blogombal Page 31
Page 31
“It’s not Merlin. I do know some things that were supposed to happen in the future. For example, Camelot would be destroyed by a civil war started by the Knights of the Round Table, and Pendragon’s offspring would destroy the entire kingdom. Everything I’ve done is to prevent these things from happening.”
“What…what are you saying?” Morgan’s voice trembled. “What do you mean that Pendragon’s offspring will destroy the kingdom?”
“It was just that it could have happened.” Quinn noticed that something was wrong with Morgan’s situation and quickly gave a heads-up. “I have already changed a lot of the future that I originally foresaw. Now Camelot’s situation is very different from the future I knew.”
Quinn tried to comfort Morgan, but Morgan was no longer listening to her words.
Ever since the Merlin incident, Morgan has occasionally had dreams in which she wakes up alone in a cold tomb, with no children or husband by her side, only a stone coffin for her to lean on...
As the daughter who inherited the British Isles, she possessed a certain degree of precognitive ability. Morgan believed that she might have had some kind of precognitive dream. However, she was unwilling to accept that she was doing well now, so how could she suddenly encounter such a tragic thing?
To convince herself that she had simply had a dream, she deliberately started chatting with Guinevere about topics that were usually reserved for women, discussing their own dreams to reinforce her belief that it was just a nightmare.
Until a few days ago, her occasional dreams finally changed. She saw a golden figure appear in her dream, next to the stone coffin she was leaning on. Morgan couldn't tell the gender of the figure, but she could recognize what the figure was holding.
That was the Holy Lance.
Now, Morgan could no longer deceive himself into thinking it was just a nightmare, because no nightmare ever updates in real time.
Therefore, when Morgan heard that Quinn had lent the Holy Lance to someone else, she went straight to Quinn's door and immediately started yelling at him. But no matter how much she vented her dissatisfaction and anger, she couldn't get rid of the real emotion deep inside her—fear.
She was afraid her dream would come true, but she didn't know how to fix it because the precognitive dream was so fragmented and illogical. But if she considered the worst-case scenario...
That means someone killed Quinn, stole the Holy Lance, and may even have killed his own children, leaving him alone to be forever imprisoned in Quinn's tomb. And this person could very well be his own father's illegitimate son, who stole everything that should have been his, and in the end, he even tried to steal his lover...
The thought of this scenario sent chills down Morgan's spine and made her dizzy. She knew she had to get an answer from Quinn; she had to find out why Quinn insisted on lending out the Holy Lance, and the result...
Now, she heard the words she feared most.
“Tell me about the future you foresee.” Morgan suddenly cupped Quinn’s face, his eyes blazing with madness. “I need to know what you’re doing behind my back. We’re lovers, you should tell me all this!”
[You're out of options, you know. Morgan won't give up until she gets an answer, but you can't tell her the whole Arthurian legend either, or Morgan might do something drastic to avoid the future. So, you choose to learn riddles common in this era.]
[You said: When the Pendragon family's power reached its peak, a knight in the Knights of the Round Table would have an affair with the king's wife, causing infighting among the Knights and creating a rift between the king and the knights. With the collapse of the Knights of the Round Table, the youngest son of Pendragon would pierce the body of the King of Camelot with a sword, burying the future of the entire kingdom. And that sword was a product of reforging the broken Sword of the King.]
"The youngest son of Pendragon, would he be involved in killing the King of Camelot?"
Morgan kept repeating these words, feeling as if he had heard them somewhere before.
Hmm? Isn't this the prophecy that the King of the Olympians received? That Zeus's throne would be taken by his youngest child or something... Oh, Quinn is Greek by all accounts, so it's not entirely wrong to say that.
Isn't it too easy to circumvent this prophecy?
Morgan's madness grew more pronounced. She stared at Quinn with her fairy eyes, confirming that he wasn't lying and that this prophecy of the future was true. Without another word, she straddled Quinn and grinned, "So, everything you did was to avoid this future? Lending the Holy Lance to that bastard child would work?"
“There’s a high probability we can. As long as the Sword of Kings doesn’t break, there’s no need to reforge it. We can hide that sword later.” Quinn nodded.
"Okay, I'll pass you, but... I have a..."
Chapter 67
A better way to avoid this future.
"what?"
