The main reason Kay kept the head of the Frost Giant King was to use it as a refrigerator. While storing food next to a hideous, snarling head definitely tested one's tolerance, once you got used to it, it was actually fine—maybe even a little darkly Gothic. If you were really into that aesthetic, you could even hug the Frost Giant King's head while you slept and use it as an air conditioner.
Kay's explanation sent a shiver down everyone's spine, though a few carefree souls thought it was a brilliant idea. After all, everyone knew that colder temperatures preserved food better.
"Father, I think we should put this thing in our storage room!" Arthur's bold nature was on full display. After getting over his initial fear, the boy excitedly retrieved the Frost Giant's head and suggested it to his father...
King Uther glared at his perpetually scatterbrained son, gritting his teeth. "Don't even think about it!"
Kay happily watched the father-son interaction. After being away for so many years, he genuinely missed the atmosphere of home. Life outside was exciting, but it always lacked this kind of warmth.
"Alright, Arthur, put that thing down. I was just joking. That's my trophy and a symbol of my friendship with King Buli. There's no way I'm letting you put it in the kitchen." Kay took the head back from Arthur and placed it back in its box, ending the 'dispute' between the two.
Next, Kay picked up a few boxes from a pile of parcels. He first presented a long, slender box to Arthur.
"This is your gift."
Kay was Arthur's older brother, and he had watched Arthur grow up, so Arthur never felt the need to be polite with him. He eagerly ripped open the box and pulled out the contents.
It was a longsword, about 4.6 feet in length, with a lengthened grip and a blade approximately three and a half inches wide. It wasn't wildly different from a standard knight's sword, but unlike common steel, this sword had a dark golden hue and a minimalist, majestic design. The crossguard was shaped like two dragons guarding the blade—a design perfectly suited to Arthur's status. (King Arthur's family crest is traditionally a Red Dragon.)
Arthur had received the strictest knightly training since childhood and knew more about weapons than he did about his own clothes. The moment he held the sword, he knew it was an absolute masterwork!
"I had a master Dwarven smith in Asgard specially forge this sword for you. Its material comes from the hardest, most mysterious metal found beneath the Northern Ice Fields. I spent nearly all my savings on it. So, use it well, Arthur."
In truth, the forging of this sword was more difficult than Kay let on. The main material was a rare metal called "Adamant," and the first time Kay heard the name, he almost thought the Dwarf was a fellow traveler from another world. After all, in his past life, although Kay hadn't read many novels, he had read a few Western fantasy books and knew that Adamant was entirely fictional, a metal of pure fantasy.
But upon learning more, Kay realized he was mistaken. Although it was called Adamant, this magical rare metal was completely different from the 'Adamantium' he'd read about in novels.
This magical metal called Adamant was incredibly light—less than a quarter the weight of an equal volume of iron, which completely contradicted the fictional versions. However, its hardness and cutting ability were exactly as described in those stories.
Its rarity was also comparable, if not superior. If Kay hadn't done the Dwarven race a favor, those greedy Dwarves would never have given up the material. Even so, Arthur's longsword wasn't made entirely of Adamant; it was mixed with other metals. However, the Dwarves of the North were peerless smiths whose alloying techniques far surpassed those of this era, resulting in a sword of incredibly high quality that did not disgrace the Adamant.
The Dwarves and King Buli had originally intended to enchant the sword, but Kay declined their offer, considering King Uther's attitude towards magic.
The longsword was sharp and strong, but it had no magical effects.
Arthur handled the sword Kay had given him, absolutely loving it. He swung it twice and found the balance and structure to be flawless, perfectly effortless. He loved the sword more the longer he looked at it, but then the tip of the blade accidentally grazed a nearby wine jug and some cups.
The Celtic peoples of this time did not yet have high-end ceramics, primarily using earthenware, while the palace used metal goods—for instance, King Uther's favorite wine cup was pure gold.
But when Arthur's sword struck the jug and cups, the blade passed through them without resistance, as if it hadn't touched anything at all.
After about five seconds, the jug and cups slowly split in two—or rather, they slid into two. The severed upper halves of the jug and cups slid soundlessly to the ground, spilling wine everywhere. The cut was perfectly smooth, without a single burr.
