There was no denying it, Artoria was the epitome of efficiency.
Not long after Alvin handed her the list, the King of Knights immediately left the bedchamber to instruct Gawain and Agravain to keep an eye out for the names on it, ensuring their safety.
"Still feels a bit unreliable, though..."
Looking at the golden-haired woman's departing figure, Alvin withdrew his gaze, his eyes contemplative.
In his view, while Gawain was formidable in combat, he lacked independent judgment.
As for Agravain... among the Knights of the Round Table, his combat prowess wasn't particularly outstanding.
Handling most troubles wouldn't be an issue, but there is no guarantee that unexpected variables would arise.
After a brief pause, Alvin picked up a quill and wrote a letter, then took out a white scale and slipped it into the envelope.
[Dragon Scale]—one of the mystic codes Alvin had obtained in the game.
Agravain was one of the few who knew of Alvin's return. Just in case, it was best to leave him an insurance policy.
Alvin walked to the bedchamber's entrance.
Activating the special authority of [Night's Watch EX]!
His figure instantly grew indistinct, fading until he completely vanished from the room.
.
.
.
In the royal palace.
A golden-haired man with an upright posture sat beneath a pavilion, frowning at the recently delivered list of transmigrators.
After a long moment, Gawain set down the parchment from his hand and mused, "Unless I'm mistaken, everyone on this list is a Transmigrator, correct? Why would His Majesty insist on ensuring their safety?"
The gloomy-faced Agravain stood nearby, taking the list from Gawain and scanning it briefly.
There were only a few brief names on the list, and behind the names were the names of the forces to which these people belonged.
And every single one belonged to the same organization.
...The Clock Tower.
Agravain had some understanding of this faction by now.
The Clock Tower, a gathering of individuals from different nations and schools of magecraft, regarded as the pinnacle of magical academia.
According to the transmigrators from the Clock Tower, its headquarters were supposedly built on the future lands of Britain.
Yet, logically speaking, Camelot had already captured numerous transmigrators, some of whom were also from the Clock Tower.
Why is His Majesty so particularly concerned about these specific individuals?'
"Well? Are you coming with me to investigate?"
Gawain's voice pulled Agravain out of his thoughts as the latter nodded slowly and spoke. "If it is the King's command, then naturally, I shall accompany you."
Not only was it to fulfill the king's orders, but also... he wanted to know just what made the people on this list so special.
After finalizing their plans, the two prepared to depart.
As Gawain rose and strode ahead out of the pavilion, Agravain moved to follow—
When suddenly, as if sensing something, he instinctively turned to look behind him.
Sunlight filtered gently through the swaying summer leaves and blossoms, weaving patterns of light and shadow.
There, upon the pavilion's table, a letter had appeared, as if placed by unseen hands.
Agravain stepped forward and unfolded the parchment.
A white scale slipped into his palm, its surface finely textured and shimmering with a faint glow.
A subtle pulse of magical energy clung to it like an invisible aura.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he murmured to himself,
"...A mystic code?"
Looking at it, he subconsciously looked around, murmuring in his heart: "Could he already be in the palace...?"
"Agravain! At this rate the sun will set before we depart!"
Gawain's voice suddenly called from behind.
Without changing expression, Agravain discreetly tucked away both the letter and the peculiar mystic code before turning to follow.
---
....
After leaving the palace and riding for over half an hour, the two knights soon arrived at the bustling capital of Camelot with their contingent.
Towering white European-style architecture loomed ancient and majestic, while seventy-two iron-clad knights stood in formation behind Agravain and Gawain.
In the city streets, commoners quickly made way, watching the procession with curious eyes.
Yet among the crowd, a handful of onlookers glared with barely concealed hatred, as if itching to enact some dramatic reversal of fortunes then and there.
These, naturally, were the transmigrators from the modern era.
Every one of them had been practicing mages in their own world, many holding esteemed positions within their families.
Such pride still clung to them now.
Yet from the moment they arrived in Camelot, King Arthur's decree had forced them into hiding, hunted like rats in the streets... A bitter pill to swallow indeed.
"These natives from the Age of Gods are unbearably arrogant. Do they truly fear no retaliation from the transmigrators?"
In the crowd, a man in a black robe looked at the Knights of the Round Table leading the team past, and couldn't help but lower his voice, his tone full of displeasure.
If you don't want to get caught, you'd better keep your mouth shut, uncle."
The blonde girl at the side looked at the knights, who had already gone away and also lowered her voice, her tone full of helplessness..
At this moment, Reines felt the universal despair of those cursed with incompetent allies, no matter the world.