What other outrageous ideas do you have?
Quinn stared at Morgan in astonishment, and then he heard an answer that shouldn't belong to the British territory.
"If we keep having children, so that the youngest son of Pendragon can never come into being, then the prophecy will never be fulfilled, right?"
Now, after Gawain, it was Quinn's turn to have his pupils tremble.
Wait, Morgan, you're British, not Greek! Don't spout such Zeusian nonsense!
Chapter 58 Mordred: Who is the true embodiment of political correctness?!
Quinn was holding his lower back when he left the government office.
Clearly, Morgan was quite ill. She truly believed in fate and intended to follow Zeus's example by having more and more children. As long as the last son of Pendragon never came, fate would not come true. At this point, Quinn dared not say anything.
But he wasn't wrong about some things.
Quinn did not use his own army in order to protect Morgan, or rather, to protect Camelot's safety.
Camelot is located in the southern part of England, which is now Cornwall on the map of the United Kingdom. To the north, across the sea, lies the Welsh region, which consists of several counties, while to the east are the fiefdoms of several allied states that have already allied with Camelot. Logically speaking, Quinn could have chosen to head east and attack the princes located in what would later become England first. The problem is...
Moving eastward past those allied nations, one encounters not only the British kings still residing in England, but also the Saxon-occupied territories of Vortigern. Although Vortigern and the Saxons have temporarily ceased their invasions, no one knows whether he might seize the opportunity of Camelot's expansion to launch a sudden war.
Therefore, he chose to conquer Wales first, a region that was not adjacent to Camelot but was separated from it by only a small sea area. Once he took Wales, he could establish a complete Kingdom of Wales and use it as an anchor to expand his battlefront.
That's right. This choice was made for strategic considerations, and it was definitely not based on the idea that allies' manpower is not manpower and can be produced at will, which is why we prioritized attacking a typical mountain kingdom like Wales!
[You followed the example of the British Empire in later generations, prioritizing the use of the troops provided by your allies, and doing what Camelot did: "I will not compromise until my allies shed their last drop of blood," launching an expedition into the mountainous Welsh region.]
Your allies were unaware of your ulterior motives because you had already determined your battle strategy when you signed the alliance with them; you just didn't mention that you intended to exclude your elite troops from the war.
[Now, your cavalry's absence from this war has immediately displeased some allies. Letters from allies around Camelot have reached you, questioning your actions and demanding a reasonable explanation from you as to why you did not deploy your cavalry.]
[When faced with questions from your allies, you don't reply immediately. Instead, you observe how many people will send you letters of inquiry, recording them as "troublemakers" so that you can launch an internal purge as soon as you unify Britain. Once you have collected all the letters of inquiry, you reply to these seemingly loyal but actually disloyal allies one by one, explaining that this is to prevent Vortigern from taking action.]
Your reply made your allies skeptical, but given your good reputation, they chose to believe you.
You know very well that this way of consuming reputation won't last long. Your allies will soon realize that you're using their blood to gain benefits for yourself, and sooner or later your good reputation will be ruined. But you also know that you can't achieve your goals by relying solely on a good reputation. You only need to use your accumulated good reputation once or twice to bring you huge benefits.
[Soon, Artoria brought you good news. She had achieved a great victory in her first battle. Under her leadership, the expeditionary force landed on the southern coast of Wales and occupied three counties. As you expected, the expeditionary force suffered considerable losses in order to successfully establish a foothold in Wales. After sacrificing about four hundred men, the sea supply line between Wales and Camelot was finally established.]
[Therefore, you ordered Agravan and Artoria's adoptive father, Hector, to take charge of the logistical support for the front lines, and instructed Artoria to complete the unification of Wales as soon as possible. You were quite certain that Artoria possessed the ability to do so; after all, apart from Vortigern, she was currently the strongest fighter in all of Britain.]
[And Artoria did not disappoint your trust. According to Gawain's reply, the army commanded by Artoria had an overwhelming advantage over the armies of the Welsh kings. She always charged at the forefront of the battle, inspiring her soldiers to fight alongside her. Even Gawain was deeply moved by her valiant fighting, so much so that he gave Artoria a very high evaluation in his reply.]
You know, your eldest son is probably going to be a spoiled brat. I reckon that once the War of Welsh Unification is over, he'll start to think that Artoria is the rightful Queen of Camelot.
