"Hmm… fine workmanship."
Shiomi paused at a stall and picked up a mirror to examine it.
The stall owner immediately broke into a smile. One glance told him this customer was no ordinary man—accompanied by a fully armored knight, he was likely a minister of Londinium.
"If you fancy our mirrors, sir, this one isn't expensive. Just five silver coins."
"Silver-plated frame, elegant engravings. It's worth the price." Shiomi turned slightly, seeking Artoria's opinion.
Artoria, still wearing her helmet, shook her head, indicating she didn't need it.
Shiomi set the mirror back down and continued walking with her along the street.
Though the stall owner looked disappointed at losing the sale, he said nothing. He simply wiped the mirror and returned it to its place.
"It seems the citizens of Londinium don't recognize you," Artoria noted.
"I hardly appear in public except during war," Shiomi explained calmly. "Even without using perceptual interference Magecraft, the citizens wouldn't recognize who I am."
"What's the point of that?" Artoria asked.
"The highest ruler is the one whose presence goes unnoticed," Shiomi replied. "The people of Londinium know a God King exists, but the fact they can't recognize me even when I walk right past them is… valuable."
"Indeed. Walking through the city like this, we look no different from everyone else—just people who live here." Artoria looked around thoughtfully.
"Isn't it more comfortable that way?" Shiomi said, sounding a little proud. "I doubt you were ever able to stroll through your own capital like this."
"Of course not," Artoria admitted.
Most Londinium citizens wore clothing that wasn't luxurious, yet it was clean and neat—a mix of old and new, with very few torn or worn pieces. Shiomi himself wore a slightly aged brocade robe, making him look like a well-off resident of the inner city, certainly not someone the public would immediately identify as the God King of Londinium.
Artoria's attention was drawn to an armory at the roadside, where the owner was hammering a red-hot, half-formed blade.
"That man is—"
"The Black Knight, Ector. After I suddenly halted the war against Camelot seventeen years ago, he withdrew from the front. On the days he doesn't need to report to the barracks, he works in his own smithy. It's his personal hobby." Halfway through explaining, Shiomi paused as something occurred to him. "Now that I think about it, your foster father—the one who raised you before you drew the Sword in the Stone—was also named Ector, wasn't he?"
Sir Kay's biological father, the noble who secretly raised and trained Artoria Pendragon.
"It's more than that…" Artoria murmured, a hint of emotion in her voice. "This Black Knight truly resembles my foster father."
"But your foster father was human, wasn't he? The Black Knight of Londinium is one of the few remaining fairies." Shiomi shook his head. "He has followed Morgan and me for four thousand years."
"That really is an age of legend…" Artoria exhaled softly, unsure what else to say.
She wasn't sure if she should greet him, but Shiomi had already walked up to the smithy and exchanged greetings with the Black Knight, who was tempering an iron sword.
Ector looked slightly surprised at the unfamiliar knight standing beside Shiomi, but he didn't ask about it here. He simply chatted with Shiomi in casual, familiar tones.
After much deliberation, Artoria decided against greeting him. He wasn't the foster father she knew, after all. She simply listened as their conversation about forging weapons gradually shifted toward military affairs.
"The army hasn't grown lax despite more than ten years of peace. You truly intend to—"
Ector lifted the sword he had just quenched, showing no particular concern over whether it turned out well.
Before he could finish his sentence, a flustered voice approached. A man in a white robe and white cloak came stumbling toward Shiomi, holding a tray of sliced melon. It looked as though someone had bumped into him and he couldn't dodge in time.
He was about to collide with Shiomi and send the melon crashing to the ground, but Shiomi steadied him with a raised hand, allowing the man to regain his balance.
"Oh dear, my apologies… These are freshly bought melons. I was too caught up thinking about how to enjoy them and didn't notice anyone passing by—" He apologized cheerfully, then froze in exaggerated surprise once he clearly saw who he'd run into. "Why, isn't this…"
"Incognito today. Best not to draw attention. Otherwise, I could have you expelled from Londinium at any time, Oberon." Shiomi's smile remained faint. "Allowing a fairy like you to enter Londinium at all is already a considerable kindness."
"Yes, yes, of course. After all, Londinium is the only place in Britannia where hardly anyone recognizes me or cares about my origins. I'm here on vacation. I wouldn't be stupid enough to offend the authorities." Oberon replied with casual flippancy.
"Then let's leave it at that." Shiomi continued smiling.
Oberon sighed weakly. "I should find a nice scenic spot to enjoy these melons. In Your Majesty's presence, I truly have no leisure or appetite."
With that, he strolled off with his tray of melon as if his sudden appearance had been pure coincidence.
"Oberon? The legendary Fairy King?" Artoria finally asked.
After Shiomi exchanged farewells with Ector, the two resumed walking toward the outer district.
"What is it?" he asked.
"That man's aura… Rather than a fairy, he felt more like a dragon," Artoria said. "As someone who carries the blood of the Red Dragon, I can sense it."
"You're very sharp," Shiomi replied, unsurprised. "But don't let it bother you. That fairy—Oberon—is only here to gather intelligence. He can't do anything beyond that."
"Gather intelligence?" Artoria blinked. "If he's a spy, then why not—"
"Even if we captured or eliminated him, it would only treat the symptoms, not the cause." Shiomi smiled quietly. "Better to let the line run and catch the bigger fish. Let him wander freely for now."
But when he stepped into the shade of a nearby building, Artoria saw his familiar smile lose its warmth, turning cold as frost.
"With me here, he can't raise any storms. In this Britannia, only I decide when clouds gather and when rain falls."
"That isn't something to be proud of," Artoria said.
And just as he stepped out of the shadow, Shiomi's smile regained its warmth.
"Let's not talk about that anymore. There are still many places I want to show you. This is the ideal city I built as a tribute to your legend."
"Mm."
...
For more chapters, feel free to follow me on P@treon.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
[email protected]/PinkSnake