The two conversing figures were, of course, Reines and one of the Clock Tower's Lords: Kayneth.
Shortly after parting from Alvin, Reines had, guided by Merlin's directions, located Kayneth and dragged him away.
Yet throughout their journey, Kayneth had worn the expression of a man ready to "go out in a blaze of glory."
For someone who had never faced hardship in his privileged life, being chased through the streets like a common criminal was... an adjustment.
"Our priority is finding Gray as soon as possible... then seeking an audience with King Arthur," Reines continued.
The person who issued the decree was King Arthur, and one of the obvious reasons why he issued the ban was that some of the transmigrators were secretly making trouble or even fanning the flames, causing King Arthur to have a very bad impression of them as a whole.
But this was inevitable.
To Camelot, "transmigrators" were a monolithic entity—the misdeeds of a few tainting the whole.
"I wonder how Alvin is faring..." Reines murmured with another sigh.
It had already been more than four hours since King Arthur first came into contact with Alvin.
Four hours, this amount of time didn't sound very long, but for the transmigrators, every single minute spent in the Camelot Empire was pure torment.
After all, they had to constantly evade capture by the Camelot Empire.
"Alvin? Hmph... With his abilities, do you really think King Arthur would listen to his persuasion?"
Mentioning that disappointing disciple, Kenneth couldn't help but snort coldly,
"Reines, I've told you before to keep your distance from him. Looks like you still didn't listen, huh?"
"Alvin's a pretty good person. It's just that, because he's your disciple, you wanted me to avoid suspicion, right?"
Reines said calmly,
"But don't worry—he's never brought up anything about you when we're together."
Hearing her words, Kenneth couldn't help but frown slightly, speaking in a serious tone. "He's not approaching you just to be friends."
As someone with experience, Kenneth could more or less see through Alvin's words and even the subtle details of his daily interactions with Reines.
This Alvin guy… although he did have some talent in magecraft, and was considered quite clever among the disciples Kenneth had taught—
However,
Alvin didn't put that cleverness to proper use.
That guy getting close to his sister was obviously just because of her good looks.
Reines, inexperienced with the world, couldn't see through it.
But as an onlooker, Kenneth could see it all very clearly.
However, Reines clearly didn't take it to heart.
Looking at the dispersing crowd, she said, "Whatever lecture you want to give, save it for when we get back. We can't stay here too long. We need to think about regrouping with the others first."
Right now, the city gates of the royal capital were heavily guarded.
As long as Gray was still inside the capital, they would definitely have a way to find her.
Reines didn't have many friends, and Gray was one of the few... If possible, she naturally wanted to protect what few friends she had.
How was Alvin doing now?
Was he trembling in fear in some interrogation room, just like the other transmigrators?
Thinking this, the noble girl couldn't help but sigh and said,
"Why did King Arthur have to take him away...?"
As the two talked, they had already left the lively area.
All along the way, Kenneth hadn't spoken another word, he only glanced casually behind them a few times, before quickly and discreetly withdrawing his gaze.
His eyes lowered, as if he was deep in thought.
Looking at her uncle like this, Reines finally couldn't help but ask.
"What are you thinking about?"
Kenneth replied slowly,
"I'm thinking about the same thing you are."
"Camelot is making a grand show of capturing transmigrators, and they show no mercy at all towards 'soul transmigrated' magi."
"Reines, if King Arthur really took Alvin away…"
"What could be the reason for it?"
From the moment he heard Reines roughly explain what had happened to her along the way, Kenneth had been pondering one thing.
—What exactly is King Arthur trying to do?
The large-scale capture of transmigrators was quite understandable.
After all, from the perspective of the Camelot Empire, transmigrators were a kind of 'species invasion' that disrupted the balance.
Letting his sister go, though strange, was still within reason... after all, she was King Arthur, the one known as the King of Knights.
With such a noble status, it wasn't surprising that she would disdain personally arresting a noble girl.
However—
Why did she take Alvin away?
Was it simply because Alvin was a 'body transmigrator'?
Or was it that Alvin had some secret King Arthur desired?
As for Alvin, Kenneth couldn't say he disliked the kid.
In fact, among his disciples, he actually liked Alvin more than most.
After all, there had been a time when Alvin had even taught him how to please his fiancée…
Although Kenneth had scoffed at it on the surface, when it came to matters concerning his fiancée, he had still followed Alvin's advice.
And the truth proved it, his relationship with his fiancée did improve afterward.
Exceptional magical talent, lazy, a bit cunning, and just as handsome as Kenneth himself had been in his youth... that was Kenneth's impression of Alvin.
Aside from that, Alvin's usual hobbies seemed to consist only of playing games.
