บท 173: C173
At nightfall, King Ban hosted a grand banquet at the palace to entertain Shirou and his fifty warriors.
Amidst the clinking of glasses and cups, King Ban sat on his throne and lifted his glass in a toast to Shirou, "King Arthur, to be honest, I have heard much of Camelot's reputation for some time now. When your father, Uther, was still alive, I praised him as a hero and believed his successor would be no less. And now, having seen you, it is clear that my beliefs were justified!"
Shirou also raised his glass and smiled, "Actually, my father often spoke of King Ban's renown. He spoke of a great hero and warrior, a king among the Franks, who was sure to achieve great things!"
"Your praise is too kind, too kind!" King Ban chuckled joyfully.
After a few more cups, King Ban asked in a calm tone, "I'm just curious, where did King Arthur hear about my supposed perilous situation? My brother and I have already repelled the Burgundians. What is the source of this crisis that you speak of?"
Shirou put down his glass, furrowed his brows, and fixed his gaze on King Ban.
"Why do you have that look on your face? Did I say something wrong?"
Shirou sighed and asked, "Does King Ban truly not know?"
King Ban nodded.
He let out a sigh and said, "Ah... King Ban, you are unaware. The Burgundians have long been in cahoots with the Saxons! To my knowledge, after driving Vortigern to the north, he contacted the Burgundians through the Saxons who stayed in Europe, and they planned to use the Burgundians as the front line to launch a dual-pronged attack on Gaul from the north and south, with the aim of conquering Gaul!"
King Ban's brow furrowed, and his eyes filled with suspicion.
Shirou paused for a moment and continued, "In fact, this matter also has to do with Camelot."
"Why do you say that?" King Ban asked with curiosity.
"Even though Vortigern has magical beasts, he is no match for my army and will be defeated in no time. Hence, he aims to conquer Gaul and attack me from the north and south to take me down!"
He added, "King Ban, you are a hero of our time, and as a king, there are certain things I must refrain from saying to preserve the relationship between our two countries. However, because of your esteemed reputation, I will open up to you and say it."
He paused briefly before continuing., "Actually, I had no choice but to come. If I didn't, when Vortigern conquered Gaul and attacked me from both the front and rear, with magical beasts in front and a navy in the back, I would be in grave danger. Therefore, I had no other option but to come!"
"Ah, I understand now!" King Ban suddenly realized, and the suspicion in his eyes significantly decreased.
Upon closer inspection of the map, it became clear that this was indeed the case. Cornwall faces Gaul across the English Channel, and Vortigern has been pushed to the north by King Arthur. If Vortigern were to conquer Gaul and launch a dual-pronged attack from both the front and rear, King Arthur would indeed be in grave danger!
Initially, King Ban was skeptical of his words, but since this matter concerned national interests, it held a different weight, and he began to believe it to some extent.
"So, let me get this straight," King Ban asked, leaning in with curiosity. "Your visit and the important matter you mentioned to my son—it's all about forming an alliance, isn't it?"
"We have no choice but to form an alliance," Shirou responded, pausing for a moment. "King Ban, you do not want the Franks to be under the rule of the Burgundians, and I do not want my people to be enslaved by the Saxons either! We are not invading, but rather preserving our foundation for the sake of our people!"
His words struck a chord with King Ban. While he and King Bors had already taken over most of Gaul, the Franks were currently outnumbered and scattered. Therefore, their focus should no longer be on expanding their territory, but rather on preserving their foundation and leaving it for their descendants.
"But how can we form an alliance?" King Ban frowned and continued, "As far as I know, Britain is going through some sort of upheaval, and it's extremely challenging for us Franks to set foot on that island. Even merchants risk their lives just to trade there, and they can't stay for long."
"In truth, we face similar issues. Perhaps this is the curse of some malevolent sorcerer under Vortigern. But that won't deter us! We, the people of Camelot, will never surrender."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "As for how to form an alliance, King Ban, I believe you already have the answer in your heart."
