Agravain said, trembling with awe, "At this late hour, how dare we trouble you to co to the throne."
"Pardon my rude words."
Agravain showed reverence, "You have ruled this place for half a year, and the Holy Capital grows more prosperous day by day. The markets bustle, the nation is at peace."
"Fields stretch for a thousand kilotres with golden waves of grain, orchards heavy with jade and agate. Spices and silks line the stalls, rchants co and go without end. Smoke from street food curls up…"
"The sky is clear and cloudless, the harvest is abundant, even the winds of famine and desolation are cut off from the world."
"I, your humble subject, all rely on our King's light…"
"Re…report! Lord Agravain!"
An Enforcent Knight cried out in a panicked voice.
Agravain's face went dark; he nearly kicked him.
'Didn't you see flattering you just now?'
Keeping his cold expression unchanged, Agravain forced out, "What is it? Why are you so flustered in front of the King… If you disturb Her Majesty over a trivial matter, it would be no less than a capital offense!"
"The treasury, the treasury is in crisis!"
The Enforcent Knight spoke anxiously, even with tears in his voice, "That… that red-haired hungry ghost ate all our grain! And he's not full yet!"
Lion King: "?"
Mordred: "?"
Tristan: "…"
Agravain's face blackened.
He'd been flattering and now this happened. Not only was his face on the line, the Lion King's face was bruised too.
Seeing Mordred trying not to laugh, though knowing it was grossly disrespectful, she simply couldn't help herself.
But with her father present, she couldn't laugh.
'No way, try to hold it in for forty seconds…'
'Ha, I really can't hold it even one second!'
"You go downstairs first."
Fortunately Agravain was experienced, at least outwardly, "By the way, do not let that red-haired hungry ghost eat!"
"Yes!"
The Enforcent Knights obeyed.
"O revered Lion King."
Agravain half-knelt on the ground, "Please treat this incident as a mistake; it is my dereliction of duty… I am willing to accept punishnt."
He bowed his head awaiting punishnt.
"No need for that, Agravain."
The Lion King pardoned him in a tone without any fluctuation, "For sothing like this, one can only say the Holy Capital is not yet perfect. Also, who is this red-haired hungry ghost?"
"…"
"Feel free to tell ."
The face hidden behind the Lion King's mask was calm, "I ca precisely to hear my knights' reports."
"…Please pardon , my King."
Agravain said, "He is precisely the one you personally ordered imprisoned as a qualified mber of the holy vestnts, and he is also the murderer who killed Sir Gawain."
"…"
A long silence.
Silence long enough to make Agravain uneasy; he dared the cri of impudence and blurted, "My King?"
"Never mind…"
The Lion King briefly skipped over that topic and turned to ask, "Tristan, is there anything you must report?"
Tristan imdiately made a bow and said, "My King, what I am about to say is related to this matter."
"By your command I imprisoned the red-haired hungry ghost; furthermore, because of Sir Gawain's dereliction, we lost twenty-four Enforcent Knights, the formation was broken through, and over three hundred refugees escaped."
"They split into two groups, one went toward the mountainous area. The other was hidden by suspicious rchant-bandits; their whereabouts cannot be determined."
"rchants?"
Mordred finally stopped smiling, "Wasn't that Agravain's responsibility?"
At the ti the rchants were entirely under his charge.
Agravain fell silent.
Mordred taunted, "Looks like you didn't finish killing them all, then."
"Indeed," Agravain admitted, "and the leader of the rchants' bodies has yet to be confird."
"That is my report, my King."
Tristan sighed, "The departure of my friend Sir Gawain grieves greatly. Please, my King, impose upon that… red-haired hungry ghost the punishnt he deserves; I will personally slay him to avenge Sir Gawain."
"…"
The Lion King was silent for a mont, then said, "We will discuss that matter later…"
She shifted the topic, "Mordred, I recall that you have been granted residency rights in the Holy Capital?"
Without giving the other a chance to speak, the Lion King said coldly, "You may remain in the Holy Capital only for three days; return to the territory that suits you."
"All right, all right."
Mordred, who had taken note of the earlier Enforcent Knight's appearance, said, "I'll go back to the wastes now… hm, leave the outside defenses to , my King!"
After Mordred left, Agravain said, "My King, though this question may not be appropriate here, now that Sir Gawain has exited the stage… why not station Mordred in the Holy Capital to strengthen our forces?"
"That's not a question worth asking, Agravain."
The Lion King spoke without feeling, even sowhat coldly, "Do you an you want to be punished for the previous poor arrangent of provisions?"
"…No! No, I only think—", Agravain, so frightened he couldn't even call himself a subordinate, stamred in panic, "Mordred garrisoning the Holy Capital would make our defenses more solid! Besides, with Sir Gawain gone…"
"There is no need!"
The Lion King cut him off without courtesy, "That one is only useful outside. We will sooner or later go to war with the Sun King, until then, let her live."
The divine, indifferent radiance of the Lion King shone through in full force.
Agravain had no reply.
"…I see, so a brief taste of freedom is the best reward… then why not let her chase the refugees? She'd be glad to relieve the King's burden."
He was doing his best.
Unexpectedly, the Lion King said, "Completely unnecessary. You need not concern yourselves; those refugees will die out in the wastes anyway."
"The Sun King is likely to have noticed our true intent soon as well. Make preparations to do battle with him."
"When the knights from the lake return, that will be the ti for the decisive battle with the Sun King."
Having announced this, the Lion King left, dropping them both behind.
The palace fell silent for a long while.
Tristan then sighed, "My friend's death pains ; being unable to avenge him pains even more. No doubt the Red-Haired Hungry Ghost's deeds of killing a Knight of the Round will soon be drunkly sung in taverns."
"Thinking like that, the sorrow flows back into a river…"
Agravain said, "Even you, reversed, are still so sentintal."
"Sorrow won't be washed away; if even slaughter is restrained, that would be sothing truly to mourn."
Though he spoke of sadness, Tristan asked, "Really, do we not pursue the refugees, Agravain?"
"Of course not," Agravain said, "the King's decree cannot be disobeyed, but… refugees are refugees. Besides them, aren't there traitors as well?"
The king's aide's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
"Destroying the holy vestnts can also be deed rebellion; such people must be pursued."
"As for what happens during pursuit, if various things occur causing refugees to die, that is force majeure."
"I see."
Tristan said,n"That's so like you, Agravain. Then, whom do you intend to assign this task to?"
"…Hmm, at present there are knights idle without affairs."
Agravain called over an Enforcent Knight, "Imdiately contact Sir Lancelot, who is returning to the Holy Capital, and order him to pursue the rebels. Tell him he is not allowed to return to the Holy Capital until the matter is settled."
———
"Lady Mordred!"
The voice of the Enforcent Knight outside the cell woke Shirou, who had eaten and drunk his fill.
Opening his eyes, their coldness montarily flickered and then returned to normal.
'Mordred, isn't she supposed to be out in the wastes? What is she doing here?'
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