'Even though I've concealed my presence and deliberately dressed more loosely, but looking at her like this, it seemed like she still sensed something?'
'Should I call this Reines' 'perception' being astonishing, or is it just the unique sharpness of women?'
Noticing Reines' suspicious gaze from the side, Alvin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"It seems everyone is here? Then let us begin." Fortunately, Artoria, seeming to sense Reines' confusion, glanced around the room and spoke up at just the right moment.
"This assistant looks unfamiliar. Is he a new recruit recently brought in by the King?"
Suddenly, a jovial voice rang out from the Round Table.
The speaker was a man dressed in lavish crimson noble robes, appearing to be in his forties or fifties.
At first glance, his smile seemed warm, but it carried an air of natural authority.
When he spoke, many in the room turned their eyes toward him, their expressions tinged with respect.
The Camelot Empire had once had twelve great noble houses.
After the Night Watcher slaughtered nine of them in a single night, only three remained.
And King Marco, one of those three surviving great nobles, was also Tristan's uncle.
Having heard the news last night that King Arthur was receiving "transmigrators," this great noble had immediately grown restless, arriving early this morning for the council.
"Due to the King's recent heavy workload, an additional assistant was brought in to help," the female aide standing on Artoria's other side replied with a smile.
"I see. The Camelot Empire has indeed been rather unstable lately."
King Marco sighed heavily. "In the past, under the King's rule, the empire flourished... Yet now, a group of outsiders from another world has caused so much trouble."
"These outsiders are no different from those Saxons... at their core."
The sudden inflammatory remark made Kayneth's brow twitch slightly, his eyes instantly turning colder.
Agravain, too, shot King Marco a frigid glare.
"The King has her own reasons for summoning the transmigrators. Save your words until after the discussion," Tristan interjected quietly.
Among those present today were not only dozens of nobles but also several Knights of the Round Table, including the "Knight of Lament," Tristan himself.
King Marco blinked in surprise, then quickly put on an apologetic smile. "Ah, my apologies—I forgot there were visitors from the modern world among us. Please, do continue."
From beginning to end, Artoria had not spoken a word, merely observing the nobles at the Round Table with detached indifference.
King Marco's heart skipped a beat, and he silently averted his gaze.
Since the death of the Night Watcher, King Arthur's temperament had changed drastically.
She was no longer the ruler who would yield to the pressures of the nobility.
...Still, no matter what, cooperating with these transmigrators from the modern era was unprecedented.
At the very least, passing such a resolution would require approval by a majority vote.
And most of the nobles attending this meeting were conservatives...
At this thought, King Marco felt slightly more at ease.
Artoria's calm gaze swept over the assembled crowd as she spoke slowly, "I trust that, after these past few days of interaction, the title 'Lord' is no longer unfamiliar to you all."
The Lords of the Clock Tower represented twelve great families.
Under Kayneth's leadership, the El-Melloi lineage now held the fourth seat, granting them significant influence in major decisions.
"I know what each of you is thinking."
Artoria's eyes lingered on the nobles. "You believe modern mages are unworthy of sitting at the same negotiation table as us, am I correct?"
The "Age of Gods"—this term carried legendary weight in the world of Type-Moon.
Compared to the mages of that era, modern magi were indeed far weaker in many respects.
But—
While modern mages might lack in raw power, that did not mean their "research" was inferior to that of the Age of Gods.
Some nobles of Camelot looked down on the transmigrators, but as for the "Lords" of the Clock Tower, at least in Kayneth's case—he held no high regard for these so-called nobles either.
Were it not for the presence of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, he might not even be sitting here today.
The nobles remained silent, yet the expressions on their faces only confirmed Artoria's words.
"With such arrogance, you will inevitably face retribution one day."
"He once said something similar in the past."
He—though she did not speak the name aloud, the minds of every noble and Round Table knight present instinctively conjured the same thought.
'The Night Watcher...' Reines mused silently to herself.
Then, her gaze swept over the gathered nobles once more, and she sighed inwardly.
Even an outsider like Reines could tell—most of the nobles present today were far from enthusiastic about the idea of "cooperation" with the transmigrators.
