Fate: My Wife is Morgan Le Fay (Patreon)

Chapter 27: The People Are Innocent

The war had actually begun long before Lot and Morgan arrived in Vortigern’s territory.

As the incarnation of the White Dragon, Vortigern was born with an intense desire to unify Britain.

At the cost of his own ambition, he easily united the various peoples of the British Isles.

Not long after King Uther returned to his domain, Vortigern led his army to the gates of Camelot’s capital, the White Chalk City.

On the way, however, the army under Vortigern’s command exhibited no semblance of discipline.

The cruelest thing about humanity is that they can be exceptionally brutal even to those of their own race.

Lot saw it all with his own eyes.

To communicate with Uther, Merlin frequently used magic to contact him. During these exchanges, Lot also witnessed everything clearly.

At first, as a humanities student, Lot thought that, having read about even more horrific events in history books, he could maintain a calm and detached perspective. But when he saw it firsthand as he was about to board the ship, he was filled with fury.

For the sake of maintaining the morale of his troops, he said nothing.

But in his heart, he was seething with anger.

[Damn it, that Pretender King Vortigern deserves to die.]

[I have no interest in interfering in his struggle with King Uther for the throne. Even his ambition to unify Britain and preserve the world's last remnants of mystery is not something I wish to judge. But he absolutely cannot place all this suffering upon the common people.]

[These people toil endlessly just for a meager meal to stave off hunger. And before they can even see the fruits of their labor, they are met with such catastrophe. That Pretender King Vortigern—I must find a way to end him.]

Morgan listened quietly as Lot cursed Vortigern in his heart.

She said nothing, simply reaching out and holding Lot’s hand.

She could clearly feel the trembling in his grip.

I never expected this.

You, the perverted mutt who always acts so lecherous, actually have such a compassionate heart when it comes to matters like these.

Don’t worry. I understand your thoughts.

When I become the Queen of Britain, I will ensure peace for this land.

By then, no one will have to suffer from war and famine anymore.

Perverted mutt, I understand your wish.

I will never let it be in vain.

No, not just that.

Even if it takes me a few more years, I will never give up on it.

With this resolve in her heart, Morgan became even more determined to compete with her sister for the throne of Camelot.

Does my sister understand all of this?

Perhaps, as our father wished, she is nothing more than a warrior who leads armies to victory.

But I—I will be a better ruler than her in every way.

Morgan swore this to herself.

Feeling her firm grip, Lot couldn't help but feel much more at ease.

At that moment, Kay waded through the water toward them. Seeing Lot, he spoke:

"Your Majesty, we’ve scouted ahead. There are no ambushes in the area."

Lot nodded.

"Let’s go ashore. Everyone, follow me."

The first part of his command was directed at Morgan.

The latter part was for the rest of his troops.

Lot landed lightly on the shore.

Holding Morgan close, he made it seem effortless.

Morgan clung tightly to him, and soon, they reached the shallow waters.

Then, the army followed them onto the beach.

Just as Kay had reported, there was no enemy in sight.

They took the town with ease

Merlin walked at the back of the formation.

Beside him was Artoria.

As they advanced, Artoria turned to Merlin and asked,

"Teacher Merlin, I have a question for you."

"Hmm? Go ahead," Merlin replied.

"Who is Her Majesty the Queen’s greatest enemy?"

She wanted to learn about the enemy in advance so she could prepare ahead of time.

"This question… is something you'll have to figure out on your own while following Princess Morgan."

"Teacher?"

Artoria frowned slightly.

"I do know who that enemy is. But how you will face her in the future… that, I cannot predict."

Merlin’s lips curled into a smile as he spoke to her.

For some reason, Artoria felt as if she saw a hint of amusement in his gaze.

Teacher’s thoughts… are sometimes truly impossible to understand.

Artoria sighed to herself.

However, she quickly regained her determination.

She had just witnessed the magic Merlin used.

"The soldiers under the Pretender King Vortigern have completely abandoned the code of chivalry. I must defeat him," Artoria said through gritted teeth.

<+>

The army then began to march forward in silence.

As it turned out, Vortigern had never considered the possibility that Lot would lead his troops to strike at his rear.

By the time Lot and his men arrived at the small port town, the people there were still going about their daily lives.

When they saw the Orkney soldiers, their faces were filled with shock.

"How did you get in?"

"We weren’t even prepared, and you’re already here?"

"This is too awful…"

But neither Lot nor Morgan paid them any mind.

Lot led his soldiers to completely surround the town. Meanwhile, Morgan led her knights to deal with the remaining knights and other armed forces who dared to resist.

The battle ended swiftly.

This was likely Lot’s first real battle in this world.

However, due to the overwhelming difference in strength between the two sides, Lot easily crushed all opposing forces.

As a result, the town’s civilians became Lot’s captives.

Now that they were prisoners, the next question was how to deal with them.

Many of the knights advocated for the same approach as Vortigern—revenge.

They wanted to execute all the townspeople.

Hearing their words, Morgan frowned slightly.

Why… are these knights so different from that perverted mutt?

She glanced at the crowd and let out a small cough.

The knights immediately stopped talking and turned their attention toward her.

Frowning slightly, Morgan addressed them,

"If we were to act the same way as Vortigern, wouldn’t that make us just as evil as him? War is a matter between knights and soldiers—it has little to do with these common folk. There is no need for us to slaughter them all."

Kay stepped forward from the crowd and asked,

"But, Your Majesty… if we release these people, our presence here will soon be known to Vortigern’s forces. What should we do then?"