Chapter 3: Life Simulation System... Activated!
Britain's current situation is actually quite dire.
Although Rome had already withdrawn its troops from Britain during this period and was increasingly preoccupied with its own struggles amid barbarian uprisings and imperial decline, just as Rome faced barbarian threats, so too did Britain.
The previous King Uther, though hailed as an ideal monarch, couldn't change the fact that his younger brother—Britain's White Dragon, the vile King Vortigern—was determined to destroy the British Isles.
It was Vortigern who invited the Saxon barbarians and now leads them.
Even King Uther's final campaign against Vortigern and his Saxon hordes ended in failure, leaving this mess for the new king to inherit.
Beyond Vortigern and the Saxon barbarians, Britain now faces the southward advance of the Picts...
In terms of external threats, though Rome was gone, Britain found itself beset on all sides.
This was the situation Noah described to the knights during the sword-drawing ceremony.
But these were only external enemies.
Internally, Britain's situation was equally troubled.
This involved issues Noah hadn't known about before becoming the new king—namely, that Britain wasn't truly a unified nation but rather a massive alliance.
After Rome's withdrawal from Britain, over a dozen self-proclaimed kings emerged across the island...
King Uther was merely elected as alliance leader, honored as High King, but in reality he only served as head of the Thirteen Kings Alliance, while also being the strongest among them as King of Camelot.
The other twelve kings maintained cooperative relationships with him as nominal subordinates.
While things held together during his reign, his absence made these internal divisions potentially more dangerous than external threats.
Yet there was some good news amidst this.
The silver lining was that this was the world of Type-Moon.
The British Isles remained in the Age of Mysteries, the last remnant of that era, meaning that to become a unifying leader during this age required being a being of mystery.
Though the other twelve kings claimed royal titles, none possessed supernatural powers, disqualifying them from becoming true monarchs in Britain—hence the current fractured state.
While not quite descending into warlordism, both internal strife and external threats loomed enormous.
Contemplating this, Noah instinctively thought of himself.
—Did he actually qualify as a being with special powers?
He hadn't considered this before, but upon learning these facts, he realized his acceptance meant he possessed supernatural abilities compared to the other twelve kings.
As for his special power...
His ability to refine magical energy indicated at least the potential to become a magus—or what this era might call a wizard.
Beyond that...
"Could it be my innate understanding of this land's language? Does that count as a special ability?"
Or perhaps—a benefit of being a transmigrator?
Frankly, Noah found some aspects of this completely incomprehensible.
Moreover, shifting his mindset from knight to king proved challenging.
It took him several days of processing this information before he gradually accepted the reality of having become Britain's new monarch.
Moreover, upon Merlin's suggestion, he had successfully obtained something else—that is, the title of King Arthur.
Yes, he was now referred to as King Arthur!
This...
At this thought, Noah found himself momentarily at a loss for how to explain this to Morgan.
After all, he was the assassin sent by Morgan.
His target was the new king.
But now, he had become the new king himself... Surely Morgan wouldn't demand he commit suicide?
It was all rather complicated.
"Your Majesty, how have you considered the proposal I made to you yesterday?"
As Noah pondered these matters, a voice drifted in from outside the door. Just from its light, airy tone, Noah knew exactly who it was.
"Merlin, I've carefully considered your suggestion. I believe there is no issue with it. Aside from the veteran knights who pledged their loyalty to me during the sword-drawing ceremony, I do need to promote some younger, newer-generation knights."
As Noah spoke, Merlin stepped into the room.
"I'm glad you've given my proposal serious thought. I was afraid you might dismiss the new-generation knights as too young."
Hearing this, Noah shook his head slightly.
"If we're talking about youth, I'm younger than many of those new-generation knights, am I not? Enough of this idle chatter between us. So, Merlin, since you proposed this, do you have any candidates to recommend?"
"Of course."
Hearing Noah's words, Merlin smiled.
He had his own agenda from the start; otherwise, he wouldn't have made the proposal.
"Among the new-generation knights we can currently reach here in Camelot, I believe Sir Ector's son, Kay, is an exceptional candidate."
Noah nodded at Merlin's recommendation.
