Arthur had imagined many possibilities for what might happen when he tried to draw the sword.
For example, he might be completely unable to move the sword in the stone and leave in disappointment.
Or perhaps he could pull it slightly, only for it to remain firmly stuck.
But he had never imagined something this bizarre could happen.
It's incredibly light. Why can't all those people pull it out despite its weight?
Arthur looked toward Merlin, only to see that the man who always wore a frivolous smile had suddenly stopped smiling.
Morgan, on the other hand, smiled in approval, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Arthur.
To everyone's surprise, he had actually pulled it out.
At first, she hadn't expected much and had even prepared alternative plans in case things went wrong—but now, none of that was necessary.
As expected, Scáthach had always had a keen eye for talent.
Morgan's smile became even more captivating, but then she saw Merlin walking toward Arthur.
What is that man planning now?
A flicker of doubt appeared in her eyes.
That man always seemed to see beyond everything, possessing eyes capable of observing the present and deducing the future by combining current information. Had he already foreseen this situation?
No—if he had, he wouldn't be showing such surprise now.
Morgan kept her gaze fixed on Arthur.
She would act immediately if anything unusual happened.
"This is truly remarkable—you actually pulled the sword from the stone." Merlin observed the sword in Arthur's hand, admiration evident on his face.
"Was this within your expectations?" Arthur asked.
"No. To be honest, you're a strange person. You don't belong to this world—I can't even deduce your future," Merlin said as he circled around Arthur. "I always believed that only a true king could pull the sword from the stone… yet you did it."
"So what?"
"Pull it out again," Merlin said.
"You want me to put it back and pull it out again?" Arthur frowned.
"That's right. Pull it again." Merlin shrugged. "Since you're the true king, you should be able to do it."
Arthur paused for a moment.
So you still don't believe me?
It made sense. After all, Artoria was destined to become king. She had trained since the age of five for this very day—yet on that same day, an outsider had pulled the sword from the stone.
Anyone would find that hard to accept.
"So you'll acknowledge me if I do it?" Arthur asked.
"Ah, if you can pull it out again, I believe everyone will recognize you," Merlin replied, glancing at the surrounding knights.
"Since you don't believe me, I'll pull it out again and show you." Arthur thrust the chosen sword back into the rock.
Then, lowering his voice, he added, "Before we begin, I want to ask you something."
"I'll answer if I can," Merlin shrugged. "Though, of course, I might not answer questions I can answer."
"You probably don't want Lily to become king, right? Why would you prevent someone from pulling the sword from the stone?" Arthur asked quietly.
"I will not interfere with predetermined fate," Merlin replied. "But since you pulled the sword, the course has deviated. An unknown future is dangerous."
"Very well, please draw the sword once more so everyone can see it." After finishing, Merlin didn't give Arthur a chance to respond and turned back to the crowd.
Under the watchful eyes of the knights, Arthur took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Fixing his gaze on the sword now embedded in the rock again, he reached out and grabbed the hilt.
He pulled with force.
The sword didn't move at all.
Strange… The sword that was so light just now feels like it's rooted in stone.
Arthur frowned slightly and glanced at Merlin.
Was that guy responsible?
The knights seemed to realize that Arthur had used his strength but failed to pull the sword, and they began whispering among themselves.
"It won't come out."
"Something must have gone wrong earlier."
"I knew it! How could a novice knight pull the sword from the stone…?"
"Fortunately, Merlin discovered it in time. Otherwise, the consequences would've been unimaginable… After all, he's just a squire. I've never even heard of him before. If it were a renowned knight like Gawain or Kay, it would be acceptable for him to lead us."
Arthur tried again, but there was still no reaction.
"Stop wasting your time—you can't pull the sword from the stone! Let someone else take your place!"
Some knights in the crowd began to jeer.
"You don't become king by luck!"
"Get out!"
Artoria remained silent, watching as Merlin approached her. She bit her lip.
"What did you do?"
"It was just a little trick," Merlin smiled. "Now go and earn everyone's recognition."
"You will be the true King of Britain."
"But he clearly pulled the sword from the stone." Artoria frowned slightly.
"The fact is, he failed," Merlin shook his head. "Whether he succeeded before or not, he has failed now."
"Merlin, how dare you play such tricks in front of me?" Morgan appeared behind him at some point, staring coldly at the man.
"I did nothing. He simply wasn't suited to draw that sword… Those who cannot see their destiny should not pull the sword from the stone," Merlin replied, looking at Morgan. "You should know that only the Red Dragon of Britain can draw it. Although I don't want Lily to become king, everything is predestined, so—"
"Did you use illusion magic?" Morgan interrupted.
"Indeed, I did a little something," Merlin admitted with a smile.
"Then what's the point of all this? Why not simply call Lily and have her draw the sword?" Morgan asked coldly, her gaze fixed on him.
"If we don't do that, how will others recognize her as king?" Merlin replied. "Only by drawing the sword in front of everyone can she be acknowledged as the ruler who will lead them to drive out the Saxons."
"That person does not belong to this world, so he shouldn't be able to draw the sword from the stone. Even if you manipulated him and turned him into the White Dragon, he still wouldn't be able to draw it," Merlin continued.
Morgan fell silent, but a burning rage flickered in her eyes.
All her efforts over the years had been in vain—simply because Arthur was not from this world. Because of this cursed destiny, no matter how much he trained, it was meaningless.
Since Artoria had long been chosen by Merlin and King Uther to become the next king, she was meant to be crowned according to fate.
"Alright, alright, go on, Lily," Merlin said, turning to Artoria. "The sun is quite strong, and to be honest, I'm a bit thirsty. I'd like to go back and get some water as soon as possible."
Artoria remained silent, staring in that direction, lightly biting her lip.
"Lily?" Merlin called again. "Don't keep everyone waiting—hurry up—"
His voice suddenly stopped as he turned toward Arthur.
A roar erupted from that direction, abruptly silencing the knights' chatter. Everyone looked in disbelief at the squire.
No… he no longer looked human.
He had entered his Berserker form.
Having fully fused with the body of the White Dragon, Arthur's skin became even paler than before in this form. Scale-like patterns spread across his body. His arms still looked normal, but now they made the massive rock tremble.
"What is he trying to do…?" Kay looked stunned.
"Arthur…" Morgan stared at him.
After being deceived by Merlin and unable to draw the sword, what else was he planning?
"Is he going to lift the entire rock?!" someone realized Arthur's intention and shouted in disbelief.
"How is that possible? No one could lift something that big—"
The voice abruptly cut off, staring at Arthur in shock.
The massive rock slowly rose from the ground under his strength.
Gradually—
Until he completely lifted both the sword and the rock together.
The enormous shadow of the rock loomed over everything, while a blinding light shone behind it.
And there he stood—within the light and shadow.
If I can't pull the sword from the stone, then I'll lift it together with the stone!
Arthur raised the Sword of Selection, still embedded in the massive rock. The bones in his arm cracked as if they were breaking, yet he seemed to have completely forgotten the pain. He lifted the rock high and slammed it violently into the ground.
BOOM!
It was as if the entire island trembled. The ground split apart, people lost their footing, and the surroundings shook so violently that no one could maintain their balance.
Fragments of the massive rock burst into the sunlight, shimmering with dazzling colors under the blinding brightness. A sharp shard grazed Merlin's face, drawing crimson blood.
Arthur raised the Sword of Selection, still covered in fragments, and drove it into the ground, his eyes fixed on Merlin.
"So… does this mean I pulled it out?"
(End of Chapter)