"How is the evacuation of supplies proceeding?" Artoria asked Bedivere, who was behind her, as she sat astride her black steed, her Claymore planted on the hillside.
"Yes, Your Majesty, most of it has been evacuated. Due to the urgency, everything that couldn't be moved has been burned," Bedivere said, bowing slightly. Kailar's withdrawal from Camelot's highest political echelon not only played a crucial role in Artoria's growth but also greatly improved Camelot's political atmosphere.
With Kailar's eyes, which seemed to pierce through people's hearts, no one dared to make small moves under him. However, after Kailar withdrew, so-called factionalism became inevitable.
This is politics.
Win over some, divide some, overthrow some.
Because of Grand Duke Andrei, Kailar, and Artoria's relationship, the Knights of the Round Table had been restrained by this honest elder and had not acted rashly. But as Kailar withdrew from the political stage and Grand Duke Andrei began to relinquish power, intending to retire, the Knights of the Round Table began to differentiate.
In fact, if following the original history, Lancelot would have rallied Gareth and a group of others to confront Gawain, who represented the original noble interest group. Kailar, as a Knight, and Andre, as a Knight, would both have been loyal followers of Gawain. This would have led to the King having very little power, and Camelot would have greatly depleted its strength due to the confrontation between outsiders and native nobles. When pirates swept in with overwhelming force, even if Artoria, as a God of War, won 12 consecutive battles, what would be the point if she lost the thirteenth battle, the civil war at Camlann?
How tragic.
Having lost Lancelot, that outsider, the entire Camelot now formed three groups, large and small: the local traditional nobles led by Gawain; the in-law faction led by Grand Duke Andrei, with Kailar as second (this was only militarily, politically Kailar still had the final say); and the grassroots group led by the commoner, Reinhard.
As a girl and a semi-cripple, Bedivere's relationship with Artoria was less that of a subordinate and more that of a close friend. This was similar to Kailar's position as a minister behind the scenes. Kailar and Bedivere were both excluded from political struggles.
In fact, this strategy was left by Kailar for Artoria.
Facts proved that walking on three legs is always much more stable than walking straight on two. A military with three interest groups could neither always achieve a unified goal nor violate the military orders issued by His Majesty the King under the banner of righteousness.
As long as the grassroots were firmly in her hands, and once the first batch of Knight Academy Knights graduated, then one leg of Camelot's eternal tripod would be complete.
Kailar was full of confidence, but here, Artoria was now in a state of anxiety.
"What about the people? Not a single person must be left behind." Artoria deeply remembered the saying that the people are the foundation; population is the first priority for imperial development, with economy only ranking before military.
"Yes, they have also been evacuated," Bedivere replied. Although she was the King's close friend, as a Knight, she absolutely could not mix public and private affairs; this was her creed.
As if remembering something, Artoria suddenly turned her head and asked, "Kay… have the people in the Sage's manor been evacuated? Has Kailar been evacuated?"
"This…" Bedivere was stunned. In her perception, shouldn't the Sage Kailar, as a civilian, have already left? She hadn't even paid attention to this matter.
"Order an immediate check!" Artoria's tone became stern.
"Yes." Without any explanation, everyone understood the Sage's importance to the 'great ship' of Camelot. If the King was the sail that allowed Camelot to sail smoothly on the water, carrying the full hopes of the sailors, then Kailar was the silent helmsman. Only he could allow the great ship to avoid storms, whirlpools, rapids, and reefs to reach the successful shore.
His importance had been fully demonstrated by the actions of the King of Macedonia back then and Emperor Nero now, though no one knew about their actions… Not only Bedivere acted, but also thirty Knights of the Round Table dispatched by Artoria.
What did thirty Knights of the Round Table signify? They could absolutely handle a small battle without any problems.
Moreover, Artoria deeply understood how formidable those Claymore girls in Kailar's garden were; she had grown up training with them. This combination finally allowed her to feel a little relieved.
However, the news Bedivere brought back made her instantly lose her composure: "Gone to the coastline? At this time?!"
"Yes, all fifty-eight Claymores in his manor have been found, and the servants have entered Red Leaf Fortress. However, the news we received is that he and C.C. went to the coast," Bedivere said, kneeling, her heart still trembling. What would happen if the country lost him at this moment…? She looked up at the anxious King: And if she lost him, what would happen to His Majesty the King? Thinking of this, cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Damn it, to be unaccounted for at such a critical moment!
Both master and servant cursed fiercely in their hearts simultaneously.
"Hahaha…" Kailar chuckled, a rare occurrence: "They must be cursing right about now, aren't they?" Kailar asked with a smile.
C.C., who was beside him, was being trained by him as a direct disciple, a privilege that made all of Kailar's other disciples envious, jealous, and resentful.
But conversely, Kailar's demands on C.C. were also incredibly strict, which led C.C. to hold a great deal of awe and fear for Kailar as a teacher. One could only say that admiration and reverence coexisted.
"Alright, C.C.," Kailar mounted his Unicorn and said to C.C., "Now I need to enter the pirates' position. You go back and tell them I'm here, but don't say that I went in. Hmm… just say I've gone and won't return, that's not lying. Alright, you go." Kailar looked at C.C., who was riding a mare, and nodded. He saw C.C. eagerly open her mouth to say something, but the Unicorn was too fast, disappearing from her sight in an instant.