Chapter Twelve: The Divide (Please Favorite)

At that moment, Kay was stunned. Weren't black people supposed to be in Africa? How did they get to England? By ship? Was the technology among black people at that time so advanced that they could cross nearly half the Atlantic from Africa to the British Isles?

What was even more crucial was that no one else doubted that black people weren’t Celts… Their ancestors were the same…

Sometimes Kay couldn’t help but marvel at the miraculous bloodline of the Celts.

Hearing Gwen's admiring question, Morgana felt indescribably pleased. Proudly, she said, “That’s Kay! He became a champion knight ten years ago.”

Gwen was genuinely envious. After all, what Kay did at last night’s banquet had already spread throughout Camelot today. Though Gwen was just a servant girl, which maiden didn’t harbor such rosy dreams? Sometimes Gwen herself dreamed of her own white knight.

Who would be my white knight?

A small voice deep in Gwen’s heart couldn’t help but ask.

With that thought, Gwen shifted her gaze to Merlin and Arthur in a corner of the training ground.

Arthur was truly frustrated now. That morning alone, he had suffered two blows in a row. First, he was utterly defeated in combat by Kay. This shook Arthur’s confidence deeply, as he had always been very self-assured. He wasn’t incapable of accepting failure, but this kind of defeat was just too much. It reminded him of his feelings ten years ago facing Kay—the undeniable overwhelming strength that was utterly despairing.

That could be excused, after all Kay was special. Even King Uther, who always favored Arthur, admitted that Kay was the most talented knight he had ever seen in his lifetime and could become the strongest knight. Those were Uther’s exact words.

Though unwilling to accept it, Arthur could bear losing to the strongest knight. But now Kay’s even harsher reality told him that all the glory he had previously achieved was a lie! Arthur, though somewhat careless, was not a fool. By now, he could clearly see that the other knights had deliberately held back during their earlier matches with him.

Two blows struck in quick succession, giving Arthur a surreal feeling. He even began to question whether his life was real. These knights had secretly cut him slack just because he was a prince. But what about others? How sincere were the words they spoke to him?

Merlin, standing beside him, didn’t think so much. Half-heartedly wiping Arthur’s sweat, he watched in intense excitement as Kay dominated the training ground. As Arthur’s personal attendant, Merlin managed all of Arthur’s affairs—putting on armor, repairing and maintaining equipment, caring for the horses, preparing saddlery, doing laundry, cooking, and so on. Merlin was involved in almost every aspect of Arthur’s life.

Therefore, although Merlin was a servant, he was no stranger to the knights. He spent at least half a day there every day and had witnessed many contests between knights.

But someone like Sir Kay… how to describe it? Beautiful? Yes! Beautiful!

In previous knights' duels, it was always a back-and-forth exchange, seemingly fierce but clumsy, like two puppets fighting—never pleasing to the eye. Merlin had often criticized King Uther’s taste in his heart, unable to understand what was so appealing about those fights.

But seeing Kay’s moves today, Merlin finally believed that one could fight with such elegance!

Kay’s every move was not only powerful but flowed with a fluidity others lacked. Each attack was seamless, like floating clouds and flowing water. There was an unprecedented grace. The two wooden swords in Kay’s hands seemed almost alive, their rhythms of speed and pause unlike anything seen before.

During the fight, unlike other knights who shouted loudly to intimidate, Kay was quiet, his breathing steady. The most fitting description was that he was as calm as a mountain—silent but majestic.

Compared to the crude shouts and heavy breaths of other knights, Kay’s composure was on a different level.

“Hey! Merlin! I asked you to wipe my sweat, not to shove the towel in my mouth!” Arthur frowned at Merlin, who was watching so intently.

Startled by Arthur’s shout, Merlin quickly withdrew the towel. But he paid no mind to Arthur’s displeasure. Though Arthur was somewhat arrogant, bossy, and quick-tempered, he was essentially a good man and never treated Merlin as a mere servant. Their relationship was more like friends.

Dropping the towel aside, Merlin curiously asked Arthur, “Did you really learn swordsmanship from Sir Kay before?”

Arthur didn’t react much to Merlin’s casual tone. On the contrary, it was because of such reactions that Arthur was willing to befriend Merlin. Being a prince in Camelot, people either feared or flattered him. Though Arthur was now an adult, King Uther’s protection had made him feel more like a child. Children need playmates, and Merlin was close in age and, more importantly, sincere.

