Ever since the Lion King took Mordred for a ride through East Street, a mysterious group had quietly begun roaming the streets and alleys of the Holy City, striking wherever they pleased.
In Camelot, everyone from petty thieves and street thugs to arrogant nobles who abused their power became targets of this mysterious gang.
Unscrupulous people who committed misdeeds during the day would often be ambushed on their way home or while heading out. A brick would fly from nowhere, or a wooden club would come crashing down, knocking them unconscious before they were dragged into some dark corner and thoroughly beaten.
By early the next morning, the citizens of Camelot would often discover several bullies who had been swaggering around arrogantly the previous day, now covered in bruises with swollen faces. They would be stripped of their clothes and either stuffed into trash bins with evidence of their crimes hanging around their necks, or dumped outside the sheriff's residence or the camp of the Enforcement Knights.
According to the victims' tearful, snot-streaked testimony, it had been too dark, and their attackers had struck so viciously that they never got a good look at them. The only thing they could say for certain was that the assailants seemed rather short. They were also exceptionally skilled at erasing their traces and escaping afterward, unmistakably the work of professional repeat offenders.
And Camelot's troublemakers were not their only targets. Whenever these mysterious vigilantes happened across lost belongings or residents facing difficult problems, they would often solve those issues along the way.
After each operation, the group usually left behind a crooked emblem. According to those knowledgeable on the subject, it was a symbol and script unique to fairies, and the divine markings resembled those used by the Savior Squad that had appeared during the suppression of the calamity in the southern region.
Thus, rumors began spreading that Fairy Knights were active throughout Camelot.
Apparently, there were good fairies as well as bad ones.
The public was astonished, and their opinion of fairies improved dramatically.
Several slave-trading rings hidden within Camelot were also exposed by them. This not only provided the Enforcement Knights with a convenient boost to their record, but also led careful observers to discover that these slavers seemed to have countless connections with certain noble families.
After all, their targets were not limited to fairies and rare Magical Beasts. They also trafficked large numbers of humans.
Ordinary people made up the overwhelming majority of the population. They had already been born into lives of toil under Britannia's social order, yet those insatiable nobles still wanted to squeeze them dry and extract every last bit of value from them.
The common people of Camelot naturally found it easy to sympathize with the weaker side, and many secretly applauded the slavers' misfortune.
The Fairy Knights who carried out these acts of justice quickly became the newest source of inspiration for wandering bards.
More and more stories began circulating. Tales of people encountering fairies and receiving blessings, following their guidance on adventures and gaining wealth, or fairy spirits appearing to punish evildoers spread throughout the city.
The fairies' reputation rose considerably. Not only did this dilute the previous negative rumors, it also made humans far more curious and fascinated by their existence.
As for those insiders who had more or less guessed the identities of these volunteer Knights, some silently turned a blind eye, while others kept their mouths firmly shut and hid their own tracks, not daring to say a word.
Before anyone quite noticed, the atmosphere throughout Camelot had begun to change.
At that moment, the Ancient Serpent, mastermind behind the entire public opinion campaign, was crouched at home over his desk, trying to remember more interesting fairy legends from his previous life.
With his inspiration running dry lately, Samael shamelessly gave several fairy tales a complete overhaul.
For example, Snow White restored her kingdom with the help of earth fairies. Cinderella received a blessing from her fairy godmother, put on crystal slippers, and obtained a happy marriage. Beauty wandered into a castle in the forest, was rescued by a prince of the Fang Clan, and the two ultimately entered into a cross-species union...
Mm. Add a few wicked stepmothers, foolish nobles, hypocritical members of high society, and ruthless creditors.
Perfect!
The newest stories being spread by the bards over the next few days would probably once again involve fairies, the hottest topic of the moment, and the content would naturally be warm and heartwarming.
After working for a while, the Ancient Serpent tossed the freshly polished booklet aside with satisfaction, the corners of his lips curling upward.
Whitewashing reputations was one of his specialties.
