Sea Circle Calendar 1486.
Exactly one year had passed since the God Valley Incident.
In that short year, as everyone deliberately chose to let time bury the past, the traces of Rocks seemed to have vanished completely. It was as though the world had forgotten him.
Or rather…
No one had truly forgotten. They had simply chosen to forget.
The monster that had once shaken the seas was too terrifying. His power had been overwhelming. No one wished to keep such a nightmare alive in their memory.
Tap. Tap.
Galahad walked along the path, his expression cool and distant. He glanced sideways at the man beside him, shook his head faintly, and prepared to leave.
"Hey, hey!"
A man clad in white knight armor suddenly stepped forward and slung an arm around Galahad's neck, teasing, "Galahad, don't tell me you've got a girlfriend? You've been acting all mysterious lately. Even if you do, you don't have to hide it from us, right? And besides—hehehe—"
Galahad remained utterly calm. He was long accustomed to this person's antics.
So—
Bang!
"Wah!"
The man spat out a mouthful of bile and collapsed to his knees, trembling. Galahad calmly withdrew his fist, turned around, and walked away without a word.
"Damn it! Galahad!"
The man twisted on the ground, struggling back to his feet. "Just you wait! I'll dig up some dirt on you and get my revenge!"
A woman walked over, amused. "You get beaten every time. Don't you ever learn?"
"Learn?" the man scoffed, already acting as though nothing had happened. "Britannia's people are serious enough as it is. If we're serious too, wouldn't that be boring?"
"That may be true, but…" The woman blinked. "I still feel like you wanted to die."
"Hehehe—"
"Sir Lamorak! How about—"
Before he could finish, Lamorak turned toward him.
Moments later, the woman heard agonized screams.
The man was pinned to the ground, Lamorak's fists raining down mercilessly. There was no holding back.
"…Right." The woman's lips twitched. "Your strange constitution must have been forged through endless self-inflicted beatings."
Shaking her head, she left. She truly could not understand that man's brain. There was definitely something wrong with it.
As the commotion died down, silence gradually returned.
---
"Hm?"
Agravain frowned slightly at the document in his hands.
"If this intelligence is real…"
He hesitated.
The report felt heavy—almost scalding in his grip. If genuine, the gains for Britannia would be immense. But if false, mishandling it could deal Britannia a devastating blow.
"Troublesome…"
Rubbing his temples, Agravain knew this matter would ultimately need to be discussed with the King. For someone as iron-willed as him to feel troubled meant the issue was extraordinarily important.
"My Lord Agravain."
Mashi stepped into the study and looked at him with concern.
Over the past half year, she had nearly qualified as a true Knight of the Round Table. Unlike the others, her talents lay in administration, and she often assisted Agravain in civil affairs.
As for the rest—
Wei, Bohr, and Nejin had begun training new knight divisions, each commanding 3,000 men—9,000 in total. Combined with the 10,000 under Galahad's direct management, Britannia's internal knight forces stood at 10,000 elite troops.
Gareth commanded another 10,000 stationed abroad.
As for Max? He remained on Fish-Man Island, assisting Gawain.
And Hugh…
If not for his Vivre Card remaining intact and the occasional Den Den Mushi report confirming his safety, Arthur might have suspected something had happened to him. Ever since he left for Little Garden to search for his "elder brothers," he had essentially vanished for nearly half a year.
Arthur's philosophy was simple:
Quality over quantity.
With Galahad's training and Morgan le Fay's magical enhancements, numbers were secondary. As long as the knights were elite, that was enough.
Thus, Britannia had only recruited 10,000 new knights internally, aside from Gareth's external force.
"Take a look," Agravain said, handing the report to Mashi.
She read carefully and hesitated. "My Lord… is this information reliable?"
"That's precisely the problem," Agravain replied. "We cannot confirm its authenticity. If it's real, the benefits would be extraordinary."
Mashi nodded slowly.
If true, it could change everything.
The Three-Eyed Tribe and the Snakeneck Tribe—both had been hesitant about fully integrating into Britannia. But if this intelligence proved accurate and successful, they might join without hesitation.
Even giants, Longarm Tribe members, and Longleg Tribe members could be drawn in.
As for the Fish-Men and Merfolk?
They were already Arthur's most loyal supporters.
If not for the logistical strain, Fish-Man Island could have sent hundreds of thousands in an instant. Instead, immigration was limited to about 10,000 per year to avoid destabilizing Britannia.
Arthur's prestige there had reached its peak.
"For now, verify the intelligence," Agravain ordered. "We cannot report to the King yet."
"Yes."
"Britannia is at a crossroads," he continued. "If we weather this storm, we will enter a period of true stability."
Recently, pirate movements near Britannia had increased. Ships would appear briefly, scout, and retreat without entering Britannian waters.
Morgan had nearly erupted in fury more than once over it.
Everything was tense.
If Britannia survived this critical period, its foundations would solidify.
If not—
Fish-Man Island and the Visma Region could both be lost.
Visma was less valuable than Fish-Man Island, but it was a strategic bridgehead. Losing it would deal a significant blow to Britannia's prestige.
After Mashi left, Agravain murmured, "Things are becoming more troublesome. I didn't expect such intelligence at this timing."
"Do you think it was deliberately leaked to us?"
The man who had earlier been beaten leaned against the wall, gazing out over Britannia.
"I think that possibility is quite high," the woman at the doorway added.
Indeed.
The intelligence was supposed to be top secret. Why had it reached Britannia so easily?
That alone was suspicious.
Agravain spoke evenly. "True or false, we must verify it."
"If false, we lose nothing."
"But if it's real…"
Even Agravain hesitated.
He had studied this world's power structures in detail. He understood just how immense the potential gains were.
If real, the benefits would be staggering—enough to drive anyone mad with ambition.
This year was a new beginning for Britannia.
A decisive year.
Wealth and power are found amidst danger.
Could they afford to ignore such an opportunity?
That depended on their resolve—and their strength.
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