Having lacked companionship since childhood, Arthur naturally regarded Merlin as a friend and refused to use his status to suppress him.

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

After getting his answer, Merlin scrutinized Arthur with a look of disdain. “You don’t look like it at all…”

Arthur knew Merlin was just teasing. “I want water! Go get me a cup of wine!”

Merlin shrugged and smirked as he walked off.

That was how two boys got along.

********

The oldest knight in the order, Sir Lyon, was the last to face Kay. As a veteran knight, Lyon’s skills were outstanding, even considered top-tier among the realms. But against Kay, all he could do was hold out a little longer.

Lyon collapsed, defeated, his wooden sword knocked away by Kay. Just as he was getting up, Kay crossed his two wooden swords at Lyon’s neck.

“I’m defeated…” Lyon said resignedly to Kay’s expressionless face.

Kay had defeated him ten years ago, but now, ten years later, Lyon lost even faster, utterly powerless to resist. Could there be a greater blow than this?

“What have you been doing, Lyon!” Kay said, but he didn’t care much.

In fact, after years of training and battles, Kay had accumulated soul energy that transcended mortal limits.

His current attributes were: Strength 40; Agility 30; Spirit 40.

Kay compared this to ordinary people in his past life, whose attributes averaged about two points each. Trained professionals averaged three points. For some unknown reason, people in this timeline were generally much stronger physically. A strong commoner could reach five points in Strength, three in Agility, and Spirit hovered around one or two, similar to his past life. Only those with mage or sorcerer talents had higher Spirit.

Knights could reach up to ten points in Strength, seven in Agility, and surpass three in Spirit.

From a mere attribute comparison, Kay surpassed Lyon by four times on paper. The real difference was even more terrifying. Attributes weren't simply added up; each had its function. Strength represented not only force but bodily resilience, stamina, and environmental adaptability. Agility stood for speed, neural reflexes, balance, and bodily control.

Spirit was the hardest to grasp—it encompassed everything related to the brain: thinking speed, learning ability, memory, perception, spatial awareness, even mysterious mental powers.

Considering all this, Kay’s actual strength over Lyon was not four times but ten times or more. Though hard to quantify, when Kay fully unleashed his power in a perfectly fair environment, he could easily defeat a dozen Lyons alone. With terrain and tactics, he could defeat even more. Reality isn’t a game; many factors influence outcomes. It’s impossible for two people to take turns like in turn-based games. In real conditions, the gap between Kay and Lyon would only widen.

Given this comparison, one could imagine how powerful Kay was now. This was still with Kay putting many energy points into skills, which kept his attributes from being overwhelmingly high. Otherwise, Kay wouldn’t need any technique—one punch would reduce Lyon to mush.

...

Of course, Lyon understood Kay’s question but had his own reasons.

“Arthur is the future king; he cannot be harmed.” Loyalty was a knight’s essential virtue. Arthur was a prince who would one day be king! He was the object of every knight’s allegiance. As a knight, how could Lyon harm his sovereign? That would betray his knightly code.

Kay shook his head in disappointment and said deliberately, “He’s a king, not a queen!”

Then Kay looked around solemnly and continued, “Do you think you’re protecting Arthur by letting him live in a lie? By letting him overestimate his strength? Yes, you’re afraid and unwilling to hurt him. But what about his enemies? What about those evil sorcerers? Those terrifying monsters? Will they cut him slack just because he is a prince?”

These words made all the knights lower their heads. Of course, some remained unconvinced. They were knights of the king; their duty was to protect him. How could they allow their king to be harmed?

Kay went on: “He is a man and the heir to the throne. One day, he will lead you into battle. As knights, would you rather see him injured in training or die on the battlefield? I think I don’t need to remind you which to choose. King Uther sent Arthur here not for him to play house with you!”

After speaking, Kay ignored their reactions. He put away his sword and then looked up arrogantly at the knights.

“To punish you for your dereliction of duty, each of you will run fifty laps around the castle walls! No taking off armor, no resting! Start immediately!”

Kay shouted the last sentence. No matter what they thought, the knights could only scramble out of the castle to run. There was no question of Kay lacking authority—he was King Uther’s adopted son and a prince himself. This was not a law-governed era but a feudal society; royal orders to knights were unquestionable.