Hearing the news, Rei wasn't surprised in the slightest.
King Uther's downfall was a fate he had long since acknowledged himself.
In fact, considering the circumstances, the fact that he had managed to hold out against Vortigern for so long was already proof of his desperate struggle.
If that was the case—
Rei turned his gaze toward the Britannian knights before him.
These men must have retreated from the crumbling front lines.
One.
Two.
Three.
Rei silently counted their numbers.
He could kill them all by himself—after all, they were already wounded.
He couldn't allow news of the frontline's collapse to reach Camelot so easily.
Rei's hand rested on the hilt of his longsword.
"Where did you escape from?"
The leading knight's question pulled Rei back from the edge of his killing intent.
Forcing a hollow smile, he answered:
"I didn't escape from anywhere."
"I'm part of Camelot's garrison."
"Camelot's garrison, huh…" The leading knight nodded thoughtfully, as if recalling something.
Then, all of a sudden—
"Then you must have met Her Highness the Princess!"
"..."
Rei hesitated for a moment before deciding to reveal part of the truth.
"Yes… In fact, I was the one who escorted her back to Camelot."
The knight froze for a moment before grabbing Rei's hand, his face filled with excitement.
"You… You're the knight named Rei?!"
"Yes, that's me."
"Hey!"
The leading knight turned and waved to his comrades. "Come here! This is Rei! The knight everyone in the barracks has been talking about!"
"What?!"
[The defeated knights gathered around you.]
[They looked at you with admiration.]
[This surprised you.]
[You began to ask what was going on.]
[The knights soon recounted everything in full detail.]
[You finally had a chance to learn what had happened to the front lines after you and Morgan left.]
[King Uther never revealed the real reason he had sent his daughter, Morgan, back to the capital.]
[Instead, he explained to his troops that "Camelot needs her protection."]
[As for you, Uther claimed that only the princess herself could command you, keeping the true story hidden.]
[This was regarded as one of his gravest mistakes.]
[For the knights, Morgan was invincible, and you were the mighty warrior who had been conquered by her strength.]
[As Britannia's army began to falter, these rumors grew even more exaggerated.]
[The knights now believed that your and Morgan's absence was the reason for their defeat.]
[But you, who understood the truth, knew this was Uther's doing—perhaps the last display of affection he had for Morgan.]
[You realized that this situation could be a divine opportunity.]
Rei silently eased his grip, pressing the sword back into its sheath.
"So that's how it is."
"You've all been through so much."
"It was nothing…" The leading knight looked regretful and dejected. "The king has lost. We've lost, too."
"It's not entirely your fault."
Rei patted his shoulder in reassurance.
"We share the blame as well—we should have insisted on staying at the front."
"Sir Rei, we…"
"Alright, don't dwell on it any longer," Rei halted the knights' sorrow.
"You must look forward. The road is always beneath your feet."
"Tell me—how many others like you are nearby?"
The knight shook his head.
"We're not sure."
"Everyone was fleeing. We're just a small group, most of us have stopped at the village ahead."
"I see."
Rei felt relieved that he hadn't acted rashly just now—if he had, the commotion might have scared off a few others, making things more complicated.
"Everyone."
Rei halted his horse.
"Take me to them."
"Alright!"
[With the knights leading the way, you entered the village.]
[Talent Activated – "Alright, don't dwell on it any longer," Rei halted the knights' sorrow. "You must look forward. The road is always beneath your feet."
"Tell me—how many others like you are nearby?"
The knight shook his head.
"We're not sure."
"Everyone was fleeing. We're just a small group, most of us have stopped at the village ahead."
"I see."
Rei felt relieved that he hadn't acted rashly just now—if he had, the commotion might have scared off a few others, making things more complicated.
"Everyone."
Rei halted his horse.
"Take me to them."
"Alright!"
[With the knights leading the way, you entered the village.]
[Talent Activated – Knight's Presence: Your well-groomed appearance marks you as a distinguished knight. The villagers do not react to your arrival with hostility.]
[You met the remaining knights.]
[They were gathered around a campfire, their faces weary and exhausted.]
[Their wounds were even more severe than those of the knights you had encountered earlier.]
[Clearly, this group had suffered worse injuries.]
[You could almost see the battles they had fought for Uther reflected in their wounds.]
[As a former comrade, you couldn't help but feel a faint ache in your heart for them.]
[The knights you arrived with informed the others of your identity.]
[Their reaction was one of genuine surprise.]
"Sir Rei…"
The wounded knights struggled to rise, intending to show their respect.
"There's no need to stand."
Rei quickly stopped them.
"My status isn't much higher than yours."
That was the truth—these knights clearly had no idea that he had already married Morgan.
Or, to be more precise, their remote village had remained untouched by the news of that grand wedding.
After all, along the way, Rei had sensed more curiosity than reverence in the villagers' gazes.
"You don't need to be so formal."
As he spoke, Rei distributed the rations he had brought to the wounded knights.
"Eat something first."
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
The knights were deeply grateful for Rei's generosity, and the exchange seemed to put them more at ease.
"May we ask—how is Her Highness the Princess?"
"She's doing well," Rei replied without hesitation. "Under her rule, Camelot has grown even more prosperous."
"Damn it!"
Upon hearing this, one of the knights slammed his fist into the ground.
"If only we had defeated that damned Vortigern!"
"If we had brought victory back to Camelot, we wouldn't have to live with this shame!"
"..."
Rei considered telling them the truth—that this war had been lost from the very beginning.
But in the end, he buried that thought deep within himself.
No need to mention what didn't have to be said.
"So, how did you all end up in this village?"
Rei scanned his surroundings.
"Did you stumble upon it by chance, like I did?"
"Not entirely by chance."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…"
The knights exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.
Finally, the lead knight from earlier spoke up once again:
"It was a young man named Arthur who brought us here."