A silent rain of black mana soaked a corner of the royal palace.
Within the area covered by this dark rain, an overwhelmingly dense magical energy quietly permeated the air.
Where the rain fell, vegetation seemed to be stimulated by something, growing madly.
On the other side, some other vegetation withered in the rain.
Survival of the fittest—this was the eternal, unchanging truth of nature.
At the center of the training grounds, a red-haired man holding a harp slowly raised his head and gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with solemnity.
"Why is this happening?"
Soon, the man couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Could it be that the Age of Gods is returning?"
Tristan—both a noble's son and a member of the Knights of the Round Table.
As one of the knights who had once participated in the battle against the Demon Dragon, he naturally understood what this black rain before him signified.
The "Age of Gods"—for the modern era, it was a distant, unreachable, and profoundly mysterious time.
During the Age of Gods, the power of "Gaia" had not yet waned, and the magical energy of "True Ether" was incomparably dense, so much so that ordinary humans simply could not survive in that era.
The reason ordinary people could live in present-day Camelot was largely due to the fact that, after Vortigern's death, Camelot had entered the final stages of the Age of Gods.
One of the motives behind the White Dragon Vortigern's rebellion had been his desire to restart the "Age of Gods."
Even though Vortigern's ambition had been thwarted, how could something resembling the "True Ether" of the Age of Gods now appear within the royal palace...?
Such dense magical power…
After Vortigern's death, Tristan had only seen it once—on a single person.
But that person had died several years ago and was personally slain by the king.
Could it be that even now, within the Camelot Empire, there is still a mage who can wield "True Ether"?
Tristan's eyes flickered slightly.
Just then, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind him.
"Looks like you've noticed it too, Tristan?"
The red-haired knight turned to look behind him as a man in armor, tall and broad, slowly approached.
"That even you showed up—now that's rare," Tristan remarked in surprise.
The man before him was none other than the third seat of the Knights of the Round Table—and King Arthur's foster brother, Kay.
"Well, such a big commotion isn't something you can ignore."
Kay shrugged, then looked up at the direction where the black clouds loomed. "I never thought we'd see such dense magical energy again after... him."
Hearing this, Tristan couldn't help but shake his head helplessly. "If possible, I'd rather never see 'True Ether' again in my life."
"Nothing good ever comes from seeing it," Tristan added.
The Age of Gods held little consequence for the Knights of the Round Table themselves, but for the ordinary people living in the royal palace... it was nothing short of lethal poison.
After Vortigern's death, the only one capable of releasing such high-density magical energy was Alvin.
After becoming the new White Dragon, Alvin gained the ability to transform a small area around him into land of the "Age of Gods."
But now… yet another such extraordinary existence has appeared.
"Where is the King now?" Kay quickly asked.
Something this serious had happened tonight, there's no way Artoria would remain uninvolved.
"Today, Gawain and Lancelot captured three transmigrators. The King went to meet one of them."
Tristan paused slightly, then said softly, "According to Agravain… it seems the King's attitude toward the transmigrators has begun to shift. Perhaps the general direction of Camelot may also change in the near future."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Kay was taken aback at first, then his expression changed subtly. "She's moved on that quickly?"
As Artoria's foster brother, no one understood her temperament better than Kay.
Sure, she wanted to protect the empire from the outsiders, bur he knew that her recent orders to arrest the transmigrators stemmed partly from their desecration of the dead.
And yet now, she's willing to accept them?
Could it be… she no longer cares about Alvin's death?
"Maybe she thinks things can't go on like this any longer… After all, the number of transmigrators continues to grow. If we rely solely on capturing them, we'll never get them all."
Tristan paused, then added, "But right now, the priority is dealing with the area that was just covered by the black rain—that land of the Age of Gods."
Kay nodded slightly. "I'll have that area temporarily sealed off. We'll figure out what to do next afterward.*
Even the Knights of the Round Table had no effective way to handle the sudden emergence of Age of Gods zones.
"If only he were still around,"
Thinking about a certain someone, Tristan couldn't help but murmur suddenly.
Kay froze for a moment, then fell silent.
