A knight's sword cannot be drawn from its scabbard without cause.
Because once someone answers the challenge of a drawn blade, it signifies the beginning of a duel.
And now—
Not only had Arthur drawn her sword, but she had also pointed it at all of Camelot.
This meant that her challenge wasn't directed at just one or two people.
She was challenging every knight.
Or, to put it in cruder, simpler terms—
"If you don't like it, then come fight me."
Under normal circumstances, Rei would have found such an act to be nothing more than sheer arrogance.
And the result for someone so reckless was obvious.
A body full of wounds, ultimately paying the price for their own hubris.
But in Arthur' case, things weren't so simple.
[Affinity: Blessing of the Lake+ Activated—Your heightened magical sensitivity allows you to perceive the mysterious power radiating from Arthur at this moment.]
[You realize she is far from the delicate figure she appears to be.]
[But you don't want to pass up this chance to let her challenge the entire order of Camelot's knights alone.]
[You decide to stand aside for now and observe.]
[However, you are unaware that within the crowd, another pair of eyes is watching with similar intent.]
"To think it's come to this."
Hidden among the gathered citizens, Merlin watched the young girl standing defiantly, wielding the sword of kings.
His expression was one of amusement.
"Truly beyond expectations."
"Seeing so many possibilities unfold at once… well, that's worth the price of admission."
"But speaking of which—"
Merlin's gaze drifted toward Rei, standing at the front of the crowd.
"Artoria, you know he already has a wife, don't you?"
"Yet you still manage to ignore all of that so selectively."
"So this is what it means to have a heart that beats only for him, is it?"
"How amusing."
Merlin's words were spoken to no one, heard by no one.
He had no intention of placing himself at the center of a storm of accusations.
[Arthur's words momentarily stunned the crowd.]
[But the shock didn't last long.]
[Her figure was simply too small, too unassuming. Unless one had witnessed it firsthand, it was hard to believe she had truly pulled the sword from the stone.]
[Soon, a few bold individuals began entertaining other thoughts.]
"I'll do it!"
From within the crowd, a bald man stepped forward.
Broad-shouldered and thick-limbed, his face was fierce and brutish, his breath reeking of cheap wine.
Clearly, he was no knight—just a thug from the streets of Camelot.
But he wasn't trying to hide it.
"Oi, little runt! I ain't no knight! But do I got the right to challenge you anyway?"
"No problem."
Arthur' expression remained cold as she regarded the bald man before her.
"All challengers are welcome."
"Heh! You said it!"
The bald man glanced around and quickly borrowed a longsword—after all, there were plenty of onlookers who shared his skepticism.
"Hrrraaaahhh!"
With a roar, he brandished the borrowed blade and charged straight at Arthur.
It was a savage, brutish scene.
But Arthur did not even raise her sword in defense.
She simply watched.
"Incorrect grip."
"Foolish blade angle."
"An attack full of openings."
"Not even worth swinging my sword at."
Before he knew it, the bald man had closed the distance.
The borrowed sword gleamed in the light of Britain's sun, flashing silver as it aimed straight for Arthur.
It looked as though it would land.
A grin of anticipation stretched across the thug's face.
But—
The result was nothing like he expected.
Arthur merely tilted her head slightly to the side.
The sword swept past—missing her completely.
It hadn't even touched a single strand of her hair.
It had happened in an instant, as if she had foreseen it all.
The thug froze.
He raised his blade again for a second, reckless swing.
But before he could even move—
Arthur had already disarmed him.
And now, his own sword was pointed directly at his throat.
"Admit your defeat," she said calmly.
Cold sweat dripped from the man's forehead.
"I… I lost… Please don't kill me!"
"You're not a knight. Of course, I won't kill you."
Arthur tossed the borrowed longsword onto the ground.
"Leave."
"Th-thank you!"
The bald man scrambled away, practically rolling and crawling as he fled.
It was as if he feared Arthur might change her mind and chase after him.
But in truth, she had already dismissed him from her thoughts—her victory just now was too trivial to even register.
"Who's next?"
Her cold gaze swept across the crowd.
Only when her eyes landed on Rei did that chilling indifference soften—just a little, just enough to hint at the warmth she still retained at her age.
[This was a short battle, but it was filled with valuable information.]
[You realized that Arthur was far from the fragile figure she appeared to be.]
[But that was not particularly surprising.]
[After all, as Uther's chosen heir, it would be odd if she didn't possess this level of strength.]
[Understanding this, however, did not change your predicament.]
[Yet, the appearance of one individual suddenly brought about an opportunity.]
"Father."
A familiar voice rang out behind Rei.
He turned to see Gawain standing there.
"Gawain, why are you here?"
Rei quickly adjusted his expression, masking his emotions beneath a facade of calm.
"I heard that Arthur issued a challenge to all the knights in Camelot, so I came as soon as I could."
"You are perceptive, my son."
Gawain did not seem particularly pleased by the praise.
In fact, after glancing at Arthur and the sword she held, his expression only grew heavier.
Rei, of course, did not miss this shift in his demeanor.
He spoke.
"Gawain, you have something on your mind, don't you? Tell me."
Gawain nodded.
"Father, I… I want to take part in this challenge as well."
[You hadn't forgotten what Gawain had once said.]
[Back then, he held no doubts about the young man who had drawn the sword. He certainly wasn't like that bald thug who had fought merely for personal gain.]
[You realized there was something else behind his decision.]
[And you quickly deduced the answer.]
"Gawain, do you want to experience Arthur's strength firsthand?"
Gawain blinked, then quickly recovered—it wasn't the first time his father had read his thoughts.
