Facing such a blatant provocation from Kay, no man, let alone King Uther who was already simmering with resentment, could tolerate it.
And so, the one-against-five duel quickly began.
But contrary to what Uther and his men expected, this seemingly lopsided fight ended just as quickly, and with a crushing defeat for the five knights. Uther's five knights engaged Kay for less than five minutes before three were killed on the spot. One knight was knocked unconscious after Kay delivered a kick to his head, and the last one was rendered unable to fight when Kay sliced off his hand right at the shoulder.
The duel ended with an overwhelming victory for Kay.
As Kay sheathed his swords and swiftly left the dueling grounds, King Uther and his surrounding nobles were still in a state of stunned disbelief.
What could they even say? Five against one, and they still lost! There was no way to argue. This world, ultimately, was ruled by strength. Someone gave them a fair shot—five against one!—but they simply couldn't get the job done.
In short, Kay and his men sped off without so much as a goodbye, leaving King Uther and his nobles bewildered in the wind.
"Gareth!" Kay quickly returned to Castle Katlin. The moment he stepped inside, he called for his deputy knight, Gareth (adapting "Lyon" to a common Arthurian-era name). "You'll stay here at Castle Katlin for a while. Keep an eye on the situation with King Cendred's kingdom (adapting "Sen De Li De" to a similar sounding Anglo-Saxon King). The chances of them reneging on the deal are slim, but we need to be vigilant. Also, you need to chase down the compensation from them. We need that money now."
Kay instructed Gareth, who was trailing closely behind him, as he walked toward his room.
"Understood!" Gareth was puzzled by Kay's urgency but followed the order. It wasn't until Kay was in his room packing his belongings that Gareth finally asked, "Sir Kay, what exactly is going on?"
Kay quickly packed a simple bag, handed it to his squire, and instructed them to prepare horses and necessary supplies. They were heading back to Camelot immediately. Once the squire left, Kay spoke to Gareth with a grave expression: "Arthur is in trouble."
---
Arthur really was in trouble. Earlier, King Uther had ordered Arthur to hunt down the Questing Beast (adapting "Xun Shui Shou" or "Water-Seeking Beast" to the famous mythical creature in Arthurian legend). Arthur had indeed taken men out, quickly found the Beast, but the result wasn't good.
Arthur was severely wounded.
The Questing Beast has a unique characteristic: anyone wounded by it is destined to die. Though Arthur managed to slay the Beast in the end, he was critically injured and unconscious on the spot. By the time he was rushed back to Camelot, he was barely clinging to life.
King Uther completely broke down right there, clutching Arthur and sobbing uncontrollably. This was perhaps the first time in many years the Iron-Handed King had shed tears in public. However, no one mocked Uther for it. Seeing a father burying his son is universally understood as a tragedy.
It was this news that forced Kay to rush back immediately.
---
Around noon on the third day, Kay, having ridden tirelessly day and night, finally arrived back in Camelot.
Kay didn't stop for greetings; he went straight to Arthur's chamber.
Arthur lay in bed, unconscious, covered in bandages, and drenched in sweat, as if he'd been pulled from the water. Seeing this, Kay breathed a sigh of relief. Though Arthur was unconscious, his body was still twitching slightly, meaning he hadn't yet passed away.
The people in the room finally noticed Kay's arrival.
King Uther, seated by Arthur's bedside, reacted first. The iron-willed king, known for his harsh strength, looked like a helpless old man. His expression was haggard. When he saw Kay, Uther was first startled, and then tears streamed down his face. He trembled as he stood up and reached out his hands to Kay.
Kay quickly stepped forward and hugged Uther tightly, repeating, "It's alright, it's alright. Arthur will be fine, I promise!"
Perhaps Kay's return gave Uther the support he needed, allowing the once-anxious King to finally calm down a little. He grasped Kay's shoulders, looked him straight in the eye, and spoke sternly, "Why are you back so soon? How is the war going? No! You cannot abandon your post. You must return to the front lines immediately! That is where you belong. We have things under control here. You need to leave now, go back at once!"
Uther was relieved that Kay rushed back, but for Camelot right now, the war with Cendred's kingdom was the most critical matter. Arthur was near death, the city was already panicking, and if something went wrong on the front lines, then...
In short, while Uther desperately wanted his other son (referring to Kay) to stay by his side, he had to make a choice for the future of Camelot. That is the nature of kings: their choices are always restricted by countless factors and can never, ever be based solely on personal feelings, unless they are truly incompetent.
Kay shook his head and said, "There's no need. The front line situation is resolved. Cendred's kingdom has agreed to retreat and pay us 100,000 gold coins."
Uther initially thought he had misheard. After Kay repeated himself, Uther asked in disbelief, "Is that true?"
"Do I have reason to lie?"
Kay didn't wait for Uther's answer. He moved straight to Arthur's side, first touching Arthur's forehead. His body was alarmingly hot, at least $107.6^{\circ}\text{F}$ (adapting $42^{\circ}\text{C}$ to Fahrenheit).
Next, Kay lifted Arthur's bandages, finding the wounded area blackened and accompanied by a faint, sour odor, much like an infection. Gently pressing the wound caused a slightly yellowish, transparent fluid to seep out.
This was tissue fluid mixed with purulent discharge. Based on the color, the infection was less severe than Kay had initially anticipated, which he attributed to Gaius (adapting "Gai Wu Si" to the famed physician in Arthurian legend). Otherwise, the situation wouldn't be this stable.
After assessing the situation, Kay looked up and asked Gaius, "What's the outlook?"
Gaius shook his head with a troubled expression: "It's not good. Although I've done my best to prevent infection, it hasn't been very effective, and the wound is still worsening. But that's not the worst part. The truly critical issue is the magical energy in the wound. I can't do anything about it. As long as the magical force isn't removed, Arthur's condition will deteriorate daily."
The Questing Beast was a product of ancient magic, rumored to be a creature powerful magic conjured from the earth. Thus, the presence of magical energy in the wounds it inflicted was not surprising.
King Uther came closer. Although he knew Kay wasn't a physician, driven by his trust in Kay, he placed his last hope in him.
"Kay, do you have a solution?"
To his surprise, Kay gave Uther a reassuring smile, appearing completely relaxed. "While I'm not entirely certain, yes, I do have a way."
With that, Kay pulled a clear glass vial from his travel bag. Inside was a golden potion no one had ever seen before. "This is a tonic I acquired in a place called Olympus. It's an extract from a special plant called the Golden Apple. While I can't say it cures everything, it is incredibly effective for many types of injuries."
Kay wasn't lying. This was indeed a tonic from Olympus, but its effects were ten times stronger than he claimed. Not only could it heal all ailments, but it could also extend life. To obtain this item years ago, Kay had to fight a venomous dragon with a hundred heads for three days and three nights. If Hera, the Queen of Olympus, hadn't secretly intervened, Kay might not have succeeded. He had eaten the Golden Apple itself, leaving only this residue, which he used to create a few doses of this life-saving tonic. This was one of them.
Hearing this, King Uther became instantly excited. At that moment, he didn't care whether the item was related to magic or not. In fact, even if it were, he wouldn't care—his son was dying! How could he possibly worry about such things now!