10 The Meaning of a King

"Lily, before I answer your question, I hope you can tell me one thing."

"Please go ahead..." Artoria replied earnestly.

"Are you truly prepared to become a king?"

"Of course!" Artoria responded without hesitation.

How could she not be prepared? From the day of her birth, she had been relentlessly pursuing that goal.

She woke up before dawn every day to train rigorously, never slacking even in the most basic exercises. She diligently honed her skills, and even in her dreams at night, she absorbed Merlin's teachings, acquiring precious knowledge on how to be a worthy king.

For over a decade, it was the belief in becoming a king that had sustained her throughout this journey!

Feeling the determination in the young girl, Arkhan sighed softly to himself but maintained his unwavering smile. "So, what kind of king do you intend to become?"

"Of course, an ideal king!" Artoria replied without hesitation. This belief had been instilled in her mind by Merlin since childhood, and she was determined to become the ideal king of Britain.

"An ideal king?" Arkhan's lips curled into a slight smile, which could be taken as either mockery or pity. "Whose ideal? The people? The nobles? The knights? Or... yourself?"

Artoria hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Of course, it's for the people. I am their king."

"What a beautiful vision." Arkhan applauded. "Congratulations, Artoria, you've grasped the essence of being a king."

A faint smile appeared on Artoria's face, but Arkhan continued, "At the same time, you're dooming this country."

Artoria was taken aback, her azure eyes filled with disbelief. The gentle breeze by the lakeside rustled her golden hair, and after a long pause, she softly asked, "Why?"

Arkhan stared at the glistening lake and calmly replied:

"Lily, this world is complex, and so are the hearts of people. Governing a country isn't as simple as playing house.

The upper class of society is a whirlpool, an unseen and silent battlefield. There are exchanges of interests, a balance of power, entanglements of factions, and various complex situations. Even the wisest of sages can sometimes feel lost. And here you are, a girl who spent more than a decade in the countryside."

Artoria clenched her fists. She knew Arkhan had a point, but she wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face right now.

Arkhan continued, seemingly unaware of her frustration. "Do you know what those officials and nobles will do once you ascend the throne?"

Artoria furrowed her brow, pondering for a while, and then replied, "They will obstruct me because they don't want to accept my rule."

She had a realistic view of this. Even though pulling the sword from the stone and becoming King Arthur was Uther Pendragon's order, those individuals might not readily accept it. After all, no one wanted a sudden individual that came out of nowhere and declared themself as their king without knowing anything beforehand about this so-called king.

Arkhan shook his head. "No, those people will bow down to you respectfully because they need you to face the Vile King and the barbarians. They'll push you to the forefront and stay safely in the shadows. In exchange, they might relinquish some power, but never the core power. Whether they accept your commands or not will depend on their interests. Regardless of their response, they will feign allegiance and loyalty to you, but what happens behind your back may be quite different."

Artoria interjected, "Merlin can see everything in the 'present'; his eyes are everywhere."

"So I've said, Lily, you don't understand the nature of humans..." Arkhan said calmly.

"Why?" Artoria's frustration was evident; Arkhan's continuous refutation had thrown her off balance.

"Merlin can indeed see everything, but if you really act on everything he tells you, soon Camelot will be in chaos, perhaps even rebellion. Moreover..."

Arkhan glanced meaningfully at Artoria. "Are you absolutely sure Merlin will tell you everything he sees?"

Artoria fell silent.

"Let's get back to our previous topic..." Arkhan said as he picked up a few pebbles from the ground and tossed them into the lake. "If you fail to repel the barbarians and Camelot is invaded, those people will immediately use you as a scapegoat. Even if you succeed, they will still plot in secret to overthrow you."

"Why?" Artoria was thoroughly confused. Why would those people still want to overthrow her even after she brought victory?

"Because, as you said, you want to be the ideal king for the people..." Arkhan explained.

"But how does that concern them?" Artoria's hair raised in a question mark.

"It concerns them a lot..." Arkhan said, turning to look at Artoria. "The people and nobles are naturally opposed due to their different classes. Your choice to stand with the people unquestionably makes you the enemy of the nobles. So of course, they will want to overthrow you."

"The people and nobles can't possibly be naturally opposed. Sir Ector is quite popular among the people—" 

"Because they belong to different classes, they are natural enemies."

Artoria protested but got interrupted by Arkhan.

"Classes?" Artoria once again wore a bewildered expression. "What are those?"

'You can't be serious...' Arkhan sighed inwardly.

Only at times like this did he truly understand the limitations of this era.

If it were his previous life, he would have slapped a politics textbook onto Artoria's face long ago.

"I'll give you an example..." Arkhan decided to change his approach. "Lily, what do you think is the most important thing for the people?"

"Land." Artoria pondered for a moment before responding.

"That's right, it's land." Arkhan nodded. "Now, imagine a nobleman who, without obtaining the local people's permission, acquires a large piece of land to build his manor. Not only does he cut down all the crops that were about to mature, but he also compensates the original landowners very little. Do you think he's doing the right thing?"

"Of course not!" Artoria didn't hesitate. "Taking someone else's land should always require their consent, and fair compensation must be given!"

Not to mention this nobleman dares to waste food. If she were there, she would definitely teach him a lesson he wouldn't forget!

"But he has his reasons too you know... He earned the title and the land with his life on the battlefield. He lost his own legs for it and wants to build a manor for his retirement. The king said everything here belongs to him, and he can do as he pleases. Besides, he provides protection for the people in his territory. So, what's wrong with taking a few pieces of land?"

"T-That..." Artoria was completely perplexed. On one hand, her inner self told her that what the nobleman was doing was undoubtedly wrong. On the other hand, his actions seemed to comply with the kingdom's rules.

At this moment, she didn't know how to make a judgment.

"This is social class, Lily."

Arkhan patted Artoria's shoulder.

"This is the most unsolvable problem in the current world, whether it's you, me, or Merlin, and even if the three of us combined, we couldn't solve it. Because it's a taboo, and if not handled properly, the entire country will collapse in an instant."