Ch. 156 Vortigern is Coming

Amidst the curses of the villagers, the Anglo-Saxon was hanged from a tree.

This was no place to linger.

Not all the attacking Anglo-Saxons had been killed; those who escaped would surely report what happened here to their leader—a greater leader, a more authoritative leader.

According to what the hanged Anglo-Saxon had said.

Their leader was Vortigern.

He was the younger brother of the former King of Britannia, Uther, but also the traitor who led the foreigners to invade Britain.

Having seized half of Britain’s land with the military might of the Anglo-Saxons, he was known by the Britons as The Low King.

It seemed that this time, Vortigern was leading an army of Anglo-Saxons north with the ambition of completely destroying this small kingdom.

“Vortigern…” Savoring what that name represented.

Merlin scratched his head.

The prophecy has been broken.

According to the initial speculation, Artoria should not have encountered Vortigern here.

Was it because of the variable of Mia inserted midway?

However, Merlin did not think there was anything wrong with that.

It is precisely because of such uncontrollable developments that there is enough fun to watch.

The unknown and the random are the most wonderful things.

“Vortigern…” Artoria also silently repeated that name.

Just the title of ‘the despicable king who led the Anglo-Saxons to invade Britain’ was filled with a sense of oppression.

“That will be your arch-enemy, and also your uncle,” Merlin said.

Artoria understood that if she wanted to take back the land of the Britons, she had to defeat Vortigern.

“Is he the one I have to face next?”

The girl asked.

Merlin shook his head: “No, you should leave here quickly, and go as far away as possible.”

“Why?” Artoria frowned.

To Artoria, who had no idea what was going on, Merlin’s words were undoubtedly filled with a strong sense of defeatism.

“Because I… ah no, it is because you are not ready yet,” Merlin explained: “Vortigern’s power is not something you can match right now.”

“How will I know if I don’t try?” Artoria said stubbornly.

“If you want to confront Vortigern, you must at least liberate the power of the sword in the stone.”

This point struck a sore spot for Artoria.

Since leaving the Isle of Anglesey, the sword in the stone in her hand had never emitted golden light again.

What kept people awake at night, even more than having no hope, was that little bit of hope that seemed within reach but was actually untouchable.

“Then I cannot run either.”

Artoria threw down these words with a bad attitude, gripped the scabbard tightly, and walked away without looking back.

“Oh my, oh my,” Merlin smiled bitterly.

He shouldn’t have said the wrong thing, right?

Artoria clearly wasn’t like this before.

Merlin stroked his chin, thinking about the reason.

He missed the little Artoria from before who had no temper.

Ah no, at that time, she was still presenting herself under the name Artorius, and was Kay’s younger brother and attendant.

Hmm… is that the reason?

Now that Artoria is a girl knight, has the femininity in her heart awakened?

Oh my, if this continues, she will only become an ordinary girl and won’t be able to become a rational king.

While Merlin was scratching his head, the people around him were not idle.

By hanging the Anglo-Saxons, Egde restored order among the people.

Under his command, the survivors hastily buried the victims.

If the people previously still harbored some wishful thinking, feeling that they had known about the Anglo-Saxons’ arrival in advance and had outsmarted them by leaving the village, so they could leisurely bring their families and loads of property to the city…

Then this sudden raid was undoubtedly the whip of death in the hands of the slave owner.

Who was the slave? Did they even need to ask?

With the Grim Reaper chasing from behind, no one could care about the property lost in the battle.

After leaving a mess behind, the team set off again.

People discovered a small path leading deep into the forest; the Anglo-Saxons had appeared from this path.

They had dodged the scouts probing the path ahead and launched a surprise attack on the team.

Although the scouts could determine if there were threats on the main road ahead and behind, their manpower was too limited; their reconnaissance couldn’t cover such forest paths.

The three-Soldier group led by Mia had won extremely high prestige among the villagers. Of course, as a main force in resisting the Anglo-Saxons, Artoria had not been treated unfairly either.

