It was a shame that Lancelot, who had split the Knights of the Round Table with Gawain and caused its division, hadn't come, but it could only be said that this was the best choice: no need to draw swords against each other.
Beowulf was different from Lancelot.
Although he was equally powerful and formidable, he still had flaws—the Lancelot of his previous life, as described in epics and recorded in poems, was a complete ladies' man; aside from being a bit promiscuous, he had no other blemishes: he was the King of France, his son was Galahad, the pure and flawless Knight, the only one to lift the Holy Grail, and his love affair with Guinevere was even described in poems as a spiritual romance in a small grove, which was not illegal according to the law.
Heaven knows how a Knight who used the 'right of the first night' (causing his territory to have no virgins) could have a spiritual romance with a physically healthy Queen who was not a stone maiden?
Thirteen Knights were selected.
Aside from the five already mentioned in the previous chapter: Grand Duke Andrei, Bedivere, Gawain, Gareth, and Gareth, the rest of the Knights of the Round Table were also exceptional heroes. (Due to variations in translation, I have translated them according to the phonetic readings on Wikipedia.)
Firstly, a majestic presence was essential; as a leader of Knights, being weak in combat would make it impossible to command respect. Secondly, steadiness was crucial; leading troops in battle, perhaps taking an unconventional approach could make one famous and lead to great battles where the weak defeat the strong, but the kind of steady man who truly earns respect and is entrusted with important tasks is always the one who remains calm—which famous generals in Chinese history, renowned throughout history, weren't forced into desperate situations before struggling with all their might?
Besides the Knights who, despite controversy, insisted on setting an example of loyalty, and Grand Duke Andrei, who insisted on joining the young thirteen Knights out of a desire to show off, there were several others who were very famous in legends: Lamorak, this Knight with outstanding arm strength and a robust physique, wielded a blunted sword and defeated thirty-five titled Knights in a row before finally collapsing from exhaustion. Although slightly lacking in martial arts, he was an absolute killing machine on the battlefield.
Andrew Stewart, this Knight wielding twin swords, was incredibly powerful in foot combat, and his agile horsemanship, a unique skill of biting the reins while wielding twin swords, made him quite proud.
Artoria, who had been able to carefully read the profiles of the newly promoted thirteen Knights, finally became uncomfortable under the intense gaze.
"So, when are you going to tell me, my King?" Looking at Artoria, who seemed to have a snake slithering all over her body, making her incredibly uncomfortable, Kailar finally softened his intense gaze. His tone, slightly teasing, reproving, and curious, made Artoria's expression somewhat unnatural.
"Tell, tell you what!" Artoria bravely tried to put on a kingly demeanor to lecture Kailar: "Don't, don't get too arrogant with me! You're just a small [Little Sage]! I can revoke your title with a single word!"
"Oh ~ is that so… becoming King has made you brave, hasn't it ~ my… Ki-ng!" Kailar smiled as he stood up from the floor, patting his bottom, which, having sat on the carpet, was absolutely dust-free. Kailar slowly smiled and approached Artoria, enunciating each word.
At this moment, Artoria trembled like a kitten under Kailar's devious smile: "What, what do you want to do! I am the King! I won't lose to you…嗚…"
A King… is meant to be kissed!
When their faces slowly separated, Artoria was already boneless, collapsing into Kailar's arms.
Gently embracing Artoria's slender waist, the one-meter-eight-five Kailar found it quite easy to hold the one-meter-fifty-four Artoria, despite her long dress being somewhat cumbersome.
"Lily… haven't you become more sensitive?" Kailar looked at Artoria, who was breathing heavily with a flushed face. Just by looking at her pink earlobes, he knew she was aroused.
Kailar, with his incredibly high IQ, immediately understood the reason. His hand, holding Artoria, became restless and moved along her waist. Gently licking her earlobe, Kailar whispered into her ear: "Could it be… that the change in your status as King gives you a kind of rebellious pleasure?"
Kailar was right. In Artoria's eyes, a King was someone selfless, upright, fair, and peaceful, who could bring welfare to the people and victory to the kingdom—a person without personal feelings, utterly impartial.
But when there was someone who could use their closeness to her to engage in intimate acts, the sensory stimulation it brought indeed had a sense of profanity, a mix of illicit affair and trampling on the king's dignity… It must be said it was something like an anesthetic, tempting one to commit sin.
In fact, Kailar only had the latter feeling… the former was quite upright… should he be called wicked or honorable?
What happened on the throne next was profane and not for children… it has been instantly harmonized by the Heavenly Dynasty's Harmonization Channel… under six layers of mosaic… ps: Damn, the contract was rejected, wasn't it? Too lazy to type, wasn't I…