In the world of Type-Moon, it all begins with becoming Morgan's husband!

We absolutely cannot allow news of the frontline defeat to reach Camelot so easily.

Ian's hand stopped on the longsword at his waist.

"Where did you escape from?"

The lead knight's question pulled Ian back a few steps from his overflowing murderous aura.

He could only force a fake smile and then replied:

"I didn't escape from somewhere."

“I am a garrison soldier in Camelot.”

“The garrison in Camelot…” The leading knight nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered something.

"Then you must have met the Princess!"

"..."

Ian hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell him part of the truth directly.

"Well... actually, I was the knight who escorted her all the way back to Camelot."

The lead knight was taken aback at first, then excitedly grabbed Ian's hand.

"You... are you the knight named Ian?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Hey!" The lead knight immediately waved to the people behind him, "Come here quickly! This is the knight named Ian that everyone in the camp has been talking about!"

"what?!"

The defeated knights approached you.

They looked at you with admiration.

This might surprise you.

You begin to ask what's going on.

The defeated knights quickly told you everything that had happened.

You finally have a chance to learn what the situation was like on the front lines after you and Morgan left.

King Uther did not reveal the true reason why he sent his daughter Morgana back to the capital.

Instead, he explained the situation to his troops by saying that "Camelot needs her to guard the city."

As for you, King Uther concealed the whole truth by claiming you were "a knight whom only a princess could subdue."

This is considered his worst decision.

[Because Morgan is invincible in the eyes of the knights, and you are a brave general who has surrendered to her.]

This notion gained traction as Britain's military strength began to decline.

[Your and Morgan's absence seems to be unanimously considered by the knights to be the root cause of the war's defeat.]

But you, who know everything, know that this was something King Uther did intentionally—perhaps this was the only remaining concern he had for Morgan.

You realize that the situation might be a godsend.

Without making a sound, Ian pressed the blade he was about to draw back into its sheath.

"So many things have happened."

"Thank you for your hard work."

“There was nothing difficult about it…” The lead knight looked regretful and sad. “The king has lost, and so have we.”

"It's not entirely your fault."

Ian patted him on the shoulder, offering words of comfort.

"We also bear responsibility—we should have insisted on staying on the front lines."

"Lord Ian, we..."

"Alright, don't regret it anymore." Ian stopped the knights' grief. "You must look forward, the road is always under your feet."

Tell me, how many people like you are there around here?

The knight shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Everyone is fleeing; we're just a small part of it. We're all stopped in the village ahead now."

"I see."

Ian was somewhat relieved that he hadn't acted hastily—after all, he might have scared some people away by making too much noise, which would have been a big problem.

"Everyone."

Ian stopped his horse.

"Take me to meet them."

"it is good!"

Guided by the knights, you were able to enter the village.

[Your innate affinity and chivalrous spirit have been activated: Your neat attire makes you appear as a skilled knight, and the villagers show no aversion to your arrival.]

You have met the rest of the knights.

They were sitting around a campfire, looking quite exhausted.

Their wounds were far more gruesome than those of the knights you had encountered before.

Clearly, this was a group of riders with more severe injuries.

You can feel their fighting for King Uther through those traumas.

To be fair, as a former colleague, you did feel a little heartache for them.

The knights just now told the others present your identity.

They expressed considerable surprise.

"Lord Ian..."

The wounded knights forced themselves to stand up and show their respect.

"No need to get up."

Ian stopped them immediately.

“My status is not much higher than yours.”

That's true—because these knights clearly didn't know they were married to Morgan.

Or to be more precise, the grand wedding did not affect this remote village.

After all, along the way in, Ian sensed more curiosity than respect from the villagers' eyes.

"You don't need to be so respectful."

As Ian spoke, he distributed the rations he had brought to the knights.

"Let's eat something first."

"Thank you so much!"

The knights were quite grateful for Ian's generosity, and the exchange also put them at ease.

"How is the princess doing?"

“She’s doing very well,” Ian replied without hesitation. “Under her management, Camelot is even more prosperous than before.”

"hateful!"

Upon hearing this, one of the knights slammed his fist on the ground.

"If only we could defeat that damned Vortigern!"

"If we could bring victory back to Camelot, we wouldn't need to feel guilty like this now!"

"..."

Ian wanted to tell everyone present that the war was actually doomed to fail.

In the end, however, he kept all his thoughts hidden deep inside.

If it's not necessary, then don't bring it up.

"So, how did you get to this village?"

Ian glanced around at his surroundings.

"Did you, like me, come here by chance?"

"It can't be entirely attributed to chance."

"What does it mean?"

"Um……"

The knights exchanged glances and nodded.

It was the same knight who had led the group earlier who spoke first:

“A boy named Artorius brought us here.”

42. An Unexpected Reunion

The knight's words made you realize something.

This is the village where Atolis lives.

[Rescuing knights who are retreating from the front lines is indeed something someone with his personality would do.]

"Where is he now?" Ian asked.

"This one……"