Capítulo 151: C151
"What is King Mark's intention here?"
"Or rather, what does he hope to achieve?"
"Yes! King Mark pointed at Arthur and interrupted his coronation ceremony. What is his motive? Is he turning against Camelot?"
Whispers and murmurs filled the air as both nobles and commoners exchanged their thoughts. The situation was on the brink of chaos.
The Archbishop gazed at King Mark with surprise and asked, "King Mark, do you comprehend the gravity of your actions?"
"Of course, I do!" King Mark retorted arrogantly. "I am protecting Britain from falling prey to Vortigern's schemes! I am protecting the people of Britain from being misled by this Saxon!"
"Saxon?" The expressions on people's faces immediately changed.
Initially, they were merely chatting amongst themselves, but upon hearing the term "Saxon," their faces turned pale.
The murmurs and whispers grew more intense.
Baldwin's face changed as he exclaimed, "King Mark, do you have any idea what you are saying? You are entirely defaming us!"
"Defaming?" King Mark sneered and spoke loudly, "Everyone here, think carefully! What was the color of Uther's hair?"
"It was golden!" affirmed a noble from Camelot.
"Sir Ywain, as a trusted confidant of Uther, you must have laid eyes on Arthur's mother. So, what was the color of her hair?" King Mark asked.
Ywain paused for a moment, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on him, before reluctantly nodding and replying, "Lady Igraine's hair was also golden."
"Very well! Then please do tell me, how is it possible for two noble people with golden hair to have a child with black hair?" King Mark pressed on.
"You cannot defame Arthur by calling him a Saxon!" King Nantes rose to his feet and exclaimed, "King Mark, are you blind? Saxons are known for their red hair!"
King Mark responded, "It's clear that Uther's wife isn't Arthur's biological mother. We don't even know who this imposter's birth mother is, what she looks like, or the color of her hair. But if her hair is black, it must be from someone of noble bloodline. At that time, the only noble women in Britain were the ladies of the Empire, and we all know they have black hair! If we consider these facts, isn't it obvious?"
Suddenly, numerous suspicious glances were directed at Shirou.
"Is Arthur an imposter?"
"Is he a spy?"
"Then was his previous oath... just a ploy?"
"Are you joking? Don't speak such nonsense! Arthur is the rightful king of our Britain!" retorted another voice.
The murmurs and whispers grew more heated, and some individuals even began to argue amongst themselves.
As the eyes of both the believers and the skeptics landed on Shirou, he felt a heavy weight settle in his heart.
No wonder the nobles had displayed no odd behavior earlier. They were all waiting for him here!
This was not simply King Mark's singular act, but a collective effort of multiple individuals!
Rumors and suspicions spread like wildfire throughout the crowd. Shirou knew that he had to take action, or else the situation would spiral out of his control!
However...
"Nonsense!"
Morgan slammed her hand onto the table, rising to her feet in a fit of fury. Her eyes bore into King Mark with a frigid glare, akin to that of a sharp sword. She was akin to a protective tigress, brimming with ire as she exclaimed, "How dare you defame my brother?"
"Princess, do not soil my reputation! I triumph over others with logic and never defame others!" King Mark remained arrogant and unafraid of Morgan. He declared, "You desire evidence, do you not? I shall provide it!"
King Mark signaled with a clap of his hands, and a soldier promptly appeared with an elderly man. As soon as Shirou laid eyes on the old man, his heart skipped a beat. This was not good!
Even Artoria was stunned, her initial impulse nearly causing her to speak out loud. She managed to stifle her reaction, however.
"This man is the steward of Ector Estate!" King Mark announced.
"How can you verify that he truly is Ector's steward?" Morgan asked skeptically.
The elderly man responded, "Princess Morgan, I have served Sir Ector for forty years and have remained by his side as an attendant. I even bore witness to your birth, Princess, when Sir Ector was still in service to King Uther."
"What?" Morgan frowned, turning slightly to Baldwin and questioning him. "Sir Baldwin, is this true?"
Baldwin nodded helplessly, replying, "I can attest to this. I was with Sir Ector at that time."
"Old man, reveal all that you know!" King Mark commanded.