After all, following the War of the Holy Covenant, that entire collection of heroes and Divine Spirits, each burdened with debts and all manner of troublesome baggage, had been cleansed of their sins by him and sent to slumber in the Inner Sea of the Planet.
Correcting the fairies' bad reputation and easing humanity's hostility toward the species was hardly difficult for Samael.
Tiamat, Mother of Evil Dragons, who had regained her reason and divine throne. Ishtar, Goddess of Heaven, who protected Uruk at a critical moment. Gorgon, Goddess of Demonic Beasts, and Ere, Goddess of the Underworld. Enkidu, who turned away from darkness. Altera, the vanguard of the Wandering Star who submitted. Nero, the Roman tyrant who had become much more obedient...
They were all his previous masterpieces.
And you still want to smear the fairies and manipulate public opinion?
With that pitiful level of skill?
Go clean up your own filthy mess before trying to play this game with me.
In all of Britannia, who besides me could whitewash something like this?
Samael gave a proud snort, then looked down at himself, blackened from head to toe by all the blame he had accumulated over the years.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little sorry for himself.
While the Ancient Serpent brooded over all the blame he had shouldered, the Fairy Knights currently being praised throughout Camelot were happily playing a role-playing game of kings in the courtyard.
Mordred had won the right to play King through a card game. Wearing the King's Sword of Radiant Splendor (Clarent), a gift the Lion King had granted her from the armory, she strutted proudly around her kingdom, which was approximately the size of the courtyard.
After finishing her triumphant inspection, she ordered the card players who had lost and become her subjects to kneel properly before her.
Mordred then raised the greatsword and laid it horizontally across the shoulders of Barghest, Baobhan Sith, Melusine, and the others in turn. Mimicking Artoria's movements during a knighting ceremony, she deliberately lowered her voice and put on a majestic expression.
"Barghest, by the authority vested in me as King, I hereby appoint you as one of my Fairy Knights and bestow upon you the name [Gawain]!"
Sir Gawain. Such crisp and confident movements, with a subtle display of impressive arm strength besides.
Somehow, Barghest felt an unusually strong affinity with the title. Quite satisfied, she solemnly accepted both the knighting and her new name.
Likewise, Baobhan Sith and Melusine received new names from Mordred and were respectively appointed Fairy Knight Tristan and Fairy Knight Lancelot.
Neither of them cared all that much about receiving titles or new names, but a bet was a bet, so they obediently accepted their additional identities.
Wow.
You actually made the three most famous Knights of the Round Table work under aliases for you.
You kids really know how to play.
Samael, who was responsible for watching the children, observed their game with considerable amusement, making sarcastic remarks as he watched. It served as a convenient break from his otherwise busy schedule.
There was no helping it.
Ever since he had encouraged Morgan to find a way to drag the Lion King down from her divine pedestal and back into the dirt, the Witch seemed to have suddenly discovered an urgent new purpose in life.
She had thrown herself into the Magical Workshop with tremendous enthusiasm, researching new strategies day and night.
Even Mari, who had been dragged in as extra labor, had not managed to emerge for several days.
That meant both childcare and the early groundwork for their plans had been left entirely to Samael.
Recently, he felt as if he were reliving his years as a full-time father in the Arima Caverns, spending every day trying to find something for these energetic little monsters to do.
Strictly speaking, all the delinquents being beaten throughout Camelot and the slave-trading rings exposed behind various noble families had merely been unfortunate collateral damage.
The entire thing had started because Samael could not keep an eye on all the children by himself.
Seeing them with too much free time, he had casually found something for them to do.
He simply had not expected this gang roaming the streets at night to be so capable, accidentally leaving behind so many legends throughout the city.
Thank you all for your sacrifice.
May you return to the Lord's embrace as soon as possible.
Amen...
The true culprit behind the turmoil sweeping through Camelot looked at the children happily playing in the courtyard after burning off all their excessive energy.
He stretched contentedly, then secretly traced a cross over his chest, offering those unlucky victims his heartfelt "blessings" and "prayers" in an utterly mocking inner voice.
