At this very moment, as she looked at her status screen, Guinevere was on the verge of tears.
[You have been afflicted with the abnormal status: "My Beautiful Warrior."]
[As this status was acquired voluntarily by the player, all resistance to abnormal effects will not apply.]
[Abnormal Status - My Beautiful Warrior: A unique abnormal effect that can only be granted by Knocknarea. Upon forming a temporary pact—"The Queen's Contract"—with Knocknarea, this status activates. The bearer of the status will be able to draw strength from Knocknarea. In turn, their strength will also feed back into Knocknarea (this feedback will not reduce the bearer's attributes).]
[Based on the Queen's commands, the bearer will receive various additional buff effects. The current active buff is: "Move Like a Thunderclap."]
[This status can be actively requested from Knocknarea, but cannot be ended at will.]
[Under this status, you will be regarded as Knocknarea's soldier, and it will be difficult to disobey most of her commands.]
Huh?
After reading her status screen, Guinevere was frozen.
Was this what they meant when they said, "All gifts from fate are marked with a price in the fine print"?
Was she about to get dragged away by Knocknarea and wrung dry as a laborer?
Given the legacy left by the former queen Medb, Knocknarea never held humans in particularly high regard. It wasn't that she hated them per se—she just saw them as a weak species, unfit for frontline combat. The best use for them, in her opinion, was being tossed into factories and worked to death.
Guinevere still remembered the last time the Sword Saint visited Knocknarea's Edinburgh—it was infamous for its chocolate factories that supposedly exploited their workers relentlessly... Though to be fair, the "exploitation" might not have been that bad in practice... But still! The thought of growing old and dying in some factory—no way, absolutely not!
[Though unwilling in your heart, you are unable to disobey Knocknarea's order. You are forcibly returned to Edinburgh along with her forces and Murian.]
"Knocknarea! Be a decent person, would you?!"
Just as Guinevere was about to be placed in the vanguard of the marching troops, ready to depart, Artoria suddenly sprang at Knocknarea with flailing limbs:
"You used some dirty trick again, didn't you?! This is cheating! How can you force Guinevere to leave with you?!"
Balan came charging in right behind her, filled with righteous fury, like a debt collector come to settle scores.
But in the face of their fierce approach, Knocknarea remained calm and said coolly:
"If you two dare to attack me... I'll call Guinevere over to protect me. You want that?"
"—Knocknarea, you're despicable! Shameless! Is this how you steal a man?!"
Hearing that, Artoria and Balan nearly exploded. Their faces were flushed with rage, teeth gritted like they wanted to tear Knocknarea limb from limb.
Yet no matter how furious they were, they didn't dare take even a single step closer. They stayed rooted to the spot, only continuing their tirade in refined British insults... It was clear Knocknarea's threat had hit its mark.
To be fair, their curses were a bit over the top. Balan was still sort of playful, hurling things like "idiot" or "jerk." But Artoria—she was basically a full-fledged native at this point. While she hadn't yet brought Queen Medb into it out of some lingering respect, she knew how to land a verbal blow. She had started digging up Knocknarea's past scandals.
That, Knocknarea couldn't stand.
"Insults? Verbal attacks count as attacks too, you know. Keep it up, and I'll call Guinevere over."
And then—the world fell silent.
The curses stopped dead. Only two dagger-like glares remained, both filled with murderous intent.
Yes, if looks could kill, Knocknarea would've died a thousand deaths. Unfortunately, Artoria wasn't actually a native, and Balan didn't possess the heroic eye-beams of someone like Karna. So in the end, with their weak spot firmly in Knocknarea's grasp, the two could only grit their teeth, turn around, and rejoin Oberon and Redra, trailing far behind Knocknarea's entourage without another word.
What they didn't notice, however, was that after silencing them, Knocknarea discreetly glanced toward Guinevere, who was walking among the soldiers ahead. Seeing that he hadn't overheard their exchange, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Truth be told, it was only because Artoria and Balan cared too much about Guinevere that they couldn't bring themselves to fight him—so they lost the psychological advantage. If they had called Knocknarea's bluff and she really had to send Guinevere after them… she wouldn't have gone through with it.