Fortunately, he didn't forget his instructions. About two weeks later, you received a "delivery" from Gawain's messenger, along with a letter from Artoria. In the letter, she complained that her Sword of Kings had been stolen by a madman and hoped you would send someone to retrieve it for her. At the same time, she was very grateful that you had prepared the Holy Lance for her in advance. She found the Holy Lance very easy to use, but the only drawback was that she always felt that the power of the Holy Lance seemed to stimulate her body, causing her to feel extremely hungry.
[You kept your merits hidden and wrote back to tell her to eat and drink well. You knew that this was the beginning of her second growth spurt. It is estimated that when Artoria returns to Camelot, you will no longer see that thin little knight, but the King of Camelot with the qualities of a king.]
[You know very well that at that time, you won't be able to control Artoria as easily as you do now. You must prepare immediately.]
You approached Morgan and gave her the flawed Sword of the Elector, forged by Merlin, hoping she could reforge it and reset its properties so that it could only be used by your child with Morgan.
Morgan immediately understood your intention, knowing that you planned for Merlin to create a tool for selecting the crown prince. She was more than happy to fulfill your request. In her view, it was unlikely that she could take revenge on Artoria and become the Queen of Camelot herself, but if the throne of Camelot ultimately fell into the hands of her child, it would fulfill her wish to take revenge on her father and Artoria.
[And so, in that month, your children with Morgan, Gareth and Gahoris, were born, and at the same time, a golden sword, similar to, yet entirely different from, the Sword of the Kings, appeared in your hand.]
You have obtained the treasure – Clarent.
【Clarent (Exceptional): A king selector sword reforged by Morgan using the intact Sword in the Stone as its vessel. Only you, or a descendant of the Red Dragon, Morgan le Fay, and Queen Europa, can use this treasure. The wielder of this sword will gain all the titles of the "Empires" and "Kingdoms" created by the Pendragon and Europa families.】
[You have gained access to the special successor system – the Sword of Kings]
Since none of your offspring meet the requirements for succession under this system, they are unable to inherit the empire or kingdom you have established. Please prepare a suitable successor for your future nation as soon as possible.
Wait, explain to me what it means that only descendants of the Red Dragon, Morgan le Fay, and Quinn Europa can use it?
Tell me, how am I supposed to have a child with Morgan's bloodline that includes the red dragon?
Chapter 68
Chapter Fifty-Nine: A Great Confucian Scholar Will Debate the Classics for Me
Quinn held Clarent in his hands, his eyes reflecting the purple glow of the newly chosen king's sword. This was good, because Morgan had painstakingly crafted for him a treasure on par with the spear that killed Jesus in CK3. However, he was very unhappy when he saw the successor system revealed by the simulator.
What did I do to deserve such disrespect for my right to make my own choices?
Now that things have come to this, where am I supposed to find an heir who meets these requirements? Have you considered my safety? Have you considered the difficulty of this matter? Are you suggesting I first have a second child with Artoria, then be resurrected in the second child's body using Edo Tensei, and then have another child with Morgan?!
Quinn felt his fist harden, wishing he could beat his past self to death on the spot. He just wanted to give Mordred a little gift in advance!
But what could he do now that things had come to this? He had to find a successor first, otherwise he would be furious if the empire he had worked so hard to build fell into the hands of outsiders.
Thinking this, Quinn put down Clarent and looked at Morgan, who had come with the sword, and tentatively asked, "Who in this world do you think can wield this sword?"
"Of course, it's our child. I specifically imposed restrictions when I reforged it, so that I can ensure that the next owner of this sword will be our offspring." Morgan said confidently. "I can guarantee that no one in this world can break my restrictions."
"So, do you think I'm a dragon?"
"Why do you ask about this?"
"Then how do we save a child with red dragon blood to use this sword?"
“It’s simple. Go and fetch some of our king’s blood,” Morgan said naturally. “I have a way to ensure that all our future children have dragon blood. Although I don’t particularly like that bastard, I don’t deny that Father and Merlin are indeed exceptionally capable of producing heirs.”
