When the Roman envoys arrived, Arthur personally led a grand procession of nobles and knights to greet them at the gates of Camelot.
The red carpet was rolled out, flowers were scattered, cheers filled the air — every detail executed flawlessly. Arthur's smile was as bright as if he'd just spotted his favorite idol. Truly, all the etiquette was carried out to the highest standard.
After some polite exchanges, everyone inwardly clenched their teeth as the Roman envoy, supported by Arthur, entered the city gates.
"Hmm? King Arthur, your city of Camelot looks quite luxurious," the Roman envoy said with a meaningful sigh.
Arthur's heart tightened.
Indeed, the new city, built by the combined genius of the three magicians, perfectly reflected their unique strengths.
Especially the plum trees carefully arranged along the streets, making the whole city bloom with vivid flowers. When the breeze stirred, petals danced around like a dream.
For someone born in a grand empire like Rome, this remote British isle must seem surprisingly refined.
But if it was just surprise, that would be fine.
Dig a little deeper, and you'd notice the spiritual veins running through those trees, the layered enhancement magics woven into New Camelot's very foundations, and many hidden secrets beneath.
"Yes," Arthur smiled casually. "This is the one city Camelot can truly boast about. After all, I have a very powerful magician here—he loves beauty and has a knack for creating it. Oh, by the way, I believe you've heard that Merlin, my sister's teacher, went to Rome to sell some... things a while ago."
Mentioning Merlin, Arthur's tone revealed a mixture of disgust and dissatisfaction.
Talking about Rome, his voice carried a subtle yearning for a great nation.
The Roman envoys noticed everything.
Yet it was still not enough.
"Huh? King Arthur seems to have some issues with Lord Merlin?"
"Of course," Arthur said. "Though Merlin is powerful, he's only my sister's teacher, and his magic is as superficial as his appearance. The only thing worth praising is that he built this city, so I owe him some thanks."
"But that's not what I heard. In Rome, Lord Merlin was quite famous—I had the honor of meeting him. He said your wisdom is rare in the world and that you could tear the sky apart with a single swing of your sword. He truly admires you. Many in Rome look up to King Arthur," the envoy said.
Arthur's disguise nearly slipped.
Merlin—what exactly were you doing in Rome?
Hadn't I told you to keep a low profile?
"The messenger must be joking. Merlin and I don't get along. He's always promoting my strength across Britain, hoping to lure challengers here and overthrow me," Arthur said calmly, bitterness flickering in his eyes.
Merlin, hidden in the shadows, blinked twice, marveling silently at Arthur's superb acting skills.
"My Majesty is truly amazing!"
"So that's the story. Lord Merlin turned out to be a despicable villain," the envoy nodded, reluctantly accepting the explanation. Then, with some impoliteness, he asked, "Then, King Arthur, can you tell me what's really going on here?"
Arthur didn't underestimate him.
Envoys are either political exiles or shrewd insiders.
This one was clearly the latter.
Frowning, Arthur snapped, "Gawain, why are you just standing there? Go and drive those fools away! Don't you see the envoys are here? They're blocking the way!"
"Why the rush?" The envoy stopped Gawain with a smile.
From their position, they overheard a group of civilians and a knight discussing when they could return to farming, how Arthur would surely repel the white dragon, and how he'd strike the final blow.
None of it was secret.
The problem was their unanimous trust and admiration for Arthur — as if he were already preparing to march north at a moment's notice.
Arthur could only show a pained grimace and whisper awkwardly, "You'll definitely hear rumors about me soon. Because of my poor reputation, Camelot is unstable. I need a temporary enemy to divert internal conflicts. Please don't spread these rumors—it would cause me great trouble."
Suddenly, his eye twitched.
Damn it! What is that flying in the sky?!
In the distance, Camelot's experimental individual flying vehicle was performing dazzling maneuvers with terrifying agility.
Arthur remembered the Court Magicians' Group had planned a test flight today.
But hadn't Kay notified them beforehand?
Trembling inwardly, Arthur glanced toward Merlin—and felt his heart seize.
Merlin stood in the corner, watching dryly, while the five Knights of the Round Table under his supervision seemed lost in thought, clearly spellbound.
In other words: not only the Court Magicians' Group, but also Manaka and Morgan's improved experiments would proceed as usual.
Merlin had to be hacked to death!
This was a disaster, an absolute disaster!
If the light cannon of the Artificial Holy Sword or the pseudo-sun magic turret — both imitations of the Rotating Victory Sword — exploded in Camelot's sky today, Rome wouldn't wait till summer to attack. They'd strike this very month.
For once, Arthur used his true talent.
Demonic visage, judgment—critical hit!
Power of beauty, judgment—critical hit!
Beautiful young man, judgment—critical hit!
Charm of fantasy, judgment—critical hit!
With a wink to Agravain, Arthur grabbed the Roman envoy's hand and dragged him toward the castle with a practiced charm.
In an instant, all the Romans fell under the spell of terror.
A new trade agreement was concluded in record time, and the envoys were swiftly sent on their way.
Afterwards, Arthur picked up the Sword of the Stars, determined to eliminate a certain scourge from Camelot.
——————
Months later, in the Roman palace:
The envoys who had returned from Britain knelt respectfully before the legendary Sword Emperor Lucius.
The emperor held a small crystal, watching a magical video recording.
It showed Arthur receiving the Roman envoys.
"Interesting, very interesting!" Sword Emperor Lucius laughed wildly. "Those magicians all say the treasure we need is the land of Britain itself. But no one knows the greatest masterpiece of this era—the gift left to me by the Age of Gods—is this man!"
Waving his hand grandly, he declared, "Okay! This man and Britain are mine!"
How could Arthur have guessed that the cause of war between the two nations was actually himself—and Roman tradition?
Truly, the highest-ranking real gays are terrifying.