He was familiar with the name Kay.
This man was Artoria's foster brother and, in the original story, the third seat of the Knights of the Round Table.
As someone who had been selected for the Knights of the Round Table in the original tale, his prowess was beyond doubt. As for his character... though he was somewhat sharp-tongued and unrestrained, he was by no means a bad person.
In comparison...
At this thought, Noah's gaze settled on Merlin.
This old rogue before him was far worse than Kay.
The fact that he had made such a proposal and recommended Kay clearly indicated that, after his earlier attempt to push Artoria into becoming King Arthur had accidentally resulted in Noah's rise, he now had other plans.
Noah thought this, and Merlin was indeed acting accordingly.
"Ah, by the way, Your Majesty, in Sir Ector's household, there is actually another foster child named Arthur. Though he currently serves only as Kay's squire, I can vouch for his abilities. If you wish to raise more trusted followers, I would recommend him as well."
Here, Merlin deliberately paused, as if in thought, before speaking again.
"And... although I have no doubts about the loyalty of Sir Ector or Knight Kay, as a king, even when trusting your subordinates, it's wise to maintain certain bonds. I've heard that Knight Kay and this Arthur share a close relationship. By promoting Arthur, you could further secure the allegiance of both Sir Ector and Knight Kay."
Merlin's reasoning was sound and well-founded.
Noah nodded in agreement.
But just as Merlin was about to recommend Artoria to temporarily become a knight under the identity of Arthur before proceeding with subsequent plans, Noah, appearing to trust Merlin completely, directly issued the appointment.
"Since you, Merlin—the wise man acknowledged by the former king—have spoken thus, let it be so. First, assign the duties of patrolling Camelot and managing its access to Knight Kay. As for that Arthur... promoting him directly from squire to a position of great responsibility might not convince the public. So, let it be this way: make Arthur my personal guard."
"After all, I expect the Twelve Kings will cause some trouble soon, and with our current shortage of personnel, I may soon have to take to the battlefield. In that case, having Arthur by my side will allow him to better demonstrate his abilities."
Noah's reasoning was equally sound.
Moreover, he appeared both trusting of Merlin and considerate of his subordinates.
Yet Merlin was momentarily at a loss for words.
After all, though referred to as Arthur, it was actually Artoria... disguised as a man!
A female-disguised-as-male personal guard... quite the playboy's fantasy!?
The old rogue Merlin's mind involuntarily conjured up all sorts of inappropriate thoughts, but he refrained from saying anything further.
Firstly, Noah's argument was indeed logical.
Secondly, as an advisor, he could only counsel the king.
Besides, before becoming king, Noah had been known as the Knight of the Dawn and had never been associated with any scandals... so perhaps this arrangement would be acceptable!
Though it differed from Merlin's initial plan, after careful consideration, he nodded in agreement.
After handing the appointment to Merlin, Noah watched him leave the study and gradually let the smile fade from his face.
He had previously compiled a long list of Britain's internal and external troubles, and now, he silently added Merlin's name to the internal concerns.
Although Camelot, due to King Uther's arrangements following the Wizard Massacre, had become impervious to all magic—preventing Merlin from using his Clairvoyance with its map-revealing effects to see through Camelot's interior—this old rogue could not be ignored entirely.
It was clear he was still supporting Artoria.
So, was his intention to have me meet an untimely death, or was his support for Artoria merely part of his and King Uther's scheme against Vortigern?
The thought gave Noah a headache.
He was not skilled in such political machinations.
So, dwelling on these matters, Noah sighed inwardly.
Ah, if only I had Solomon's Clairvoyance, capable of seeing the past and the future.
Noah grew weary of pondering these troubles, and after a long while, he simply set them aside for the time being, amusing himself with lighthearted thoughts.
But just then, a sound echoed in his mind like a computer booting up.
[Beep—]
[Pulling the Sword in the Stone... condition fulfilled]
[Becoming King Arthur... condition fulfilled]
[Gaining the recognition of the original King Arthur... condition fulfilled]
[Making the original King Arthur one's knight... condition fulfilled]
[All conditions fulfilled]
[Life Simulation System... activated]