In April, spring arrived and the snow finally melted.
As the most watched kingdom in the British Isles, Camelot had changed drastically.
The construction and expansion of cities, the inward migration of citizens, and a flurry of major actions left neighboring kings stunned.
Perhaps King Arthur really was the true chosen one. Otherwise, how could one explain the continuous stream of miraculous innovations produced by Camelot in less than a year?
Paper, refined salt, printing, glass, perfume.
These items, which would become well-known in later generations, began circulating throughout the British Isles and even reached Rome. Yet, due to the high cost and limited production, their prices were sky-high. This broke Camelot's original fixed business model—where the king levied taxes, nobles exploited the common people, and the common folk continued to toil.
But no one complained. Both nobles and commoners benefited, more than ever before.
Everyone had seen the profits of trade.
And that was just the beginning.
Small, simple but ingenious items also began to circulate—water wheels, horseshoes, and more.
High-end goods appeared, too—magically enhanced weapons, magic crystals, and the like.
But every piece was sold at a premium price.
Within Camelot, livestock were systematically cultivated and managed. Thanks to the combined magic of Aigo and Arthur and the aid of modern technology, grain production skyrocketed. Magic clothing and magic crystals were essentially civilianized. New weapons were constantly developed and improved.
Halberds, longswords, scimitars, sabers.
Shields, bows, crossbows, and even guns saw upgrades and became widely recognized.
Camelot purchased large numbers of war horses from neighboring countries and exchanged minerals from the north.
All this in less than a year.
No, just one winter had brought about seismic changes across the British Isles.
Even Rome and other countries had a vague notion that any product bearing the Camelot seal was the best brand on the market.
During this quarter, every soul in Camelot was mobilized—nobles, commoners, officials alike—with none having the leisure of days past.
Driven by Arthur's vision, the whole country worked overtime at a furious pace.
"Your Majesty, Lord Kay returned safely this morning. He drove off the giants and destroyed all but a few designated Roman spy villages. The border people have agreed to migrate closer to Camelot."
"Sir Kay is here, so no need to say more! My king, all the grain Sir Lancelot brought from France has been traded for minerals in the northern region."
"The latest crop from the experimental fields has been harvested, yielding twice what we expected. Your magus theory was correct."
"The newest armor has completed testing. Once the fifth-generation armor technology matures, we'll start trading with the northern kings."
"The first batch of large-scale siege weapons is ready. Shall we consider selling them to the northern kings?"
"Idiot, they only need defenses, not siege weapons! My king, the Romans have increased their merchant officials' numbers and formally requested an audience with you."
"My king, about the formation of the Knights of the Round Table, we need—"
A flood of officials followed Arthur, loudly reporting various intelligence.
They weren't worried that Arthur couldn't hear. His genius was absolute.
Meanwhile, Kay held a pile of documents in one hand, repeatedly handing them over, while Arthur didn't even glance at the road, his mind buried in work.
That's right—his workload had increased tenfold since winter.
"My king is becoming less and less human. When will you officially announce you've surpassed humans?" Kay joked.
"…Shut up and lead the way!" Arthur said without looking up.
He no longer had time to respond.
Like now—he had just woken and was already working his way to the office.
In fact, Arthur never slept. The only reason he returned to the dormitory was to avoid Manaka forcibly knocking him unconscious to force rest.
After a moment, Arthur entered the elevator and finally heard silence.
Yes, an elevator.
To be precise—a magic elevator.
Developing a kingdom required abundant resources, but more importantly, technology. Luckily, Arthur didn't worry about technology. The love song connecting to the roots could summon knowledge and technology from past and future alike—even things never before seen.
Developing Camelot was a cakewalk.
Or rather, Camelot's productivity could barely keep up with Manaka's root knowledge base.
"Phew~ finally quiet. Those useless cicadas won't stop chirping. They're looking for mates because their lifespan is short. They keep reporting everything to me. Don't they know how to handle it themselves?!" Arthur grumbled in the small, cramped space.
His patience was at its limit.
If no one taught him a magical skill like cloning, he'd eventually be crushed under the mountain of affairs.
"My king, why haven't you died from overwork yet?" Kay asked earnestly.
With Arthur's workload, Kay wouldn't have been surprised if he'd died three or four times a day.
But miraculously, he was still alive.
"It's so noisy! Shut up! It's better to work than to talk! Now that you realize I'm about to die from overwork, why don't you share some of the burden?!"
"Even if you say so—"
Kay glanced at his documents, completely baffled.
"I'm sorry, I'm powerless. Please keep working hard, my king. Although I haven't slept for a week, now is not the time to rest. Come on, my king! Finish these and you can sleep!"
"If you don't want to become a Knight of the Round Table, I wouldn't mind canceling the afternoon ceremony and giving you a break," Arthur sneered.
Suddenly, Kay went quiet.
Taking advantage of the silence, Arthur muttered, "Come to think of it, I've been training your ability to handle affairs since you were crowned king. Why is there no improvement at all?!"
"Ah… this—"
Kay hesitated, clearly knowing more than he let on.
Honestly, he was part of the problem.
"Tell me the truth, or go find Manaka yourself!"
Kay trembled, shaking his head frantically.
Humans had limits to what they could endure—but Manaka's horrific methods did not.
Finally, he answered honestly: "Okay, don't be mad after you hear this. Long ago, a saying spread among the knights: 'Are you worthy to compare to our king? King Arthur's wisdom is endless. As mortals, we only need to guard him silently and obey orders!'"
Hearing this, Arthur could imagine the smug smiles of those knights, thinking they understood the king, while hiding their own achievements.
Seeing Arthur's gloomy face, Kay asked worriedly, "Um… are you angry?"
"Of course not, my dear Sir Kay. Please tell me who spread this. I'll reward him with the highest honor—and then break his neck with my own hands." Arthur smiled, but his eyes were empty and defeated.
God damn bastards!