Not because she was so principled, but because she feared it would hurt her standing with Guinevere... Luckily, Guinevere hadn't heard any of it.
Yet after a few more glances at him, Knocknarea suddenly realized something else—
[Before setting out again, you noticed Artoria and Balan arguing with Knocknarea behind you.]
[Though you couldn't hear the details, you could guess the reason—it was obviously about trying to get you back from forced labor.]
[But seeing the two return in frustration and follow behind Knocknarea's group from a distance... the results seemed pretty grim.]
[Just as you're filled with anxiety about your future, Knocknarea suddenly summons you to her side.]
After gazing at Guinevere's face for a moment, Knocknarea cleared her throat and casually said:
"Now that I think of it, you don't have a mount, do you? My squad is all cavalry, since we needed to hurry here... I can't have you walking all the way back."
Her face was the picture of troubled benevolence.
"Besides, our victory against Lancelot is thanks in no small part to your bravery. As Queen, I always reward merit and punish failure. I can't let you be treated unfairly, now can I?"
Then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, she clapped her hands together and declared:
"How about this—I'll make a rare exception and allow you to ride with me. But don't get the wrong idea, alright? This is just a Queen showing appreciation for your hard work. Don't start thinking anything inappropriate."
"Uh?" Guinevere blinked, stunned.
But before he could reply, a masked northern fairy suddenly leapt out:
"Absolutely not! Lady Knocknarea is the one to whom we all swear allegiance! She must not ride with a mere human! If it's about providing a mount, please leave it to me—I can ride with him!"
Though he hadn't stood out much earlier among the masked warrior-fairies, Guinevere immediately recognized him as Aiken, Knocknarea's right-hand man and captain of her royal guard.
Knocknarea herself looked a bit surprised by Aiken's sudden outburst. She studied him for a moment before replying:
"...I appreciate your loyalty, but in the battle just now, I was injured by Lancelot. Riding back on horseback will be tiring. Let's consider this warrior's aid as compensation—"
"My Lady! There's no need for you to suffer! I'll offer my mount to him, and if you feel exhausted, I will carry both you and your horse on my back all the way back!"
As he spoke, Aiken slapped his burly chest and thick thighs with confidence:
"Rest assured, Lady Knocknarea! As your most valiant warrior, even burdened with you and your steed, I won't fall behind the others!"
"..."
Knocknarea was speechless.
After a pause, she said softly:
"All right, Aiken. Since you too fought bravely just now, come closer and let me check if you're injured."
"My Lady, I'm not hurt—"
But before he could finish, Knocknarea suddenly cut him off:
"I said come here. That's an order."
"Yes!"
Aiken snapped to attention, a hint of unease in his heart, and stepped forward.
He barely reached her when Knocknarea placed a glowing hand on his masked head and exclaimed:
"Huh? Aiken, you look quite injured!"
"Eh? My Lady, I'm not—"
Before he could finish, a faint light flared from her hand. Aiken's head slumped sideways, and he passed out on the spot.
He nearly toppled over, but Knocknarea caught him with ease.
"Sigh... Looks like Captain Aiken pushed himself too hard in the previous battle. While he's not wounded, he's clearly exhausted. Passed right out."
Then she looked around and called to her guards:
"Someone take him away. Be gentle. Let him rest. Don't wake him."
After that, she straightened up and returned to her usual regal poise. But as she looked back at Guinevere, the corners of her lips twitched in satisfaction.
With the obstacle conveniently knocked out via "miracle," the path was clear...
"Uh, excuse me. Since Captain Aiken is out cold... doesn't that mean his mount is now free?"
"Huh?"
Hearing her confused response, Guinevere continued:
"If that's the case, perhaps I could watch over Captain Aiken on the way back. I do have some riding experience, and I'd ensure he gets back safely."
"..."
Knocknarea stared at him for a few seconds, searching for an excuse—and found none. Finally, she sighed in resignation.
"...Very well. Let it be as you say."
Her voice carried the weight of defeat.
As Guinevere hoisted Aiken onto the saddle and mounted up himself, Murian leaned in beside Knocknarea and whispered:
"Say... Knocknarea, since you're this concerned about Guinevere not having a horse..."
"—What about me?"
Murian pointed at herself.