Chapter Sixteen: Greville

Lying alone in a guest room of the castle, he gazed at the dagger in his hand. According to the information from the ring, tonight would be the most arduous battle since his arrival in this world, and he had no idea if he would survive it. All he wished for was that her banquet would begin and end perfectly.

"The Traitor's Ambition is activated! Currently, there are forty-two free knights alive! Mission begins! Fight!"

He leapt from the bed and handed the prepared letter to the attendant outside, instructing him to deliver it to Gawain in an hour. Though he could request assistance, the condition was that the proceedings of the banquet must not be disrupted. Yet he knew that asking anyone would inevitably cause a commotion. Still, he had resolved that even if he must sacrifice his life, it would be worth it—after all, a certain tsundere young lady had assured him, and his mission was to help Toria defeat Rome and be crowned there. History dictated that she would ultimately ascend that throne, and all Lancer wished was to help her sweep away the foes within their land, for the final confrontation with Rome would surely end in victory.

Determined, Lancer stood below the western side of the castle. Most castles here were built atop peaks with only a single entrance, to prevent attacks from the other three directions.

Soon enough, a group of men clothed in black appeared before him.

Their leader, upon seeing Lancer, wasted no words and signaled with a wave. Four of the black-clad men surged forward. Lancer likewise spared no speech, for these were the ones he must stop, and he was their obstacle as well. Both sides, intent on completing their missions, had no reason for conversation.

He did not use the Fish-Gut or Cheng-Ying blades, but instead wielded a Tang sword. The era of King Arthur coincided with the Sui and Tang dynasties of China, and the Tang sword, though most famous in the Tang era, had existed earlier. In Britain, Lancer naturally could obtain one. Though this weapon possessed no special powers, it was sharper and sturdier even than the high-tech weapons of his own time. Gripping it with one hand, he swept it horizontally, repelling the four attackers, then kicked behind him with his right leg.

"Bang!" A figure instantly flew back at a speed faster than a pounce.

"You won't get past unless you defeat me!" Lancer uttered the only words of this battle, and instantly the enemy's eyes turned razor-sharp. Another wave of the leader's hand, and the whole group charged.

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"Bedivere, where do you think Sir Lancer has gone? Even though Arthur has become king, Sir Lancer would never distance himself from Arthur, given his character. So why hasn't he come to the banquet celebrating Arthur's coronation?" By now, Gareth and Bedivere were well acquainted. Gareth had brought Bedivere into the banquet, though Bedivere's status alone would not have qualified him to attend.

Bedivere, who had been savoring his wine with closed eyes, glanced at him and replied, "Sir Lancer surely has his own reasons. Besides, as the first knight to pledge loyalty to our king, don't you think your worry is unwarranted?"

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Yet at this moment, Gawain, standing nearby, sensed something amiss in their conversation. Unlike the other two, he knew the true identity of the "boy" standing above. As the one entrusted with the holy sword by the Lady of the Lake, he knew Toria was a maiden, not a youth. He cared little for her gender, though; as long as Britain grew strong, it mattered not who wore the crown. Lancer's feelings for Toria were clearly unusual, and Gawain was now almost certain something had happened to Lancer.

He summoned the servant responsible for Lancer, and upon questioning him about anything odd, the servant recalled the letter Lancer had entrusted, relaying the instructions as well. Gawain did not blame him, merely waving him away.

After reading the letter, Gawain's expression darkened. "You fool, do you want to die?" he muttered under his breath, then called Gareth and Bedivere out.

"Brother, is there something wrong?" Gareth spoke first, as Bedivere was not particularly familiar with Gawain.

"Did you bring your swords?" Gawain countered instead of answering.

"Swords? Didn't we hand them to the guards at the entrance?" Gareth, sensing his brother's odd mood, responded plainly.

"Go fetch them. I'll wait at the gate. Put on your armor—we may have a hard battle ahead." With that, he took a cup of wine from a servant and downed it in one gulp.

"Wait for me, you fool!"

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"So this is your strength? It seems you shouldn't hope to get through tonight." Though Lancer's clothes were now slashed all over, his opponents fared worse—nearly two hundred men in black, a tenth already dispatched.

"You appear determined not to let us pass," the commander addressed Lancer.

"Hmph, do you think I'd be here if I were willing to step aside?" Lancer had no desire to talk; though they bore no personal grudge, each served their own master and had nothing to discuss.

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"If it were an ordinary day, I'd challenge you honorably even knowing I'd lose. But for the sake of our lord's goal—my apologies!" With that, he signaled, and the remaining one hundred seventy men drew light crossbows.

"Fire!" They shot in volleys of forty, unleashing a barrage upon Lancer.

"Do you think you can defeat me like this? Ha!" Lancer could barely contain himself now; he felt his blood stirring again, as it had in his last battle. This time, with Toria absent, he needn't fear harming others and chose to unleash himself. He swung his sword to deflect the arrows, though many still slipped through. Then, a cry sounded behind him.

"Who goes there?!" Twice shouted—one side desperate not to expose their ambush, the other unwilling to disturb the banquet above.

"It’s—Guinevere!?" As one of the triggers for the eventual collapse of the Round Table knights, Lancer had always paid attention to this woman. Yet to him, she seemed merely a naïve maiden; Toria was herself a woman, so he’d never taken an interest in Guinevere. He hadn’t expected her to appear at this moment.

Trouble never comes alone; now, the ring began its mischief.

"The Knight's Resolve—Even when trapped in a deadly predicament, as the king's knight, you have never forgotten your oath. A maiden has entered the battlefield between you and your foes. To fulfill your mission, the enemy will surely attempt to kill her, and your task is to protect her until reinforcements arrive.

Mission reward—1500 experience, ???"

"@#￥%…&*!@… I am at a loss for words." He was utterly exhausted by the ring's antics; it always issued these impossible tasks at the very worst moments. Now he could only hope reinforcements arrived soon. As for abandoning the maiden? How could a loving otaku ever abandon a girl?

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