NOVEL WEB Chapter 291: Naturally, I Choose to Serve You
"Ugh... ugh..."
Having just come out of the ball, Guinevere couldn't even stand. He dropped to his knees and began dry heaving.
It felt like his brain had been thoroughly scrambled.
Thankfully, he had come on an empty stomach, or else he'd probably have vomited everywhere by now.
"Guinevere, are you okay?"
Seeing him in such a sorry state, Artoria didn't have time to keep fighting the northern fairies. She rushed toward Guinevere, trying to help him up.
But when he saw her approaching, Guinevere instinctively recoiled in fear, staggering a couple of steps to the side to avoid her.
Though Artoria only needed one step to reach him in his weakened state, her hand froze in midair when she saw his unconscious reaction.
"Guinevere, I'm sorry. How are you feeling now?"
As Artoria hesitated, Nocrnaire had already stepped past her and approached Guinevere as well—though when she extended her hand, Guinevere flinched and took half a step back.
Seeing that, Nocrnaire quickly halted:
"Are you alright?"
"Do I look alright to you?"
Guinevere's face was pale.
Nocrnaire stepped subtly in front of Artoria, blocking her path, and once again offered her hand to Guinevere:
"Then? Shall I help you up?"
But Guinevere didn't take her hand. He remained sitting on the ground, slumped, and asked:
"Nocrnaire, I have a question, if I may?"
"Go ahead."
"I want to ask—what was your reason, your stance, your goal... when you threw a Pal Ball at me three hundred times?"
"That..." Nocrnaire hesitated for half a second.
"Naturally, it was because I feared Artoria might order you to fight my soldiers... so I had no choice."
"If that's the case," Guinevere paused, "then why insist on keeping me? If you'd let us go, there wouldn't have been any conflict."
"That..." Nocrnaire faltered again. Out of royal pride, she didn't admit she just wanted to keep Guinevere around. Instead, she turned her head aside and said:
"You're an outstanding warrior, and your talents go far beyond the battlefield. Your presence would immensely strengthen Edinburgh. With your support, I believe I stand a strong chance of becoming Britain's ruler. Is that a satisfactory explanation?"
"Phew\..." Guinevere exhaled deeply. "So you're saying that from a rational standpoint, not out of emotion, you want me to stay and serve you. Correct?"
"Well..."
Nocrnaire's mind suddenly went blank.
Wait—what was this?
Could it be that, after being so disillusioned with Artoria, he was finally considering other excellent women—like herself?
Was he trying to confirm her feelings? Now? Here?
Was he going to confess?
But—but isn't this a little too fast?
Her heart began pounding wildly.
She was a queen, after all. She should act reserved, not just say yes right away.
Besides, hadn't she vowed to become queen before falling in love? Though... a slight deviation from that order wouldn't be the end of the world...
"O-of course not! Why would I have feelings for you? W-what are you implying, acting like you're trying to flirt with me or something..."
Nocrnaire suddenly began to stammer:
"I—I'm a queen, okay? I couldn't possibly fall for you so easily. That would be far too cheap."
"If you want me to take an interest in you, you'd at least have to help me conquer all of Britain first. Even then, you'd still face fierce competition under my command. I—I've also sworn that only after I become Queen of Britain will I think about romantic matters!"
"I see..."
Upon hearing that, Guinevere let out a long breath.
Wait—was that a sigh?
Nocrnaire suddenly panicked.
Oh no... did she just blow her best shot at capturing Guinevere's heart?
Then she saw Guinevere look extremely relieved:
"In that case, there's only one answer."
Guinevere took hold of the hand Nocrnaire had extended to him:
"Naturally, I choose to serve you!"
"Huh?"
Caught off guard by Guinevere grabbing her, Nocrnaire froze for a moment.
"...What?"
Wait—did she misunderstand something?
"Your reasoning makes more sense. I think I see a future if I follow you." Guinevere shook her hand solemnly.
"Previously, I stayed here because I had no other choice... but from now on, I'll truly assist you."
"Eh?"
Nocrnaire stood there dumbfounded, still holding his hand.
So rejecting him was the correct move?
Is this what they meant by 'advance through retreat' in those war manuals?
While she stood in a daze, Guinevere glanced over at Artoria and Bawanxi, then sighed:
"Have your troops stand down. There's no need for this pointless fighting... I'll convince Artoria and Bawanxi to join you peacefully."
"O-oh..."
At Guinevere's firm tone, Nocrnaire instinctively obeyed, signaling her fairies to retreat. Only then did she realize something was off.
Wait a second—didn't Guinevere just say he'd be her subordinate from now on? So why was he giving the orders?
As Nocrnaire puzzled over this, Guinevere turned to Artoria and Bawanxi and said solemnly:
"You saw what happened. Joining Nocrnaire's army and fighting for her was not forced upon me. It was my choice. So please, don't attack under the excuse of 'rescuing' me."
"Now, it's your turn to choose."
He continued, seriously:
"Will you leave here... or will you join Nocrnaire and fight for her rule?"
"But if you leave, then we are strangers from now on. Should we ever meet on the battlefield, I won't hold back. If you stay, then we remain comrades—but you too must join her army and be bound by her contract."
"Eh? But why..." Bawanxi tried to speak, but Guinevere simply said:
"Please make your choice."
"???"
At that moment, not only Bawanxi and Artoria, but even Nocrnaire was stunned.
W-what was going on?
Why had Guinevere suddenly become so resolute?
She never insisted Artoria had to join—she was a former close friend. Edinburgh was big enough to keep her around as a freeloader...
\[Although you're unaware of the details, after receiving Guinevere's sudden loyalty and under his strong persuasion, Bawanxi and Artoria hesitated briefly before agreeing to join your army and forming a temporary contract under your command.]
\[With the joining of the Chosen Ones, this farce finally comes to an end.]
\[That night, Guinevere approached you, saying he wanted to talk. You had also been meaning to ask him why he did what he did, so you readily agreed.]
"Why did I say all that to Artoria and Bawanxi? It's not that I'm that determined. Actually, I know them. If I said that, they'd definitely join you. Because... well, we have a complicated history, and I don't think they could stand being my enemy."
"Yes, it was kind of dirty to emotionally manipulate them like that... but I had no choice. Hurting their feelings a little is better than watching everyone die."
"Today, when I saw them bickering outside the Pal Ball, I realized something: if I let them keep this up, we'd all end up dead."
"I know they have... feelings for me. But we don't have the luxury of time. The current situation is not in our favor. The Windfang Clan fairies are mobilizing; war is imminent. If we lose, we die."
"So how could I have the heart to flirt with them under the moonlight?"
"I don't have the time, or the energy. Every second I have, I want to dedicate to preparing for the battle ahead. I won't waste it on romance."
"For now, thanks to your protection, we can rest a little. But Lancelot isn't someone who gives up easily. We're still under her threat. If you lose to Lancelot and Woodworth's alliance, we're next."
"So I need you to win—if only so we can survive."
"Of course, I didn't choose to bet my life on you blindly. But over time, I've come to see that you're someone worth trusting. A true leader. And most importantly—you're clear-headed."
"You're the kind of person who handles all your duties first, before even thinking about personal happiness... Someone who restrains desire, suppresses dreams, and pours everything into what must be done. That's impressive. That's someone I can trust."
[Guinevere explained all his thoughts to you in full.]
[Your affection for Guinevere has increased.]