Everyone gasped... They had never imagined a weapon could be so sharp. Every man present looked at the longsword in Arthur's hands with fervent awe. They were all knights, and no knight could resist a divine weapon.
In their eyes, the longsword in Arthur's hands was comparable to the legendary artifacts of Celtic mythology!
Arthur also inhaled sharply. This thing was truly too sharp; for a moment, he worried the sword might accidentally cut him.
Kay was unbothered. He patted Arthur on the shoulder and said, "Be sure to use this weapon wisely from now on."
"Does the sword have a name?" Arthur asked urgently, snapping back to reality.
"Excalibur," Kay said with a touch of mischief, using the name "Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory." He then turned his attention away from Arthur and toward King Uther.
King Uther was now filled with anticipation. He had originally not been interested in Kay's gift, and he even disapproved of Kay's decade of world travel, believing it too ambitious. A true man should shoulder his responsibilities, not chase after ephemeral things. But Kay's gift to Arthur had delighted him.
Like all knights—no, like all men—King Uther had absolutely no resistance to a divine weapon.
Unfortunately, Kay didn't make a habit of giving the same gift twice, and besides, he had no place to find more of a treasure like Adamant. Kay's gift to King Uther this time was a crown!
It was a crown of extreme splendor, and, even more remarkably, it was composed entirely of coral and pearls.
"This crown is called the Fisherman's Crown. It was a gift to me from the King of the Fishermen's Kingdom during my travels in Atlantis. Though the name isn't terribly grand, this crown is the most precious treasure of the Fishermen's Kingdom. It's a crown naturally formed from coral, without any polishing. The Atlanteans simply added a few golden pearls to it."
Hearing Kay's explanation, King Uther's expression became one of intense satisfaction. In fact, the moment Kay produced the crown, he was already ecstatic. While it wasn't a legendary weapon, a coral crown was enough to delight him unexpectedly.
The seafaring skills of the Celtic peoples were not great—otherwise, they wouldn't have been stuck just sailing around Britain—and this meant that coral and pearls were exceedingly rare in the Celtic kingdoms, making them treasures more precious than gold or jewels. Other kings would be perfectly happy to have a few chips of coral embedded in their crowns, and one single embedded pearl would be the envy of all other monarchs.
And this crown Kay had given him? It was entirely composed of the most beautiful red coral, naturally formed, and the slightly golden pearls on it were priceless. King Uther even suspected that if he chose to sell the crown, there might be a king willing to trade his entire city for it.
With this crown, King Uther could proudly proclaim the wealth and power of Camelot to everyone. This was an absolutely irresistible temptation for a king.
Finally, Kay turned his gaze to Morgana, who stood nearby. Morgana had been watching Kay with a proud smile as he stood there, full of vigor, receiving everyone's awe.
It wasn't until Kay looked at her that Morgana snapped out of her daze, her face immediately flushed.
Kay stepped forward, took Morgana's hand, and playfully tousled the girl's hair.
"And our Morgana! How could I ever forget my dearest little sister?" With that, Kay led Morgana to a pile of boxes. Pointing at them, he said, "These are all yours, my beautiful Princess Morgana."
The servants then eagerly rushed to open the boxes. Given the presentation of the two previous gifts, no one believed that Sir Kay's gifts for Princess Morgana would be ordinary.
When the boxes were opened, the sight was dazzling. Everyone was blinded by the contents.
They held exotic golden jewelry, gems, art pieces, and mysterious silks. But the most attention-grabbing items were a complete suit of ladies' armor and a pair of slightly shorter knightly swords. These items all radiated wealth—even the well-traveled King Uther thought he had stumbled into his own treasury.
Seeing all these things, Morgana suddenly felt a little flustered. Of course, she loved the gifts Kay gave her, but they were simply too valuable! They were so precious that she didn't know how to react.
King Uther was a frugal king; while he cared about appearances, he was not privately extravagant. As King Uther's adopted daughter, Morgana had never lacked anything, but she had also never seen such an overwhelming display of wealth.
"What's wrong, my lovely Lady Morgana? Are you going to reject your Kay? That would be heartbreaking!" Kay said with mock sadness.