Such an ordinary kid in his eyes, would King Arthur really take him away?
...Anyone could tell that was impossible.
Maybe that court magician of Britain was secretly plotting something and using Alvin as a pawn?
While Kenneth was mulling over these thoughts, his steps gradually slowed down.
The dim alleyway was deserted.
As the sun set, a damp, foul smell faintly wafted through the alley.
"What's wrong—"
Seeing this, Reines looked up and was just about to ask in confusion when her voice abruptly froze.
At Kenneth's feet, cold mercury silently flowed out, quickly covering most of the alley.
Mooncell Phantasmic Liquid—the supreme Mystic Code of the El-Melloi family.
A so-called "supreme Mystic Code" referred to a special item among the Twelve Lord Families, one so outstanding it was acknowledged as a symbol of the lineage.
And this Mooncell Phantasmic Liquid was a Mystic Code that Kenneth had created before he was even 25 years old.
It was also Kenneth's strongest trump card.
Without a doubt, Kenneth was an absolute genius, born with exceptional magical talent.
He had never known what failure was.
Even in the age of the gods, here in Camelot, the Lord of the Department of Mineralogy at the Clock Tower had never shown even the slightest panic.
Even when facing the Knights of the Round Table, he could remain composed.
The moment he stepped into the deep alley, Kenneth came to a halt.
Then, he turned his head and looked at the seemingly empty alleyway as an arrogant and dangerous voice slowly echoed through the passage.
"Following us sneakily like a rat hiding in the darkness… and still not planning to show yourself?"
Hearing his words, Reines' heart gave a slight jolt as she instinctively turned to glance behind her.
The final rays of the setting sun were fading, and the transmigrators were about to greet their first night.
As the sun sank lower, the alley grew darker and darker.
Kenneth stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the defensive and offensive mercury swirling at his feet.
He gazed quietly ahead, as if waiting for something.
Reines tensed, focusing her attention tightly on the pitch-black alley.
"Heh…"
Finally, after a moment, a deep, low female voice sounded.
Then came the crisp sound of high heels stepping on the ground.
A woman cloaked in gray walked out step by step from the shadows, speaking softly. "You knew I was tailing you from the beginning, and yet you deliberately lured me into the alley… looks like you have a lot of confidence, Lord of the Clock Tower."
As she said this, her dark eyes under the cloak glanced lightly at the mercury flowing under Kenneth's feet.
"Mercury imbued with magical energy, memorizing various combat patterns to form a Mystic Code, huh?"
"Judging by the looks of it, you're operating it using your own Magic Crest?"
At these words, Kenneth's eyes narrowed slightly, and he spoke slowly,
"You know quite a bit about magecraft, don't you?"
"I'm more interested in alchemy. As for magecraft… I merely have a little experience."
When the woman said this, she quietly fixed her gaze on the blonde girl behind Kenneth.
"I only want to ask a few questions… if you obediently step aside now, after answering, I'll let you leave."
Such immensely arrogant and self-assured words stabbed directly at Kenneth's proud dignity.
The mercury that had been lying like a puddle at his feet began to ripple and rise, floating behind him and surging restlessly.
"Although I don't know who you are, facing me without a shred of caution… you've underestimated me too much, magus of the Age of Gods!"
Kenneth revealed a cold smile, raising his right hand and snapping his fingers.
In an instant, the mercury behind him transformed into bullets, whistling through the air as they shot out.
However, before the bullets could even touch the woman's body, a young girl clad in armor descended from the sky, blocking in front of Kenneth.
She raised her greatsword and deflected all the mercury bullets.
Another knight… Kenneth narrowed his eyes slightly.
To be bonest, he had absolute confidence in his own strength,
but if he had to face two opponents at the same time while also protecting Reines...
that would indeed be a bit troublesome.
However—
"Stand down, Gareth."
In the next moment, he heard the woman's calm and leisurely voice ring out.
"It's been quite a while since I last moved around... let me see for myself what so-called modern magecraft is truly like."
As she said this, the woman slowly lifted her head.
Under the dim light, her gray cloak fluttered slightly in the breeze and a stunningly beautiful face faintly revealed itself—so breathtaking it made one's breath catch.
Morgan le Fay.
.
.
End.....
P.S: "Quick question, do you want NSFW chapters included, or should I just keep going with the main story?
The reason I've held back is because, technically, the main character isn't an adult physically, and I'm concerned about violating Patreon's guidelines by posting anything inappropriate.
I didn't want to risk my account getting flagged or taken down.
That said, this doesn't seem like the problem on webnovel, so, I'm open to what you all think—let me know!"