Morgan revealed her thoughts to you. Because of your prophecy, Morgan began investigating her children after the birth of Gareth and Gahoris. She then realized that apart from your eldest son Gawain, who possessed a gifted blessing, most of her other children only had an abnormal growth rate.
Morgan believed this was a sign of the fading of mystery, and with the disappearance of the world's mystery, it wouldn't be long before your offspring would eventually become ordinary people. Considering that you are not gods and cannot achieve immortality, the last Pendragon child that would cause your death would inevitably be born. Therefore, she had an idea.
She wants to create a noble child to ensure that the environment of Britain remains in the Age of Gods, thus halting the dissipation of mystery. This noble offspring must be able to bear all the mysteries of the world today, and therefore must possess an incomparably strong physique and magical power.
With this in mind, Morgan finally devised a plan to create a child who would embody the three highest levels of mystery in the British Isles: the blood of Artoria's red dragon would flow in his veins, his body would be conceived in the womb of the Triune Goddess, and the offspring of the ancient Greek god-king would be endowed with intellectual life.
Yes, while the general public believes you are a descendant of Roman royalty or of Christian lineage, Morgan makes a different judgment. She believes your ancestors existed on the European continent much earlier, and combining your family name with the various personality traits you have exhibited, she believes your ancestor was Europa, the Phoenician princess, and that you are a descendant of Zeus, the king of the gods.
[You don't know what to say about this. You want to argue, but Morgan is very firm in her guess. Your charm is irresistible to both men and women. Not only has she fallen for your charm, but even men are no exception. In particular, you yourself seem to have no qualms about being intimate with handsome "men," namely Artoria. This is definitely the divine nature of the god-king flowing in your blood.]
You dare not say that Artoria is not a man, and you cannot refute Morgan's closed-loop logic. You choose to face the world with a smile, since it doesn't matter how Morgan interprets it. At least, your successor problem is solved. In the meantime, all you need to do is continue to have children with Morgan, and then when Artoria returns victorious, ask her for a vial of her blood.
This doesn't seem difficult to you, and in some ways it's even a good thing, because you know very well that your next child with Morgan will be Mordred. Based on your understanding of Mordred's character, she will be an excellent heir, because compared to the other problem children in the Knights of the Round Table, Mordred's only desire is to prove her worth to her parents.
In the original storyline, this desire led to the collapse of the Camelot dynasty. But now, this desire will become the driving force for its rise, because from the day Mordred is born, she will be the only crown princess in all of Britannia.
Therefore, you focused your attention on your two newborn children, intending to raise them to be Mordred's right-hand men in ruling the future empire. Thus, you chose their future guardians.
[You first approached Lancelot, hoping he would become Gareth's godfather, and then you approached Guinevere, handing over your only daughter, Gareth, to her.]
Faced with your request, the French knight, who held you in high esteem, did not refuse. Lancelot considered it an honor for him to serve as the guardian of your son, while the princess, who harbored feelings for you, felt particularly awkward. Guinevere felt like she was swallowing a bitter pill, but she still chose to become the godmother of your daughter, because this would give her an excuse to strengthen her ties with you.
Because of your actions, the Dharma King and King Rahula's opinion of you has risen.
King Lewd believed this was a sign that you intended to take your relationship with Guinevere to the next level. This father, eager to see his daughter and you progress further, began consulting missionaries in his territory about "polygamy," seemingly trying to make Guinevere your rightful wife, equal in status to Morgan.
The King of France's reaction was more normal. He considered Lancelot, a French nobleman, to be a vassal in a way, and argued that your son's acknowledgment of Lancelot as his godfather could be a diplomatic act to strengthen the alliance between the two countries. Therefore, he replied to you, indicating that he would grant Lancelot a prestigious title and send you a large sum of money as a reward for this further alliance, while also hoping that you would not forget your agreement.
You begin to anticipate the Karmapa's return gift.
Soon, the King of France's return gift arrived: a standing army of two thousand men departed from France and sailed to Wales to join Artoria's army. This standing army composed of heavy infantry became the final straw that broke the back of the Welsh kings.
One month later, you received a report from Gawain.
The kings of Wales have all submitted, and he and Artoria will return to Camelot in a week, presenting you with the crowns of the Welsh kings as a gift.
You have achieved your initial objective; Wales has become your occupied territory, and you have obtained the resolution to establish the Kingdom of Wales.