King Ban narrowed his eyes and said, "Trade in goods!"
"That's it! Cornwall, which I possess, is an island rich in tin mines. The Roman Empire thrived on this very resource. If we can establish an alliance, I am more than willing to support King Ban with a steady supply of tin and copper!"
"Cornwall? Tin mines? Ah, I see now," King Ban narrowed his eyes in realization. "I suspect that King Arthur's desire for an alliance with me goes beyond mere necessity, but also as a means of securing food supplies, isn't it?"
"As expected of King Ban, you've quickly grasped my intentions," Shirou smiled calmly and replied. "So, what is your opinion on this matter?"
"Dadadada--" King Ban tapped his fingers on the throne.
His gaze landed on Lancelot, who was drinking with Shirou's soldiers, before returning to Shirou, "King Arthur, does your army possess any unmatched knights like my son?"
Shirou glanced at Lancelot and smiled. "I have heard of Prince Lancelot's reputation, which echoes across Britain day and night. People say that he is unparalleled in bravery, possesses noble character, and is renowned as the Perfect Knights. He even received the holy sword Arondight from the fairy. He is truly a hero of our era! While there are many outstanding individuals in my army who are also heroes, only nineteen of them can match Prince Lancelot's caliber."
Everyone in attendance was pleased to hear Shirou's high praise for Lancelot. However, when they heard him say that nineteen people in his army could compare to Lancelot, they all became dissatisfied.
"King Arthur! Are you joking? Prince Lancelot is the finest knight of our Benoic! His bravery is unmatched!" exclaimed one of the attendees.
"Absolutely! Your words are simply preposterous, King Arthur!" added another.
Despite their skepticism, their tone was slightly more subdued than before. This was likely due to the intimidating presence of Shirou's fifty warriors.
Even Lancelot felt dissatisfied in his heart. He approached Shirou with his holy sword and spoke up, "I have heard that King Arthur pulled the sword from the stone and possesses many talented individuals under his command. He must be an unbeatable hero. Why don't we have a match?"
"I actually wish to compete with the prince as well, but as a king, my sword cannot be unsheathed so easily," He replied with a troubled expression.
King Ban chuckled, "Oh, King Arthur, everyone is in high spirits. Don't spoil the fun."
The attendees laughed and playfully teased him, presuming that he was fearful of Lancelot, their finest knight.
Shirou sighed and began to explain, "To be honest, my knights have always been eager to challenge me. However, as a king, I must prioritize my state affairs. If I were to entertain every challenge, it would create a constant stream of challengers, hindering my responsibilities. Therefore, I've set a rule in place. Any outsiders seeking to challenge me must first defeat my knights. Likewise, if my own knights wish to challenge me, they must first overcome the Knight Princess. But since everyone is in such high spirits now, I don't want to dampen the mood."
"Hmm... How about this!" Shirou gazed at Lancelot and spoke, "Lancelot, if you can defeat my attendant, then I shall have a match with you."
All eyes landed on Merlin, who was sipping his drink right next to Shirou.
"??????"
Merlin appeared perplexed, and the others mirrored his confusion.
Lancelot's brow furrowed as he protested, "But this person is a magus, not a knight! A knight's match is all about swordsmanship!"
Shirou chuckled, "He's been with me for quite a few years now, and I've taught him a thing or two about swordsmanship. He's even considered a moderately accomplished knight under my command. So, Prince Lancelot, if you can beat him, you'll meet my condition, and then we can have that match."
"Okay!" Lancelot nodded solemnly.
He summoned Merlin and instructed him to face Lancelot in a sword duel.
Merlin appeared incredulous. He had never imagined that he would be shameless enough to propose such a preposterous suggestion!
He learned some swordsmanship from this guy? What a joke!
When it comes to swordsmanship, if Merlin is considered the second best, who would dare to claim to be the first?
Teaching him swordsmanship? How shameless!
Merlin was left speechless, unable to believe what he had just heard.
People often called him a trickster, but he had finally met someone even more cunning and deceitful than himself!
...
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