After Scáthach's explanation, Arthur gained a rough understanding of what she meant.
When a person absorbs a dragon's essence, pushing themselves to the limit in battle can easily trigger a "power overload." This state greatly amplifies combat strength, but at the cost of losing rationality.
Therefore, Scáthach had brought him Lugh's blessing. Even if he were to accidentally enter a Berserker-like state in the future, he would be able to retain his reason and return to normal. However, in order to receive this blessing, he also had to accept the corresponding restriction—or rather, the curse.
Arthur spent an entire day reflecting on what kind of restriction Scáthach should impose on him. He was so distracted that during his training session with Artoria, he took several hits from her wooden sword, leaving him covered in bruises.
Arthur only arrived at the hall on the following night.
"Have you thought it through?" Scáthach asked calmly from her throne.
Arthur nodded. "I want to remain in the Land of Shadows forever. Please impose a restriction on me so that I will never betray the Land of Shadows."
"Why?" Scáthach looked down at the boy. "The Land of Shadows is surrounded by natural barriers and filled with monsters. Once you graduate in the future, many kingdoms will be willing to take you in."
Scáthach had many disciples, most of them from various realms. It was normal for them to leave after completing their training, and she did not oppose that.
But Arthur was saying that he truly wished to stay.
"But you and Nessa won't be there," Arthur said.
"Besides, I am a citizen of the Land of Shadows—now and forever. So even if I accept this restriction, it will have absolutely no negative effect on me."
Scáthach hesitated for a moment.
This restriction sounded simple, but in reality, it bound Arthur to the Land of Shadows. Once a geis was imposed upon someone, not even she could break it.
Knowing this, Arthur still made such a request, which surprised Scáthach.
"With you here, the Land of Shadows will not fall into decline," Arthur said, shaking his head. "Moreover, I never planned to leave this place in the first place. Imposing this restriction will only make me do my utmost to protect it in the future. I can still leave if necessary, so it won't affect my life at all."
In other words, as long as Arthur did not betray Scáthach or the Land of Shadows, the restriction would never activate.
As the price for receiving Lugh's blessing, this level of restriction was nothing.
Was that what he truly believed?
Scáthach slowly closed her eyes.
After a brief moment, she opened them again, her crimson gaze fixed on Arthur.
For an instant, Arthur instinctively wanted to avert his eyes.
Just looking into those serious eyes made him feel inexplicably inferior, and he had the urge to avoid his master's gaze—but in the end, he endured.
This was also thanks to Morgan. One of the things that proud and powerful goddess loved to do most was tease Arthur. She often said things like, "Look at me. Don't avert your eyes." Over time, Arthur had gradually become immune to it.
Thus, Arthur was able to calmly meet Scáthach's gaze.
"You win," Scáthach said after a moment of silence. "Come to my room."
Arthur was startled. His unwavering resolve wavered slightly at that moment. Still, he nodded and followed Scáthach out of the main hall, entering a room at the end of the corridor.
"Sit on the edge of the bed," Scáthach's voice echoed.
Arthur hesitated for a moment before obediently sitting down. Then he saw Scáthach take out a slender staff—no, it looked more like a ceremonial scepter from an ancient court than a staff.
If I remember correctly, this should be Skadi's staff.
So my master really is deeply connected to that person…
Arthur looked thoughtfully at the scepter in Scáthach's hand.
It was truly strange for his master to be holding Skadi's staff.
Arthur desperately wanted to ask, but he restrained himself.
Scáthach stepped closer to Arthur, raised her staff, and began chanting a strange incantation.
Arthur suddenly remembered something and unconsciously leaned back slightly.
"What is it?" Scáthach stopped chanting and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"It's nothing…" Arthur shook his head, though his expression looked somewhat unnatural.
I almost forgot—four years ago, Morgan le Fay imposed a restriction on me, and now my master is about to impose a second one… Will she notice something?
Or has she already noticed?
Arthur considered this possibility. When he looked at Scáthach again, she had already raised her staff.
As the chanting resumed, some kind of rune began to rotate around Scáthach.
Whoosh!
Several halos of light appeared around her, glowing with a golden radiance. This was both a blessing and a curse from the Sun God. When Morgan le Fay imposed a restriction in the past, pitch-black, ink-like halos had appeared instead. This showed that the manifestations of restrictions imposed by different gods were completely different.
The halos descended and surrounded Arthur's body, slowly revolving around him. There were three halos in total, each inscribed with special runes. The complex characters shone brighter and brighter as Scáthach continued chanting.
In the end, the halos completely disappeared into Arthur's body.
The blessing of the Sun God was now complete.
Arthur raised his hand and moved it slightly. It felt the same—yet completely different.
In past battles, he always had to restrain his power to avoid overloading his combat strength, but after receiving the Sun God's blessing, such concerns were no longer necessary.
"How do you feel?" Scáthach asked.
"I feel like I could fight you ten times over right now!" Arthur stretched his body, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief, as if he had been reborn. He felt even more grateful that he had come to the Land of Shadows. If not for Scáthach, he would probably still be sickly and weak.
"Ten times…" Scáthach's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You seem quite eager. How about we head to the training grounds and practice a bit more right now?"
Arthur quickly shook his head. "It's already very late—let's do it tomorrow!"
What a joke! Even if his physical problems were completely cured, he was still no match for his master! If Scáthach were that easy to defeat, she wouldn't feel lonely among such weak opponents.
"Then return to your room and rest," Scáthach said.
Arthur nodded and looked at Scáthach again.
He suddenly remembered Aife, whom he had met earlier that day. Had Scáthach not yet discovered that her sister had arrived—or did she already know everything?
And besides, there were other restrictions on him. Had Scáthach noticed them?
"What is it? Are you planning to stay here tonight?" Scáthach asked, looking at Arthur, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed.
"It's not impossible," Arthur replied instinctively.
The two stared at each other for a moment before Arthur stood up. "Sorry—forget it…"
Scáthach said calmly, "You're already an adult. You should learn to be independent and stop wanting to sleep with others like you did when you were a child."
When Scáthach first accepted Arthur as her disciple, he had been exactly ten years old. At the time, he was initially very afraid of her, but later he began pestering her every day and would occasionally run into her room because he was scared to sleep alone.
But things were different now. He had grown up and needed to learn independence.
Arthur nodded silently and left the room.
Watching Arthur depart, Scáthach smiled faintly. Only after his figure completely disappeared did a contemplative expression appear on her face.
What exactly is that woman trying to do?
She granted her disciple the blessing of the Goddess of Death and gradually transferred that power to him… Although it was despicable, if it could be used to one's advantage, it was still a viable path.
Why go to such lengths to help her disciple… what do you really want in return, Morgan le Fay?
Still, judging by the current situation, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks for the disciple. In any case, he would not leave the Land of Shadows—much less be seduced by that woman.
Scáthach paused.
Morgan le Fay was a beautiful and seductive woman; who knew how long she had lived? Her disciple was naïve and inexperienced—perhaps he could be tempted…
Tomorrow, she would talk to him a bit more and give him some advice on being careful.
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(End of Chapter)