Fate: The Forged Arthur Pendragon

Before the temple hall,

Beneath the pure white Doric columns, 20 meters high and 2 meters wide,

Hector's face instantly darkened, annoyed by Callisthenes's deliberate provocation. He glared at the chronicler standing beside the King.

He clenched his fists several times, wishing he could slap that insolent mouth, but managed to restrain himself.

This man was the King's teacher, a talent recommended to the King by the great philosopher. Though his words were foul, his wisdom was currently needed to accomplish the King's grand endeavor.

However, Callisthenes seemed oblivious to Hector's dark face, smiling as he asked frankly:

"Knight of Britannia, why do you look so displeased?"

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Hasn't this always been the position you sought?"

"Once that King Arthur becomes a true monarch, you too will become a 'heroic' knight, having had the fortune to participate in his deeds."

Callisthenes stared deeply into Hector's eyes,

"There seems to be nothing wrong with that, does there?"

"You—" Hector could no longer tolerate it and pressed his hand onto the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Just then,

A clear, ringing laugh echoed from within the temple—

"Hahahahahaha!"

The laughter was like a sudden thunderstorm erupting in a snowy field, carrying the momentum of a thousand armies breaking through the morning mist, reverberating through the long corridor. Even the exotic birds and flowers painted on the pure white walls seemed to come alive.

"Callisthenes, do not trouble him!"

"Even the knights of the King of Britannia shall ultimately be my knights!"

"Enter!"

Hearing this voice, the three men before the hall simultaneously knelt on one knee, bowing their heads in response:

"Yes!"

Hector glared at Callisthenes again, then followed Seleucus into the temple.

Inside the temple, there were only three people present.

Attending to the left and right of the throne were:

First, Hector's father, an elderly knight with short black hair, a stern face, and clad in armor—the Chief of Staff responsible for devising the strategy for the conquest of Britannia, Parmenion.

Second, a young woman with yellow hair tied up, a charming appearance, wearing a blue and white robe, half-rimmed glasses, and a feather in her hair, appearing as a legally adult loli.

However, upon seeing this person, Hector did not underestimate them in the slightest due to their appearance. Instead, he quickly lowered his head and respectfully greeted them:

"Venerable Prophet."

And facing the third person, the tall figure on the throne, Hector dared not show the slightest disrespect. He and Seleucus knelt directly on one knee, bowing their heads deeply.

"Your Majesty!"

Aristotle nodded, smiling faintly:

"We were just speaking of you, and here you are."

And from the throne, that commanding female voice spoke again. Hector slightly raised his head and saw the figure on the throne propping their chin, staring at him with interest, and asking:

"Hector, tell me—"

"Is Knight Edoard truly Edoard?"

At the mention of this, Hector's heart flared with anger. He replied in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, Edoard's loyalty is beyond reproach, but the one who stole Edoard's honor is no knight!

"He is merely a thief, not even a professional! He stole Knight Edoard's honor and Noble Phantasm, then shamelessly accepted Sir Ector's protection and departed."

The figure on the throne held a compiled report detailing various accounts of the incident.

They immediately shook their head and chuckled dismissively:

"Do you still believe Edoard is the true Edoard? Such a feat alone could not have triggered the birth of a Noble Phantasm."

"The time Edoard left the army and the time his body was found simply do not match up, not to mention letting such a squire fight an heir of the Pendragon family; that's no different from having him fight a humanoid dragon."

"There are inconsistencies in the testimonies of the cavalry and the phalanx legions. Soldiers of the phalanx legion personally witnessed a young, handsome knight with golden hair and emerald eyes, carrying a rose, rushing towards Bourn's territory."

"Hector—"

Hearing this,

Hector's heart instantly tightened, cold sweat trickling down his back.

He knew well that there must be something amiss in this chaotic affair, but he had merely feigned ignorance for the sake of the Noble Phantasm.

Now that the truth was exposed, even with his father nearby, if he angered the King, he feared his position as commander of the Companion Cavalry might not be safe.

However,

The next moment, the alarmed Hector heard not the King's rebuke,

But—

"I ask you, that knight, that King, what kind of appearance does he possess?"

