Trait Activated – Reckless Duelist:
Pain only sharpened your mind.
You realized how dangerous Vortigern truly was—
He could become an obstacle to Morgan's future.
And so, even if you died here—
You resolved to do something for her before the end.]
[Your body pushed beyond its limits.
Even the soldiers hesitated to intervene.]
[Vortigern had seen your will to survive.
But now—
He saw your will to die.]
And in that moment—
You finally landed a strike.
A thin wound appeared on Vortigern's cheek.
But that was as far as you got.
[Vortigern recovered instantly.
A heartbeat later, you were struck down.]
"Enough."
Vortigern raised a hand—
And his soldiers stepped back.
"All of you—stand down."
No one dared to defy the White Dragon King.
In the dim night,
Vortigern knelt, gazing at Rei's bloodied body.
He let out a long sigh.
"Young man…
No—Rei."
"You should know—
Had you come to me just once, unarmed,
You would have realized this was a trap I had set for you."
"I never sleep here."
"But you never gave yourself that chance."
"You never saw the trap."
Vortigern's eyes darkened.
"You know…
I truly believe—if things had been different—
You and I could have been great king and vassal."
Spit.
Rei coughed blood onto Vortigern's face.
"That was never a possibility."
"My loyalty belongs to the Princess alone!"
"Kill me, Vortigern!"
"..."
Vortigern did not react with anger.
Instead—
His expression grew even more sorrowful.
He wiped the blood from the wound Rei had left on his face.
"Rei."
"Your loyalty is admirable—
But your stubbornness is foolish."
"I will not kill you."
"Because what awaits you will be far worse than death."
Vortigern raised his hand.
"Withdraw the army!"
"We will open a new battlefield—
We will bring down Britain!"
"Oooooohhh!"
[Vortigern did not deliver the final blow.]
[Instead, he led his forces away.] [You lay in the pool of your own blood, contemplating his words—
Yet, you could not accept them.]
[To you, Morgan was everything.
Your very soul.]
[Your consciousness faded.
And once again, Morgan's image appeared before you.]
[You closed your eyes—
Preparing to leave this world with her final image burned into your mind.]
[But at that moment—
A familiar sound reached your ears.]
[The horns of Britain.
They had arrived.]