The elderly man nodded in acquiescence before gesturing towards Shirou and stating, "My lords, this gentleman may or may not be a Saxon, but he is without a doubt not Arthur. His true name is Guinevere."
"Is he truly named Guinevere?"
"Is he sharing the same name as King Leodegrance's daughter?"
"Does this situation also involve King Leodegrance?"
Discussions sparked anew amongst the crowd.
Morgan snorted in disbelief. "My brother has already informed me of this. Guinevere is the false name given to him by Merlin and Ector to prevent his assassination by Vortigern."
"That is not true, Princess Morgan," the elderly man countered. "This gentleman's authentic name is Guinevere. He is not Uther's son sent by Merlin, but a gentleman whom Sir Ector rescued outside of Tintagel a year ago. I overheard Sir Ector mention that this man was being pursued by Vortigern's cavalry and shouting the name 'Guinevere'."
"Are you jesting?" Morgan interjected, incredulously. "Vortigern's cavalry was obstructed at Hadrian's Wall by the kings! How did they manage to sneak into the kingdom?"
King Nantes offered a reminder, saying, "Princess Morgan, do not forget. A year ago, during the chaos, Vortigern's cavalry did breach the Kingdom of King Leodegrance."
"What exactly are you trying to suggest? Are you insinuating that my brother is, in fact, King Leodegrance's daughter?"
"That is not the case, Princess Morgan," the elderly man responded. "This individual referred to as 'Guinevere' has other names, including 'Shee-row' and 'Fuhjuh mahruh Shee-roh'."
"What kind of names are those?" the crowd asked in confusion.
The Archbishop's countenance also creased with a frown as he spoke up. "These two names are not recognized in our ancient British language. Arthur, what is going on?" He turned his gaze towards Shirou.
Shirou's expression remained unchanged, but he sighed inwardly.
Both of those names refer to Fujimaru Shirou, a Japanese name. As he had not yet drawn the sword in the stone at that point in time, he had not given it much thought, but now he has dug himself into a hole.
"What is happening? Archbishop, are you also going to follow in their footsteps? King Mark and those with designs against my brother are undoubtedly coveting our Pendragon family's status! They arrived here with nefarious intentions, seeking to besmirch my brother's reputation. Naturally, they will continue to do so!" Morgan's gaze remained cold as she locked eyes with the elderly man.
"Princess Morgan, I am not defaming anyone. I am merely stating the truth," the elderly man rebutted. "This individual, Guinevere, has resided within the estate for a year and has spent almost ten months forcing himself to learn our language. Whether it is 'Shee-row' or 'Fuhjuh mahruh Shee-roh', those are the names of this individual in other tongues." The elderly man paused, gesturing towards Artoria. "Miss Artoria is also aware of this."
As all eyes turned towards Artoria, she was momentarily at a loss on what to do. She could not fabricate a lie, but divulging the truth of her king...
Gritting her teeth, she responded, "No... it is not..."
All gazes were fixed on her, now replete with malice. Her denial had caused her to feel ashamed as a knight.
Shirou wanted to aid Artoria in deflecting the malice-filled stares, but it seemed as though almost everyone had shifted their gaze towards him.
Belief. Doubt. Goodwill. Malice.
Any wrong action from him could ensnare him into a trap!
What should he do?
In a sudden outburst of anger, Morgan kicked over the seat and stood in front of Shirou and Artoria, appearing akin to a protective tigress. Her gaze was icy-cold as she glared at everyone present, and questioned, "Are all of you bullying my brother and sister? Allow me to remind you, Morgan le Fay still lives, and no one within the Pendragon family can be bullied!"
"Speaking of which, I also have something I am curious about." King Nantes looked at Shirou and asked, "Sir Arthur, after my border commander's wife had a conflict with you at a party, she disappeared. Can you give me an explanation?"
"Is there still a need for an explanation?" Morgan said coldly. "Let me tell you the answer! I killed that sow!"
"What!?"
"Are you joking?"
"Morgan, how could you do something like this?!"
The nobles looked at Morgan in shock, each one incredulous.
"Shut up!" Morgan's voice was frosty with anger. "She insulted my brother and ruined my ball. How could I just let her live?"
King Nantes gave Morgan a stern look and asked, "Are you trying to provoke a war with Nantes?"
