22 Chapter 22: Abnormal Merlin
The territory must all belong to the king.
Resources must be allocated by the king.
The people must support the only king.
A country only needs one voice. As for other voices, even compared with the highest power of the king, they are just whispers that can be ignored. Arthur cannot tolerate them and will exclude them all.
No matter what means are used, this goal will definitely be achieved in the end, even if it destroys the reputation of the 'Chosen King'.
This is what Arthur stands for and what he is doing.
This is also the biggest difference between Arthur and Artoria.
After hearing these words, Artoria was in a daze for a long time. She didn't know whether she was shocked by Arthur's words, or she was determined to stop Arthur in her heart, or something else.
Arthur was not surprised by Artoria's reaction, and said matter-of-factly, "That's right, I guess Merlin didn't teach you this."
No matter what the princess was thinking, it didn't have much impact on him.
Rather, if Artoria's counterattack could come sooner, it would be the biggest boost to his plan.
Of course, Arthur thinks this is unlikely.
But the person who was most shocked was not Artoria, but Kay, who had sworn allegiance several times.
The knight looked struggling.
"My king, is your decision..."
His father, Sir Hector, may have many reputations and is regarded by everyone as the best knight in Uther's time and a role model for knights. But it still won't change. Hector is now the largest and most powerful group of nobles in Camelot.
If Arthur takes action against Hector then, Kay really doesn't know how he will deal with himself.
"Kay, your reaction is too sad. It turns out that I am such an inhumane person in your heart." As he said this, sadness appeared on Arthur's face.
At the same time, the answer is also given.
"Please forgive me, King, but I like to prioritize the worst-case scenario over positive thoughts." Kay smiled.
"If you want to win, why not worry about defeat first? Yes, it's my preferred way of thinking, so I'll forgive you." Arthur raised his hand casually, ending the discussion between the three of them.
He didn't want to put too much pressure on Artoria. It was good to do some things appropriately, otherwise the situation would easily get out of control.
At this moment, the boring foreplay of the ceremony finally ended.
The huge door that had been closed since Arthur's arrival opened again, and a man and a woman appeared in the hall.
"Sister Morgan and...Merlin?" Arthur was shocked.
The combination of these two people is really too weird.
Morgan will show up, that's normal. She has always supported Arthur, and as the eldest princess of Camelot, her status will not change at all no matter what her reputation is outside.
A princess is a princess, and on such an important occasion, even if Morgan is unwilling to participate, the nobles will try their best to make her appear here.
This is tradition and etiquette.
However, Merlin, as Arthur's enemy, should be firmly opposed and the biggest obstacle on Arthur's path forward.
Regardless of the fact that Merlin's reputation in the aristocratic circle is not very good, the necessity of his existence for Camelot makes people have to accept Merlin's existence even if they hate him. Because that is the most superior magician, a sage who can predict the future, a cornerstone that can stabilize the country, and whose abilities are comparable to those of gods.
That's right, cornerstone.
Merlin's existence is of such great significance to today's Camelot.
In fact, the nobles and knights present asked themselves, in the ten years since King Uther was lost, if Merlin had not been traveling around, lobbying the northern kings, and sitting in Camelot, then the humble king Vortigern would have already led the foreign tribes and dominated the entire British island.
Such a person has almost the same prestige as the late King Uther.
If Merlin refuses to attend the kingship ceremony, even if he does not speak out against Arthur, it will be a major blow to Arthur and will lay hidden dangers for the future of absolute kingship.
However, Merlin still showed up. As an enemy, he gave up this rare opportunity to severely damage Arthur. It seemed that he still had good intentions.
Why?
"It's really unreasonable." Arthur looked cautious.
On the other side, Merlin seemed unaware of the undisguised vigilance in Arthur's eyes.
He smiled and nodded to the people present, and walked towards Arthur gracefully, with a dreamy charm as usual. It was obviously a castle built of bricks and stones, but it gave people the illusion of a deep forest. Various flowers bloomed on the road ahead. The man held up his magic wand and waved it casually, immediately suppressing the noise in the audience.
"Quiet, this is the time when the new king of Camelot is born!"
After attracting people's attention, Merlin nodded with satisfaction, his expression rarely becoming more serious.
"Ten years ago, King Uther was defeated. The whole of Britain no longer had the ability to compete head-on with the Saxons led by King Beggar. Camelot was once the center of the British island and the most powerful country. But ten years later Today, I would like to ask you, how is Camelot now?"
How is Camelot now?
If the British kingdoms were ranked by military strength, wealth, and prosperity, Camelot used to be at the top, but now it is probably at the bottom.
Even the nobles who were greedy for profit had their heads down at this moment.
Because they knew that no matter how eager they were for power and no matter how much they gathered treasure, once the Saxons came over, everything they had would be in vain.
This is also the reason why Arthur said that the nobles will definitely support him as king in the end.
"Ten years, these ten years are too long for us. Since we lost King Uther ten years ago, everyone in Camelot has fallen into boundless darkness, and the threat of the humble king is hovering over us like a dark cloud. The top of your head will be suppressed at any time. Gentlemen, are you patient enough? Now Camelot finally has hope!"
Merlin turned his wand and pointed it at the stunned Arthur.
His speech was very successful, very bewitching and suggestive of magic, almost perfect.
But the more this happened, the more Arthur felt uneasy.
The speech proceeds normally.
"Ten years ago, I saw with my eyes the birth of a new king, so I left a prophecy that the incarnation of the Red Dragon would pull out the holy sword that brought victory and become the king of this country, while the White Dragon would be defeated. At this moment The time has come, and the young man sitting in front of us is Arthur Pendragon, the son of King Uther, the king we serve."
After saying that, Merlin stepped aside respectfully and said softly, "My King Arthur, please declare your oath."
Looking at the humble and respectful half-incubus, Arthur's face was stiff and he was at a loss.
Not to mention Arthur, even Kay looked suspicious, wondering if Merlin had been tricked.
This guy is actually helping Arthur?
Well, at least the behavior at this moment is undoubtedly expressing support for Arthur as king.
"Merlin, you bastard, are you serious? Put your face away, it really makes me sick to my stomach." Kay complained with a disgusted look on his face.
