Chapter 38: A Need for Communication

Facing Kay’s relentless pursuit, Alafric had no choice but to fight with everything he had. He shoved Sophia aside, urging her to flee, while he stood his ground against Kay.

"You won't hurt her!" Alafric slammed his staff into the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave that pinned Kay in place, preventing him from advancing a single step. Under the watchful eyes of many, Kay dared not unleash his full power. Instead, he relied solely on his physical strength to withstand the relentless waves, gritting his teeth as he inched toward Alafric.

Alafric had exhausted his strength to hold Kay back and had no energy left to escape; he had no intention of doing so anyway. It was he who had killed his own kin in Avalon, leading to their exile and a curse that trapped them in mortal bodies, subject to aging and death. His daughter had been caught in the crossfire, so he had originally planned to use Arthur as a sacrifice to return Sophia to Avalon, while he remained behind to endure the curse until his end.

Now that the plan to sacrifice Arthur had been shattered, he could not let Sophia suffer even the slightest harm. As long as she escaped, there was still hope—if not for Arthur, then perhaps another prince would suffice.

"Father!" Sophia cried out, tears streaming down her face. She knew full well what her father intended, but how could she abandon him?

"Go! I can't hold him much longer, go!"

Although impeded, Kay continued to advance step by step. It was clear that Alafric was reaching his limit. Sophia bit her lip, and finally, she turned and fled toward the gates, unwilling to betray her father’s final wish.

"I said she isn't going anywhere," Kay stated coldly.

No sooner had Kay finished speaking than a scream echoed from the gates.

Alafric turned his head, only to see Sophia clutching her arm as she stumbled back. Outside the gate, a large contingent of knights and soldiers had gathered, their bows, crossbows, and halberds leveled as they closed in.

"Sophia!" Seeing his daughter wounded, Alafric’s fatherly instincts caused him to lose focus for a split second.

That momentary lapse was all it took to seal his doom.

*Swish!*

Two cold blades crossed at Alafric’s neck. His expression froze, and then, with a spurt of hot blood, his head tumbled to the ground.

"No!!!" Watching her father’s end with her own eyes, the shock left Sophia utterly unable to think. Kay began to walk toward her, step by agonizing step.

***

The chaos soon subsided. Both evil sorcerers were dead, dispatched efficiently by Kay’s blade. As they died, their bodies crumbled into ash, ceasing to exist.

Even so, King Uther was furious. Twice in a single month, Camelot had been attacked by dark sorcerers. Combined with the previous incident involving Morgana, Uther was deeply dissatisfied with the security of his city. He could not comprehend how, within his own royal capital, they could not even guarantee the safety of the royal family. Was this still his Camelot? Many were on the receiving end of his wrath that day.

Arthur was revived by Gaius shortly thereafter, though if given the choice, he would have preferred to stay unconscious. It was too humiliating—to be so thoroughly bewitched by a sorceress, a woman who had been his first love.

However, Uther did not fly into a rage at Arthur this time. His reasoning was simple: first loves rarely end well, and setbacks were to be expected. If he were to berate Arthur too harshly over this, he risked shattering the boy’s spirit—and Uther was counting on Arthur to carry on the royal lineage. It was only Arthur’s own wounded pride that made him reluctant to face the others.

***

As the tumultuous day drew to a close, Uther summoned Kay. He needed to talk, not about anything else, but about Morgana.

"...I don't understand why Morgana can never understand my good intentions. Those sorcerers and Druids are the enemies of Camelot! She would rather plead for the enemy than understand me as a father. Do you think I act out of personal desire? I am protecting them! But what about them?"

Uther was still deeply hurt by Morgana’s cold defiance, though he would never show it. The only emotion he permitted himself was anger, yet that anger was steeped in profound sorrow. His own daughter was willing to turn against him for the sake of an enemy!

Uther drained a goblet of wine, pouring out his frustration and heartbreak to Kay. Of all people, he trusted Kay the most, for they were so much alike.

"Even now, Morgana thinks I haven't seen through their tricks. She and Arthur conspired to deceive me, to rebel against me... I am their father!" If Uther were truly so easily fooled by such petty schemes, he would have been dead long ago.

Watching the sorrowful king, Kay felt a genuine sense of sympathy. From his perspective, it was hard to say who was right or wrong. Or perhaps, neither of them was. Uther’s long-standing anti-magic policy had destined him to be the enemy of all who practiced magic. Was his obsession with preventing magical incursions truly just for his own safety? He feared more for the lives of his children. Look at what had happened recently.

He could not understand why Arthur and Morgana remained so stubborn when they had already been harmed by magic. He was desperate to keep them away from such dangers. A Druid child? What child could compare to his own? To protect them, Uther wouldn't blink at killing a single Druid child—or even all of them. Yet Arthur and Morgana insisted on throwing themselves into the fray, even going so far as to defy him.

Were Arthur and Morgana wrong? At least in Kay’s view, not necessarily. Animals have an instinct to protect their young, and humans are no different; their emotions are far more complex, transcending mere instinct. To harm a child is, in the eyes of most, an unforgivable wrong. Kay agreed; if he were in Arthur’s position, he would have made the same choice. Harming a child was a line he would never cross.

"It was just a child, Uther. You are being too sensitive," Kay said.

"Kay... even you..." Uther looked truly struck.

"Heh, I can understand your perspective, but you have overlooked one thing. You forget that they are children, too!" This was something Kay had wanted to say for a long time. "You have protected them too well. You gave them everything beautiful, and you raised them to be so kind that they sometimes cannot perceive the malice in this world."

Behind every spoiled child is a set of enabling parents—a lesson Kay had learned in his previous life. Uther might seem strict, but in reality? Looking back over the years, the tyrant had never actually punished his children for anything. His sternness never went beyond words. More importantly, Uther lacked patience; he would say a few words and then resort to using his authority to suppress them. How could that ever work?

Of course, Kay could not tell the truth. "The fact that you raised them to be so kind is something you should be proud of."

That statement made Uther feel a little better.

"But they are grown now, and they are accustomed to the environment you provided. You cannot expect them to suddenly change into someone else overnight. It is impossible!" It was like parents who forbid their children from dating all through school, only to force them to marry the moment they graduate—change does not happen that quickly.

"Especially since you never speak to them about your true thoughts, making it even harder for them to understand. You need to communicate."