Yes… if he were still here, things would probably be very different.
The Knights of the Round Table were far from harmonious.
In fact, some members harbored deep hatred for one another.
And not just the knights, even the King and her sister Morgan had turned against each other.
But—
When he was around, the royal palace had always been peaceful.
Because the man from the past had always acted as a bridge between everyone… even Morgan, who once harbored deep resentment toward Artoria and the kingdom, would always show a gentler side when she was with him.
No one in the entire Camelot Empire, including those wretched nobles, truly understood just how vital a role the "Night Watcher" had played.
They cheered after the death of the White Dragon, never realizing that in the years following his departure, the empire had already begun to totter in the wind and rain.
The nobles who had once hidden in the shadows out of fear of the Night Watcher were now slowly beginning to reveal their claws.
Every high noble represented a major household within Camelot… and many of these houses were connected by blood to either the Knights of the Round Table or imperial officials.
Tug at one thread, and the whole fabric moves, as the ruler of the empire, even King Arthur had to weigh the consequences of every decision.
Because of that, even she would often find herself troubled.
Over the years, Kay had always seen the heavy burdens Artoria carried on her shoulders.
But as her foster brother, he could do nothing to ease them.
Thinking of this, Kay couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia.
…If only that guy were still here.
…
...
The golden holy sword radiated a gentle brilliance, and with just a single swing, it easily shattered the magecraft that Morgan had unleashed.
Reines stared in shock at the scene before her, her eyes filled with awe.
Though she'd already had some vague sense of King Arthur's strength before, now that she had actually witnessed her in action, she couldn't help but be shaken.
After all, today she had seen with her own eyes just how terrifying Morgan le Fay's power could be.
And yet, the magic cast by that witch had been effortlessly seen through and shattered to pieces by King Arthur.
But come to think of it… why had Morgan cast magic upon Camelot's royal palace…?
"Go back and get some rest."
Just as Reines's mind had begun to race, Artoria's voice pulled her back to reality.
The girl quickly came to her senses, lifted a corner of her dress, and gave a noblewoman's bow according to proper etiquette.
Artoria turned and walked off toward her private chambers.
Her footsteps echoed along the corridor and before long, she arrived at her room, where a black-haired boy was already seated by the window.
He was looking outside toward a certain point in the sky, watching the black raindrops fall quietly from above.
"Looks like… over the past few years, she's managed to master part of the White Dragon's power."
Alvin spoke softly.
The White Dragon—an ancient being born for the Age of Gods.
Morgan understood the White Dragon inside and out, so it wasn't all that surprising to Alvin that she could now control some of its power.
Still, Alvin hadn't expected it—his worst fear had come to pass…
Using that piece of magical attire, and with the help of "Index Magic" to deduce the coordinates of the royal palace… Should he say this was just as expected of Morgan?
Thinking this, Alvin sighed lightly and turned his head.
And there, he saw Artoria standing silently, gazing at him.
Their eyes met.
The two stared at each other and Alvin froze for a moment.
"…What is it?"
"Nothing."
Artoria changed the subject casually. "I've agreed to your lady friend's request. Her brother will meet me in the King's Hall tomorrow."
Hearing that, Alvin couldn't help but smile. "Thank you…"
"No need to thank me," Artoria tilted her head slightly. "Or do you still think there's a need for thanks between us at this point?"
Alvin was speechless for a moment before he replied softly.
"…True".
They've already become one with each other, so, now, their really was no need.
Hearing his words, Artoria's expression softened a little, and she walked to the boy's side. "But I imagine tomorrow, quite a few people won't be able to sit still."
Most of the nobles were conservatives—for them, the existence of "transmigrators" was no different from heresy.
If word spread that Camelot might cooperate with the upper echelon of the transmigrators, many nobles would likely come probing for King Arthur's stance.
"I know," Alvin seemed unsurprised and simply nodded lightly.
"That's why I want to ask you for one more thing."
Artoria raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
As Alvin lifted his head, gazing into her eyes.
"The meeting in the King's Hall tomorrow… I want to go with you."
.
.
.