As I was standing in front of Ector alongside Artoria, with an unconscious Merlin lying on the ground in the corner of the room, I couldn't help myself but to frown at the news he gave us.
"So, there are at least a dozen of kings who are against Artoria taking the crown as Uther intended in his will?" I asked, earning a nod from Ector.
"And they all seem to be hostile towards her?"
"Only a few. I'm not sure about the others, but the fact that they won't accept Arthur as their lord is certain."
Well, it was to be expected that some people won't be pleased with Merlin's prophecy or Artoria becoming the country's king, essentially stripping them of their sovereignty. At the very least, it's good that not every king in Britain is opposed to Artoria.
It would be quite troublesome if we had to fight them all, and it would have been worse if they decided to create an alliance between them and gang up on Artoria.
"What should we do from now on?" I asked the old man as I wasn't quite sure what the best course of action was.
Personally, I believe that we should just focus on strengthening our village, developing and expanding it for now.
Although I usually adopt a "whoever strikes first wins" strategy when playing Age of Empire, I prefer to be more cautious this time around.
This isn't a game, but real life. It isn't just our lives that are on the line but also the villagers as well, and there won't be any re-do if we die or fail to protect our people.
And so, building an army to defend the village is necessary as well. Even though Artoria and I are strong enough to protect the town against threats, it means nothing if we are far from the city, leaving it defenseless against attackers.
I could go and assault a hostile king, killing him before they attack us, but doing such things would just earn me the resentment of both his people and his allies. It would also damage Artoria's reputation since I'm her knight, possibly leading the people to not regard her as the just king as she was prophesied by Merlin but as some kind of barbarian.
I may be overthinking it... but I'd rather be cautious than careless.
"I suggest that we stay low for some time. I have sent missives to some of my old comrades who used to serve Uther alongside me, asking them to lend their support to Arthur. Some of them are kings, ruling over their own territory, and if they haven't lost their loyalty to our late lord, I'm sure that they will be ready to help us. So for now, let us wait for their responses."
Nodding at Ector's words, I glanced at Artoria who seemed lost in her thoughts.
"Artoria?" I called her out, snapping my fingers in front of her blank eyes which made Artoria blink in surprise before she turned to me with a smile on her face.
"Hm? Ah, yes. What is it, Brother?"
"No, you seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Do you have a plan in mind or something?"
"Well, it's not really a plan. It's just that I thought that instead of waiting here, we could go on a journey across Britain instead." Artoria hesitantly said, surprising Ector who was staring at her with wide eyes while I let out a small smile.
"My liege, please dismiss this thought..." Ector started to say getting up from his seat, but I decided to speak over him, interrupting him even though I know at what my act was disrespectful towards him.
"Oh, really? Why's that?"
"It's just... When we were on our way back from Londinium, I was surprised to see so many bandit settlements and ravaged towns, not to mention the state the people were in." She started to say and I nodded at her words.
While it wasn't unusual for me to see bandit settlements since I spent a few years destroying those who settled in South Wales, seeing towns ravaged was a new experience for me as well since the region we live in wasn't touched by the war yet.
It was pretty horrible and sickening.
Rubble everywhere, scorched lands with only the smell of blood and ashes left behind, families that were barely living on with many of them having members either died from wounds, sickness or starvation, or got kidnapped to be made slaves.
War is hell, that's for sure.
"And I thought that maybe, in Britain, there are many people who are facing the same situation as those we brought into our village because of the war and the outlaws and I want to help them, just like we did when we traveled with Djeeta and the others."
"Djeeta?" I heard Ector mumble but I ignored him and just looked at Artoria who was staring at me with a determined look.
It's true that while we were in the Granblue Fantasy world, we accompanied Djeeta and her crew around, helping many people in the process as we resolved many kinds of problems around the Sky realm.
"There is something I want to know first. You said that we should go on a journey across Britain, does that also include the territories of the kings that are said to be hostile towards you? You do understand that they won't take your presence kindly, in fact, they might attack you on sight if they recognize you."