Still, now that he thought about it, Mordred and the others had already cleared out practically every low-level humanoid monster in Camelot.
These days, those people hid themselves more thoroughly than mice that had spotted a cat.
Even when they did appear, every last one of them had somehow transformed into an obedient, law-abiding citizen.
Tsk.
Looks like it's time to unlock a new map and go after some elite monsters.
Preferably opponents tough enough to endure these little monsters repeatedly and serve as a renewable source of experience.
Mm.
That settles it.
My dear Knights of the Round Table, you're next.
Samael immediately made his decision.
From now on, he would encourage the children to visit the royal palace more often and torment whichever Knights of the Round Table happened to be on duty.
Just as the Ancient Serpent stroked his chin maliciously, considering how best to corrupt the atmosphere of the palace and make trouble for the Knights of the Round Table, the children in the courtyard grew tired of their King game.
Somehow, the conversation drifted into an argument between fanatical supporters of Camelot's Lion King and those of the Witch of Britain.
"Morgan, Morgan! I support Morgan. She has all the elegance and cuteness of a cat!"
Habetrot held up the tabby cat in her arms and immediately cast her vote for her close friend.
"At her level, forget a cat, she's practically a lion in disguise! Mother is the best! I'll love Mother forever!"
As Morgan's most fanatical supporter, Baobhan Sith jumped up and down, waving her fists enthusiastically as she cheered for the woman who occupied almost her entire world.
"Shallow! It obviously has to be the Lion King! We Knights pursue noble ideals. We entrust our swords to them, entrust our honor to them, and dedicate our lives to them! That is what a Knight should aspire to!"
After spending several days being personally instructed by Artoria, Mordred had completely fallen under the Lion King's influence and become an utterly fanatical supporter.
Her eyes shone with worship as she enthusiastically rallied behind her idol.
"Mother!"
"My King!"
Before long, Baobhan Sith and Mordred, fanatics belonging to opposing camps, were staring each other down like sparks meeting gunpowder.
Neither was willing to give an inch.
"Stop arguing, stop arguing! Can't you just agree that they're both equally good?"
Seeing the two troublesome brats grinding their teeth and glaring at each other, obviously about to start fighting, Habetrot, who had accidentally ignited the powder keg, scratched her head helplessly and tried to mediate.
"What do you mean equally good? Traitor!"
"You fence-sitter! Two-faced!"
The instant Habetrot attempted to play peacemaker, both sides simultaneously turned on her and unleashed a furious barrage of insults.
The Weaving Fairy stared at the hopeless mess before her, which resembled a hopelessly tangled ball of yarn.
Completely defeated, she covered her face, clutched the tabby cat in her arms, and retreated to one side, no longer daring to interfere in the battle between the two fanatics.
"What about you? Who do you support?"
After Habetrot's interruption, Mordred and Baobhan Sith realized neither could persuade the other, so they immediately turned their claws toward the three spectators nearby.
Melusine, who had been staring blankly at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, finally noticed she was being addressed.
Without saying a word, she stood up and left.
She returned shortly afterward carrying her favorite little pillow from her room, then headed toward the far end of the veranda.
Mordred and Baobhan Sith stared at her in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"You two can keep deciding. I'm sleepy, so I'm going to bed first."
"Wait. Didn't you just come out of your own room? Where are you taking your bedding?"
"To sleep with Samael. Mm... his body temperature feels nice. I like the warmth and his scent."
Melusine gently rubbed her cheek against her pillow as she remembered an experience she was particularly fond of.
Then, before anyone could stop her, she slipped straight into her guardian's bedroom and happily chose herself a good place to lie down.
"Samael... right. I choose Samael too."
A moment later, another small hand shot enthusiastically into the air.
Pure amber eyes blinked excitedly before their owner turned and ran toward her own little room to gather her bedding.