"Huh?"

Hector froze on the spot. When he regained his senses and tried to answer the King's question, he couldn't piece together the appearance of the thief who had stolen the Noble Phantasm.

He had not met Suya.

At this moment, a steady voice rescued Hector. Hector glanced over and saw it was his nominal superior, Seleucus.

"Your Majesty,"

"Hector did not meet that knight, but your humble servant did see the appearance of Britannia's future King."

The King of Conquerors laughed: "Oh? Tell me!"

Seleucus respectfully stated: "Even as an enemy, your humble servant must admit, his appearance is unparalleled!"

"That King has golden hair as dazzling as the sun, emerald eyes as clear as jade, and a delicate countenance capable of easily captivating women, along with a frail physique like that of a young deer."

"Hahahahahahaha, interesting!"

However,

Seleucus, who had anticipated the King's reaction, shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"But Your Majesty,"

"Your humble servant did not sense the aura of a king from that King. Had Sir Ector not been present, your humble servant would surely have beheaded this false king and presented it before you!"

"False king? Heh, Seleucus, you underestimate him."

The King of Conquerors looked at the booklet in her hand, chuckling with great interest:

"This King, alone, traversed my army of ten thousand, creating a miracle and legend named 'Edoard,' which was solely his own. He even set up a stage right under your nose, playing a fine act, toying with you, who are hundreds of times stronger than him—"

"And yet, all of you still underestimate him!"

"Interesting, truly too interesting!"

Seleucus frowned slightly, asking in confusion, "An act?"

The King of Conquerors scoffed, tapping her slender finger on the armrest of the throne, and said faintly:

"Ector died by my hand on the third day of the war. How could he be accompanying that King on the seventh day?"

Seleucus immediately reacted, asking in astonishment, "You mean, Sir Ector whom your humble servant saw—"

"Was fake?!"

The King of Conquerors chuckled, leaning up from the throne and looking to her right.

"Teacher, what do you think?"

The loli named Aristotle curved her lips, revealing a slightly mischievous, cunning smile:

"No matter how the deeds, legends, or even the physical body may change, as long as the soul remains constant, a person is always the same version of themselves. Therefore, he is both Knight Edoard, and Arthur Pendragon, and the creator who molded the character of 'Ector'."

"This King is worthy of becoming your Queen!"

Hearing this, the King of Conquerors was first stunned, then couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Become my Queen? Hahahahahahahahaha, Teacher, you truly dare to speak!"

"I just killed his father, buried his foster father, and am about to conquer his country, taking his knights, treasures, and land. And when he, in such a time of crisis, has just begun to reveal his kingly demeanor, you say he is worthy of becoming my Queen?"

Aristotle laughed:

"Is this not precisely your grand ambition, King of Conquerors!"

"This should not need me to teach you. You, who are born a King, should know—"

The King of Conquerors tapped her finger on the armrest of the throne, echoing the laughter, nodding, and curving her lips.

"Indeed!"

Her smile and the clinking sound of metal infused majesty and frankness into golden foil, scattering it rustling throughout the entire temple.

"A true King must be greedier than anyone, laugh more heartily than anyone, be more cruel than anyone when enraged, exhausting both the good and evil of human nature—"

At this point, the King of Conquerors abruptly stood up, her majestic and proud gaze sweeping across the faces of her ministers in the temple.

As if speaking of a matter concerning the survival of the state, she said heavily:

"I want to meet him!"

"I want to see if he is worthy of being my Queen!"

"Seleucus, tell me—who is the closest general to him now?"

Seleucus's lips twitched slightly, and he sighed softly. For a moment, he didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

The good thing was that the King, who had always shown no interest in men, was finally taking an interest in a young man as delicate as a flower.

The bad thing was that this young man was her sworn enemy, having killed his father, and soon, their country would be annihilated.

After thinking for a long time, he could only reply in a deep voice:

"It is your younger brother, Ptolemy."

The King of Conquerors pondered for a moment, then said: "Then, tell him to immediately capture the city of Saul and seal off the path we left open in advance."