"Yes, I know... Maybe it's naive of me but I think if we talk to them properly, maybe we can find common ground and avoid confrontation. We could even become allies if it works well, so there will be no need for us to fight."
So, she wants to resolve things peacefully? That's admirable, but unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to achieve. No, I mustn't think negatively... Even if the probability is really low, it's not zero. And I did see Djeeta managing to sway some of her enemies into becoming her ally, a few even joining her crew. Although it nearly cost her life doing so.
"But if it doesn't work, what will you do?"
"If it doesn't work and they plan to attack us, I won't show them any mercy." Artoria said as she clenched her hand, looking at me with a hardened gaze while I let out a small hum.
Good. At least, she knows negotiations won't always work and what to do if they fail. Even if we meant no harm, only wishing to talk with the intent to create a peaceful relationship or even an alliance, it doesn't change the fact that there are some kings who are still hostile to Artoria and that they won't have the same mindset as us. Lowering our guards is something we must never do, no matter what.
"Alright, last question… When will we depart?" I said, surprising Artoria and Ector as they both looked at me with contrasting expressions.
"Brother...!"
"You can't be serious, Kay?!"
"Yes, I am." I said as I looked at Ector who was staring at me, a rare expression of anger appearing on his face.
"I understand why you are worried, Ector. With the war going on and the kings not accepting Artoria as their ruler, it wouldn't be a jest to say that we may have the entire country after Artoria's neck, so going on a journey across Britain is a sure way to put her in danger."
"Then why–"
"It's because I have faith in Artoria and her strength. You must have seen it when we fought the Saxons at Londinium or even when she sparred against you, but Artoria is no longer the child who needs to be protected by us now. She's now capable of looking after herself, so believe in her, Ector. And while this journey may be dangerous, it would be a great opportunity for Artoria to make a name of herself by helping people around, boosting the image that she's a just and benevolent king across the country."
As I started to talk about the benefits we may gain from traveling across Britain, I saw Ector looking down, a pained expression on his face as he seemed to be reluctant over letting Artoria go.
Even if they aren't blood-related, Ector still raised Artoria as his daughter... no, as his son for nearly ten years by now. Guess I can't blame him for being emotional and not wanting to send Artoria down what seems like a dangerous path.
But after a few moments, Ector looked at his foster daughter and slowly asked.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Artoria?"
Artoria nodded at Ector's words, staring straight into his eyes, before he let out a sigh and plumed down on his seat, looking exhausted.
"I won't try to stop you, so do as you wish..."
"Thank you, Ector." Artoria said as she gave a sincere smile to the old man who just nodded, a hand placed over his eyes.
"Okay, now that everything is settled, when do we leave?" I blinked in surprise when Î was suddenly hugged from behind by Merlin who jumped on my back.
"Since when were you awake?"
"Oh, since the beginning. You didn't hit me that hard so I didn't faint. Although, I'm a bit disappointed you didn't carry me in your arms like a princess." She said as she poked my cheek with her finger while I let out a sigh.
I proceeded to ignore her and looked at Artoria who looked at Merlin with a blank stare.
"So, when will we depart?"
"I'd say tomorrow before dawn would be great. I have some preparations to make, and I want to see the city one last time before we go away, making sure everything will be fine once we leave."
"Sounds good."
There are also a few things I need to do before I leave, like visiting the farms and seeing if there has been any progress with the four-field crop rotation system and the seeds I took with me from the Granblue universe.
I also have to visit the craftsmen to see if they have succeeded in creating ploughs, hand tools and horse shoes with the blueprints I have given them. It would be a great help for the farmers if they managed to do it.
And of course, the newcomers as well, I need to see if they managed to start a new life in our village. I just hope that there won't be any problems or fights while we're gone.
With that in mind, I left the office with Artoria following close behind...and Merlin who seemed unwilling to let me go, her arms and legs wrapped around my body.