"That's right. Father is obviously the best choice! Father is the most outstanding of all. Tremendous strength, exquisite swordsmanship, timeless elegance, and wisdom worthy of a Sage. He's practically the perfect life partner."
"To exchange rings in the proper place through the proper ceremony... that would be... that would be the most wonderful thing imaginable."
"No. Even just looking at him is enough to make someone fall in love. Even Mother was completely captivated by him."
Barghest murmured excitedly.
The more she spoke, the more entranced she became. Her eyes overflowed with envy and longing, her bright pupils practically radiating heat.
Her throat worked repeatedly as she swallowed the saliva gathering in her mouth, resembling a hunting dog that had spotted a juicy bone and wanted nothing more than to snatch it up and carry it away.
As a wholehearted believer in strength, Barghest possessed an intense admiration for powerful people.
After witnessing the suppression of the Three Great Calamities and the magnificent spectacle of Samael single-handedly taking down most of the Round Table during the royal banquet, her admiration for her guardian had already risen to the level of fanaticism.
I really want to...
Barghest's burning gaze secretly drifted toward a certain corner of the pavilion.
Before she noticed, a shining line of drool had appeared at the corner of her mouth, while an uncomfortable heat spread through her body and the hunger in her stomach continued to rise.
A moment later, Barghest abruptly snapped back to her senses.
She wiped the drool from her mouth, slapped both of her flushed cheeks hard, and hurriedly warned herself.
No!
No!
Calm down!
That's far too disrespectful!
If I keep thinking like this, my reason is going to evaporate completely!
Having forcibly suppressed her wild thoughts, Barghest instead took practical action.
Filled with anticipation, she squeezed into the same room.
Wait.
Haven't we completely gone off topic?
Mordred and Baobhan Sith, who had been desperately campaigning for Artoria and Morgan, exchanged bewildered looks after receiving an answer that chose neither A nor B, but C.
Gradually, Mordred recovered from her surprise.
When she realized what was happening, she immediately stormed toward the room that had already been occupied.
"You guys are awful! Get out! According to the schedule, my partner is supposed to belong to me tonight!"
"Don't you like the Lion King more?"
"I want both! You bunch of worthless small fry, don't steal my spot!"
"Wait, Baobhan Sith! Why are you in here too? Get out! Get out of my blankets! Aren't you supposed to go bother that woman Morgan?"
Mordred threw herself onto the bed and aggressively swung a pillow around, determined to defend her sacred territory.
"Tsk. If Mother wasn't holed up in the Magical Workshop, do you think I'd bother squeezing in here with you?"
Baobhan Sith snorted carelessly, then raised an eyebrow in blatant provocation.
"Still, that guy's stories are pretty interesting, so I might as well come. If you lot are allowed to fight over things, why shouldn't I?"
"Get the hell out!"
"Hehe. No."
"Stop pulling my hair! Hey, that's my pillow! Give it back! And don't touch my snacks for tonight! You damned brats, I'll fight every last one of you!"
From inside the pavilion, Samael stared at the silhouettes large and small wrestling inside the tiny room.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Did anybody ask me?
Are you people planning to let me sleep tonight or not?
At that moment, Habetrot quietly slipped up behind him and poked him in the back, sounding rather pleased by his misfortune.
"So after all that arguing, you're actually the most popular one here..."
Royal Sister, please come out already.
I can't handle this anymore.
And what happened to Ahoge and Kay?
Why haven't they come over to freeload lately?
Come pick one of these brats and take her away!
The Ancient Serpent, who had only recently regained a little peace and quiet, stared at the little troublemakers beating one another with pillows and turning the room upside down.
He covered his face in agony and sighed inwardly.
This life is impossible!
A moment later, a dangerous gleam appeared in Samael's eyes.
He rose menacingly and strode toward the room.
There was no helping it.
I'm spanking every last one of you until you cry!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Dozens of seconds later, accompanied by startled cries and miserable wailing, the little girls, each having received a thorough spanking, lay obediently on their stomachs across the bed, whimpering.
At last, the chaotic room finally fell silent.