Even King Arthur had to seek her subjects' counsel.
It seemed reaching an agreement anytime soon would be impossible,
"Kayneth, I assume you understand why I summoned you today?"
Artoria's voice suddenly cut through the silence.
Caught off guard, Kayneth took a deep breath before responding evenly,
"To have the Clock Tower assist Camelot in maintaining order among the transmigrators in the future?"
"That's certainly feasible. However, shouldn't we wait until this council reaches a conclusion first?"
As he finished speaking, his gaze lingered meaningfully on the assembled nobles.
Artoria replied coolly, "Fair point. Then let us proceed with a vote, as is customary."
At these words, the nobles exchanged glances before subtly shifting their attention to King Marco.
The latter arched a brow and a faint smirk couldn't help but curl at the corners of his lips.
Most of the nobles present today were conservatives aligned with him—they had no intention of endorsing cooperation with the transmigrators.
As long as the vote failed to secure a majority, even the King would have no grounds to insist—
"Those in favor of cooperating with the Clock Tower, raise your hands. Those opposed may resign and return to their estates."
King Marco's thoughts screeched to a halt as he snapped his head up to stare at Artoria.
…Wait a minute—
What the hell?!
"Your Majesty—"
Before King Marco could finish, Artoria's icy voice once again echoed through the hall.
"Let the voting commence."
For a moment, the grand King's Hall fell into dead silence. The nobles exchanged bewildered glances.
Then, under King Arthur's cold gaze, they raised their hands in perfect, synchronized unison—as if rehearsed.
King Marco's face turned ashen.
Realizing he was the only one left standing out, he finally, stiffly, lifted his own arm.
"Excellent. Unanimously approved."
Artoria nodded in satisfaction before turning to the stunned Kayneth and spoke. "I will assign personnel to assist you. From now on, the transmigrators will be under your jurisdiction."
Kayneth took a long moment to process this before replying, "Understood."
Truly worthy of King Arthur—such a democratic voting method...
Even Kayneth was left speechless.
Disagreements between monarch and subjects were common, but a "vote" conducted like this... was something he had never witnessed before.
Artoria surveyed the room. "Does anyone else have concerns?"
After a brief pause, with no objections raised, she declared the meeting adjourned.
...
..
After watching the nobles file out of the hall, Artoria turned to her assistant and said, "Ariel, go to the office and bring me the reports on the recent otherworlder screenings."
The latter bowed respectfully before leaving the hall.
"King Marco doesn't seem like the type to give up easily," Alvin stood beside the woman and said helplessly.
"Over the years, out of respect for his ties to Tristan, I've turned a blind eye to most of his actions—so long as they didn't cross the line."
Artoria's voice was calm. "But when it comes to critical decisions, decisiveness is necessary."
Alvin nodded slightly.
Indeed, these high nobles had long relied on their seniority to act with unchecked arrogance.
Back when Artoria had first ascended the throne, her policies had been more cautious, her methods restrained… It was precisely for this reason that Alvin had taught her a more "democratic" approach to voting.
However, even he hadn't anticipated that, in just a few short years, Artoria would refine it to such an extent.
But judging by King Marco's reaction today, this matter was far from over…
Alvin's gaze drifted toward the hall's entrance, his eyes clouded with thought.
"What's on your mind?" Looking at the boy, Artoria asked suddenly.
The latter glanced in the direction Tristan had departed.
"Nothing much. Just thinking… since I'm back, I might as well pay an old friend a visit."
---
...
King Marco stormed out of the King's Hall, his face dark with fury.
Accompanying him were several nobles and a red-haired knight—
Tristan.
"King Arthur's actions will come back to haunt her sooner or later."
The moment they stepped out of the palace, King Marco finally spoke, his voice dripping with icy disdain.
Even during the previous king's reign, no ruler had ever been as arrogant as Artoria was now.
Her behavior today made it clear that she held no regard for the opinions of the nobility!
Doesn't she know that doing this will make her lose the support of the people?
"Back then, King Arthur's stubbornness alienated countless nobles, creating endless obstacles in her rule. If not for the Night Watcher, she would have been stripped of power long ago."
