Three days later, in the morning.
Kayal opened his eyes and glanced at Artoria, who was in his arms. He smiled faintly, gently withdrew his hand from under her neck, and stepped barefoot from the bed onto the rug. He stretched, walked out of the room, and into the washroom to dry his face. After meticulously cleaning himself, Kayal finally exited the washroom.
Kayal had a slight obsession with cleanliness, which is why he liked everything to be impeccable. His long hair was always combed back, straight and smooth, and his body was always spotless. Not to mention his white robe, even his boots were white. However, on the battlefield, this attire made him quite conspicuous. If it weren't for the enemy having no archers, Kayal would likely have been a prime target for assassination.
And most importantly, there's no composure on the battlefield!
Wasn't it during Kayal's first war, when he wasn't personally fighting, that he still cut down at least a dozen cavalrymen?
So it was a slight obsession with cleanliness, because there are priorities. Kayal was not someone who couldn't distinguish between important and unimportant matters.
"Today is the day of the sword's pull (pulling out)..." Kayal held a cup of red tea he had brewed, took a small sip, and felt an endless wave of emotion.
"I truly wish to meet King Arthur... If it were me, I could surely move him, couldn't I?"
Facing the morning sun, Kayal felt only endless regret. If the two of them had agreed, with the lingering prestige of the sword's pulling out, they would only need to make a rallying cry. In front of a hundred thousand knights, a military reform could be completed, and all the trump cards and combat power would be in their hands. At that time, Kayal was confident that in three years, reform would make Camelot prosperous and strong. In one year, they would sweep through Scotland and Ireland, and in another year, they would consolidate. In just five years, they would form a formidable power, confronting Rome and Uruk across the English Channel.
If they were to employ a few more minor strategies to seize the island as a springboard, launching a counter-attack on the European continent within eight years would not be impossible.
If anyone were to hear Kayal's plan, mediocre people would naturally scoff, laughing at Kayal's pipe dream. But great men would be astonished beyond words. Such an eight-year plan would be considered a national policy in any country, and if implemented, all other nations would be terrified.
But just as conspiracies cannot be spoken aloud, Kayal had never told anyone his plan. The more people who knew the plan, the more likely it was to change. What's more, his opponent had already set his sights on that generation's great ruler: Alexander the Great.
This great man achieved brilliant victories, but don't forget: after he conquered Persia, he used only one move: marrying the Persian princess, which completely won over Persia and directly led to a grand racial integration with Macedonia. He ordered every soldier to marry at least one Persian woman, which also ensured the Persians held no resentment towards their invaders.
This kind of political wisdom was the most terrifying! Yet everyone focused only on his battle achievements! How foolish!
The places he invaded were all welcomed with open arms, and many even offered him flowers and praise for his invasion. This terrifying political wisdom and ability to unite people... only he was worthy of being his opponent!
Kayal's eyes gleamed with excitement. Indeed, confronting such powerful historical figures was what thrilled him the most... he was even aroused!
So exciting!
Kayal suppressed his desire and didn't seek Artoria to resolve it. Instead, relying on the rapid secretion of hormones, he used the heat in his brain to quickly calculate the day's events, how much control he had over the situation, and so on. To be honest, these things might be difficult and painful for ordinary people, but Kayal, relying on his clear memory and fast processing ability, actually enjoyed it.
Kayal had always been most puzzled by the protagonists in novels, those with an IQ of less than a hundred and memory cells that could only recall deeply ingrained memories for two to five years. How could they re-invent high-tech inventions they had seen ten years ago?
Does everyone now possess photographic memory comparable to his? Or the ability to remember everything at a glance and read ten lines at once? How could that be? Theoretically speaking, those protagonists with an IQ of less than 100 shouldn't have such powerful memory capabilities... Kayal pondered, unable to find an answer, and eventually gave up thinking about it.
"Are you awake?" Hearing the sound of someone getting up behind him, Kayal asked with a gentle smile, his tone clearly teasing.
Artoria, who had been tossed and turned for most of the night, still had a blush even in the morning as she sat up. Hearing his teasing, a flicker of annoyance crossed her face, but she could only shake her head in exasperation and sit up naked.
Her petite figure glowed white in the sunlight, almost making Kayal unable to resist pulling her back into his arms to dote on her again. However, Kayal knew Artoria was angry, perhaps because he had gone straight to bed to dote on her last night?
Setting down his teacup, Kayal gently embraced the naked Artoria, and with a smile and an apologetic tone, he asked, "What, are you still angry?"
"How dare I." Artoria, her head turned away and her voice muffled, was clearly upset.
Kayal, experienced in such matters, smiled slightly, hooked her chin with his hand, lowered his head, and kissed her passionately.
He kissed Artoria until her whole body was soft and numb before releasing her and pulling her into his embrace: "Alright, my dear, don't be angry anymore."
"What did you call me?" Artoria looked up and asked, surprised, with delight in her eyes.
"My dear (honey can also be translated as sweetheart, etc...)," Kayal said with a smile, "So, as an apology... do you want to hear our plan for today?"
Kayal asked with a triumphant smile, "The gift my father, the four Grand Dukes, and I have prepared for the new monarch. The new monarch will surely love it. Do you want to hear our plan?"
"Yes!" Artoria's eyes sparkled with happiness and joy. It wasn't about the gift itself, but the fact that Kayal and the others had put thought into it. At least it let her know that her father, King Uther, hadn't been a complete failure as a person; at least there were still many dukes willing to pledge allegiance to the royal family. This attitude was what touched her the most, because she deeply understood what a proud person Kayal was.
"Thus, this way, next, finally..." Kayal, with a hint of wisdom and reserve, laid out the plan. When he looked at Artoria, he was unexpectedly met with adoration and infatuation in her eyes.
How long had it been since he had seen that look on her face? It seemed that sometime after she turned twelve, Lily had become steady and deeply calculating, hadn't she?
Although he liked the steady and commanding Lily, he still liked this Lily the most... Kayal smiled, then suddenly hooked her chin and kissed her. The two then tumbled together on the bed once more...