"Ah, trouble, trouble! It's so troublesome! Can't you guys be a little more capable?!"
Early in the morning, a harsh voice echoed through the great hall of Camelot Castle.
Officials bustled in and out, their faces etched with anxiety and tension.
Just a day ago, no one would have guessed that after King Arthur declared stability had returned to Britain, he would assign even more work the very next day. Many knights had already begun planning to return to their fiefdoms, hoping life would finally ease up. But now, endless tasks weighed down on them like a mountain.
"This is pure torture."
"Looks like I'll have to cancel all my upcoming plans. My wife's going to complain again when I get home."
"Damn it, why did I ever want to be a knight?"
"Commoners' lives are so much happier!"
Resentful murmurs rippled through the hall, but they didn't last long.
"Hey! Are you all idiots over there? Instead of gossiping, why don't you get back to work? If I catch any of you pushing today's problems onto tomorrow, be prepared to be beheaded!"
The booming voice from the throne silenced everyone instantly.
Scolded.
By King Arthur himself.
This—this was exciting!
It was great to be a knight!
Especially for those singled out—they wore strange, happy smiles as they hurried to their tasks.
This scene had played out many times before.
Since signing the covenant with the other kings yesterday, Arthur had flipped the switch into overdrive, working as hard as he could and dragging everyone into overtime. Not just nobles and knights, but even Saxon prisoners of war were roused from bed by overzealous guards to toil longer hours.
The only ones left with leisure and elegance these days were the common folk.
No, wait—judging by the current mood, soon not a single person in Camelot would be idle.
"Oh my, my king is quite full of energy today."
"······"
Ah, there it was—an idler!
One official, tucked away in a corner, sneaked a glance and suppressed a grin.
Yes, someone with free time: a true idler.
Arthur was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected anyone to tease him amid such tension.
But upon seeing the offender's face, his surprise quickly turned to impatience and disgust.
"Merlin… you useless piece of—get away from me. And don't call me king!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Asshole—Manaka! Where's Manaka?!"
"Here I come, Prince! I made breakfast for you~"
"I'm not a prince! I'm a king!"
"Yes, my Prince. No problem, my Prince."
"Shut up, Merlin, I'm not talking to you!"
"You're impossible to please. Neither 'Your Majesty' nor 'my king' works, then how about 'the great King Arthur'?"
"Roll!"
"Eh? I made breakfast for the prince, so why not eat a little?"
"No, Manaka, wait! Don't misunderstand me! I'm not talking about you… Hey, don't make that 'abandoned puppy' face without permission."
"Oh dear, you made a girl cry! That's not okay. Want Brother Merlin to teach you how to treat girls? First, be gentle and soft like you'd treat a flower… Wait, I get it, I'm leaving now—don't draw that sword! That sword's a symbol of the king, not for you to wield like that~"
Ah, the Camelot comedy hour.
Many stopped working to watch, all masters of their craft sat in silent amusement.
Ten minutes later, the hall had been cleared in the center by willing spectators.
Arthur morphed into a swordmaster, wielding the skill [Telekinesis] to control his chosen sword, stabbing at Merlin, who dodged with dazzling magic.
Manaka stood beside Arthur, playing cheerleader.
But Merlin's playful grin revealed he was enjoying the chase more than fearing it.
Arthur's tension eased.
A good stress reliever, indeed.
After ten minutes, Arthur stopped, his pressure almost gone. He glared at the watching officials.
"What are you all staring at? Don't you have work to do?"
Immediately, the hall buzzed back to activity.
"Huh? Already done? I was having fun. It's okay to be a little violent."
Merlin grinned as he approached Arthur.
"Ah, yes, it's over. Over and done. Manaka, help me chop off this bastard incubus's head so I won't be bothered for a while."
"With pleasure."
Manaka squinted, savoring Arthur's dependence on her.
She hoped Arthur would become more useless and lean on her completely. Then her prince would stay by her side forever, instead of worrying about work and only seeing her at mealtimes.
The girl named Sajyou Manaka was smitten and dreamed of raising him into such a man.
Though that wish might be impossible.
"Wait, wait, stop!"
"Oh? Last words?"
Arthur smiled coldly.
"I'm here with a serious question. You started this fight, so why should I become a criminal and get beheaded?"
Merlin begged quickly.
Despite being a top-level magician, Merlin was vulnerable to Manaka, who was no ordinary girl. Killing Merlin outright was tough, but inflicting real pain was easy.
And given Merlin's stubbornness, if he didn't surrender, she'd never stop.
"Oh, that seems true enough."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. For a moment, he wondered if he'd been too harsh with Merlin.
But looking at the grinning white-haired mage, he became resolute.
No, this guy was a real bastard—an absolute enemy. Worse or not, it didn't matter.
"I'll let Manaka quiet down until you finish your last words."
Arthur took Manaka's hand and signaled to spare Merlin for now.
For a girl in love, this was lethal. A faint blush spread from her cheeks to her ears in plain sight. She lowered her head, staring at her toes, too shy to meet Arthur's gaze.
After a moment, she remembered something and gave Merlin a smug smile without expression.
See? The prince still likes me and even held my hand first!
What she didn't realize was that "competing with Merlin for a man's favor" looked pretty sad to ordinary people.