The speaker was another man clad in the crimson robes of a high noble, his expression equally grim. "Over the years, she's grown increasingly extreme… Now, she doesn't even consider our opinions."
"Does she think a second Night Watcher will appear to slaughter the nobility for her?"
The name "Night Watcher" seemed to cast a spell over the previously indignant nobles, silencing them momentarily.
"It's been several years already—why bring him up now?!" King Marco snapped coldly. "I refuse to trust these despicable outsiders. And as for King Arthur's actions today… they are nothing short of a betrayal!"
"If this continues, the Camelot Empire will crumble under her stubbornness."
"But the King has already decided on cooperation…" someone hesitantly pointed out.
King Marco sneered. "If a key figure among the transmigrators were to suffer a… severe accident during this collaboration, let's see how long their alliance lasts."
Tristan listened in silence, his expression conflicted. "Uncle…"
"Tristan, I know what you wish to say." King Marco's tone softened slightly as he spoke. "You lost your parents young, and all these years, you've served as my knight. Of course, I know your oath to the King comes first. Don't worry—I won't ask you to act against her."
"All you need to do is… look the other way. I'll handle the rest."
Tristan opened his mouth as if to argue, but in the end, he said nothing.
Look the other way.
The words sounded simple.
After all, he just needed to watch from the sidelines.
Even if King Arthur later suspected something, there would be no proof of his complicity.
But for a Knight of the Round Table who had sworn loyalty to the King—wasn't this its own kind of torment?
Tristan closed his eyes, his face a mask of anguish.
As they spoke, the carriage came to a stop before the gates of the estate.
King Marco strode inside, snapping orders to the servants. "Summon the mages residing in the estate. I have instructions for them."
Over the years, King Marko had "kept" a group of powerful mages within his manor.
While none matched the combat prowess of a Round Table Knight like Tristan… dealing with a few transmigrators would be child's play for them.
'King Arthur actually thinks she can force her will upon us with such heavy-handed tactics? How naïve.'
A Lord of the Clock Tower?*
Perhaps he did have a prominent position in modern world... but in the Camelot Empire, this so-called prominent status would not help him at all.
A faint smirk tugged at King Marco's lips—
Until a voice, calm and gentle, suddenly echoed through the room.
"You've been having quite the enjoyable few years, haven't you, King Marco?"
whoosh!
King Marco shot to his feet, his entire body breaking out in cold sweat.
"Who—?!"
"Who's there??"
The voice was mild, even pleasant, yet to him, it sounded like a specter clawing its way up from hell.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
For the first time in years, he remembered the devil who had once made the nobility tremble—
The White Dragon who had slaughtered nobles, kings… and was later slain by King Arthur's own hand.
But how could he still be alive?!
King Marco forced himself to breathe steadily, struggling to maintain his composure.
He quietly closed his eyes, extending his senses to envelop the surrounding mana.
"No need to look. I haven't been hiding my presence since I entered the estate."
A voice came from behind him.
King Marco whirled around, only to find a black-robed youth sitting casually on the table, as if he had been there all along.
A white mask obscured his face, but his gaze was fixed intently on the noble.
"You…"
King Marco narrowed his eyes.
He recognized this person—the assistant who had stood beside King Arthur earlier.
"So, the King sent you?"
"Not really. I don't usually consult her about my actions… especially the dirty work. I prefer she doesn't know."
Dirty work?
King Marco stiffened, watching as the youth slowly removed his mask.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the young man's fair, handsome features.
Yet, under that gaze, King Marco trembled.
A primal terror erupted in his chest—a man who had faced countless storms, who had never flinched before King Arthur himself, was now paralyzed by fear of a mere boy.
"It's you! It's really you!"
His voice rose into a shrill scream.
"Alvin?! How are you still alive?!"
"Let's just say I won the respawn tournament."
The words were spoken lightly, almost playfully before he lifted his head, his eyes locking onto the noble with eerie calm.
"Long time no see, King Marko."
.
.
P.S: I've got an exam on 7th June so, I probably won't have the time to write NSFW chaps you guys are requesting..sorry..