Chapter 26: Recommendations and the Truth

Under Kay’s stern rebuke, Arthur immediately wilted. Compared to the austere and rigid King Uther, Arthur was far more afraid of his elder brother, who was otherwise very kind to him. In Kay’s presence, Arthur never had much confidence. Perhaps this was because even when King Uther was furious, he would never truly harm Arthur. Uther had only one son; though he was harsh, it was mostly just for show.

But Kay was different; he would actually beat him! Whenever Arthur made a mistake, Kay was not afraid to go hard on him. While King Uther could not bring himself to punish his own son, he trusted Kay implicitly, believing that Kay knew where to draw the line.

Consequently, from a young age, Arthur both respected and feared Kay.

Once Arthur fell silent, Kay had the mental space to notice the others. By this time, many young knights had already arrived. They had been watching Kay’s intensive training of Arthur, and seeing Arthur’s progress, they couldn't help but imitate him. Kay was not stingy with them either; since they were willing to learn, why shouldn't he teach them? It was always good for young people to strive for improvement; Kay had no reason to stop them.

(Of course, Kay had no intention of teaching them the true essence of his martial arts. He was genuinely afraid that if, one day, his martial arts became the national quintessence of England, he would truly become a sinner against the nation and its people.)

He took a look around; they were all familiar faces, except for one. Kay had never seen this boy before, and it was impossible that he had seen him and forgotten. Putting aside Kay’s exceptional memory, the boy’s appearance and presence were so striking that Kay could not possibly have forgotten him after seeing him even once.

He stood behind Merlin, yet his presence completely overshadowed Merlin’s. It was easy to see how eye-catching this youth was.

"Who are you? A new knight? Why have I never seen you before?"

Seeing that the boy still seemed a bit constrained, Kay took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Faced with Kay’s inquiry, the boy appeared somewhat nervous. He clenched his fists slightly and bowed in reply: "Lancelot! My name is Lancelot! It is a great honor to meet you, Sir Kay!"

Kay frowned. Beyond the fact that the boy’s introduction was a bit unusual, he also felt that the name sounded vaguely familiar.

Merlin, standing to the side, saw Kay’s frown and immediately stepped forward to fill in the details for Lancelot: "Lancelot is the fifth son of Lord Lausambi. He came to Camelot a month ago. He originally wanted to join the Knights, but... Arthur felt he wasn't qualified enough, so he sent him to the stables to help out. This is his first time meeting you; he's just a bit nervous."

"Lord Lausambi?" Kay had been wondering about that inexplicable sense of familiarity, but upon hearing 'the fifth son of Lord Lausambi,' he immediately turned his head to look at Lancelot. "The fifth son of Lord Lausambi?"

Upon hearing Kay’s question, Lancelot’s expression turned stiff. He met Kay’s sharp gaze, wanting to speak but not knowing how to begin. Merlin, seeing the situation, immediately gave Arthur a nudge.

Arthur had been standing to the side doing nothing, and caught off guard by Merlin’s sudden push, he stumbled, effectively blocking Lancelot from Kay’s view.

It was this moment that finally snapped Arthur to his senses; he had been dragged here by Merlin today to plead on Lancelot’s behalf!

Previously, Arthur felt Lancelot was a promising talent, so he had placed him in the stables to observe and temper him for a while. However, Kay’s return had disrupted Arthur’s plans. Kay had been working Arthur like a dog day after day, leaving him no energy to worry about Lancelot.

As a result, Lancelot had been working diligently as a stable hand for a month. If things had continued this way, there was no telling how much longer Lancelot would have remained forgotten. But he had one thing going for him: a good friend.

Merlin was that friend.

As the prince's manservant, Merlin had plenty of opportunities to speak for Lancelot. However, for a while, Arthur had been so exhausted that anything Merlin said went in one ear and out the other. Furthermore, since Kay’s return, the affairs of the Knights had been handed over to him by King Uther, and Arthur had lost his say in the matter.

Just a few days ago, because of the incident with Edwin, Merlin and Gwen had been placed under house arrest. Arthur felt a bit guilty and decided to let Merlin make one request, promising to fulfill it. Naturally, Merlin wouldn't forget his savior, so he asked Arthur to recommend Lancelot to Kay.

Arthur, who already thought highly of Lancelot, naturally wouldn't refuse.

Thus, the scene unfolded.

"Kay, I think Lancelot is excellent. I had him work in the stables because he didn't pass the assessment, but not only did he not get discouraged, he worked very hard. Everyone in the stables speaks highly of him. He is an honest and earnest man; he is absolutely qualified to be a knight of Camelot!"

Honest?

Kay looked at his foolish brother in surprise. He couldn't understand how Arthur had determined that Lancelot was honest. Although Lord Lausambi wasn't well-known in Camelot, Kay happened to know him.

Lord Lausambi’s family estate was on the borders of the Celtic lands, right next to the barbarian territories, so indeed, few paid attention to it. But as it happened, when Kay left the Celtic lands, he had passed through Lord Lausambi’s territory and even helped him repel a barbarian attack; they were quite well-acquainted.

Upon his return this time, he had specifically stopped by Lord Lausambi’s estate, where the lord had hosted him warmly. Unless Lord Lausambi had an illegitimate child abroad, where could this Lancelot have come from?

Furthermore, illegitimate children were not entitled to inherit the family name, and even when traveling, they had no right to claim they were the son of a noble.

Therefore, even if this 'fifth son of Lord Lausambi' title was true, it was a fabrication. No one would recognize such a claim.

Seeing Kay looking at him with surprise, Arthur assumed Kay was shocked that he had made a nobleman work in the stables, so he explained: "I sparred with him back then; he actually won, but he used dishonorable tactics. That’s why I wanted him to be tempered. It was meant as a punishment, not an intentional humiliation. Now, his performance has exceeded my expectations, so I believe he is qualified to be a knight."

At this point, Merlin chimed in: "That's right! Lancelot is the most chivalrous person I have ever met. If he cannot become a knight, it would be a loss for Camelot!"

Kay looked at Arthur, then at Merlin. He roughly guessed what was going on. It was nothing more than Merlin, as Lancelot’s friend, trying to help him. And Arthur... based on what Kay knew of him, he wouldn't help Lancelot if he knew he was lying; the foolish boy likely had no idea of the truth! He was simply appreciating Lancelot’s character.

"Is that so? Then I’ll give him a chance." Kay did not expose the lies of Merlin and Lancelot.

This involved the lives of these two boys; if Kay were to expose them now, it would undoubtedly cost them their lives. In any country, impersonating a noble was a capital offense!

But that didn't mean Kay would tolerate such deception!

And so, Lancelot’s fate... was miserable!

Within a minute, Kay used a wooden sword to break one of his ribs and dislocated his right hand, the one he held his sword with.

"It seems he is not as good as you both claimed." Kay dropped the wooden sword, which had snapped from excessive force, and said these words to Lancelot with a pointed meaning.

Lancelot’s face, which had been twisted from the sharp pain, turned deathly pale. He had sensed Kay’s hostility during the fight. Combined with these meaningful words, how could he not understand that Kay had discovered the truth?

"Everyone, get back to training!" Kay dropped these words and went off for his own run, paying no mind to Merlin and Arthur, who were left standing there with words caught in their throats.