"Oh my, oh my… so they did escape." Kayal chuckled, looking at the empty palace. He squatted down and looked at Mordred: "What, your mother, Morgan and Merlin, didn't take you with them when they fled?"
Mordred, who looked exactly like Artoria, was trapped on the soft bed, her hands tied behind her back. The other two who should have been with her on the bed: Morgan and Merlin, had already vanished without a trace.
Mordred glared at Kayal, not speaking, but so angry her lungs felt like they would explode. Those two had fled without her, but she was a proud person. Looking at them, she knew they had only ever used her as a pawn, a pawn to disrupt Kayal, to disrupt Camelot, a pawn used for their own power.
Now that this pawn was useless, they naturally couldn't be bothered to take her. She might even expose their identities — after all, she looked too much like Artoria.
After her national tour, Artoria, the handsome, valiant, beautiful, and upright king, left a deep impression on the people of the entire country, even gaining followers, though they were all insignificant individuals.
However, it was an undeniable fact that Artoria enjoyed more popularity than any previous king in history. After all, the legend of the first queen and the pulling of the sword in the stone was too captivating.
After dealing with numerous corrupt nobles, Artoria seemed to have become synonymous with a wise ruler.
The subsequent great battles and wars brought her immense support. Countless territories, slaves, and wealth flowed to the common people. They could use slaves to build roads and infrastructure, freeing themselves to tend to their farms and household chores. They could join the army to earn merits, as the militia had begun recruiting. With strength, there was no more confusion; with hope, there was no more despair. Naturally, there was more motivation and progress. With motivation and hope, the wealth they created was like America's industrial revolution in the 1970s, which Kayal calculated would contribute to the rise of the entire Camelot in the next ten years.
As for Kayal, a wise man is best hidden behind the scenes. Did not Zhuge Liang, that near-demonic strategist, a ghost and god of wisdom, achieve no further accomplishments after he and the brilliant Zhou Yu burned Cao Cao's million-strong army at Red Cliffs? Although the weakness of the Shu Kingdom played a part, repeatedly suffering losses at the hands of Lu Meng, Lu Xun, and Sima Yi, in Kayal's view, was due to his personality and strategies being completely understood.
Zhuge's life was one of caution!
This was the evaluation his opponents gave him, showing how thoroughly Zhuge Liang was understood.
So, after organizing everything, Kayal gave all the credit and achievements to Artoria. What good was credit to him as her husband? To make him rise in rank faster? What use was an official position when he already held the title of Sage?
Therefore, while reputation is good, it is not something a sage or a wise man should covet.
"Let me guess." Kayal sat on the edge of the bed with a knowing smile, exuding an aura of being in complete control, as he looked at Mordred, who had turned her head away, and chuckled: "Where do you think those two went?"
"I suppose you discussed it when you were trapped here, didn't you?"
"Let me take a guess then." Kayal smiled, clearly intending to strike at Mordred with his words.
"There are only a few places they could have gone."
"Scotland and Ireland are at war with Camelot. Even if they went there, they wouldn't have a chance of winning, so they naturally wouldn't go to such desolate places."
"Carthage is full of black people. Even in other places, they are looked down upon. It would be truly inconvenient for two women to go there, so that's a pass."
"The Silver Country to the north is so cold your nose could freeze off. Having been pampered in Camelot, those two would never go seeking hardship, so that's a pass."
"That leaves only two places: the Macedonian Empire, which is in civil war, and the Roman Empire."
"However, the Macedonian Empire is too far away, and its monarch is too strong, so they probably wouldn't go there."
"The only one left is the Roman Empire, Nero the Great, a woman who has just ascended to the throne as emperor and is overwhelmed by domestic rebellions, isn't it?"
Kayal smiled.
Calling Nero the Great was simply because the Roman Empire was truly vast, and as an emperor, Nero certainly deserved the title of Great.
However, in Kayal's heart, the only one who truly deserved the title of Great was the brilliant and ambitious Alexander. Similarly, in this era, there were countless kings, but only a few could be considered his enemies, his arch-rivals, his opponents, true hegemons.
Just as many people flocked to Liu Bei and Sun Quan in order to contend with Cao Cao, the hegemon of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao was a true model of a hegemon, capable of writing 'Though the Tortoise Lives Long' in literature and personally fighting Yuan Shao on the battlefield in martial arts.
Of course, Cao Cao leaned towards literature due to the customs of the late Han dynasty, while Alexander leaned towards martial arts, which was, of course, due to the knightly customs here.
However, everyone was still in the Bronze Age, and chariots were still very common across the vast European continent, including in Carthage in Africa, where chariots were used extensively.
Seeing Kayal instantly pinpoint their destination, Mordred's face changed dramatically, as if she had seen a ghost.
"It seems my guess was not wrong," Kayal said, nodding slightly as he looked at her expression, then his gaze lingered on her face.
"To be honest, Mordred…" Kayal looked at her gently, his entire being exuding a peculiar feeling, his smile seemingly able to permeate one's heart.
"I don't dislike you. Even though you are Morgan's child, you are still considered my and Lily's child. I feel a warm and close connection to you, so I don't dislike you."
"I can probably guess your objective. It was merely to vent Morgan's anger, wasn't that what they told you? But in reality, they were using your identity to shake Lily's foundation of rule over Camelot. I knew their true objective that day, which is why I swiftly apprehended you all. I originally intended for you to reflect, but they escaped. Clearly, you were not part of their plan."
"Mordred, are you willing to be my right-hand and help me?" Kayal gently helped her up, holding her soft shoulders, and asked very seriously and gravely.
In a flash, Mordred's face turned red.
She was only about three years old since her birth. As a rapidly matured artificial human, let alone life experience, besides her formidable physical strength, she had absolutely no experience due to her isolation from the world. Faced with Kayal's sincere and passionate "confession," she was instantly at a loss for what to do...