บท 5: The Round Table Family

Artorius wasn't joking when he mentioned having a way to save Britain. However, as a thirteen-year-old boy, his ability to do something for the country was indeed limited.

He didn't have any authority or say since he hadn't formally joined the Knights of the Round Table.

Even if he were to join the Knights of the Round Table, it wouldn't change much.

Although the term 'Round Table' symbolized equality, no one would be foolish enough to think that the words of King Arthur, Lancelot, or Gawain held the same weight as those of a newly promoted knight, right?

The round table had its hierarchy.

The closer someone was to King Arthur, the higher their status. And there were three factors that determined the position within the Knights of the Round Table: Identity, Abilities, Achievements, and Qualifications.

Let's not dwell on the first factor for now; abilities and achievements require time to accumulate, and qualifications even more so.

===

"Luckily, there is still some time before the downfall."

Leaving the living room, Artorius murmured while moving forward without hesitation. His goal was neither the White Dragon of Britain, the Witch of Britain, nor the Fairy of Avalon.

The first two were too terrifying, and the latter, though not as threatening, had an equally astonishing price to pay. Besides, she was unreliable—proof of that was the shitty gun that went off.

The interior of the white castle of Camelot was also pure white. It differed from the medieval castles with their cold, dim, and dirty perception. It was forever warm, forever bright, forever untainted.

Amidst a faint fragrance, Artorius stepped forward on the perpetually clean red carpet. As he passed by King Arthur's private study, he faintly heard some arguments. The knights were quarreling, as usual.

Even without considering the future split and civil war within the Knights of the Round Table, conflicts within the organization always existed.

For glory, for power, and for King Arthur's favor, there had always been a 'healthy competition' between Gawain's faction and Lancelot's faction.

Kay, Bedivere, and Agravain remained relatively neutral, not joining any faction, and their loyalty to King Arthur was relatively pure... In a way, they could be considered part of King Arthur's faction within the Knights of the Round Table.

Of course, this division was not entirely accurate. Overall, the Knights of the Round Table remained united and loyal to King Arthur. The lines between factions were not distinct.

Within Gawain's faction, there were also those like Gareth who were fans of Lancelot, while within Lancelot's faction, there existed a white-haired filial son who always wished to betray his own father.

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours—Perhaps only a ruler like King Arthur could gather these individuals and maintain a semblance of unity.

Artorius paid no attention to the quarrel in the study. As the Crown Prince, he didn't need to show excessive goodwill to any faction or individual, in order to prevent any one of them from misinterpreting his intentions.

In that regard, he understood human nature better than his mother.

If there were any aspects of Camelot that Artorius found displeasing, it would definitely be the lack of cute girls in maid attire.

The castle was a self-sufficient magical fortress. It didn't need servants, gardeners, or even chefs. The castle itself provided everything needed for the knights and their attendants who lived here.

So, as Artorius walked, he hardly encountered anyone. Not to mention once he ventured deeper underground.

His destination was his own magical workshop. Or rather, it was an adjunct of that bastard mage's workshop.

Just as Agravain speculated, Artorius had been conducting magical research secretly.

Merlin provided him with the most basic assistance under the pretext of 'that seems interesting'. This included but was not limited to, giving him magical books far beyond Artorius's current level, opening up almost all magical subjects that could instantly turn someone to ashes, and teaching Artorius everything he wanted to learn...

Such as mixing acids and alkalis, steel and steam engines, the periodic table of chemical elements, or even the manufacturing and maintenance of the colossal sentient computer called CCC.

After all, Artorius couldn't count on a day when the other versions of his mother wearing a baseball cap (MHX), his mother wearing glasses (MHXA), or even his mother in a mecha suit (MHXX) would appear before him in a spaceship and say, "Son! Come and inherit my spaceship! And my Knights of Dark Rounds! And my debts! Be careful not to be found by the debt collectors, Mother is going on the run!"

If such a situation were to occur, that would truly be disastrous, wouldn't it? He had to rely on himself if he wanted to climb the technological tree.

Ah, of course, learning magecraft in the general sense is no different.

As the Son of Dragon, Artorius had exceptional magical talents. Being directly descended from the highest-ranking Phantasmal Species and having the Red Dragon as his Magic Core, he was fundamentally different from a 'Mage' in terms of specifications. As he matured to his full potential, he could unleash devastating power directly.

But when it comes to the 'best' magecraft for him, surely, it's still the enhancement magecraft.

Faster speed, greater strength, sharper mind, quicker reflexes.

These kinds of magecraft were not used in Artorius's previous battle against Agravain earlier. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost.

As the saying goes, the one who has the most trump cards in hand holds the greatest advantage.

"So, Your Highness, what is your next task... Oh, creating an artificial being? I'm not actually very good at that. How about asking Lady Morgan?" Merlin appeared before Artorius again, a little later, and quickly confirmed Artorius's research direction before happily making such a suggestion.

Artorius rolled his eyes and didn't bother with this guy. 'Is this incubus joking? The so-called greatest mage is incompetent at something? Moreover, isn't my mother, Artoria, an artificial being he helped create?'

During the time when Artorius's grandfather, Uther Pendragon, feared the end of the Age of Gods and the imminent destruction of Britain because of a prophecy about the white and red dragons, he sought Merlin's assistance. Uther impregnated his wife, Igraine, with the aid of Merlin's magecraft resulting in Artoria being born with a Dragon Magic Core within her.

Artoria, under their control, existed as a manmade savior.

Compared to Mordred which had rapid growth and a short lifespan as a homunculus, or low-quality clones like the Misaka sisters from 'A Certain Magical Index', Artoria was more perfect.

While Morgan may have been powerful, Merlin could freely manipulate and create the most powerful illusions into reality, could summon and used Excalibur at will like nothing, had extensive knowledge of magecraft, and had magical energy comparable to, if not, exceeding Phantasmal Species.

All that was only a small part of of his capabilities. Merlin truly proved himself worthy of being a Grand Caster.