And he had no intention of hiding them, either.
"Yes, Father."
Gawain looked toward Arthur in the distance.
His blue eyes, inherited from Morgan, reflected her figure within them.
"I want to know whether my assumptions were right or wrong."
[You realized that under the pressure of recent rumors and the situation with the failing crops, Gawain had begun to waver.]
[He needed an opportunity to reassess his beliefs.]
[However, after witnessing Arthur' combat abilities, this was undoubtedly a risky decision.]
[But at the same time, it was an excellent chance to gather more intel on Arthur—after all, the previous opponent had been far too weak.]
[You decided to allow Gawain's challenge.]
[He stepped forward toward the stone platform.]
As the eldest son of Rei and Morgan, Gawain's birth had guaranteed his noble status.
And with his disciplined conduct—so much like his father's—his reputation had only grown stronger.
Thus, the moment he stepped forward, he instantly became the center of attention.
After all, he was one of the most elite knights in the entire city.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The crisp sound of his armored boots echoed across the streets of Camelot as he advanced.
Gawain came to a stop in front of Arthur.
"Greetings, bearer of the sword. I am Gawain," he introduced himself politely.
Arthur did not respond immediately.
Instead, she carefully examined him from head to toe.
"Polite speech."
"A well-chosen ensemble."
"A physique honed through rigorous training."
"Gawain, You Are an Outstanding Knight."
"Now then—"
Arthur removed the sword from his waist and extended it toward Gawain.
"Use this sword and duel me."
"..."
Gawain was completely caught off guard.
"This is your sword, isn't it? Isn't it against common sense to fight you using your own weapon?"
"Yes." Arthur did not deny Gawain's words.
"This sword is indeed mine."
"But—"
"It is also the sword your father gave to me."
"What?"
Gawain had not expected this revelation.
"My father gave you this sword?"
"That's right." Arthur nodded. "So now, you shouldn't feel any psychological burden, right?"
"..."
Gawain glanced at Arthur, then turned his gaze toward Rei, who stood among the crowd.
He realized that this was likely the truth.
The relationship between Arthur and his father was far from ordinary.
"I understand."
Gawain took the sword from Arthur's hands.
"Then—"
"I'm starting."
"Come."
[Arthur gripped the Sword in the Stone with both hands.]
[This was a sign of her seriousness.]
[You could feel that, the moment she pulled the sword free, it also bestowed upon her a weighty realization—one that made her seem like an entirely different person.]
[You knew Gawain was about to face a difficult battle.]
"The sword my father once wielded…"
Gawain held the blade, unable to stop himself from feeling a moment of sentimentality.
But the moment passed quickly.
He noticed that the sun was only moments away from reaching its peak, marking high noon.
"I'm coming!"
Gawain declared his attack and charged forward.
This time, Arthur did not stand and wait like before.
She also moved to engage.
Clang!
Even under the daylight, the clash of their blades sent bright sparks flying.
It was a striking sight.
Gawain, with a physique several times more robust than Arthur's, was locked in a deadlock with her!
The onlookers erupted in astonishment.
"Did you see that?! That kid looks so small, yet they're going head-to-head with Lord Gawain?!"
"Yeah… Just how strong is he?"
"Unbelievable! Even a gorilla wouldn't be able to stop Gawain like this!"
"Hey! Watch your words! You'd better pray Lord Gawain doesn't come after you later!"
But Gawain had no interest in paying attention to their chatter.
His focus was entirely on the intense clash of blades before him.
This was the first time he had ever experienced something like this.
Yet—
He felt as though he had found something.
Yes.
This was the strength a king should possess!
If even he couldn't surpass her, then what right did he have to call himself a king?
A king's sword—should be wielded with such power!
"Haah—!"
Gawain raised his father's sword high and brought it down in a powerful strike.
A strike filled with raw strength!
Clang!
His father's sword clashed against the Sword in the Stone.
In that moment, everyone could feel the sheer force of the impact—so much so that even some of the children began crying.
But the outcome was clear.
Dark clouds drifted overhead.
Crack—
Crack—
Fractures spread across the sword in Gawain's hands, slithering like serpents along the blade.
And then—
The break.
The sword shattered.
All that remained in Gawain's grasp was a broken half of the blade.
The spectators fell into a stunned silence.
Because in a knight's duel, to shatter an opponent's sword—especially a strike of such magnitude—was a definitive show of overwhelming strength.
This duel was over.
Gawain had lost.
"I lost." Gawain admitted his defeat without hesitation.
"You are truly strong."
"Not bad." Arthur looked at him coldly.
"As a knight, to wield such force in a single strike is already quite impressive."
"But—defeat is still defeat."
"Then kill me." Gawain spoke without fear. "You said earlier that a knight cannot kill an unarmed opponent. Now that I am a knight, you should be able to strike me down."
"Kill you?"
Arthur lowered her sword.
"I have no interest in that."
"I only wanted to prove—I do not fear your challenges."
"Now, return that sword to me."
"Huh?" Gawain looked down at the broken blade in his hand.
"But it's already shattered."
"It doesn't matter. Just give it back."
"…Understood."
Arthur took the broken half of the sword from Gawain.
Just as he was wondering what she intended to do with it—
Arthur turned away and walked straight toward Rei.
Then—
She pointed to the broken blade in her hand and said something to him.
After receiving a response—
She embraced him.
Gawain was utterly dumbfounded.
Just a moment ago, Arthur had been as fierce as a lion.
But now, in the blink of an eye, she was leaning into his father's arms like a gentle young maiden.
From a gender perspective alone—wasn't this completely wrong?!
Father, what did you say to him?!