Morgan sneered at the king. "And who are you to question me? Are you even qualified to speak on this matter?"
This response made King Nantes furious. He knew that Morgan was using Orkney as a shield, and he was not pleased.
Shirou attempted to pull Morgan away, but she refused and instead opened her arms to shield him and Artoria. With a cold stare, Morgan faced King Nantes and spoke firmly, "When my father, Uther, was alive, you flattered him at every turn, even going so far as to marry my older sister. And now that he's gone, you're bullying my underage brother? Let me make one thing clear - it would be easy for me to destroy you!"
King Nantes responded with a dark expression, "Then come and try, Princess Morgan!"
At this point, King Mark's voice rang out loudly, "I understand Princess Morgan's desire to protect her brother, but we must also consider the possibility that the Arthur she is protecting may not be the real Arthur!"
Morgan's face twisted in contempt as she snorted, showing her disdain. Initially, she had harbored suspicions about Shirou's true identity, but after conducting a secret investigation for two months, she had come to the firm conclusion in her heart that Shirou was, in fact, her long-lost brother, Arthur.
She was a person who did not entertain doubts once she had made up her mind. If she believed something, she believed it wholeheartedly. That was why she had even dared to venture into the treacherous Irish Deadlands to obtain a magnificent horse, which she then presented to Shirou as a gift, confident in the knowledge that he was her brother Arthur.
It's no surprise that this outcome was expected, considering she opposed Merlin and his personal satellite, which had the ability to observe all sorts of plots and schemes, making any intrigues useless.
Morgan's cold and beautiful eyes were fixed on King Mark, and a faint glimmer of light flickered within them.
Suddenly, a magical formula appeared on the mithril armor that King Mark was wearing, with a distinct "pop," just as he was speaking loudly.
King Mark's face contorted in shock as he turned to Morgan. "You actually want to curse me!?" he exclaimed in disbelief.
Morgan was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, wondering how her curse could have failed.
King Mark, on the other hand, was livid with anger as he glared at Morgan, his hand slowly reaching for his sword. As he drew the blade, it shimmered with magical formulas, glowing ominously.
Behind him, Tristan let out a deep sigh, his face filled with sadness as he unsheathed his sword. Meanwhile, the three thousand soldiers behind King Mark also drew their swords, ready to follow their King's command.
Noticing King Mark's aggressive stance, Gawain and the others quickly drew their own swords, standing in defense of Morgan. Even Orkney's one thousand soldiers joined in, their swords pointed at King Mark, creating a tense and volatile situation.
King Nantes was quick to react and drew his own sword, prompting his soldiers to do the same. They pointed their weapons at Orkney, adding to the already tense situation.
Caradoc and the other kings found themselves compelled to draw their own swords and allow their followers to do the same. As the sound of clashing metal filled the air, the common people cowered in fear, intimidated by the show of force.
The tension was palpable, and it seemed as though a single wrong move could trigger an all-out battle.
Ywain and Baldwin exchanged a quick glance before giving orders to activate the suppression Bounded Field of Camelot.
In an instant, Shirou felt a constriction around him, and his ability to control his magical energy became more challenging than ever. He took a deep breath, realizing that the situation was spiraling out of control.
With a sense of urgency, Shirou reached out and placed his hand on Morgan's slender shoulder, gently trying to pull her away from the conflict.
Morgan spoke reassuringly to Shirou, "You don't need to worry, brother. I'm here, and I won't let anyone harm you."
Shirou looked at Morgan with sincerity in his eyes and said, "Please trust me, Sister Morgan." He then gently pulled her away from the hostile crowd and stepped forward to the forefront, bravely facing the aggression directed towards him.
...
Caerleon Castle.
Kay glared at Merlin, holding his sword menacingly against the old magus's neck. "What are you celebrating? If you dare to play me for a fool again, I'll spit on you!"
Merlin let out a heavy sigh. "Very well, I'll tell you," he said. "We're celebrating King Arthur's first major battle of his life."
"Wait, are you saying that the King and my sister are in danger in the capital!?" Kay stared at Merlin anxiously.
"Who knows? Maybe it's the capital, maybe..." A faint smile appeared on Merlin's handsome face.
...
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