Merlin silently looked at Arthur, then at the crowd that seemed to cast fervent gazes upon him, and suddenly smiled.
"You win."
He does not belong to this world, yet he possesses the qualities to become a king.
Merlin turned to leave when Morgan suddenly called out to him:
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going for a walk." Merlin scratched his head, sounding slightly irritated. "I'll talk to him later. Since it was Lily's decision, I won't stop him anymore. But if he wants to become king, he still has a lot to learn."
"You're wrong again." Morgan revealed a charming smile.
"You're the one who still has much to learn."
Merlin paused briefly, looking at the woman before him with a gaze of sudden understanding.
"I see… so you've been planning this from the very beginning?"
"You're not exactly innocent either," Morgan said slowly. "If you didn't want that child to become king, you should have used illusions to deceive everyone from the start."
The man suddenly smiled—a genuine smile.
"May I ask why you did this?" she continued.
"It's my fault for being too greedy," Merlin replied.
His eyes suddenly grew much deeper, making it impossible to discern his thoughts; only his gentle voice could be heard:
"I wanted to see whether he could truly trample fate."
A gust of wind passed, and Merlin's body dissolved into flower petals, leaving behind only his final words:
"If that were possible, I'd be happy… ah, but of course, it's basically impossible."
Morgan watched intently as the man disappeared from sight, her gaze lingering until he was completely gone before she finally looked away.
It sounded profound… but he was probably just as surprised, wasn't he?
Not only Merlin—even she herself had not expected Arthur to "pull" the sword from the stone under those circumstances, and to stir the emotions of others as well.
Should it be said that young people are simply more passionate, or that he truly possesses the qualities of a king?
Morgan looked at Arthur and saw that he was also looking at her, a happy smile on his face. Though he said nothing, his message was clear:
"I completed my mission successfully."
Morgan smiled, the sunlight bathing her skin and making even her warm expression appear enchanting. She murmured softly to herself:
"What an enviable woman."
Despite everything, Arthur was still a citizen of the Land of Shadows, and his heart still longed for Scáthach.
…I'll think of a solution when I return.
Morgan gazed at Arthur, a strange glint in her eyes as she silently plotted something.
At last, the crowd dispersed, and surrounded by knights, Arthur entered the royal city.
The events of that day spread throughout all of Britain, including how the man known as "Arthur" had drawn the sword from the stone.
However, at that moment, Arthur was lying on the throne, holding his head in his hands.
Perhaps it was the lingering aftereffect of the climax. He had acted completely out of character. But now that he had calmed down, he realized the gravity of the situation.
Now then—the majority of Britannia recognizes him as king.
If nothing unexpected happens, he will likely lead a group of knights to drive out the Saxons.
Although Morgan had previously said that such matters could be left to her, the problem now was that he was the king, and others might not necessarily obey Morgan's orders.
Those who are not on her side may refuse to follow her.
Unless… she becomes queen.
Fortunately, the vow he made to Scáthach had not yet come to pass, which showed that his original intentions remained unchanged.
Even though I am in Britain, my heart still belongs to the Land of Shadows!
"Congratulations, King Arthur." A soft female voice came from the front of the palace. Before Arthur could react, he felt a delicate touch beside him.
"Your performance today satisfied me greatly—no, immensely." Morgan had somehow seated herself beside him, crossing her legs as she continued in a pleasant tone:
"To be honest, at first I didn't think you would succeed."
"Neither did I. At that moment, all I could think about was pulling the sword from the stone," Arthur sighed.
After managing to draw the sword, he felt no joy. Instead, he worried about the future, wondering whether he would truly have to spend every day traveling and fighting the Saxons.
"It was a success, wasn't it?" Morgan said with a smile, gently patting Arthur's head.
Although that trickster always seemed unreliable in both words and actions, he truly could foresee the future. Even when she herself began to waver, Arthur was still able to change the future in his own way.
This also gave Morgan a deeper understanding of him.
So this boy has his own passion as well. He would try to change his destiny because of something she said—and he actually succeeded.
It would be a real shame to let him return now.
Morgan stared at Arthur's face, a certain desire flickering in her eyes.
Like a delicious cake… it makes one want to take a bite right away…
It should have been left for Lily, but I suppose it won't hurt if I take the first bite, right?
But what about Scáthach…?
Hmm… if I just take a few discreet tastes, she probably won't notice.
"Morgan, do you need something?" Noticing the strange light in her eyes, Arthur shivered slightly and tried to change the subject.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to see you—is that not allowed?" Morgan replied with a smile, crossing one leg over the other.
"Morgan, as agreed, I pulled the sword from the stone. Can I go back now?"
"There's still much to be done. At the very least, you'll have to wait until the Knights of the Round Table are stabilized," Morgan said, gently caressing Arthur's face with her fingers. "Until then, I'll need you by my side."
"Let's wait until you reach adulthood."
"That's too long—wait until I become an adult—" Arthur suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened slowly as he abruptly stood up.
Damn, I suddenly remembered something very important.
"What is it?" Morgan asked, intrigued, looking at Arthur, whose face had turned pale.
"Morgan, after the sword is drawn from the stone, does the body stop growing?" Arthur asked, staring at her intently.
"Ah… I believe so."
"Then what am I supposed to do?!" Arthur exclaimed. "Am I destined to stay like this for the rest of my life?"
"Isn't that wonderful? You'll remain between adolescence and full adulthood," Morgan said, nodding seriously as she looked at him. "That's the best age."
"No way! I was hoping to grow taller, but I'm still not even as tall as my master. This is humiliating!"
Just as Arthur was about to continue, a servant's voice came from outside the palace:
"King Arthur, three leaders from outside the capital request an audience!"
(End of Chapter)