It was just that the commotion Artoria and the others made was not as big as Mia’s.

She did not claim to be an angel to appease the public as she did on the Isle of Anglesey.

She was always explaining that she was not some Catholic angel, but just a mage, but she couldn’t stop people from coming to ask incessantly.

It was as if all three hundred people had to come over and ask once.

These were people who wanted to have close contact with Mia, who were traveling with her, day and night for several days.

They were different from the villagers on the Isle of Anglesey who were destined to have only one encounter with her.

Mia didn’t have the audacity to be loved by people under a title she didn’t believe in and couldn’t represent.

In the afternoon, the scout reported that they were approaching a castle.

When Egde set off yesterday, he had a cavalryman take his letter to the castle to warn the knight there.

Before the long line had even approached the white walls of the castle, which were brushed with whitewash, people heard the sound of horns coming from the castle.

The soldiers stood on the castle walls, looking down at this unusual procession.

“There is someone I know in there…” the soldiers whispered to each other: “He is the groom who often comes here to deliver grain.”

“Egde!” The fat knight guarding the castle, with white whiskers, was not wearing armor and appeared on the castle wall with his hands on his hips.

Leaning out half his body to look: “God bless, Master Egde! I am so happy to see you are okay. Your messenger told me everything.”

Egde reined in his horse, stood in front of the city gate, and shouted: “Good afternoon, Lord Adlan. Seeing you in such good spirits, I am sincerely happy for you. Speaking of my messenger, did he tell you that the invading force is Vortigern’s army?!”

“Vortigern?!”

The knight Adlan inside the castle changed his expression: “Your letter didn’t mention this!”

The letter sent out last night, of course, could not possibly contain intelligence that was only known this morning.

“Look at my people, my lord. If it weren’t for the surprise attack by the Anglo-Saxon raiding party on the way, they wouldn’t be so dejected,” Egde explained: “We learned this news from the captives.”

“Oh, hmm…” Adlan’s whiskers trembled, and his lips, hidden under his white beard, moved.

Who didn’t know the prestige of Vortigern? The High King Uther died in the decisive battle against him.

Adlan’s voice retreated from the wall. His soldiers watched him pacing anxiously. A moment later, he poked his head out again: “Then do you still want to come in and rest?”

“No!” Egde waved from far below the castle wall: “I am going to the city. Only the King has the ability to organize a defense.”

Adlan said: “Alright then, good luck!”

“Thank you for your kindness, Lord Adlan.” Egde bowed slightly while on his horse, pressed his hand to his chest, and offered a salute.

The castle was not large. As a purely military facility, the size of the castle could not compare to a village.

“When I see His Majesty, I will definitely do my best to secure reinforcements for you!”

The knight of the castle was not the same as the knight of the village.

Castles were mostly located in important strategic positions, like the one in front of them.

With dense forests on both sides, this castle was situated on a natural hill, guarding the main road leading to the capital of the small kingdom.

Therefore, they could not abandon their fiefs and lead the people to escape like the knight of the village.

The knight in this position was undoubtedly a trusted confidant highly valued by the King.

In an era when the feudal system had not yet been perfected, the European system of five ranks of nobility had not yet formed.

As knights with fiefs, they had to serve the King for generations. And the difference in positions in the army or the court was the only division of knightly rank.

For example, the knight Adlan in the castle was ordered to guard the castle as an officer, commanding an elite standing army for the King.

And what about Sir Egde? He did not have as many soldiers under his command as Adlan. He managed a village and the garrison within the village in the capacity of an administrator.

“Lord Adlan, those Anglo-Saxons are very barbaric! If you do not wait for reinforcements, at least you must protect yourself. You must leave yourself a way out. There is always a seat for you at the King’s Round Table!”

“I understand, Master Egde!” Adlan waved from the tower.

“Take care!” Egde bid farewell to Adlan.

The team continued on their way.